J U N I O R W O R L D O R I E N T E E R I N G C H A M P I O N S H I P S – G OT E B U R G, S W E D E N
Testing Times and Experience for our Young Juniors
Hilary Wood – Team Leader
T
he Australian Junior Team this year was remarkable in two ways: The first was the number of Queensland representatives - 5 in total; and the second was the number of young team members - 7 team members are eligible and have the opportunity to be selected for 2009. This needs to be kept in perspective when reviewing the performance of this team and looking towards future JWOCs. The leadership team looked to this year’s team for performances and to provide them with experience in very unfamiliar terrain. Glacial orienteering terrain is very rare in Australia and so the week’s training camp prior to the competition was all our team had to adapt to this terrain. Some had come over early and gone to the Jukola Relays in Finland and also taken advantage of Australian elite runners, Dave Shepherd’s and Jo Allison’s advice and training in the week leading into the official training camp. Laurina Neumann was the only member who had visited Sweden last year and trained in the Goteburg area. Features of maps in this region are large areas of marsh and swamp in forest and a lot of contour detail featuring rock and bare rock which may be mapped as either yellow or using contour detail to delineate it. The maps also tend to have a lot of features on them making the task of reading the maps challenging, to say the least. Competitors need to take in lots of information as they run along and also know which details are relevant to take heed of rather than trying to read everything. We are happy to say the team rose to the occasion and was able to adapt reasonably well given their limited training opportunities. The team was also plagued with some unfortunate issues in preparation. Bryan Keely was forced to withdraw in early June due to a diagnosed stress fracture requiring plaster and crutches. As he was one of the top performers in the selection trials this was a particularly severe blow to the strength of this year’s boy’s team. Fortunately Geoff Stacey was able to make last minute arrangements to join the team and flew into Goteborg on the first day of the training camp. He came to support the team in the Relay and did not disappoint in this race being the best performing Australian male. Oliver Mitchell’s preparation was interrupted by a knee injury which required surgery in May and so his fitness was not what he desired. He tried very hard to do some last minute training at Jukola and also was able to take advantage of the week before the training camp to put in some extra yards. The team enjoyed staying in a typical Swedish Orienteering clubhouse just south of Goteborg. Access to a map was 22 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER SEPTEMBER 2008
Oscar Phillips feeling the hustle and bustle of the Relay start. Photo: John Anderson
right on the doorstep and regular training was to be had in the surrounding forest on a variety of map scales. Training concentrated on familiarisation with the terrain and running in the softer terrain which resembles running through sand dunes but is wetter underfoot. The Goteborg region has lots of rocky outcrops and these varied in how they were mapped - some as bare rock and others just as contours and yellow with some high points. To develop team harmony and spirit groups were allocated for cooking meals and shopping trips. The team had some fun going into the city centre to do some sightseeing and the boys chose to go to the movies on the day leading into the competition. The event centre for JWOC was in an Army camp and had security on the gate which was interesting for the first few trips in and out. The Australian Team shared a floor with the Danish Team and we had access to a kitchen and lounge with a TV in it. The teams checked each other out in the dining hall and much fun was had in talking about others. Food had to be supplemented as is quite usual with some people not enjoying some of the Swedish army cuisine. The team enjoyed running around the camp on a small map of the area which featured some typical Swedish terrain and resident deer. The competitions were held in close proximity to Goteborg and so travel time was much less than usual and made for a more relaxing feel to the competition days. The Swedish organisation was very casual - competitors were able to retain their maps after finishing their course though the start and finish were separated on each day. Unfortunately for spectators it was a pretty bland affair even though we were fortunate to have a large contingent of Aussie supporters in the form of parents and friends of team members. No spectator controls were at any of the events and the IOF Liebnitz Convention was generally ignored by the Swedish organisers. On the plus side the courses were technically challenging and excellently designed and the team enjoyed the challenges they presented even though many were not happy with their performances. We have a young group of very enthusiastic orienteers to consider for selection next year for JWOC in Italy. Sample maps show they will need to do some hill training for the steep slopes in the north of Italy.
