HIGH PERFORMANCE

Mike Dowling, OA Director, High Performance

As I sit writing this column the final World Championships event of interest to Australia in 2004, being the MTBO WOC in Ballarat, is on the verge of happening. Having just checked the start lists for the long distance qualification it brings to me that sense of anticipation which will be building within the Australian MTB-O community and in particular in our MTB-O team.

Congratulations again to all our Aussie athletes who represented us in the second only World Orienteering Championships on Australian soil. Nineteen years is a long time between drinks from the 1985 World Championships in foot Orienteering. With the prospect of the 2007 Junior World Orienteering Championships in Dubbo rapidly creeping upon us we are being somewhat spoilt in hosting two World Championships in three years.

MTBO Team Selection

Many in the wider Orienteering community may not be aware that the selection of the MTB-O team for the World Championships brought Orienteering into the contemporary world of sport with Tom Walter (ACT) lodging an appeal against his non-selection in the team. This took Orienteering Australia into uncharted territory as we had no formal procedures in place to hear such an appeal. Using the guidance of our constitution and the AOC guidelines along with suggestions from the Australian Sports Commission and ACT Academy of Sport, our Manager-High Performance put together a formalised process to hear the appeal. An appeal panel was constituted consisting of Terry Murphy (NSW) as Chair, Bob McCreddin (WA) as OA Board representative and Cath Chalmers (WA), to hear the appeal. The panel found there were grounds for the appeal to be upheld and communicated this to the Board of Orienteering Australia. As a consequence the MTB-O Selection Panel had a fresh look at the team selection process resulting in Tom Walter being placed in the team and Paul Darvodelsky (NSW) being omitted. Under the adopted guidelines Paul had the right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration in Sport, as does any athlete in such circumstances. However, Paul graciously accepted the final decision of the selection outcome. As a consequence of this process Orienteering Australia is reviewing its disputes procedures and expects a revised set of procedures to be put in place following the National Conference in December.

A New Identity For Our Foot WOC Team

Last issue I flagged the adoption of an identity for our national teams. It is with pleasure I can communicate that our foot WOC team will now be known as the “Boomerangs”. In conjunction with the “Bushrangers”, our second tier senior foot Orienteering team, two of our four national teams now have “identities”. All that remains is an identity for our JWOC and MTBO teams. So come on folks get those creative thinking caps on. I’m just an email away at mdowling@ tassie.net.au with your ideas.

World Foot O Championships in Sweden Review

A big thank you to all our athletes on our national team this year for their efforts in Sweden in what was, from reports, typically challenging Swedish orienteering. In addition, many thanks to the team of Christine Brown, Jim Russell, Brett Weihart and Warren Lowry for their work with the athletes during the World Championships. It is important for us all to acknowledge the important supportive role the coaching/management team play in helping our athletes perform to the best of their ability at a World Championships. What of our performances? One highlight has to be the performance of junior Hanny Allston in her first senior World Championship with a great relay run and very creditable performances in the finals of the Sprint & Long races. The benchmark performances (top 16) of Tom Quayle in the Long-distance and Troy de Haas in the Sprint-distance and the very near misses of Grant Bluett and Tash Key in the Middledistance were other highlights along with Grant being a lead qualifier in the Sprint-distance. In addition, we had nearly all our athletes qualify for finals which does indicate a broad improvement in our overall competitiveness. The 2005 coaching team along with the High Performance Management Group must now work hard in partnership with our athletes to help them build on the gains of recent World Championships for Japan next year.

Revised National League Guidelines

Thanks to great work of OA Technical Director Andy Hogg we are in the process of concluding a revision of the National League guidelines. As I alluded to in the last issue, the goal here is to address issues that have arisen as we moved decisively forward in developing our major national elite competition program in foot orienteering. Our National League is a delicate balancing act in trying to bring together a comprehensive program that maximize access to high quality competition for as many of our junior and senior athletes as possible with the need to ensure equity across all our constituent associations. It will be an ongoing challenge but one that we can all work together in attempting to achieve the right balance.

OAWA Lead The Way

The Orienteering Association of Western Australia set a new standard in the quality of their submission to host a round of the 2005 National League. They are to be congratulated on their efforts and it is intended the High Performance Management Group of Orienteering Australia will use their submission as model for future National League applications. It is sincerely hoped that as many of our elites support the WA National League round in early May next year as possible. It should be a great last hit out prior to the final WOC 2005 selection trials in late May next year.

2005 And Beyond

Already next year is shaping up to be a busy year. In addition to our National Leagues and World Championship programs we have the World Games in July in Germany where we have qualified two athletes. Further development of our High Performance policy direction will be undertaken with the end of our current strategic plan for our High Performance programs and the commencement of the next four-year plan. Have any ideas about the future direction of our High Performance orienteering? The High Performance Management Group always welcomes your input.

ORIENTEERING PUBLICATIONS

IOF Publications

International Specifications for Orienteering Maps . . . . . . . . . . $11 .00 Competition rules for IOF events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $11 .00 Control Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . $11 .00 Simple Maps for Orienteering . . . . $11 .00 Trail Orienteering (BOF book) . . . . . $30 .00 Trail Orienteering (booklet) . . . . . . . . $8 .25 Trail O (leaflet) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $0 .70

Australian Publications

Elementary Orienteering Instructors Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . $13 .20 Level 1 Coaching Manual . . . . . . . . $22 .00 Level 1 Coaching Syllabus . . . . . . . . $3 .90 Level 2 Coaching Syllabus . . . . . . . . $4 .40 Level 3 Coaching Syllabus . . . . . . . . $4 .40 Among the Best Orienteers (video) $19 .75 Sponsorship & Advertising, 1996 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . available from states Club Guide, available on disc .

Prices include GST and postage within Australia for single copies. Prices for bulk orders available on request. Orders should be addressed to Orienteering Australia, PO Box 740, Glebe, NSW 2037, with cheques made payable to Orienteering Australia. Email: orienteering@dsr.nsw.gov.au

2005 National Senior Squad & High Performance Group

Ian Prosser, AO Chair of Senior Selectors

National Senior Squad

The purpose of the National Senior Squad is two-fold: to give formal recognition to excellent results over the last year by naming the top twenty or so orienteers; and to name those with the best potential for international representation next year, as a focus for coaching, training and other support. Competitive form does not change that fast so the two criteria largely apply to the same athletes. There are a few who meet only one of the criteria, but do so with distinction. The role of the squad for coaching, etc is not as strong as it used to be but we would like to see that component retained and reinforced. The selectors have announced the following squad for 2005. Additional members may be added during 2005 if they rise to the same standard and level of commitment to the sport during the year. Athletes will not be removed from the squad until it is reviewed again at the end of next year, unless they voluntarily retire from active competition. Congratulations to all the selected squad members. You all deserve this formal recognition at a time of increasing depth and tough competition in Australian elite orienteering. Please note that Nicki Taws was not involved in the discussion to include her in the squad. The 2005 squad is:

Women: Jo Allison, Hanny Allston, Tracey Bluett, Susanne Casanova, Clare Hawthorne, Allison Jones, Natasha Key, Orla Murray, Anna Sheldon, Nicki Taws, Cassie Trewin, Danielle Winslow.

Men: Bruce Arthur, Grant Bluett, David Brickhill-Jones, Julian Dent, Craig Dufty, Troy de Haas, Eric Morris, Rob Preston, Tom Quayle, Dave Shepherd, Reuben Smith, Rob Walter.

High Performance Group (HPG)

The purpose of the HPG is to select the most outstanding prospects for the World Championships team for the next year. The aim is to provide them with financial and other support to help them reach their potential at WOC. The guiding principle is to pick those with genuine or proven ability to achieve top 16 results at WOC. Given our very limited resources, we also aim to select typically six or fewer athletes to ensure that the funding is not diluted so much as to be of little practical value to each athlete. We may add to the HPG during 2005 if additional athletes show the same potential as those already in the group. Given the focus on performance at WOC, and the limited places available, we also expect any athlete in the HPG who is not aiming for WOC, or who is injured, to voluntarily withdraw from the HPG. The selectors may also remove anyone from the HPG who does not actively embrace the opportunities for WOC preparation that membership offers. Selection of the WOC team is independent of the HPG. Membership of the HPG does not guarantee selection in the WOC team, and members still have to prove their worth through the WOC selection process next year. Similarly, omission from the HPG at this stage should not be taken to indicate that an athlete has little chance of gaining selection for WOC. We would love you to go out there in the selection trials next year and prove us and the history of results wrong. The High Performance Group for 2005 is:

Women: Jo Allison, Hanny Allston, Natasha Key Men: Grant Bluett, Troy de Haas, Tom Quayle, Dave Shepherd

Jo Allison Hanny Allston Bruce Arthur Grant Bluett

Tracey Bluett Susanne Casanova

Clare Hawthorne Allison Jones

Natasha Key Orla Murray

Anna Sheldon Nicki Taws

David Julian Dent Brickhill-Jones

Craig Dufty Troy de Haas

Eric Morris Rob Preston

Tom Quayle Dave Shepherd

Cassie Trewin Danielle Winslow Reuben Smith Rob Walter

Tash Key during the sprint at the World Champs in Sweden. Photo: Erik Borg