Competitions

Competitions are organised by local groups, on the district level and the national level (championships and a couple of others) and they are based on the Guide and Scout programme. Competitions take a day or a day and a night. Patrols hike or ski in the woods and perform certain tasks at the control points. The purpose of the competitions is to improve team spirit of the patrols and test their skills as well as to teach new skills in an entertaining way.

Competitions can be compared to hikes: a patrol works together and tries to solve demanding tasks. A task list, which gives a few tips, is given in advance so that patrols can prepare for the competition, but the rules make sure that no patrol gets an unfair edge.

Finnish Championships (FC) are organised three times a year (winter, spring and autumn). Competitors are divided into six different classes. The youngest classes span the Adventurer section, the second classes span the Tracker and Explorer sections and the oldest classes are for the Rover section. The classes are further divided according to gender. The three different FCs have different age profiles: the winter games have all classes, the spring games only have the youngest classes and the autumn games only have the two older classes.

Orienteering competitions are organised once a year by several districts and on national level. The orienteering competitions follow the format of competitive orienteering and are composed of a medium distance personal race and a relay competition for teams.

Photo: Aapo Rainio