Ultimax 5-Days Orange, 2007
w w w. o r i e n t e e r i n g . a s n . a u Orienteering Australia President: Director (High Performance): Director (Finance): Director (Development): Director (Technical): Director (Special Projects): IOF Vice President: Executive Officer: Head Coach: Badge Applications:
PO Box 284 Mitchell BC 2911 orienteering@netspeed.com.au w: 02 6162 1200 Bob Mouatt oa_president@netspeed.com.au h: 02 6231 2463 m: 0412 312 376 Mike Dowling oa_highperformance@netspeed.com.au h: 03 6244 7173 Blair Trewin oa_finance@netspeed.com.au h: 03 9455 3516 Ben Rattray oa_development@netspeed.com.au m: 0404 781 032 Andy Hogg oa_technical@netspeed.com.au w: 02 6125 9962 h: 02 6251 9777 Robin Uppill oa_projects@netspeed.com.au h: 08 8278 3017 m: 0419 037 770 Hugh Cameron oa_international@netspeed.com.au h: 02 6027 0885 Gareth Candy orienteering@netspeed.com.au w: 02 6162 1200 m: 0402 312 379 Gareth Candy oa_headcoach@netspeed.com.au w: 02 6207 4388 m: 0402 312 379 John Oliver 68 Amaroo Street, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650
STATE ASSOCIATIONS Queensland OA: PO Box 114 Spring Hill QLD 4004 Secretary: Angela Hoelzl, Ph. (07) 3325 1165 oq@oq.asn.au OA NSW: PO Box 3295, North Strathfield NSW 2137, Ph. (02) 8116 9848 Orienteering ACT: PO Box 402, Jamison Centre ACT 2614. Office: John Suominen, Ph. (02) 6251 3885 actoa@iimetro.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: Steven Guthridge, Ph. (08) 8981 3197
JUNE ISSUE
DEADLINE: April 13 Time-sensitive: April 20
ISSN 0818-6510 Issue 1/07 (no. 145) MARCH 2007
CONTENTS A L L A B O A R D F O R D U B B O .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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
U LT I M A X S T I N G E R S 5 - DAY S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Editor: Michael Hubbert, P.O. Box 165, Warrandyte, Victoria 3113 mikehubbert@ozemail.com.au Phone/fax (03) 9844 4878 Magazine Design & Assembly: Peter Cusworth, 8 View Street, Avonsleigh, Vic. 3782. Ph. (03) 5968 5254 cusworth@netspace.net.au Magazine Treasurer: Blair Trewin Printer: Priden Printing Services, 21 Century Drive, Braeside, Vic. 3195 Next edition: Cover date: 1 June 2007 Contribution deadlines: April 13. Time-sensitive material, April 20. Deadline dates for contributions are the latest we can accept copy. Publication is normally planned for the 1st of March, June, September & December. Copies are dispatched in bulk to State associations in the week prior to that date. Regular Contributors: Badge Awards: John Oliver; Coaching: Gareth Candy; Competition: Blair Trewin; High Performance: Mike Dowling; MTBO: Blake Gordon; Official News: Gareth Candy; Nutrition: Gillian Woodward; Training: Steve Bird; Psychology: Jason McCrae. 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 – Philip Purcell philippurc@hotmail.com Vic. – SA – Claire Davill 08 8226 4381 (w) davill.claire@saugov.sa.gov.au WA – Cath Chalmers 08 9380 4049 catheoin@ozemail.com.au 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: $40 inc GST. Overseas: Asia/Pacific (inc. NZ) $A44, Rest of World $A49. 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.
APOC 2006............................................ 9
2 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
JWOC TRAINING CAMP............................. 8 N I G H T- O I N H O N G K O N G.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 WEDDING DOWN UNDER.......................... 14 NUTRITION – Weighty Issues................... 15 COACHING – Get into a routine................ 16 S P O R T P S Y C H O L O G Y – V i s u a l i s a t i o n - O .. . . . . . . 1 7 P A R K S & S T R E E T S – M o r e t h a n y o u t h i n k .. . . 1 8 I N T E R V I E W – H a n n y A l l s t o n.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 HANNY’S WOC SPRINT MAP..................... 24 HANNY’S GRANITE TIPS.......................... 27 A D V E N T U R E R A C I N G .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 8 T R A I N I N G – P r e p a r i n g t o C o m p e t e .. . . . . . . . . . . . 3 0 H I G H P E R F O R M A N C E R E P O R T .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 TOP EVENTS......................................... 33 O R I E N T E E R I N G D E V E L O P M E N T .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 4 MEET YOUR TEAM – Queensland Cyclones... 36 P R O F I L E – J ö r g e n M å r t e n s s o n .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 8 L E T T E R S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 9 MTB-O NEWS ...................................... 40 N A T I O N A L R A N K I N G S f o r 2 0 0 6 .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 A PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE .................. 46
Front Cover: Grace Elson convincingly won the Ultimax Stingers 5-Days at Orange in January. Photo: Robbie Preston.
JUNIOR WORLD ORIENTEERING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2007
JWOC 2007 All Aboard… For Dubbo Ron Pallas
In the lead up to JWOC 2007 and Western Plains Carnival there are many different facets of the event that need to be brought together to ensure the success of the carnival.
A
LONG the way there have been some very interesting problems tossed our way, some which we knew would arise and others …. well they came from left field. The secret of handling these is in the flexibility of the organisational structure allowing it to bend to accept change. When permission was given to use the Western Plains Zoo for the JWOC Sprint there was a great deal of celebration amongst the committee. The Zoo will be such a stunning setting for the event. However in gaining access another rather large problem arose – what do you use for a base map? The competition areas had been flown almost 18 months prior to this and alas the Zoo did not feature in any photos. Maybe the Zoo itself has some detailed maps etc – no! Curses foiled again. It was at this stage when fearing the worst that Planning Director Robert Spry quietly suggested that there was another way to “skin the cat”. Robert, through his line of work, has been involved with the use of Aerial Laser Survey and more specifically with Dubbo Council and so knew that a base map could be produced. As promised, courtesy of many hours of computer crunching which Robert carried out in his own time he produced a base map. (see “High Tech Creates a Sprint Map” at end of this article). With a base map prepared it was then up to Alex Tarr to put it to the test and in early November 2006 Alex completed the map within a week with drawing taking a further week. “The photo which I used to create the base map for my field work was good, however the traditional photogrammetry would have provided for faster mapping rates. There is obviously a need to experiment with varying resolutions of the printed base map to find the most advantageous settings. It was an interesting experience,” remarked Alex Tarr. Handling the entries for an Orienteering event is usually a walk in the park. What is there that can make it complicated (beside the inevitable later than late entry!) For JWOC, the entry is quite easy as you are entering up to 12 names per team and they all will run each event, with only the complications of start blocks and heats plus a relay to trap you. However the Western Plains Carnival features a relay, and 5 individual events, of those only two have the same age classes. Toss in Australian Schools Championships and, for a little extra spice, add in family maximums and clothing sales and then earlybird entries and you have a complex beast to deal with. Fortunately Chris and Ashley Crane (Western and Hills Orienteers) have applied the lessons learnt in carrying out this role during the 2004 “Grapes of Rock” Tour to make things a little easier. Chris is responsible for the hack work and son, Ashley, is the operator that can caress the data base into a form that the SportIdent team will enjoy.
During the gestation period for this event there was always a desire to have a total electronic entry system. Unfortunately the fully online system did not become available until after the entry forms went out. This late start has led to further changes to the database. For the trivia minded souls within the sport – Kathy Liley was the first entry received followed ever so closely by Blair Trewin. Amongst the many tasks that await the team in the countdown to JWOC is the preparation of maps. With the mapping completed well in advance, Rob Vincent, aided by the course planners and controllers, has carried out extensive field checking. The mapping team of Alex Tarr, Eric Andrews plus Graham Fowler completed almost all mapping by late August 2006. Alex completed the Sprint map in early November. The course setting team: David Meyer – Sprint; Julian Dent – Long; Jim Merchant – Middle Qualifiers; David Shepherd – Middle Finals and Phoebe Dent – Relays, finalised their courses in November 2006. “The assembly areas chosen will all provide fantastic interaction between competitors and spectators. Julian, Phoebe and I have set courses that will not only challenge the orienteer but provide exciting viewing of the runners on their courses,” commented David Shepherd. One of the challenges for this group, David Meyer excepted, was to use tagging at control sites that goats would not find appetising. David however has his own problems in trying to distract the tigers whilst he tags a site in their enclosure! Also out in the field busily tagging sites were the Western Plains Carnival setters of Graham Fowler – NSW Champs; James Lithgow – Dubbo Dash; Allan Wright & Dennis Lyons – mid week events; Alex Davey – Australian Champs and Robert Vincent – Australian Relays. Each setter has a controller who has checked their courses and control sites. Christine Brown (Tas), who represents the International Event Adviser, has also checked all JWOC courses and control sites giving her seal of approval. International Event Adviser, Urs Hofer (Switzerland), gave final approval for the JWOC courses in February. Now it is off to the printer. More decisions! Which maps must be offset printed, which can be digital? What scales for which events? Decisions, decisions! Perhaps the hardest of all is agreeing on a colour theme which all maps will share. Within any group there will always be a great deal of discussion on any issue.
Suppose you gave a party and no one came! One of the biggest concerns in preparing for JWOC was the unknown support for the event as it is being held outside of Europe for the very first time. As part of the preparation for JWOC, International Teams Liaison Director, Nick Dent, surveyed all the competing teams at JWOC2006 in Lithuania. Nick was very pleased with the results and felt confident that there would be around 250 competitors plus officials at JWOC2007. For some obscure reason Australia was first on board as definite starters, however it was Russia that surprised all with a very early commitment to be in Dubbo with a full team of 6 men, 6 women and 5 officials. The Orienteering powerhouse countries of Sweden, Norway, Switzerland and Finland were also early to indicate their intentions to send full teams. In Lithuania, the Danish team manager summed it up best, “Australia has travelled halfway round the world to every JWOC and now it is our turn to do the travelling!” The Danes indicated that they would have full men’s and women’s teams. MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 3
3rd Oceania Championships Canberra October 2007 EVENT 1
Saturday Training event 29 September Tharwa Tor
EVENT 2
Sunday ACT Long Distance Championships 30 September Foxlow Flats
EVENT 3
Monday Oceania Middle Distance 1 October Championships (wre) – Honeysuckle Creek
EVENT 4
Monday ANZ Schools Test Match 1 October Honeysuckle Creek
EVENT 5
Wednesday 3 October
ANZ Schools Relay Test Match Murryong East
EVENT 6
Wednesday 3 October
Public Team Race Murryong East
EVENT 7
Friday Oceania & Australian Sprint Distance 5 October Championships (wre) – Gossan Hill BRUCE
EVENT 8
Saturday 6 October
Oceania Long Distance Championships (wre) – Boboyan Divide
EVENT 9
Sunday 7 October
Oceania Relay Championships Antills Creek
We b : ht t p : / / ac t. o rie nte e ring. asn. au/ E m a i l : a c to a@iime tro. co m. au P h one : ( 0 2 ) 6 2 5 1 3 8 8 5 4 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
JUNIOR WORLD ORIENTEERING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2007 Not surprisingly our neighbours from “across the ditch”, New Zealand, are very pleased with the venue and will have full teams at the championships. The Ultimax Stingers 5-Days (3rd-7th January) certainly gave a solid indication of the overseas interest in orienteering in Australia. Overseas entrants counted for almost half of the 134 entrants in Men’s and Women’s A classes. Amongst the overseas competitors were Jan Benes from the Czech Republic, and Saaren Bobach from Denmark, who are the current junior world champions in Middle-Distance. Olav Lundanes from Norway won the Long-Distance at JWOC2005 when he was 17 years old and was 2nd in the Long and 3rd in the MiddleDistance in 2006. Patrik Karlsson from Sweden was 2nd in the Sprint-Distance in 2006. Christian Bobach was 6th in the LongDistance in 2006. New Zealand see JWOC in Australia as being a great chance to do well on what is close enough to “home turf”. A total of 26 Kiwi’s ventured to the Ultimax Stingers 5-Days and continued on to the week-long training camp held in ACT. Overseas competitors will have a further chance to gain exposure to granite terrain during the next training camp which is being held in Orange in the week preceding JWOC.
Interactive Map All teams have had access to a unique interactive map of “Gumble Creek”. With a click of a mouse on a control point you can view photographs taken from a number of angles of the control site.
stay, and punching your docket with their control punch, you will be in the running for prizes at the end of the Carnival.
Volunteers Just as the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney relied heavily on the efforts of volunteers, JWOC will also require the services of a vast horde of volunteers. Volunteers are not limited to just those from NSW. Offers of help have begun to trickle in from other States. Ted Mulherin, who is responsible for coordinating each event within the Carnival, is very interested to hear from any orienteer across Australia who is interested in volunteering. Ted can be contacted by email: tedmul@tpgi..com.au
Souvenirs For the collectors amongst us there will be a variety of memorabilia available at the JWOC & Western Plains Carnival. As well as the very stylish shirts, jerseys and vests which must be preordered, there will also be a limited supply of commemorative water bottles, carry bags and lanyards on sale at the events. With only a few months to go until the Carnival starts it is a very exciting time. JWOC2007 and the western Plains Carnival are certainly going to be the largest events to be held in Australia. See you all in Dubbo!
HIGH-TECH CREATES A SPRINT MAP Robert Spry
However, nothing will quite prepare them all for the real thing. Wouldn’t you like to be a fly-on-the-wall at the camp as the majority of competitors get their first taste of Aussie granite!
The base map of Western Plains Zoo for the JWOC Sprint uses the latest digital mapping technology. We acknowledge the assistance of Dubbo City Council in making the digital mapping data available.
Australian Schools Championships
The Council, along with several others in NSW, has detailed Aerial Laser Survey (ALS) coverage for the City area. This technology is a descendant of LIDAR, which was invented by the Royal Australian Navy for surveys of the Great Barrier Reef. The principle is the same as radar, but using light instead of radio beams.
Anthony Scott heads the Orienteering ACT team that is organising the Australian Schools Championships to be run in conjunction with the Western Plains Carnival. . Usually the Individual Schools Championship is a stand-alone event. This year it will be run as part of the Western Plains Challenge, Day 1. School competitors will be first out on their courses with public runners on those courses starting a little later in the morning. The Schools Relay Championships will be run shortly after the JWOC Relay Medal Presentation. One of the biggest hurdles that the organising team faces is lack of daylight with the sun setting quite early, around 5pm each day. The competitors will be housed at the Aussie Bush Cabins on the southern outskirts of Dubbo. The name implies the cabins will be surrounded by bush when in fact they are surrounded by two private schools and the Dubbo Sports Centre. One of the most interesting tasks in preparing for JWOC is the design and construction of the results board. With a length a shade under 5metres and height of around 3 metres, with space for 300 names and all perched on a platform about 1.5 metres above the ground - will we need building permission? Fortunately the students of Dubbo TAFE have put up their hands to build the board. One of the most important features of the board is that it must be easy to move as it will be moved four times during the competition period.
The Dubbo Docket With just under 2000 orienteers and officials in Dubbo for nine days there is no doubting that more than a few dollars will pass through the tills of local businesses. Marketing Director, Paul Prudhoe, is currently finalising details of the “Dubbo Docket”. Each competitor will find a “Dubbo Docket” in their registration bag. It will show a list of all Dubbo businesses that have supported the event. By visiting the businesses (restaurants, tourist attractions, supermarkets and petrol stations) during your
ALS data is collected in a survey plane overflying the area. Laser reflections from the ground are detected and stored by computers. Computer processing is used to filter the data to remove spurious echoes, such as from trees, and to compute the position of ground points with coordinate values in three dimensions (latitude, longitude and elevation). The ground points are typically 1 to 2 metres apart and have accuracy in the order of centimetres. An area of one square kilometre can be represented by a million or more data points. The data points were then processed in a Geographic Information System (GIS), courtesy of my employer (but not in working hours!). A process of triangulation is used to generate a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) which, as its name implies, is a three dimensional model of the earth’s surface. This model can be viewed obliquely from any perspective, and it can be shaded to represent relief or even solar shadows. Contours can be generated and digital aerial photography can be “draped” over the representation of the land surface. Using this system a map can be produced in any desired projection, scale, and contour interval, and overlaid on high-resolution digital aerial photographs to produce a detailed base map. Like all maps, it then has to be adjusted to magnetic North. How good is this system for Orienteering? It does require reasonable visibility, so dense vegetation can still prove a problem. Fieldwork is necessary to identify features which may be visible from the air, but difficult to identify. I suppose the real test will come on July 8th. There can be little doubt, though, that it is the way of the future, to the extent that mapping agencies such as Geoscience Australia and LPI (NSW) have withdrawn some of their printed map products and now issue data only in digital form.
MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 5
COUNTDOWN TO JWOC 2007 featured high in the standings on several other days. With the big guns all starting together, the reverse chase on day 5 at a wet and slippery Macquarie Woods was easily the highlight of the week. Dent caught Lundanes and frequent Aussie visitor, Danish international Carsten
Norwegian junior Olav Lundanes.
Junior Internationals test Aussie terrain at the Ultimax Stingers 5 Days
Robbie Preston in front of a pack after the Day 2 mass start.
Words & Photos: Eric Morris SOME of the world’s best Junior Orienteers got a taste of the extremes of Australian terrain and weather at the Ultimax Stingers 5 Days, held in Orange in the first week of 2007. The event was designed to provide competitors with a taste of what they could expect when the Junior World Championships roll into Dubbo later this year.
Swedish senior international, Mats Troeng.
Joergensen, half way round the course. They raced at high speed through the later controls chased by last starter Troeng running alone. Dent took the day victory and an unofficial first place with Troeng holding on as the official overall winner, with Dent ineligible as an event organiser. First official Aussie was junior Simon Uppill who continues to develop into a class orienteer and a genuine medal chance in Dubbo, particularly over the classic distance.
The men’s competition was a fascinating race headlined by dominating performances by three men. Julian Dent showed he is back from an injury blighted 2006 with several impressive performances, the best being a demonstration of his incredible technique at speed to dominate both sprints on day 1 at Kahli’s Rocks. Swedish senior international Mats Troeng was consistent, winning the Middle-distance at Gumble and never finishing far down the field on any day. But the one athlete that everyone was talking about was Norwegian junior Olav Lundanes. Lundanes already has a handful of JWOC medals and looks a certainty to start as hot favourite in Dubbo. He easily won the classic event on a hot day at Gumble and 6 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
Amber Morrison (NZ) takes a direct route to the control.
The women’s class was dominated by Grace Elson. She was never seriously challenged being the one competitor showing consistency over all of the five days and demonstrating
COUNTDOWN TO JWOC 2007
Dubbo terrain Photos: Paul Prudhoe and Eric Andrews
again how high she now rates on the Australian elite scene. Her best result was in the Long race on Day 4, showing her strength in blitzing the field by 5 minutes. In a contrast to the men’s race, only one foreign runner, Mali Fjogstad Nilsen, could break the Australian dominance in the top 5. Nilsen took second place overall with a
win in the Gumble granite on Day 3 being her best result. In a battle between three Australians for 3rd place, Jasmine Neve showed her growing maturity to hold out World Champs runner Anna Sheldon and the experienced Susanne Casanova. As ever, the 5 Days kept its reputation as not only a high
quality event, but a fun event too with a well organised round of social events. A feature of the five days was the strong support by event sponsors especially keynote sponsor Ultimax, providing a range of high quality prizes for the overall winners. The Orange community also chipped in with local businesses again showing an interest in Orienteering in the NSW central west.
Top Australian junior, Simon Uppill MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 7
COUNTDOWN TO JWOC 2007
The 1st JWOC Training Camp (aka Aussie O Tour) Paul Prudhoe
C
ompetition for most ended under grey skies and heavy showers at the Ultimax Stingers 5 Days at Macquarie Woods near Orange, but many of the junior competitors stayed in town to further refine their orienteering in Australia’s granite terrain, and to become more familiar with the interpretations of JWOC2007 mappers. The Aussie O Tour commenced with a return to Gumble Creek for some Middle-distance training and a chance to again get to grips with Australian granite. The granite was there but the weather had no intention of providing overseas guests with a chance to run in temperatures likely in July. The mercury rose to the high 30’s – an indication of what was to come when Canberra topped the 40 mark. Camp participants came from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Czech Republic and a contingent of more than 20 from New Zealand. Australia’s junior squad were well represented with almost a full contingent and there were representatives from the NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania junior squads. Over 65 attended the camp. This year is the first time JWOC will be held outside Europe. Attendance at the 5 Days competition and the training camp demonstrated that top European orienteers are not going to take things for granted. Many medal winners from JWOC2006 in Lithuania were there – Sweden’s Patrick Kaarlson (2nd in Sprint, 16th in Middle-distance), Czech Republic’s Jan Benes (1st in Middle-distance, 7th in Sprint), Norway’s Olav Lundanes (2nd in Long-distance, 3rd in Middle-distance). Day 2 went back to Kahli’s Rocks for a morning exercise, then a drive to Canberra in the afternoon. The camp and training events were overseen by JWOC Teams Liaison Manager Nick Dent, with a number of the events organised by Australian elite orienteer (and former multiple JWOC participant) Julian Dent. Australian squad coach Grant Bluett, while taking care of the technical aspects of the Australian squad’s training, also assisted in the training camp event organisation. The morning of Day 3 took an interesting diversion from conventional training with a short “Adventure Race” around Canberra’s shopping centre and nearby parks, giving visitors an opportunity to get to know Canberra better. Later, participants took part in the ACT’s Twilight series event at Farrer Ridge. On Day 4 the convoy headed to Big Badja for more granite. The morning was spent on the recently felled Badja South with most opting to run at competitive speed around a middle-distance length course, and the afternoon spent in pairs for the first half of the course on Badja North.
Candidates for AUS Team 2007 Junior World Orienteering Championships – call for nominations Orienteers interested in being candidates for selection for the 2007 Junior World Orienteering Championships are asked to express their interest. This year there will be two sets of selection trials: the Australian 3-Days in South Australia (including the prologue), and the National League events on 19-20 May in New South Wales. Candidates for selection will be expected to attend both sets of selection trials. Nominations should be sent to the Chair of the Junior Selection Panel, Blair Trewin, at b.trewin@bom.gov.au or 2/53 Darebin St, Heidelberg VIC 3084. 8 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
Day 5 was a Sprint event around Canberra’s Australian National University. The 3.5km course was won by Patrick Kaarlson in 14m36s closely followed by countryman Jerker Lysell in 14m39s. Fastest of the women was Norway’s Guru Flatekval in 18m54 with Australian squad member Rachel Effeney (QLD) just behind in 19m09s. Results from all of the training camp events can be found at http://jwoc2007.orienteering.asn.au/News/ Grant had everyone out again in the cool of the evening to practice more “sprinting” at Canberra University. Training was delayed to allow temperatures to drop a little further and for everyone to catch TV footage of the Sprint event on WIN TV’s mid-evening news, with current squad member Heather Harding (ACT) and OA President Bob Mouatt interviewed. Day 6 went to Namadji National Park for a timed long-distance event on Honeysuckle Creek. Temperatures in the high 30’s were not conducive to fast times. Olav Lundanes completed the 10.8km course in 81m57s, with Swedish elite Mats Troeng (travelling with the Swedish juniors) second in 87m04s and Australia’s Simon Uppill just behind in 87m37s. The 6.9km women’s course was won by Australia’s Vanessa Round in 73m56s, with Australian Squad Assistant Manager Suzanne Casanova second in 80m18s, and New Zealand’s Amber Morrison third, just four seconds behind Suzanne. The final day saw a procession of runners take the short walk behind Grant across the road to Black Mountain for a timed middle-distance event. Fastest of the junior men was Sweden’s Jerker Lysell in 25m19s, with Denmark’s Soeren Bobach just behind in 25m24s. Soeren was also a (gold) medal winner from 2006 having tied for first place with the Czech Republic’s Jan Benes in the middle-distance event. The women’s course was won by Norway’s Mali Nielsen in 23m37s, followed by team-mate Ida Marie Bjorgul in 24m25s. Despite the heat the 1st Training Camp proved invaluable to all who attended (including those up and coming juniors not in the Australian squad). Hilary Wood, 2007 Australian Squad Manager, considered the camp to be very successful and was pleased that participants had been able to train and compete across a wide sample of Australian granite terrain. Feedback from the overseas orienteers to Nick Dent indicated that the camp had been thoroughly enjoyed by all, with many positive comments received. Nick reported that the Danes told him they would return home very happy having attended and they would return later in the year with a far greater level of confidence. So, are there any pointers to JWOC in July? Difficult to say, but don’t be surprised if some of the medal winners come from the 1st Camp attendees. Norway’s Olav Lundanes appears to be a very strong candidate for a medal in any one of the three disciplines, and Sweden’s Patrick Kaarlson is also a strong contender. If results from the Training Camp can be used to gauge Australian chances it’s certainly possible for Australia to follow up its’ success in Lithuania with more medals.
INVITATION TO ATTEND MAPPING WORKSHOP BEFORE JWOC A mapping workshop will be conducted by Queensland mapper, Eric Andrews, near Molong in central NSW on the 4-6 July 2007. The first day will be devoted to GPS mapping including a practical exercise. The final two days will be practical fieldwork in the field on photogrammetry of the “Gumble Pinnacles”, which is a granite area of medium complexity. Nominations and Inquiries: Nominations should be made direct to Eric Andrews at 07-4683 6374, at PO Box 863, Stanthorpe, Qld. 4380, or by email to batmaps@halenet.com.au before 1st June 2007.
APOC 2006
Orienteering in Hong Kong
Start of the APOC Middle event at Mui Wo on Lantau island. We had to climb from sea level to reach the start.
Chinese ‘pocket rocket’, Li Ji, won the Women’s Elite Sprint.
Mike Hubbert punches during the APOC Sprint at Tai Tong
Chinese Zhu Ming Yue took silver in all three Women’s elite events
Konrad Wildi winning two gold medals and one silver in M40
Rachael Effeney punches the last control on her way to winning bronze in the W18 Sprint”
Dick Ogilvie won silver and two bronze medals in M60
Maureen Ogilvie dominated the W70 class, winning two gold medals and one silver MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 9
Winning PartnershiP
The Australian Sports Commission proudly supports Orienteering Australia The Australian Sports Commission is the Australian Government agency that develops, manages and invests in sport at all levels in Australia. Orienteering Australia has worked closely with the Australian Sports Commission to develop orienteering from community participation to high-level performance.
AUSTRALIAN SPORTS COMMISSION 10 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
Orienteering Australia is one of many national sporting organisations that has formed a winning partnership with the Australian Sports Commission to develop its sport in Australia.
www.ausport.gov.au
APOC 2006
Small Team shows its Class Mike Hubbert
A
small but talented group of Aussie orienteers spent Xmas and the New Year in Hong Kong competing in a carnival of events which made up APOC 2006, the Asia-Pacific Orienteering Championships. Competition locations ranged from Hong Kong island to Lantau island to mainland areas in the New Territories. Terrain was typical of Hong Kong - varying from steep to very steep, much of it being open grassland (except for the Night-O map) with loose gravely slopes and some rock features. Gullies were to be avoided at all costs as Dick Ogilvie found in the Long event. Of course, to get to the open areas we had to climb some 200 vertical metres out of the lowlands up never ending flights of concrete steps. Aussie-Swiss expat, Konrad Wildi, roams the world of orienteering. Last December he appeared in Melbourne and gave the local Park & Street-O hot-shots a big surprise. Next, he surfaced in Hong Kong for APOC winning gold medals in M40 for all three disciplines – Sprint, Middle and Long. Another Aussie, Maureen Ogilvie, was almost as successful winning gold medals for the Middle and Long in W70 class and silver in the Sprint. Maureen makes a habit of this – she took home a bucketful of medals and awards from European events earlier in 2006. Not to be outdone, M60 husband Dick won silver in the Sprint and bronze in the Middle and Long; and Queenslander Rachael Effeney took out bronze in the W18 Sprint. Former Bayside Dick Ogilvie in the APOC Relay club member Malcolm Lyon, now representing Korea, won gold in both Middle and Long in M50 class. APOC events were dominated by competitors from Hong Kong and China with sizeable contingents also from Kazakhstan and Japan. China had their top-string women there – Li Ji, Li Fei and Zhu Ming Yue. But Japan’s Yoko Bamba triumphed over the Chinese in both the Middle and Long women’s Elite events. Two large tour groups from Europe added even more quality orienteers to the numbers. The closing ceremony banquet was quite something else. Most impressive was the way sponsors were recognised with award presentations; and the way that IOF Event Advisor, Shin Murakoshi, led the organising group around all the tables to thank competitors for coming to APOC in Hong Kong.
APOC 2008 APOC 2008 will be hosted by Korea. No firm date has been set as yet but likely timing is in late June to attract competitors going to the World Masters in Portugal to drop into Korea on the way.
A once in a lifetime opportunity! The Orienteering Service of Australia is for sale. Tom Andrews who started this company in 1973 is retiring and is willing to hand it over to a keen orienteering individual, or family with spare time, to continue with the profitable marketing of a large range of orienteering related teaching aids, books, manuals, lesson plans, control markers, punches and compasses. Over the years the Orienteering Service of Australia has supplied over 600 schools and many O-clubs throughout Australia with such equipment. The potential for increasing the sales is huge, with over 10,000 schools ready to be tapped. Especially now with the increasing emphasis on outdoor exercise for children to combat obesity. And we all know how young students seem to like the challenge of finding orienteering controls. Yet many teachers lack the know-how and are eager to obtain orienteering teaching resources and equipment. There is no goodwill cost involved in the sale, only payment for the stock of approx 62 different product categories valued at a cost of $33,000 (worth over $105,000 at resale). Included in the sale would be the entire list of past and current school & club customers and handover guidance and instruction by Tom Andrews. Interested parties would need some storage space like a garage, shed or spare bedroom to operate the business. Certain travelling expenses to orienteering events in the promotion of the business may be claimed as a tax deduction (subject to your own situation and your accountant’s advice). For further information please contact Tom Andrews on (03) 9489 9766 or email to info@macson.com.au MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 11
APOC 2006
12 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
APOC 2006
Night-O folly in Hong Kong
Michael Hubbert
Mass start 8pm – we line up along the gutter of a steeply ascending street. The chinese starter screams something into the megaphone – it must have been “GO” because some people move off up the road. Others unroll their maps and stand aghast. The map is dark green! Where is the Start triangle? Where are the control circles? This map is practically unreadable at night!!
W
E are competing in the 2006 Hong Kong Night Orienteering Championships on Braemar Hill, above the frenetic bustle and light show that is Hong Kong island. It’s a Score event and is one of the lead-up events in the APOC 2006 carnival. The map is green and almost illegible (see opposite). Are those really tracks through the green? Still haven’t found the Start triangle. It must be somewhere. Ah – there’s the Finish circle. That’s at least a start. Down a flight of concrete steps and up, up, up many more. Still haven’t spotted that Start triangle. Stop to have a real look. Ah – there it is. Now, which way to head? Go for #33 along a path which is partly paved and partly eroded gravel. The going here isn’t too bad at all. Roughly plan out a circuit. Not many options. Decide to go for #1, then #25. The map shows a short, steep track up to #1. But I soon find it’s actually a steep and heavily eroded watercourse with thick impenetrable scrub closing in on either side and overhead in places. It’s a great place to break an ankle, especially at night. It soon turns out that most of the small tracks shown on the map are merely places where water chose to cascade down the hill last time it rained. The map is mostly green, and green means green!! Thick scrub above head height – impenetrable in the day and even more so at night. For contrast, “rough open” means thick scrub below head height – just as impenetrable at night.
Another supposed goat track leads steeply down, across, then upward at 45 degrees again. Steady on – this is Hong Kong, there’s no goats here. Just orienteers idiot enough to tackle this at night. #25 appears briefly through the thick scrub. Getting through to punch it is a major exercise. Now where? Down and down an exceedingly narrow and twisting watercourse which has a nasty habit of disappearing into clumps of scrub where no human can venture. The map shows it as runnable – dream on! I’m being followed by a Hong Kong orienteer who has even less idea of how to follow this “track” at night than I have. Together we blunder on.
At last, a paved pathway looms below. It’s a near-vertical drop to reach it, but any decentlooking pathway is heaven compared with the rubbish we’ve been trying to follow. #24 should be easy from here. Alas, it’s hidden at the end of a sandy patch behind some thick scrub. A little more time lost. And time is getting on. #14 and #16 are close by but appear to be up more steep and eroded watercourses masquerading as tracks. Do I dare try for them? Decide not. Got to think about how I get out of here and back to the Finish. If both my headlamps go out I’ll be history. The track marked in the direction of #21 is no track at all but a rocky creek bed. At least it’s wide enough to get along quite quickly. The trick will be to find the little goat track above the bare rock. Whatever made this one was very short because the scrub is really closed in and I have to bend low to get through. Maybe there really are goats here. Or pygmy sheep. From #21 it’s simply a case of what’s the quickest way back. #29 is simple and then the track leads up over a rocky hilltop. Halfway up I hear cursing and swearing in distinctive Russian above me and to the left. They seem to have gotten off the track. A few moments later I find out why. There is no track amongst this rock. The track shown on the map is wishful thinking. On the way down to #31 I’m passed by some of the English contingent. “Oh dear, Oh dear” they say. I couldn’t agree more. Down to a paved path and a decent run (jog) at last, picking up #9, #26 and #32 on the way to the finish. It’s a reasonable score but I’m far too late. Back at the assembly arena I learn that Dick and Maureen Ogilvie met on the way and decided there and then to bail out “before they killed themselves”. A wise decision. I was almost going to do the same. A quiet word in the ear of the Event Controller about the dangerous nature of this particular terrain for Night-O seems to have about the same effect as watering a duck. For me, they’ve put Night-O in Hong Kong back about 20 years with just this one event. As it turned out, they have other maps which would be much more suitable for Night-O. Pity they didn’t use one of them.
Up, up and up this alleged track we clamber. People can’t pass – the scrub on either side won’t let them. Finally the top. And there’s the flag, sitting in the only piece of open ground we’d seen since leaving the start. MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 13
WEDDING-O
Wedding down under participants go Orienteering Orienteering in Tasmania received some great frontline publicity when a Belgian TV crew arrived to film a reality show. Bert Elson takes up the story:
When the full production team arrived it was an amazing sight with 15 hired 4WD vehicles and vans loaded with equipment, four independent camera crews, two safety officers, a catering team, any number of production assistants and two minibuses with the competitors parked out of sight of the start area.
S
SportIdent had to be replaced with punch cards in case the camera crew following a couple got tired. Each group had a timer who could stop the watch till the camera crew got their breath back and then start the clock again to maintain integrity of elapsed time. Couples were to go out at 30-minute intervals, three before lunch and three after lunch. Two couples had already been sent back to Belgium following earlier challenges in Victoria and NSW.
oon after the World Orienteering Championships in August 2006 a Belgian TV production company contacted Orienteering Tasmania, through its website, to inquire about the possibility of holding an orienteering event in Tasmania. An exchange of e-mails took place and gradually the full story emerged. It seemed that the company was responsible for producing a reality TV show. The first series had been Wedding in the USA and involved eight young Belgian couples being taken to the US where they underwent a series of challenges with a couple being eliminated each week. The surviving couple was announced winner and received a wedding in the USA! This had been a big success in Belgium and accordingly Series 2 was in the planning stages. You guessed it - Wedding Down Under. This time it was a joint Belgian/Dutch production with couples from both countries and expected screenings across much of Europe. With publicity at that time arising from the connection between Princess Mary of Denmark and Tasmania and the three Tasmanians competing at WOC, Hanny Allston, Grace Elson and Danielle Winslow, the producers saw an opportunity for one of their challenges. And so it was decided. Episode 3 of Wedding Down Under would be an orienteering challenge in Tasmania. The planning commenced, with filming scheduled for 19 October 2006. The location chosen was Hobart’s Risdon Brook Dam Reserve which is particularly scenic, has lots of wallabies hopping around and is easily accessible from the city. E-mails flowed backwards and forwards for months leading up to the event and the producer made a quick visit to Australia to confirm locations for the various challenges including Risdon Brook. On 18 October the director, chief cameraman and other key organisers turned up and went out on the course in groups of two and three. This was a first for most and they came back having had a lot of fun but with a few key recommendations. 1. Move the start/finish to a scenic gully half a km away which gave a better bush backdrop. 2. Shorten the course so that camera crews could follow competitors around. 3. “Hide” some controls so that competitors would have difficulty with some and start arguing (the producers were very keen on this!) Hobart Water obligingly unlocked the vehicle access gate to the new area and, with some late night rejigging of the maps, everything was ready for filming.
14 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
The first couple was a real worry. They were city kids who had obviously never orienteered or indeed, seen a map! One of the organisers reminded me that they were from Holland and probably hadn’t seen a hill either! All of us watching from the parked vehicles 100m from the start saw them zig-zag haplessly across the hillside opposite with camera crews and sound people plus the stopwatch holder in hot pursuit. Fortunately things went better for the other couples and several were very close in their times, making for an exciting presentation to be shot that evening when the winners of this challenge were to be announced and the losers relegated back to Belgium or, as it appeared likely in this case, Holland. There was action in all directions. One camera crew was chasing the current couple around their course while another crew was filming the next couple getting their briefing prior to starting. Meanwhile a third camera crew was holding the post race interview with the last couple to finish and the final crew was taking background footage of the scenery and wildlife. Then the local media, having been invited by Orienteering Tasmania, arrived on the scene and we had local TV crews interviewing the producer and director and filming couples being filmed and taking their own footage of couples heading off through the bush as well as footage of the Belgian crews filming the event. At one point two local TV news crews were filming and interviewing, the Hobart Mercury photographer was taking shots, the Mercury reporter was interviewing the producer and I got a call from ABC Radio Hobart who wanted a live-to-air report on how the event was going. The outcome was highly successful all round. The producers said they believed the footage they took would make for a great episode and were very pleased with the day. Orienteering Tasmania got extensive news time that night on both WIN and Southern Cross news and the Mercury ran a large article with photos the next day. The show goes to air in Europe in about May this year and I have been promised a copy of our episode. Who knows, it may make it to Australian TV in competition with Survivor and Amazing Race.
NUTRITION
Weighty Issues
Gillian Woodward
4. Make exercise a part of every day Most people who lose weight successfully, become somewhat addicted to exercise. It is a “healthy addiction” - to feel that the day is not complete without at least 30 minutes of exercise which makes you “puff”. Doing an hour each day is even better. 5. Never skip meals or go for long periods without food. This only makes you ravenously hungry, so that you tend to overeat to fill the hole. Never skip breakfast!
With the festive season behind us, and New Year’s weight loss resolutions by now probably broken well and truly, it may be an opportune time to consider sensible approaches to this common problem of losing unwanted kilograms or centimetres around the waist.
A
ustralians are at the point where it is almost more “normal” to have a weight problem than not. If the current trend continues it is estimated that by 2010, 70% of Australians will be above their healthy weight range. The implications of this are somewhat scary, if you consider how many lifethreatening diseases are in part caused by overweight or obesity - cardiovascular disease and diabetes to name but two. The main issue is ‘how can we reverse this trend of increasing girth?’ Here are 10 tips to help you lose that weight PERMANENTLY! 1. Loss of body fat involves a permanent change in lifestyle, not a diet You will have to make some changes in the TYPES of food that you eat, AND you will have to exercise more than you do at present. The only way to lose body fat is to eat slightly less energy than you need, and burn some of your stored fat to provide that extra energy. 2. Set realistic goals for yourself - ones you CAN achieve because they fit in with your lifestyle/family! If you go on crash diets to lose weight quickly, it is mostly due to water loss, not fat loss. This weight will be regained quickly, sometimes with even more kg than before! For permanent fat loss, you cannot expect to lose more than 1-2 kilograms per month. It may happen a little quicker than this at first, but fat loss is generally a slow process. Over a year, it really mounts up - 12 to 20kg or 2 -3 stone is a significant achievement in 12 months! Remember, you did not gain the weight overnight, so you cannot expect to lose it quickly. The longer you stay with your new healthy lifestyle, the more likely it will become a life-long habit. 3. Reducing your daily fat intake is the most important dietary change to make Cut down the visible fats as well as the hidden ones. Eat lean red meat, skinless chicken, and more fish. Grill, dry bake or dry fry meats, using only a teaspoon of oil per serve. Avoid fatty processed meats, pastries, fried foods and snack foods like chips. Use more low fat dairy foods - milk, yoghurt, and cottage or ricotta cheeses. Include at least 7 serves of fruit and vegetables each day, and a minimum of 5 serves of bread and cereals. Be moderate with sugar and salt. Drink plenty of fluids, including water. Do not drink fruit juices, fizzy soft drinks or other unnecessary kilojoule providers. Have alcohol only occasionally, in moderation.
6. There is no need to have special or different meals from the rest of the family. Why not improve the eating habits of the whole family while you are at it? They would all benefit from a lower fat intake (unless they are less than 5 years of age). Some family members may well need some extra serves of food to meet their extra energy or growth requirements. 7. When shopping, look for the words “low fat” or “low Joule/energy” on the label. A truly low fat product has less than 3 grams of fat per serve. Check the nutrition panel for this information. The words “low cholesterol”, “reduced fat” or “light” can be very misleading. It is not cholesterol you should be avoiding, it is saturated fat. A “reduced fat” food can still be very high in total fat and “light” can mean anything from pale in colour to full of air! 8. Enlist the support of a good friend or family member Everyone does much better with a little encouragement. Whether it is by motivating you to do your exercise or helping you to cook and prepare healthier meals, every little bit counts. Even just being able to phone that special friend/relative/team-mate and tell them what a bad day you’ve had, may save you from raiding the biscuit barrel in search of comfort. 9. Think about HOW and WHY you are eating Do you eat too fast or on the run? Are you eating because you are thirsty, tired, bored or upset? Try to break the habit of responding to stress or emotions by indulging in food – especially comfort foods! 10. Don’t weigh yourself ! Avoid hopping on scales. Daily and monthly fluctuations in fluid content of your body can hide true fat loss. You may become despondent and give up your new lifestyle changes. Also, muscle weighs more heavily than fat, so if you are exercising more, you may even gain weight, despite fat loss. If you must weigh yourself, make it once a fortnight or once a month at the most. A far better measure of success will be to occasionally take a tape measure and put it around your waist, hips and bust (for women). If the centimetres are reducing in number, then you are being successful. • Remember that motivation is the key to success. • Keep your eye on the goal you have set for yourself • Enjoy a wide variety of foods each day •F eel the benefits of a healthy exercise routine – your training and competition should improve as a result.
Gillian Woodward is a Practising Dietician and has been providing advice in the field for over 25 years. She has been an orienteer since 1984. MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 15
COACHING
Get into a Routine Eoin Rothery (WA)
In Orienteering we repeatedly have to find control flags – we should employ a routine process to that activity. If we make it a habit then even when we get tired there will be something to fall back on. Some people will do better by treating each control as an individual, and there is something to this as every leg is different. However, most of us will be better off with a tried and true process that works most of the time. We need to have a reliable process that gets us safely and without undue hesitation to every control. So what elements should there be in it? Any complex activity is better approached by breaking it down into simple steps. Let’s examine the basics: Time Loss Orienteering, in its popular competitive form, is a time trial and given a certain level of fitness, one of the main elements should be to reduce time loss. There are three main areas where you can lose time: mistakes, route choice and slow technique (i.e. having to stop all the time to read the map or set bearings). In some ways these are all inter-related - if you choose an easy track route you can minimise the map reading stops and if it is safer you can reduce your risk of mistakes. However, for your routine the most important area of time loss is mistakes. This is our hare vs. tortoise sport – the hare runs too fast to read the map properly and stuffs up. The second most important thing to address in your routine is slow technique and this mainly comes about because you run ahead of yourself and have to stop, or slow down, to find out where you have gone. To avoid this you have to develop the ability to predict where you are going and what to do next, when you get there. Route choice is not that important if you get the other two right, certainly you should concentrate on them first.
Direction and Distance Direction is the most important basic element of finding a control. The shorter the leg the more important it is to get on the correct direction early. The flatter and faster the terrain the more likely it is that straight will be best. Your routine should include lots of checks of your compass. To a large extent distance can be gauged during the leg by checking features along the way with the map. However there are some times when you need to be able to estimate distance more precisely by pacing.
Map You will not find controls quickly without looking at the map, in fact you might not find them at all. However, it is surprising to see just how many people do not actually read the map, or look at it without absorbing important detail. Most time loss in orienteering is due to people not seeing the essential detail on the map – give yourself more time for this vital task. Most legs can be 16 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
broken down into a few simple elements – essentially get to the big features along the way, and from the last easy big feature (the attack point) read the map carefully into the control.
Route Choice Basically route choice comes down to: which of the big features near the control (attack points) gives me the safest approach? And then, which big features do I find along the way to get to that last one? Note – route choice for longer legs should rarely be a direct attack on the control – the control feature will generally be more difficult to find than a bigger feature near it. Any large deviation from the straight line should have benefits (save height, better running or easier navigation), and it is rarely a good idea to cross the straight line during the leg as this adds distance.
Contours Of all the features on the map these are the most helpful. Vegetation changes and termite mounds grow or rot, but contours stay the same. Rock detail can’t be shown with the same precision as contours and you can always work out what sort of slope you are on and what way you are facing (very useful for relocation). In route choice its important to know whether, overall, you have to ascend, descend or maintain height relative to the next control point. This can help your decision between different routes (but be wary of clever setters who make the best route an immediate steep ascent out of the control – tired orienteers just don’t want to climb!).
Go! (or Stop!) So once you have decided what direction and what route you can set off – this means either you should still be standing at the control, or you have decided that prior to getting to it. This idea of not going somewhere without a plan applies to all the big features along the way and most especially to the attack point.
Attack Point Before you leave here you should have examined the detail within the circle (and that includes any detail hidden below the circle line itself) and ideally created a mental picture of the flag at the feature. Looking at the description before the circle detail will help build that picture. You should by now also know the code. Most people will do better by remembering only the code and description of the next control. There is too much room for confusion by trying to remember more than one – and it should be the right one. Once you have left the attack point the only thing you should be thinking of is your fine navigation to the flag. You should not be looking at the next leg, people around you, or the view (leave that for the next time you collect controls or set a course). This will be the slowest part of the leg – walk or stop if you have to, as it is better to go straight to it slowly than speed past it and have to relocate. If you have time before the attack point, then look at the next leg and choose the route, or at least the way out of the control – if you can do this so as to keep going through controls this is “control flow”. BEFORE YOU LEAVE A CONTROL (or the START TRIANGLE) • Compass!, Up or Down?, Attack Point?, Big Feature Route? ON THE WAY • Where (ie what big feature) am I heading? • What do I do when I get there?
AT THE ATTACK POINT
• Slow down • Code, Description, Map Detail, Way out. • Now you just have to train yourself to do it again and again so it becomes Routine-O!
SPORT PSYCHOLOGY
Visualisation-O: Improve your Orienteering without leaving your lounge room Jason McCrae – Psychologist
One of the challenges that I believe many orienteers face in Australia is having enough opportunities to practice their orienteering. Most of the orienteering population live in cities far from mapped areas. Even those who live close to areas soon grow familiar with their local maps and are no longer challenged by those areas. I would guess that leading into this year’s Easter 3-Day in Burra your average Australian orienteer will only have orienteered on a bush map 4 or 5 times in the past three months. Compare this to individuals trying to compete successfully in other sports – I’m sure even a low level club golfer would play more than once or twice a month before a big annual competition.
breathing. Close your eyes and imagine your chest or diaphragm going in and out as your breath flows in and out. • Begin imagining yourself orienteering at your best. Again, maybe easier said than done. A good way to start is to recall a time when you have orienteered really well. Imagine yourself checking your map, seeing the features on the map and then looking up to see them in the forest as you pass by. Picture yourself checking the compass, running strongly up hills, passing competitors while keeping focussed on the map and terrain and finding the controls accurately and quickly. • Use all of your senses – what do you see? The forest, the control flags, the contours, the map, compass. Hear? Your own breathing, the crunch of the forest floor. Feel? Sweat, muscles driving like engine pistons. Even taste? Perhaps sweat again! • Visualise only positive and successful performances with perfect orienteering technique – you hit controls perfectly, run well and navigate as best you can. • Practice for a limited time. Initially this might only be 5 or 10 minutes but you should build it up to between 20 and 30 minutes a session. You should aim to have three visualisation sessions a week for the most effective ‘mind training’.
Of course there are good reasons why the average orienteer can’t train and compete as often as would be ideal. There are ways around this problem without having to spend your whole life travelling to and from distant maps. A mental-skills technique that has been shown to be as effective as actual practice in preparing for competition is imagery or visualisation.
Initially visualisation may feel a little awkward and you may have difficulty keeping your concentration. It is important, however, that you persist as any initial self-doubts and difficulties will be overcome with practice. After several sessions of imagining yourself orienteering at your peak it may be worthwhile developing a regular visualisation script. You can do this by reading your key steps when orienteering well onto a recording and placing the recording on tape, CD, iPod or mp3 player. The recording can then be listened to over and over again in your visualisation training.
What is it?
Visualisation – get to it
Visualisation in its simplest description involves a person imagining themselves orienteering well. I emphasise that the image a person has in their mind is themselves orienteering at their best, not imagining accepting your badge at the prize giving ceremony! Ideally visualisation isn’t just “visual”. When orienteering we experience it with all our senses – hear the crunch of the forest floor under our feet, the smell of the dry Burra air, the feel of the tight fitting o-shoes or the taste of the salty sweat as the air rushes past.
Having an understanding of how visualisation works is not enough for it to work for you on race-day. Visualisation allows your mind to rehearse orienteering well without actually physically orienteering and has been shown to be highly effective in improving performance. What’s more, you can do it from your lounge room! So get into some visualisation now to improve your performance at Burra. The old adage “be careful what you wish for, lest it come true” may be more accurate than we first thought!
How does it work? Visualisation has been shown to be as effective as actual practice of an activity, in this case orienteering. It’s thought to work because if you can realistically see and feel yourself performing at your best while visualising; you are training your brain and body to re-create that perfect performance next time you compete. A person’s mind in particular is rehearsing the things it needs to do to perform well at orienteering and is thus more likely to follow that ‘template’ when actually competing.
How can I use visualisation? Here are the basic tips I usually provide athletes on visualising themselves performing their sport well: • Sit or lie comfortably in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed • Relax and control your breathing • Clear your mind of all other thoughts. This can be easier said than done! A good way to do this is to focus on your own
Something on your mind? This column has been appearing in the AO for approximately 2 years now covering a range of sport psychology topics such as goal setting, overcoming distraction, focussing on processes and recovering from mistakes. One of the things I’ve tried to do is provide action plans and tips that can be implemented by orienteers in their training, competing or technique generally. Is there anything “on your mind” when you compete that you find challenging? If so I invite you to drop me an e-mail and see if we can address it in the next or subsequent columns. I’m happy to keep your details anonymous if you wish. Please e-mail me at the address below at least a fortnight before AO submissions are required (see submission date in the first few pages of this edition). Jason McCrae is a Psychologist currently working for Lifeline Canberra. He has previously worked as a Sport Psychologist at the ACT Academy of Sport which is also Orienteering Australia’s National Training Centre. He can be e-mailed on jason.mccrae@tpg.com.au MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 17
URBAN-O
Parks & Streets more thinking than you think Debbie Dodd
Certain members of the orienteering community believe that Park & Street orienteering is “Orienteering for Dummies”, that it’s not “real” orienteering, or that it’s just a means of keeping fit between bush events. But talk to some of Melbourne’s top Park & Street orienteers, and you’ll find there’s plenty of brain power involved, and a range of “traditional” orienteering skills applied. For those wanting a full mental workout as well as a physical one, Park & Street orienteering offers a high level, rapid-fire problem-solving challenge. And just like any other form of orienteering, it’s not necessarily the fastest who wins. Tactics and strategy play a major role.
T
urning over a map when the starter says “GO” and seeing 20 or more controls presents hundreds of options. Add to that the pressure of a mass start where your rivals may be already off and running, where planning time is virtually non-existent, where the smallest error or distraction can be very costly, and the first decision you make is critical – that’s a lot of information to process. In any given minute, it’s possible, in fact quite common, for me to have many of the following thoughts (in no particular order): Am I going the shortest/simplest/flattest way? How many streets before I turn? How long will this leg take me? Am I going fast enough? Can I keep up this pace? How many more controls will I get? Should I drop that 2-pointer even though it’s quite close? Have I looked far enough ahead? What are my rivals doing? Why is no-one else going the same way as me? That roast dinner smells great, I’m hungry! Did I check my watch against the master clock?
Many Park & Street orienteers have translated their skills successfully into other forms of orienteering, most notably the park sprint format (in which Australia holds a world championship gold medal!). Adam Scammell is an elite orienteer whose results at national level had been unremarkable until the 2006 Australian Sprint Championships in York, WA. His 7th placing amongst many more highly credentialed and experienced orienteers caught most by surprise, except for those who have seen Adam race regularly in the Melbourne suburbs. Tim Hatley and John Sheahan put their years of Park & Street experience to good use in becoming Australian age-group Sprint champions. Park & Street orienteering gives the tactically-minded competitor endless opportunities to outsmart their rivals and/or the course setter. After listening to many of the lively discussions that inevitably follow an event, I decided to find out what all that strategic thinking is about. I gathered the ideas of eight of Melbourne’s top competitors in various course categories. None of them are necessarily the fastest, but all are “park-street wise” and love to outthink their rivals. Of course, being able to compete strategically is highly dependent on having a good course set – but that’s a topic for another time. “A” course is the longest and the easiest to plan, as competitors usually must find most or all of the controls with fewer choices. The competition is more about tactics to throw off rivals. “B” course has fewer controls so more decisions to make. “C” and “D” courses, although the shortest, are the hardest to plan because there are so many options available. They are less subject to pack running, and seem to generate the most post-event comparisons. Power Walkers are given 60 minutes to get as many points as they can on a Score course, with route choice strongly influenced by the value assigned to each control, and time management becoming critical. Here are my respondents and the courses they typically compete on: •A ndrew Baker (BKV)* and Blair Trewin (MFR) “A” course (10 km scatter-O, 18-19 of 20 controls) •M arta Salek (DRV) and Bruce Paterson (BKV) “B” course (8 km scatter-O, 14-16 controls) • I an Dodd (DRV) and Darian Panter (ARDF junior) - “C” and “D” course (6 and 4 km scatter-O, 10-12 or 7-8 controls) •T ina Smith (DRV) and John Sheahan (BKV) - Power Walkers 60min Score-O (typically cover 7.5-8 km and 12-14 controls) *Andrew’s comments were taken from his article “A guide to street orienteering”, O-Vic Magazine, Summer 2006. Do you spend time planning your route at the start, or do you just go? Andrew: study the pre-event map and look for the closest map edge to the start triangle, which allows a fast start
Should I take a short cut across that rough ground or would the footpath be faster?
Marta: generally don’t plan, may look for one or two difficult controls and get those first. Look at the preevent map to see if there are any steep areas that can hopefully be avoided
Should I slow down up this steep hill and read the map, or should I push on and overtake that person ahead?
Bruce: a very short planning time to get a general gist of direction, may be influenced by direction the A runners went off
Is it worth the risk of being late to get that last control?
Ian: draw a mental “wedge” from the start triangle towards the map edge, covering the largest area that contains no controls. The closest controls on each side of the wedge then become the first and last controls, and the wedge itself is not crossed
Is that fence really uncrossable or is there a gap?
Which side of the road should I be on? Why does the course setter hate me? Have I still got my control card? That’s a lot of brain activity! OK, I admit not all of it is necessarily productive or focussed, but the mind is certainly working as hard as the body. 18 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
Darian: spend some time planning the route first Tina: look to see where the highest value controls are positioned
Andrew
Ian
Bruce: usually have my course mapped out by the 3rd control, but last minute variations are still possible. Occasionally I’ll make a complete departure from the original plan after more careful analysis
John: 15secs glance to see if there are any clusters of controls John
What is your strategy for choosing the first few controls?
Darian: as “D” course is short, I choose which controls to go to rather than which ones to drop. Mostly I plan my route at the start, sometimes I change my mind halfway through
Blair: look for a first control that is close to the start, and make sure it doesn’t have poor access to a neighbouring control Andrew: run to the perimeter of the map as quickly as possible, head for areas with less route choice first, and leave my options open for as long as possible
Tina: always plan an escape route if it’s taking longer than expected; conversely try not to run myself out of controls with too much time left
Blair
Marta: look for difficult controls first, otherwise look for a control that opens up a large loop around the outside of the map. I might head for a steep part of the map and try to have a downhill finish Bruce: choose a first control that minimises the distance between the start triangle and the edge of the map. Look for a control that requires little concentration so that you can plan your route Ian: look for an uncomplicated route to a control that is obviously going to be part of the loop
Ian: between 2nd and 4th control but always look for improvements. I’m wary of changing my mind, often my first idea turns out to be the best
Tina
John: plan very intently between the first two controls, but I change my mind as I go Do you let the actions of others influence your decisionmaking? Blair: if it settles into a pack race I may take different options on purpose to break things up, as I can’t win in a sprint finish Marta: sometimes I change my mind if a group all goes a different way to my planned route. This works in my favour only about half the time! Other people influence me less now than when I first started
Tina: look for higher scoring controls that lead into a good loop
Bruce: in some cases I’ll deliberately go a different way from the pack, either because I really think it’s better (or at least no worse) or simply just to be perverse
How and when do you decide on your route? Do you change your mind as you go?
Ian: if I’m not 100% confident I will follow certain others
Blair: have a base plan in place before the first control but may refine as I go
John: if I’m not competing seriously I often go the reverse way around the course
Andrew: plan on the way to the first control, but leave the decision of which controls to drop until as late as possible
Do you have any patterns, eg always running clockwise?
Marta: it takes about 3 controls before I settle on which ones to drop; as I plan I might decide to go to an area further away but with a nice flowing cluster, and leave out controls in the middle instead
Marta
Andrew: I run 90% of my courses clockwise so if all else fails I go with what I feel comfortable with (except at Camberwell and Gardiners Bend where I always run anti-clockwise – maybe the earth rotates differently along the Alamein railway line!) MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 19
URBAN-O Marta: no, the direction I run is determined usually by the hills. I sometimes follow Ian Dodd’s “wedge” theory Ian: I do have preconceived ideas for certain maps Tina: seems to be mainly clockwise but not consciously How does your strategy differ if doing a longer/shorter course than normal, or a score rather than scatter course? Andrew: assuming you will get all 20 controls and return to the finish, there are 21 legs, 60 minutes, that’s one control every 3 minutes and 3 minutes to make up for the additional leg. Keep checking the watch and know when you should be at each control (and learn your 3-times table!) Marta: on a score course, I roughly plan a route that gets all the high points, but force myself to collect all the low points along the way, until there is about 20 minutes to go. Then I plan my remaining route to get 6 more controls and return to the start. I also keep my watch about 1 minute faster than the official time Bruce: start planning earlier for score. At about the 1/3 point I will “count-back” my estimated time from the finish then work out whether to adjust my route. I know what time I need to be at control X, and if I’m late or early arriving there I know if I need to start missing controls on my return path, or pick up an extra
Bruce: In “A” course I cannot hope to compete against my rivals on raw speed, so I have to rely on sneaky navigation. Therefore, a ‘nasty/sneaky’ course can be to my advantage. Even if I come in after some of my rivals, it’s still good to know I might have picked a better route which they made up for in raw grunt. In “B” course the playing field is more level since route choice has more influence. It’s hard to admit sometimes, but a good course may be one where I did quite poorly. Ones where the course setter has lured me into a false sense of security are actually well set. Ian: I compete against my rivals if I see them. I get annoyed by map errors and badly placed controls Darian: I compete against my rivals. A good course is tricky but not too difficult John: to me the map is the means I use to compete against myself. A good course does not have long boring legs or use of dead ends Which orienteering skills do you believe are beneficial for Park & Street events?
Darian
Blair: route selection, feature recognition, control flow, map contact, maintaining concentration, and pre-event preparation Bruce
Marta: route selection is of prime importance. Distance estimation (more for Score events), map orientation and contact, maintaining concentration. Relocation can be important even on a street map.
Do you compete mainly against your rivals, or the course setter? What makes a well set course for you?
Bruce: route selection, control flow, distance/time estimation, map contact, and maintaining concentration
Blair: I compete mostly against my rivals and my own performance benchmarks. A good course has multiple options as to which controls to drop, route choice within legs, and everything in the right place!
Ian: route selection is number 1, and map contact is vital. Distance estimation, control flow (I can gain seconds per control by punching cleanly and always knowing my exit direction before I punch), map memory if racing fast, pre-event preparation, and post-event evaluation especially when you are learning
Marta: I compete against both, there’s a lot of satisfaction in choosing a route with the minimal distance on a course with lots of options. But there are certain people I always strive to beat, and seeing them gives you motivation to run a smart course. A good course is one when you are thinking and changing your mind the whole way through
F
or those who believe there is not much skill required in successful Park & Street orienteering, here’s a checklist – all of which should sound very familiar to any orienteer. Although the terrain is not as demanding, and the maps are not as complex or detailed as a bush map, in general you will be moving and thinking very rapidly, making countless decisions, and trying to avoid a multitude of distractions. Small mistakes can have big consequences. The more of these skills you can apply, in combination with good speed and fitness, the better your results will be. And you’ll be practicing and learning for when you do head into the bush. Route selection: this is what it’s all about – choosing a faster and/or smarter route than your competitors. Not so easy when you have to mentally “unbend” the linear features you are following and compare them on the run; and when the choice of which control to find next is entirely up to you. The best courses will have you still route-planning right up until the last control Distance estimation: know the map scale, visually estimate and compare distances (no time to measure routes), know how fast you are travelling between controls
20 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
Darian: distance estimation, route selection, feature recognition, and map memory
Map orientation: the most basic skill and just as important as in any other form of orienteering Map contact: essential as one street looks much the same as another and turns are easy to miss. Even the slightest hesitation means too much lost time Relocation: hopefully not required too often, but people do get confused sometimes and some have run off the map. Stay calm, and don’t let your mistakes distract you. Stay motivated and positive Feature recognition: time wasted hunting for a control is very costly. Read the control description! Contouring: can sway your choice between two otherwise similar routes; good hill runners can apply tactics to overtake rivals Control flow: know your approach and exit route; have your card ready; have a clean punching technique (many punch one-handed); keep up your momentum. A few seconds saved at each of 15 controls can save a minute overall and mean the difference between first and also-ran Maintaining focus: there are innumerable distractions in park/street events – fellow competitors, members of the public, traffic,
weather, dogs, food smells, to name just a few. Thinking it’s too easy, letting your mind drift – all lead to mistakes. The challenges of the course should be enough to occupy your brain Map memory: helps with speed, and the streets are a perfect place to practice; Pre-event preparation: use this time to warm up and hydrate. Have the right gear. Look at the base map and check scale, contours, legend, unusual features or obstacles. Check all the routes in and out of the start/finish. Know where the final punch is. Be registered in plenty of time. Pay attention to the briefing and any map or course corrections. Know how many controls you need to find and the distance you can expect to cover, or what time you have to return Finish and post-event: finish strongly – seconds count! Warm down and hydrate. Talk to others and compare routes. Draw your route on your map and evaluate it afterwards. Measure your route and others to see which was shortest. Look at your good and bad decisions and why you made them. Check the results to see if your strategy paid off! And above all – enjoy the experience !!
URBAN-O Power Walker, Greg Tamblyn, intent on route choice.
Louise Hall checking her route choice.
At the Start - Peter Yeates and Ian Dodd choosing their first controls.
Diane Shalders on Caulfield racecourse Post-course debate: Tess Torr, Megan and Lauren Jennings compare route choices
Marta Salek, David Beard and Fitzell enjoying the moment.
So that’s where you went!’ - Alan Davis and Andrew Baker compare routes. MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER
21
INTERVIEW
Triumphant Welcome Home What was the response to your achievement in Australia? It certainly wasn’t as big as I would have received if I was European but I was impressed considering how small our sport is here. I received a fair amount of local media exposure in Tasmania, especially because of the Tasmania Denmark connection. And I have featured in a fair few articles in major national newspapers and magazines. So I guess it was good. It has certainly helped to raise the profile of our sport in Australia. Did you have to explain a lot about what Orienteering is? Yes at some levels. I found that the major media branches such as some of the national newspapers and magazines had far less of an understanding of what our sport is than the more local Tasmanian newspapers Did you feel that people around you, now I mean your non-orienteering friends etc., have really understood what you actually achieved?
Interview with Hanny Allston
Some certainly have and that makes me incredibly proud. However, there are always going to be those individuals who don’t quite understand because they see achievement in terms of how much media exposure you receive. But in some ways I prefer it like this. I am not the kind of person who tells many people about it. I don’t want people to think that I am different from who I used to be just because I am now a world champion
European magazine, Orienteering Today, interviewed Hanny Allston about her recent successes in World Junior and Senior Championships. Here we reproduce excerpts from the interview.
I understand this totally. What I was rather referring to is something Thierry Gueorgiou told me, because for him, the life really changed in some ways after the WOC 2003... The winter after the event, wherever he went with his training group on training camps people were waiting for him to present him with gifts, talk to him, etc...
“At the age of 20 Hanny Allston has become the youngest World Champion in orienteering. But when she won the Sprint at the 2006 World Senior Championships, she also changed history in other ways. She became the first non-European runner to win a gold medal at the World Championships and despite her age, she also managed to beat the amazing Simone Niggli (SUI), who had to settle for her first-ever WOC silver. But what was perhaps most important was the message Allston sent to other young orienteers in countries far from Europe where it is difficult to get financial support for frequent travel to Europe and to take part in the top events. On 1st August, this good-natured young Australian woman showed the rest of the world that it is possible to be the best, even if you live in a country where orienteering is not a top sport, maybe not even a top-50 sport. With a good attitude, strong will and determination, anything is possible. You just have to give it a try and not give up. In this interview with this amazing young woman she speaks about what it is like to be an orienteer in Australia; about her training; what it was like to come back in Australia as a World Champion; her golden race at the World Championships and many other things”. 22 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
Yes it is true. I find that many people want a small piece of me. I am constantly being asked to travel to events, attend functions, do interviews, write letters etc. And at the end of the day I find this very exhausting. I can’t say I have received heaps of gifts but I had the most beautiful welcoming home ceremony at the airport on my arrival. I have also had the chance to meet many other amazing Australian athletes such as Craig Mottram, which makes me feel a little special inside. Can you tell me more about this welcome ceremony at the airport? Oh, the local Tasmanian orienteers met me off the plane with garlands of flowers, bunches of spring wattle, and a few small presents. All the local media and newspaper journalists were there too. And everyone had small Australian flags. It was intimate and beautiful... just perfect to end a special time for me. Now I would really like to talk in detail about what interests me most: What’s it like being a top orienteer in Australia? Very different to Europe! I have a huge amount of support from the orienteering community in Australia but outside of this circle it is very tough. I have not yet been able to find any sponsorship other than from Brooks who give me some gear. But luckily I do my sport because I love it and am passionate about it.... not for money or exposure. But we still have to
INTERVIEW find most of the money for traveling, competing, training, etc. ourselves. And that makes it much tougher than a lot of the top Europeans experience, I think. I see, finding financial support is probably one part of the challenge, but what I have been thinking a lot about is also a certain kind of isolation... Especially now, with WOC and WC and all the other top races being held exclusively in Europe. Yes, that certainly plays a part... however I believe this is also my secret weapon. Let me try and explain: I am the sort of person who always needs challenges... big challenges. I like to push myself to the brink of my physical limits. And so therefore I have so many passions outside of orienteering. If I were to just orienteer I would be bored with the sport within about three months as I don’t feel there are enough new challenges presented to me in it. So by being here in Tasmania were there is very little orienteering I can focus on my running (eg. I am now trying to move into marathons) and also other sports such as kayaking, cycling, mountain biking, multisports etc. Then, at the beginning of the orienteering season I focus back into what I have to do and my orienteering goals. It’s perfect because I believe all these other interests make me tougher, faster and fitter than I would be if I just orienteered. And then when the season starts I am really motivated to orienteer again. I focus 100% on my technical skills and voila! I am orienteering at a new level! I think it works for me and that is the most important thing. When I come to Europe it is time to start focusing on Europe. But until then I focus almost solely on the physical side of sport You say you focus almost solely on the physical aspects of the sport. Yet, despite this it is amazing to see the level your orienteering skills... My skills... I have another belief... I spend 98% of my time focusing on my physical development as an athlete. I believe that to be the best in the world I want to be the best physically - i.e. look like a top athlete. I basically do very little on my skills here in Australia for exactly that reason. However again this is fantastic because I can focus 100% on my speed, endurance, etc. Then when I come to Europe I am so so so excited to be orienteering again. Whenever I am in the forest in Europe I am 100% focused. Every session I do I set myself goals of what I want to achieve. I focus 100% so that I get the most out of my training. That way when the competition comes round I am racing with my topmost skills. This is different to being in Europe I think... It certainly is. In Europe, the runners seem to do a lot more orienteering skills sessions- ie up to 5 a week. And I see so many orienteers getting bored and not putting 100% into their training. And so bad habits develop. Also, if you run in the forest all the time you end up running slower because the terrain does that to you. I think it is the quality versus quantity principle at play. Do you do any mental preparations? Such as going through the previous o-maps of the area or maps of relevant terrain, to be 100% ready. Naah, not really. I do a little just to get my bearings i.e. to realize which way the North is. I But it all changes so much when you get out on the course. I think a good example of this was the Long-distance day at O-Ringen. There I got so hung up on the old map, because everyone around me was,
and forgot to concentrate when I got out there because I thought I knew the map completely. Never ever, ever again!!! So will orienteering would be the main focus of your future career? It will be for the next few years till I accomplish a few more dreams. But yes. I don’t want to be ‘just an orienteer’. But sport for me is just that. It is something which I do for myself and no one else. I participate in sport because I love to feel healthy, fit and have fun with my friends, not to mention all the great opportunities to travel too!! But my life is a separate thing to my sport. I NEVER mix the two together. I will NEVER be a professional athlete and NEVER want to. I want my life and sport to be separate commodities so that I can maintain a balanced outlook. Do you feel there are some aspects of your performance level, where you can still improve a lot? Certainly, I know I have only just started to see the beginning of my physical capabilities as a runner. I also believe that you can always improve your technical skills. I know that I have a lot more potential to tap into. What is your favorite type of training? I love anything tough! I like to get to the end of a day absolutely exhausted. Give me a challenge and I am definitely there with 100% determination!
About WOC Winning a World Champion title at the age of 20 must be a very nice thing. On the other hand, it can also bring possible threats along, especially in terms of motivation. What I mean is, once having become a World Champion, then a fourth place would hardly be enough any more... and it can happen, that runners who achieve something like this at such a young age, get discouraged... It is in sharp contrast to what most runners experience, when they have to go all the way up, step by step, improving maybe from a 30th place at the age of 21 to win the title one day, maybe when 32 or something... This may seem like a tedious process but on the other hand, it certainly helps the motivation as you can feel you are making progress all the time. Aren’t you afraid of this? No, I have won the world title but I am still hungry. To me, I won’t feel like I am the World Champion till I achieve it in the Long-distance. To me this discipline is the top of our sport: the ultimate goal. So long as I still have goals to focus on I am sure that I can continue to improve and strive. Is there anything you will always remember from Denmark? A thing or a moment, which always comes to your mind when you think back about the WOC 2006? Yes, and it has nothing to do with orienteering. It was when my good friend Grace Elson was about to present Prince Fredrik the boomerang. We were waiting to go up onto the stage when she muttered in my ear, ‘goodness me, he’s hot!’ I just looked at her and got the giggles. And I also started laughing a lot when a certain British female runner accidentally kissed him on the lips. It is the moments like these that I savor the most. Our Relay (4th) also had to be a highlight. To run up that long finish chute with the girls was a wonderful feeling because we have been striving for that moment for a long while. MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 23
WORLD SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP
Hanny Allston’s GOLDEN Race
24 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
INTERVIEW
JWOC in Lithuania This was your last JWOC and perhaps, after your result in the Long-distance at the World Champs last year and also after the JWOC bronze medal from the Middle in Switzerland the previous year, many people considered you one of the biggest favorites in the women’s class... How was it for you to deal with the pressure? What pressure? I don’t believe in pressure. The only pressure I face is that I place upon myself. As I said above I knew that nothing I ever face in life would be as tough as what I faced in the summer. Therefore, standing on that start line was one of the easiest things I had done all year. I was excited and ready for the challenge. You told me you came to Europe 14 days before JWOC... What were you first impressions of Lithuania and the terrain? Did you like it or not?
When you think back about the Sprint... Could you actually believe what you achieved when you had finished the race? When did you actually realize, that you had become the World Champion? I guess this wasn’t something you would even dream about? No, not really. I knew that I was capable of it but I guess when it actually happens it will always be a bit of a shock that you actually DID IT. You just have to see the sequence of photos in The Australian Orienteer (Oct’06, p3) to see this. It wasn’t until my great friend BJ muttered in my ear that I was World Champion that I realized. I started crying - I think mostly because I was sad that my Dad couldn’t be there to celebrate with me, my mum and my friends. I have dreamt about it. And I still do. Actually, what were you thinking coming into WOC 2006? I think you must have known you were in a good shape, but what were your goals for the event? I knew I was in good shape. My training had been perfect as had my preparation. I just wanted to improve on last year’s performances. I have to admit I was more focused on the Long but this just proves you should aim high in all your races. I certainly would have been very happy to go home with a podium or even top-10 finish because my main focus in 2006 was JWOC. Anything that happened at WOC was going to be the icing on the cake.
To be honest I found it really tough. I was almost a bit freaked out for a while. But then I just told myself to get on with my training, try as hard as I could and just see what happened. I knew that the forest was going to be tough and just kept telling myself that it was going to be the same for everyone. I like it now. I think it is fantastic as it is super challenging: low visibility, quite physical, soft, and technically interesting. Yeah, it’s fun to orienteer there. How did you like the country in general? Was there anything you found surprising about it? I loved many aspects of the country. It is a very beautiful place and underneath their tough exterior the people were beautiful and so friendly towards us. The most challenging aspect of the country for me was the food. I am a vegetarian and also cannot have much dairy products so I think this freaked a lot of people out. I laughed when I found out that basically the only soy products I could buy were baby formulas!!! In the Sprint, there were just 4secs separating you from the gold medal... And although the course wasn’t the most difficult, it seems that you made a JWOC Sprint winner, Ingunn Weltzien from Switzerland. Photo courtesy Veivalg.
As for the Long distance... I guess it was very difficult for you this time to get back down to earth after what happened the day before and get motivated enough. Was it? Or was there any other problem? I’m guessing this, because of the style with which you ran in the Relay, a technical and tough race, where on the last leg you were able to outclass all your rivals... The hardest part of the Long-distance was being allowed to refocus. I was woken at 6am by the media in Australia, and continuously hampered by further phone calls. Plus everyone was coming up to me right up to the start congratulating me and patting me on the back. I really appreciated it all but it certainly made it hard for me to focus. Despite this I was very happy with the end of the Long-distance. I felt I improved heaps as the race went on, I was just not focused enough at the start. MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 25
IPNRTOEFRI LV EI E W couple of small mistakes during the race, which cost you the gold medal in the end... Can you analyze them? Were they really mistakes? I don’t agree with this. I didn’t make mistakes, I ran conservatively. Despite everything this season I still do not consider myself a sprint orienteer… I love the longer distances and this was my main focus at JWOC. The last thing that I wanted to do in the Sprint at JWOC was try to go too hard too early and then make massive mistakes so I ran conservatively. I am super happy with this run - she (Ingunn Weltzien) was just better on the day. She is a beautiful athlete and a great friend and I take my hat off to her with that fantastic performance. Honestly, I was very happy with the race. It gave me things to focus on and try to improve on in the Long-distance the next day, plus I walked away feeling very, very fresh. I was ready for the most important race now. In the Long distance you seemed to be in a class of your own, with a race close to perfect... Could you describe what you think were the crucial moments on the course? Always the most crucial moment is nailing the start. I started conservatively and slowed a lot so as not to make any navigational errors whilst I was adjusting to the terrain. I also believe in slowing down a little after spectator controls because there is always so much excitement that you can lose your focus here. I actually had one scary moment leading into the spectator control. I misplaced myself on the map and nearly blew the race. But I managed to stop, think and stay calm… relocating quickly. I was very lucky really. How did you feel before the race and what were your expectations? To be honest I knew I could win. I was so calm. Nothing could have felt easier than standing on that start line after a horror summer (in Australia) and then some great physical preparation leading into the race. I was having heaps of fun before the start. Did you have any tactics for this race? If so, what were they? Nup, I knew the race wasn’t very long so I just thought “DO IT’. You shouldn’t worry about these sorts of things. I just did what I always do - start a little easier and be careful after the spectator control. Was there anything you were particularly careful about before the start with regards to the terrain, the situation (JWOC Long-distance Final), etc? Not really. I knew that the green was dangerous as it slows your running speed dramatically and also causes reduced visibility so I was wary of it when I was running. Despite the amazing run, did you have any difficulties out on the course? What were they, when did they come? As I said earlier the only major difficulty was just before the spectator control but I was happy with how I dealt with this. What thoughts were going through your mind when you were passing through the finish area with still one third of the race to go, but perhaps knowing already about how well you were running? Was it difficult to get back into the focus and back into orienteering after this passage? Or did you regain your rhythm quickly? 26 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
I didn’t have any thoughts other than focusing on what I still had to do. I never listen to the commentary so I had no idea how I was running compared to the other athletes. I was pretty happy with how I was going on a personal level and knew that I had things I wanted to improve on in the last part of the race (such as map contact and improving control flow). It was good to have these things to focus on because it stopped me getting carried away about running too fast. What is the best memory for you from this event? Oh, actually it would have to be the bus trip out to the start. The bus driver began the trip by lighting up a cigarette which he was rudely asked to put out. Then he decided to overtake a police car before being promptly pulled over and charged! It was great because I spent the rest of the morning laughing! And of course there are the friends you meet, and my first chance to handle a gold medal in international orienteering. That has to be a good memory doesn’t it?! And then the Middle-distance... What do you think went wrong here? Especially at the 3rd control where you lost those 5 minutes. I had achieved my goal of a JWOC gold medal and I didn’t force myself to refocus quickly enough. It was a very emotional time for me because I had dreamt of this for so long and discussed it for hours with my Dad who I left at home in Australia because he was still too sick to travel with me. I guess I wanted to savor the moment with my family rather than rush forward for more. Was it difficult for you to get motivation and full focus for the race after the two medals, or was it just a mind “fall-out”? Neither of the two. It was a more personal, deeper issue than that. I just wanted to stop there. I actually had very little motivation to run the Middle. I had finished the dream at that point. It is no excuse, I should have tried to put together another run but in my mind’s eye I had finished my JWOC career after that gold medal. What is it, which makes you prefer orienteering to other sports, although you do them a lot too, as you have already mentioned. But why is orienteering No. 1 for you, compared to, for example, road-running, doing which is perhaps much less complicated for you (in that you don’t have to do so much traveling to Europe for all the big races, secure the money for the season, and other...) What is so special about orienteering for you? It all boils down to the friendships I have in the sport, the opportunities it has given me, and the goals that I have not achieved yet. I have fun in orienteering at the moment and so that is what keeps me coming back for more. I love the freedom of running in European forests and the opportunity to travel to some amazing places. I love the friends I have and so am always looking forward to going back to Europe to see them all. But I think once I feel I have achieved everything in my sport I will be stepping down and looking for new challenges. Despite this, I think I will always orienteer at a social level - I think there will always be a small part of it inside me. (The Australian Orienteer thanks Jan Skricka, editor of Orienteering Today, for permission to reproduce this interview.)
HANNY’S TIPS
Hanny’s Top Ten Tips for Granite Orienteering
6. Bare rock: Bare rocks (mapped with grey) not only make an easy navigation tool due to their size and unique shapes but they also increase your speed in the terrain if you run on top of them. This is particularly important in Australia where we have a lot of undergrowth and fallen timber on the ground. 7. Placing the rock in the terrain: It is very risky to only navigate using one feature ie. just the granite. Therefore, try to use a combination of contours and granite (eg. Where does the rock sit in relation to the top of the hill of the nearby gully?) or vegetation and granite (eg. Is the rock near a vegetation boundary or in the open? etc) 8. Control descriptions: Make sure that you know exactly what the feature is that the control is on and what side of the feature it is on. Then try to choose a route choice that allows you to approach from this side. If you are looking around and being observant you should be able to see the control easily and thus increase your speed and control flow. 9. Short legs: If the leg is short and you have no option to avoid the rock detail then mentally ‘walk’ the leg. You will loose far more time getting lost amongst the rocks than you will just taking it that little bit easier!
1. Contours: Contours are and always will be an orienteer’s best friend. Use the contours as your number one navigational tool. When you think about it, the contours are the only feature on the map that are 100% accurate as they are mapped (almost always) from areal photography whilst the granite and other features are purely a mapper’s interpretation. 2. Simplification: It can become overwhelming when looking at a granite orienteering map… all those little black dots! So when you are orienteering try to find ways of staying out of the rock for as long as you can. Re-enter the rock at the last minute. This way you will not only simplify your navigation but also increase your running speed. 3. Traffic lighting: When you use the Simplification technique there is a risk that after running fast in the easier terrain you forget to slow down when re-entering the rock. It is often best if you stop and ‘walk’ into the control, making sure that you know exactly what features you are expecting to see on entry into the flag. 4. Attack points: Know exactly what your last major feature is when re-entering the rock and then exercise great caution. This Attack Point should be large, obvious and thus easily identifiable from the surrounding features. After leaving the attack point have a series of minor attack points that will lead you into the control. Mentally ‘walk’ this section.
10. Goals: Never enter an orienteering event without navigational goals! This is particularly important where navigation is far more important than running speed. Write your goals down and keep looking back over them. This way you will stay focussed on the task at hand rather than the speed and pressure the competition and its outcomes. For more from Hanny go to her website: www.hannyallston.com
Sports Au s t r a l i a n
F o u n d a t i o n
Support your Sport through taxdeductible donations to the Australian Sports Foundation Check out the details and download the donor’s form from
www.orienteering.asn.au Support our sponsors and support your sport
5. Rock shapes: When navigating in rock one can become overwhelmed by the similarity of all the features. However, rocks are vary rarely all the same shape and mappers (particularly in Australia) recognise this, often mapping the larger rocks with shapes. If a rock has a unique shape on the map it will then make the perfect navigational feature on the ground as it will stand out from all the rocks around it. MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 27
ADVENTURE RACING
Orienteers prove too good in TEVA Adventure Race
A
cold Sunday morning last October saw nearly 200 competitors take part in the 3rd Teva Adventure Series race in Macedon Ranges. Teams made up of three competitors confronted a 7km foot orienteering course, a 25km MTB-O course, a 1km run up Mt. Macedon and several novelty events. Team Silva made up of highly ranked Mountain Bike orienteers, Adrian Jackson and Alex Randall and evergreen Jim Russell crossed the finish line in 3hrs 47min - way ahead of the next placegetters in the Men’s section. To prove that orienteers excel in adventure type races where navigation is part of the challenge, a VOA girls team of Jasmine Neve, Kathryn Ewels and Kirsten Fairfax finished miles ahead in the Women’s section and third overall beating all but Team Silva and one other men’s team. An amazing achievement after their 2nd place in the world rogaining championships.
CityChase returns to Sydney
U
rban adventurers from Australia and around the world are gearing up for the return of CityChase to Sydney on 17th March, when the city will once again be turned into a giant obstacle course to kick off the first leg of the largest urban adventure competition on earth. CityChase was created and launched in Canada in 2004. The concept made an immediate impact on the country, expanding to a national event series in Canada’s nine largest cities in 2005, and the competition was turned into a successful, national prime-time TV series. The 2007 Volvo CityChase is a part urban obstacle course, part scavenger hunt race that is open to anyone over the age of 18, and features teams of two racing around the city to complete a series of unique physical, mental, and humorous challenges and return to the finish line in the fastest time. Specific plans are strictly under wraps, but previous races have pushed competitors to their physical and mental limits, including everything from eating live crickets, to swinging on a flying trapeze, to jumping out of a plane at over 10,000 feet. Although the sport of urban adventure racing is relatively new to Australia, the winners of the inaugural 2006 Volvo CityChase, Ben Rattray and Andrew Hill, went on to upset nine other teams from across the globe to win the CityChase World Championships, held over 33 hours across 30km of the city of Chicago. “Australians have proven their enthusiasm for this unique style of urban adventure racing and the response we received from the first Australian event is proof that there is a huge demand for this type of activity as an alternative to more traditional events like marathons,” says Nick Jelinek, the Canadian creator of the CityChase concept. “We are expecting as many as 500 teams to sign up for a chance to represent Australia at the World Championships to be held in a mystery city against the respective champions from Canada, England, France, USA, Singapore and Portugal.”
28 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
Kirsten Fairfax, Kathryn Ewels and Jasmine Neve finished miles ahead in the Women’s section and third overall in the TEVA Adventure race
Team Silva: Jim Russell, Adrian Jackson and Alex Randall, comfortable winners in the TEVA Adventure race
ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA
Executive Matters Gareth Candy
Annual Conference
W
ith some new faces on the Orienteering Australia Board this year, there were many new ideas presented at the Annual Conference, held in Canberra in December. In his President’s Report Bob Mouatt commented on the changes in the last 10 years of Orienteering Australia, it highlighted the good job which has been done in keeping our organisation up to date in an evolving and changing environment for sports in Australia. It was also a reminder that we must remain vigilant and continue to evolve to ensure our competitiveness in the modern sports marketplace. The new ideas and open debate at this years Conference is a positive sign that Orienteering Australia continues to head in the right direction. All the attendees at the Conference were split into discussion groups on the first morning to look at two important issues, memberships and the future of high performance. The memberships discussion was lead by Director (Development) Ben Rattray and looked at impediments to becoming a member, what the benefits are of being a member, why we have memberships and what we should charge for being a member. The discussion was far ranging and included discussions of a national based approach to memberships, tiered structure of membership, providing services to beginners, event fees versus membership fees, the importance of social interaction and competitive pathways for junior members. The ideas were collected by the Director (Development) and will be presented as a major item at the upcoming Development Conference being held in Canberra in May. The High Performance discussion was lead by Director (High Performance) Mike Dowling and explored a vision for High Performance orienteering for 2015. Keeping depth of competition in our National League events, both junior and senior was seen as being very important. Promotion and presentation were seen as important issues with suggestions that we should hold more events aimed at promotion, holding them close to major population areas and promote local orienteers and/or other local athletes who are participating in the event. Coaching was identified as an important issue and particularly the need to develop more coaches to a High Performance level and to encourage our High Performance athletes to have a more positive attitude towards coaching. In management and administration a new Junior Sport Policy and a new Risk Management Policy were adopted after much hard work in developing them by Bob Mouatt. A new Event Levies system was adopted at the conference for 2007 after the concept of an all-events levy was endorsed at the 2006 AGM, the new levy system was developed by Director (Finance) Blair Trewin. In International matters Hugh Cameron (IOF Vice President) informed the Conference that Orienteering had been unsuccessful in its application for the inclusion of Ski Orienteering in the 2014 Winter Olympics. The conference was also informed of all the developments at an international level from the IOF Council, Congress and Non-European Nations meeting held in Denmark in conjunction with the
World Orienteering Championships. A paper on the future of APOC was presented at the Conference by David Hogg who also announced that he is stepping down from the position of APOC Secretariat. All at the Conference and the whole of Orienteering Australia would like to acknowledge all the work that David has done in this position and the great benefit it has been to Orienteering Australia. The major Technical items under discussion and which were adopted were Andy Hogg’s (Director Technical) Age Classes proposal which recommended decreasing the number of compulsory age groups at championship events and a proposal to eliminate membership requirements for participating at Australian Championships. The conference endorsed Orienteering Australia and some State Associations to look at expanding carnivals from 2011 onwards to include major international events such as World Cup or World Championship carnivals. Of interest to many orienteers will be the new guidelines for non-elite rankings and a new system for awarding the Silva Medal (for orienteer of the year) which were adopted. Each day of the Australian 3-Days (excl. the Prologue), Australian Championships (Sprint, Middle and Long) and the State Championships conducted at the Australian Championships will form the basis of the calculations occasionally with other major events (eg Oceania Championships) included. For the non-elite rankings the best three performances will count, for the Silva Medal points are accumulated by completing six events in an A or E class from M/W16 upwards. The Director (Special Projects) Robin Uppill updated the Conference on High Tech and website developments including progress involving an online entry system and online results database. In Development a new Sponsorship Policy was adopted to formalise a collaborative approach between Orienteering Australia, State Associations and major carnival organisers towards attracting sponsorship to our major events, the policy is now available on the Orienteering Australia website. The Director (Development) also presented a Licensing (membership) proposal which was discussed and then deferred to the Development Conference for further discussion and refinement. The importance of schools orienteering was noted by the council and a motion that Orienteering Australia contribute an amount equal to five days of relief teaching to the position of National Secretary of Schools Orienteering was carried. This is a very important step in ensuring that the hugely successful annual Australian Schools Championships continue well into the future. Robin Simson is thanked for his proactive approach in ensuring that this vital part of Orienteering in Australia continues to be run successfully well into the future. My next article for The Australian Orienteer will be as Head Coach, not Executive Officer, but I would like to thank Orienteering Australia and particularly the OA Board for all their help and support over the last year as I have learnt the ropes in this position. This experience will be invaluable as I move into the High Performance side of operations.
Or ienteer ing Aus tr alia photo ar chiv e Photos that appear in The Australian Orienteer can be made available in a digital format for press releases or special promotional projects. Contact Peter Cusworth on 03 5968 5254 or cusworth@netspace.net.au Any material costs will be passed on to users.
MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 29
TRAINING
Preparing to compete
likely to be phased by an unfamiliar area or type of terrain. What goes into it is up to you, but here are some suggestions:
Steve Bird
v Night before event:
Introduction For some orienteers and on some occasions it’s the result that counts: winning or losing. Other aspects of the event are swamped by this simple outcome regardless of how well, or how badly, we’ve performed. Whereas for other orienteers, for whom winning is less of an issue, it’s the enjoyment that counts; a feeling of satisfaction in having performed up to their ability: at being set a challenge by the course planner and successfully mastering that challenge. But what both groups have in common is a sense of disappointment and frustration if something goes wrong, and either prevents them from winning or spoils their enjoyment. So whether you’re a competitor who is out to win, someone who enjoys the challenge, or a combination of both, this article applies to you. It’s about reducing the risk of something going wrong in the event and maximizing your chances of performing at your very best. It’s about taking control of the factors that can go wrong, and yet despite their simplicity, many of us leave them to chance. One way to maximize our chances of having a successful and enjoyable event, is to invest a little time planning and preparing for it. Some aspects of preparation are obvious, such as: getting fit, developing your navigational skills, having a healthy diet, being fully hydrated, and using mental training to ensure that you’re in the right frame of mind for an event. And since different authors in this publication have covered these topics previously, they will not be mentioned here in detail. But in addition to these aforementioned aspects of preparation, there are other very basic and simple strategies that can help us get those good runs more often. They help to ensure that all the hard work you’ve put into developing your fitness and technical skills isn’t wasted due to unforeseen factors. Essentially it’s about planning, preparation, and establishing a pre-event routine that you follow regardless of whether you are competing locally, inter-state or overseas. Good planning reduces the risk of things going wrong and maximizes your chance of performing at your best. It may seem very basic, and indeed it is, but you may be surprised how many times I’ve known top orienteers to arrive at an event without a key piece of equipment such as water-bottle, shoes or compass. For those with aspirations of winning world medals their preparation for an event may begin years beforehand, whilst for those of us competing at a more local level it may begin just a few days before the event, or a few weeks if an event is of particular significance to us. But regardless of the level of competition, the purpose of preparation is the same: to maximize your chances of achieving your potential and performing at your very best. Described below are a number of elements that can be included in your preparation, and whereas some orienteers appear to be able to perform consistently well without recourse to them, others may find them useful.
Develop a pre-event routine and check list Your pre-event routine is made up of the things you should do before every event, whether you are doing a local club event or national championship. It helps to ensure that you’re as well prepared as possible and don’t forget anything important. It also gets you into a sense of familiarity and means that you’re less 30 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
v 3-days before the event: • study maps of the area and review previous run on that map. • work out how long it will take to get to the event, and from that, what time you need to get up and leave. Also remember to include additional time if it’s needed to get from the assembly area to the start. • Pack orienteering bag • Pack bag of pre- and post event snacks, and prepare water bottle, sports drinks etc. v Travelling to event • Drink water in small doses throughout journey to facilitate full hydration. • Pause for small snack and coffee. I usually like to do this about 90 -120 minutes before my estimated start time, but others of you will have different preferred schedules. v At the event • Check control descriptions • Visit finish area • Warm up • Observe starters ahead of you whilst stretching in the start area • Focus on the event and the strategies you are going to use • Use centreing to get into the right frame of mind, level of arousal and concentration v Post event • Cool-down • Stretch • Rehydrate • Have carbohydrate snack to replenish muscle glycogen energy levels. This is of particular significance in multi-day events, for which you could try packing a pasta salad to ensure that you have access to a good source of carbohydrate soon after you’ve finished. In the pre-event routine I have only briefly mentioned a few aspects of the mental preparation that can be used. And for those wishing to know more I would recommend Jason McCrae’s article published in The Australian Orienteer, March 2005, in which he also outlines the use of a check-card in a pre-event routine. Similarly Kay Haarsma’s article (The Australian Orienteer, December 2004) about preparing our MTBO team for the world champs also makes an interesting read. Your check-list itemizes the things you need to do before you start. It’s also a good idea to have a list of the contents of your orienteering bag that you can check (See Jason McCrae’s article). To produce the check-list, work backwards from your start time, working out how long you need to get ready at the event, travel time, when you have to leave, get up and so on. Your check-list will include things you need to do on the day of the event, the night before and the preceding week, such as studying maps of the competition area and making sure you have a supply of your favourite pre-event snacks. If you start your event having ticked all the items on your check-list you should have done everything possible to ensure that you have a good event. With practice you will get into a routine with your check-list, but don’t get complacent about it, as you need to pay special attention to it if you’re in an unfamiliar environment or on a more stressful occasion, as that is when things are likely to be forgotten and you need it most.
TRAINING Refine your technical skills specifically for the event Technical skills take a considerable amount of time to develop. But if you do have a particular event that you are focusing on, it’s worth practicing on the same type of terrain, in the preceding weeks. This will help to refine your navigational skills, provide confidence and give the terrain a sense of familiarity when you get there. National teams may use training camps for this purpose and some top orienteers have been known to move country, to live and train in the region of a forthcoming major event. Whilst this would be rather extreme for those of us competing at a more modest level, it does illustrate the point, and is certainly a function of the model events that most of us get the opportunity to participate in.
Pre-event Armchair Orienteering The purpose of this is to familiarize yourself with the competition area, and/or the kind of terrain you’ll be competing in. Ideally, you should study the map of the area, and if you’ve competed there before, you should review your previous run, assessing what went well and what didn’t, what navigational strategies you should use and what to look out for. It may even remind you to take extra care in an intricate area you had problems with last time. Don’t be put off by previous errors, but do work out how you are going to prevent yourself from doing the same thing this time. You can then make up a course on the map and imagine yourself navigating around it. If you know where the start area is likely to be, then incorporate it in your imaginary course. If you haven’t got a map of the area, select one that is similar to it. At least this will help to prepare you for the type of terrain, i.e. rocky, open land or forest, spur/gully, intricate contour detail, pine forest or eucalyptus. This has even more significance if you’re competing away from your familiar local environment, for example on New Zealand sand dunes.
Pre-event Food Most sports people have preferred pre-competition foods. If you do, then take them with you. Pack your preferred snacks, just in case you can’t get them en-route or at the event. Don’t leave it to chance, for example the catering tent may not be set up in time for you to eat before your early start. So don’t let their problem muck up your run. If, like me, you enjoy a good coffee an hour or so before you compete, then pack a flask of hot water, coffee, plunger, milk etc to have at your leisure. Likewise pack your sports drink and fluid for re-hydrating afterwards. This preparation may have additional significance if competing overseas - if at all possible take your favourite pre-event food with you, or make sure you can purchase it in plenty of time when you arrive in the country, don’t leave it to the last minute. Also note that an important event is not the occasion to try out something new for the first time. Just because someone you know runs well on bananas, doesn’t mean that you will. So try it out first in less important events to find out, just in case it doesn’t work for you.
At the event When you get to the event area, there are still plenty of things you can do. As you’re driving into the area look at the terrain, assess what it’ll be like to run through. If you enjoy a chat before you compete, make sure you arrive early and give yourself time to do so. But make sure it doesn’t extend into the time when you should be doing other elements of your pre-competition routine. A warm up should be one component of your pre-competition routine, and if possible use it to visit the finish area, as it may be possible to identify a number of ‘last controls’ and the routes into the finish. You may also get some clues from the control descriptions for each course, if they are on display. It may not always help, but it certainly will on some occasions, and it’s
John Walker (RK-V)
worth the investment in time. This is particularly so in larger events when there may be spectators at the finish, who provide additional stress, and you don’t want to be seen running to the wrong last control, when a little pre-event planning could have saved valuable seconds as well as preventing the embarrassment. When you get to the start area you should be focusing on your run, it’s not ‘down-time’. Course planners will try to ensure that from the start area it’s not possible to see the direction that starters are taking, but they’re not always able to do this, so if you arrive early you may see other competitors starting on your course and get some indication.
Kit Keep your orienteering bag well-packed and containing all your gear. This may include a smaller bag for items such as compasses, red (permanent non-smudge) pens, map-bags, whistle, magnifier, plasters. This will help to prevent you arriving at an event without a vital item.
Conclusion Some orienteers seem to just turn up at an event and do well consistently, others prefer to be a bit more systematic in their preparation. Having a regular pre-event routine, which incorporates some of the elements described above may help you. However, you must also be prepared to make adjustments to your routine if necessary, and not go to pieces, just because you couldn’t complete some element due to arriving late, or having brown toast for breakfast instead of your preferred white toast. By planning, you are much more in control of the factors that can affect your run. It won’t guarantee that you’ll do well, but it should increase your chances. It helps to remove the risks that could spoil your performance. The amount you’re willing to invest in the preparation depends on how much you want to do your best. So don’t leave it to chance and remember the words of Benjamin Franklin: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” References Are good results not coming? Are you in the right frame of mind? Jason McCrae’s The Australian Orienteer, March 2005, p27. How they prepared. Kay Haarsma. The Australian Orienteer, December 2004, p34. 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 and is now assisting the Victorian Junior Squad. MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 31
HIGH PERFORMANCE
Changes have brought Success Mike Dowling, OA Director, High Performance
Four team National League competition in 2007 In an exciting development for our premier domestic competition Orienteering Australia will now be conducting a four team competition as a part of the league in Junior & Senior Women and Junior and Senior Men divisions respectively. It will be a great opportunity to see which state teams will come to the fore in this initial series of races to be held over the Easter holiday period in South Australia.
Thanks Grant & Welcome Gareth Strategic Plan The 2006 Annual Conference of Orienteering Australia saw the annual review of the High Performance Strategic Plan that underpins our activities over the period to 2008. Key outcomes adopted which relate to our high performance activities were: • The establishment of a National Junior Development Squad in 2007; • The restructuring of the Senior Selection Panel for foot orienteering; • The commencement of a national MTBO series in 2008; • The adoption of a four team competition for the National League in 2007. Orienteering Australia is calling for applications for a coach of our new National Junior Development Squad. The squad will be announced following the JWOC carnival in July. The formation of this Squad completes the formal development pathway for high performance orienteering in Australia. The primary goal of the Squad will be to identify talented young orienteers in the 15 - 17 age bracket and provide them with ongoing support and training opportunities. We will specifically look for young orienteers who demonstrate orienteering ability and in particular the physical attributes to be successful future high performance orienteers. The central role of the Squad coach will be to work in partnership with squad members and their coaches and to conduct at least one national camp for squad members each year.
New selection structure for senior teams & squads The OA Conference endorsed a proposal to restructure the Senior Selection Panel for 2007 with the new structure to be reviewed at the 2007 Conference. The new panel includes an independent chair, the Head Coach and coaches of both our WOC and Bushrangers teams. The new structure aims to place the onus of team performance outcomes more firmly on the coaching team thus increasing accountability for athlete performance by flattening the administrative layers in the selection of both squads and teams. It also takes into account the central role of the Head Coach in overseeing all aspects of elite athlete development by having them become an integral part of the selection process. An independent chair provides the necessary checks and balances to ensure selection maintains an objective basis. One of the key tasks of the new panel is to review the selection criteria for both the Bushrangers team and the national Senior Squad to enable us to better support the development of our potential future WOC representatives.
National MTBO Series In 2008 A National League (Series) will commence from 2008 for our high performance MTBO athletes. This will be an important aspect in furthering the development of MTBO from both a competitive and participation standpoint. The MTBO High Performance Management Group is developing a proposal for a firm structure for the series for final approval at the 2007 AGM. Two key aspects of the national series under consideration are that it would be an individual based series incorporating the annual selection races for the MTBO WOC team, national championships and possibly one state Championship weekend. 32 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
Our Head Coach, Grant Bluett, resigned from this role in January to take on a new career direction. I would like to extend a sincere personal vote of thanks to Grant for the dedicated, passionate and enthusiastic commitment he has put into furthering Australian orienteering over the last year. He has done so much for orienteering in the Head Coach role and will still continue to have a major role in influencing the future direction of our high performance orienteering program through his role as a coach with our national Junior Team. The Board of Orienteering Australia has appointed Gareth Candy to the role of Head Coach. Gareth brings many fine attributes having been a very successful coach of our 2006 JWOC team and possessing tertiary qualifications in Coaching Science. Orienteering is indeed fortunate to able to call upon the services of Gareth in this vital role.
ACTAS Our National Training Centre Last December I had the privilege to meet with Emery Holmik, Director of the ACT Academy of Sport. As ACTAS is our National Training Centre it performs a vital role in the preparation and training support of many of our top orienteers. The meeting with Emery gave me with a much better insight into the important role played by ACTAS in supporting our high performance orienteers.
Future directions for High Performance program In this edition OA president, Bob Mouatt, discusses the development of our high performance programs over the last 10 years. It is clear we have done much to enhance our programs, our standing in the Australian sporting community and most importantly our international competitiveness with AUS achieving World Championship gold medals in all three of the World Championships we participate in, backed up by a growing number of benchmark performances (top-16 individual and top-8 relay). Over the next 10 year period I see five main goals we should be striving to achieve to continue to build both our standing and our international competitiveness from a strategic standpoint. They are: • A full time Head Coach managing and articulating the strategic direction of our national teams and their underpinning programs; • A full time national Director of Coaching to work with coaches in all states to build the quality of coaches working with orienteers at all levels of our wonderful sport; • The building of greater competitive depth of all teams taking part in our national orienteering series in partnership with states that underpins our international competition program; • Building greater partnerships with the corporate world and government at all levels to grow our sport as an integral part of the Australian sporting community for the wonderful benefits our sport can offer to all Australians. • Working to host more international competitions to provide highlevel competition for our high performance athletes on home soil. What do you think should be our future strategic directions? Contact me to put forward your ideas. Mike Dowling, 17 High St., Bellerive, Tasmania 7018. tel 6244 71773 ; e-mail mdowling@tassie.net.au
TOP EVENTS 2007 2007
2008 March 23-25 Oceania MTB-O Champs, World Ranking Event, Vic MTB-O Champs Shelley, Northern Victoria. www.vicorienteering.asn.au
April 6-15 “Burra to Barossa 2007” Aust 3Days & Middle-dist Champs, SA www.oasa.asn.au/2007
June 4-9 European MTB-O Champs, Tuscany, Italy www.ecmtbo2007.org
March 21-24 Australian 3-Days Dubbo, NSW
June 16-22 (tentative)
APOC 2008 South Korea
June 28 WMOC 2008 -July 5 Marinha Grande, Portugal www.wmoc2008.fpo.pt
June 27-30 Arctic Midnight Orienteering Ilulissat, Greenland www.iog.gl
June 29- JWOC 2008 July 7 Gothenberg, Sweden www.gmok.nu/jwoc2008
July 10-20 WOC 2008 Olomouc, Czech Republic www.woc2008.cz
June 30 Midnatssolgaloppen - July 4 Arctic Norway www.mg-norway.no
July 2-7 5 Days of the Fortresses Trentini Highlands, Italy www.montagnaconamore.itUkraine
July 21-25 O-Ringen 2008 Dalarna, Sweden www.oringen.com/dalarna2008
July 30- Aug 8
July 7-14 WMOC 2007 Kuusamo, Finland www.wmoc2007.fi/
Sept 1-7 MTB-O World Champs 2008 Ostróda, Poland
Sept 27- Oct 5
Nordvestgallopen 2008 Voss/Bergen, Norway
Australian Championships Maryborough, QLD
July 7-15 JWOC 2007 Carnival, incl NSW Champs, Aus Champs & Schools Champs, Dubbo, NSW. http:// jwoc2007.orienteering.asn.au/
July 15-20 Fin 5 Kankaapaa - Lavia, Finland http://fin5.kansu.fi/
July 22-27 O-Ringen Östergötland, Sweden www.oringen.com
August 5-11 Spey 2007 Scottish 6 Days Cairngorms National Park www.scottish6days.com
August 5-12 MTB-O World Champs 2007 Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Rep www.mtbo.cz/woc2007/
August 11-12 Northern Territory Orienteering Championships Monte Titano, NT www.mtbo.cz/woc2007/
August 16-26 WOC 2007 Kiev, Ukraine e-mail: info@woc2007.org.ua www.woc2007.org.ua
October 5 Australian Sprint Championships, Canberra ACT
This A3 size full-colour 2007 calendar has been produced by Orienteering photo journalist Lucie Navarova using her photos from the 2006 Jukola Relays in Finland. Jukola is the world’s largest Orienteering relay race involving some 15,000 competitors.
October 1-7 Oceania Championships, Canberra ACT
Available for $20 from The Australian Orienteer, PO Box 165, Warrandyte, VIC 3113; or contact Mike Hubbert.
November 3-4 Australian MTB-O Championships, NSW
Dec 27-31 Christmas 5 Days, NSW
2007 ORIENTEERING CALENDAR
Advertise your event in The Australian Orienteer You can have a 6 x 8 cm event ad for just $50. In colour, if we have room, otherwise black and white. Send artwork to The Editor: mikehubbert@ozemail.com.au
Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 33
ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA
Orienteering Development
Fantasy Calendar
Ben Rattray, Director (Development)
It’s the start of a new year in the future, and I must admit I’m pretty excited about the calendar, but I have been like that for months. The full schedule posting (dates and locations at least) came out a full six months before the year started. It has given everyone plenty of planning time, and even better, incentive for other sports such as adventure racing to plan around the orienteering calendar. I will be able to check out most details of events on-line closer to the event, probably when I also enter online, a quick and simple process that saves me time and money.
What follows is a preview of a made-up year, as if it were real.
Internationally The IOF has developed the elite World Cup schedule and many of our top runners are able to attend the full series with the big sponsorship money now in the sport. The money stretches as far as us and between Australia and New Zealand we are looking forward to hosting a spectacular leg of the World Cup, complete with large screens in the assembly area for spectators, GPS tracking, and cameras in the forest and mounted onto runners, with significant television coverage.
A New Year – a New Season This year there is an action packed event calendar. I can’t wait for all the quality orienteering I’m going to be able to fit in. There is Easter in my old stomping ground, the first ever Junior World Championships (JWOC) held outside Europe, and then the Oceania Championships. That’s not to mention the other national league events I will run, a few internationals and the improving domestic state calendar. There is however a continual debate about various aspects of our calendar and the balance between the number of events, event standards and the strain on clubs and volunteers. There is inevitably a balancing act required to provide a quality season, and there are different views on how this should be achieved. I have put my thoughts into a preview of a fantasy event calendar that I hope shows how and why we need to carefully plan our calendars in the future.
34 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
Australia and New Zealand compete regularly and the majority of major events held in each country do not clash, allowing the keen to attend more races of the highest quality. The Oceania Championships have developed and everyone gets a great opportunity to match themselves against the best in the region every four years. The schools teams (AUS-NZ) do battle every year with alternate countries hosting the “Future Stars” event. The Australian Schools “Future Stars” team, once the Schools honours team, are able to gain valuable international experience in their development towards potential JWOC representation. Elites (Bushrangers) compete in a series every year (sometimes twice) with alternate hosting arrangements allowing valuable experience for our developing senior internationals. MAIN POINTS F World Cup attendance
F World Cup hosting
F Australia - New Zealand calendar F Oceania Championships F Future Stars event F Bushrangers series
Nationally Australia’s regular national carnivals, Easter and National Champions week are flourishing. The state rotation of events continues and the abundance of mappers are well utilised to provide challenges in terms of both areas and mapping interpretation. The major carnivals continue to attract the orienteering faithful but are also now well attended by less experienced orienteers who relish the big event atmosphere. Clubs have a strong presence and are much of the reason for the larger attendances, often travelling by team bus. Start lists are much longer than they used to be ensuring there is always a buzz around the assembly area with all the people. It is now viable for larger catering companies to attend events and a choice is available to eat after the event, even espresso. The National League continues and elite state teams are very distinct in their sponsored outfits. The format has changed little from its current form, with rounds at the major carnivals and two or three other weekends. New Zealand appears regularly at the event and there is pressure to include them as an official team in the competition, with a permanent round in New Zealand each
ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA year. There are three relays in the calendar improving the team camaraderie and sponsors provide prizes for the overall series as well as individual races. The commentary at the events tops off the sensational atmosphere and the events are regularly web-cast live including the commentary, GPS tracking and photos. The Junior National League largely follows the National League season although holds it own juniors-only round every year. The competition has grown sufficiently so that each state fields full junior teams at each round. There is a smaller elite series, predominantly developed for the south-eastern state competitors using existing events through the autumn. The Eureka challenge is back on the calendar as a great event to kick-off the season. It’s great competitive training for the elites and it ensures some of the early state events are well attended. A fairly recent addition to the calendar is the multi-leg night relay. The single class relay, sharing similarities with the large Swedish relays Tiomila and 25-Manna, consists of both night and day legs and includes requirements for a number of different age classes of both male and female competitors. The event is located well so that members from at least three states are within relatively easy distance. The relay allows clubs (and some corporate groups) to enter a number of teams in what ends up being a very social 24 hours in or near the assembly paddock. The relay is fast becoming the highlight of the yearly calendar for clubs as both a competitive and social outlet. MAJOR POINTS F Major carnivals
F National League
F Elite Series
F Multi-leg night relay
smaller centres at roughly half that rate. In the other weeks centres generally hold low key events or kept free for increasingly popular club trainings and social gatherings. The hosting of a major event creates a feeling of pride in the region and the standards are generally quite high. In effect the schedule creates a relatively low burden (few major events in any one region) on regions as well as incentive for travel through the state regions for those chasing more major events. The schedule also means that competitors in major cities such as Sydney can still run a few major state events in the year with little travel required. MAJOR POINTS F Regional centres
F Event disciplines
F Rotation of major events
F Regional leagues
F Use of areas
F Atmosphere
Mountain Bike Mountain bike orienteering has continued its growth and a lot of cyclists include a few events in their training calendar boosting attendance. At the top level, Australian Mountain-bike orienteering is highly competitive and a short National MTBO League season is held to fit in well with the regular mountain bike season. The National MTBO League attracts substantial sponsorship, particularly from cycling companies and a regular MTBO section is carried in the major cycling magazines. That’s my wish-list. Maybe one day it will turn out like that. As for now, enjoy the 2007 season, whatever it holds!
Development Tips – Sponsorship Locally The local calendar fits in well with the national calendar, I don’t need to miss anything major but there is enough on to keep those who only orienteer locally entertained throughout the year. All regional centres have a local series (generally a combination of score, mass start and sprint formats in a range of parks, streets and forest) which are extremely well attended. The events continue to be the main introductory format of our sport but the competitor standard can be quite high and the challenges constant meaning that all orienteers find the formats fun and worth attending. Testament to this, elites always seem to be present and use it as useful training for the coming season. Course-setting is at an extremely high level and the different disciplines (sprint, middle and long) are well distinguished and all well respected for the different challenges on offer. Members are not so worried about “converting” participants to the bush form and a consistent percentage will attend both anyway. In the major regional centres club league series are held providing healthy competition between clubs (and teams) with little need for far travel. The events are professional and well run, and a dedicated section ensures a warm and helpful atmosphere for the social and newcomers to the sport. It means everyone gets together and a strong club atmosphere and community is created. The smell of barbeques is common and almost everyone will stay around for at least a little while after their run. The local areas are all well mapped, their worth as a common venue acknowledged and course setters are well trained in providing interesting challenges in what used to be often seen as an uninteresting or unusable area. Regional centres cover most of populated Australia and all states have a few centres. In South Australia, Adelaide and Port Lincoln have been joined by Mount Gambier as a recent regional centre. Larger regional centres hold major events every 4-5 weeks and
1. Have a clear outline of what you can offer a company, as well as what they can offer you and a process by which you can evaluate the outcome. Companies like to be able to justify the sponsorship. 2. Approach a number of companies with a professional looking document and be patient. Some companies you will need to be “chased-up”. 3. Find out who your local members work for. A lot of sponsorship develops from contacts you already have, even if you don’t know it. 4. Don’t just approach companies you can think of a direct link with, they are probably the companies that are being bombarded with sponsorship proposals. The Southern Arrows (SA’s elite team) are likely to sign with a number of companies you would not have thought would be interested in sponsoring orienteering. 5. Utilise Orienteering Australia and States resources where possible and share experiences, there is no point re-inventing the wheel… If you have any tips, PLEASE email them to: oa_development@netspeed.com.au Good tips will be published with acknowledgements in subsequent editions.
Development Resources Orienteering Australia is creating development resources. Everyone can access them through the Orienteering Australia website: www.orienteering.asn.au/promotion/devel/ Please take advantage of them and check regularly for updates.
MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 35
MEET YOUR TEAM Team Name: The Cyclones State: Queensland
The Queensland Cyclones A Storm Brewing? Compiled by Wendy Read, Thorlene Egerton & Anna Sheldon
Secure your outdoor furniture and have your torch and transistor radio handy... here come “The Cyclones”. Cyclone History A quick skim over the archives reveals moderate Cyclone activity from Queensland through the latter part of the 20th century, (TC Scott, TC Melissa, TC Lorenzo, TC Michelle). Although able to hold their own after breaking away from the “Outer States” team, long distance travel (usually over land) to NOL events with little or no financial support weakened the team to a point where The Cyclones began to peter out. However since 2003, continued significant financial and managerial support from Orienteering Queensland has brought about an escalation of the frequency and intensity of Cyclonic activity, interestingly coinciding with increased global warming. If recent successes of the Queensland Schools Team (1st 2005 and equal 1st 2006) and the JNOL Team (1st 2006) are any indication of future Cyclone activity, then batten down the hatches!
Global Warming? – Queensland is Hot! Recent climate patterns have generally seen Cyclones with female names develop as higher category storms causing moderate to severe damage to neighbouring states. Emerging from a deep depression in 2004, members of the “Bomb Squad” (female cyclones TC Anna, TC Julia & TC Wendy) surged to second place in the Australian Champs Relay at Clonalton, NSW, a first for The Cyclones! In May 2005, a severe Cyclone hit the Rylstone region resulting in the first ever NOL round win for the squad. In 2006, the junior Cyclones blew away the rest of the field to win the JNOL trophy and the women, with the inclusion of TC Rachel, stormed the relay podium again.
Off the Radar Cyclones main fundraising activity is the running of the Summer Park Sprint series. Our attempts to sell fundraising chocolate and cleanskin wine have usually proved counterproductive to our training efforts, neutralising any benefits of our traditional long Saturday morning team runs through the forests of Mt Coot-tha. Cyclones are the ultimate cross-trainers. During the ‘eye’ of the orienteering season, squad members regularly participate (with varying degrees of skill and success) in Rogaining, Adventure 36 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
NOL 2006: 5th Team Coach: Geoff “The Weatherman” Peck Manager: Terry Cavanagh Website: http://www.omaster.com.au/cyclones/ Weekly Weather Reports: Mathieu McGuire Racing, Physics Olympiads, Tap Dancing, Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, Kayaking, Surfing, Athletics, Road Cycling, Fire Twirling, Skiing, Bushwalking, as well as stopping for the odd coffee. Go and chat to them sometime to find out just who does what in their spare (ha ha) time! Despite generous support from OQ, the funding dollar stops there. The state of our squad uniforms is testimony to our lack of sponsorship. Indeed, it will probably rain in Queensland before we get new kit, but one day, we too will wear slick, speedy O gear. We are poor, but having fun in our storm coloured pajama suits! Thankfully the Queensland Cyclones’ selection policy does not reflect the Bureau of Meteorolgy’s tropical cyclone naming protocol, whereby signicant cyclones are ‘retired’ once they have wreaked havoc on Australia. Neither is selection constrained by alphabetical sequence of first names – keep a close watch on the movements of TC Olly, TC Laurina, TC Kieran, TC Bridget and TC Simon especially around the Dubbo region in mid-2007. Despite TC Wendy being marked for retirement by the Qld BoM, policy states that decaying cyclones can retain their names as they may regenerate. In fact, team selection has been complicated at times by the slow rate of decay and re-intensification of significant older cyclones!!
Long Range Forecast Cyclones coach, Geoff “The Weatherman” Peck, predicts greater devastation to come in extensive regions of southern Australia in 2007 and beyond. With leadership shown by team mascot TC Larry the Wedgetailed Eagle, we look forward to stronger performances from the male contingent of the Cyclones team in years to come. To ensure southern states continue to be buffeted by cyclonic winds and torrential rain, a rich pool of quality athletes is developing, ready to create orienteering havoc over the next few years. Under the guidance of Rob Simson and Fiona Calabro, talented juniors progress from Mini, TC Scott Simson – to Junior and then on the Original Cyclone to Senior Cyclones Squads. Combined with the school’s program, success at the junior level has come about primarily through the result of many years of hard work by those at this developmental level. The trick, however, will be to maintain a climate that continues to develop persistent and tenacious Cyclones.
MEET YOUR TEAM
Cyclones Timeline 1993 TC Scott (Simson)
TC Lance Read
1994 TC Rachel (Nolan) 1995 1996 TC Lance (Read)
TC Mark (Nemeth)
1997 TC Nino (Calabro)
TC Ben (Schulz)
TC Lorenzo (Calabro)
1998 TC Melissa (Thomas)
TC Kerryn (Thomas)
1999 TC Anna (Sheldon) 2000 TC Michelle (Scott) 2001 2002 TC Dave (Moran)
TC Nathan (Lawley)
TC Thor (Egerton)
2003 TC Wendy (Read)
TC Heike (Torggeler)
TC Julia (Davies)
TC Ainsley (Cavanagh)
Bomb Squad - TC Anna, TC Wendy, TC Thor, TC Julia, TC Ainsley
TC Mark Nemeth
Cyclones in the NOL
2004 TC Torgeir (Watne)
TC Dane (Cavanagh)
TC Ian (Anderson)
TC Ruth (Burrill)
TC Clair (Hawkins)
2005 TC Matt (Bourke)
TC James (Sheldon)
TC G ayle (QuantockSimson)
TC Kieran (Sullivan)
TC Thor Egerton
2006 TC Jukka (Oikarinnen)
TC Daniel (Stott)
TC Peter (Sheldon)
TC Laurina (Neumann)
TC Rachel (Effeney)
TC Bridget (Anderson)
TC Grace (Burrill)
TC Michelle (Cantwell)
TC Clare (Leung)
TC Wendy, TC Anna & TC Julia - 2004 Aus Champs Relay 2nd place
Geoff “The Weatherman” Peck & TC Nathan Lawley MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER
37
PROFILE
Jörgen Mårtensson Six continents and seventy countries Ten years ago the name Jörgen ‘Jögge’ Mårtensson, twice world elite champion, was on everyone’s lips. But how’s life for a famous elite orienteer after he retires? Sweden’s Mårtensson founded Park World Tour China and PWT Travel. He still travels all the time all over the world, just as he did during his O career. Just 18, Jörgen Mårtensson ran his very first world orienteering championships. He was the youngest participant at Kongsberg, Norway, and at the start of a 22 year career as a top orienteer. During his 20 years in the national squad, the Swede ran orienteering races in 62 different countries. After ten world championship medals – two gold, three silver, three relay silver, two relay bronze – the world champion of 1991 in Czech and 1995 in Germany came to the end of his career as an elite sportsman. Actually Jörgen qualified for the final of WOC in Scotland in 1999 but because of a foot injury in the qualification race he was a non-starter. “It was the right moment for me, at the age of forty, to retire from elite orienteering,” he said.
Orienteering and Ski racing in China After retiring, Jörgen took a new route. In 1998, before ending his competitive career, he had founded PWT China together with Gavert Waag (Sweden) and Donna Li (Beijing) The strategy was to spread the sport of orienteering in China – and this has been successful. “At that time orienteering didn’t mean anything in China. It was practically nothing,” explains Jörgen. In the period 1998 to 2006 he travelled to China 70 times and has invested a great deal of personal energy and hard cash into the project. Orienteering maps were made of many parks and also forests. Students caught “O fever” and everything began to develop positively. Especially exciting are the fantastic training possibilities at 2,500 – 3,500 metres above sea level in beautiful Yunnan Province. In Tibet you can run on the highest O-map in the world at 4,320 metres, testing your ability to exert yourself while using your brain. Cross-country ski racing found its way to China too. In 2003 the “Vasaloppet China” was launched (the Swedish Vasaloppet is one of the biggest ski races in the world). Now FIS (International Ski Federation) and World Cup races are held in China.
PWT Travel, orienteering travel and more With his colleague Jens Kristian Kopland he founded the travel company PWT Travel in 2001, to specialise in sport and active holidays worldwide. In particular there are holidays in conjunction with orienteering in summer and autumn, and cross-country skiing in winter. Some special projects have been the Park World Tour orienteering race series in conjunction with PWT tours. 38 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
The Mårtensson family at the Modum 2-Days 2005. Photo: Erik Borg
Each year there are some ten trips to major orienteering events and more trips, for example, to cross-country ski races.
Culture is part Culture, sport and good food unite participants on the social level. The tours, a weekend or up to three weeks, are led by guides from Scandinavia. Thanks to his long experience in travel arrangements and working internationally, Jörgen Mårtensson has valuable contacts and co-operators just about all over the world. “This makes it possible to offer special experiences, which would never happen otherwise to a normal tourist, for example a banquet in China.” The motto of PWT Travel is “High quality with good prices, a friendly atmosphere and distinctive experiences.” The tourists can be children or young-in-heart 70 year-olds. Most come from Scandinavia, “People realise that spending money on travel is a better investment than new designer furniture, for example…
Autumn in Brazil “…because the memories of travel like this are much more valuable than the most expensive furniture,” says travel leader Jörgen Mårtensson. At his office in Vikersund he puts a lot of effort into preparing the tours. However he does not go himself every time, “Otherwise I’d hardly ever be at home.” In the northern autumn last year he travelled to South America with a group of 140 people. “I was glad to visit some new countries. New lands with their different cultures are always a rich experience for me. And the multi-day O in Brazil was very special,” says Jörgen.
At home in Norway In 2001 Jörgen and his family moved from Sweden to Modum in Norway to the house in which his Norwegian wife Hege grew up. His four children Henrik, 13, twins Anna and Heidi, 11, and Erik, 5, take part in orienteering – no wonder with their father – but orienteering is not the chief sport; there are football, riding and other outdoor near home activities. An important detail on the map: the Mårtensson home is on the edge of an O-map. Of course.
Still involved in sport Jörgen keeps up his interest in sports. Although he lives in Norway, he is still loyal to his native Sweden and follows results on TV. However last autumn Jörgen had to cope with a muscle tear. His wish for the future is simply to be able to run up to two hours in the forest without any problems “to get the air through my head.” His aim is to take part in the public races at World Championships, “I can meet old friends from my orienteering career and we can relive memories of those times together,” dreams Jörgen. Translated from German by Ian Baker and draft English version checked personally by Jörgen Mårtensson.
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.
LETTERS So good to see the common person getting some coverage now. For so long the not-so-elite, course setters, organisers, promoters and the general backbone of our sport have been neglected in ‘OUR’ magazine. Long may you guys run the show!
page 6 of the magazine. Unfortunately the caption states that this is Riordan Dose. Riordan is a South Australian orienteer but this is definately Bryn and not Riordan.
Good riding and happy Xmas.
Yours sincerely
Lee Merchant and family
Errata Dec’06 Cover photo
Dear Mike
Our congratulations on the recent Australian Orienteer magazine. The quality of the mag is first class, not to mention that front cover! Awesome colours! Troy is thrilled.
We received our edition of the Australian orienteer December 2006 and were delighted to see a great photo of our youngest son, Bryn McComb, running in the Australian relays, on
Thanks for letting me know. Mike H.
Thanks for publishing the photo, but unfortunately the caption is not correct. Teri McComb Teri, Sincere apologies for the error. Bryn was wrongly identified using a process of elimination, which was obviously flawed. We’ll print it again in the March edition with correct identification (it’s a great photo).
Bryn McComb at full speed at the Australian Relays.
Jim Sawkins Award Recognising their Contributions With the passing of Jim Sawkins on 4 June 2006, Orienteering ACT not only lost one of its most successful competitors, but also one of its most dedicated and effective officials. Jim was the epitome of the motto, ‘Near enough is not good enough’. Noting the high regard with which Jim was held by the ACT orienteering community, the OACT Board decided to honour his memory with an annual award for ‘Services to Event Management’. The first recipient of the award Anthony Scott receiving the first Jim was Anthony Scott, who was Sawkins Award. the event coordinator for the 2005 Australian 3-Days and over recent years had made a significant contribution to the success of the ACT Saturday Program. So in making the award, OACT recognised the contribution of two stalwarts, Jim Sawkins and Anthony Scott. In his acceptance speech Anthony Scott said, “I am deeply honoured to be the first to receive the award in memory of a man I greatly admired. I learnt a lot from him. I regarded him peerless in attention to detail. His absence from the management of future major carnivals will be sadly missed.” The perpetual memento was made by Jim’s son Tim. The triangular base is supported by three feet from a theodolite (recognising Jim’s career as a surveyor) and is crowned by a clear cube with a laser-imprinted impression of the internal workings of a termite mound. Tim considers termites to be highly-efficient, hard-working beings.
VICTORINOX AWARD The quarterly Victorinox Award goes to Julian Dent (NSW Ultimax Stingers) for his past achievements at Junior World Championships (JWOC), his work as a course-setter for JWOC2007 and his assistance in establishing the regular MEET YOUR TEAM feature in this magazine. Julian will receive a Victorinox Voyager with 20 tools and features including a watch/alarm/timer; retail value $109.95. MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 39
SUMMER MTB-O
Summer MTBO wheeling along
In its second year, the Melbourne Summer MTBO Series has been proving very popular with attendances, so far, 35% up on last year’s. The series comprises seven events which are 75 minute score events running on Saturday evenings from 6 o’clock. Riders start in groups of 20 each 5 minutes, so that everyone starts and finishes within 10-15 minutes of each other. Plenty then stay around to enjoy a BBQ dinner and discuss their ride.
It’s very pleasant riding through the Dandenong Ranges National Park on a pleasant summer Saturday evening. Photo: Phil Torode
A group of starters head off from the Eagles Nest Picnic Ground near Olinda. Photo: Phil Torode
MTB Navigators
The 4-hour MTB Navigator event was held in late January near Mirboo North, east of Melbourne in Gippsland. The event area used two MTBO maps and riders had to work out which parts of each map they would use and where the maps joined. Alex Randall used every part of both maps to be the only rider to visit all controls with 16 minutes to spare! A fantastic ride and he wasn’t even tempted to spend a little more time at the Grand Ridge Brewery control (see photo above).
There was a Le Mans style (on foot) mass start, but riders got to look at the map a couple of minutes before they started and headed off to get their bikes. Photos: Peter Cusworth
Molong & Eugowra Weekend 19/20 May 2007 State League 4 & 5 plus JWOC Selection trials Orienteer with the Stars Fast & technical on “Gumble Pinnacles” at Molong, & the best open sections of “Seldom Seen” at Eugowra
Info and entry forms: State League 4 at Molong: www.bennelong.nsw.orienteering.asn.au Frank Assenza - 0417 439185 State League 5 at Eugowra: Tony & Barbara Hill - 02 9144 2684 www.garingal.nsw.orienteering.asn.au/ SL5/ 40 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
TOP END ORIENTEERS present
2007 Northern Territory Orienteering Championships 11 - 12 August 2007
‘Monte Titano’ 80km South of Darwin, near resort area of Lake Bennett For further information contact Chris Slade tel: 08 8942 1945 or susibertei@smartchat.net.au
The MTB-O pages supported by Warren and Tash Key from The MELBOURNE BICYCLE CENTRE, CLIFTON HILL – ph. 03 9489 5569
MTB-O NEWS Blake Gordon
T
he second national rankings for all MTB-O age classes is reproduced here (see Table) – with much better Australia-wide representation due to the 2006 national titles being held in Western Australia. Australian ranking events for 2006 included all the state long-distance titles as well as the sprint, middle and long-distance national titles in WA.
National MTBO Rankings M-14A Best 3 Events 1 Oscar McNulty LOW 100.00 Al*Am*Wl* 2 Rhys Kessell LOW 119.75 AlAs*Wl 3 Henry McNulty LOW 136.97 AlAmWl 4 Morgan Clark BKV 200.00 Vl* 4 Oliver Poland BSA 200.00 Cl* 4 Chris Firman ENQ 200.00 Ql* 4 Matthew Hill GON 200.00 Nl* M-16A 1 Oscar Phillips EVT 100.00 Al*Am*As* 2 Luke Grinton BGV 150.00 Vm*Vl* 3 Luke Poland BSA 200.00 Cl* 3 Philip Randall .Q 200.00 Ql* M-18A Joshua Roberts NCN 200.00 Nl* Nick Dellagiacoma MDN 300.00 Nl M40A 1 Bill Darby LOW 100.00 Wl*Am*As* 2 Tim Hatley BKV 100.62 Al*AsVl* 3 Brian Dunnage WOW 186.75 AlAmAs 4 Phil Ward MDN 200.00 Nl* 4 Steve Sullivan YAS 200.00 Vm* 4 Andrew Rowe ..A 200.00 Cl* 4 Bernhard Walker WRT 200.00 Tl* 8 Duncan Sullivan LOW 237.22 AlAm M50A 1 Eoin Rothery LOW 100.00 Al*Am*As* 2 Lee Merchant TJS 103.85 Vm*VlAm 3 Peter Cusworth BKV 105.47 Vl*VmAm 4 Chris Bayliss MDN 150.00 NlCl* 5 Robert Prentice SHN 200.00 Nl* 6 Richard Robinson SOQ 200.00 Ql* 6 Bob Allison RRA 200.00 Cl* 6 Tony Whittaker LOW 200.00 Wl* M60A 1 Ray Sheldon YVV 100.50 Al*VlVm* 2 Peter Hoban EVT 101.25 AlAm*As* 3 Blake Gordon EUV 104.73 AlAmVl 4 Bill Chalmers NCN 119.03 AlAmAs 5 Tony Simpkins LOW 121.72 AlAmWl 6 John Sheahan BKV 125.86 AlAsVl 7 Phil Dufty BOW 138.19 AlAmAs 8 David Tilbrook OHS 144.13 AlAmAs 9 John Suominen BSA 200.00 Cl* 9 Dick Ogilvie URN 200.00 Nl* 9 John Brammall EVT 200.00 Tl* 9 Tim Dent YVV 200.00 Vl* M70+A 1 Gordon Howitt SOQ 100.00 Al*Am*As* 2 Graham Cadman YVV 200.00 Vl* 2 Kevin Paine BSA 200.00 Cl* W-14A Emily Cantwell UGQ 200.00 Ql* Michelle Dawson GON 200.00 Nl* Hanna Throns ..W 200.00 Wl*
W-16A Michelle Cantwell UGQ 200.00 Ql* W40A 1 Salme Fuller PLQ 100.21 AlAm*Ql* X Roz Clayton NZL 109.99 AlAmAs* 2 Anthea Feaver LOW 110.39 Wl*Al*Am 3 Carol Brownlie WOW 150.00 Wl*Al 4 Anitra Dowling EUV 200.00 Vm* 4 Dympna Baker MDN 200.00 Nl* 4 Vicki Campbell EVT 200.00 Tl* 4 Jeannie Douglass BSA 200.00 Cl* 4 Liz Randall YVV 200.00 Vl* W50A best 2 only, no W50 class in Aus Ch 1 Ann Scown AOA 100.00 Cl*Vm* 2 Kate Chown MDN 105.75 AlNl* 3 Kathy Liley YVV 107.34 VlVm 4 Peta Whitford YVV 110.35 VlVm 5 Helen Edmonds NEV 131.18 Vl*Vm 6 BJ Johnson EUV 146.56 VlVm 7 Andrea Harris .Q 200.00 Ql* 7 Carol Brownlie WOW 200.00 Wl* 9 Sue Little MDN 205.23 ClNl W60+A 1 Penny Dufty BOW 100.00 Al*Am*As* 2 Dale Ann Gordon EUV 103.38 AsVl*Vm* 3 Jenny Sheahan BKV 126.98 VlAlAs 4 Jackie Sheldon YVV 142.25 AlAmVm 5 Maureen Ogilvie URN 200.00 Nl* 5 Sandra Hogg POA 200.00 Cl* Key to Symbols Al = AUS Long-Distance, WA Am = AUS Middle-Distance, WA As = AUS Sprint-Distance, WA Cl = ACT Long-Distance Nl = NSW Long-Distance Ql = QLD Long-Distance Sl = NR SA Long-Distance, FireBan Tl = TAS Long-Distance Vl = VIC Long-Distance Vm = VIC Middle-Distance Wl = WA Long-Distance * = Winner of a race 2006 Ranking Criteria 1. A rider had to complete 3 races in 2006 - rank calculated by average of 3 results 2. If a rider won one race and rode in a second, they scored 150 3. If a rider won one race, they scored 200 4. If a rider rode two championship races, they scored 250 regardess of place 5. If a rider only rode one championship race, they scored 300 regardess of place 6. If a rider mispunched in a championship race, they scored 500 7. If a championship was postponed, the rider scored 600
Elite Rankings The 2006 elite ranking for Open Men and Open Women are calculated on state titles and international races including the World Championships. Elite Men 1 Adrian Jackson 2 Alex Randall 3 Tony Clark 4 Paul Darvodelsky 5 David Simpfendorfer 6 Grant Lebbink 7 Jim Russell 8 Steven Cusworth* 9 Peter Preston 10 Anthony Darr* 11 Tom Walter* 12 Rune Olsen 13 Peter Spencer* 14 Marcel Van Schie* 15 Stu Adams* 16 Dion Keech*
0.0 6.9 15.1 15.9 16.3 16.8 18.5 20.2 20.9 24.2 25.3 27.7 27.9 32.2 35.3 36.0
17 18 19 20
Stewart Greig* Brett Merchant* Bryan Keely* Adam Hunter*
38.4 39.8 40.0 42.1
Proposed Australian Ranking Events 2007
Elite Women 1 Anna Sheldon 2 Mary Fien 3 Cath Chalmers* 4 Carolyn Jackson 5 Belinda Allison* 6 Julie Quinn* 7 Emily Viner* 8 Nadia Komyshan* 9 Sarah Dunnage* 10 Thorlene Egerton* 11 Barbara Hill 12 Melissa Thomas* 13 Anthea Feaver* 14 Helen Sheldon* 15 Kay Haarsma* 16 Clare Quinn* 17 Jill McNaught 18 Tanya Beacham* 19 Jackie Fairweather* 20 Ainsley Cavanagh*
0.0 2.2 2.4 2.7 3.2 4.5 6.2 10.8 13.9 16.5 19.1 20.2 22.2 24.1 25.5 31.8 35.2 41.6 42.3 56.6
• 24 Mar: Oceania/Victorian MTBO Long Distance Champs – Albury/Wodonga, VIC
Those riders listed with an asterisk (*) have ridden in less than three qualifying races.
The two ranking lists calculate the time each rider is expected to come after the best-ranked rider. These are given as ranking points that are in minutes (decimal). A ranking point of 5.5 indicates you would expect that rider to finish 5.5 minutes after the bestranked rider. In the case of men, it is based on a standard long race of 100 minutes, for the women 80 minutes. Many of the fields in 2006 were quite small. This affects the quality of the results for any ranking system. One good or bad ride can skew the results, although for those people who rode the minimum three ranking races the system is fairly accurate. Many thanks to Mark Darvodelsky, Anthony Darr, and Paul Darvodelsky for all their work and help.
Oceania MTB-O Championships The biggest event since the 2004 World Championships will be held in the AlburyWodonga area on 23-25 March 2007. There’s plenty of fun for everyone – so get your entry in on www. oceaniamtbo.org online and be part of it.
(3 events to count for national ranking)
• 25 Mar: Oceania/Victorian MTBO Middle Distance Champs - Albury/Wodonga, VIC • 08 Sep: QLD MTBO Middle Distance Championships – QLD • 09 Sep: QLD MTBO Long Distance Championships – QLD • 21 Oct: ACT MTBO Long Dist Champs – Kowen Forest, ACT • 21 Oct: TAS MTBO Long Distance Championships – TAS • 27 Oct: NSW MTBO Middle Distance Champs – NSW • 28 Oct: NSW MTBO Long Distance Champs – NSW • 3 Nov Aust MTBO Middle Distance Champs – NSW • 4 Nov Aust MTBO Long Distance Champs – NSW • WA Champs • SA Champs
2007 Training Camp Kay Haarsma, Australian National MTB-O Coach, organised a January 2007 training camp in ACT to stimulate interest and strengthen the base of our national team. All states were represented at the camp with NSW’s Paul Darvodelsky and Mary Fien, ACT’s Mark McDonald, David Simpfendorfer, Selina Stoute, Matt Koerker, Tasmania’s Kris Clausen, WA’s Bill Darby, SA’s Dave Clark, and Qld’s Thor Egerton and Helen Sheldon. They were joined by Vic’s Adrian Jackson and others for the Australian CrossCountry MTB Nationals at the new Mt Stromlo Course at the weekend. Maureen Bailey, ACTAS strength and conditioning coach, advised the training camp participants on flexibility, stretching and self-massage.
MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 41
MTB-O TIPS
Climbing Skills
I like to divide hills into a few different categories: there are short ‘pinch’ climbs which take about 30 seconds or less to get over; steep climbs where maintaining traction is usually the biggest challenge; moderate gradient climbs (anywhere between flat and steep!); and long climbs which last for more than around 5 minutes.
Pinch Climbs As pinch climbs are relatively short, you can afford to spend more energy in getting over them. The idea is to punch over the climb as quickly as possible. Stay in a high gear and pedal hard and fast until you are up and over, either standing or sitting, whichever you feel more comfortable with.
Steep Climbs
Adrian Jackson, 2004 World MTB-O Champ, shows you how. Photos: Peter Cusworth
Love it or hate it, climbing is an ever present challenge in MTBO courses, and if you can master crossing the contours it can push you to the top of the results board. Unfortunately there is no magic bullet that will make you rocket up the climbs in your next race, but rather I hope to teach you a few tricks that will make you have to get off less often or perhaps feel better towards the end of a long hilly course. Gear choice is very important when climbing. You may know already if you are better at spinning a lower gear, or pushing a bigger gear. Spinning lower gears taxes your cardiovascular system and slow twitch muscles more, so if you have a good aerobic capacity this is generally a better style. Pushing a bigger gear makes your muscles put a higher force to the pedal each stroke (thus taxing your fast twitch muscles more), so if you have strong legs, but not so big lungs this may be a better style for you. Good pedaling technique will also make you quicker up the hills. If you do not use clipless pedals then I highly recommend you drop a few hints for your next birthday, or just treat yourself right now! Then learn how to make best use of them; concentrate most on pushing across the top of the stroke and pulling back at the bottom of the stroke (think of scraping mud off your boots in both directions). When approaching a climb you need to assess the difficulty and look ahead to pick your line. Too often you see people blasting off up a short climb, for example, only to get stuck halfway when the line they are on ends in a big rut. You can also use the map to gauge the type of climb that is coming up next. 42 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
In order to maintain traction and to keep your front wheel from lifting up, it is important to shift some of your weight forward on steep climbs. The best way to do this is lean forward (chest towards bars) and drop your elbows. Try to not pull up on the bars, think rather of pulling back and down towards your knees. Sliding forward on the saddle can also shift a little more weight forward and help deliver more power to the pedals, this depends on how loose the climb is though. If the track is very loose hardly slide forward at all, you will need the weight over the back for traction, but if it is a smooth surface you can afford to slide along to the nose of the saddle. Photo left, shows Adrian on a steep climb.
Moderate Climbs Moderate climbs (i.e. not steep and not long) are what you do most often, and is usually an excellent time to look at your map and plan ahead. Concentrate on a smooth even pedal stroke, keeping ‘on top’ of the gear you are in. That means keep changing gears in order to stay in the right cadence range for you. For moderate length and gradient climbs it is generally more efficient to stay seated. Relax your upper body when seated, and keep your arms fairly wide on the bars to open your chest and allow easier breathing. Try and relax your breathing too; shallow panting and gasping is going to give less oxygen to your muscles, and also sounds very uncool. Stand to get up a briefly steeper section or to give your ‘seated’ muscles a rest. Adrian negotiating a moderate climb at Canadian Forest, Ballarat.
melbournebikes.com Long Climbs Big long climbs (greater than about 5 minutes) are not so common in MTBO races, but they are excellent training for aerobic and muscular endurance. On long climbs the key is to pace yourself and not to fatigue one group of muscles too much. A good strategy is to start at a pace which you know you can maintain without too much stress, and to gradually increase the intensity as you go on. If you can judge it well you will be hurting by the top, but will not have completely cooked yourself, allowing recovery on the next descent. Practicing long climbs at different intensities is the key here, and knowing your limits. Another good strategy is to move around on your saddle and to stand up fairly regularly to give muscle groups a rest. The further forward you sit on the saddle the more your quadriceps are activated and the further back you sit the more the hamstrings are used. Again, practice climbing in different positions and see which works better for you.
Conclusion There is no substitute for getting out there and riding up hills. Remember when training and racing the key areas: choosing your line, position on the bike, pedaling technique and gear choice. Also remember that one of the beauties about MTBO is that you can often choose how much and what sort of climbs you do. If you are confident take the steeper option, if your legs are fatigued stay seated, spin a lower gear and take the flatter option. On that note I will leave you with one of my coach’s favorite sayings, “train your weakness, race your strength”. Happy climbing!
Two Top Bikes for MTB-O $
1199
SPECIAL LOW PRICE FOR ORIENTEERS
SAVE $300
07 JAMIS DAKOTA SPORT Frame 7005 Triple-butted “Superlight” aluminium Forks Manitou Sliver Super with lockout, 100mm travel Wheels WTB Speed Disc rims, stainless steel spokes Drivetrain Shimano Deore LX 27 speed, SL shifters Brakes Hayes Sole hydraulic discs Tyres Maxxis Mobster 2.1”
$
1199
RRP $1800
OTHER MTB-O NEWS The summer months herald the national season for MTB racing. Adrian has been competing in the national XC series with varied success, but it was the National XC Championships in Canberra where he achieved his best result of the season with an 8th place in a top elite field. On a hot and rough course at the new Stromlo MTB park, Adrian was only 7 minutes behind winner Chris Jongewaard. Several other MTBOers raced in the National Titles, with Tom Walter winning the Mens Sport A class, David Simpfendorfer 2nd in Expert Men, Paul Darvodelsky 6th in Masters Men, Kay Haarsma second in Super Masters Women, and Mary Fien 3rd in Veteran Women. Only a week later was the Otway Odyssey, a 100km marathon race through the Otway National Park. Adrian had stayed in close contact with the leaders until a broken derailleur forced him to pull out at around the 80km mark. Other orienteers Paul Darvodelsky, Grant Lebbink, Tony Clark, Carolyn Jackson, Rob Davis and Cath Copland all completed the grueling 100km race.
JAMIS DAKAR SPORT Frame 7005 Aluminium with Fox Air Float shock Forks Manitou Spice Super 100-130mm, adjustable travel Wheels WTB Spd Discs, eyelitted rims, stainless steel spokes Drivetrain Shimano Deore LX 27 speed, SL shifters Brakes Avid BB5 discs Tyres Hutchison Scorpion 2.00”
MBC S UPPORT S MT B ORIEN TEER ING
This year sees Adrian racing for the Flight Centre – Scott MTB team. The team will be racing in many of the biggest MTB races in the country such as the Epic marathon and the Scott 24Hr race. Look out for him this year on the new Scott Spark and in Netti cycling gear.
World MTBO Champs Australian Team selections To Register for selection for the Australian World Champs team to go to the Czech Republic (Aug 5-11), MTBO riders MUST register by Wednesday 7th March. There will be ONE major selection series – the Oceania Championships to be held in Victoria’s NE from March 23rd to 25th. Riders must enter the Sprint, Long and Middle Distance Championships. A number of State Standard events wil be nominated as events ‘to provide a guide to your form’ following the Oceania Championships. Contact Peta Whitford, the new Chair of Selectors, voa@netspace.net.au or 03 9459 0853 (BH).
Ring Warren or Natasha for a special deal
03 9489 3555
37 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill Victoria
melbournebikes.com
ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA
National rankings for 2006 The Elite rankings are published at the end of this page. Rankings for other 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, ACT = C). Some points of interest in the 2006 rankings: • Winner by the largest margin was Julie Irvine by 15.86 percentage points. • There were a number of equal firsts: Michele Dawson (GO.N), Nicola Blatchford (NC.N) W12; Jenny Hawkins (BS.A), Robin Spriggs (UG.Q) W60; Sue Mount (AL.T), Maureen Ogilvie (UR. N) W70); Jacob Neumann (EN. Q), Henry McNulty (LO.W) M10; Matthew Hill (GO.N), Oscar McNulty (LO.W) M12. • 21 clubs had class leaders in the rankings with the most successful clubs being: UG.Q, GO.N (3); TT.S, TF.Q, BS.A, UR.N, LO.W, EV.T (2); NC.N, CC.N, PO.A, EU.V, OH.S, AL.T, EN.Q, MF.V, BK.V, BF.N, BG.V, SO.Q, WE.A (1). • Families with two or more members in the first three places in the rankings were: Dawson (Aiden M10, Michele W12, Joshua M16); Neumann (Krystal W16, Jacob M10, Kurt M16); Blatchford (Karen W40, Nicola W12); Darvodelsky (Claire W16, Mark M45); Hodsdon (Val W55, John M65); McNulty (Henry M10, Oscar M12). • The closest competition was in M60 with the first 7 placed runners under 103.64. Darryl Erbacher OA Statistician
Rank
Club
Points Events
W10 1. Stephanie Cantwell 2. Alicia Bruce 3. Jemma Hicks
UG.Q 100.00 AW BS.A 112.20 EC TT.S 120.76 ES
W12 1. Michele Dawson = Nicola Blatchford 3. Nicola Marshall 4. Rebecca Butler 5. Kate Bowen 6. Liana Crebbin
GO.N 100.00 NC.N 100.00 AL.T 112.96 EV.T 125.24 PO.A 134.19 YA.S 140.72
EC AW ET AW EA ES
W14 1. Helen Mason-Fyfe 2. Lilian Burrill 3. Rachel Sampson 4. Naomi Mitchell 5. Georgia Parsons 6. Brianne Stewart 7. Glennie Nottle 8. Melanie Neumann 9. Rebecca Phillips 10. Hannah Bragg
TT.S 100.00 BB.Q 100.20 TT.S 106.25 BS.A 109.57 BS.A 112.83 SH.N 114.18 RR.Q 118.01 EN.Q 119.35 EV.T 129.16 BS.A 130.98
AS AW EW AC EW AN AW AQ AT EA
W16 1. Emily Prudhoe 2. Claire Darvodelsky 3. Krystal Neumann 4. Kylee Gluskie 5. Thea Richardson 6. Julia Sullivan 7. Brea Pearce 8. Catherine Hewitt 9. Nadia Velaitis 10. Belinda Lawford
CC.N 105.33 BF.N 108.47 EN.Q 108.69 AL.T 109.32 UR.N 111.52 BU.Q 115.05 EV.T 115.36 EV.T 115.42 YA.S 117.99 EU.V 118.22
EN AE AQ AT EA EQ ET EW ES EW
W35 1. Julie Irvine 2. Linda Sesta 3. Cathy McComb 4. Anitra Dowling 5. Mary Enter
TF.Q 100.00 UR.N 115.86 AL.T 116.62 EU.V 134.99 BK.V 148.94
AW EN ET EV EV
W40 1. Sue Garr 2. Clare Leung 3. Karen Blatchford
PO.A 100.00 AC UG.Q 108.79 AQ NC.N 116.41 EW
W70 1. Sue Mount = Maureen Ogilvie 3. Joyce Rowlands 4. Jeffa Lyon 5. Anne Stewart
AL.T 100.00 UR.N 100.00 NE.V 102.62 TT.S 112.58 GO.N 128.03
EW AC EV ES EW
M10 1. Jacob Neumann = Henry McNaulty 3. Aidan Dawson 4. Daniel Hill 5. Scott Charlton 6. Daniel Parton
EN.Q 100.00 LO.W 100.00 GO.N 103.30 GO.N 113.16 NC.N 113.28 GS.N 132.22
EQ AW EC EN AN EN
M12 1. Matthew Hill = Oscar McNaulty 3. Brodie Dobson-Keefe 4. Bryn McComb 5. Brendan Canzirri 6. Bill Mann 7. Rhys Kessell 8. Oliver Poland
GO.N 100.00 LO.W 100.00 YA.S 101.27 OH.S 102.27 SW.W 122.71 BO.W 125.97 LO.W 136.39 BS.A 143.37
EN AW ES ES AW AW AW AW
M14 1. Todd Neve 2. Samuel Webb 3. Dave Mallen 4. Ian Lawford 5. Tom Marshall 6. Scott Bowen 7. Rob Bennett 8. Marc Gluskie 9. Chris Firman 10. Harry Mee
MF.V 100.00 EV.T 106.22 NE.V 106.84 EU.V 109.92 AL.T 118.07 PO.A 122.00 GS.N 123.59 AL.T 136.45 EN.Q 137.32 TF.Q 138.72
AE AT EA EW ET AC AN AT EQ AQ AC EQ AN AQ AQ AW ET AV AW AQ
W45 1. Jenny Bourne EU.V 100.00 = Anthea Feaver LO.W 100.00 3. Liz Abbott PO.A 100.80 4. Carolyn Jackson MF.V 109.43 5. Debbie Davey WR.N 122.94 6. Carol Harding BS.A 137.93 7. Felicity Crosato RR.Q 140.98 8. Geraldine Chatfield UG.Q 141.52 9. Liz Bourne BB.Q 144.52 10. Vanessa Smith-Colombini KO.W 144.67
EC AW EN AV EV EW AW EQ AW AW
W50 1. Robin Uppill 2. Helen Edmonds 3. Hilary Wood 4. Carol Brownlie 5. Robyn Pallas 6. Jacquie Rand 7. Fiona Calabro 8. Lynn Dabbs 9. Jennifer Binns 10. Joan Wright
M16 1. Lachlan Dow 2. Kurt Neumann 3. Joshua Blatchford 4. Julian Taylor 5. Gary Flynn 6. Michael Pfeifer 7. Oscar Phillips 8. Leon Keely 9. Valentin Gafner 10. Oliver Crosato
BS.A 100.00 EN.Q 103.42 NC.N 106.16 UG.Q 106.27 TF.Q 109.06 BS.A 109.86 EV.T 110.96 BG.V 111.06 WO.W 111.39 RR.Q 111.92
OH.S 101.42 NE.V 107.16 CC.N 109.19 WO.W 109.93 CC.N 111.11 UG.Q 119.15 TF.Q 120.91 WH.N 125.80 LO.W 137.98 BO.W 148.50
AE EV EC EW EN AQ EW EQ EA AW
M35 1. Neil Simson 2. Tim Hatley 3. Warwick Williams
TF.Q 100.00 AW BK.V 101.84 EV BG.V 114.40 AW
W55 1. Allison Radford 2. Val Hodsdon 3. Theresa Howe 4. Peta Whitford 5. Barbara Tassell 6. Kathy Liley 7. Judy Allison 8. Libby Meeking 9. Meredith Sauer 10. Valerie Barker
TT.S 102.05 SH.N 104.69 LO.W 106.64 YV.V 107.61 AL.T 107.64 YV.V 108.21 RR.A 119.55 YV.V 119.55 EN.Q 120.10 BS.A 122.10
ES AW AE EV EW EC EA EV EW EC
M40 1. Robert Lewis 2. Chris Sanderson 3. Peter Charlton 4. Simon George 5. Lance Read 6. Tony Hill
BK.V 102.49 WH.N 111.07 NC.N 119.19 BF.N 123.75 UG.Q 132.97 GO.N 147.93
EV EW EN EN AW EN
W60 1. Jenny Hawkins = Robin Spriggs 3. Janet Fletcher 4. Valerie Brammall 5. Dale Ann Gordon 6. Bryony Cox 7. Janet Tarr 8. Penny Dufty 9. Jean Baldwin 10. Ann Ingwersen
BS.A 100.00 UG.Q 100.00 LO.W 105.76 EV.T 106.16 EU.V 108.17 GO.N 114.23 YV.V 115.85 BO.W 118.23 GS.N 120.47 PO.A 122.06
EN AQ AW ET EV AE AW AW EN EN
M45 1. Mark Darvodelsky 2. Alex Davey 3. Grant McDonald 4. Darryl Smith 5. Andrew McComb 6. Geoff Todkill 7. Steve Garrone 8. Ian Taylor 9. Dave Nicholson 10. Andre Scott
BF.N 100.00 WR.N 103.45 AO.A 104.38 WR.T 107.47 OH.S 113.57 NC.N 123.07 WO.W 125.30 UG.Q 126.50 YA.S 130.12 TT.S 130.38
W65 1. Christa Schafer 2. Helen Alexander 3. Margaret Craig 4. Dorothy Adrian 5. Janet Thomas 6. Janet Morris 7. Barbara Pope 8. Robyn Cutten 9. Merran Warlters
GO.N 100.00 BK.V 100.88 GO.N 108.16 NE.V 110.50 TK.V 112.99 WH.N 116.98 UG.Q 119.06 WA.S 131.88 SH.N 136.44
AW EV EC ES EV EQ AQ ES EN
M50 1. Paul Pacque 2. Eoin Rothery 3. John Scown 4. Lee Merchant 5. Nick Dent 6. Nick Dytlewski 7. Rod Gray 8. Tony Whittaker 9. Murray Haines 10. Ross Coyle M55 1. Nigel Davies 2. Robert Allison 3. Hugh Moore 4. Gordon Wilson 5. Antony Radford 6. Peter Jackson 7. Russell Wade 8. Dan Greig 9. Paul Elam 10. Richard Matthews
44 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
M60 1. Dave Lotty 2. Tony Simpkins 3. Robert Smith 4. Terry Bluett 5. Darryl Erbacher 6. Tim Dent 7. John Brock 8. Ross Barr 9. Dick Ogilvie 10. Jim Merchant
UR.N 100.65 LO.W 100.81 TT.S 101.36 BN.N 102.04 PO.A 102.11 YV.V 103.29 EV.T 103.63 GO.N 106.04 UR.N 116.18 GO.N 116.23
AE AE ES AN AC EV AT EC EW EV
M65 1. Peter Galvin 2. Peter Prime 3. John Hodsdon 4. Ted Mulherin 5. Basil Baldwin 6. Robert Mouatt 7. Peter Hamilton 8. John Lyon 9. John Sutton 10. Wes Campbell
BG.V 100.00 TK.V 102.62 SH.N 104.45 WH.N 125.40 GS.N 125.98 RR.A 127.34 WO.W 129.07 TT.S 130.94 RR.A 143.73 WR.N 144.12
AW EV AC EN EN AC AW EW EN EC
M70 1. Clive Pope 2. Pauli Piiroinen 3. George Reeves 4. Barry Hanlon 5. Robin Simson 6. Eino Meuronen
UG.Q 100.00 BS.A 103.10 TT.S 111.07 WH.N 114.83 TF.Q 126.45 BS.A 137.50
AW EC ES EN AW EV
M75 1. Gordon Howitt 2. Kevin Paine 3. Ron Larsson 4. Tony Mount 5. Neil Schafer 6. Malcolm Stewart 7. Brian Johnson
SO.Q 100.00 BS.A 101.32 TT.S 101.98 AL.T 109.26 GO.N 122.90 GO.N 133.10 GO.N 140.74
AW EC ES EW EN EN EN
M80 1. Hermann Wehner
WE.A 100.00 AW
2006 ELITE RANKINGS For full details of all Elite rankings go to: http:// www.orienteering.asn.au/news/?ItemID=1246 Women Class 1 20 2 21 3 21 4 21 5 21 6 21 7 21 8 21 9 21 10 21
State TAS TAS ACT QLD ACT TAS SA NSW VIC ACT
Name Total Hanny Allston 6856 Grace Elson 5742 Jo Allison 5723 Anna Sheldon 5569 Anna Quayle 5348 Danielle Winslow 4803 Susanne Casanova 4643 Orla Murray 4629 Kathryn Ewels 4577 Allison Jones 4505
AW AC AN AW ES EN AW AQ AS ES
W20 1 20 2 20 3 20 4 20 5 18 6 20 7 20 8 18 9 20 10 18
TAS VIC SA ACT WA WA QLD ACT VIC QLD
Hanny Allston Jasmine Neve Vanessa Round Sophie Barker Sarah Dunnage Kellie Whitfield Ainsley Cavanagh Heather Harding Clare Brownridge Laurina Neumann
6856 4350 4281 3785 3620 3601 3442 3441 3324 3072
EV.T 100.00 LO.W 101.72 AO.A 106.97 TJ.S 108.31 CC.N 111.94 IK.N 114.64 TT.S 118.40 LO.W 120.50 BU.Q 121.41 UR.N 121.81
AE AW AN AS AN AW EQ AW AQ AN
Men Class State 1 21 ACT 2 21 ACT 3 21 NSW 4 21 ACT 5 21 NSW 6 21 VIC 7 35 NSW 8 21 SA 9 21 VIC 10 21 VIC
Name David Shepherd Rob Walter Julian Dent Grant Bluett Rob Preston Rune Olsen Eric Morris Kerrin Rattray Bruce Arthur Adrian Jackson
Total 6141 6046 6029 5707 5505 5391 5356 5250 5137 5107
EV.T 100.00 RR.A 100.98 RR.A 102.08 BN.N 105.61 TT.S 105.68 MF.V 116.82 WO.W 117.58 WO.W 118.55 TK.V 118.63 LO.W 119.86
ET AW EV EW ES AV AW AW EC AE
M20 1 20 2 20 3 20 4 20 5 20 6 20 7 18 8 18 9 20 10 20
Simon Uppill Christopher Naunton Ryan Smyth Murray Scown Matt Parton Evan Barr Bryan Keely Nick Andrewartha Kieran Sullivan Louis Elson
4864 3997 3983 3837 3807 3500 3406 3101 3093 2984
SA VIC TAS ACT NSW VIC VIC TAS QLD TAS
MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 45
A PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
A Final Tetralogy Bob Mouatt
A
s I will be standing down from all official positions in Orienteering Australia and Orienteering ACT after Easter 2008, this will be the fourth last article I will write for The Australian Orienteer. Given I have been involved in the management of both organisations for over 10 years I thought I should close my last year with a Tetralogy on the four key areas which have changed significantly during the last decade, starting with High Performance.
A High Performance Program – It didn’t exist in 1997 Before I was introduced to Orienteering I had been a very successful Rugby administrator and coach. I consider my main attribute as a coach was an ability to teach people: • how to train, and • how to win. I started Orienteering in 1977 and like most orienteers I had little connection with the elite aspect of the sport before I joined the management team under the then title, National Development Director, some 20 years later. Given my background in Rugby, I was surprised in 1997 to find how little structure, sophistication and science was applied to the preparation of elites for national and international competitions. The scene in 1997 was: • an orienteering league of four teams with little or no team identification and no overseer to manage and promote it; • biennial World Championships (odd years), biennial World Cup series (even years), and annual Junior World Orienteering Championships; • national senior and junior squads; • a national and junior coach who conducted one or two training camps a year; • a few athletes with scholarships to the ACT Academy of Sport, South Australia Sports Institute, and Tasmanian Institute of Sport. but there was no overall structure for the development of elite orienteers.
As for results at World Championships, the best by individuals before 1997 was in Australia in 1985, when Madeleine Sevior was 17th and Rob Vincent 21st. Both Australian teams had finished 6th in the Relays in Switzerland in 1981. However, a group of young orienteers with ACTAS scholarships were showing a lot of promise at JWOC with Tom Quayle achieving 4th in consecutive years (1994-95), Grant Bluett 15th in 1992, Cassie Trewin 13th in 1995 and Jo Allison 15th in both events in1996. While I had no direct authority to be involved in the ‘elite’ program I considered that if I didn’t do something, nobody else would, and I needed successful elite athletes if I was going to raise the profile of Orienteering, so that I threw most of my energies, behind the scenes, working in providing the necessary structure and support.
The first step towards a High Performance Program My first step was to convince the then Orienteering Federation of Australia at the 1997 Annual Conference that there should be a part-time paid National Coaching Director, with responsibility for the national coaching program and a high performance coaching program and to convince the then A.C.T. Orienteering Association Inc that the same person should be the Head Coach at ACTAS. Nev Bleakley was appointed to both positions in early 1998. Together we developed into a reasonably successful team in implementing a High Performance program. And after a few early misunderstandings with the national coach, Warren Key, we were able to start Australian elite orienteering on the road to success.
The ASC Sets New Benchmarks In 1999, Orienteering made an unsuccessful bid for an AIS program. In the feedback, the ASC advised Orienteering that it needed to establish a national training centre at a State/Territory academy/institute of sport. So the next step was to strengthen Orienteering’s relationship with ACTAS and this lead to the formation of an Orienteering squad at ACTAS in around 2000. This relationship developed into ACTAS becoming the national training centre for Orienteering in Australia. In January 2001, the ASC moved to a more formal process for assessing the level of support it would provide national sporting organisations. Apart from having to have a HP program, NSOs had to have a High Performance Strategic Plan, and sports were given about three weeks notice to submit their plans. Orienteering did not have one on 2 January, but we did by 23 January, thanks to plagiarism and a lot of dedicated effort. That first Plan has been the basis of Orienteering Australia’s ongoing HP program and the basis on which the ASC funds Orienteering HP activities.
PERFORMANCES OF AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEERS AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS SINCE 1991 [1]
Top 3 Top 8 Top 16 Top 30 [2] Top 45 [3] Top 51 Top 60 DNQ [4] Total Starts [5] Men’s Relay Women’s Relay
1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2004 2005 2005 2006 2006 MTB MTB MTB MTB CZE USA GER NOR GBR FIN FRA SUI SWE AUS JPN SVK FIN DEN 1 3 1 1 2 1 8 2 4 2 1 1 1 2 5 2 2 10 3 6 2 2 1 2 3 6 6 7 12 16 9 8 3 6 5 3 5 6 7 12 10 12 16 19 15 8 7 11 5 4 7 9 11 14 15 15 20 8 7 5 4 9 12 10 16 15 23 8 8 9 12 7 4 6 2 1 3 2 1 3 4 4 6 14 16 16 16 16 18 16 18 18 24 18 12 12 17 17 11 13 11 10 6 8 9 10 3 15 7 dsq 20 10 12 12 6 7 11 5 14 16 3 8 dsq dns 4
46 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2007
[1] All totals are cumulative and include the totals above [2] At least top third of initial field, ie before qualifying
heats, and top 2/3 of foot finals from 2004. [3] Number in final reduced from 60 to 51 in 2003 and
to 45 in 2004. [4] Includes MTB-O riders not in top 60 in Middle
Distance final [5] Total number of competitors who started in a
qualifying heat or a final, when there was no qualifying heat
ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA Finally A High Performance Program With a HP program in place, the need arose for it to be managed properly and the 2001 OA Annual Conference agreed the need for a Director (High Performance) and a part-time paid Manager High Performance. Mike Dowling was encouraged to take on the role of Director and Jason McCrae was subsequently recruited as the Manager. While the program could do with an injection of more money, it is nonetheless now fairly well structured and providing as much support as the OA budget can provide.
Where Are We Now? The scene at the end of 2006 was: • a well-structured HP program under the direction of a D/HP and Head Coach; • a national orienteering league of seven State/Territory teams with clear team identification through names and uniforms;
• a well-respected elite ranking system (thanks to Bruce Arthur’s energy and enthusiasm); • strong international competitiveness in both foot and mountain bike orienteering (introduced since 1997) with Australian orienteers winning medals, including gold, at WOC, WMTBOC, and JWOC; • strong expectations of good results at all international competitions (see table). While I cannot claim any credit for the excellent results achieved by our athletes, I can derive some satisfaction from identifying and doing something about creating the environment that enables them to fulfill their potential. I have also had the pleasure of witnessing nearly all of the breakthrough benchmark performances since 1999, when Troy de Haas won a bronze medal at JWOC in Bulgaria and Tracy Bluett became the first woman to finish in the top-16, at WOC in Scotland.
Orienteering Retains ACTAS Squad Status with a new Head Coach
POSITION VACANT
Bob Mouatt – President, Orienteering Australia
Period: April 2007 - end 2009 Job Requirements: • Coach the Australian Junior Development Squad. This includes conducting and leading training and coaching of the squad, liaise and provide technical assistance to the individual coaches of squad members to assist in their development as orienteers. Note: The squad will be formed following the Australian Long Distance Championships in July. • Provide leadership nationally on the development of competition, training and infrastructure to support and guide the development of Australia’s best junior orienteers in the 15 –17 years age group. • Be a member of the High Performance Management Group and a leader in decision making related to the development of junior orienteering in Australia. • Organise the conduct of at least one national training camp for the squad each year. • Work with stakeholders in identifying junior orienteers who demonstrate both orienteering and physical ability to be future high performance orienteers. Desired Skills/Experience: • Ideally a record of successful coaching of junior orienteers and/or junior orienteering teams/squads • Appropriate Coaching qualifications. • Relevant experience in leading, managing and/or administering sporting groups. • Proven high-level communication skills working in both group environments and in one-on-one situations. Remuneration: The position is voluntary. Funding is available to support squad activities and coach expenses in the conduct of the squad. Application Requirements If you are interested in this position please respond with two items: 1. A brief outline of your skills and experience that will help you meet the job requirements. No more than two A4 pages. 2. An outline of your plans for the development of Junior orienteering and the Junior Development Squad in Australia for the years 2007-09. Please Note: The provision of a police check to show you are a person of good character as outlined in the Orienteering Australia Member Protection Policy will be required by the successful applicant. Applications and questions can be directed to Mike Dowling, Director (High Performance) - e-mail: oa_highperformance@netspeed.com.au ; Tel: 03 6244 7173 ; Address: 17 High Street, Bellerive, Tasmania 7018 Applications close Friday March 23, 2007.
W
hile most people were relaxing during the ChristmasNew Year period the Board of Orienteering Australia was busy dealing with some important and urgent issues. ACTAS. The ACT Academy of Sport has been Orienteering Australia’s national training centre for a few years and has become a key component of OA’s High Performance program. The recent budget cuts by the ACT government meant that ACTAS had to review and cut a number of squad sports from its program. Sports were invited to submit applications and to justify their continuance. The exclusion of Orienteering from ACTAS would have been a major setback. A key plank in OA/ OACT’s submission was that together they funded a full-time coach. On 24 Jan ‘07, Orienteering received the good news that the ACT Minister for Sport had approved the inclusion of Orienteering as a squad sport. Head Coach. Grant Bluett was the Head Coach who prepared Orienteering’s submission, but during December Grant advised the OA Board that he had decided on a career change and would resign on 14 Jan. Since having a fully funded Head Coach is a key factor in Orienteering retaining Squad status, OA had to move quickly to appoint a new Head Coach. The Board decided to transfer Gareth Candy to the position on the basis that Gareth was the next ranked applicant to the vacancy advertised 12 months previously. Executive Officer. The Board then decided to advertise for an EO located in a National Office in Canberra funded by OA and employed on a conventional basis for casual employees. OA needs a proper national office to be a repository for its archives and equipment. It would be inefficient to keep moving the National Office around Australia, thus it should be located where the EO could be most effective. OA’s major sponsor is the ASC and OA should continue to have its key administrator based in Canberra to maintain good liaison with the ASC. Having OA’s two paid officers in the same city has significant benefits. The vacancy has been advertised through State e-bulletins and in The Canberra Times.
Orienteering Australia – National Training Centre
Australian National Junior Development Squad Coach
MARCH 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 47
...every insurance policy sold helps Orienteering Australia fund official teams and reduce levies for members
it's the Home and Car Insurance you can believe in
