4 minute read
MEET YOUR TEAM – ACT Blue Lightning
BLUE LIGHTNING
Coach: Grant McDonald Manager: Valerie Barker The Blue Lightning Squad is the training and development squad for ACT junior orienteers.
MATTHEW HARDING
Olle Poland
Paul de Jongh
Lachlan Dow
Naomi Mitchell
BOB MOUATT MARY MCDONALD
HEATHER MCDONALD Sophie McAllister
Snowy Haiblen
Luke Poland
The Blue Lightning Squad
Blue Lightning History
Len Minty took on the coaching role of the ACT junior orienteering squad in the mid-1990s. He wanted a name and image that would give the squad an identity. The ACT floral symbol is the Royal Bluebell, so the ‘blue’ combined with something fast had a definite appeal to Len. Thus the ‘Blue Lightning’ squad was born. Len had a special banner created for the squad, and the banner is still proudly displayed at events where the squad participates.
The Squad and the Team
The relatively small geographical size of the ACT is one of our big advantages. Being close means that the squad can be together, at least in part, two or three times a week for much of the year. The squad meets at mid-week training sessions which are held on various inner Canberra maps. The emphasis is on improving our navigational skills and techniques. The squad also meets informally at the Junior Orienteering League events on Saturday mornings, and at the Orienteering ACT events on Sundays. Meeting regularly helps with building team morale and friendships, as well as getting parents involved with the squad, and with fund-raising. There are plenty of other training opportunities available to the squad. Most members live within 10 minutes of a fully mapped area on which they are able to train. They are also encouraged to take advantage of other training activities including mountain-bike orienteering, rogaines, adventure races, cross-country races in the Spring and Summer, and interval sessions run by the Bilbies triathlon club on Tuesday evenings. Being selected in the ACT Schools orienteering team is the major goal for many of the squad, and most members of the schools team are squad members. The ACT team has had a considerable amount of success at the Australian Schools Orienteering Championships (ASOC). There have been many excellent individual performances, and a number of memorable relay races, by the team over the years. It is the steady and consistent results by the whole team that helped them to finish equal first in 2004 and again in 2006. The main source of squad funds comes from the Blue Lightning cake stall which offers home-baked goodies at most ACT events throughout the season, together with BBQs at major events. The funds raised go to subsidising our annual training camp, and travel to ASOC. Orienteering ACT also assists by letting the squad run, and keep the profits from, a fund raising orienteering event during the year.
Training Camps
These have become the highlight of the year for the squad. A decade ago, Len Minty would load the squad into a minibus and take them away for the QBIII weekend. Under John Harding’s leadership, the squad had a three-day training camp based in the ACT in 2002. The following year Anthony Scott developed the camp to be bigger and better. The camp was based at the Lake Hume Resort near Albury. The five-day camp in July allowed the squad to train on a wide range of great areas such as ‘Kangaroo Crossing’ and ‘Barambogie’. The 25 to 40 participants included not only squad members of all abilities, but also younger siblings and parents. This became the model for subsequent years. The camps are memorable for visits to the Beechworth Bakery, hot spas at the resort, trivia/games nights, cottage cooking challenges, and the ‘Camp Champs’. This year the camp moved to Buckenderra Holiday Village on the shores of Lake Eucumbene. The squad trained on maps used for Easter in 2005 and the following Christmas 5-Days. The camp also included a trip to Thredbo for swimming and bob-sledding, and ended with a sprint race through Buckenderra Village.
From our Ranks
The Blue Lightning squad has produced a number of very talented young orienteers over the years. Several JWOC representatives had their beginnings with the squad: Rebecca Minty, Julia Minty, Oskar Booth, Murray Scown, Sophie Barker, Belinda Lawford, Heather Harding, and Ineka Booth are all former squad members. Many former squad members have returned to assist as coaches and mentors, particularly with the training camps.
The Future
Our program for training and developing juniors in the ACT is offered with the support of Orienteering ACT. We are continually on the lookout for potential squad members and welcome keen orienteers to join, whether they are experienced or just beginning. Encouraged by the success of the Blue Lightning squad, the Blue Sparks group has formed to cater for children at pre- and primary school, offering games and string courses for the very young orienteers.
