DID YOU KNOW?

Swedish storm

AN unusually fierce storm ripped through the Småland region of southern Sweden shearing off the tops of trees and generally laying waste to large areas of forest. The 2005 O-Ringen is scheduled to be held in the Småland region in July. Fortunately the mapped areas were only lightly damaged and Swedish Orienteering’s major sponsor, Sveaskog, has been cleaning up the debris over recent months in preparation for the event.

Global Positioning Satellite technology and Orienteering

WOC maps with GPS

THE survey for the maps for this year’s WOC in Japan made use of GPS. The Japanese mapmakers found the official base maps lacked detail and the photogrammetry was inadequate.

Ski-O terrain contains dense and complex track networks in the snow. For JWOC Ski-O 2005 at S-chanf in the Engadin valley of Switzerland, 43 kilometres of tracks were made by skidoo in the week immediately before competition following routes which had key reference points marked by tape; snow conditions can mean the plan made beforehand cannot be followed exactly.

For route choice, a precise map of the track network is vital. The skidoo tracks were recorded by a GPS device every two seconds meaning a line could be drawn and transferred to OCAD.

OL (Switzerland), edited

Orienteering Australia

Mapping Committee Chair Noel Schoknecht (WA) says he routinely does GPS mapping at work. He is preparing an article for The Australian Orienteer later this year.

Even Park & Street maps in Victoria are fieldworked using GPS.

Burra to Barossa 2007

THE 2007 Australian 3-Days carnival to be held in South Australia will be known as “Burra to Barossa 2007”. As well as the Aus 3-Days the carnival will also include the Aus Middledistance Championships. A postcard designed by Bob Smith will publicise the event. The carnival web site is www.oasa. asn.au/2007

Olympic Champion Peter Snell

CHAMPION Kiwi Olympian from Rome and Tokyo, Peter Snell, now lives in the US and is their M65 National Champion.

Dave Lotty completes 2000 Orienteering courses

DAVE LOTTY has been Orienteering Australia’s Director (Administration) for many years. He’s been a regular competitor and event organiser for even longer. At the SnowE2005 Australian 3-Days, held recently near Jindabyne, NSW, Dave announced that he had completed 2000 Orienteering courses.

Dave was presented with a bottle of his favourite tipple to celebrate the milestone and The Australian Orienteer spoke with him about his achievements over the years.

AO: 2000 is quite an achievement. How long has it taken you?

DL: My first event was in November 1971 - so just under 24 years.

AO: When did you pass the 2000 mark?

DL: On Day 2 (Sunday) of the recent Aus. 3-Days in Jindabyne. If you want to know how I know I have reached 2000, I have every one of my maps filed in date order in 12 lever arch files (and also listed on a spreadsheet).

AO: Your club is Uringa. Have you always belonged to that club?

DL: No, when I helped start Orienteering in NSW we formed the first Australian Club, Bennelong Occasional Orienteers (in December 1971). I then formed a club in the south of Sydney with Ian Hassall in 1972 (Kareelah Orienteers) and then with the Wilmotts formed Uringa Orienteers in 1975.

AO: What do you find most enjoyable about Orienteering?

DL: Everything about it - the competition, the forests, the travel and the social side. I particularly enjoy the mental challenge. I have always been a good runner but the navigation is a real test for me as it is easy for me to go faster than I can think!

AO: Which countries have you competed in?

DL: Outside of Australia (every state except the Northern Territory - and that will be rectified in July this year) I have competed in New Zealand, Singapore (I was part of an IOF effort in 1980 to get Orienteering going there), Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, France, and Ireland.

AO: Are you going to the World Masters in Austria next year?

DL: Probably not (although I would like to). I am involved as Technical Director with the 2007 JWOC in Dubbo and this will take up all my spare time for the next couple of years.

AO: Any special memories from those 2000 events?

DL: I enjoy every event - “too much Orienteering is barely enough”. Competing in the 1974 World Championships in Denmark would be up there (though at the time it was a real challenge as we had only just started to have colour maps in Australia). I have always sought the perfect run but haven’t really achieved it yet. The closest I have come is at an event near Wagga Wagga in 1980 (my first in M35) where I ran absolutely flat out (I was in good running form at the time and had run 31:00 for 10km on the track two months prior) and the controls just appeared in front of me - at least as far as the second last one where I lost 20 or 30 seconds. I won by over 8:00 with my time being 62:00 for 10.4km.

OA President, Bob McCreddin congratulates Dave Lotty