MARCH 2005
Oceania Champs ANZ Challenge National Rankings
w w w. o r i e n t e e r i n g . a s n . a u President: Bob McCreddin Director (Administration): Dave Lotty, PO Box 740 Glebe NSW 2037. Ph.‑(02) 9660 2067‑(w), (02) 9569 2380 (h) orienteering@sydney.net Director (Finance): Kathy Liley, 83 Kenmare St., Watsonia VIC 3087 Ph. (03) 9432 4023 Director (Development): Bob Mouatt, PO Box W49 Wanniassa ACT 2903 Ph. (02) 6231 2463 Director (Technical): Andy Hogg, 23 Aston Crescent Cook ACT 2614 Ph. (02) 6251 9777 Director (High Performance): Mike Dowling, 17 High Street Bellerive TAS 7018 Ph. (03) 6244 7173 Manager (Coaching Programs): Neville Bleakley, 30 Gledden Street Chifley ACT 2606 Ph. (02) 6207 3723 Badge Applications: John Oliver, 68 Amaroo Street Wagga‑Wagga NSW 2650
STATE ASSOCIATIONS Queensland OA: PO Box 114 Spring Hill QLD 4004 Secretary: Robin Spriggs Ph.‑(07) 3369 0880 (h) qoa@qoa.asn.au OA NSW: PO Box 740, Glebe NSW 2037 Secretary: Dave Lotty Ph.‑(02) 9660 2067 (w), 9569 2380 (h) orienteering@sydney.net Orienteering ACT: PO Box 402, Jamison Centre ACT 2614 Secretary: Bill Jones Ph.‑(02) 6251 3885 actoa@austarmetro.com.au Victorian OA: 332 Banyule Rd, Viewbank VIC 3084 Secretary: Warwick Williams Ph. (03) 9459 0853 voa@netspace.net.au OA South Australia: State Association House, 73 Wakefield Street Adelaide SA 5000. Secretary: Phil Stoeckel OA Western Australia: PO Box 234 Subiaco WA 6904 Secretary: Cath Chalmers Ph.‑(08) 9380 4049 (h) catheoin@ozemail.com.au Orienteering Tasmania Inc.: PO Box 339, Sandy Bay, TAS 7005 Secretary: Warwick Moore Ph.‑(03) 6248 6405 secretary.oti@trump.net.au Top End Orienteers (Northern Territory): PO Box 39152 Winnellie NT 0821 Secretary: Susi Bertei Ph.‑(08) 8981 5841
CONTENTS ISSN 0818-6510 Issue 1/05 (no. 137) MARCH 2005
EDITORIAL....................................... 3
The national magazine of Orienteering Australia Inc. ABN 77 406 995 497 Published four times a year: First day of March, June, September, December Print Post Approved PP 236080/00011
F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Editor: Michael Hubbert, P.O. Box 165, Warrandyte, Victoria 3113 mikehubbert@ozemail.com.au Phone/fax (03) 9844 4878
NEWS............................................. 7
Advertising and consultant to editor: Ian Baker, PO Box 294, Black Rock, Vic. 3193. ianb@netspace.net.au Phone/Fax (03) 9598 0215 Magazine Design & Assembly: Peter Cusworth, 8 View Street, Avonsleigh, Vic. 3782 Ph. (03) 5968 5254 cusworth@netspace.net.au Magazine Treasurer: Kathy Liley Printer: Priden Printing Services, 21 Century Drive, Braeside, Vic. 3195 Next edition: Cover date: 1 June 2005 Contribution deadlines: Time-sensitive – 20 May, all other contributions – 13 May The date shown for contributions is the last date that matter will be received. Any non-topical matter should be presented as soon as it can be ready. The policy on publication dates is that normally the magazine is dispatched in bulk from the printer in Melbourne in time for states to be able to have it in members’ hands at the very beginning of month of cover date. This policy was established by all states in conference. Regular Contributors: Badge Awards: John Oliver; Coaching/Training: Nev Bleakley; Competition: Blair Trewin; High Performance: Mike Dowling; MTBO: Blake Gordon; Official News: Dave Lotty; Running the Business: Bob Mouatt; Ski-O: Ian Baker; Nutrition: Gillian Woodward. Contributions are welcome, either directly or via State editorial contacts. Prior consultation is suggested before preparing major contributions. Guidelines for Contributors are available from the editor or from state contacts. State Editorial Contacts Qld. – Liz Bourne 07 4683 6374 (h) batmaps@halenet.com.au NSW – Ken Sinclair 02 9639 9675 sicad@ozemail.com.au ACT – Matthew Purcell 02 6231 2121 mattpurc@webone.com.au Vic. – SA – Heather Smith 08 8463 3889 (w) Heather.Smith@state.sa.gov.au WA – Nicole Davis 08 9388 6451 shiraz@fizzyred.com Tas. – Mary Hawthorne 03 6243 8616 (h) editor.oti@trump.net.au Subscriptions: State Association members via State Associations. Contact relevant Association Secretary for details. Other subscribers: Write to The Australian Orienteer, PO‑Box 165, Warrandyte, Vic. 3113. Within Australia: $36 inc GST. Overseas: Asia/Pacific (inc. NZ) $40, Rest of World $45. Delivery is airmail, there is no seamail option. Please send payment in Australian dollars by bank draft or international postal order, or pay direct by Visa or Mastercard. Quote full card number and expiry date. Subscription renewals (direct subscriptions only). The number in the top right-hand corner of the address label indicates the final issue in your current subscription. Opinions expressed in The Australian Orienteer are not necessarily those of Orienteering Australia. 2 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
LETTERS.......................................... 6
DID YOU KNOW?................................. 8 SKI-O............................................ 10 W O C 2 0 0 5 JA PA N.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 O C E A N I A C A R N I VA L . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 X M A S 5 - D AY S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 5 H I G H P E R F O R M A N C E .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 P O W E R WA L K E R S.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 V E N I C E S T R E E T - O.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 OX FA M T R A I LWA L K E R HO N G KO N G . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 G R E A T L E G S – Aus Champs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 4 C O A C H I N G – National Training Centre. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY........................... 27 N U T R I T I O N – Preventing Fatigue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 9 T R A I N I N G – Orienteering Fitness Part 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 0 TOP EVENTS..................................... 31 C L U B P R O F I L E – Top End Orienteers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 NEWCASTLE MAZE-O............................ 36 MTB-O........................................... 40 N A T I O N A L R A N K I N G S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2 Front Cover: Troy de Haas at the Oceania Championships in New Zealand. Photo: Rob Crawford NZ.
EDITORIAL
Too many WOC’s?
W
ITH the IOF moving to schedule World Championships in all disciplines every year, are there now too many WOC’s? Certainly both Austria and New Zealand think so. Austria’s federation President, Fritz Woitsch, wrote in their magazine OEFOL that in 2004 there were nine WOC’s and two European Championships which overextended the financial resources of the Austrian Federation. He thinks the elite calendar seems to be overloaded with championship events. New Zealand certainly agrees. They argued in the IOF Council that scheduling WOC’s every year would significantly disadvantage small and distant member countries. The NZ team at WOC 2004 was seriously depleted though they do plan to send a full team to WOC in Japan this year. Australia is one of those small and distant countries. In 2005 there will be teams going to JWOC in Switzerland, WOC in Japan and WMTB‑O in Slovakia. The IOF is also encouraging regional events such as the recent Oceania Championships. How does all this affect our financial resources? Will we be able to fund such frequent representative team travel in future years? Fortunately, we don’t send teams to the Ski-O WOC and JWOC events. Are the annual WOC’s favouring the richer Orienteering nations which can afford to send teams to all events? There’s also the issue of who will host all these Championships. Switzerland will hold two JWOC’s this year. Other countries are hosting World Championships in successive years – and then there are the annual WMOC events. I foresee a time, not too far distant, when the IOF will run out of countries willing (and financially able) to host all these WOC’s.
VICTORINOX AWARD
T
HIS month’s award goes to a regular contributor to The Australian Orienteer, Gillian Woodward. Gillian’s series of articles on Nutrition have been appearing in the magazine since June 2000 and have been a source of information and inspiration to many. Gillian is a Practising Dietician and has been providing advice in the field for 25 years. She‘s been an orienteer since 1984 and endeavours to practice what she preaches nutrition-wise. She enjoys convincing sporting people of the potential to enhance their performance by improving dietary habits. Gillian is a worthy winner of the Victorinox award and we hope to read many more articles from her in the future. She receives a Victorinox Voyager with 20 tools and features including a watch/alarm/timer, retail value $109.95.
Circulation up
As we move into 2005 it is clear that participation and membership in Orienteering continues to grow. Evidence for this is that, since I took over as Editor, the circulation of this magazine has increased by nearly 5% over just three editions. I don’t claim any responsibility for that. The increasing membership is due to the efforts of the many volunteer event organisers who are attracting new members to our sport. In this edition you will read about some of the innovations our organisers have brought to Orienteering in recent times - a Maze-O promotional event in Newcastle; the first Northern Territory Championships; and how the booming participation rates for Power Walkers in Park & Street-O events are now being spun off into Bush-O events. You’ll also read of route choices by the men’s Elite placegetters in the 2004 AUS Championships. My thanks to Dave Shepherd and Warren Key for providing such detailed accounts.
Your letters
One (minor) concern I have is the lack of letters from you for this edition. In this age of constant communication where were you all? I always welcome your feedback on the content of the magazine (my e-mail address is on Page 2) and there are many issues on which I am sure you would like to air your feelings and ideas. Take the opportunity – put pen to paper or finger to keyboard and write in to the next edition. Meantime, I hope you find this edition as good a read as ever. Good navigating, Mike Hubbert, Editor
Next issue 1 June 2005
Contributions deadlines Time-sensitive: 20 May All other contributions: 13 May
1800 209 999 www.victorinox.com
for stockists call
MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 3
4 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
FROM THE PRESIDENT Bob McCreddin President, Orienteering Australia
Supporting our Teams O
NE of the responsibilities – or privileges – of being a Member of the Board of Orienteering Australia is to read the annual reports of each of the coaches, managers and members of our national teams. Doing this for the first time in 2004 proved for me to be a most rewarding and enlightening personal experience. We all understand the commitment of the elite orienteer, but studying the reports reinforced for me the extreme level of commitment so many of our Members make in support of our elite orienteers. National coaches, managers and selectors all undertake high profile roles in support of national teams, and we salute their contribution. However, there are many others who voluntarily provide support services to teams or the individual members of the teams, whose contributions go largely unrecognised beyond the orienteers concerned. As the National O League and its Junior Division grow in status, there are increasing numbers of coaches, managers and team supporters providing assistance to elite orienteers. Indeed, the success of the National O League is largely dependant on the extent
The Early Years Hugh Cameron – IOF Senior Vice-President
T
HE acronym IOF might appear to have little relevance to those who just wish to enjoy a day’s orienteering in the forest – a distant organization with an office in Helsinki, Finland. However, from the day it came into being in May 1961 the International Orienteering Federation has very much determined the nature of the sport we enjoy so much. The IOF aims to spread the sport of Orienteering world-wide and promote its development. Let’s take a closer look at the IOF. The IOF is made up of several bodies - the Council which is responsible for leading the IOF between biennial General Assemblies; the discipline commissions (foot, ski, mountain bike and trail); and the support commissions (environment, IT, map, medical, rules, policy and development). The Council (numbering seven until 1973, then nine from 1977) is elected by the member federations. In 1961, the IOF had 10 members – Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic, Finland, Hungary, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. Today, there are 64 members, the most recent being Somalia, accepted as a member by the IOF Council in Jan 2005. In the early days, there was a very friendly atmosphere within the IOF. The O-family had a positive feeling of friendship and understanding that is still very much evident today.
and quality of the support and coaching that members of these teams receive. With the growth of the regional concept of international Orienteering and the inevitable strengthening of our orienteering ties with New Zealand as part of the ‘new’ Oceania Region, I am sure that the status of the ANZ Challenge [and the associated ‘test matches’ between elite and school teams] will be enhanced and more attention will be given to selection, coaching and team management than has typically occurred in the past. It is great for our sport that there are such numbers of committed people undertaking these roles and in many cases being prepared to train or acquire skills to assist these teams. There is, however, a particular need for us to train greater numbers of orienteering coaches at all levels. [Make a file note now to speak to your state coaching coordinator!] Of course, behind most of these national or state teams there is also a squad from which the team is selected and many believe that the development of these squads and the engendering of ‘team spirit’ is just as important as having highly competent orienteers to select for the team. If I had any negative reaction to the many reports that I read, it was the extent to which some team members saw themselves as an individual competitor rather than as a member of a team. The most significant support a team member expects is the support of the other members of the team – and this is where the quality of the team spirit cuts in. I sincerely thank all orienteers who in 2004 undertook roles in support of teams selected to represent Australia or teams selected to compete in national events. Keep spiking those controls.
The goal of the new federation was to shape a sport that would conform to the same general standards throughout the world. In the 1960s every country had its own type of map and several different scales were used. The IOF attempted to create some uniformity. At first, the difficulties seemed insurmountable. In 1975, the IOF Map Committee produced Drawing Specifications for International O-maps in English and German. Think of this legacy today. Every orienteer knows what to expect of an Orienteering map in any country in the world, whether it be foot, ski, trail or mountain bike Orienteering. The same may be said of competition rules. As the IOF grew, language became an increasing challenge, particularly with respect to control descriptions. In 1975 the IOF introduced symbolic control descriptions which today, at club events or World Championships, we take for granted. In a booklet entitled Control Descriptions, control sites were depicted by means of pictorial symbols. Erik Tobe (SWE), the first IOF President (1961-1975) writes: “This development, together with the production of mapping standards are, in my opinion, the main achievements of the IOF in its first fourteen years.” The first World Orienteering Championships (Foot) were held in Finland in 1966 and Ski in 1975. In Australia, the Orienteering Federation of Australia (now Orienteering Australia) was formed in 1970. In 1971, the first Australia-New Zealand Challenge was held at Puckapunyal, Vic. Australia won the challenge! Australia joined the IOF in 1973, together with Israel, New Zealand and USA, bringing the membership to 21. In 1974, in Czechoslovakia, Rod Dominish (Manager, AUS WOC team 2005) became the first person to represent Australia at the World Championships. In 1980, the first Pacific Orienteering Championships were held near Canberra. In 1982, Ted Wester (NSW) became the first Australian to serve on the IOF Council. Dick Adams, USA, 1977-1980 and Gordon Hunter, CAN, 1980-1986, preceded Ted Wester as the first members of the IOF Council from outside Europe. Following these early years, the IOF and international Orienteering have experienced considerable change. Australia has maintained a significant presence on the international Orienteering scene. These developments will be explored in a future article. MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 5
O BITS
Letters Gidday Ian
(An email to former editor Ian Baker from Eddie Wymer (BK-V)) Hope this finds you well. Just writing to say a belated MERCI for all the wonderful work you have done with the magazine over so many years (including both stints of course). Happy retirement, although I am sure you have many other things in the offing. Eddie Wymer Eddie now lives in eastern France near the border with Switzerland and is still competing at top international level. In 2004 Eddie won Silver in the M35 World Masters event in Italy. He still competes at elite level and took 6th and 8th in the Belgian and French Elite Championships last year. (Ian replied to Eddie saying quite a few Aussies have the 2006 World Masters in Austria in their calendars and look forward to seeing Eddie on the podium again there.) 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.
Subscribe now in Australia Dramatic top-event stories World-class instructions Independent investigations 2-year experience 7 x 52 pages (36 in COLOUR) $98 for seven issues Contact: The Australian Orienteer PO Box 165 Warrandyte VIC 3113
Classic Injuries Blair Trewin
(Vic)
A
S someone who was missing in action when the fast-twitch muscle fibres were handed out, sprint races have never been my forte. I still enter them, partly because they’re fun and partly so the sprint specialists have somebody to beat. I also have a bit of an unfortunate history competing in metropolitan Auckland, managing to lose ten minutes at a Summer Series race there last summer (whilst there for work) through not finding the way up the cliffs from a beach. Undeterred by all this, I turned up to a university campus on a drizzly day in suburban Auckland for the sprint race (along with many of the others in the Australian contingent). For three-quarters of the race it was reasonably routine, except that the 5-metre contour interval hid a lot of steep grass banks – very steep – that were almost impossible to run up in the wet. Approaching 12, we ventured onto an area of tiled pavement outside a café in the student union building. This was obviously very slippery, particularly in rubber studs, and I slowed down. Not enough – turning into a corner to go into the control, my feet went from underneath me and my left elbow took the full force of the fall. It stung, and I was in a bit of a daze, but it didn’t seem enough to stop me running and I finished the course. (Bizarrely, as measured by placings, 12 was my second-best split of the race). It was at the point that I tried to take my sodden gear off and discovered that I couldn’t lift my arm straight that I suspected I had a serious problem. The end result turned out to be a broken bone just above the elbow, two nights in hospital, and the rest of the week on the microphone instead of running. (It certainly helped that I was taken to hospital by Bruce Peat, father of several NZ junior team members and a surgeon at that hospital – I suspect he might have pulled a few strings to get me operated on that night). I hope to be back in action by March. I wasn’t the only one to come to grief at 12. Amongst others, Carsten Jorgensen hit his head on a sign and Simon Uppill slid feet-first into a rail, fortunately without doing themselves any lasting damage.
Books on orienteering
There are a great number of books on all aspects of orienteering. For a list and prices contact: Orienteering Services of Australia 44 Alexandra Parade, Clifton‑Hill VIC 3068 Phone (03) 9489 9766 Email info@macson.com.au
6 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
NEWS Flood-O
Too Many WOC’s?
Year 12 results
Melbourne’s downpour on February 2 caused the cancellation of the following night’s event at Yarra Flats Park. More than 5 inches (in the old money) of rain fell overnight and when event organisers went to check they found the whole area well and truly under water. There was no provision for snorkel-O courses so the event was cancelled – the first time ever in Melbourne’s 25 year-old Summer Series program.
Austrian OF president Fritz Woitsch also writes in OEFOL: “In recent years the number of World Championship (WOC) and regional championship events has continually increased and at the same time there are more Orienteering disciplines: foot, ski and MTB‑O. Orienteering is now a sport which is practised worldwide. In 2004 there were nine WOC’s and two European Championships: these overextended the financial resources of the Austrian Federation. It was only the commitment of elite athletes and coaches, including much time and money, that meant Austria could be represented at all important events. The increasing number of events means it is also harder to find organisers. They can get burnt out. When the fixture calendar is drawn up, it is just not possible to please everyone. The sheer number of regional, national and international events cannot always be coordinated ideally. Elite orienteers cannot take part in every important competition and training camp. The system seems overloaded. Less is more – we should think about it.” New Zealand has also argued in the IOF against annual World Championships, citing the high cost for small and distant countries as being a major obstacle to fielding teams each year. Sure enough, the NZ team at the 2004 WOC in Sweden comprised only three men, two women and no officials. A return to biennial world championships is unlikely so it’s been recommended that New Zealand field full teams at every second WOC, and use the intermediate years to blood new team members.
Simon Uppill recently got the highest possible score of 99.95 in Year 12 in South Australia. He’s the latest in a fine tradition in Australian Orienteering – others who have scored this (or the equivalent) include, in approximate chronological order, Steve Craig, Blair Trewin, Susie and Andy Hogg, Bruce Arthur, William Hawkins, Ben Schulz, Kirsten Fairfax, Jamie Potter and Georgie Statham. This means National Junior Squad members are about 200 times more likely to achieve the feat than members of the general population.
Austria - Salzburg and WMOC, June-July 2006 At the end of June 2006, Salzburg is the centre for a multi-day event leading up to the World Masters Orienteering Championships (open to all 35+) scheduled for 1-7 July, at Wiener Neustadt, 30 minutes by frequent train from Vienna. Look for more at www.WMOC06.com
Austria’s WMTB-O Title Fritz Woitsch, president of the Austrian Orienteering Federation, writes in their magazine OEFOL, “The Austrian elite are in a position to reach the very top if they subordinate everything else to this goal and commit all their strength and endurance to it. Michi (Michaela Gigon) is the example of this – and not just in her chief discipline, MTB-O. All Orienteering in Austria benefits from this world title. We can promote our performances nationally and internationally. Austria has achieved it – we thank our Michi.”
AFL orienteers Seen on the track to Wine Glass Bay in the Freycinet National Park, Tasmania – a control flag being used by Port Adelaide footballers in a pre-Xmas navigation training exercise. Reported by former Red Kangaroo orienteer, Liz Hubbert, who is Interpretation Ranger at the National Park.
Daniel Hubmann, Switzerland’s new star 21 year-old joiner Daniel Hubmann shot to prominence in 2004. At the World Cup finals last October in Dresden, Germany – his first World Cup appearance – he was one of the youngest competitors and made the podium three times. He was 2nd in the Sprint and Middle-distance, 5th in the Long and won a silver medal in the Relay. Daniel was Junior World Champion in 2002. His coach is 2003 Long-distance world champion Thomas Bührer.
Night events With daylight-saving drawing to a close many urban orienteers are gearing up for night events in the streets of our major cities. Some residents of Melbourne’s suburbs must wonder just what’s going on when people run or walk by with lights on their heads and maps in their hands. And then they all seem to kneel down on the ground at lightpoles – (is this some kind of ritual?). Some of the walking styles in particular draw howls of laughter from watching kids. Surfing the Web a while back a night Orienteering series in London turned up – the South East Night League, or SENiLe for short. Perhaps we’re all a bit that way.
Orienteering Australia News Anti-Doping Policy
Orienteering Australia has upgraded its Anti-Doping Policy from Jan 1, 2005, in line with requirements of the Australian Sports Commission and WADA.
Australian 3-Days 2007
The 2007 Easter event will be held in South Australia, April 13-16.
Outstanding Athlete of the Year Award
Orienteering Australia will institute this award in 2005. Competitors in all Orienteering disciplines will be considered.
OA Badge Awards
Credits for OA Badge awards can now be obtained at national Middledistance and Sprint Championships, and at nominated State Sprint and Middle-distance Championships. States are encouraged to nominate their events for Badge credits. There was a very long list of Badge awards at the end of 2004 – too long to print. But you can view the awards on the Orienteering Australia web site at: www.orienteering.asn.au For further information contact: John Oliver, 68 Amaroo St, Wagga Wagga 2650 Ph (02) 6922 6208 (AH) oliver.family@bigpond.com.au
New Age Classes
Good news for some of our more senior orienteers - the age classes M80 and W80 have been added to all national events.
Aus Middle-distance Championships
These Championships will be hosted by Victoria in 2006 and South Australia in 2007. From 2008 it’s likely that the three distances – Sprint, Middle and Long – will be scheduled into the same carnival.
JWOC 2007
Hosted by NSW, the JWOC carnival will include the Australian Schools Championships.
AUS MTB-O 2006
The 2006 MTB-O Championships are scheduled for October 10-12 at Collie, West Australia.
APOC 2006
Hong Kong will host APOC 2006 during 22-31 December.
MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 7
DID YOU KNOW? The World Games 2005 Duisburg, Germany Six World Champions and 16 nations qualified for the Orienteering events.
Gold medallists from Sweden
World Champs in Sweden another success for Silva All gold medallists used Silva compasses. Another grand slam for Silva. Massive Media coverage • 38 nations participated • 25 million visited the WOC’s webpage during the competition week. • 44,000 followed with great interest via the Internet the days of the finals. • 7500 could follow direct via internet moving pictures and speakersound. • 10,000 in the audience for the middle distance and relay could enjoy the anticipation on a large screen TV. • Great media interest with at least 9 European TVcompanies broadcasting from the championships. In Sweden around 75,000 per day watched SVT24 channel during their broadcasts of the sprint, long distance and relay and 150,000 saw the repeat of the relay on Swedish Television.
Great Bike Ride Participants in the 2004 Great Victorian Bike Ride along the Great Ocean Road included ACT’s David and Sandra Hogg. Dave says he wound up a bit sore - well, you would after 575 kilometres - but very cheered to have accomplished the journey after major surgery last year. Other orienteers on the journey included Bendigo’s Dianne and Peter Searle and now-only-occasional orienteers Tony and Cath Kerr from Melbourne. 8200 riders did the trip over nine days.
Six World Champions and a total of 16 nations have qualified for participation in the two Orienteering races included in the World Games program next July. The winners of the individual World Orienteering Championships races in 2004 – Simone Niggli-Luder (SUI), Karolina A. Hojsgaard (SWE), Hanne Staff (NOR), Niklas Jonasson (SWE), Bjornar Valstad (NOR) and Thierry Gueorgiou (FRA) have each got a personal place. The sixteen qualified nations are Australia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine. Twelve of the nations have qualified for participation in the mixed team relay - Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland. Orienteering is entitled to enter a total of 80 runners, 40 men and 40 women.
Back from Finland Returned from Finland, Troy de Haas is another orienteer now working at Warren Key’s Melbourne Bicycle Centre. He said that in 2005 he plans to spend a lot of time in Japan in the build-up to WOC’05. A former JWOC medallist, Troy said “Japan is neutral terrain for European orienteers, so it’s going to be the best chance for Australia. I know it’s steep there, so when I’m staying at home at Macedon, I’ll be training by running up the mountain.”
Troy was recently subjected to an out-of-competition random drug test as part of the drive to ensure that athletes are clean all the time.
Events Tally Dave Lotty continues to lead the all-time most events list. At March 1st he had participated in 1995 courses. Mike Hubbert follows with 1941 courses and Ian Baker with 1858. Blair Trewin has clocked 1249 events. The tally includes courses run, and events set or controlled. If you know someone with similar numbers let us know.
Cradle Mountain Run The Tasmanian Cradle Mountain Run is an 82 km traverse of the famous Cradle Mt - Lake St Clair overland track. The field is limited to fifty entries. In the 2005 race on Feb 5th, orienteer Hanny Allston finished 4th in a time of 9hrs 40min. The winner ran 8hrs 20min. The beauty of this run is that it traverses wild alpine areas of Tasmania’s Cradle Mt Lake St Clair National Park and World Heritage Area, an area of Tasmania exposed to the roaring forties. The altitude of the track in several areas of the plateau is greater than 1000 metres, which is not high, but in this area is well above the tree line. The low tree line illustrates the exposure and harshness of conditions that can prevail even in summer.
Dances with Bears – a cautionary tale from Canada Although bears are known to inhabit the New Brunswick (Canada) woods, in the normal run of events few of us see them. However, we discovered early on in our course setting for a rogaine (as in, day one) that our chosen event site evidently supported a “healthy population”. Following every field excursion, the evening chat at the supper table was salted with references to how many bears had been seen, the number of piles of poop encountered (sometimes, unfortunately, including more detailed observations on the size and apparent contents), trees torn open, mama bears with cubs, and so on. Was this altogether too much of a good thing? Would we have to “scratch” the location?? But by then we were pretty much committed to it. So we went on hanging ribbons. We saw more bears, but had no problems with them, and became more relaxed about the whole bear thing. In the end we didn’t worry about it too much. Well, most of us didn’t. The scene: Event central, several hours into the event. Harold is eating a samosa. So is Vicky. The rain is still falling. Rob is eating a samosa. Suddenly the emergency phone goes off. Woo, red alert. Hello? Hi! Rob? Yes this is Rob. Are you OK? Yeah, er, we’re - we’re looking at a bear.....!! Oh, where are you? We’re..we’re near the bridge - Oh, he’s moving! Well, ah, just do what seems best He’s going away.... Ah, yep, he’s gone. I think we’re OK. OK then, good luck, That was more or less it. A few other teams reported sightings, although some turned out to be culverts and tree stumps. We did learn that the bears took a dislike to having controls flags hung in their territory, and they showed remarkable orienteering skill, being able to locate our controls without map or compass. They had trouble understanding the punch system though, and preferred to log their visits by impressing their dental pattern on the sign-in sheets (made of plastic sign board). In the end, although many control points were “chewed” they only really destroyed one control. So bye, bye bears, until another time! Rob Hughes – New Brunswick Orienteers
8 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
means more than just the world’s fastest settling orienteering compasses
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Now available from the following O-shops and Orienteering Service of Australia, 44 Alexandra Pde., Clifton Hill, Vic 3068. Tel (03) 9489 9766
Get out there™
NSW ACT VIC WA TAS
- Peter Shepherd 9525 3703 - Anthony Scott 6251 0303 - Kevin Maloney 9544 4469 - Andrew Martin 0419 900 233 - Mike Dowling 6244 7173
SKI-O
Ski-O Champs in Lapland
Junior World Ski-O Champs
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INNISH Lapland – home of reindeer, Santa Claus, and eleventy squillion mosquitos in summer – will host the World Ski-O Championships during March 5-12 at Levi, a popular ski resort. Organizers are expecting around 1500 spectators on the first day when the Sprint race will be held. Competitors will carry a Sport Performance Recorder strapped to the back of their map holder. Weighing just 80gm it will record speed, position, distance travelled, temperature, heart-rate and elapsed time. Competitors cannot access this data during the race but it will be downloaded for later analysis. Clear favourite in the men’s events will be Russian Eduard Krennikov, who won three of the four gold medals on offer in the 2004 Championships. Finnish women will be hoping for success on their home ground and Hannele Valkonen is likely to at least repeat her success of last year when she won gold and silver. She will be strongly challenged by Norway’s Stine H. Kirkevik as well as Natalia Tomilova from Russia and Marie Lund from Sweden. Race reports and results can be found at www.kittila.fi/skio2005/
WITZERLAND’S Engadin valley was the site in January for the Junior World Ski-O Championships, held in conjunction with World Masters and European Youth Championships. The events were centred on the tiny village of S-chanf where the population of 700 speak the least-known Swiss language – Romansch. Star performer was Sweden’s Eric Rost (M20) who won all three individual gold medals but had to settle for silver in the relay. Russia won both M20 and W20 relays with Sweden taking silver in each. All in all, the Russian team won 20 of the 36 medals (juniors and youth) while the Swedes won 5 of the 10 individual gold medals. Bulgarian Stanimir Belomazhev broke the Russian/ Swedish dominance by winning the M17 Long Sweden’s Eric event but his was a lone Rost won all three achievement. individual gold Race reports and results medals at Ski-O can be found at www. JWOC skiolwm05.ch/english/ Hannele Valkonen index.php
Ski-O in Australia
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OME may find it hard to believe that Ski Orienteering events have been held in Australia each year for more than 20 years. Originally events were held in NSW and Victoria, at Perisher Valley, Mt. Hotham and Lake Mountain, but with interest waning in NSW/ACT from 2000 Perisher and Hotham have faded from the scene. The only regular event now is the annual Ski-O at Lake Mountain. 10 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
Snow conditions are extremely variable. 2004 was a bumper snow season, the best for years, but often conditions can be marginal. Given the very strong support of the Lake Mountain management and the continued backing of Orienteering Victoria, the attendance figures of 30-40 participants are expected to grow given that there is a strong interest from schools in the event.
Ski-O is extremely challenging physically and mentally requiring a good range of skiing techniques, as well as making split-second decisions while at speed.
Ski-O in Australia is different from the European experience in that our trail network system is nowhere as well developed, so that route choice rather than minute track reading is the major emphasis. The continuation of SkiO in Australia is largely due to members of the Bayside Kangaroos Orienteering Club in Victoria. The team includes Marg Purdham, Hughes Little, Judi Herkes, and Jenny & John Sheahan, with Ian Baker keeping us informed of international trends.
JAPAN – WOC 2005
WOC 2005 – Aichi, Japan
map of Kurosaka/Kiriyama
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ONTOURS, contours and more contours – that’s what will face competitors in the 2005 World Championships (foot-O) in Japan this August 7-14. Based in a region just east of Nagoya (near Toyota City) the WOC program will be augmented by the Forest Festival - a 7-day series of public competitions held on the same maps where the national team competitors will run. To top it off, the Orienteering program will be part of the much larger World Expo 2005 near Toyota City. August is holiday time in Japan so expect massive crowds wherever you go. In Sweden some 6000 spectators paid to watch the Relays. It’s likely that the number of spectators in Japan will set new benchmarks.
Build-up to WOC
Already the Swedish national team, including 2004 gold medallists Niclas Jonasson and Karolina A. Höjsgaard, have spent time in Japan last November getting familiar with the terrain, the local people and the food. The Swedes will go back to Japan for more training later this year. The Swiss national team also plans to spend almost two weeks there in March to further familiarise themselves with the terrain; members were there in August 2004. Because vegetation will be thicker in August, when WOC takes place, and because the weather will be hotter with high humidity, the Swiss team will arrive in Aichi some ten days before WOC in order to acclimatise. Australian and New Zealand orienteers are saying that Japan will be ‘neutral’ terrain where they can expect to compete on more level terms with the Scandinavians. That remains to be seen. What is certain is that all competitors will need a high tolerance to heat and humidity to be successful, and some mountain goat abilities will be useful too.
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MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 11
AUSSIES OVERSEAS
2005 Oceania Championships Australia-New Zealand Challenge Blair Trewin
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EW ZEALAND dominated the 2005 Oceania Championships and Australia-New Zealand Challenge, held in early January in the Auckland region. Australia had gone into the week with reasonable hopes of winning in New Zealand for the first time since 1994, feeling that it was fielding its strongest team since then. Nearly 100 Australians attended the event, and the junior team was particularly strong thanks to the presence of the Australian Schools team. In the end the Challenge wasn’t particularly close – 16 classes to 7 in the individual, and 15 to 8 in the relay – and the locals also took out both elite individual titles, as well as winning the elite Test Match easily.
The Championships
There was less ‘traditional’ sand-dune terrain during the week than most expected (partly because of recent logging), and the Championships continued the fine tradition of physically tough individual Challenges. Young pine forest on very big dunes made for route choice between the controls and detail in the circles. A hard day’s work for most. Nine minutes per kilometre was about the best the elite men could muster (an incredibly slow rate compared with other terrains). It’s there… somewhere. Anna Sheldon in the undergrowth. Anna was 3rd in the Oceania Champs. Photo: Rob Crawford 12 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
Dave Shepherd, challenging forest and Kiwis, won M21E at the carnival and was 2nd in the Oceania Champs. Photo: Rob Crawford The elite women turned on several excellent races during the week – none better than on the last individual day at the carnival when seventy seconds separated the top five. It wasn’t quite that close on Championships day, but there was still very little in it. More than once in the week Rachel Smith (NZ) had just been able to get her nose in front, and she did it again on the big day. Tania Robinson (NZ) was a close second, whilst Anna Sheldon was the best of the Australians, completing the placings just ahead of Jo Allison and Tracy Bluett. New Zealander Darren Ashmore’s M21E win was a little more surprising, if only because Dave Shepherd had won the three lead-up races. He caught Karl Dravitzki (NZ) and Rob Preston in the first half of the race, and stayed in control of that group to the end. All three were early starters and it looked from the time they finished that Shepherd was the only likely challenger. He was still very much in contention at the map change at two-thirds distance, but fell away over the closing stages to be three minutes down. In the end he only just held second against the Swede Anders Axenborg; Dravitzki completed the Oceania placings. Much of the Australian joy came from the junior girls, who swept all three age groups contested on both an individual and team basis. Kylee Gluskie, doing her best to imitate a certain other relatively unknown Tasmanian W16 of three years earlier, was particularly impressive in finishing eight minutes clear in W16. At the other extreme, Bridie Kean added another big-race win to her tally with an eight-second win over Heather Harding in W18, and Jasmine Neve led an Australian clean sweep in W20, ahead of Rebecca Hembrow
AUSSIES OVERSEAS Simon Uppill won four M18 events at the carnival and ran up an age-group in the Oceania Champs for a 2nd place. Photo: Rob Crawford and Kellie Whitfield. The boys found it harder and lost all three age groups, although Simon Uppill, running up an age group to fill a team, was a close second in M20, one of several fine efforts by him during the week. There was less joy for the veterans with only four Australian team wins out of 15 classes. Two of these, in W50 and M60, were set up by the individual titles of Sue Neve and Alex Tarr - Neve finishing 20 minutes clear of the field. The other Australian team wins came in M35 and W65, and of the remainder only M40 was close - Jeff Greenwood’s win counteracting solid runs by Lance Read and Jim Russell. In these age groups Neve and Tarr were the only Australian citizens to win individual titles, although two Australian residents, Paul Pacque and Ted van Geldermalsen, took out first and second in M50 – had either been eligible for the j18 Aussie the team it might have been a bit closer.
Relays
Australia was more competitive in the relays, staged in traditional sand-dune terrain. By the end of the first leg, though, it was apparent that for Australia to win, they needed to win all the close ones, and in the end the margin drifted out to almost match that in the individual Challenge. The 23 classes were spread across only four
courses, which made for some exciting races between classes as well as within them. The best races of the day were in W21 and W18. The W21 was a particularly stirring race and provided perhaps the highlight of the week for the Australian contingent. Tracy Bluett gave the team a narrow lead on the first leg against Tania Robinson. Mace Neve was passed by Penny Kane on the second, but hung in there well enough to hand over only 40 seconds behind. It still looked a tough task with Rachel Smith running the last leg for New Zealand, but Anna Sheldon is rapidly acquiring a reputation for high-pressure last legs after the World MTB-O Championships, and she did it again. Anna still trailed by 40 seconds at halfway, but had overhauled Smith by the final spectator control and held on for a stirring victory. W18 was close all the way with the two teams running together for two and a half legs, but Lizzie Ingham broke away from Bridie Kean on the final loop to give the win to the home side. The M21 team was never really in the hunt after Darren Ashmore gave New Zealand a nine-minute lead on the first leg. Rob Walter cut into that gap by a couple of minutes but it was never going to be enough; a second Australian team came from a long way back to be third thanks to Eric Morris and Dave Shepherd. The evergreen Alex Tarr won M60A at the Oceania Champs. Photo: Rob Crawford MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 13
AUSSIES OVERSEAS Oceania Carnival
The Oceania Championships was one of five individual events to contribute to the carnival pointscore, with the best four to count. Twelve Australian-based orienteers won their age groups: Dave Shepherd (M21E), Rory McComb (M14), Simon Uppill (M18), Paul Pacque (M50), Hub Carter (M65), Gordon Howitt (M70), Emily Prudhoe (W14), Jasmine Neve (W20), Sue Neve (W50), Maureen Ogilvie (W70), Adam Scammell (M21A) and Jackie Sheldon (W50AS). Paul Pacque was the most impressive, winning the first four days before losing his SI stick on the last. The nearest miss was by Jo Allison, who fell five points short (out of a possible 4000) against Rachel Smith in W21E.
Rob Preston, 6th in M21E at the carnival. Photo: Rob Crawford
Jasmine Neve (VIC) and Ted van Geldermalsen (VIC) get in each others way at the last control. Photo: Adam Scammell. One of the features of the relay was that the 20’s, 35’s and 40’s ran the same course as the 21’s. This made for some long leg times but also provided more competition for the smaller age classes than they’re used to. Jasmine Neve (W20) and Paul Liggins (M35) both gave excellent accounts of themselves in the first-leg pack. The W20s went on with it, but lack of depth put paid to the M35’s chances. Most of the other Australian wins came the hard way, except for W60 where a close race for two legs was blown open by Jean Baldwin on the last. The only other class where they led all the way was W16, and even there they had to survive a scare as Nicola Peat almost ran down a seven-minute gap on the last leg, Bridget Anderson just holding on. The W55 team won well after trailing narrowly after the first leg, as Libby Meeking pulled out a six-minute break which held firm (although the Australians were grateful that Patricia Aspin was organizing). The other three winning teams all recovered from significant first-leg deficits. W50 took an unexpected course, as Gillian Ingham recovered from a nightmare individual to leave Sue Neve eleven minutes back. It was, however, one of the deeper teams; Carol Brownlie brought them back on level terms and then Liz Bourne saw them home. Gordon Howitt came from four minutes back in M70 to see that team home well clear, whilst Ryan Smyth’s fine second leg in M20, where he turned a four-minute deficit into a six-minute lead, was enough to overcome a surprising first-leg lead for Ross Morrison over Simon Uppill. A few other age groups promised something, but by the end of the day opportunities to find another four classes to get to the magic 12 were few and far between. W45 was close for two legs, but New Zealand had Jean Cory-Wright on the last leg and never looked like losing once she was on the course, Bunny Rathbone similarly ran away with W65 at the end after two close legs, and the only other class that looked like it could have swung was M45, where Andrew McComb caught up a four-minute gap on the first half of the last leg, only to lose it on one control later on. For the locals, particularly impressive performances were posted by Ross Brighouse, who was fastest by eleven minutes in blowing Alex Tarr away on the first leg of M60, and the entire M65 team of Terry Brighouse, Terry Nuthall and John Robinson, who were only seconds apart and almost lapped their opposition. 14 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
Top End’s Jon Potter was right at home in the thick undergrowth
Jo Allison 2nd overall in W21E at the carnival. Photo: Adam Scammell
COMPETITION
2004 Christmas 5-Days Blair Trewin
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HE 2004 Christmas 5-Days was based in Armidale, NSW. With its location, further north than usual, it attracted a large number of Queenslanders (some of whom were caught unawares by the 1-degree third morning), as well as others wanting to try a wider range of Armidale terrain than most non-locals have previously experienced. The 5-Days is also usually a good place to find people visiting from Europe, old hands who aren’t sighted very often these days, and young juniors having their first shot at running up a substantial number of courses, and 2004 was no exception. The most impressive performance of the week was by David Brickhill-Jones, back from Europe for a short time, who won all five days in Men A in a decent field – he even found time on day 3 to rescue a kangaroo stuck in a fence. In a cosmopolitan field – overseas competitors filled five of the top ten places – his nearest rivals were Eric Morris and Mårten Bostrom. Bostrom, a sprint specialist from Finland with a reputation as one of the fastest runners in world orienteering, looked to have the edge for most of the week, but had a bad day on day 5 to let Morris through for second. Julian Dent, another who might have challenged for second, mispunched on the last day. Women A, in contrast, was a small field dominated by Queenslanders, most missed at least one day (the Queensland Cyclones organized two of the five days), and the five days had five different winners. Julia Davies was the most consistent to finish ahead of Wendy Read and Jasmine Neve, although Anna Sheldon, who only ran three days, would have gone close had she posted a fourth score.
Brickhill-Jones was the only person to win all five days. Jenny Bourne (Women C) went closest, her one defeat coming at the hands of daughter Julie on day 3. At the other end of the closeness scale, Andrew Campbell, making one of his occasional forays south from Cairns, managed to take out Men D by 4 points (or about 15 seconds) from Dave Lotty. Mike Burton edged out Lance Read and Mark Nemeth in Men B in probably his best result since he became perhaps the most unexpected winner of an Australian elite title (short distance) in 1993, while Kurt Neumann, still eligible for M12, took on the hard navigation of Men E and held off a tough challenge from Frank Anderson. Apart from the results, the event will be best remembered for the route-choice decision of the week - across or around the gorge leg on most of the long courses on day 3 at Blue Hole. Most of those who took on the boulder-strewn gorge lived to regret it. The fine granite terrain of Banalasta, seen by some at the 2003 NSW Championships, was also very well-received.
Top End’s Kelly Bertei at the Xmas 5-days.
Ian Hassell wins 2004 Silva Orienteer of the Year Ian Hassell (IK.N) has won the Silva Orienteer of the Year. In a remarkably consistent career Ian has won or shared this title 9 times in the last 18 years. Continuing this year, Ian won the Australian and Easter 3-day Championships and recorded 2 firsts and 3 seconds in State Championships. Well done Ian! The Silva OY competition is based on points for participating and placing in the Australian Championships, the Easter 3-days, and all State Championships (Elite and A classes in M/W16 and above). 2004 Silva Orienteer of the Year 1 2 3 = 5 = = 8 = 10 = 12 = =
Ian Hassall IK.N 33 Kevin Paine BS.A 31 Hugh Moore RR.A 25 Judith Hay BN.N 25 Conrad Elson AL.T 24 Simon Uppill OH.S 24 Clive Pope UG.Q 24 Heather Harding BS.A 23 Dorothy Adrian NE.V 23 Nick Andrewartha AL.T 21 Sue Mount AL.T 21 Julia Davies UG.Q 20 Sue Neve MF.V 20 Maureen Ogilvie UR.N 20
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MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 15
Australia versus New Zealand Secondary Schools Test Match Wendy Read (Team Manager) School Sport Australia National secretary – Orienteering
INCREDIBLY, after nearly 30 years of Orienteering in both countries, the first Australia vs New Zealand Schools ‘Test Match’ was held in forests to the north of Auckland in January. For the past two years, a NZ schools team has participated in our Australian Schools Orienteering Championships, so it was a great opportunity and great honour for our very best schools age representatives to be selected to compete on NZ soil in our first ever Australian Schools Orienteering Team tour.
First leg runners head off from the relay start.
Australian Schools team (from L-R): Nick Dent, Wendy Read (Manager), Rebecca Hembrow, Kylie Gluskee, Emily Prudhoe, Heather Harding, Josh Roberts, Clare Brownridge, Matthew Barrett, Bridget Anderson, Rhys Challen, Simon Mee, Christopher Naunton, Tristan Lee, Simon Uppill, Bridie Kean, Ryan Smyth, Ineka Booth, Lance Read, Hilary Wood. 16 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
AUSSIES OVERSEAS
OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS
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EST matches such as this are important, as most of the participants will continue on to compete at higher levels in future years, and trips over the Tasman provide a great opportunity to orienteer in foreign conditions. The experience emanating from these ‘battles’ will hopefully flow on and benefit our future JWOC and WOC representatives. Unusually, the relays were first up. The 4-man team format was used, so all team members were into the action early. Typical New Zealand weather of wind, rain and low cloud created an interesting atmosphere up on the high, open sandhills of Wood Hill at “Turkey Ridge”. After friendly introductions and a nervous start it was looking like the Australian and NZ teams would score two points each going into the 4th and final leg. The Australian Senior Boys team held a convincing lead, and the Senior Girls’ Heather Harding was a matter of a few paces behind the NZ runner. But an unfortunate mispunch in the Senior Boys team, and a very fast Lizzie Ingham (NZ) had the score at NZ 4 Australia 0. After a few days of running in the muddy forests of Stillwater and with increasing confidence, the team was keen to make amends at the individual event held in the flatter, coastal sand dunes of Wood Hill on “Stag’s Roar”. The winning team in each class was to be decided by the accumulative times of the best 3 runners in each class. Again the terrain was very challenging, with the first leg into dark, dense pine forest. Despite some very impressive individual performances from the South Australian contingent in the team (Simon Uppill, Tristan Lee and Rebecca Hembrow), the task at hand was challenging, and New Zealand won this event 3-1. All up, New Zealand won the test match, 7-1. However, points aside, the experience gained by the members of the team was invaluable. The lessons learned in traveling together for 12 days, endless shopping trips, cooking for a group of twenty, hand washing muddy O gear and competing at an Australian representative level, will stand these young orienteers in good stead for the future. We will eagerly watch the performances of these talented juniors in the future. A final thanks to the NZOF and the North West Orienteering Club for organising this inaugural event. It was indeed a great success and we look forward to many more events such as this in the future.
AUSTRALIA
NEW ZEALAND
Senior Boys: Rhys Challen (WA) Chris Naunton (VIC) Ryan Smyth (TAS) Simon Uppill (SA)
Richard Glover (Wellington) Alistair Long (Auckland) Sam McNally (Te Puke) Daniel Stott (Te Puke)
Senior Girls: Claire Brownridge (VIC) Heather Harding (ACT) Rebecca Hembrow (SA) Bridie Kean (VIC)
Rita Homes (Wellington) Lizzie Ingham (Wellington) Tessa Ramsden (WNHS) Kate Rea (Hutt Valley)
Junior Boys: Matt Barrett (TAS) Tristan Lee ( SA) Simon Mee (QLD) Joshua Roberts (NSW)
Simon Jager (Auckland) Andrew Peat (Auckland) Thomas Reynolds (Auckland) Jack Vincent (North High)
Junior Girls: Bridget Anderson (QLD) Ineke Booth (ACT) Kylee Gluskey (TAS) Emily Prudoe (NSW)
Claire Dinsdale (Wellington) Cara McDonald (Hastings) Nicola Peat (Auckland) Georgia Whitla (Christchurch)
Australia-New Zealand Secondary School Relays
Australia-New Zealand Secondary School Individual
Junior Boys
Junior Boys 4.450 km 110 m 15C
6th January 2005
Accum. Time Time
1st New Zealand Peat Andrew Reynolds Thomas Vincent Jack Jager Simon
20:03 17:32 21:01 19:07
0:20:03 0:37:35 0:58:36 1:17:43
2nd Australia Mee Simon Barratt Matt Lee Tristan Roberts Joshua
27:17 22:13 24:44 26:24
0:27:17 0:49:30 1:14:14 1:40:38
24:02 23:58 26:09 26:35
0:24:02 0:48:00 1:14:09 1:40:44
2nd Australia Gluskie Kylee 27:18 Anderson Bridget 27:23 Prudoe Emily 27:21 Booth Ineka 26:21
0:27:18 0:54:41 1:22:02 1:48:23
Junior Girls
1st New Zealand Whitla Georgia McDonald Cara Dinsdale Claire Peat Nicola
Senior Boys
1st New Zealand Stott Daniel Long Alastair McNally Sam Glover Richard
25:48 33:02 29:05 29:13
mp Australia Naunton Chris Challen Rhys Uppill Simon Smyth Ryan
25:36 29:06 25:08 mp
0:25:36 0:54:42 1:19:50 mp
0:25:48 0:58:50 1:27:55 1:57:08
Senior Girls
1st New Zealand Homes Rita Ramsden Tessa Rea Kate Ingham Lizzie
30:23 29:44 29:52 24:53
2nd Australia Brownridge Clare 31:09 Hembrow Rebecca 29:37 Kean Bridie 29:13 Harding Heather 29:51
0:30:23 1:00:07 1:29:59 1:54:52
11th January 2005 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Jack Vincent HB NZL 45:44 Tristan Lee TJ-S AUS 48:53 Thomas Reynolds NW NZL 49:51 Andrew Peat CM NZL 62:29 Joshua Roberts NC-N AUS 67:16 Matt Barratt EV-T AUS 77:51 Simon Mee TF-Q AUS mp Simon Jager A NZL mp
Senior Boys 5.700 km 140 m 16C 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Simon Uppill OH-S AUS Ryan Smyth WR-N AUS Richard Glover HV NZL Daniel Stott R NZL Chris Naunton BG-V AUS Alastair Long CM NZL Sam McNally R NZL Rhys Challen WO-W AUS
45:00 52:32 53:58 58:09 59:07 61:15 61:36 68:49
Junior Girls 4.110 km 45 m 12C
1. Nicola Peat CM NZL 53:40 2. Georgia Whitla PAPO NZL 60:36 3. Ineka Booth BS-A AUS 68:57 4. Bridget Anderson UG-Q AUS 80:55 5. Claire Dinsdale W NZL 90:56 6. Kylee Gluskie AL-T AUS 98:53 14. Emily Prudoe CC-N AUS 116:54 Cara McDonald HB NZL mp
Senior Girls 4.810 km 75 m 15C 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Lizzie Ingham W NZL 50:17 Tessa Ramsden RK NZL 56:11 Rebecca Hembrow OH-S AUS 60:11 Rita Homes W NZL 62:18 Bridie Kean CH-V AUS 66:20 Heather Harding BS-A AUS 67:58 Clare Brownridge BG-V AUS 72:28 Kate Rea HV NZL 107:40
0:31:09 1:00:46 1:29:59 1:59:50
Downhill at last – Josh Roberts finishing in the relay. MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 17
NZ NEWS
NZ NEWS Rob Crawford
Rachel Smith, winner of the women’s elite at the Oceania Champs. Photo: Rob Crawford
T
O those of you who ventured across the Tasman for a taste of Kiwi Orienteering recently at the Oceania Championships carnival, thanks for coming. Hope you enjoyed yourselves and were challenged by the terrain and courses offered by the organisers. Certainly you got lucky with the weather – after an initial day or two of the rain that has constantly been served up to Aucklanders this summer, the sun made a welcome and overdue appearance and decided to stick around to shine on you for the remainder of the carnival. We certainly enjoyed hosting you. We also took a great amount of pleasure in relieving you of some of your luggage in the form of trophies that you may have thought you would be taking home. You can be assured we will take good care of them and may remember to bring them when we visit your shores next year.
Joking aside, over here we are more than a little satisfied with both our organisational and competitive efforts. One club (North West) organised the whole carnival – a mammoth undertaking and they managed to pull it off successfully. Our orienteers across all grades now can confidently mix it with the best you have to offer, although the real test of our ability will always be when we visit you in some complex granite or ridiculously fast open gully spur. At least the Oceania Championships classic map was a reasonably “neutral” test. Moderately hilly with some complex contour patches, all covered in pine with low visibility (and a few deer fences to negotiate). Be assured, this was as foreign to us as it was to you, and in my humble opinion a true test of orienteering ability where it gave the tortoises as much chance as the rabbits. Certainly in the elite grades it was interesting to see perhaps our best navigators come up trumps. Darren Ashmore has for years been recognised as our best technician, but his star has waned over recent years as he has forgone European sojourns and concentrated more on life outside of our sport. However, the small matter of an upcoming World Championships in Japan has seen him recently return with renewed motivation, and his win confirms he is returning to something like his best form. Without wishing to detract from his deserved win, there was some fortune with a pack of ANZ challenge runners forming in the forest, and at least for elite grades where World Ranking points are on offer, the practice of starting challenge runners first may have to be reviewed. It is possible that the pack that formed would account for some (but probably not all) of the 3-minute margin he had over Dave Shepherd, who was the most consistent elite of the carnival. Over the past year, Rachel Smith has lived in Sweden with her personal highlights being a top run at Jukola for Swedish club IFK Lidingo, and a 27th place in the World Championship Middledistance race. Returning home a day before the carnival started, she put her European experience to good use with a comfortable win in the women’s elite race over NZ No. 1 Tania Robinson. From a NZ perspective, it is pleasing to see some of our other women not far off the pace, such as Rebecca Smith and Penny Kane. These four will probably form the nucleus of our WOC team and may have the potential to surprise. The carnival has kick-started what could turn out to be a prosperous year for NZ Orienteering. In a few month’s time, the National Championships will be held and then the focus is firmly on WOC preparation, with trials in May and a visit to Australia to give your elites a chance to win back the Aspin-Key trophy at your WOC trials. Then, the biggie – WOC in Japan in August where NZ just may sneak up and surprise a few nations. Watch this space!
Bushrangers held up again FOR the third time, an Australian Bushrangers team (made up of those who were not in the 2004 WOC team) traveled to New Zealand to contest a Test Match. New Zealand fielded a virtually full-strength team, having been far below strength at WOC 2004. They looked too good at the start of the week, and so it proved as they won easily, 178 points to 98. The Australian team, which originally looked strong on paper, was depleted by the loss of Clare Hawthorne and Cassie Trewin before the trip, and of Blair Trewin to injury on the first day of the carnival before the Test itself got underway, while Ian Meyer was also restricted by injury through the week. After being outclassed on the three individual days, Australia’s only real joy came when they were able to come out of the relays all square after a stirring come-from-behind win by the women’s team. There were some encouraging performances by those who are on the fringe of the WOC team. Anna Sheldon had a good week, with two third places and an outstanding relay leg, whilst Tracy Bluett also suggested she is returning to something close to her pre-motherhood form, always competitive with a third and a fourth place to her name. The best of the men was Rob Preston, who was also there or thereabouts for most of the week, although his best placing (a close third on day 3) was not on one of the Test Match days. 18 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
The Bushrangers and New Zealand teams. The Bushrangers were Rob Preston, Glen Meyer, Rob Walter, Paul Liggins, Tracy Bluett, Mace Neve and Anna Sheldon. Sue Key, manager/coach. Photo: Adam Scammell
H I GI EH N PT E R FO OR ER I NR GM AANUCSET R A L I A
Mike Dowling, OA Director, High Performance The 2004 Annual Conference of Orienteering Australia was a most successful one from the standpoint of our High Performance programs. Our existing rules and procedures were updated and a number of important initiatives for the conduct of our High Performance programs in 2005 and beyond were endorsed. These initiatives continue the development and refinement of our High Performance program in keeping with our Strategic Plan. A National Training Centre
I
N partnership with the ACT Academy of Sport (ACTAS) Orienteering now joins a number of other major Australian sports in having a National Training Centre to support our elite athlete development. This is a marvellous initiative and comes about in a major part through the great work of coaches and athletes involved in the ACTAS program and the vision of the ACT Orienteering Association in supporting the establishment of an orienteering program at ACTAS a number of years ago. Particular thanks should be due to Nev Bleakley and Jason McCrae for their work with the ACTAS orienteering program. To paraphrase Nev Bleakley’s paper for the OA Conference: The main argument for creating any National Training Centre is to increase the range of services to Australia’s High Performance orienteers through avenues such as residential scholarships, training camps and sport specific services. The establishment of a National Training Centre s is a step that Orienteering must take if it wants national recognition as a “real” sport, and not just a recreational pastime. In the future, we need to work to build support for Regional Training Centres in other parts of Australia to act as support for the National Training Centre. The National Training Centre model has been part of the structure of all major National Sport Organisations for some time, and it will continue to be a major part of Australian sport for years to come, whatever Federal and State policies will be in place. It’s a model that the Australian Sports Commission understands, and might factor into its funding arrangements with a National Sports Organisation. In summary, the establishment of the National Training Centre both from a practical and political standpoint achieves two major goals for Orienteering. It enhances our credibility in the eyes of the national sporting fabric and provides great opportunities for our high performance athletes in assisting to improve our international competitiveness.
New National League Guidelines Adopted
As mentioned in previous editions, we have been working on the development of specific guidelines for the conduct of our National League. Thanks to great work of OA Technical Director Andy Hogg and the input of the High Performance Management Group (foot), State National League Managers, athletes and coaches the guidelines were unanimously endorsed. It is hoped that the guidelines will provide all stakeholders with a clear, easy to understand document that can assist in continuing to build our National League as a strong, vibrant program for our top competitive senior and junior foot orienteers.
Revision of OA Operational Manual
The OA Operational Manual is a weighty document that provides governance and direction of policy procedures and rules. A focus of the 2004 Conference was to endorse changes of existing provisions and adopt new rules to bring the manual into line with the number
of changes that have been made over the last couple of years. New specific rules have now been adopted to provide policy direction as they relate to the selection of Junior World Championship Teams (foot) and the MTBO national squad.
2005 - A Busy Year Ahead
We have a busy year ahead for High Performance. By Easter, we will have revised the athlete agreements that were adopted last year. Based on the experiences of their initial implementation, we will aim to simplify procedures where applicable and strengthen areas identified as requiring improvement. We have to develop a new Strategic Plan for High Performance orienteering for the next period of Australian Sports Commission funding. The Strategic Plan governs our general policy direction and will continue to be ambitious in its intended outcomes. We have the World Games happening in July in Germany where we will be entering a team of four athletes. For those who may be unaware the World Games is for Olympic recognized sports that are not a part of the Olympic Games program. We have the World MTB-O Championships in Slovakia where we will be hoping to continue our fantastic results from 2004. In foot orienteering we have the World Championships in Japan and the Junior World Championships in Switzerland where we have the potential to achieve some excellent results. The World Championships in Japan is the end game of the current Strategic Plan and as such we are doing what we can to provide team aspirants with the best opportunities. A number of our athletes will be attending a supported camp in Japan just prior to Easter to familiarise themselves with expected conditions and we have provided opportunities for our best elites to compete in New Zealand where conditions exist that are similar to that expected in Japan.
Financing High Performance - The Ongoing Challenge
Despite the outstanding support of States Associations for our High Performance programs and support of the Australian Sports Commission there are still many challenges in providing the level of support we would ideally like for our High Performance programs. The great results of our MTB-O team combined with the continuing development of a pool of seriously competitive MTB-O athletes place additional challenges to funding. One could easily suggest that our National Squads need to reinvigorate the need to undertake some more fundraising activities of their own initiative. In addition, it is clear we do need to continue to explore the opportunities of outside corporate support. This, as is the case for many sports, presents great challenges. To that end perception is everything. We must all do what we can to present our sport to the wider community in a most positive way in all aspects. What could you do to enhance our public profile and present a positive perception of our great sport?
OR I ENTEER I NG PUB LI CATI ONS IOF Publications
Australian 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
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 MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 19
PARK & STREET-O
Power Walkers Debbie Dodd
W
HEN I saw my first Melbourne Park & Street Summer Series brochure 5 years ago, I knew I was on to something good. My husband Ian was dabbling in triathlons at the time, and thought that Orienteering would be a much more interesting way to do some running training. But it was the “Power Walkers” category that caught my attention. Although I love the outdoors, I’ve never been a runner, but I was drawn to the idea of an hour’s brisk walking on a summer evening. Of course, we were hooked immediately, and have been orienteering as much as possible ever since. Power Walkers is one of the course options provided at all Melbourne park and street events, mostly as a 60 minute score course. It was introduced into the Eastern Summer Series in 1997, and has grown in leaps and bounds since to become the most popular course category. In season 2004/5, power walkers make up an average 30% of all participants; at some events they comprise 50% of the field. Originally, the walking category was dubbed “Ramblers”. Organisers envisaged that participants would take a leisurely stroll around the courses. Little did they know that those walkers would soon become one of the most competitive groups in Park & Street Orienteering! “It’s quite scary seeing them striding in with elbows flailing, descending on the finish chute en masse at 8.05pm” one event organiser told me. The name was soon changed to “Power Walkers”, a much more accurate reflection of the pace and determination displayed. The fastest walkers cover up to 8-9 km in the hour, and collect points to rival many of the runners. But it’s not all about results. The Power Walkers category attracts a diverse range of people, from former race walkers to families with strollers. It is the most popular category for newcomers, providing an entry level to Orienteering for non-runners, partners and families of runners, and larger groups such as scouts, guides, and carer-assisted/ disabled participants. It’s a very social category with competitors frequently pairing up. This provides security to those who feel uncertain about walking alone at night during the winter months, or who have no experience with map reading. (It also enables recent gossip to be shared out on the course, Ed.) There are numerous benefits of having a Power Walkers category. There is little extra organization required; just another column in the results and a little more attention to good course setting. The growth in participation can be significant; in Melbourne’s Western Sunset Series, overall attendance has almost doubled since power walking was introduced in 2001, and in the Eastern Summer Series, attendance has increased by 20% since 1997. While the number of runners remained relatively stable during that time, the number of walkers tripled. Since the Melbourne summer Park & Street program expanded, regulars are competing 3 or 4 nights a week. Many runners are discovering that variety is the spice of life, with walking a good alternative for lower impact sessions. Walking can help prevent over-use injuries and provides a change of format. Originally the majority of walkers were women, but in the last couple of years the men have taken to it as well, creating a new level of competition (and a lot of friendly rivalry between genders!).
20 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
Many orienteers recovering from illness or injury have tried power walking as an “easy” means of getting fit before returning to running; invariably they are surprised at how physically challenging fast walking can be. Some of these orienteers would have been lost to the sport if power walking had not given them a chance to continue competing and getting good results. Some people might argue that walkers can enter runners’ courses; there is no compulsion to run. However, Power Walkers want to succeed as much as runners do! Being able to compete on an even basis is motivating, and helps keep everyone coming back for more. Walking is also a more attractive option for people who see themselves as reasonably fit but not athletic. Having a walkers’ category can be a definite advantage when looking for government funding, which in Victoria is often given to sporting groups who provide programs specifically for women, older people, disabled people and ethnic minorities – all more likely to walk than run at least initially. Power Walking also has a healthy crossover into bush Orienteering. Victorian State Series events have Power Walker classes on three courses; and close to half of the participants on a recent women’s coaching weekend were regular power walkers looking to develop their navigation skills. The social side of power walking builds friendships which give women in particular more confidence to head into the forest. Meanwhile, Ian’s running and my power walking continue to give us all the competition and exercise we need in between weekends in the bush. We can compare notes afterwards, neither one has to compromise, and there are no arguments about being one of us being too fast or too slow (now rogaining; that’s a different story…).
GREAT LEGS
Street-O in Venice Running the streets (and canals) of Venice in November has been a major attraction for orienteers for the past 25 years. Last November 7th was no exception with some 3000 starters in the carnival event. Spectators stood amazed as runners filed by over the famous Rialto Bridge and through the narrow streets and lanes of the water-bound city. Between controls 18 and 19 several runners diverted to run through Piazza San Marco (St. Marks Square) little knowing that just one week earlier, on October 31, an “acqua alta” had flooded the piazza and much of the surrounding area to a depth of nearly a metre. The “acqua alta”, or extra high tide, is a regular disruption for the coffee drinking locals and orienteers running through their tables is another annual distraction.
Routes cross the Rialto Bridge
Maps courtesy of Swiss
Note deviation by some runners through Piazza San Marco
Aqua Alta in Piazza San Marco
Victorian Sprint Distance Championships November 4, 2004 La Trobe University was the site of the inaugural Victorian Sprint Distance Championships. With only seconds deciding the placings, optimal route choices and accurate execution of these were the key to good results. The map was updated to ISSOM standard and courses were set by Australian M35A Champion, Paul Liggins. Denmark’s Rune Olsen took out the men’s race, while Natasha Key won the women’s event. Vic Sprint 04 – La Trobe Uni
––––– ––––– –––––
Bruce Arthur
Rune Olsen 16.13 Adrian Jackson 16.54 Bruce Arthur 17.13 MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 21
AUSSIES OVERSEAS
100 kilometres in Hong Kong Mark Phillips (Vic)
Oxfam is dedicated to emergency relief and poverty alleviation projects in Africa and Asia. Funds are raised through Trailwalker events in Hong Kong, England, Sydney and Melbourne. Over $HK200 million has been raised to help disadvantaged people.
T
HE Oxfam Hong Kong Trailwalker began in 1981, as a 24-hour endurance exercise for the Gurkhas, an elite Nepalese soldier regiment of the British Army renowned for their strength and stamina. The 100km course is on the MacLehose Trail, named after a British lord, and follows ancient Chinese paths. The 2004 event raised about $HK20 million, much going to aid Chinese orphanages. Earlier, in March 2004, I entered the second Melbourne Trailwalker with Peter Mitchell, Nigel Aylott and Damon Georke. Being mountain runners, we hoped to do well, but did not expect to finish ahead of the invited team of Gurkhas. Well, 100km is a very long way to run and, to our surprise, we overtook the tiring Gurkhas at 75km, going on to win in 11 hrs 59 min - the first Australian team to beat the Gurkhas and the first Australians to finish under 12 hours. A little later we were invited to the Hong Kong Trailwalker. Asia Miles, a subsidiary of Cathay Pacific, had offered to sponsor us. We accepted not really knowing what was in store for us. Kevin Tory joined in place of Peter, who with wife Jenny, was expecting their second baby only weeks before the event. Then there was Nigel’s tragic passing which had a devastating effect on us all. We could not even think about the event and felt too drained of energy and emotions to run. After a few weeks we decided to forge ahead and dedicate the run to Nigel’s memory. We felt sure this is what he would have wanted. Pete kindly offered to come back into the team even though he had little time to prepare. Arriving at Hong Kong Airport was overwhelming – the sheer size of it! Outside the heat and humidity struck us immediately. It was like walking into an oven. The drive to our hotel in Kowloon was amazing. I had never seen buildings like it before, so tall and so many. We stayed at the YMCA Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. The view of the harbour and over to Hong Kong Island from our 15th floor suite was mesmerizing. It is the busiest harbour with ferries, fishing boats and ships of every description going in every direction. Being one of five international teams we felt quite privileged. The hospitality of Oxfam and our sponsor Asia Miles left us feeling very honoured to be part of this special event. The weather forecast wasn’t so favourable with a predicted top temperature in the high 20’s and
22 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
humidity of nearly 90%. Not ideal conditions for 100km of tough, hilly running. The air was full of excitement and anticipation. It was hard to believe it all. Around 10,000 people were involved with the event, with 980 teams of four, support crews and volunteers. And here we were, a bunch of Aussie guys, on the front line with the famous Gurkhas and Team Montrail. This is the stuff dreams are made of and one of mine was about to come true. Wow! I could feel adrenaline pumping and tried to keep calm and soak it all in. The course passed through ten checkpoints and some of the most stunning scenery - mountain vistas, secluded bays and idyllic beaches reminiscent of Wilson’s Prom. At other times we were running through open grasslands or under sheltered bamboo groves. We traversed steep mountain spurs with huge cities just below. It seemed unreal with never-ending steps, ascents and descents, one after another. The early morning was warm and humid. An arduous climb on stone steps led up to a spectacular view from the top of the range
Team Asia Miles – Damon Goerke, Kevin Tory, Peter Mitchell, Mark Phillips, and supporters.
AUSSIES OVERSEAS down to Tai Long Wan. My spirits revelled in the stunning vistas. We Finally we reached the summit of this monstrous mountain, and descended for quite a while down hundreds of stone steps. began the steep descent on the other side. Descents were now By CP 1 at 16km we were in 4th place, but it had taken us longer hurting my leg muscles and joints. I tried stepping sideways down the than anticipated. We were sweating profusely and I knew it would be steps but it didn’t help much. Still, we were moving as well as any of a long, hard haul. Two other teams suddenly appeared and overtook the teams around us. Soon we reached some flatter ground. us. They had descended the steps much quicker than us and were We focused on making it to the finish - time and position were obviously used to the humid conditions. no longer relevant. We still had to face Tai Mo Shan, the highest We ran along the white sands of a beautiful bay, dotted with rocky mountain on the trail (1,000 metres high) and a climb of nearly islands and surrounded by treed headlands. I did my best to soak in 700 metres after the Needle Hill descent. It was going to test our the scenery and the moment. We began a steep climb over the Tai remaining strength and willpower. I played mind games, trying to Mun Shan mountain range. The steepness reduced us to walking pace calculate the number of steps this trail has. I estimated well over which, in retrospect, was a wise move. 15,000 - enough to keep any mountain goat happy! At CP3 we replenished our drinks and eats. The heat and humidity From the rocky trail we emerged onto a sealed road for the climb made it tough for running at any speed. The Gurkhas were traveling to the summit. The lights at the top seemed a long way off. We brilliantly and surged ahead of all other teams. They had been shuffled and walked. I took a cup of warm black tea at one of the training daily in these mountains for six months. A local team was in drink stops. In ancient times, this mountainside was terraced for tea 2nd position and Montrail was 3rd but in trouble. We were 6th or 7th. growing and wild tea bushes are still there. Eventually we reached the We were not concerned with positions but focused on finishing the seemingly elusive summit - the highest point on the course - and I course. felt much better. With 66km to go we headed into the Ma On Shan Country Park, A 5km downhill run on the road to CP8 came next. Yeah! No more one of the most difficult sections of the trail. Climbing hundreds of steps, well not many. We had some salty biscuits and I enjoyed steps we approached the distinctive, rocky slopes of Ma On Shan, an another cup of warm black tea - I couldn’t face anything sweet. The intimidating 700 metre high sentinel. The trail then headed along a last two sections, about 20km, were the easiest running and lowest ridge with exhilarating running down a saddle to views of Port Shelter gradients of the course. The pace actually quickened with the cooler and its islands far below. night air and knowing the finish was not far away. The heat and dehydration were taking their toll and I became We caught and overtook another tiring team, then caught up to quite worried, hoping we could hang in there. Our focus was simply two runners from another team as well. Our anticipation of the finish on getting to the next checkpoint. I had been drinking sports drinks was growing. I could feel myself getting excited. We had reached the and eating carbo gels and sweet foods, but with the loss of fluid and sealed road alongside the water channel - we only had 3km to go. I salts from our bodies, our needs shifted to salt. At CP4 salty biscuits was running on adrenaline. Rebecca later said the pace became even and nashi pear were welcome. faster once we got a sniff of the finish. We were not half-way yet and feeling pretty tired. Rounding one of Off the road and down some steps – they would have to throw the mountain ridges a spectacular scene of Kowloon and Hong Kong in more steps! We were all too excited to notice the pain. As one, Island came into view. It is an amazing and unreal sight with the city we entered the brightly lit finish area amidst the cheers of our loyal just below, looking so close you could reach out and touch the tall support crew and sponsor, Asia Miles. It had been a very long run, buildings. over the most challenging terrain I have ever encountered. We reached CP5 at dusk. Kevin was suffering most from We finished in 16 hrs 21 min, in 16th place. I felt elated and dehydration and heat exhaustion. We stopped to rest a bit then exhausted at the same time. Our sponsors were delighted. Damon headed into the Lion Rock Country Park, an area renowned for its and Rebecca showered each other with champagne, much to the thousands of monkeys. They were hanging in the trees, on the fence amusement of all. rails and by the roadside. We had been advised to hide our food and We mingled with other teams and swapped stories. The Gurkhas not carry anything in our hands. Talk had finished first in what was an The heat and dehydration were taking their toll ..... about a ‘monkey on your back’ - Pete outstanding performance. The organizers was holding an unpeeled banana in his presented us with Super-Trailwalker hand but managed to escape unscathed. Certificates as we finished under 18 We were glad to leave the monkey area hours. Meanwhile, Kevin spent the night behind. in hospital on a drip. He had blacked Near CP6 Kevin complained of feeling out so had some tests done, but was drunk. While we ate and drank he sat in released next day. the back of the van looking very sick. I shall never forget this event. It We all knew Kevin could not go on but has tested my willpower and endurance. had given his very best on the day. He Oxfam Trailwalker Hong Kong has was disappointed, but this could have enriched my life. Thanks are not enough happened to any of us. Our support crew for our superb support crew, Jill, phoned for an ambulance to take him to Rebecca and our generous sponsor, Asia hospital. Miles. We still had 40km to go, including The real winners of these events are the infamous Needle Hill - a heartthe underprivileged and disadvantaged breaker which makes the ‘Thousand people and children who benefit from Steps’ at Ferntree Gully seem easy. As Oxfam’s invaluable work. To help in all we climbed hundreds of steps, I asked this, through my love of running, is a a local if this was Needle Hill. He said richly satisfying experience. For anyone “No, not yet, only the approach - over who enjoys walking and/or running, I there”, pointing to the silhouette of a would encourage participation in an steep mountain-peak looming above us Oxfam Trailwalker. My thoughts and against the night sky. Our jaws dropped, energies are already turning towards it was scary. We were determined to the Oxfam Melbourne Trailwalker on 1st make it to the top. We all enjoyed the April, 2005. slightly cooler night air. MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 23
GREAT LEGS
2004 Aus Championships ––– 1. Dave Shepherd 9 6:28 ––– 2. Warren Key 107:21
Leg 0-1 Dave Shepherd 3:03, Warren Key 3:32
Dave Shepherd: I thought there was something I didn’t see on this leg – it almost looked too easy. I contoured around the hill, ran towards the big open saddle, up along the open strip through another saddle, past the boulder, checked the compass and down into the control.
a good speed. I really slowed down on the downhill approach to the control. Warren Key: One to forget. At C4 I looked at the next leg and saw a straight line directly to C6, not seeing C5 at all. After getting down through all the rough stuff to the paddock I was about to relish the easy running again before out of nowhere sneaks the C5 circle. My spirits dropped. Climbing back up the hill my legs slowed, the ‘spring’ had gone. I was happy to find it after doing an unnecessary diagonal uphill back amongst the rough stuff I so wanted to avoid. I guessed I lost about 3 minutes, it was perhaps a little more, but I had to deal with it. I was annoyed with myself but was enjoying the challenge
Leg 6-7 Dave Shepherd 6:20, Warren Key 6:05
Warren Key: It started really well. The first control gave me a chance to run in the open paddocks and take in some great views. I was away and in a good tempo plus comfortable my tactic to go for the easy running was right.
Leg 4-5 Dave Shepherd 4:28, Warren Key 8:09
Dave Shepherd: I thought this was a hard control, so I decided to attack from the bare rock/ open ground just above the control. I ran to this attack point along the top of the hill which made that part of the leg relatively easy, so I ran at 24 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
the map. I didn’t want to run down onto the hillside without knowing exactly where I was coming from. I stood there for about 30 sec before walking down into the control. I lost some time by doing this but I could have easily lost the race on this one leg. Warren Key: The hardest leg:C6-C7 was my first real test. I could barely read all the details, but keeping it simple I got to the saddle and then the bare rock without much trouble. But what next? Normally I would just read down through the rocks but they were too small to see clearly. The sweat build-up on my glasses was paying its toll, I wanted a 1:10,000 map. I decided on a diagonal downhill blind on a compass, what a risk but surely it can’t be that hard, I thought! Off I went, eyes wide open looking for a slight flat spot above the control. All the rocks looked like control sites but I stuck to my guns and compass until magically the slope changed and the cliff appeared. My faith in compass navigation completely restored after many years in the wilderness, I knew I had been lucky. I hoped the others would not, I was wrong, most nailed it too! With my spirits lifted I pushed on, looking for an easy option for the next few legs.
Leg 12-13 Dave Shepherd 4:25, Warren Key 5:19
Dave Shepherd: This was the crux of the course – diagonally down hill on a broad hillside with a lot of rock detail. I ran hard to the top of the hill before slowing down and picking off the bigger rock features as I ran along the right hand side of the spur. Past the two bare-rock knolls, a rock face with bare rock on the top then the rock face directly above the control. At this point I lost a bit of confidence – there was a lot of bare rock and rock faces and I didn’t quite understand
Dave Shepherd: On this leg I ran quite far right to avoid the rocky ground. I ran reasonably roughly towards the big saddle just before the control. I planned to run up to the three boulders south of the control and contour into the control from there, but the visibility was really good and I could see them and the rock face the
control was on from the saddle so I cut the corner. Warren Key: C12-C13 really threw me. I went straight past some early starters but wandered quite a lot without any strategy except to keep the pace on. You have to look good when you are in front! I was struggling but still leading, just. The control wasn’t where I expected but luckily Brent Edwards of New Zealand lead me in beautifully.
Leg 14-15 Dave Shepherd 2:33, Warren Key 2:36
Dave Shepherd: I tried reading the contours but struggled to read the map while running – so I decided to run roughly on the contour to the right of the green and towards the rocks on the spur. I ran hard up the hill and stopped at the rocks to read the details and continued on to the control. Warren Key: I tried to get back to my earlier tactics but battled the terrain and map, without winning, for the next couple of controls, as you can see. It wasn’t until after 15 and the short track run that I settled
Dave at the Aus Champs
GREAT LEGS Leg 15-16 Dave Shepherd 7:19, Warren Key 8:00
Dave Shepherd: Another hard control, I decided the rocky knoll to the south east of the control would be a safe place from which to attack the control. I ran a little cautiously up the hill, keeping map contact all the way. I could have run faster since the bare rock areas on top were quite obvious, but
Warren Key: It wasn’t until after 15 and the short track run that I settled, just in time for a difficult next group of controls. (It was) rough going. C16 made me wish I was younger.
Leg 16-17 Dave Shepherd 5:32, Warren Key 5:56
Dave Shepherd: I thought about running right and up into the control through the green, but decided it would be easier orienteering to attack the control from the left. I ran pretty roughly across and up past the bare rock and to the saddle. I lost a bit of confidence so I was really careful with my direction on the approach to the control. I looked for the edge of the green and once I saw it I basically ran along it looking for the bare rock knoll and then the control. Warren Key: I ran across the slope out of C16 thinking I am too old for this rough rocky ground, but then really pleased myself with some sound, perhaps even mature, navigating from the saddle to the flag at C17. I thought to myself, why couldn’t I navigate like this when I was 21!
Warren Key: The junk around C18 was unbelievable, I could barely move let alone run. Unfortunately I got lured right by a slightly more open section after the small clearing. It cost a bit but when I eventually corrected and saw the flag I thought how lucky I was, it could have been a lot worse, particularly at my now slowing speed.
Leg 18-19 Dave Shepherd 5:53, Warren Key 6:12
Dave Shepherd: I couldn’t see any other option for this leg, although I was looking for a trick – it looked too easy. I ran hard along the fence and really hard up the hill, reading the rock detail on the edge of the steep slope. The control was a little lower than I expected so I lost some seconds.
I really wanted to know exactly where I was before running down the hill into the control – so I didn’t risk losing map contact at all. From the rocky knoll I ran carefully down the left side of the gully, reading the rock details carefully into the control.
Leg 19-20 Dave Shepherd 2:21, Warren Key 3:16
Leg 17-18 Dave Shepherd 1:25, Warren Key 2:19
Warren at Aus 3-Days 2004
line of rock which I saw from the clearing, then down into the control.
Dave Shepherd: Running to the 18th control I thought it was important to be tough through the green and not be pushed around. I ran through the clearing and to the right of the
Dave Shepherd: I thought running left looked like clearer ground, but attacking the control from the hill to the right might have been a little safer. I was careful with my height after running through the saddle with the green and saw the boulder cluster just inside the circle and just after the small green area. From there I could see the control.
walking stage and the split times show my lack of endurance. My head was starting to wander but my legs just wanted the shortest distance home.
Leg 21-22 Dave Shepherd 1:34, Warren Key 2:25
Dave Shepherd: The last real control of the course. I have lost races by missing controls like this in the past, so I was quite careful and did it as safely as I could. From the boulder on top of the hill near the clearing I stopped and let my compass settle and looked ahead to where the control would be. After a few steps I saw the boulder and ran down to the control. Warren Key: I ran off for C22 in the rough direction without any thoughts. Just in time I noticed the best way was left of the knoll through the saddle. Now my head was going even slower than my legs. I angled away from the gully and roughed it into the control. I was lucky. Others lost time here.
Warren Key: Still a long way to get home. By the time I had climbed up to C19 I was dead on my feet. C20 was my first real
MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 25
COACHING
National Training Centre for Orienteering Neville Bleakley ACTAS Head Coach
T
HE December conference of Orienteering Australia approved the ACT Academy of Sport as the (first) National Training Centre for Orienteering in Australia. “First”, because OA’s 2000-2004 High Performance strategic plan envisaged more NTCs in other States by 2005. However, that has not been achieved.
The National Training Centre Concept
Most national sporting organizations utilise the NTC concept. Those NSOs that have programs at the Australian Institute of Sport use NTCs to conduct “feeder” programs to the AIS. Thus, some large NSOs have an NTC in every State. Those that do not have an AIS program use one NTC as their “peak”, and try to establish a network of other centres as opportunities and resources permit. That’s the model that OA is following.
The Need for a NTC
First and foremost, an NTC provides the “window” to the non sport-specific support that any HP orienteer needs: “the things that we orienteers cannot do ourselves” as national senior coach Jim Russell has said. It’s also a concept that other Australian sporting bodies recognize, such as the peak body in Australia, the Australian Sports Commission. Some believe that until a NSO creates a NTC, peak bodies will not see it as “fair dinkum” about HP sport.
The Role of the NTC
The precise role of the NTC will always depend on the structure of, and resources available to, the NSO. However, all NTCs would offer athletes support in sport science (testing, exercise physiology, biomechanics and movement analysis, nutrition, research), massage and recovery advice, sports medicine, sport psychology, strength and conditioning, and athlete career advice and education. NTCs also provide logistic support for coaches and athletes, such as some transport to competitions, equipment, and a base from which to operate (phones, office support, computers and the like). NTCs provide media opportunities for a sport, as NTCs are always seeking to put their athletes’ (and coaches’) achievements to the media. They also provide a means for the coaches and administrators of a sport to share experiences (good and bad) and knowledge (or the lack thereof) with other sports, a factor that should never be underestimated. Many sports in Australia have suffered from an inability to look outside of themselves for ideas, initiative and the right people to implement those. HP orienteering has been one of them, but the scene is changing.
What ACTAS Will Offer?
Buying professional expertise can be expensive, so funds (or the lack of) are a limiting factor. Orienteering is one of those nonOlympic and non-Commonwealth Games sports that is not blessed with federal funding that is designed to gain the federal government maximum media exposure through those large-scale events. The ACTAS orienteering program has been funded by the ACT Government during its seven years of existence – a much smaller pool in which to swim. OA and OACT make contributions to the ACTAS program, some of which are “in kind”. The budget for the orienteering program at ACTAS in 2005 will be $78,000, most of which will be provided in services. That figure does not include the honorarium/salary for the 26 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
Head Coach, which is paid by OACT and OA. It does include limited cash funding provided by ACTAS to buy discretionary services, pay for training camps, and to defray some athlete training/competition expenses.
The Head Coach
The role of a NTC will also depend on the philosophy of the Head Coach. Neville Bleakley has been Head Coach since the program’s inception in 1998. When he and Bob Mouatt convinced ACTAS to form the program in that year, they were influenced by ideas that Neville obtained orienteering overseas in 1993 and 1995, and during his ASC HP scholarship period 1994-1998. The holistic method of preparing an athlete - that had been adopted by all major Australian sports – has heavily influenced Neville’s stewardship. However, without athlete commitment and successes - combined with the willing support of volunteer coaches - the program would not be in place today. The sporting world is competitive by nature - and that includes sports administration. There is always another SSO or NSO that is willing to take your place (and resources) in the pecking order.
The Future for NTC HP Orienteers
Negotiations are currently proceeding as to exactly how HP orienteers from other States will access the resources of this NTC. Because the program has been funded primarily out of the coffers of the ACT taxpayer, all scholarship holders so far have been obliged to compete for the Canberra Cockatoos in the National League. Making ACTAS into a NTC changes that, so that an eligible HP orienteer (who is based in Canberra) will be able to join the ACTAS program and be able to compete for his/her home State. If orienteering were a well-funded sport the solution would be simple – buy those athlete places (at a heavily-discounted rate of approximately $2,500 per year). However, orienteering is not well-funded, so the planning and negotiating continues…..
The Future for NTC Coaching
Neville has announced his intention to resign as Head Coach later this year. He feels that seven years in one coaching position is rather a long time, and that the program needs an impetus of new blood. He feels that creating an NTC that will take Australian HP orienteering to another level should be the task for a younger coach with relevant HP international experience. The building blocks to do that are now in place at ACTAS. He rather hopes that the Canberra Cockatoos’ coach (a position funded by Sport and Recreation ACT, and also based at ACTAS) and the Head Coach of the NTC might be amalgamated into one position later this year. This idea will need OA, OACT and ACTAS approval of course. The best mechanism for that would be the ACTAS Orienteering Joint Management Committee, on which there are representatives of OACT, OA and ACTAS – currently John Sutton, Andy Hogg and Ken Norris respectively. By the time this article goes to print, a new Cockies’ coach will have been appointed, so that appointee’s wishes and aspirations may need to be taken into account too. It is no secret that the current Head Coach’s “salary” is quite modest. Creating one position would make a more attractive coaching package, opening up prospects for a younger person.
Opportunity for MTB Orienteering
ACTAS is the first NTC for orienteering, not foot orienteering. One of the best moves for MTB orienteering to make - as it strives to improve its support for HP MTB orienteers, and to build its own profile - would be to gain a place on this NTC program. Of course it would need its own program and its own coach, but the umbrella is there to use. ACTAS has an excellent cycling program, whose Head Coach has shown a willingness already to help ACT MTBO. Perhaps a talented HP MTB orienteer (or two) should apply for an ACTAS individual scholarship at the next opportunity, that being the way that foot orienteering also started many years ago. Then the planning and negotiating would start as to who would do what, with what. ‘Twas ever so..……
SPORT PSYCHOLOGY
Are good results not coming? Are you in the right frame of mind? Jason McCrae – Intern Psychologist
O
NE area often ignored in an orienteer’s performance is the mental side of our sport. Are you an orienteer who has any of these difficulties: • You orienteer well at local club events but poorly at the major championships/carnivals. • The ‘pressure’ of being in a relay team, of having club mates depending on you, often results in you orienteering poorly; • You make navigational mistakes because you are thinking about something else - for example, whether your son/daughter has made it to the start of their novice course. Not being in the right ‘frame of mind’ to orienteer can be the underlying factor in a below-par performance just as often as lack of fitness or navigational errors yet is usually neglected in a competitor’s quest to be a better orienteer. Getting into the right frame of mind, or “the zone” as it is often called in sport psychology, will not increase your skill level but it will assist you to perform to the best of your ability in a race, whether your best means you will come 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 10th, 20th or beyond. How does Sport Psychology assist you to get into the right frame of mind? One of the key components Sports Psychology utilises is the Inverted U theory which states that performance is dependent upon arousal, with arousal defined as a person’s anxiety levels, levels of tension or general excitement before and/or during a race. As arousal increases performance increases, until a certain point when it decreases dramatically (Figure 1). Figure 1 For example, a person who is not very excited about going Orienteering on a local map that they’ve run on 20 times before, will have a below par-performance or, a person who is overly “pumped up” and very tense and excited will be too anxious to perform at their best. The zone for getting the best performance is ‘somewhere in the middle’ with each competitor’s personal curve being slightly different. Tennis player Lleyton Hewitt’s inverted U is probably further to the right side of the graph than most as he needs to be really ‘pumped up’ to perform well. You might work out where your zone is by thinking about what frame of mind you were in when you orienteered at your best. Were you fairly relaxed? A common problem amongst sportspeople is that their zone is often in a more relaxed state than they imagine. If you have any of the difficulties listed at the beginning of this article it’s very likely you are going into events over-aroused and more at the right hand end of your personal inverted-U than the left. How do we get into the right frame of mind or the zone? A key technique for orienteering is having a consistent and appropriate preparation on the morning of (and possibly day before) each event. Those who perform relatively poorly and answered yes to some of the questions at the beginning of this article often approach championship races in a different manner to a usual Sunday event. Your preparation leading into every event should aim to have you at the start in the right frame of mind while doing all the things
World MTB-O Silver medallist Belinda Allison’s check-card which she checks before heading off to the start. required to prepare physically (a warmup, some stretches, etc.) and technically (have all the equipment you need – compass, SI stick etc.). To borrow a phrase from my former coach Kay Haarsma - “An orienteer’s preparation needs to be casual but professional” – casual in that you are endeavouring to stay relaxed and not get over-aroused but professional in that you do all the things you require to prepare appropriately. Some tips for developing a race preparation that suits you: • Initially write down the steps of your race preparation so you don’t forget or change them for each event. • Your preparation should be something you can repeat every time you compete. This can be difficult given the variety of events orienteers compete in each year – location, distance to start, terrain all vary greatly so make your preparation flexible enough to fit all situations. • Include in your O-kit a check-card of things you need and always check it as part of your preparation. This will ensure you take all the equipment you require and don’t get anxious about forgetting your compass/SI stick/number/taping/whatever. When you first start using a prescribed race preparation you might feel a little self-conscious. However after a little while it will become natural. Another common problem initially is using a setpreparation at events that perhaps don’t seem so ‘important’ (i.e. non-championships). It might seem unnecessary and a waste of time but using the same preparation at every event produces benefits in the races which really count. Your mind is being trained to get into the same zone every time you orienteer and undertake the same process no matter what external pressures you are experiencing. The sample preparation below illustrates a casual but professional race preparation that you might adapt for your own orienteering to get into the right frame of mind.
Time
Step of Preparation
Morning of race • Make sure wearing lucky tiger-skin undies • Eat 6 weet-bix - 75mins
• Get to event and if necessary register
• If possible have a look at last control
- 40 mins
• Get ready including taping ankles
- 20 mins
• C heck I have everything in list of things I need to orienteer • Jog to start or if start is close by jog around assembly area
- 10 mins
• Get to start • Check O-time • stretch
- 6 mins
• Enter start box or start area
• Check north on compass
• L ook at forest ahead of start and try to work out what features will be on the map
• Check 1st control description
0 mins
Start!
Jason McCrae is a registered Intern Psychologist in the ACT currently completing his Masters in Psychology. He is also OA’s Manager (High Performance) and a keen M21Sledge competitor. He can be contacted on Jason.McCrae@act.gov.au MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 27
GREAT LEGS
Gunnilla Svard in WOC Shocker One of Sweden’s most experienced competitors, Gunilla Svard, had a really bad day at the WOC’05 Middle-distance race. Worse still – her home country was hosting the event. Leg 7 to 8 was just 300 metres long yet it took her an astonishing 34 minutes to find the control. Her account of what she believes happened follows:
“After a mistake at the 3rd control, I slowly found my flow again. From the 7th, I ran through the green area. I checked the direction over the hill and jumped across the stream. I sensed that this was not right and checked my compass again. Yes, up onto the hill. It had the sloping but the way to the control did not seem right. I headed for the big blue marsh SW of the 8th control (which was actually the one NE of the 4th). Suddenly, I met the last starters, Minna Kauppi and Simone Niggli-Luder, and became very puzzled! I decided to run in their direction and realized that I was at the 4th control. I took my compass-course straight through the green area, heard the loud-speaker, and suddenly found myself at control 15 (!). I ran across the stream and up onto the hill. Now I was on the hill between controls 8, 9 and 13. It was all open. Jenny Johansson crossed my path. I wanted to go in one direction – my compass pointed in another – the map suggested a third. I felt I was simply wandering about…. I found the 13th and took my compasscourse again. The terrain was swampy and I got out onto a path next to a stream (SW of the control). The direction of the path fitted the one east of the 8th control. I followed it for a while and headed into the forest. There was a cutting area, a green area, and then a forest road. But I couldn’t find myself on the map. The direction didn’t fit any of the forest roads on the map. I turned around and got onto the path again. I followed it for a while and then entered the forest again. I reached the turning point at the corner of the path SE of the 12th control, where I once again tried to set the map in the right direction. I started to feel incredibly exhausted and a thousand thoughts ran through my head. I managed to find my way back to the 13th control. 28 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
This time I tried going in another direction. I read the yellow marsh from the map and saw the control guard at the 8th. Finally !!! On the way to the 9th I looked at my compass again. Oh no, was I running completely in the wrong direction again? But, I could hear the sounds from the finish area!?!? When I adjusted the map according to the sound, not according to the compass, I FINALLY understood everything. The COMPASS was pointing in the wrong direction !!!! I completed the course in the end, but thought of how many times I had trained without a compass. I felt ashamed. This time, however, I just couldn’t get it right on the map (which I adjusted wrongly) and decided to trust my compass instead ……” The very next day, in the WOC Relay on the same terrain, Gunilla led the first leg runners in to change 1st for Sweden. The Swedes eventually took Gold in a sprint finish with Finland. We all have days like that and it’s comforting to know that even the best in the world have them too. Gunilla, right, with her gold medal winning WOC Relay teammates.
NUTRITION
Preventing Fatigue During Long Workouts Gillian Woodward Preventing fatigue is the number one concern of active people who exercise for more than an hour. This article can help you enjoy high energy and enhanced stamina during long, hard exercise sessions, whether they are in training or in orienteering competition.
T
O prevent fatigue during extensive exercise that lasts for more than 60 to 90 minutes, you have two major nutrition goals: 1. to prevent dehydration and 2. to prevent your blood sugar from dropping. Both dehydration and low blood glucose levels can leave you feeling tired, washed out and can have a considerable effect on your concentration and performance. Here are some tips to help you reach these goals.
Fluid replacement
When you exercise hard, you sweat. Sweating is the body’s way of dissipating heat and maintaining a constant internal temperature. When you sweat for more than an hour, you lose significant amounts of water from your blood. This hopefully triggers the thirst mechanism and increases your desire to drink. Unfortunately for athletes, this thirst mechanism can be an unreliable signal, so you should plan to drink before you are thirsty. By the time your brain signals thirst, you may have lost one percent of your body weight, (the equivalent of 0.5-1 kg of sweat for a 70kg person). This onepercent loss corresponds with the need for your heart to beat an additional 3 to 5 times per minute, hence contributing to early fatigue. Thirst sensations change with age and older people, even athletes, become less sensitive to thirst. Older people, in particular, should carefully monitor their fluid intake. Light colored urine, in significant volume, is a sign of adequate hydration. Most athletes voluntarily replace less than half of sweat losses. Thirst can be blunted by exercise or overridden by the mind. For safety, always drink enough to quench your thirst, plus at least another 1/3 to a 1/2 as much again. If you know how much you sweat, you can then replace those losses according to a plan. To learn your sweat rate (and fluid targets), weigh yourself naked before and after a workout. For every kilogram you lose, you should strive to replace up to about 8001000 ml while exercising. This requires training your gut to handle the volume. It is best to try drinking 150 ml every 10-15 minutes. Wearing a platypus bladder on your back and sipping during the workout would be an excellent way to train. Some people find it helpful set an alarm wristwatch to remind them to drink on schedule. You’ll also need to plan on having the right quantity of enjoyable fluids readily available. Be prepared before your workout. Bring with you the sports drinks and fluids that will enhance your efforts – the ones you like the taste of and are familiar with from training.
Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar
You can significantly increase your stamina by consuming a preexercise snack (1-2 hours prior) that provides fuel for the first hour of the workout and by drinking adequate fluids during exercise. The third trick to enhancing endurance is to consume carbohydrates after an hour of exercise. Depending on your body size and ability to tolerate fuel while you workout, you’ll want to target around 1 gram of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight per hour of endurance exercise. For example, if you weigh 70kg, you should target about 70 grams per hour, or for a 50 kg person, only 50 grams per hour. Drinking this carbohydrate in the form of a sports drink is one of the easiest ways to obtain the fuel. Many sports drinks are about 7% sugar solutions, so you can get 7 grams of carbohydrate per 100 ml. To get 50 grams of carbs you would therefore need to drink about 700 ml over an hour, preferably in about 5 slurps of about 150 ml each. During a moderate to hard endurance workout, carbohydrates supply about 50 percent of the energy. As you deplete carbohydrates from muscle glycogen stores, you increasingly rely on the carbs (sugar) in your blood for energy. By consuming carbohydrates such as sports drinks, bananas, or energy bars during exercise, you can both fuel your muscles as well as maintain a normal blood sugar level. Because your brain relies on the sugar in your blood for energy, keeping your brain fed helps you think clearly, concentrate well, and remain focused. So much of performance depends on mental stamina, especially in a sport like Orienteering, where you are constantly making decisions and planning your next leg. Maintaining a normal blood sugar level is essential to optimize your performance and boost your stamina. Your body doesn’t care if you ingest solid or liquid carbohydrates – both are equally effective forms of fuel. But you just have to learn which sports snacks settle best for your own body – sports drinks, gels, jelly snakes, breakfast bars, dried figs or dates, defizzed soft drink, whatever you find the easiest to digest. You’ll learn through trial and error which snacks help prevent fatigue, boost performance and contribute to enjoyment of your long, hard workouts. Despite popular belief, sugars (in the foods/drinks mentioned above) can be a positive snack during exercise and are unlikely to cause you to “crash” (experience hypoglycemia or low blood glucose levels). That’s because sugar feedings during exercise result in only small increases in both insulin and blood glucose. Yet, too much sugar or food taken at once can slow the rate at which fluids leave the stomach. Hence, “more” is not always better. So work out the right amount for you – practice using it in training, so you are well prepared for competition in longer events. Keep your brain and body well fuelled ! MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 29
TRAINING
Orienteering Fitness (Part 2) Steve Bird In Part 1 (AO Dec’04) we looked at some of the factors which affect our physical performance in Orienteering events. In particular we saw how VO2max changes with age and gender, but that by maintaining reasonable levels of fitness, older competitors do not suffer the same reduction in VO2max as does the general population. VO2 and VO2max – The amount (volume) of oxygen we use each minute is our
VO2 and the maximum amount that we are able to use each minute is our VO2max. Both of these are commonly expressed as the amount of oxygen being utilized, divided by the person’s body weight in kilograms, they are therefore given in units of millilitres of oxygen / kg body weight / minute (ml/kg/min).
S
O if we ignore the confounding factor of ageing by comparing individuals of the same age, fitter orienteers will have a higher VO2max than unfit orienteers. This means that fit orienteers can utilize oxygen at the high rates required to sustain relatively fast running speeds, whereas a less fit orienteer with a lower VO2max can only utilize oxygen at a rate sufficient to sustain a slower speed. If a person attempts to run at a speed that requires more oxygen than they are capable of using, then their muscles will need to use supplementary sources of energy which are gained from anaerobic metabolism. The problem with these is that they result in the formation of lactic acid which, if it accumulates, causes fatigue and forces you to slow down or stop. If two individuals were to run at the same speed, the fit individual may be well within their aerobic capacity (VO2max) and therefore find the pace comfortable, whilst the unfit individual may be exceeding their aerobic capacity, in which case they would start to accumulate lactic acid, feel fatigued and have to stop. Running speed versus VO2 80.0
Oxygen utilisation (ml/kg/min)
70.0 60.0 50.0 40.0 Elite
30.0
Non-elite
20.0 10.0 0.0
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
Speed (km/h)
Responses at VO2max – Typical figures for a fit elite orienteer working at VO2
max would be a heart rate of 180-190 bpm, a stroke volume of 120-140 ml per beat, a cardiac output of 21.6-26.6 litres per minute, 75-80% of the cardiac output being directed to the exercising muscles and a ventilation of 140-160 litres of air per minute.
2. Lactate threshold
In reality a certain amount of lactic acid is produced at speeds which are somewhat slower than that needed to reach VO2max. However, because the amount produced at these speeds is small, it can be easily removed from the muscle by the blood flowing through it. So it does not accumulate to a level that causes fatigue. When you increase your running speed there is an increase in the amount of lactic acid produced by the muscle, in which case it has to be removed at a more rapid rate if it is not going to accumulate. 30 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
However if you continue to increase your speed you will eventually reach a speed at which the lactic acid cannot be removed fast enough and its production will exceed its removal, causing it to accumulate quite rapidly. This is the speed at which you feel that burning sensation in the muscles or when running uphill and fatigue rapidly sets in. The maximum running speed that you can sustain for a prolonged period of time is just below this speed and is known as your Maximum Lactate Steady State (MLSS). In untrained individuals this maximum lactate steady state tends to occur at running speeds corresponding to around 65% of their VO2max, but it is trainable and in highly trained individuals it may not occur until running at speeds that require in excess of to 80% VO2max. So not only can you increase your VO2max with training, but you can also increase the % of it that you can run at without accumulating lactic acid. Both of these adaptations on their own would mean that you could sustain a faster running speed, and together you get a cumulative improvement in your sustainable running speed. So to illustrate the implications of this, imagine the scenario where there are two orienteers running along together at a speed of 14 km/h. This running speed will require an oxygen consumption of about 40 ml/kg/min. If one of them has a VO2max of 67 ml/kg/min this means that they will be at 60% of their VO2max, which will feel like a comfortable, steady running speed to them. However, if the other orienteer has a lower VO2max of 50 ml/kg/min, this means that their rate of oxygen consumption will be close to their maximum (90% VO2max), and at this speed they will be above their maximum lactate steady state and consequently accumulating lactic acid in their muscles. They will be finding the speed hard and will soon tire, whereas the fitter orienteer could run quite a bit faster and still not experience excessive fatigue. In an event, we tend to find our maximum sustainable running speed ourselves on the basis of our perceptions of fatigue. Ideally this will be around our maximum lactate steady state, although in reality we will tend to fluctuate around it as we will accumulate lactic acid when running uphill and then have to slow down to recover. If we try to run faster than our MLSS we will tire and have to slow down, if we run slower than this, we will feel comfortable but won’t complete the course as quickly as we could have.
3. Running Economy
From the above it can be seen that the fitness requirements for orienteering are similar to other endurance running events but it’s worth remembering, that bush orienteering presents a unique challenge with its underfoot conditions and obstacles. Consequently being able to run smoothly and efficiently in terrain is another important fitness attribute. It would appear that orienteers who train in typical terrain can develop the running technique and biomechanical movement patterns that enable them to run more easily over rough terrain. A study 1 showed that when a group of orienteers and track runners ran at the same speed on firm tracks they used the same amount of oxygen. But when running at the same speed through orienteering terrain, the track runners used their oxygen inefficiently, probably because of a lesser ability to cope with the uneven underfoot conditions making them ‘stagger’ a bit when running. This suggests that they would tire more rapidly, and indicates that to compete well in bush events, orienteers should spend at least some of their training time in orienteering terrain. Reference: 1. Jensen K, Johansen L and Karkkainen O -P (1999). Economy in track runners and orienteers during path and terrain running. Journal of Sports Sciences, 17, 945 - 950. The numerical values presented in this article are general averages and are included for illustrative purposes. Your own values will vary from these according to your body size, age, gender, fitness and personal metabolism.
Professor Steve Bird is Director, Centre for Population Health, Sunshine Hospital, Melbourne. Steve worked with the Great Britain National Orienteering Squad for over 10 years.
TOP EVENTS 2005
2006
March 25-28
nowE 2005 (Aust. 3-Days) S Jindabyne, NSW www.ozeaster2005.com
April 23
US Middle-distance Champs, A Rylstone, NSW
April 14-17 Australian 3-Days Castlemaine, Victoria
May 7-14 European Championships Otepaa, Estonia www.orienteerumine.ee/EOC2006
April 16-17 British Championships, Newquay, Cornwall, UK
April 29-May 3 Surrey 5-O (in conjunction with World Cup), Surrey, UK www.wcup2005.org.uk
July 1-7 WMOC 2006 Wiener Neustadt, Austria www.wmoc06.com/
July 2-7 JWOC 2006 Druskininkai, Lithuania
July 1-5 Pilsner MTB-O 5-Days Plzen, Czech Republic
July 9-14 World MTB-O Championships Joensuu, Finland
July 2-9 5 Giorni-Valle di Non (Italian 5 Days) Trentino Italy. www.oripredaia.it
July 8-10
July 15-22 Swiss O Week 2006 Zermatt, Switzerland www.sow2006zermatt.ch
July O-Ringen Halsingland, Sweden www.oringen.com
July 30-Aug 5 WOC 2006 and Danish WOC Tour 6-Days, Aarhus, Denmark www.woc2006.dk/
29 Sept-12 Oct Australian Championships Carnival York, Western Australia wa.orienteering.asn.au/auschamps 2006/auschamps2006.html
Dec 22-31
APOC 2006, Hong Kong
Dec 27-31
Christmas 5 Days, NSW
orthern Territory Championships N Darwin, NT www.topend.nt.orienteering.asn.au
July 9-14 France - 5 Days of Aveyron, La Cavalerie, France (30min N of Montpelier) www.cdco12.org
July 10-15 Fin 5, Eura (near Pori), Finland. www.hiisirasti.fi/fin5
July 11-16
July 11-16 Swiss 5 Days, Tenero, Switzerland. www.asti-ticino.ch/5days2005
JWOC 2005 Tenero, Switzerland www.asti-ticino.ch/jwoc2005
July 14-24 World Games (Orienteering 16 & 17 July), Duisberg, Germany http://www.worldgames-iwga.org/
July 17-22
O-Ringen Smaland, Sweden www.oringen.com
July 26-28 Hallen 3-Days Hallen, Sweden
July 22-31
July 31-Aug 6 Scottish 6-Days Royal Deeside, Scotland scottish6days.com/2005/2005index.htm
July 31-Aug 7 Japan O Tour Tokyo, Fuji, Kyoto, Japan
August 7-14 Forest Festival (on WOC maps), Aichi, Japan www.woc2005.jp
August 7-14 WOC 2005 Aichi Prefecture, Japan www.woc2005.jp/
Sept. 5-11 World MTB-O Championships Banska Bystrica, Slovakia www.orienteering.sk/mtbo2005
Sept 19-24 Region 3 (Asia-Pacific) RadiO Champs, Agano City, Japan www.jarl.or.jp/2005r3ardf/
Sept 24-Oct 2 Tassie East Coast Escape inc Tas Champs, Schools Champs & Aust Champs. Hobart to St. Helens www.tasorienteering.asn.au
Nov 19-20 AUS MTB-O Champs, Maryborough & Bendigo, Victoria
Dec 27-31 Snowy Christmas 5 Days, Jindabyne, NSW
WMOC 2005 Edmonton, Canada www.wmoc2005.com www.2005worldmasters.com/
Call of the West National O League Events in Western Australia
H
EED the Call of the West and come to the NOL events in WA on 7th & 8th May this year. There will be courses available on both days for all orienteers – it’s not just for the elites. Day 1 courses will be ‘enter on the day’ for non-elites, and Day 2 will be a pre-entry Badge event. Friends/partners/spouses/whatever of NOL competitors from other states are particularly welcome. Day 1 events are near Beverley, about 130km east of Perth, on a new map. The terrain is largely farmland and granite and is similar to the “Gunapin” map used at the Australian 3-Days in 2003. The controller is Carol Brownlie: 08 9446 3457, carolnken@ozemail.com. au Day 2 events are in the Julimar Forest, west of Toodyay on the area covered by 1984 “Julimar Brook” map. Julimar is being remapped for this event. The terrain is largely gully-spur with a small amount of rock. The runnability is generally good on the slopes and in the valleys. There are areas of slower running on the broad spurs. Day 2 controller is Peter Watson: 08 9291 0367, whiskers@iinet.net.au Both areas are about 90 minutes drive from Perth. York, about 100km east of Perth, is between the Day 1 and Day 2 venues. Various accommodation options are available, see http://www.yorkwa.com. au/accommodation.htm Please come, compete and enjoy. More information on the NOL events is on the OA website. Please contact the organiser, Sue Dowling (08 9397 6024, soonjak@acslink.net.au) if you have any questions, eg events, fees, badge pre-entry.
MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 31
CLUB PROFILE
Top End Orienteers – a brief history Susi Bertei
O
RIENTEERING arrived in Darwin on Sunday 19 March 1978, when Ian Roberts set a bush course of some 15 km on the Marrakai Road near Manton Dam, about 75 km from town. It was a score event with a 5-hour time limit. The map was a B&W photocopy of a 1:50,000 topographic map and controls were marked with coloured electrical tape. The weather was hot and humid. Most of the nine teams and individuals concentrated on easily found points near the track, and finished in an hour or two with scores of 5 to 8 total. Not so the fanatical team of Willis and Taylor who pushed on for almost the full 5 hours amassing a sweaty but winning score of 23.5 … and still not finding all the controls! (Russell Willis still competes regularly at events and has been known to repeat this feat – staying out nearly 5 hours and not finding all controls – except that he’s never won again!) Most early enthusiasts were members of the Darwin Bushwalking Club or students at Nightcliff High School where Ian had introduced the sport. They learned from their mistakes and future events were shorter and much closer to town. At Holmes Jungle the next event drew 30 competitors, a high for the year. Competitions continued monthly until November using 1:10,000 photocopied topographic maps of close-by areas (and electrical tape controls) with participants averaging about 20. 1979 was a big year. Over the Christmas holidays, Ian had made a trip to Melbourne and collected loads of information and gear – controls, cards, punches, compasses, t-shirts and bumper stickers – all the essentials. “Outback Orienteers” was born and members put up posters around town, attracting double the attendances of the previous year, including a high of 108 at a Botanic Gardens event in September – a record for Darwin to this day. But as the temperature and humidity rose, numbers fell. As well, several of the original movers and shakers left town, and by mid-1980 Orienteering in the Top End had fizzled out. It re-emerged from hibernation with the arrival of Robin and Adrian Uppill from the Sth Aust Tintookies club. In April 1984 the Uppill’s created a black & white hand-drawn Orienteering map of East Point Reserve and organised three introductory events. There was an encouraging response with 25-30 people attending and subsequently Top End Orienteers came into being, affiliating with the OFA through OASA in 1985. Activities since 1984 have been fairly consistent. Events are held every 2 to 3 weeks from February to November - a mixture of bush and street/parkland events. Starts are early (between 7am and 9am) to beat the heat. Three courses are offered – short, medium and long (up to 6-7 km). A score event has been traditional at the end of the year and recently we added scatter, relay, night and bike events to the program for a bit of variety. Attendances have grown, averaging 40-50 people, but there is still a relatively high turnover of participants due to the itinerant nature of the Darwin population. This has kept the atmosphere at TEO fairly social and recreational, with lots of beginners. One of the “itinerants” was Eric Morris (NSW), who spent 6 months in Darwin in 1999, and kick-started our coaching program. We now have three accredited Level 1 coaches with several others in the process of completing their accreditation, and coaching days are on our calendar. Other “itinerants” who have made significant contributions to the club include Ann Scown (1986-8 from ACT), Norm Eastwood (1990-7 from Tas), the Slade family (1990-still here! from SA) and Tony Galliford (1999-2002 from ACT). Of course there have been many more home-grown contributors as well.
32 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
Above: Seeds from rampant spear grass turned Peter Phillpott’s shirt into something else. Above right: “Moderate" grass and prickly pandanus. Right: Spear grass and cypress pine forest at Howard Springs. An ongoing challenge for TEO is mapping, and finding new areas to map. The bulk of our members don’t like to travel too far afield, but much of the country close to Darwin is flat. As well, with the steady growth of Darwin several of the contoured close-by areas have fallen victim to property development. We purchased OCAD in 1998 and, with help from various interstate mappers, have converted our hand-drawn black & white maps to colour. It’s a bit scary to look at those old maps now! We have 6 maps within 20 min of Darwin (4 with hills), and 4 others between 45 min and 2 hrs away, including our latest map at Lok Cabay, site of the inaugural NT Championships to be held in July this year. Local conditions are often a challenge for orienteers – including the weather, vegetation, and wildlife. A very variable climate ranges from warm/hot and dry (dry season - May to August) through hotter and humid (Sept to Dec) to hot/warm humid and rainy (wet season – Jan to April). Running in the wet season is quite pleasant so long as it’s raining or overcast. In one February event the rain was so torrential that maps and control cards were reduced to soggy pulp, but one resourceful competitor punched his controls onto a large leaf! Competing in the dry is more agreeable for most. Humidity is much lower, and early morning temperatures sometimes go down below 20ºC – chilly for us! The seasonal variation creates havoc with the vegetation - open savannah woodland with a grassy understorey. Late in the wet season growth is prolific - grasses grow 2 to 3 metres tall. Visibility and runnability are greatly reduced and tracks are the go. With the onset of the dry season the grasses wither and fall over in the “knock-emdown” storms, collapsing to a more respectable height of around one metre. This helps visibility but still is very difficult to get through. Runnability is greatly improved by another dry season activity – the annual burn-off, both controlled and uncontrolled. This conveniently removes the grass, leaves and trees, and instantly creates a fast run environment. Expect to get blackened legs, and beware the prickly pandanus! Despite what may appear to be adverse conditions for Orienteering in the Top End, course setters have generally been able to create good courses. This year, with the assistance of OASA’s John and Jeffa Lyon as controllers, we are proud to be able to present the inaugural NT Championships, plus associated events. Why don’t you try the Top End in July?
Inaugural NT Championships – 8-10 July ‘05
MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 33
TOP EVENTS
Aus Champs 2005 Update
Bert Elson – Publicity Manager, Tassie East Coast Escape 2005
TASSIE EAST COAST ESCAPE
Included in this edition of Australian Orienteer is your copy of the Aus Champs 2005 brochure and entry form. Planning continues to progress well for the event and all Tasmanian orienteers are looking forward to welcoming our colleagues from interstate. There have been some developments in the event program in recent months: “THE LEA” WARMUP EVENT: This event is scheduled as a friendly warmup on the afternoon of Saturday 24 September and will be followed by an informal BBQ. “The Lea” is one of Hobart’s favourite local maps and offers good bush running with plenty of rock and some deep gullies - and all less than 10 km from the city centre. Assembly is at the Lea Scout Camp with good facilities for an informal post event BBQ. Carnival registration will be available at the event. TASMANIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Tasmanian Championships will be held in the detailed sand dunes of “Pittwater”, remembered by many from Day 3 of Easter 1999. People either hate or love this map but all agree it is an outstanding navigational challenge. SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS & ASSOCIATED EVENTS: The Schools Championships have moved to the beautiful “Sandstone Valleys” map just off the Midlands Highway about 45 minutes north of Hobart. The area is being remapped and offers a mix of fast running in open woodland with complex navigation along sandstone escarpments. The proximity of this area to Hobart ensures that a Hobart base is possible from Saturday until Tuesday with daily trips out to events. AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: The carnival moves to St Helens on Tasmania’s north-east coast on Friday 30 September with a sprint event and model event for the Australian Championships. The Aus Champs on Saturday 1 October 2005 will be held on the “Littlechild Creek” map. This is a wonderful intertwined tangle of creeks, buttongrass marshes, thickets and granite hills 15 km north of St Helens. The new Aus Champs website is now fully operational. Go to the Orienteering Tasmania website at www.tasorienteering.asn.au and click the Aus Champs icon on the home page for full carnival details as well as information on transport, accommodation and things to do. Send an email to pub.oti@trump.net.au to get on our Aus Champs email list and receive regular emails of carnival developments.
Mapper – Albury-Wodonga OC AWOC needs a mapper to produce maps of bush and parkland areas close to Albury Wodonga. Write advising of availability dates, rates, need for accommodation etc. to AWOC, PO Box 461, Albury 2640 email robsim@albury.net.au
34 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
Au Pair Needed For Norwegian Orienteering Family We need an au-pair to help out in house and to take care of our two children. The children are 1 and 3 years old. The elder is attending kindergarten, and the younger will start kindergarten this spring or in the summer. We are living in Bergen, which is the second largest town in Norway. There is plenty of opportunity to combine or prolong the stay with studies at one of the good local universities. There are also several local sport clubs. Opportunities for training Orienteering are excellent! Please do not hesitate to contact Rune Brunborg at aupair@brunborg.com or phone +47 977 78 316
2005 Victorian Championships SUNDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER
To be held near Chiltern in North Eastern Victoria Saturday 10th September Start the weekend with a Park/Street event in Beechworth organised by AWOC Sunday 11th September Victorian Championships at "Barambogie North" Site of the 2003 Australian Championships All usual courses Entry Form will be included with the next Australian Orienteer. Enquiries to mhanna@redcross.org.au
TOP EVENTS
Banana Boat® 2005 Queen’s Birthday Three Days 11-13 June 2005 NSW State League Events 8 & 9
Vic Champs 2005 at Barambogie
T
HIS year’s Queens’ Birthday Three Days will be held at Eugowra, about 60km from Orange NSW. The event consists of a two-day individual competition followed by club relays on the third day. The map Seldom Seen by Eric Andrews was last used for the 2004 Australian Championships. The terrain is technically challenging with complex granite and intricate gully systems. Facilities at the event will include catering by local organisations and a Kids Bush Challenge on Day 2 – some fun orienteering activities aimed at kids 7 to 12 years, to be run close to the assembly area after the kids have finished their runs. There is also plenty to do in the local area apart from orienteering, from visiting wineries to touring a gold mine. Suitable accommodation can be found in Forbes or Orange. Pre-entries close 13 May 2005. Limited enteron-the-day courses will also be available. Full details including postal and online entry forms can be found at www.garingal.nsw.orienteering.asn.au/QBIII Garingal Orienteers is proud to welcome Banana Boat® suncare products as principal sponsor for QBIII.
On Saturday 10 September, Albury-Wodonga OC will stage a Park & Street event on their Beechworth map, then - On Sunday 11 September, Bayside Kangaroos will welcome you to the Victorian Championships. There’s always plenty to do in and around Beechworth (the famous Bakery, for one) and there’s a great selection of wineries to visit in the area towards Rutherglen. As well, there are plenty of options for accommodation and dining. Make a week-end of it. You’ll enjoy it – that’s a promise.
B
ARAMBOGIE – land of rocks and open meadows with gnarled eucalypts leaning at impossible angles. If this were in Norway you might believe trolls lived amongst the granite outcrops. But Barambogie is near Beechworth and Chiltern in Victoria making the Victorian Championships 2005 as readily accessible to interstate orienteers as it is to Victorians. This is some of the finest granite for Orienteering in the country and without much of the debris underfoot which degrades the enjoyment of Orienteering in some other wellknown granite areas.
MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 35
I N N O VAT I O N
Maze Orienteering –
a promotional event in Newcastle Russell Rigby (NC-N) - Planner
Nearly all orienteers have navigation problems inside the control circle at some stage of their career, but what about a course that fits entirely inside a normal control circle, with navigational challenge and route choice? Newcastle Orienteers have recently organised a MazeOrienteering event that precisely fits this description.
O
N Australia Day Newcastle Orienteers ran a free promotional event in the Foreshore Park, as part of the celebrations organised by Newcastle City Council. Thousands of people attended the focus of the Australia Day celebrations in Newcastle, with everything from the naturalisation ceremony to a cross-harbour swim, concerts and food stalls on offer. In 2004 the Club ran a Park-O course, and this year added a Maze-O course as an extra attraction both for club members and the passing public. The Club’s allocated area was between the beach and the performance stage which was in use all day by bands, dance groups and other performers. This ensured the event had plenty of exposure and competitors in the maze added to it. The Maze-O course was approximately 650m long, using an area of 50m by 35m in and around a group of small garden beds and trees. People could run just the maze or a 1.3km Park-O course, or combine them for the “Super Challenge”. The maze was marked by wooden or metal stakes with a single run of plastic tape to define the paths. The rules were simple: keep off garden beds; stay on grass area; no reaching over or crossing tapes; punch controls in order 1 – 9; there 36 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
are additional controls in the maze which are not part of the course; watch out for other competitors. The maze was laid out with one exit point adjacent to the club display, and the internal pathways were kept to 2-3 metres wide so that couples or family groups could walk side-by–side without causing congestion. Several family groups went around the maze with young children in strollers. Using trees and garden beds as part of the maze improved its appearance and reduced the work in setting-up. The two maps were colour-printed on one A4 page, which was folded and sealed in plastic so the maps were back-to-back. Competitors started at two minute intervals using a beeping O-clock to keep the flavour of a real event. Competitors’ times ranged from 5 to 20 minutes depending on their running speed and map reading ability. Even the faster club members found that they had to balance map reading and running speed, or make a very obvious and “public” mess of their course. Oxygen debt works wonders on detailed navigation skills. As an example, the distance from the entry gate to Control 1 is 70m on the north side of the maze, and 115m on the south side with the obvious long straights, but more than 60% further. The inspiration for the Maze-O came originally from a scene in the TV program “Regency House Party”, with “Pride and Prejudice” look-alikes negotiating a maze made with wooden stakes and ribbons on the front lawn of their country estate. The idea was reinforced when we saw the short article and map in The Australian Orienteer (Sep 2004, p31) about maze orienteering in Moscow, and the club’s Australia Day event was the obvious choice for the first attempt. The encouraging response from club members and the public means that the club will continue to use Maze-O as part of its promotional activities. The club gained several new members from the Australia Day promotion last year, and expects that will be repeated this year. More photos and details of the set-up of the event are available on the club website http://o-newcastle.asn.au/oblog/
I N N O VAT I O N
Left: Bob Gilbert and Oskar Booth – up the hill again. Below: Malcolm Roberts – that was No. 1 and the fun has just begun. Lower left: Club President (and event organiser) Geoff Peel shows how it should be done.
MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 37
MOUNTAIN-O
Swiss O Week 2006 The Foot of the MATTERHORN
T
HE world-famous holiday resort of Zermatt offers a huge range of possibilities for recreation mountaineering, walking, climbing the Matterhorn, mountain biking, swimming …… and Orienteering. Swiss O Week will take place there during July 1522, 2006. All race areas can be reached from Zermatt within 20 minutes by cable car or mountain railway. The start and finish areas are all within 300m of cable car or railway stations, so there’ll be plenty of spare time to try out everything else that Zermatt has to offer. Zermatt’s car-free centre with its many boutiques, cafés and bars is a shopper’s paradise. The event will use six previously unmapped areas at altitudes between 1600 and 3100 metres in various forms of highalpine terrain, partially forested, partially open and very runnable.
World MTB-O champ, Michaela Gigon, giving Swim-O a try.
Triathlon-O in Austria
S
WIM, bike and run are the well-established combination in triathlon; the mix can be in various leg lengths. Last year in Austria an innovation was a Triathlon-O at the Faaker See in the southern province of Carinthia. Inspired by the triathlon Olympic gold medal win by Kate Allen (Australian born but ran for Austria), the event attracted about 50 adventurous men and women, who did not want to miss out on this “Austrian Première”. The course comprised a 350 metre Swim-O section, followed by three kilometres MTB-O and then 2.5 kilometres of Foot-O. For the swim section the map was laminated: competitors had to decide whether to use crawl stroke, which meant it was hard to keep hold of the map, or a slower but easier breast stroke. The fastest took seven minutes to the changeover area. Like the professionals, many did not change their clothes, but just pulled on MTB shoes, clipped them onto the bike pedals and vanished into the forest. Twenty minutes later the fastest were changing into running shoes to tackle the foot-O section. After the event the big topic of discussion was relative strengths and weaknesses in the three different disciplines. The première in Triathlon-O was a fun event. The combination of the fascination of triathlon with orienteering gave everyone a lot of pleasure. The response was very enthusiastic. Courtesy Austrian magazine OEFOL.
Day 1 Gornergrat - The heavenly day – Sun 16th July - at 3000m above sea level, the highest terrain ever used for a multi-day Orienteering event. Day 2 Grüensee - The charming day – Mon 17th July - Alpine meadows and the highest forest in Switzerland. Day 3 Trockener Steg - The icy day – Tues 18th July - Where eternal ice once lay and rocks were polished smooth. Day 4 Schwarzsee - The breathtaking day – Thurs 20th July Terrain alternates between fast and detailed, demanding exact map reading. Climbers 2000m above on the north face of the Matterhorn will watch every mistake you make! Day 5 Zermatt - The touristy day – Fri 21st July - Through the maze of paths and alleys of Zermatt. Day 6 Sunnegga - The delightful day – Sat 22nd July - Rough mountain forests, meadows filled with alpine flowers, stony ground and a few contours. More at www.sow2006zermatt.ch 38 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
map of Swim-O section
NAIL CAN HILL RUN
WANTED – 2000 feet! Throw away the maps and head for the hills!
I
N this the 29th year of Albury’s Nail Can Hill Run, Albury Wodonga Orienteering Club is looking to break the barrier of 1000 finishers on Sunday 1st May 2005. Last year we had over 1000 entrants, but fell short of the magic 1000 finishers. This 11.3km run over the steep ranges near Albury has become an institution for all serious runners. Recent years have seen a marked increase in entrants with fun runners and walkers challenging themselves to do the tough Nail Can route. Some high profile winners include Olympians Pat Scammell and Steve Moneghetti. Pat won six times between 1985 and 1996. Oddly though, Pat never actually held the race record, the closest he came was within 6 seconds in 1992 before Greg Webster lowered the mark to 36:55 in 1993. Webster’s record looked impregnable until we lured Steve Moneghetti to the race in 2003. Wise old heads said Moneghetti was too old at 40 (Webster was 25 in 1993) to challenge the record. Steve proved what a class athlete he is in smashing the record by almost 2 minutes. The new mark of 34:57 is expected to remain unchallenged for some time unless the likes of Lee Troop or Craig Mottram is prepared to put it on the line. The Age Busters has proved a popular personal challenge. Male Age Busters must run the 11.3km course in under their age (e.g. at 50 years you must run under 50 minutes) while females must
beat their age plus 20%. Only 5 to 10 of the entire field manage to break their age. Five time Age Busters are presented with the Max Scherleitner Medal. Max is a living legend of Nail Can being the only person to have completed 27 Nail Can Hill Runs and is a seven time Age Buster himself. AWOC sends a challenge to Orienteering clubs to send in a team. The winning sporting club team time in 2004 was 185:18. (4 fastest times counted) and the local teams need some strong competition. Nail Can is AWOC’s major fund-raiser of the year with all club members involved in its organisation. The club keeps entry fees low to encourage participation. So, for a pleasant change away from those maps, but close to the hills, mark 1st May 2005 in the diaries and help us break that 1000 barrier. Contact: Organiser Norm McCann nmccann@bigpond.com http://www.users.bigpond.com/nmccann/nailcan.htm
The ever popular Steve Moneghetti signing autographs at the Nail Can Hill Run. MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 39
WORLD MTB-O CHAMPS
The MTB-O pages supported by Warren and Tash Key from The MELBOURNE BICYCLE CENTRE, CLIFTON HILL – ph. 03 9489 5569
Antje Bornhak (GER) leaving control 7. Photo: Bob Mouatt
World MTBO Long Distance Championship, Women – Split Times, start to control 8 Total time 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1st. Anke Dannowski, GER 89:03 5:33 14:39 21:10 30:08 36:36 42:11 47:19 50:18 –––––– 5:33 9:06 6:31 8:58 6:28 5:35 5:08 2:59 2nd. Paivi Tommola, FIN 91:14 5:13 14:21 20:02 28:41 36:24 41:48 47:02 50:01 –––––– 5:13 9:08 5:41 8:39 7:43 5:24 5:14 2:59 3rd. Antje Bornhak, GER 91:15 5:36 13:02 19:44 28:51 35:00 40:28 45:32 48:33 –––––– 5:36 7:26 6:42 9:07 6:09 5:28 5:04 3:01
40 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
Silver medallist, Paivi Tommola (FIN) at control 7. Photo: Bob Mouatt
The MTB-O pages supported by Warren and Tash Key from The MELBOURNE BICYCLE CENTRE, CLIFTON HILL – ph. 03 9489 5569
MTB-O
Interview – Michaela Gigon
YOU CAN WIN A Mountain Bike & Mapboard, Compass and Back Packs All you have to do is to take part, and you are automatically in the draw For MTB Orienteers All Australian registered orienteers who take part in three or more official MTB-O events in Australia from June 2004 to Queens Birthday weekend, June 2005, will be automatically entered into the draw to win the Mountain Bike valued at $1799 from Melbourne Bicycle Centre (Clifton Hill) plus a Miry Mapboard.
PLUS Map Board RRP $139 Photo: Austrian OEFOL magazine
Michaela Gigon of Austria won Gold at the WMTB-O Championships held near Ballarat last October. Austria’s OEFOL magazine recently interviewed Michaela. These are extracts: You had the chance, as a mountain bike rider in the army, to concentrate as well as possible on your sport. Is this the foundation of your success? Michaela: In a normal job I don’t think I would have had enough time for training and recovery. On average I train 15 hours a week: about 150 kilometres on the bike, some running, cross-country skiing and strength work. Not to forget Micki Prehsler, who has been a big support as coach. What are your next sporting aims? Michaela: I want to win the world title again, to show it was not just a one-off. I’m looking at the Long course in 2005 in Slovakia. I can prepare since the terrain is nearby, so I almost have a home advantage. How did you get into MTBO? Michaela: I’ve done foot-O for a long time. In 2000 I had ankle joint problems; the orthopaedic specialist said that foot-O was not good for the joint. At first I did not like MTB-O because you need to do so much training and I was still using my brother Christian’s bike. When I bought my own bike, that was the start of my MTB-O career. Success came quickly. In summer 2001 I scored a 9th and a 10th in the World Cup series and then in the autumn a 4th, only just behind the best. I was motivated: I knew it was going well and would get better still. Of course there are some dangers but that’s part of the sport. Once I did a head-first on a ski slope and that convinced me a helmet is really important. I ride with a “Camelback” drink bladder on my back; when it’s full it’s good back protection, but it’s really for easy drinking during the ride.
Jamis Exile –
RRP $1799
FRAME: Reynolds 520 Chromoly. FORKS: Manitou Axel Super. BRAKES: Avis BB5 Cable Disc. DRIVETRAIN: 27 Sram X-7. WHEEL SET: Alex TD17 Disc Rims and Shimano Deore Hubs. EXTRA: TruVativ Parts, Hutchinson Tyres. COLOUR: Ano Black
BUY THIS BIKE NOW: Special offer to orienteers, freight to anywhere just $1100 inc. in Australia
MELBOURNE CENTRE
Contact Warren Key at Melbourne Bicycle Centre – Clifton Hill for all of your MTB-O needs – 03 9489 5569.
For Foot Orienteers All Australian registered orienteers M/W19 or older in 2005 who take part in both the Australian Individual Championships 2004 and in the Australian (Easter) Three Days 2005 will be automatically entered into the draw to win a Silva 5NL Compass or one of 4 Snowgum Back Packs. 5NL Turbo compass valued at $68
Competition baseplate model with quick needle dampening. Hand contoured baseplate with sure-grip rubber feet. Front end map scales, !:10000 and 1:15000.
4 Snowgum Back Packs:
22 litre, padded harness, padded back, adjustable waist belt. Zippered opening, front pocket.
Promotion rules – 1. The promotion starts 1 June 2004 and runs until and including Queens Birthday Weekend 2005. 2. Prizes are as described on page 7 of The Australian Orienteer, June 2004. They must be taken as offered and are not exchangeable for cash. No person may win more than one prize. 3. The draw for prizes will be conducted by Orienteering Australia. Winners will be notified and names will be published in The Australian Orienteer, September 2005. 4. Eligibility for prizes is: mountain bike and MTB-O map board– all registered orienteers who take part in three or more official MTB-O events in the promotion period. Other prizes – all registered orienteers M/W19 or older in 2005 who take part in both the Australian Individual Championships 2004 and in the Australian (Easter) Three Days 2005.
MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 41
NATIONAL RANKINGS 2004
R
ANKINGS for classes have been determined as in previous years based on results in the Australian Championships (A), the Australian Easter 3-Days (E), and all State Championships (by State initial letter, ACT = C). Rankings for classes M/W 18,20, and 21 are calculated on a different basis and are separately published. The first 10 placegetters in each class are published here. State Secretaries have the full list of orienteers who scored less that 150.00 points. Some points of interest in the 2004 rankings: • Winner by the largest margin was Brianne Stewart (SH. N) by 13.56 percentage points. • There were a number of equal firsts: Kurt Neumann (EN. Q), Todd Neve (MF.V) M12; Lloyd Barker-Smith (NT.N), Lachlan Dow (BS.A) M14; Tim McIntyre (UG.Q), Martin Wehner WE.A) M40; Lisette Schults-Rand (UG. Q), Michele Dawson (GO.N) W10; Krystal Neumann (EN.Q), Emily Prudhoe (CC.N) W14; Sue Mount (AL.T), Dorothy Adrian (NE.V) W65. • 21 clubs had class leaders in the rankings with the most successful clubs being: UG.Q, AL.T (4); BS.A (3); EN.Q, MF.V, RR.A, UR.N (2); OH.S, NT.N, BK.V, WE.A, AO.A, IK.N, GO.N, SH.N, CC.N, SO.Q, BN.N, BO.W, NE.V, YV.V (1). • Families with two or more members in the first three places in the rankings were: Neve (Todd M12, Morten M16, Sue W50); Neumann (Kurt M12, Krystal W14); Lawford (Ian M12, Geoff M45); Harding (Heather W16, Carol W35); Howitt (Cath W70, Gordon M70); Mount (Sue W65, Tony M70); Adrian (Dorothy W65, Paul M80). • In M50 and W40 classes, Tasmanians filled the first 3 places in the rankings. Darryl Erbacher, OA Statistician
42 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
Rank
Club Points Events
M10 1 Bryn McComb 2 Oscar McNaulty 3 Matthew Hill 4 Kelly Bertei 5 Jacob Neumann 6 Henry McNulty 7 Daniel Hill
OH.S 100.00 LO.W 104.82 GO.N 111.14 TE.S 116.34 EN.Q 118.83 LO.W 125.80 GO.N 128.40
ES AW EN EA AQ AW AN
M12 1 Kurt Neumann = Todd Neve 3 Ian Lawford 4 Tom Marshall 5 Chris Firman 6 Harry Mee 7 Steven Darvodelsky 8 Benjamin Lee 9 David Schwebel 10 Daniel Neumann
EN.Q MF.V AO.A AL.T EN.Q TF.Q BF.N TJ.S GS.N EN.Q
100.00 100.00 103.89 109.84 117.66 131.77 136.06 136.88 140.53 142.40
EQ AV AC AT AN EQ AN AS AN AN
M14 1 Lloyd Barker-Smith = Lachlan Dow 3 Michael Smith 4 Toby Clark 5 Thomas McIntyre 6 Julian Taylor 7 Gary Flynn 8 Joshua Neumann 9 Matthew Harding 10 Max Neve
NT.N BS.A WR.T WA.S UG.Q UG.Q TF.Q EN.Q BS.A MF.V
100.00 100.00 103.27 103.58 103.74 106.81 107.71 109.92 110.56 111.67
EN AC ET AS AQ EQ AN AQ AC AV
M16 1 Nick Andrewartha 2 Morten Neve 3 Sebastian Woof 4 Liam Parton 5 Grant Erbacher 6 Sebastian Froude 7 Tristan Lee 8 Joshua Roberts 9 James Sheldon 10 Simon Mee
AL.T MF.V EV.T GS.N PO.A IK.N TJ.S NC.N UG.Q TF.Q
100.00 100.29 102.48 106.98 109.76 112.68 113.57 114.78 116.43 117.28
AT AV ET EN AN AC EA EA EN EQ
M35 1 Tim Hatley 2 Jock Davis 3 Paul Liggins
BK.V 100.00 EV BF.N 100.63 AN MF.V 105.22 AN
M40 1 Tim McIntyre = Martin Wehner 3 Simon George 4 Michael Burton 5 Andre Scott 6 Peter Charlton 7 Glenn Burgess 8 Peter May 9 Dave Nicholson
UG.Q WE.A BF.N BF.N TT.S NC.N NC.N TF.Q YA.S
100.00 100.00 104.14 111.25 116.63 121.40 130.22 134.44 134.69
EQ AC EA AN ES EA AN EQ AS
M45 1 Geoff Lawford 2 Mark Darvodelsky 3 Darryl Smith 4 Alex Davey 5 Ross Coyle 6 Noel Schoknecht 7 Grant McDonald 8 Malcolm Roberts 9 Neil Barr 10 James Lithgow
AO.A BF.N WR.T WR.N UR.N LO.W AO.A NC.N BG.V GO.N
100.00 108.89 114.05 119.83 120.93 121.12 122.43 124.35 128.09 131.48
AC AN ET AN AC AW AN EN EN EC
M50 1 David Marshall AL.T 101.22 2 Paul Pacque EV.T 105.77 3 Nigel Davies EV.T 108.15 4 Nick Wilmott UR.N 110.02 5 Chris Norwood EU.V 110.68 6 David Firman EN.Q 111.15 7 Ted Van Geldermaisen YV.V 112.74 8 David Winters LI.S 113.03 9 Roch Prendergast EU.V 113.78 10 Peter Komyshan WO.W 115.24
AT EA ET EN AE AQ EA ES AV AW
M55 1 Hugh Moore 2 Paul Hoopmann 3 Terry Bluett 4 Dave Lotty 5 Trevor Sauer 6 Robert Allison 7 Stephen Flick 8 Ross Barr 9 Reid Moran 10 Geoff Peck
AV ES EC EC AQ EN EA EC EA AN
RR.A TJ.S BN.N UR.N EN.Q RR.A BN.N GO.N TF.Q UG.Q
100.00 100.58 102.33 105.52 107.40 109.16 109.77 118.90 120.12 121.02
M60 1 Jim Sawkins 2 Tim Dent 3 Alex Tarr 4 Dick Ogilvie 5 Peter Galvin 6 Darryl Erbacher 7 Ray Sheldon 8 Ron Junghans 9 Mike Howe 10 Phil Dufty
RR.A YV.V YV.V UR.N BG.V PO.A YV.V GO.N LO.W BO.W
100.00 100.13 100.20 106.46 108.20 109.78 113.85 115.81 117.66 118.51
EC AE AN EN AV AQ EQ EV EW EN
W45 1 Lyn Stichbury 2 Carolyn Jackson 3 Liz Abbott 4 Julia Allston 5 Jenny Bourne 6 Anthea Feaver 7 Julia Prudhoe 8 Liz Bourne 9 Hilary Wood 10 Jan Sargood
SO.Q MF.V PO.A AL.T AO.A LO.W CC.N BB.Q CC.N UR.N
100.00 101.20 103.65 105.32 108.73 115.49 119.51 120.85 132.57 136.39
EQ AV AC ET AC AW EN AN AN EN
M65 1 Clive Pope 2 John Hodsdon 3 Barry Sampson 4 Pauli Piiroinen 5 Peter Hall 6 John Lyon 7 Barry Hanlon 8 Robin Simson 9 George Reeves 10 Peter Cutten
UG.Q SH.N YV.V BS.A WR.T TT.S WH.N TF.Q TT.S WA.S
100.00 101.76 109.64 111.69 113.56 116.50 119.26 123.12 125.24 129.80
AQ AC AV AC AT ES AN AQ AS ES
W50 1 Sue Neve 2 Lynda Rapkins 3 Robin Uppill 4 Lynn Dabbs 5 Jacquie Rand 6 Carol Brownlie 7 Valerie Barker 8 Helen Edmonds 9 Barbara Tassell 10 Fiona Calabro
MF.V 100.00 EN.Q 104.80 OH.S 106.22 WH.N 108.69 UG.Q 110.04 WO.W 110.85 BS.A 113.95 NE.V 115.17 AL.T 126.86 TF.Q 137.59
AV EA EV AE EQ EW EC AN AT AN
M70 1 Ian Hassall 2 Gordon Howitt 3 Tony Mount 4 Eino Meuronen 5 Tom Tollbring 6 Don Bajenoff 7 Brian Johnson
IK.N SO.Q AL.T BS.A TF.Q AW.V GO.N
100.00 106.79 110.90 117.58 130.01 135.61 141.72
AC EQ ET EV EQ EQ EN
M75 1 Kevin Paine 2 Ray Kelly 3 Neil Schafer 4 Hermann Wehner 5 Tom Norwood 6 Malcolm Stewart 7 Ron Larsson
BS.A UG.Q GO.N WE.A EU.V GO.N TT.S
100.00 100.59 101.68 107.41 117.05 119.61 120.56
AS EQ AC EC AV AN ES
W55 1 Judith Hay 2 Kathy Liley 3 Meredith Sauer 4 Jenny Hawkins 5 Judy Allison 6 Libby Meeking 7 Val Hodsdon 8 Peta Whitford 9 Christine Sinickas 10 Joan Sheldon
BN.N YV.V EN.Q BS.A RR.A YV.V SH.N YV.V YV.V UG.Q
100.00 100.34 102.26 107.22 108.74 110.95 111.28 111.62 113.62 122.67
AC EV EQ EN EC EC EC AV EA EA
M80 1 Gordon Clarke 2 Paul Adrian
YV.V 100.11 AE NE.V 102.08 AV
W10 1 Lisette Schults-Rand = Michele Dawson 3 Nicola Blatchford 4 Talia Colwell 5 Felicity Barker-Smith
UG.Q GO.N NC.N OH.S NT.N
100.00 100.00 120.02 122.91 129.87
EQ AN AN AS EQ
W60 1 Penny Dufty 2 Ann Ingwersen 3 Dale Ann Gordon 4 Anne Sawkins 5 Joan Whyte 6 Robyn Cameron 7 Jean Baldwin 8 Liz Jarvis 9 Janet Tarr 10 Carolyn Chalmers
BO.W PO.A EU.V RR.A TT.Q AW.V GS.N EN.Q YV.V NC.N
100.00 103.34 107.85 111.04 111.93 113.17 113.74 114.70 115.16 117.72
AW EC EV EN AQ EC AN EQ AN AE
W12 1 Brianne Stewart 2 Kaitlin Radstaak 3 Lilian Burrill 4 Kate Edmonds 5 Krystal Livingstone
SH.N WE.A BB.Q NE.V SH.N
100.00 113.56 113.69 128.92 129.55
AN EC EQ EV AN
W65 1 Sue Mount = Dorothy Adrian 3 Bev Brunner 4 Janet Morris 5 Helen Alexander
AL.T NE.V TF.Q WH.N BK.V
100.00 100.00 112.66 124.04 135.02
AN ES EQ EN EV
W14 1 Krystal Neumann = Emily Prudhoe 3 Kylee Gluskie 4 Belinda Lawford 5 Claire Darvodelsky 6 Chanel Tobler 7 Marissa Lee 8 Thea Richardson 9 Rachel Dunnage 10 Nadia Velaitis
EN.Q 100.00 CC.N 100.00 AL.T 102.16 AO.A 107.01 BF.N 109.63 EV.T 114.64 TJ.S 117.25 UR.N 120.83 WO.W 121.13 YA.S 122.53
EQ AC AN AN AN AT AS AN AN AS
W70 1 Maureen Ogilvie 2 Jeffa Lyon 3 Anne Stewart 4 Cath Howitt 5 Joyce Rowlands
UR.N TT.S GO.N SO.Q NE.V
100.00 103.21 111.37 121.54 126.32
AC ES EN EQ EV
W75 1 Elizabeth Baxter
UG.Q 100.00 EQ
W16 1 Heather Harding 2 Ineka Booth 3 Jessica Davis 4 Bridget Anderson 5 Rebecca Hembrow 6 Sarah Dunnage 7 Ruth Burrill 8 Bridie Kean 9 Lara Hass 10 Heather McDonald
BS.A 100.00 BS.A 100.23 AL.T 100.59 UG.Q 102.38 OH.S 105.53 WO.W 108.48 BB.Q 109.70 CH.V 112.53 AL.T 117.76 AO.A 118.15
AC AN AT AQ AS EW AQ AN AT AN
W35 1 Linda Sesta 2 Karen Blatchford 3 Carol Harding 4 Barbara Hill 5 Mary Enter 6 Catherine Creely 7 Margaret Peel
UR.N NC.N BS.A GO.N BK.V BG.V NC.N
100.00 100.35 112.38 114.61 121.73 122.78 134.00
EN AN AC AN AV AN AE
W40 1 Christine Marshall 2 Sue Hancock 3 Christine Brown 4 Gayle Quantock 5 Jo Parr 6 Sue Wood
AL.T WR.T EV.T WE.A BF.N PO.A
100.00 105.73 113.96 122.94 126.40 141.31
AT ET EA AC EN EC
IOF World Rankings (31 Jan ’05) Men 1 Valentin Novikov RUS 2 Thierry Gueorgiou FRA 3 Holger Hott Johansen NOR 4 Emil Wingstedt SWE 5 Mats Haldin FIN 46 Grant Bluett AUS 66 David Shepherd AUS 80 Tom Quayle AUS 84 Troy de Haas AUS 99 Eric Morris AUS 113 David Brickhill-Jones AUS Women 1 Simone Niggli-Luder SUI 2 Heli Jukkola FIN 3 Jenny Johansson SWE 4 Hanne Staff NOR 5 Karolina Arewång-Höjsgaard SWE 42= Natasha Key AUS 46 Jo Allison AUS 64= Johanna Allston AUS 109 Danielle Winslow AUS 129 Cassie Trewin AUS 130 Allison Jones AUS
IOF
Bring Orienteering to Spectators and Media Bob Mouatt (OA Director – Development)
Last September, the IOF conducted an Event Advisors (controllers) workshop in Västerås to coincide with the World Championships 2004. Christine Brown, Barry McCrae, John Brammall and Bob Mouatt represented Orienteering Australia. One of the sessions led by Per Forsberg, the key commentator for the 2004 Championships, was on how to present spectator and media friendly major Orienteering events. Per is a regular commentator for a number of mainstream sports and an orienteer, so he has good grasp of both sides of the equation.
M
UCH of Per’s presentation related to events such as World Championships there has often been a long run to the Start triangle, with a run of a kilometre not unusual. Championships, but the principles he espoused and those • Whether or not there is a big screen, there should be a highly expressed in the 2000 Leibnitz Convention, to which Per made regular visible spectator control. At WOC’04, elevated ramps over two metres reference, can be applied to Australian events down to at least high were used for the Sprint and Middle-distance finals and the National League level. The application of those principles will be Relays, with the Start ramp for the Middle-distance final being a covered in a subsequent article. Note, during his talk Per spoke about spectator ramp for the Relays. the assembly and finish area as the ‘Arena’. • All of the spectators should be on one side of the finish chute The main points made by Per Forsberg include: with the big screen and any other displays on the opposite side. • Consultation with the course planner(s) must start as early as • Always have something happening to keep the commentary possible so that the often competing needs of a fair and equitable going, ie if there is no action in the Arena, ensure that there is competition and a spectator/media friendly event can be addressed. information coming from the forest and have a short interview with a The later this consultation begins the more difficult the task finisher, but don’t let the interviews interfere with commentary. becomes. • Always provide plenty of photo/video opportunities for the • Big screens make the presentation of such events easier but media. In the absence of suitable features, platforms with ramps or they are often beyond the budget of most events. The costs in Europe other man made features can be constructed as spectator controls are between €10,000 and €20,000 per day for the equipment and a and included on the map. Platforms were used in Sweden in 2004, similar amount for the production team, which is essential. So the inflatable sponsors’ displays were used in Switzerland in 2003. all up cost would be in the order of A$35,000 to A$70,000 per day. A feature of WOC 2004 was that coaches were permitted to provide At WOC’04, there were four cameras in the arena and for the Middledrinks, compasses (and presumably advice) at a designated point distance final and Relays there were extra cameras in the field. during the Long-distance and Middle-distance finals. (photos 4688 – Natasha Key approaching spectator control in Sprint These principles should be applied to all major events whenever Final and 4856 – finish times during Long-distance final) possible to create an atmosphere which encourages spectator • The Start must be visible to the spectators either through involvement. having the Start in the Arena or projected on Orienteering is one of the best-kept secrets of a big screen. Where possible, if the Start is in the sporting world. Let’s bring it out of the forest the Arena it should be elevated to make the for all to enjoy. competitors visible for spectators. At WOC’04, the Start for each of the Finals was on ramp with a starting gate. The atmosphere for the Sprint final Hanny Allston being when Grant Bluett (second last starter) stood on interviewed after the Start ramp was electrifying. There was great the her great run in anticipation among the crowd that he may win the Relays and one could tell that he knew this could be a great moment for him. The look on his face as he gazed over the thousands of very noisy spectators said it all. Such starts create colour and excitement. • The Start triangle may be some distance from the Start ramp, if this is necessary to achieve a highly visible start and a fair and equitable competition. At recent World Marius Mazulis of Lithuania in the Start box with the gate closed. MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 43
melbournebikes.com
Interview – Alain Berger Swiss magazine OL asked 2004 World MTB-O Longdistance champion Alain Berger: What was more difficult, your bronze medal in 1999 in foot-O or your gold in 2004 in MTB-O? Alain: I’ve invested more into foot-O, so it was the harder. Even if the quality and the consistency of the best in MTB-O approaches that of foot-O, there is a far greater amount of talent in foot-O. Obviously I’ve benefited from years of experience of high level technique, fitness, recovery, nutrition and so on. How did you prepare for WMTB-O in 2004?
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Alain: Until July I was taking part in Raids Aventures, endurance training with lots of bike but not concentrating on quality or anything specific. From July I concentrated my training on quality on the bike, taking part in lots of MTB races to improve my speed and my technique. I’ve always been able to do enough training: bike, horse or kayak! Which is the most engrossing, foot-O, MTB-O or Raids Aventures? Alain: Foot-O…but I love the stress of MTB-O, it’s so much quicker… you can’t correct a mistake so quickly as in foot-O. If you are riding along at 20 or 30 kilometres an hour, the time to brake, turn and get going again – that’s 20 or 30 seconds lost. You must work ahead all the time and watch out for traps on the tracks. The Raids are different: discovery, adventure, the team – there are a lot more aspects such as logistics, the different sports, tactics, imprecise maps and so on. But when you are off on 600 kilometres in Kirghistan, or soon to Patagonia, it’s hard to compare with a 90-minute race… Your plans for the future? Alain: I’m scheduled to go to the world championships in Raids Aventures in Patagonia in December 2004 [ www.raidnature.ch ]. After two world championships in two different sports I’m going to have a bit of a breather. I will only go to the 2005 WOC MTB-O in Slovakia if I can prepare myself properly.
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Alain Berger from Switzerland crossing the line to win the Men's Long Distance World Championship at Daylesford. Photo: Bob Mouatt
WORLD MTB-O CHAMPS
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World MTBO Long Distance Championship, Women – Split Times control 9 to Finish 9 10 11 12 13 14 F 1st. Anke Dannowski, GER 61:07 64:27 71:18 76:25 82:00 88:21 89:03 –––––– 10:49 3:20 6:51 5:07 5:35 6:21 0:42 2nd. Paivi Tommola, FIN 60:53 64:57 72:08 77:27 83:42 90:30 91:14 –––––– 10:52 4:04 7:11 5:19 6:15 6:48 0:44 3rd. Antje Bornhak, GER 59:51 63:27 70:59 76:57 83:20 90:32 91:15 –––––– 11:18 3:36 7:32 5:58 6:23 7:12 0:43
The women's Long Distance podium at Daylesford:Paivi Tommola (FIN) Silver medal, Anke Dannowski (GER) Gold, and Antje Bornhak (GER) Bronze.
Anke Dannowski (GER) crossing the finish line to win the Women's Long Distance final.
MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 45
ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA
Running the Business Bob Mouatt, Director (Development) The National Development Conference in May and the Annual Conference in December considered three topics related to increasing participation: • whether Orienteering should be targeting specific groups • the factors to be considered when seeking to establish a new region • steps that could be taken to rescue a struggling club
Target Groups
The first conclusion reached at both Conferences was that Orienteering should not be targeting specific groups by age or gender as the sport is for all ages and both sexes. Both considered that the most effective target groups are families and university students and staff. Families because targeting juniors alone is not effective as they need transport to events thus it is essential to get the parents involved. The university communities were considered worthy of special recruiting action given the number of people in the sport with tertiary qualifications.
New Region
To develop and establish Orienteering in a new region the following factors need to be considered: 1. Venues. Access to good venues is essential. 2. Officials. Need a core of people to be officials, to organise early events and train new officials. 3. Participants. Consider existing lifestyles, demography, and population size and density. Do they have the time, the income and the interest? Most regular orienteers have the time and disposal income. They do it as a family, all at the same time. There is social interaction between them. Given the low percentage of the population that are likely to be interested in Orienteering there needs to be a reasonably large population to support the sport as an ongoing activity. 4. University. With around 67 per cent of adult orienteers having tertiary education and Orienteering being a sport that appeals to people with an academic bent, having a university in the region boosts the potential for the venture to succeed. 5. Social Context. As mentioned above, there is usually good social interaction between most regular orienteers, this may be through clubs or other relationships. People are often introduced to the sport through friends. 6. Close to another region. Having a successful Orienteering region nearby helps in maintaining the momentum; however, there are exceptions. Consider the Top End and regional areas in SA and WA vis-a-vis Broken Hill and some other regions where development has not been successful 7. Following up new orienteers. There needs to be a process for following up with new orienteers to offer support.
Rescuing Struggling Clubs
Both Conferences agreed that there could be a number of factors that may cause a club to decline, including: • Departure of key figures from the club through injury, retirement, change in sport, moving out of the area, etc. • Too many from the same club taking on State and/or National/ International responsibilities. • Taking on too much; burn out of key figures through doing too much. • Too much emphasis on competition and not enough on the social aspects. • Imbalance in membership, not a good mix of people. • Loss of access to venues in the area. The following were suggested strategies that could be used to rescue a struggling or declining club: 46 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
1. T arget Families. Recruiting families was seen as the best way to revive a club, as they bring not just one or two people, but a number of people and as it is a sport in which all can participate at the same time, there is likely to be more than one family member who will keep the others keen. 2. B uddy Club. Arrange support from a buddy club. Amalgamation was not favoured. 3. Stage Promotional Events. Stage events to recruit new members. 4. L ocal Media. Use local media; especially free press to spread the word throughout the club’s main area of activities. 5. B anners, brochures. Use banners and brochures to promote activities. 6. C oaching and mentoring. Develop coaching and mentoring programs to assist members to improve their techniques and gain more enjoyment from the sport. 7. Social Activities. Use social activities to regain club cohesion. 8. I nvolve people in organization. Develop ways of gradually introducing new members into the administrative and officiating aspects of the sport, without making it too daunting in the early stages. 9. A SC Club Development Network. Seek guidance from the strategies promoted by the ASC Club Development Network; see www.ausport.gov.au/clubs
Manager, National Media and Sponsorship Liaison Orienteering Australia Inc is seeking to fill the position of Manager, National Media and Sponsorship Liaison who will takeover a number of activities previously undertaken by the Manager, National Development and the former Manager, National Marketing, starting 1 July 2005. The broad activities to be undertaken include: • developing and implementing strategies to obtain media coverage of national orienteering events/competitions and Australian teams competing in major international events • developing and implementing strategies to obtain sponsorship of national orienteering events/competitions and Australian teams competing in major international events • preparing media releases previewing, and reporting results/reviews of national orienteering events/competitions and Australian teams competing in major international events • advising/assisting the organisers of major national events and competitions, and the managers of national teams in seeking and obtaining sponsorships Remuneration in the order of $10,400 and conditions of contract will be negotiable. Other information relevant to the position, including the selection criteria, can be obtained from Bob Mouatt, Director (Development), email; rmouatt@ozemail.com.au, ph 0412 312 376.
National Orienteering League 2006 Orienteering clubs throughout Australia are invited to express interest in organising National Orienteering League (NOL) (Senior and Junior Divisions) events in 2006. As well as being a prestigious event for a club to organise any club could expect between 60 and 120 elites/juniors to attend thus providing financial rewards for organising. Organising a NOL race in conjunction with an already organised Badge/Championship event is welcomed. Details of requirements for clubs organising NOL events can be found on the Orienteering Australia High Performance website in the Postings section - www.orienteering.asn.au/Highp/index.html Expressions of Interests are invited to be submitted to Orienteering Australia’s High Performance Manager, Jason McCrae, by May 6, 2005. All enquiries to jason.mccrae@act.gov.au
ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA
New Website for OA
Orienteering Australia will be shortly launching a new and improved website. The new site will be at the same address (www. orienteering.asn.au), but will be re-designed both as a resource for new and prospective orienteers and as a source of current information for existing orienteers. Avid readers of The Australian Orienteer will notice a few important features of the new website. If you want to see results and write-ups from national or interstate events then the website is the place for you. It’s our intention to build up a site which contains up-to-date news from all corners of the country, as well as international races where our top runners are competing. Naturally, in-depth analysis will follow in the magazine at a later date. Over time we will add an interactive fixture list, discussion forums for all members, and perhaps even a results database for national events. So, two things you can do. Firstly, when you pick up this copy of The Australian Orienteer, the new website will already be live. Our first results and news stories will be published following Easter. So take a look when you have time. Secondly, we’re always looking for volunteers to write stories, or act as editors for the website. Web design experience is not necessary – if you can wield a mouse and write an e-mail then your efforts will be welcomed. If you think you can help, send an e-mail to myself or the web manager. Andy Hogg – OA Director, Technical natnandy@homemail.com.au The website uses the SocialFX web publishing system which is designed for small businesses and community groups to create vibrant online communities. Using this system, members can contribute to the website by writing news articles and participating in online discussions.
High Performance Positions Vacant Orienteering Australia Inc is seeking applications from suitably qualified and interested individuals for a range of national team officials for the period 2006-07. Foot Orienteering •N ational Senior Coach • National Junior Coach
• National Senior Manager/Assistant Coach • National Junior Manager/Assistant Coach
Mountain Bike Orienteering •N ational Senior Coach • National Senior Support Coach Selection criteria and duty statements for all positions can be obtained from the Manager, High Performance, Jason McCrae, phone: 0407 510 955, email: Jason.McCrae@act.gov.au. Applications addressing the selection criteria and including a curriculum vitae should be sent to: Mike Dowling, Director High Performance, Orienteering Australia Inc. 17 High St. Bellerive 7018 Tasmania. Applications close June 30th 2005.
News from Tassie EVENTS coming up in Tasmania are the East Coast 3 Days to be held on the 12th, 13th and 14th of March at St Helens on the “Golden Fleece” map. A sprint event will be held on the afternoon of Saturday 12th, a long-distance event on the Sunday followed by a middle-distance event on the Monday. Pre-entry is required. Forward details (name, club, OT membership number, SI number, age class, course entered) to: Peter Hoban (Event Secretary) PO Box 775 Launceston 7250. E-mail: hoc@tassie.net.au Cost: members: $20 Sen; $14 Conc; $52 Family. Non members: $35 Senior; $20 Concession.
IOF Anti-Doping Tests – 2004
Orienteering continues to be clean
All test results negative Helsinki - 31 January 2005
T
HE results of all in-competition anti-doping tests carried out on behalf of the IOF in the year 2004 were negative. The testing programme included a total of 66 tests. Athletes representing 7 different nationalities were tested at the World Ski Orienteering Championships held at Asarna, Sweden, in February 2004. At the World Cup events and European Championships held in Roskilde, Denmark, and the World Orienteering Championships in Vasteras, Sweden, athletes from 11 and 16 countries respectively were selected for doping tests. At the second World Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships held in Ballarat, Australia, athletes from 10 different countries were tested. In 2003, the IOF and WADA signed a Drug Testing Service Agreement for the years 2003-2005. Through this agreement, the IOF has delegated the conduct of out-of-competition doping control to WADA, but may also decide to carry out additional tests of its own. In 2004, WADA conducted a total of 12 out-of-competition Anti-Doping tests, all of which were negative. Last year, the IOF revised its Anti-Doping Rules to be compliant with the new World Anti-Doping Code and the new rules came into effect on 1 August 2004. In accordance with the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Code, the IOF has identified a registered testing pool of athletes who are required to provide up-to-date whereabouts information and make themselves available for out-of-competition testing. The IOF’s testing pool includes the athletes of the national federations’ A-teams in all IOF disciplines. Anti-Doping tests at IOF World Championships and World Cup events 2003-2004 Event Year Country Number of tests nations World Orienteering Champs
W
M W+M W
2003 SUI 15 15 30
World Ski Orienteering Champs 2004 SWE
6
6 12
World Cup & European Champs 2004 DEN
7
7 14
World Orienteering Champs
2004 SWE 15 15 30 6 10
Different Results M Pos/Neg 8 12 All negative 5 5
All negative
7 6
All negative
10 13 All negative
World MTB Orienteering Champs 2004 AUS
4
IN TOTAL
47 49 96
4 6
All negative
LATE NEWS Financial boost for ACT Juniors THE ACT Junior Squad, also known as the Blue Lightning Squad, has received a big financial boost from a local company. APA Management Systems, a developer of business software and management systems, has provided a one-off payment of $2500. The company was so impressed with the activities and success of the junior squad that it decided to assist. The money will go towards the Squads trip to the Australian Schools Championships in Tasmania, later in the year. An excited Squad manager, Valerie Barker, thanked the company and commented; “It’s great to see local businesses supporting junior sport, and we look forward to other companies following this great initiative”.
MARCH 2005 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 47
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