URBAN ORIENTEERING

Fun and Games

Summer Series Specials, Melbourne 2006

Debbie Dodd (DRV) – selfconfessed Orienteering and Commonwealth Games Tragic. As anyone with even the slightest interest in sport knows, Melbourne played host to the 2006 Commonwealth Games back in March. For those lucky enough to take part as spectators or volunteers, it was an unforgettable ten days, from the appearance of the flying tram at the MCG, to the very last firework, and a non-stop smorgasbord of athletic endeavour in between.

Knowing the reputation of sports-mad Melburnians, when we realised the Games coincided with the last two weeks of our urban Summer Series in Melbourne, we figured we would temporarily lose a fair chunk of the orienteering population. The Games were potentially disruptive to almost anyone involved in grass roots sport. Park & Street Orienteering was no exception, thanks to traffic jams and street closures, loss of usable maps, and probable reduced attendances. On the other hand, they provided a chance to capture the inevitable “feel good” factor and encourage people to get out there and participate. Were they a threat or an opportunity?

We decided to take the opportunity and embrace the Games. We planned a series of six “special” events that were not part of the regular competition. Course setters were given free rein and encouraged to be creative. The outcome was surprisingly successful.

Houdini’s Handicap

The first event was held on the night the Queen’s Baton Relay arrived in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Games excitement was starting to build, ticket sales were hotting up, and The Fish had already become a major attraction. But the Opening Ceremony was still two days away and we gained a good crowd at the ever popular Jells Park.

Course setter Ian Dodd (DRV) had long wanted to run a handicap event to see how the slowest competitors would rate against the fastest, given the right advantage. Everyone who competed during the season was given a ranking based on their series results. Runners and walkers were sorted into 15 different start groups. Each group was allocated a different number of controls to collect on a scatter course – from group A any 5 controls, down to group O any 19 controls. First across the line would win. There was tension on the start line as we eyed off those we’d been assembled with, and those with the advantage – were we good enough to make up the time gap? How would the power walkers stack up against the runners? Each group was sent off at 30sec intervals, beginning with the slowest – thus creating a double handicap of both time and distance - and a somewhat frenetic start procedure!

Most controls were in the parkland, with an evenly spaced ring around the start making initial route choice difficult. Clever course setting kept everyone on their toes throughout. It was great fun to be competing against the entire field, instead of just your usual few rivals. While the handicapping wasn’t quite perfect, the results were for once completely unpredictable. A widely diverse ability mix filled the top placings, with Allan Miller (DRV) ultimately taking line honours.

Coursesetter, Ian Dodd giving final instructions before the start of Houdini’s Handicap.

Park Orchards Games

Let the Games Commence! Your correspondent was lucky enough to be at the spectacular Opening Ceremony, and some stayed home to watch on TV, but there were still over 100 participants at our second Games Special. Pete Hobbs (DRV) was the course setter, and he paid tribute to the Games by delivering the Queen’s Address to the Gathered Orienteers. Suitably inspired, everyone dashed off in all directions. Pete made great use of his 25 controls, and the nearby Hundred Acres bush reserve with its tangled network of tracks. Controls 21-25 were named after famous Commonwealth athletes such as Ian Thorpe and Susie O’Neill. Gold “medals” were presented to certain lucky finishers. The post event barbie and PA broadcast of the Ceremony went down very well – the party had begun.

Shepherds Bushed Score

By our third event, the Games were in full swing and Australia was winning gold left right and centre. Yours truly was the course setter, but having a jam-packed Games spectator schedule left no time for mundane activities like putting out control plates. Instead, competitors were given a map, a set of 25 multiple choice questions, a pencil, and a time limit. Careful map reading was required to make sure you were in exactly the right location, and there was a lot for participants to ponder as they ran or walked through Nortons Park and its surrounding streets.

Stirred by Australia’s achievements in the marathon and race walks, competitors were exhorted to lift their performance with some new “benchmark” km rates based on Games medal winning times. While these ambitious targets weren’t quite met, it’s only fair to point out that Games athletes are not required to run across parks or rough ground in semi-darkness, negotiate creek crossings, dodge trees, read maps, carry pencils and torches, find obscure clues, and write answers as they go!

Paisley Park Party

The Games were a week old, the weather was brilliant, and Melbourne was basking in glory. Everyone was having a ball, the Fish were a sensation, and John and Jenny Sheahan (BKV) thought we’d have some fun as well. Some competitors ran in fancy dress, much to the bemusement of the local residents.

We had two maps with 10 controls on each. Lining up in turn, we were given our first map - but before we could set off, we had to “carry the torch” and “light the flame”, using our rolled up map, a tennis ball, a creatively decorated box and a touch of imagination! After collecting the required number of controls we returned to the start, changed maps, and completed the second half. With the hard-earned finish line in sight, we had to throw a ball into another box (this time decorated with large colourful fish) before running triumphantly down the finish chute. Now we know how difficult Biathlon is. My theory, now proven, is that many people take up running because they have poor hand-eye coordination …

Blackburn South Gold Rush

The Summer Series presentations and sausage sizzle drew a large number to the penultimate event. Australia had by now won hundreds of medals, but one of the best things about the Games was the wildly enthusiastic support the crowds gave to the underdogs. I’ll never forget 80,000 people at the ‘G’ giving a standing ovation to the tiny but determined athlete from Papua New Guinea who was hardly bigger than the steeplechase hurdles; or the huge cheers given to the triathletes from the strife-torn Solomon Islands as they finished the course.

It was fitting that our course setter Andrew Baker (BKV) gave recognition to some of the smaller Commonwealth countries, with a very cleverly thought out concept. All controls were designated as Gold, Silver or Bronze. Each of the 5 runners’ courses represented a Commonwealth nation with rather less sporting prowess than ours. Competitors had to find a minimum number of gold

From left: Julie Sunley (TKV) gives the Oz Team chant. There were fairies at the bottom of Paisley Park. Gold, Gold, Gold for the Oz Team.

Your Editor in Smurf uniform at the Commonwealth Games.

controls, equal to the number of gold medals their chosen nation had won in its Games history. Power Walkers represented Australia and had to collect as many medals as possible in the time available. There was also a small prize for correctly identifying your country’s flag at the finish. (Ed – see portion of the Blackburn South medals map on page 45.)

Springthorpe Sprint

The final event recognised the great Australian tradition of levelling the playing field. What’s more Aussie than a handicap race followed by a barbie! All that was missing was the bookie (and there was no sign of John Howard either). Christine Sinickas (YV) made great use of Gresswell Forest and the surrounding streets to set a challenging course with plenty of route choice options. Again, regular competitors lined up according to their series performance, in ranked groupings from 0-5. However all runners had the same number of controls, on shortened courses due to the diminishing daylight. The challenge was to see if a 1min head start was sufficient to get ahead of someone who normally beats you. Unfortunately, by now your correspondent had spent way too much time spectating at triathlons, athletics, mountain biking, road races, medal ceremonies and riverside festivals, and actual power walking performance had tapered off to an alarming degree!

All the course setters and organisers did a superb job. Everyone loved the creativity and variety, with due recognition given to the larger spectacle happening around us. We’d also like to acknowledge the orienteers who couldn’t take part in these events because they were working incredibly hard as Games volunteers. Contrary to expectations, attendances didn’t drop significantly over the two weeks and we didn’t all retreat to our armchairs. We urban orienteers are a dedicated lot, and it takes more than the biggest sporting event in our city’s history to keep us off the streets!