5 minute read
VENICE-O
When you picture Venice you imagine the Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge, gondolieri, the vaporetto, small side canals with little bridges over them, winding streets and alleyways, gorgeous venetian glass in shop windows, Piazzale San Marco, the cathedral, the Doge’s palace; and the tourists – sipping coffee, window shopping, promenading shoulder-toshoulder, stopping abruptly to look at something unexpected. You know the scene.
Now picture nearly 3200 orienteers running over those bridges and down the little alleyways, across the squares and through the archways, pushing their way through those throngs of tourists. That was the scene last November 11th
2007
Map of Venice and winner Matthias Merz’ route through the city.
Merz winning the WOC 2007 Long Distance Championship.
when the annual Venice Orienteering (or Orientamento Venezia) event was held.
The event has been held for 28 consecutive years. This time the Men’s 10.25km event was won by Swiss 2007 Long Distance World Orienteering Champion, Matthias Merz (pictured) in 59min 33sec, followed just 6sec later by Oli Johnson of Great Britain. The Women’s event of 8.47km was won by Celine Dodin of France in 57min 23sec, followed by Michaela Gigon (multiple World MTB-O Champ) of Austria.
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.
No letters to The Editor have been received for this edition.
NEWS
Aussie Orienteer claims World Record
How many courses do you complete in a calendar year? In 2007 Michael Hubbert of the Bayside Kangaroos club in Melbourne completed 216 Orienteering courses and is claiming an unofficial world record for the achievement. In recent years he has completed a consistently high number of courses each year - 181 courses in 2006, 182 in 2005 and 176 in 2004, but this is the first time he has passed the 200 mark. In achieving this new mark he visited 2919 controls and covered approximately 1500km. Michael has been orienteering for nearly 40 years, having competed in the first Orienteering event held in Victoria in August 1969. It was this event which started the development of the sport in Australia. He competes mainly in Foot-O events but also takes part in MTB-O and the occasional Ski-O event. In 2008 he has moved to M65 and continues to totter his way around several courses each week; and he’ll be in Europe later in the year competing at WMOC 2008 in Portugal and the WOC Tour in Czech Republic.
Michael Palin
In the TV series “Michael Palin’s New Europe” on the Seven Network look out for two boatmen ferrying Palin across the water near the end of one of the episodes. Both boatmen are wearing t-shirts from an Orienteering event called “Azimuth” held near Moscow in 2006.
Dubbo profits from JWOC Carnival
It has been estimated that $1.48million was injected into the Dubbo community by orienteers during last year’s JWOC 2007 and Western Plains Carnival. So it was very much a winwin situation. We orienteers were able to run in terrain which many thought was by far the best for Orienteering in the country and the Dubbo community benefited too.
WA membership up
Orienteering Western Australia membership reportedly increased by some 20% in 2007. Congratulations.
VICTORINOX AWARD
The quarterly Victorinox Award goes to Rob Preston for regularly providing excellent photos for inclusion in The Australian Orienteer. Rob will receive a Victorinox Voyager with 20 tools and features including a watch/alarm/timer; retail value $109.95.
ORIENTEERING PUBLICATIONS
IOF Publications
International Specifications for-Orienteering Maps .......... $11.00 Competition rules for IOF events ................. $11.00 Control Descriptions ............ $11.00 Simple Maps for Orienteering .... $11.00 Trail Orienteering (BOF book) ..... $30.00 Trail Orienteering (booklet) ........ $8.25 Trail O (leaflet) ................. $0.70
Australian Publications
Elementary Orienteering Instructors-Manual ............. $13.20 Level 1 Coaching Manual ........ $22.00 Level 1 Coaching Syllabus ........ $3.90 Level 2 Coaching Syllabus ........ $4.40 Level 3 Coaching Syllabus ........ $4.40 Among the Best Orienteers (video) $19.75 Sponsorship & Advertising, 1996 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . available from states Club Guide, available on disc.
Prices include GST and postage within Australia for single copies. Prices for bulk orders available on request. Orders should be addressed to Orienteering Australia, PO Box 284 Mitchell BC 2911, with cheques made payable to Orienteering Australia. Email: orienteering@netspeed.com.au
2008 Australian Rogaining Championships
Friday 15th - Saturday 16th, August 2008
The 2008 Championships will be held at Copeton Waters State Recreation Area. This is located 34 kilometres from Inverell northern NSW, 600 kilometres from Sydney and 500 kilometres from Brisbane. A 24-hour rogaine will be held on a course including the most spectacular reaches of the Gwydir River. The second running of the Nigel Aylott Intervarsity Trophy will take place in conjunction with Australian Rogaining Championships for qualified intervarsity teams. The usual Interstate Challenge will take place with all teams who place in a class or sub class contributing to their states’ success in the Interstate Challenge. Will the hosts score well, for a change? Competition will be held in the Outright Championship Category, Open Female / Male / Mixed, Veteran (+40) Female / Male / Mixed, Super Veteran (+55) Female / Male / Mixed, Youth (U23) Female / Male / Mixed. The NSWRA, which brought you the 7th World Rogaining Championships in 2006, is your host for this event. We have an experienced planning team on the job working to make this another great Australian Championship Rogaine. Graeme Cooper - of Northern Tablelands Orienteering Club - who set the 2000 Australian Championships at Gundy, NSW, and who also set the 1990 NSW Championships at Copeton Waters Recreation Area will set another precise and challenging course within a fine map. A coach will be provided from Sydney to the event site and return; possibly from Brisbane also. On line entry by credit card will be available. Further information will be available soon at the NSW Rogaining web site. For general information about the event contact Michael Watts; phone 02 9568 3016 or email MWatts@fp.fairfax.com. au and for entry, results and related matters contact Andrew & Belinda Pope; 02 9484 1736 email absspope@optusnet.com. au Alan Mansfield for NSWRA; email nswrogaining@optusnet. com.au
