EDITORIAL
From the President IF you started orienteering when all events were of classic length in the bush and that’s what you want to do each weekend when you ‘go orienteering’, the chances are that you are hurting right now and perhaps even bewildered as to what ‘they’ are doing to ‘your sport’.
LETTERS The Australian Orienteer welcomes letters from members. Preference will be given to letters which are concise and which make positive points. The editor reserves the right to edit letters, particularly ones which are longer than 300 words.
Victorinox letter of the month Allan Whitfield (WA) for his letter on the cost of orienteering.
However, there are now many people who ‘go orienteering’ without leaving the bush tracks or without even going into the bush. We have people who only ‘go orienteering’ in the parks and the streets or only ‘go orienteering’ riding a mountain bike – not to mention those who prefer to have the ground covered in snow – or to use a canoe or swim underwater. The fundamental principles of Orienteering lend themselves to many environments, different types of event and a variety of course lengths. It was logical that when orienteers chose to try to popularise their sport, they looked at many variations of what it means to ‘go orienteering’. But why seek to popularise Orienteering and destroy that charming existence of the Sunday morning 7 km. run through some wonderful Australian bush? Well, some people cannot go orienteering on Sunday mornings, some don’t want to run 7 km. and some don’t want to run in the bush – but they do want to orienteer and we need them to orienteer. We need participants to make our orienteering activities economically viable. We need to attract new participants to continue to justify our receipt of government funding. Government Depts have agendas we must help them fulfill and one is that more people participate in recreational activities. Of course for us, with participation comes sponsorship. We also need participants to become members to ensure the long-term viability of our clubs and associations that administer and conduct Orienteering events. Since Orienteering was introduced to Australia, our social environment has altered dramatically and Sunday is no longer the family day that it was. Employment patterns have changed for all groups. Community bodies of all types struggle for members to take on voluntary tasks. Orienteering Australia’s Statistical Summary of Orienteering Activities in Australia 1999 – 2003 provides information for us to consider as we plan our orienteering activities. Two observations stand out for me - the commonality of the demographic data about Members from state to state; particularly the fact that just 11% of Members are ‘Seniors’ whilst 57% are ‘Masters’. Isn’t this a good enough reason for us to attract more younger participants and to convert them to Members? At international level, the need for diversity in what it means to ‘go orienteering’ has been similarly recognized. There is competition with other sports for sponsorship, for publicity and for a berth in the Olympic Games. This diversity has manifested itself in three sets of world championships in foot Orienteering - long, middle and short – and activities such as the Park World Tour. These three sets of championships are now incorporated into our national and state event calendars. National rankings for elite orienteers now reflect performances at state championships in all three disciplines. Even the Easter 3-Day for the Elites has been modified to include a sprint component. While the changes are targeting our elite orienteers, there is a natural flow on affecting the rest of us. Some of the new concepts we will enjoy more than others, but by appreciating why the changes are occurring and adopting an attitude of being prepared to ‘give it a go’, each of us will be working towards strengthening the future of Orienteering. Keep spiking those controls. Bob McCreddin
Allan receives a Victorinox Voyager with 20 tools and features including a watch/ alarm/timer, retail value $109.95.
Orienteering is not cheap for a twenty year old WELL done David Bourne for his letter "Orienteering is not cheap for a twenty year old" (June). As a father of twin 18 year olds with great potential, I can only agree with the issues David raised. The geographic locations of our bush events makes access a real concern for any interstate visitor, particularly those that are in this age group, without licences or the financial means to survive (students etc). It is these locations however that attract many of us to the sport and keep us interested. The cost and convenience of flying across Australia, or even just across the border is improving all the time, however the entry fees, ground travel and accommodation component are another matter all together. During the recent carnival in Queensland over Easter, our juniors opted to compete in the elite class on one occasion for some added experience and competition but were required to pay full adult fees. Are they juniors or not? Camping is also difficult when flying is involved as you may be away for periods of up to ten days and have little opportunity to carry the required equipment to make such an experience at least semi-pleasurable, let alone find a site in close proximity to the event.
Unfortunately I do not have the answers either, but I do agree with the notion of surveying those concerned. So how about it Bob McCreddin, as new national President will you tackle this issue head on and instigate some targeted research? Allan Whitfield (WA) Bob McCreddin responds: Two topics that Orienteering Australia has long left to individual state associations to decide are the definition of a “junior” and the fees for national events. This letter from Allan Whitfield is one of a series of messages that have reached Orienteering Australia on the issue of entry fees for juniors at national events. The matter will need to be considered collectively by the state associations through Orienteering Australia and due to widely differing state positions on the topic, the resolution will most likely have to wait until the December Conference – but perhaps states discussing fees now for national events over the next year or two will note the concerns being expressed.
Next issue 1 December 2004 Contributions deadlines Time-sensitive 22 Oct All other contributions 15 Oct SEPTEMBER 2004 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 5
