LETTERS
The Australian Orienteer welcomes letters. 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.
Aussie Teams need better O-Suits
Response from Orienteering Australia
Bob and I recently took part in the public races at JWOC in Lithuania. Our young orienteers did us proud and it was great to see them doing so well. However the orienteering suits they were wearing were drab and difficult to recognize – one was only sure it was an Australian runner after he or she had gone past and one could just discern the faint wording Australia on the back.
The Board of Orienteering Australia acknowledges the disquiet of some orienteers regarding the uniforms worn by Australians at the recent junior and senior world championships. Without going into the detail, the reasons why they wore those uniforms are summarised below.
The home team from Lithuania by contrast had stunning brightly coloured orienteering suits you could recognize a proverbial mile away. Check the photos on the JWOC website. With JWOC in Dubbo next year why don’t we make the orienteering suits our team members wear something to remember, and easy for the home crowd to recognize? It would only take a bit of planning - sooner rather than later. A good design would also work for our other representative teams. Jenny Hawkins (ACT)
We need GREEN and GOLD Well what a truly fantastic outcome from our recent touring Aussie reps at JWOC and WOC. Hanny you’re a marvel and your fellow team-mates did us all proud, but tell me … what was with that JWOC uniform? What were those responsible thinking! White and grey running tops and black tights, black tracksuit bottoms and blue tops. What ever happened to our national pride and joy … the GREEN and GOLD.
Our orienteers wore two styles of uniforms: the all white tops that were bought in 2005 for Japan and a white and dark grey uniform acquired in 2006.The reason for the white uniforms in 2005 for Japan was athlete comfort and a number of other nations took a similar approach. The intention in 2006 was to return to uniforms that included the traditional green and gold, yet met the requirements of athlete comfort. The order was placed with a reputable supplier with what was considered to be sufficient lead time for the uniforms to be available for both JWOC and WOC. Unfortunately the supplier was not able fill the order by the due date and as a consequence Orienteering Australia had no option but to take what it could get, to ensure that our teams had something to wear. At JWOC competitors wore the 2006 uniforms while at WOC some competitors wore the 2006 uniforms and others wore their 2005 uniforms because they considered they were more comfortable. Orienteering Australia is taking steps to ensure that its teams will have more appropriate uniforms in 2007. Bob Mouatt President, Orienteering Australia
In my humble opinion, it would appear that some people have lost sight of the sanctity of national representation. Yes, I know our beloved Socceroos played in blue strips at the World Cup around the same time but our JWOC team was not likely to be trying to sneak offside unnoticed or confuse the officials during their events. I am sure you all know how important securing that elusive ‘baggy green’ is to Australian cricketers, let alone the many examples of ‘green and gold’ team uniforms and blazers still screaming with national pride that are in sporting memorabilia displays all over the country. Thankfully the Aussie flag was available to compliment the great performances of our more successful members whilst they were on the podium. So can someone tell me why white, grey, blue and black and why OA let this one through? Allan Whitfield (Bunbury, WA)
VICTORINOX AWARD The Victorinox Award goes to Debbie Dodd of Dandenong Ranges Orienteering Club (DROC), Victoria, for her regular and fascinating contributions on Urban Orienteering and (in this edition) competitions across the Tasman. Debbie receives a Victorinox Voyager with 20 tools and features including a watch/alarm/timer; retail value $109.95. 44 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER OCTOBER 2006
