Score-O: 20 Minutes to Rack Up Points

A score-format orienteering event: 20 controls with different point values, and each runner decides which to visit and in what order before time runs out. It forces planning, pacing, and accepting that you can't get them all.

How to play

1. Explain the setup: nearby controls are worth 10 points, mid-range 20, and far or tricky ones 30; every minute or part of a minute late costs 5 points (3 min).
2. Planning with map in hand, standing still: everyone marks a route plus a shortcut in case time runs tight (3 min).
3. Mass start and 20 minutes of racing; whistle at 15 and 19 minutes (20 min).
4. Score check in pairs: add up the points on the card and subtract penalties (4 min).
5. Analysis: each runner works out points per minute and explains which control paid off most and which one wasn't worth it (5 min).

Rules

• Late finishes cost 5 points per minute or part of a minute.
• Each control scores only once.
• No running through out-of-bounds areas or climbing fences.
• If someone gets hurt, whoever finds them stays with them while another runner gets the teacher.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: high-value controls also placed in accessible areas, and time extended to 25 minutes.
• Injury: does the score at a walk, aiming for a personal points-per-minute target instead of a total.
• Visual impairment: runs with a guide who reads the map aloud; the pair decides together.

Learning goals

• Plan a route based on value, distance, and available time.
• Pace effort to finish on time.
• Analyze decision quality with personal data.

Equipment for a class of 25

• school maps: 30
• control markers: 20
• crayons: 20
• control cards: 30
• stopwatches: 2
• whistle: 1

Teacher tip

Write each control's value on the map next to its number to avoid mix-ups. The typical mistake is chasing the 30s first and coming in late; teach them to leave nearby controls for the end as a time buffer.

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