OceaYarnia

International Orienteering journalist Con Torrline interviews David Jaffe and Warren Key

WORDs & PHOTOS DAVID JAFFE

The Oceania Long event last October at Kangaroo Crossing lived up to the great Victorian tradition of trying to match the best European carnivals. With over 1000 runners in 21 classes on 15 courses there was a lot to organise and plan. Coorganiser David Jaffe (DJ) and course planner Warren Key (WK) were interviewed for the OV Yearbook by journalist Con Torrline:

What were you hoping the Oceania long would achieve?

DJ: I wanted everyone to have fun from 3-year-olds to 93. I hoped it would be a great event where people remembered it as a celebration of the best we could put on in Victoria that also tried to innovate. When Warren and I went on site we knew we had a great arena that deserved some theatre so we tried to think like producers as much as orienteers. WK: Kangaroo Crossing is a uniquely superb bit of terrain that challenges all the senses. I wanted to offer the experience of international orienteering on as many levels as possible, not just the courses but the whole package. From the anticipation of the challenge (we hyped this up a little like a WOC runner experiences in the lead up; the special terrain, the tough courses, the big race) and even the walk to the start. On the courses I wanted to challenge competitors’ true orienteering abilities. I wanted every runner to be immersed by their orienteering senses and see through their own eyes what is required for high level competition, then reward those with the skills set to put it together on the day. What were you most worried about before the event? WK: Well we had three levels of controllers so we had checked and checked and checked again so not too much. DJ: I was worried about having to get on yet another organisers’ two-hour teleconference with the combined ACT/ NSW team as I’d done far too many of those. More seriously, I was worried about heavy rain or a hot day. Once we saw the forecast, we made sure we created shade on the hill as we knew it would be an issue. We got lots of tents and tried to make a grandstand.

What idea or aspect were you proudest of?

WK: Our coach in residence and friend, Will Gardner, brought his parents out from the UK to show off his experiences in Australia. Will’s dad, Richard, is an age group gun and he has a great sense of humour too. Will had really talked up our day long before arriving so by the time I added the threat of a GPS tracker, Richard was on tender hooks. It was great because, well as a parent, we all know it's impossible to walk in your child’s shoes, but on this big race day I am sure for a passing moment Richard experienced what it feels like to be Will, to be under the microscope like an Elite athlete feels for all big races. To see how Richard handled it, look back over his GPS tracking

on Living it Live and for Will’s advice back to his dad, listen to Will’s ever growing in popularity podcast “The Run In". DJ: I was pleased that we managed to persuade the whole carnival not to collect maps at the finish but boy was it a battle! I also tried to distract the walk to the start with a quiz which I hope some people enjoyed. I was delighted to involve the local community; the local tennis club were reluctant caterers and then it was their biggest ever fund raiser! We even had 15 locals come and have a try! Getting a $5000k Vic Gov grant was also valuable and the kids’ expressions on the stringless string course was memorable!

What do you think worked really well?

WK: The arena atmosphere was great, the run-through and run in dramas, interviews, advertising, event welcome from Thierry Gueorgiou, endorsements, previews, shops, all things high level orienteering. The GPS tracking and the big screen featuring old and young and not just the Elite, including many personal stories before and after the race. DJ: Warren, Toph and I had to really think about the course/ class sequence so that different classes had the spotlight through the day and so that the screen/ tracking would have different groups to focus on. We actually had a half hour by half hour plan of what would be happening in the arena! Tracking non elites was great for a change. We also managed to avoid having a quarantine through very careful planning with Toph of what got shown on the screen and when.

What was the low light or moment of greatest concern?

DJ: Hearing that one class had been given the wrong maps (but it got fixed) and that we’d run out of water at a crucial checkpoint. Two weeks before the day I still had no cake stall so I called the Beechworth Bakery. “No we don’t do wholesale,” they said. “Oh but your web site says you do catering?” I said. “Oh yes we do catering”. “Oh can you cater for 150 lamingtons, 100 orange cakes and 100 brownies” “Oh yes”. Problem solved!

WK: I can definitely say the water controls did not work well. We thought we were all over it but it did not pan out that way, especially the M21E course after the ultra long leg. The water container leaked and lost its valuable load but it is worth knowing that not one of the Elites complained, a few humorous whinges and they just got on with it. Well done and I am really sorry. The GPS tracker we put on one of our older competitors stopped moving, alarm bells rang but all was OK. No, it all went quite well I think, except I have not mentioned the glaring eyes of those runners who thought my courses were a bit tough. I forgive them all but I am not sure they will forgive me!

In hindsight what would you have done differently?

WK Not much but more water of course. Make the MW10-12 more of an adventure. Control burn the forest up the top of the hill to open up the map – that would have been nice. DJ: I’d have run a flour trail up to the start not tape. I think we could have sold 200 more cakes! The Orienteering world still hasn’t heard me on commentary but I know that I’ll just have to keep training…

Couldn’t have done it without who…?

DJ: Nicola D was my co-organiser and did a mountain of work. Leigh Privet found the arena and did so much work – thanks Leigh. The Canberra Grammar team and the ACT central team did a great job, once we knew what they were going to do and nothing fell between the cracks.

WK: We had 100 flags in the forest and each one of them must have been visited by me or Tim at least ten times. Thanks very much to Tim Hatley. He was yet again a great controller and all round good guy.

What innovations would you hope to see repeated?

WK: GPS tracking for non-elite classes. Commentary before the event. The arena set up. A sense of a big time race. Nonstandard mapping symbols. Staged category finish times through the day so these classes got limelight. The quiz walking to the start. Welcome presentation from orienteering stars. Information on How to navigate in the terrain. Elite briefing. A challenging run in. Challenging courses appropriate to big race standards. No Elite quarantine. Guest and mixed commentary through the day. Fun. DJ: Everything Warren said and never collecting maps at any event.