Came across this guideline in the new Orienteer Kansas webpage. The sidebar had a link to scoutorienteering.
What's New
Subj: GSUSA Position on solo Orienteering. Feb 20 2004
"Competitive Orienteering Courses often require participants to operate independently. While solo competition is not recommended for inexperienced or other program levels, girls 11-17 years of age whose skills match or exceed the demands of the course may participate in such competitions. As with all orienteering sites, there should be a clear area of safety (Safety Lane), a specific finish time and location and Search and Rescue procedures designed by the competitions host and the Girl Scout advisor/leader."
Boys Scouts have always promoted the buddy system and over the years I've rarely seen locate Scouts out for the first time going out alone. Looks like the Girl Scouts have a similar concern. A few years ago while teaching orienteering to some Cub Scouts, an adult leader asked that I accompany him with the yound Scout he wanted to teach - he quoted a rule that an adult cannot be alone with a single Scout. I supposed it's a good rule for safety, but was life much simpler and people more trusting back 30-40 years ago, or were we lucky or were we duped?
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