Melbourne Sprint weekend The one and only 2020 orienteering carnival
WORD S M ARG I FRE E MA NTL E & T ED VAN G ELD E R M AL SE N
PHOTOS E VALI NE MAE PHOTO S , SUSA N G UI NA NE & M A R G I F RE E MA NTL E
It is always a pretty intense time for the organisers leading up to a Melbourne Sprint Weekend (MSW) and this year was no different. We had arrived back from the January sprints in New Zealand and were hard at work to get the myriad of things in place ready for the weekend. In the background there was this rumbling of a new virus having emerged out of China, but it did not really register, except for the sudden shortage of toilet paper, in the frenzy to get everything ready. Then suddenly it was time for the event. The organising team had pulled everything together and we were ready to roll. After MSW 2018 we conducted a survey to find out what people liked and where we could improve. Suggestions for improvements included: larger scale maps e.g. 1:3000 for as many courses as possible, more spectator friendly arenas, shade, better commentary, having coffee and food vendors, more toilets, events closer together in time and distance, and improved administration and general organisation. We incorporated all these suggestions for MSW 2020. We fine-tuned the running of the events by having an overall Start Manager, Anne Arthur, and Co-Manager, John Meeking, which enabled a more consistent approach to the starts and eliminated mistakes that might have occurred. Nicola Dalheim joined this team as Manager for the Knock-out sprint which certainly made life a lot easier.
all, and Asha Steer ran a special competition for Under-25 elite competitors (incorporating Days 1 & 2). So how did it go? Well based on the feedback – pretty well. The weather behaved and somehow we managed to keep to schedule, although things got a bit shaky with the transition between races 5 & 6.
In addition, at Brodie Nankervis’s suggestion, a Knock-out Sprint competition was included on Day 3, with entry open to page 21
