15 minute read
LETTERS
AO should go retail
Thanks for the mag., the articles are well written and generally of pretty good value, however there seems to be a strong bias towards representing activities of the Elites……..any chance of skewing it back towards the ordinary folk? And, how about the odd ‘O’ suit / shoe test? I found the story a couple of issues back on Evan Barr’s experience with severe physiological distress quite interesting especially since someone near to me had a similar experience. Articles on bio-physiological responses to stress are always good value. On a different note, there is a perennial concerning the public profile of our great sport. Along with the website The Australian Orienteer is the official organ of the sport. Why not make it public? What are the costs of remaining obscure? I see that those who control the availability of this magazine have missed fantastic opportunities to seriously publicise Orienteering which could not have been bought at any price. The success of our Champions both National and International (foot and bike) should be exploited. So too, of course, should be the wide appeal to the young, old and ‘non-athletic’ alike. If this remains in the ‘too hard basket’ we will forgo a lot of potentially positive exposure (leading to interest and new members) and the hackneyed ‘grow or die’ debate will continue to dog the sport. You have recently written about the increase in popularity of ‘sprint’ / street orienteering at the cost of classic ‘bush’ orienteering. I’m sure this is a result of targeting a particular demographic so maybe some of the marketing has in fact been successful!!! Bush orienteering remains the Acme of orienteering for me, if it fails to receive the highest level of support within the sport then I, like others, will drift away. Will I be reading more about orienteering in Mountain Bike or adventure sport mags in the future, I wonder? I hope to see our magazine out there, hopefully sooner, in newsagents, promoting our sport like all the other sport and outdoor rec. mags. do for theirs. I know this will sit uneasily with some since public awareness is anathaema to a secret society!!
Randall Hope (Tasmania)
Editor: I would just love to see The Australian Orienteer go retail, but it just isn’t going to happen. We don’t have the resources to fund or manage such a venture. And if we sought the assistance of a commercial publishing house it’s likely the magazine content would be much more concentrated on the young and the beautiful than on the wider demographic which Randall wants and I try to fulfil.
Impatient Drivers NOT WELCOME
Our first interstate orienteering trip was to the 3-days in WA a few years ago. Driving our rental car on a dirt road into the event one morning, my wife and I were overtaken by an impatient local orienteer who no doubt knew the road much better than us. Our car was sprayed with gravel, leaving a line of small chips across the windscreen. After parking near the culprit a few minutes later we vented our annoyance but the driver was unrepentant. Fast forward to the recent AUS 3-Days in Burra, SA. Admittedly the long dirt drives in were frustrating with poor roads and an awful lot of dust. The organisers specifically asked drivers to exercise patience and care but again, on Day 2, we are overtaken at high speed by a 4WD (risking damage to our own car this time). We arrived at the event perhaps, generously, 20 seconds after the vehicle in question. Were they using this valuable time to perhaps end world poverty or did they have a medical emergency? Were they late for their starts? No, they just got out of their car and chatted away. Their vehicle was a rental and one occupant wore a Western Nomads uniform. We began to form a biased opinion of WA drivers that a respectable publication such as yours would never print. We do not believe this sort of thoughtless behaviour is acceptable within our friendly sport. As President of Orienteering Victoria I personally offer a warm welcome to orienteers from all states who are coming to the 2009 national carnival in Victoria. I will try to ensure that all drives in to events are as safe, easy and well signposted as possible. Any Victorians who I hear have indulged in this sort of anti-social behaviour had better beware. Oh, and there are two impatient drivers who should just stay home!
Ian Dodd, VOA President
Oceania Mountain Bike Climbing
I hear that the Oceania MTB-O Championships held last March didn’t go too well financially, with only 80 riders entered, and substantially fewer (50) in the Sprint. I was going to enter myself until I looked at the courses in my age class (M60). Long – 17km and 330m climb; Middle – 10km and 220m climb. The entry fee was rather heavy too - $60 for three events. I’m a rather slow recreational rider. I enjoy getting out in the bush and sauntering along. My goodness – how long would 17km and 330m of vertical climb have taken me? There was no provision for recreational riders in the program. I would have liked to see the hot-shots in action but I didn’t want to be pushing my bike up 330 vertical metres of climb. Some shorter, easier and less expensive non-championship courses for recreational riders like myself would have attracted more entrants. Even just 20 or 30 extra riders at $30 each would have made quite a dent in that deficit.
Recreational Rider (name & address supplied)
Dear Receational Rider, Sorry to read your thoughts on why you didn’t enter the Oceania MTB-O Champs. True, we were disappointed that the entries were not better than they were, but you and those that were not able to make it there, really did miss a wonderful weekend of riding in a new area for most of us. I suspect the main reason why the entries were lower than hoped for was that the events were not close to a capital city. The Sprint event was held on a working day, so was always expected to attract fewer numbers. When you read that there was 330m of climb on your course, I suspect you may be thinking of that amount of climbing in terms of a Foot-O course of say 4 to 5km. I feel that climbing 330 metres on a bike over a course length of 17,000 metres is not too bad. Added to this is that most of the roads and tracks were in good and fast condition. There were several competitors in your class, who I’m sure would not be too offended if I described them as slow recreational riders, and all managed to complete their courses and were still enthusiastic about the events. As for saying it was too expensive, that’s just incorrect. $20 for each event using new maps stacks up really well with any major orienteering event in Australia these days and incredibly good value compared to any other mountain bike race. The only way we can keep fees down is for all of our competitors to support the efforts of event organisers by entering events rather than deciding to stay away.
Peter Cusworth, Victorian MTB-O Coordinator
Letter from London
Rob Lewis (BKV), who is now living in London, tells the Brits how their Orienteering compares with the sport back home. On arrival we found ourselves living deep in South London. How was I to continue my beloved sport from here? I needed a club. Friends and family had long complained about my tardiness so you can imagine the joy when I found a local club called SLOW. Website links led to a plethora of information about events. The site with the map showing upcoming event locations with the day countdown pins really helped us get our bearings. Judging by the races we have been doing in Surrey and Berkshire, the orienteering in this corner of Britain is not too technical. We are not used to so many tracks. It is not unusual back home to have a whole race where you may cross the odd track but run the whole time in the forest. This is deceptive, though, as I still seem to spend as much time in a state of confusion during a race here as I do in Australia. Living in outer central London I prefer not to have a car and, pleasingly, the train system in England has meant that this is not a problem for getting to Orienteering. I have been enjoying combining the train with cycling, hitch-hiking or a cab to get to events here. Due to the low population density outside of Australian cities trains are spread thinly and you need a car to get to events. The British orienteers have been very friendly and helpful picking us up, looking after our bikes and providing shelter from the rain. I have also found the walk from the last control to the download to be very social and have always had an interesting conversation with someone along the way. You will find the same level of friendliness and helpfulness back home in Australia. I enjoy running in the bigger fields you have here and have been particularly impressed by my older opponents. Running M40S I have been competing against M55L and M60L. We have some gun runners in these classes back home but the depth of quality at the top of these classes in Britain is outstanding. A few are amazingly fast ! I wonder if your soft forest floor allows more British bodies to keep competing at a higher level for longer? As we have not yet started work we have enjoyed the midweek Army events held in the southeast. The idea of participating in military events seemed quite bizarre to us. We have had no contact with anything military in Australia. At the Gibraltar Barracks event, in the middle of the forest, I came across a unit setting up barbed wire. Some of the soldiers were lying on the forest floor in their camouflage. I came close to stepping on one, just spotting him at the last moment as he lay there smiling at me. The event at Sandhurst seemed particularly bizarre. “ This is a military training exercise. You take part at your own risk. No starting before 12:30 due to live firing. They usually have a watch ….” Reassuring? I decided not to start first and planned to follow the trail of blood to the controls. I started well, stayed low, but crossing a marsh I startled a large animal – a frenzied bird all flap and feathers. I jumped for my life, heart pounding. At home you startle the wildlife and you are filled with venom, lose a leg or get a barb in the heart. But here the animals are your friends. They have pretty feathers and bushy tails. No – in this country your enemy is man, and he has a gun. Maybe that’s why you Brits run so fast – you are running for your lives !
Did you know?
After Work Rogaines
It could only happen in New Zealand ….. 3-hour After Work Rogaines held by Orienteering Hutt Valley right on the edge of the city, or even in the city. Another innovation is Small Rogaines (with “small” meaning “easy to organise) which rarely use flags and punches, preferring question & answer formats. Only one of these events has been more than 30min drive from the Hutt Valley. The common theme here is “close to home orienteering”. The City Safari was an urban rogaine held right in the city with start/finish in a public place and competing teams highly visible during the event – great publicity. Teams not only ran, but were given bus and train timetables allowing them to also use public transport.
Contemplation-O
A new form of orienteering for those of us who are but definitely non-competitive. Participants relax in comfortable armchairs while they contemplate the map and course, visualising which route they would take if they were to actually go out on the course. There are strict rules – no getting up to check out the terrain; participants can only compare route choices after the event; and penalty points are applied to any participant who happens to nod off.
VICTORINOX AWARD
The quarterly Victorinox Award goes to Troy Merchant for his excellent photography displayed in recent editions of The Australian Orienteer. Troy will receive a Victorinox Voyager with 20 tools and features including a watch/alarm/timer; retail value $109.95.
Tom Andrews began the Orienteering Service of Australia (OSA) in 1973 with the aim of providing all the necessary equipment and resource materials needed for a successful introduction of an Orienteering program in schools and youth groups. Tom was literally the pioneer of the sport of Orienteering in Australia. After observing the Swedish Orienteering Championships in Uppsala in 1968, he organised the first formal Australian Orienteering event. Ably assisted by fellow Richmond Harriers athletics club member, Peter Wills-Cooke, the event took place in Upper Beaconsfield, Victoria, in August 1969. Tom’s involvement in the promotion of Orienteering is well documented, being a founding member of the Orienteering Federation of Australia and for several years a member and, eventually, the Chairman of the Promotion and Education Committee of the International Orienteering Federation. In 1981 Tom was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), in 1982 he was inducted into Sport Australia’s Hall of Fame for his services to Administration of Orienteering, and to top it off, was awarded the Sport Australia medal in 2000. In 1980, at the annual IOF Conference in Germany, together with the then OFA President, Ted Wester, and Secretary, Mike Hubbert, the trio defeated Canada for the right to conduct the World Orienteering Championships in Australia. This prestigious event was held near Bendigo in 1985, with Tom taking on the task of chief organiser. The Orienteering Service of Australia is now well established with a customer base of over 300 schools. OSA has been operating from an office/warehouse owned by Macson Trading Company Pty Ltd in Clifton Hill, Melbourne. Tom is the Managing Director of Macson Trading Company, which is the Australian agent for Silva Sweden AB and other outdoor adventure branded products. In February 2007, Tom decided to retire from the OSA part of the business and its sale was advertised in the last edition of The Australian Orienteer. A number of potential buyers emerged, with relative newcomer to Orienteering, Darren Sandford, a member of Yarra Valley Orienteering Club, and his wife Sam assuming ownership in April. Darren and Sam say they have a great enthusiasm for continuing the tradition of servicing schools, youth groups and individuals with orienteering equipment, teaching aids and development materials. They have created a Darren and Sam Sandford ‘virtual’ store for OSA, covering the entire catalogue of over 70 orienteering related products. Secure website purchases can be made in the Orienteering Service of Australia online store at www.omotivo.com.au The new OSA phone number is (03) 9017 4835. Email info@omotivo.com.au for more information.
What to do when things go wrong Safety Procedures at events
In April, Bayside Kangaroos organised a Du-O Run-Ride-Run event at Gilwell Park. It was a beautiful day and everyone enjoyed the event. The event format was: Leg One: 5 km run - 10 controls any order Leg Two: 18km ride - 10 controls any order Leg Three: 2 km run - 8 controls any order. Most people had finished and it was 30 minutes to the official course closing time of 2.30pm when we realised that one person had not come back from the bike leg. We quickly established his car was still there. He was one of the last runners back from the first run leg. He was wearing a hyradtion pack (so he had water with him). At this stage in any potential search it is important to THINK CLEARLY and do things step by step. 1. Stop any nervous relative going out on their own to look for the missing competitor. If they get lost you may need to look for two people. 2. Inform everybody who is assigned to pick up controls to be aware and look for any possibly lost competitor 3. Send out your people to pick up the controls. When they all come back mark on a master map the routes that they have covered to get the controls. 4. The next stage is to assume the person has gone off the edge of the competition map. As this was a mountain bike event that was very possible. So divide the area into logical sections and get your most experienced orienteers to drive the tracks in each section. It is very important that you give all these drivers the same instructions. “It is now 3.15 make sure you are back here by 4.15. We will not make the next decision till 4.30.” 5. Remember at this stage the competitor had been out for about 4hrs 30 min. So he probably was out of water. 6. At 4.00 I informed the Gilwell Park Ranger. He advised the police that a search may be required and the decision would be made at 4.30 when our track search was complete. He also said we were doing the right thing to keep control of the situation. The police generally prefer to be informed early and then stand down rather than not get informed until it gets dark. 7. At 4.15pm our last track driver returned with the missing competitor.
He had made a mistake and ridden off the map. He was not wearing a watch. He was out for just over 5 hours. I informed the Ranger who rang the Police to give the all clear. In this case everything turned out OK. It is important that all event organisers be aware that this may happen at your event. We are very lucky that it does not happen often but it MAY happen. As an event organiser it is very hard to prepare for a search situation. So in a quiet moment after your club’s next successful event, think about how you would go about a search if a competitor had not come back. Could your club cope? Example - Did you have enough experienced people available at the end in case a track search was required? We were within 15 minutes of calling in the Police Search and Rescue. We were lucky. This article is just to make you and your club members think about what can happen in our sport of Orienteering.
