JU N E 2018
Lucy Mackie 2017 Orienteer of the Year RRP $8.50 inc GST
2018
Round 1
2
3
4
5
Event
Date
Location
1. Sprint
10 March
Melbourne, VIC
2. Sprint – WRE
10 March
Melbourne, VIC
3. Sprint
11 March
Melbourne, VIC
4. Sprint Relay
11 March
Melbourne, VIC
5. Sprint
30 March - 2 April
2018 Easter Carnival, Hobart, TAS
6. Middle Distance
2018 Easter Carnival, Hobart, TAS
7. Long Distance
2018 Easter Carnival, Hobart, TAS
8. Intermediate
2018 Easter Carnival, Hobart, TAS
9. Middle Distance
19 May
Daylesford, VIC
10. Long Distance
20 May
Daylesford, VIC
11. Middle Distance
8 September
Stanthorpe, QLD
12. Ultra Long Distance
9 September
Stanthorpe, QLD
13. Middle Distance
29 September
Renmark, SA
14. Relay
30 September
Renmark, SA
15. Sprint
1 October
Renmark, SA
16. Long Distance
6 October
Adelaide, SA
17. Middle Distance
7 October
Adelaide, SA
WRE = World Ranking Event
All race details can be found at www.orienteering.asn.au
ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA
The President’s Page Blair Trewin
A
s I write this, we’re coming off a successful Easter in Tasmania. The number of entries was better than the organisers expected, and the large crowd was exposed to a different range of terrain to what we’re used to – while St. Helens is definitely one of Australia’s better orienteering experiences, the south provided us with something a bit different. (It’s just a pity that Pittwater is logistically near-impossible these days for a national carnival event). Those wanting their St. Helens fix were still able to get it the following weekend, and results from that were good, as well. Easter was also a significant step in the selection of National Teams. The team for the Junior World Championships was selected there (as was that for the MTBO World Championships, despite most of their selection trials weekend being lost to unseasonably late extreme fire danger), and the World Championships team will have been by the time you read this. I’m particularly encouraged by the prospects of our junior women this year; with a depth rarely seen in that class, there were four who finished within just over a minute at Easter, and a few more not too far behind that. (The fact that the two next in line behind the selected team are still W16s augurs well for our future prospects, too). Easter also gave us the chance to recognise some major contributions to the sport. John Brammall, Eric Andrews and Bob Mouatt were inducted into the Orienteering Australia Hall of Fame in the general division, with Bob also awarded this year’s David Hogg Medal for Event Management; Hermann Wehner was inducted into the athlete division of the Hall of Fame, Barbara and Ron Junghans received the Silva Award for Services to Orienteering, and Wendy Read the Silva Medal for Services to Coaching. If I went through everything that each of the people named in this paragraph have done for the sport it would take up the whole magazine; all are entirely deserving of their honours (and the quality of some of the unsuccessful nominees – who will, hopefully, be recognised in future years – was also outstanding). Also on the list of very positive orienteering experiences in recent weeks has been the NSW Championships weekend at Armidale, on one of the best granite areas in the country.
We’ve only really scratched the surface of the terrain that the Northern Tablelands have to offer, and it’s a significant gap in our orienteering history that nothing bigger than a NSW Championships or a National League weekend (a bitterly cold QB3 weekend a quarter-century ago) has ever taken place there. There’s a chance that might change at some point in the next few years (watch this space). The NSW Championships weekend also provided the opportunity for the first consultation with States on redeveloping our strategic plan. I hope to get out to each of the seven State Associations during the course of the year, as it’s important for us to learn where States see their priorities as lying and how that links in with national priorities. In some ways, NSW is more advanced in that process than we are ourselves. One area where they’ve already moved is to strengthen the coaching infrastructure with the aim of giving all orienteers the chance to improve themselves; a much broader aim than the traditional high performance focus. (They have doubled their number of coaches in each of the last two years). We see that as one of the key prongs of our strategy too; all other things being equal, the better someone is at something, the more likely they are to stick with it, and as NSW have said, activities like training weekends and camps (a very well-attended one of which was held in the week before the NSW Championships) are an important part of the social glue which is so influential in retaining people within the sport. I would like to finish by welcoming Prue Dobbin to the Orienteering Australia Board. Prue first put her hand up to be Minutes Secretary to the Board last year. We obviously didn’t scare her off too much, because she has now joined us as a fullyfledged member of the Board, and will be particularly important to us as we continue to pursue improved governance. I would also like to thank the remaining Board members and committee chairs, all of whom have signed up for another term to help keep the sport functioning.
Orienteering Australia Hall of Fame Four new members have been inducted into the Orienteering Australia Hall of Fame. Hermann Wehner has been inducted into the Athlete Division. Hermann has a long history of outstanding national and international performances in masters-level competition, most recently his gold medal in the M90 sprint at the 2017 World Masters Orienteering Championships. Three new members have been inducted into the General Division: Eric Andrews (deceased), John Brammall (deceased) and Bob Mouatt. All made outstanding contributions to the sport over a period of many years; among many things, John and Bob both served as Presidents of Orienteering Australia, whilst Eric is responsible for many of Australia’s best orienteering maps.
Bob Mouatt and Hermann Wehner at their award ceremony. Photo: Tony Hill JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 3
Winning PartnershiP
The Australian Sports Commission proudly supports Orienteering Australia The Australian Sports Commission is the Australian Government agency that develops, supports 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 4 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
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
w w w. o r i e n t e e r i n g . a s n . a u Orienteering Australia PO Box 3379, North Strathfield, NSW 2137 admin@orienteering.asn.au President Blair Trewin president@orienteering.asn.au Director High Performance vacant Director Finance Bruce Bowen finance@orienteering.asn.au Director Technical Jenny Casanova technical@orienteering.asn.au Director Media & Communications Craig Feuerherdt it@orienteering.asn.au Director International (IOF Council) Mike Dowling international@orienteering.asn.au Director Bill Jones directorbill@orienteering.asn.au Executive Officer Paul Prudhoe eo@orienteering.asn.au National MTBO Coordinator Kay Haarsma mtbo@orienteering.asn.au OA Head Coach Jim Russell headcoach@orienteering.asn.au High Performance Administrator Ian Prosser hpadmin@orienteering.asn.au Manager Coach Development Barbara Hill coachdevelopment@orienteering.asn.au National Sporting Schools Coordinator Jim Mackay sportingschools@orienteering.asn.au Coach & Controller Accreditation Jim Mackay accreditation@orienteering.asn.au Badge Applications John Oliver 68 Amaroo Street, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650
0418 287 694 0413 849 309 02 6288 8501 0427 605 167 0438 050 074
0418 287 694 08 8337 0522 0411 125 178 0439 668 151 0418 270 476 0407 467 345 0407 467 345
STATE ASSOCIATIONS Orienteering Queensland: PO Box 114 Spring Hill QLD 4004. Secretary: David Firman secretary@oq.asn.au Orienteering NSW: PO Box 3379 North Strathfield NSW 2137. Admin Officer: John Murray, Ph. (02) 8736 1252 admin@onsw.asn.au Orienteering ACT: PO Box 402 Jamison Centre ACT 2614. Secretary: Phil Walker, Ph. (02) 6162 3422 office@act.orienteering.asn.au Orienteering Victoria: PO Box 1010 Templestowe VIC 3106. Secretary: Carl Dalheim, voa@netspace.net.au Orienteering SA: State Association House 105 King William St Kent Town SA 5067. Sec: Erica Diment (08) 8379 2914 secretary@sa.orienteering.asn.au Orienteering Western Australia: PO Box 234 Subiaco WA 6094. Secretary: Carol Brownlie: oawa.secretary@gmail.com Orienteering Tasmania: Secretary: Bernard Walker secretary@tasorienteering.asn.au Top End Orienteers (Northern Territory): PO Box 39152 Winnellie NT 0821. Secretary: Susanne Casanova topendorienteersNT@gmail.com
NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE
July 13. Time-sensitive: July 20
ISSN 0818-6510 Issue 2/18 (no. 190) JUNE 2018
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, (100023602 for NSW). Editor: Michael Hubbert, P.O. Box 165, Warrandyte, Victoria 3113 mikehubbert@ozemail.com.au Phone (03) 9844 4878 Magazine Design & Assembly: Peter Cusworth, Ph. 0409 797 023 pcusworth53@gmail.com Magazine Treasurer: Bruce Bowen Printer: Ferntree Print, 1154 Burwood Hwy Upper Ferntree Gully. Contribution deadline: July 13; Time-sensitive – July 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: Competition – Blair Trewin; MTBO – Kay Haarsma; Official News – Paul Prudhoe. Contributions welcome, either directly or via State editorial contacts. Prior consultation is suggested before preparing major contributions. Guidelines available from the editor or from state contacts. State Editorial Contacts QLD: Liz Bourne – batmaps.liz@gmail.com NSW: Ian Jessup – marketing@onsw.asn.au ACT: John Scown – scown@light.net.au SA: Erica Diment – diment@adam.com.au – tel (ah) 8379 2914 VIC, WA and TAS – vacant 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 pa. Overseas: Asia/Pacific (inc. NZ) $A49, Rest of World $A58 pa. 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.
CONTENTS T H E P R E S I D E N T ’ S P A G E.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 ORIENTEERING IS MY LIFE......................... 6 2018 AUS CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW......... 10 S C H O O L S I N V I T A T I O N A L C A M P .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 E A S T E R 2 0 1 8 .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 N O L U P D A T E .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 AUSSIE TEAMS..................................... 21 MELBOURNE SPRINT WEEKEND................. 22 THE SWEDISH WAY TO SUCCESS............... 28 2019 EASTER PREVIEW........................... 30 M T B O N E W S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 N Z M T B O C H A M P I O N S H I P S.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 4 C O N S I D E R I N G C O L O U R - B L I N D O R I E N T E E R S .. . 3 8 O - S P Y.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 0 L A K E T Y E R S P E R M A N E N T C O U R S E.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2 G R E AT L E G S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3 O P I N I O N.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 S P O T T H E D I F F E R E N C E .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 5 TOP EVENTS......................................... 47
Cover photo: Lucy Mackie, 2017 Athlete of the Year. Photo: Kay Haarsma. JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 5
MICHELE IN DENMARK
MONDAY 8am: The morning is half over and the sun’s not even up yet! After a dark, wet and windy cycle to uni, I’ve made it in the nick of time for my 8am class. 5pm: Waiting patiently for the clock to tick 5pm I’m keen to leave behind a long day of classes and cycle out to the forest for a group long run. Unfortunately, it is announced that class will run three hours overtime to cover all the content in time for the final exam. Disheartened by the fact that training will not go to plan today, I am comforted by the complementary pizza our lecturer orders us for dinner. 8.30pm: The day is far but over. I head out in the club bus to a nearby school hall and participate in OK Pan Aarhus’ weekly strength training circuit. TUESDAY
Orienteering is my life: A Week in my Life at the Danish Elite Orienteering Centre Michele Dawson (NSW)
8am: I meet the other elite runners for an indoor stretch before jogging out to the nearby trails. On the agenda for Tuesday morning’s training is 7x5mins runs. It’s a tough session but with everyone starting each interval together it’s hard not to push through and finish. Can’t forget those posttraining high fives! 11am: I race back to uni to complete my final class for the week, enjoying the fact that all the handwork will be done by lunchtime. 2pm: It’s time to cycle to government-provided Danish language lessons. I ask my teacher to teach me the numbers in Danish so that I can finally understand how many interval repetitions we’re running next week. 7.30pm: I meet my fellow club members at the clubhouse for our monthly social dinner prepared by some generous volunteer athletes. I thoroughly enjoy the social nature of Orienteering in Denmark and take pride in the fact that although my Danish “doesn’t sound quite right” people still understand me because I “sound like the Princess”. 9.30pm: I ride home to the sports college with some fellow orienteers because we all live in the same building. Once you commit to Orienteering in Denmark, there’s no escape! WEDNESDAY
After competing for Australia at the 2016 World University Orienteering Championships, I moved to Denmark. I had been accepted into an academic exchange program as part of my university degree, to study at Aarhus University. Aarhus is the second largest city in Denmark, and home to the Danish Elite Orienteering Centre. Coincidence? I think not. Upon receiving my acceptance letter to the university, I reached out to the Danish National Head Coach, Lars Lindstrom, to enquire about the training opportunities available in Aarhus. He generously offered for me to join in training with the Danish National Team. Little did I know, orienteering soon became my life. Take a read through a typical week in my life at the Danish Elite Centre. 6 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
8am: I breathe a sigh of relief as I wake up remembering that elite training is indoors this morning. An enjoyable plyometrics and drills session can be ticked off for the day. 10am: I sit down to a second breakfast with some fellow orienteers back at college, making sure we don’t forget the very nutritious Pålægschokolad (slices of pure chocolate melted over white bread) 12pm: Grocery time! I come home only to realise that I’ve bought sweet cream instead of sour cream ….. for the fifth time. It must be because I’ve been slacking on my Danish homework. 5pm: I hop on the Elite Centre bus and drive with the team to a nearby forest (<2hr drive). We typically complete a technical training course with GPS tracking bibs. We can’t forget to jovially pay someone out on the trip home for the most shocking leg of the night! THURSDAY 8am: Elite intervals round two with coaches Jeppe and Torbjorn. This time it’s 4x8 minute terrain intervals. It is surprisingly easier to complete forest intervals in the winter without so much foliage to run through. Halfway through I realise that ankle socks aren’t going to cut it here and
succumb to the fact that I’m going to have to invest in some Danish clothes … preferably black. 11am: A fortnightly meeting with my personal coach, Henrik. During today’s discussion I come to the realisation that last night’s training was on a map that I have run on already. But I can’t remember it because everything looks unfamiliar when it’s dark. 2pm: Danish class FRIDAY 8am: I quickly message my parents and ‘promise’ I’ll try my best to Skype them next week and ‘yes’ everything is fine despite the fact we haven’t spoken in 6 weeks …… I then rush off to join the elite runners for a strength and weights session at the Team Denmark gym. 12pm: I decide I haven’t spent enough time around orienteers this week and so I volunteer to help film a promotional video in the forest for the OK Pan Aarhus’ upcoming Night Trail Series: https://tinyurl.com/yae3mqqu 6pm: This evening I lament the fact that I haven’t seen the sun in months and decide to book flights to Portugal Orienteering Meet (where temperatures are expected to be positive!) SATURDAY 2pm: An easy long tour in Aarhus forest with my personal coach. 4pm: I reward myself after a long week of training with a sauna at the clubhouse. I enjoy the privacy of visiting the clubhouse on the weekend and shudder at the memories of communal toilet rooms at Smålandskavlen (in Sweden) last weekend. I also get way too giddy over the fact that OK Pan Aarhus subscribes to The Australian Orienteer so I catch up on everything that is happening back home. 6pm: Finally, time to update Garmin Connect for the week, because if it’s not on Garmin it didn’t happen. SUNDAY REST: The only thing on the agenda for today is to check the weather forecast and hope that tomorrow is above 0 degrees, especially because I lost my gloves at the supermarket ..… again. Adjusting to life back in Australia after eating, sleeping and breathing Orienteering for 365 days certainly had its challenges. After a tough last few weeks in Denmark I returned to Australia and was required to take a 6-month break from Orienteering. This allowed me to have patella surgery and seek treatment for Lyme Disease. Whilst it wasn’t the outcome I was hoping to leave Denmark with, it’s all part of the journey. Thankfully, I have been able to return to training just in time for the 2018 season. After my time in Denmark I am ready more than ever to give elite orienteering a chance, this time with some invaluable training, experience and insight on my side. Who knows, maybe I’ll qualify for the World Championships in Denmark 2020, and compete back where this new chapter all started? A special thank you to everybody at the Danish Elite Centre and OK Pan Aarhus who were incredibly welcoming and made my time abroad unforgettable.
JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 7
MICHELE IN DENMARK
Michele Dawson in Venla (Jukola) Relay start.
Venla (Jukola) Relay team members.
Ian Jessup (Marketing & Communications Officer, Orienteering NSW) interviewed Michele about her experiences:
had access to things like live streaming of Tiomila and Jukola, connecting with other young orienteers around the world on Strava or Facebook. Looking back, I would have treated JWOC as the pinnacle of junior orienteering, and not the only opportunity in junior orienteering. There’s so much more to develop and achieve before experiencing JWOC to ensure that JWOC is as rewarding and uplifting as it is for many other young European orienteers.
In your presentation at the 2017 AUS Schools Championships you alluded to regrets from your junior O days. Could you please elaborate? Indeed, I did. I’m sure everyone can look back at some point in time and wish they could have given their younger self some advice. For me, I wish that I’d been more aware of the Orienteering world outside of Australia. It wasn’t until I was 16 that I was even aware of being able to compete internationally, let alone at championships or multi-day events with thousands of people. I had no awareness of how big and popular Orienteering was in Scandinavia. If I had, I think my attitude towards JWOC would have been completely different. For me, learning about JWOC at 16 was the only thing I’d heard about. It was almost as if Orienteering existed in Australia, and then there was JWOC and nothing else. I was naive in this way, and wish I’d
Venla (Jukola) Relay start. 8 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
What are your O goals now (e.g. WOC)? I’m currently working towards developing myself as a better orienteer, seeking out cool new terrains and enjoying the ride. Ultimately, I’d be looking to qualify for WOC in the next couple of years, with the intention of performing at a Top-30 level over the next 5-6 years. What training techniques from Denmark have you incorporated back home? The biggest change since returning from Denmark has been focusing on building a strong base. Something that I came to
Norway Training.
2018 Easter Prologue (pic Michael Hubbert).
really enjoy in Denmark was the regular strength, core and plyometrics training. Mentally, it was a very easy session to attend, but nonetheless tough work. I’ve kept up this routine since coming out of knee surgery and have noticed a big difference in the way that I’ve rebuilt my muscle and stability after having six months off. It’s also improved my confidence when in terrain.
What is one aspect of Danish orienteering you would like to see become a fundamental part of the sport in Australia?
Another big part of training in Denmark which I’ve brought back home is the mentality of the Danish elites. I’ve put a lot of thought into how to best summarise it, but I think I’ve narrowed it down to “better is possible, good is not enough”. Apply it to whatever aspect of Orienteering you will; for me this is a mentality that I’m pushing myself further and further every week. Despite only being back running for less than four months, my orienteering is better than it’s ever been, and I owe it to the introspective focus I’ve taken to my rehabilitation and training.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of Danish orienteering was the Relay culture. Relays are a format of Orienteering that I’ve had limited experience with. However, in Denmark they occurred frequently and I fell in love with how close they brought the orienteers together. It really highlighted the Danes’ strong club spirit. I think it would be a huge addition to the Australian orienteering community to host more Relays and place more importance on them. (The Australian Orienteer thanks Michele for this wonderful insight into Orienteering in Denmark and wishes her well with her future goals.)
Aarhus Winter Forest. JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 9
AUS Championships in South Australia 2018
T
he 2018 Australian Championships carnival in SA in September â&#x20AC;&#x201C; October this year offers a packed program of events in a wide variety of terrain. For the full event program, links to past maps (updates to existing maps and new maps will be according to ISOM 2017), and terrain photos see the web site pages: https://www.sa.orienteering.asn.au/2018-australianchampionships-event-program and https://www.sa.orienteering. asn.au/2018-australian-championships-event-program/event-areaphotos. The photos show examples of the terrain and maps (from past maps). For the elites the three individual Australian Championships events are IOF World Ranking Events. These events, and the Australian Relays and the SA Middle Distance Championships, are all events in the final round of the National Orienteering League. For non-elites, the events offer all the expected A classes, plus additional AS and B classes at all events except the Australian Sprint Championships, to enable orienteers of all standards to participate. At the two Middle Distance events these extra AS classes - M and W21AS, M and W45AS, M and W65AS are available, as well as M and W45B classes on top of M and W OpenB. At the Australian Long Distance Championships the additional M and W65AS M and W45B classes are offered. For the Australian Relays, some of the senior orienteers find the 55A and 65A age classes too long when participating in a Relay.
10 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
Keithcot Farm.
Keynes Gap.
So additional M and W 55AS classes are available, course lengths are to be shorter than the 65A courses. So, for orienteers who would like to participate and finish in a reasonable time, short hard to moderate courses are available. All the competition maps will provide participants with a record of their participation in the carnival. However polo shirts with the carnival logo can be ordered on Eventor, and all entrants in senior classes will receive a free coffee cup to use at the events. This will help us reduce rubbish. Some additional cups may be available for purchase.
Date
Event
Area and Terrain
Sat Sep 29
Australian Middle Distance Championships. NOL and WRE
Crooked Straight, near Renmark. Scrubby ridge line with complex steeply eroded gullies on all sides, some sandy areas, many knolls.
Sun Sep 30
Australian Relay Championships. NOL New map area
Wiela – Bunyip Reach, near Renmark. Eroded basins with complex erosion, some ridges, knolls and cliffs bordering the basins. Fast open terrain with areas of semi-open and occasional green areas.
Mon Oct 1
Australian Sprint Championships NOL and WRE
Renmark Schools
Tue Oct 2
Australian Schools Sprint Championships Public Event – Day 1
Keithcot Farm (schools campus). Non-school competitors can enter all three public events as a 3-day event, or just selected events.
Wed Oct 3
Australian Schools Individual Championships Public Event – Day 2
Wirra Wirra, Mount Lofty Ranges. Eastern part of the map is flattish pine forest with rock detail, in the west steeper spur gully with mixture of pine and native forest. Track network.
Thu Oct 4
Australian Schools Relay Championships Public Event – Day 3
Mount Crawford North, Mount Lofty Ranges. Mixture of pine forest, open to thicker younger pines, open native forest to thicker areas on rocky ridge line. Track network.
Sat Oct 6
Australian Long Distance Championships NOL and WRE
Gumeracha Gold Fields, Mount Lofty Ranges. Spur gully terrain, native forest with gold mining areas in the south and scattered through the pines as well. Pine forest - fast to slow run. Semi-open to bushy areas with rocky detail in the north. Track network.
Sun Oct 7
SA Middle Distance Championships. NOL
Keynes Gap, Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges. Open farmland with moderate to steep ridges and extensive complex rocky detail, bushy on the ridges.
Wirra Wirra.
Mt Crawford Forest.
Crooked Straight.
Gumeracha Gold Fields.
JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 11
2018 AUS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2018 Schools Invitational Team Camp E
Carnival events, where they will compete as members of the Invitational Team.
As our sport grows, the number of talented and enthusiastic orienteers who miss out on selection gets larger each year, since each State Team can only have a maximum of 16 - 20 persons.
We have booked dormitory accommodation for approx. 45 juniors, plus adult organisers/coaches. However, there is no limit on numbers. Extra juniors are welcome, subject to accommodation availability at the Caravan Park. Participants can choose to stay in the dorms or with their families on site.
The Schools Invitational Team Camp will be open to all students aged from 9 to 18 (Years 5 to 12) who are NOT in the State Teams. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be great at Orienteering to attend, just keen. Make new friends, learn new skills, and have fun together!
If you have a child who is not interested in being in the official State Team, or unlikely to get selected, you may reserve a place for them NOW. Others may have to wait until after the State Teams are selected in July or August.
very year, over a hundred junior orienteers from all over Australia and New Zealand are selected to officially represent their States and NZ at the Australian Championships Carnival. As members of the official State Teams, they get to spend an incredible 10 days together, sharing accommodation and meals, participating in social and professional development activities, and make life-long friends in the process.
The Camp will be held at the Adelaide Shores Caravan Park, 1km from where the State Teams are staying. It will run for 7 days, from 1/10 to 7/10. There will be no Camp in Renmark. Because it is not part of the official Carnival program, parents will be required to stay at the Caravan Park to help and to supervise the children, and to provide transport to the daily
12 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
After a day at the Carnival, participants will have a chance to relax and play. On most nights, parents will be rostered to help with the cooking, and kids with the washing up. There will be talks and activities after dinner. Photos from last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Camp are on page 13.
Family members (unless you volunteer to be an organiser or coach) will have to book their own accommodation with the Adelaide Shores Caravan Park. Book early, as places are likely to fill up due to the SA school holidays. (This advice applies also to Renmark, and for all Carnival attendees). For more information, contact Aylwin Lim 0438 322 761 or ayllim@netscape.net
Clockwise from top left: Hogwarts notice; Training session; Info board updated each day; Training session 1; The teams prepare.
JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 13
EASTER 2018
W21E placegetters – Natasha Key, Belinda Lawford and Krystal Neumann. M21E placegetters – Matt Crane, Simon Uppill and Brodie Nankervis.
Martin Dent and Serryn Eenjes.
Australian 3 Days The Trewin Report Photos: Kim Nankervis, Mike Dowling, Peter Yeates & Michael Hubbert
T
he 2018 edition of Easter took us to southern Tasmania, into areas largely unseen by mainlanders (unless you’re young enough to have run in the 2005 Australian Schools Championships). Starting out with a Prologue at the University of Tasmania, which added hills to the normally complicated campus mix, there were then two days exploring the sandstone lines of Lovelybanks, before finishing off on a final day which reminded many well-travelled orienteers of the challenges of continental Europe – vegetation, point features and not much definition in the contours. The senior women put on a show worthy of the occasion. Natasha Key won two of the first three days, but with one day to go it was Belinda Lawford leading a group of four separated by just over two minutes, ahead of Key, Bridget Anderson and Krystal Neumann. The pack race which might have been anticipated in the chasing start never really happened; Neumann had already gained two places by the first control, but then lost time at later controls, putting Key back in front by #6. Meanwhile Lawford, in what should have been the hot seat, motored serenely on, with only a minor wobble at #9, and ended up a bit over two minutes ahead of Key for the biggest win of her senior career to date. Simon Uppill’s consistent technical excellence means that races in which he is a major player don’t often have the fluctuations 14 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
that some others do, and this Easter was no exception. A little faster and a little cleaner than everyone else in the field, he swept all four days on his way to a margin of over six minutes. Matt Crane and Brodie Nankervis were best of the rest, Matt Doyle was an encouraging fourth on his return to serious competition, and Martin Dent put together his most consistent series of races at this level yet, with a very solid sixth place. Depth has suddenly become a feature of the junior women, who turned on a great race. There were five within four minutes going into the last day (plus some impressive cameos, notably from the young Tasmanian Mikayla Cooper), with Tara Melhuish holding a lead of just under two minutes. That lead disappeared by the second control with Zoe Dowling catching her; they remained close for much of the course, before Dowling made the decisive break at the second-last. By then, Caroline Pigerre had caught Dowling, but the Tasmanian had just a little too much pace at the end; the 2:30 Pigerre had dropped in the Prologue proved decisive, despite wins on the last two days. Dowling’s win came despite not winning a day, whilst Melhuish dropped back into fighting, and winning, a sprint finish with younger sister Zoe for third. The top four were separated by just over a minute. The junior men looked like a battle for the minor placings for most of the weekend – especially after illness ended Patrick Jaffe’s
UTAS SANDY BAY
australian 3 days - prologue SCALE
1:4000 CONTOUR INTERVAL 2.5m
map produced by Mike Morffew 2018
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magnetic
world ranking event JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 15
EASTER 2018
AUSTRALIAN 3 DAYS – DAY 3 CURRYJONG RIVULET – W20E 1:10000, 5m
Mali Brennan. Belinda Lawford. Brodie Nankervis.
16 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
Updated by Mike Morffew 2018
Base map LiDar Data and aerial images supplied by TASMAP
Day 2 - the ravine
Easter prematurely - as Aston Key won the first three days and opened up a break of seven minutes. Behind him, there was a close tussle between Alastair George, Joseph Dickinson and Patrick Miller. Miller made the early break on the last day, slipping through as the other two lost time early, and held second place for most of the way, but the other two ended up catching and passing him by #10, with Dickinson just edging out George in the sprint. As it turned out, Key almost got sucked into that battle too; after dominating Rachel Allen. for three-and-a-half days, he lost time on three of the last six controls and saw his lead shrink from seven minutes to two, but it was still more than enough. The closest class of the weekend was M50. Ruhi Afnan and Andy Simpson swapped three-minute victories on the first two days, leaving the South Australian with a 13-second break going into the final day. Simpson took the lead early and held it for much of the course, but never managed to stretch the margin beyond 47 seconds, and Afnan grabbed the lead back at the second-last control to score by eight seconds. There were nine classes where overall winners came from behind on the last day, the most dramatic of which was W70. Jenny Hawkins went in as clear favourite and lived up to that status on the opening day, but lost seven minutes at #3 on the second day and was playing catch-up from there. She went into Monday with five minutes to make up and four competitors to leapfrog, but was equal to the task and ended up 32 seconds ahead. The top four were covered by only 78 seconds, the closest class apart from W20E. In M70 Stephen Flick, Terry Bluett and Greg Chatfield were separated by 20 seconds after two days, but it was Chatfield who came through from third to take the overall points, whilst in M12 Makhaya Hogg showed the virtues of consistency to also come from third to overall victory despite not winning any of the individual days. Comebacks were in the family for the McCombs, with both Zali (W14) and Cathy (W45) making up small deficits on the last day, whilst in both M and W75 classes the late
Simon Uppill.
Olivia Sprod.
turnarounds were the result of misadventure; Darryl Erbacher and Ann Ingwersen both mispunched on the last day when well in front, leaving Mike Howe and Valerie Brammall as the last ones standing. The masters classes often feature the regulars at the front end, so it was a breath of fresh air to see two longstanding stalwarts claim their first major wins at national level after many years of trying. John Scown did it in style, winning all three days in M65, whilst Geoff Todkill had to work harder for his M60 win, winning on the first day but eventually coming from behind in a class which was eventually decided when Melvyn Cox lost five minutes at #6 on the last day. (In contrast, the M45 JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 17
EASTER 2018
Arabella Phillips
M21 Sledge start.
Angus Haines
W20 podium: Zoe Dowling, Tara Melhuish & Zoe Melhuish.
placegetters were the most regular of regulars; Scott Simson, Greg Morcom and Blair Trewin first started appearing on podiums together 35 years ago in their early teens, although never all three at the same time). It was situation normal in some other classes. Jenny Bourne had to work harder than normal for her W60 win, dropping the second day to Carolyn Jackson before edging away again to finish four minutes ahead overall. Warren Key (M55) swept the board in a strong field, and Bruce Arthur and Marina Iskhakova were predictably untroubled in doing likewise in M40 and W40 respectively. Jennifer Enderby also won all three days in W50, but was pushed hard every day by Nicola Dalheim, with the largest margin being just over two minutes. A less familiar name who made it three out of three was former leading junior Andrew Macken, largely unseen for the last 15 years but returning this year to take out M35, in a deeper field than that class sometimes has. John Lyon (M80) and Elye Dent (M10) were the others to win three days in contested classes. The younger junior classes are not usually as deep at Easter as they are at the Australian Championships (with the full schools teams present and an invariably strong New Zealand contingent), but still provided some good competition. Usually it’s said that you can’t win Easter on the first day, you can only 18 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
lose it, but W16 was effectively won in the first two controls. By then, Mikaela Gray already had four minutes over the field, and although Serryn Eenjes played catch-up in impressive style after that by winning the last two days, she had left herself too much to do. Andrew Kerr pulled away from the M16 field – depleted by a first-day injury to Alvin Craig - on the last day after dicing with Jensen Key for the first two days, whilst M14 was one of the closest classes of the lot - Sam Woolford’s narrow wins on the first two days being enough to hold on by 52 seconds against fast lastday finishes from Torren Arthur and Toby Cazzolato. The M21Sledge event on the last day contributed some mirth with the second-last control sitting atop a rope climbing frame. Competitors found several ways to reach the SI-unit on the top, with one resorting to carry the map in his teeth. Luke Topfer triumphed in the 4km race by 1 second over Louis Elson, with Justin Woolford another 20secs back. Those who weren’t blown away during the presentations moved on to St. Helens for another few days of orienteering, or to the mainland. It won’t be too long before we are back in Tasmania, when they host the 2020 Australian Championships. For the rest of us, the next coming together will be in Renmark – a new venue for most – at the end of September.
AUSTRALIAN 3 DAYS – DAY 1 LOVELYBANKS EAST – M65A 1:10000, 5m
M21 Sledge
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NUTRITION NOL
National League approaches its halfway point Blair Trewin
T
he 2018 National Orienteering League is now approaching its halfway point, with eight rounds (seven individual and a relay) completed; the first four at the Melbourne Sprint Weekend and the remaining four at Easter. The two senior classes have followed a similar pattern, with Victoria leading the way over the Melbourne Sprint Weekend but the Canberra Cockatoos returning fire at Easter. Victoria’s success was partly driven by the availability for the first four rounds of Peter Hodkinson and Will Gardner, who filled the first two places in all three individual Sprints in Melbourne; Canberra also suffered from the mispunch of their first team in the Sprint Relay, relegating them to fifth and costing them important ground in both Men’s and Women’s competitions against the Victorian winners. Victoria retain the lead in both competitions, but Canberra closed the gap over Easter to five points in the Men’s and six in the Women’s. The Tassie Foresters’ men have also made a good
cup
start and are 14 points behind in third; the lone hand which Brodie Nankervis has played in the last couple of years has been bolstered by the presence of Mark Purkis and the welcome return after several years of Karl Bicevskis. The Cockatoos lead in both junior divisions. As in the seniors, Victoria did well at home in the individual Sprints, but lost out in the Sprint Relay where they were fourth behind the Cockatoos. Victoria’s junior Men are still in touch, despite losing Patrick Jaffe through illness for two days of Easter, but the Cockatoos junior Women have both talent and depth and have already set up a 27-point lead. The Southern Arrows are best of the rest, continuing the promise which their school teams have shown over the last couple of years. Simon Uppill swept the four days of Easter to give himself a handy lead in the individual competition, setting up a 20-point break over Brodie Nankervis. It’s a closer contest for the senior Women with the top three covered by nine points. Natasha Key, Belinda Lawford and Krystal Neumann won a race apiece in Melbourne and were only separated by four minutes over the four days of Easter, but Key’s three race wins to Lawford’s two gives her a three-point lead at present. Aston Key has been dominant amongst the junior Men, winning every race until the last day of Easter (and beating the seniors in one of the Sprints in Melbourne). The depth amongst the junior Women which was apparent at Easter has come through in the National League points too. Tara Melhuish, Asha Steer and Caroline Pigerre have shared the race wins between them, with Melhuish eight points ahead at present; Zoe Dowling and Zoe Melhuish are not too far behind.
The Australian WOC JWOC and MTBO teams outfitted by Trimtex
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Aussie Teams Congratulations to those selected in the following Australian teams.
Bushrangers Team to New Zealand The Australian Bushrangers team to compete against New Zealand at Woodhill Forest north of Auckland in June.
Alistair George
Toby Wilson
Olivia Sprod
Tara Melhuish
Patrick Miller
Caroline Pigerre
Junior Men: Angus Haines, Aston Key, Brody McCarthy, Thomas Garbellini, Josh Allen, Daniel Gray. Junior Women: Mikayla Cooper, Jessica Rogers, Miho Yamazaki. Senior Men: Rob Bennett, Brodie Nankervis, Matthew Schepisi, Simon Uppill. Senior Women: Bridget Anderson, Michele Dawson, Natasha Key, Krystal Neumann, Anna Sheldon, Olivia Sprod. Manager: Anna Sheldon
2018 JWOC Team The 2018 Australian Team to the Junior World Orienteering Championships in Hungary in July. Girls: Rachel Allen, Zoe Dowling, Tara Melhuish, Zoe Melhuish, Caroline Pigerre, Asha Steer; Boys: Joe Dickenson, Alistair George, Angus Haines, Patrick Jaffe, Aston Key, Patrick Miller.
Nutrition Tips from the Victorian Institute of Sport RACE DAY FUELING Race day fueling at the Commonwealth Games with Linden Hall (Dietitian and Olympic, Commonwealth Games 1500m specialist !) After the rigorous physical preparation and smart nutritional practices during a training cycle has been completed, it’s important that a well-practised race day nutrition plan is scheduled! Linden Hall’s race day eating routine is something she has fine-tuned over many years. Each competition day is planned working back from her race time.
World University Orienteering Championship Team Orienteering Australia announced the Team for the World University Orienteering Championships to be held in Finland in July. Each country has four places in each individual race and athletes nominated the events they were interested in. Men: Andrew Barnett (Middle Distance, Long Distance, Relay) Aidan Dawson (Sprint, Sprint Relay, Relay2); Matt Doyle (Sprint, Middle Distance, Long Distance, Relay); Angus Haines (Sprint, Long Distance, Relay2); Henry McNulty (Sprint, Sprint Relay, Middle Distance, Relay); Toby Wilson (Middle Distance, Long Distance, Relay2). Women: Michele Dawson (Sprint, Sprint Relay, Long Distance, Relay); Anna Dowling (Relay2); Caroline Pigerre (Middle Distance, Long Distance, Relay); Olivia Sprod (Sprint, Middle Distance, Long Distance, Relay2); Asha Steer (Sprint, Middle Distance, Relay2); Lanita Steer (Sprint, Sprint Relay, Middle Distance, Long Distance, Relay) WUOC has become a prestigious event helping bridge the gap between JWOC and WOC so congratulations to all athletes.
“I always start out with a big breakfast. At the Commonwealth Games dining hall this was scrambled eggs on toast with avocado and roast tomatoes. Mid-morning consisted of a coffee as well as discussing my race plan with my coach. Around 1pm, I whipped up a simple chicken and salad sandwich. After a nap, I made a fruit toast and peanut butter snack. At 5:30pm, 4.5 hours out from my race, I made a rice and chicken bowl. A great option as it’s found almost everywhere! On the bus to the track, I enjoyed one final snack to top up my blood sugar levels - this is always a banana two hours before the gun sounds! Throughout the day, I ensured my fluids were topped up to maintain my hydration in the warm Gold Coast weather!”
COOL WEATHER TIP Roasted, mashed, and pureed into soup or as part of a delicious vegie bowl – pumpkin packs a punch with beta-carotene (vitamin A) vitamins C, E, fibre and some carbohydrate. Pumpkin is a great addition to your meals, particularly leading into these cooler autumn and winter months where seasonal change is notorious for wet noses and colds! The Vitamin A content of pumpkin helps boost your immunity as well as anti-oxidants C & E, beneficial for cellular and wound repair plus healthy skin! JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 21
22 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
MELBOURNE SPRINT WEEKEND
Monster Sprint Weekend in Melbourne “TAKE FIVE” Ross Barr (a.k.a Pork Pie)
Hopefully well remembered by all runners in the three Course 5 age categories at the fantastic 2018 Melbourne Sprint Weekend - and an appropriate title given five of the six races counted for the lolly. Congestion at the butterfly pivot control.
A
s for running in ‘5/4’ time, well, certain legs were speedy ones, but the demanding changes of pace and the demanding elimination of ponder (so much a part of Sprint O) across the six venues would have seen plenty of equally unique timing signatures on display. If anything, MSW 2018 was an even faster carnival than the inaugural one in 2016 the Royal Park circuit (event 5) being a major contributor to this speed, with W60, W70 and M70 legs in an unaccustomed blur of ache and flog. Given that other media have dealt with the elite and NOL performances, this report looks at the weekend from a more senior point of view (mainly M70 musings). Same sort of speeds, just different colour hair – well, what’s left of it!
Event 1: Monash Uni, Clayton Campus. Morning, warm conditions.
Monash Course 5 – 7-8-9
Barr led to #7, forgot #8, then Radford concluded. Wainwright, Mews and Erbacher also very handy. Dalwood (mapper – great one Peter) unofficial. Wood claims W60 in an excellent 11:29 – 3rd on the course. Mention should also be made of leg 1 on Course 4, possibly the leg of the carnival. A seemingly blocked up courtyard with the wide apart entry points creating much indecision. What a start!
From the underground carpark to the arena via a star-wars like building atrium, this looked like Sprint complexity par excellence – with the building variety, garden beds, ramps and steps in the stunning enclosed arena space hinting at what was to come. The Start was remote and added to the anticipation.
Monash Course 4 – S-1-2
From the map boxes Course 5 asked for a tight left hander south along a narrow path. This intro (short, sweet) set up a longer leg west (two options) before some excellent looping and high-quality Sprint O work. Lots of ‘quality 1 and 2’ and routes hard to decipher (leg #8-9 - a wide left or wide right option amongst them), giving us a great start to the series.
Monash Course 5 - S-1-2 JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 23
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Venue of the MSW Carnival â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Caulfield Grammar
MELBOURNE SPRINT WEEKEND
After the great #7-8 leg, you changed to the right hand map (Part 2) and sort of did it all again. Back onto the paths, the canopies, the buildings – but from different directions – and including a great spectator control before ending with a downhill flog to the oval and screens. This was intricate O at its best. Barr Caulfield Grammar from Dalwood; Radford Course 5 – 7-8 after an uncharacteristic poor start in 3rd. Jenny Bourne (W60) fastest on the course by a full minute; Kathy Liley wins her second one in W70.
Event 2: Caulfield Grammar, Wheelers Hill. Afternoon, very hot. This tiny campus sloped down west to east, with the courses being divided into two parts on the one A4 sheet. Such was the heat, just walking to the Start across the oval had the Course 5’ers in meltdown – the 50+ earning their keep.
Caulfield Grammar Course 5 – S-1-2
Part 1 (left hand map pg 24) began with a cracker uphill leg into a maze of small buildings, canopies and gardens. Small legs, overruns, backtracks, overlaps – runners in all directions, and in all manner of confusion and speed.
Event 3: Yarra Valley Grammar. Morning, warm. First up was the NOL Mixed Relay event, so there was much excitement at the set up and the commentary as that race proceeded. Lots of running across the ovals and back in full view, and voice!
Mixed Sprint Relay start.
Mixed Sprint Relay start.
Mass Start Mixed Sprint Relay winners. JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 25
MELBOURNE SPRINT WEEKEND
Yarra Valley Grammar Course 5 – S-1
The older classes used the same long start route across the oval, which meant that you had died of exhaustion before control #1 (another Qual 1 classic). Well almost! Once into the campus things on the 1:3,000 map were quite clear with most legs easy to identify and execute – legs #7-8-9 being the best of them, with Barr’s lead to #7 being surrendered by going internal to #8 instead of round the road. The long running legs at the start were reprised at the end, where Radford won from Dalwood. Fast stuff and at 11:04 for the win (J Bourne 10:39), probably too short. A bit more campus and a bit less grass maybe? Yarra Valley Grammar Course 5 – 7-8-9 Liis Johanson at Monash.
Event 4: Kurunjang Schools. Afternoon, fine. Western suburbs for the afternoon event, and the first of two ‘gate factoring’ events. This small pair of schools was dead level, and had a variety of building sizes and angled covered pathways, but it was the organisers’ ability to open or shut a number of connecting gates that gave the venue its quality. This was another Part 1 and Part 2 map offering with several legs where onward momentum often masked reversing alternates (#45, #6-7 good examples).
Kurunjang Course 5 – 3-4-5-6-7
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Kurunjang Course 5 – 9-10-11-12-13-14
And of course, the gate factor made an impact - the one on the #9-10 leg (Barr undone here) also featuring on the excellent #13-14 leg (possibly the best leg of the course). Getting in, and back out of, the midpoint/map change tennis courts in full spectator view was also a nice feature in this small but classy event. Stories of runners punching #12, turning over the map and forgetting #13 (Sprint O does that to you sometimes). Radford wins. Dalwood, Wainwright, Mews look good. Erbacher and Bourne MP – Prudhoe shoots through!
Event 5: Royal Park, Parkville. Morning, cold, rain threatening. Fredrik’s 1:4,000 map took in the rough open centre ring and all between the 57 tramline and Gatehouse Road. I gather this venue was a latish swap for an unavailable campus, and to make it more enticing, runners were to start in pairs with the promise of butterfly looping to confuse and (hopefully) separate them. Although the butterfly (only one on Course 5, though other courses had two) came early on, the rest of the course was a long exhausting run with little to confuse or pause over.
The course began into the northern school for two legs, then quickly exited across the no man’s land to the other school. Straightforward enough, with #3-4 engaging the brain. Once back onto Part 2, you recrossed the park for a small taste of built before open running to the end. Controls #9-10-11 the best of this second half. Radford all the way, with Erbacher giving Barr a hurry up. Herkes wins her second in W70, but Dalwood’s four ‘red’ splits don’t save his surprisingly slow start. Once again, short winning times (Bourne at 10:41 the best of them) indicative of a course that was a bit too short (1.7km) – and one missing the intensity experienced earlier in the programme.
Royal Park - Course 5 - butterfly
Keilor Downs - Course 5 – 9-10-11-12
Despite the late zig zag for Nick Dent’s camera, most controls were spotted early and easily, and it became a disappointing ‘line astern’ event. You understand the younger runners loving it, but for me, the least of them. Radford had the speed, but Dalwood might have challenged if not exiting from the butterfly in the wrong direction. Templeton a sole winning leg (#15-16). Wood wins W60 after Bourne drops 1:30 on the short #15-16 leg (amazing, and I said it was easy!). Royal Park - Course 5 - 14-15-16-17
So, there we have it. The second Melbourne Sprint Weekend over and out. Ted and Margi exhausted, as were the crews – and probably most of the ‘Course 5’s’. A happy exhaustion though. The map quality was excellent (in the case of Monash Uni – a stunning work of art worth framing) and much of the work classic Sprint O. The smaller venues precluded course planners being able to offer many (any?) long ‘Quality 3’ legs, but this was made up for in part by course intensity – especially on Saturday afternoon at Caulfield, perhaps the venue of the carnival. This is interesting as probably the most acclaimed venue in the first MSW series, was the tiny one at Kardinia International College in Geelong. An absolute cracker well remembered. In the right hands, small is beautiful indeed. Thanks to all involved in MSW 2. We look forward to the third outing - where us old ‘Dave Brubeck-ers’ will ‘take five’ of the six once again.
Event 6: Keilor Downs Schools. Afternoon, cool, fine. Another two-part course with maps vertically arranged, and another ‘gate opener’ venue. These two small schools, separated by a small public park and strangely painted rocks, were the last gasp for the ‘Fivers’ and the smallest attendance of the carnival (209 runners c/w 312 at Event 2 – although I note all three Course 5 classes were there in force. No rest from Tony).
Natasha Key at Monash.
Keilor Downs - Course 5 – 3-4-5-6-7 JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 27
SWEDISH ORIENTEERING CLUB
The Swedish way to success Swedish orienteer, Tuve Möller, was the ONSW resident coaching scholar during the summer and autumn just past. Tuve captured the imagination of a group of NSW orienteers with a very detailed presentation on how orienteering clubs operate in Sweden. This is an extract from his presentation:
T
here are 170,000 orienteers in Sweden, half of them are club members. Tove Alexandersson was 3rd in Sweden’s athlete of the year, an award covering all sports. OK Linné, my club in Uppsala, has more than 1,000 members. How is it possible? How can Orienteering be this successful in Australia?
Good product ” A unique good model of healthy ageing, ”
says a Swedish
study.
u
Don’ t set dangerous courses and we are already the
NUMBER ONE.
Photo: http:/ / skogssport.orientering.se/ Nyheter/ Haraldsson96ochWyder26vannstoromrostningFantastiskt
The infrastructure must be in place first, then the people will come. By infrastructure I mean: • Training programs • Beginners courses • Competition at all levels of ability • Social activities • Youth camps Remember - you are not organizing these things for yourself! The most important thing is to make Orienteering easily accessible for non-orienteers.
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It starts with the youth: •H alf of the key persons in my club started because their children started • We have activities every week at the clubhouse • Expect to start small – if you hold an activity every week and not many come, remember that less will come if you hold it once a month • Beginners course is like Sporting Schools but we continue into the forest
Why beginners courses? •T he participant feels included • They can make friends in their age group which makes it a fun and a good social activity • Challenging activities, but not too hard – like Space Racing/ Sporting Schools in Australia • Orienteering is a healthy activity (a unique and good model for healthy aging according to a Swedish study) • Simple/Easy – for both the participant and for the organizer
My club has a lot of easily organized activities! Monday:
Elite/all: Strength training, school gymnasium;
Tuesday:
E lite: Intervals in forest close to the clubhouse; Juniors: orienteering training (10km from the clubhouse); Youths: orienteering training (10km from the clubhouse); on-elite 21+: orienteering training (10km from the N clubhouse); eginners: orienteering training (like Sporting Schools) B (clubhouse);
Wednesday:
Elite/all: Orienteering technique, 40km from the clubhouse;
Thursday: Friday:
All club training (example Sprint), 5km from the clubhouse; (rest);
Saturday:
Competition or training day;
Sunday:
Competition or long run.
A major development by many Swedish clubs is “hittaut” (“find out” in English). In the case of my club, a map was made covering the entire town with about 100 checkpoints out all season. People can take a map and register the letter codes to win prizes (provided by sponsors). The program makes a lot of money from advertisements on the map; companies buy checkpoints so that people will come to their store, etc, and the local government supports it because it’s an easy and very, very cheap way to make people healthy.
“hittaut” is very successful! •7 5% have been more active with “find out” • 94% would recommend “find out” as an activity for the company • 80% are not members of an orienteering club
How to make money with “find out”: •E very house gets a map by ‘letterbox delivery’ • The large number of maps makes cost per map quite low
“hittaut” (or “find out”) was the biggest source of income for OK Linné in 2017 …… approx income was:
= FindOut • Take Checkpoints, register and win prizes • Checkpoints all over the city • 3,500 registered participants in Uppsala • Probably 10,000 active (of 200,000 inhabitants)
• 785,000 registrations in Sweden • 50 000+ participants in all of Sweden
Make many but easy trainings so Orienteering can compete with other activities like soccer/football, etc. For example corridor, intervals and strength training. It is probably better to have many easily organised activities than a few big ones. And, people will not come to an event that doesn’t exist, one event per fortnight/month is not enough for many people to do Orienteering as their main activity. Beginners courses and special youth trainings are very successful in Sweden. It’s perhaps not such fun for many kids to go to an activity with people that are 50 years older than themselves. The social attraction is half the reason they choose to take part, so if there is a group of kids they want to play with each other and therefore make friends. And also organize events that youths like - Relays for example.
•h ittaut: $45,000 • 5-6 competitions (500+, 3-4 are orienteering events): $40,000 • Membership fees: $35,000 • Sponsors, etc: $30,000 • Government funding: $20,000
Where we spent our money in 2017: •E lite section: $100,000 (contract (travel, etc), entry fees for some) • Youth section: $30,000 (entry fees, some travel); • Clubhouse: $10,000 • Equipment: $10,000 • Non-Elite 21+: $7,500 (training maps, relays) • Minibuses (2): $2,000 Note: the costs for the club are low thanks to all work being done voluntarily. Another key thing is that there are many positive people in the club who are happy to work and good at involving others, for example by saying hello to everyone in the club.
Club fees: •T rainings – free • Competition $20 for adults, $10 for youths (Swedish Championship $40) • Club membership: Family $120, single person $50 • Club pays entry fees for youths
Normal competition u
Like state leagues
u
Showers
u
Good courses
u
Food
u
Selling orienteering
equipment, shos etc 20 dollars for adults 10 for youths
JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 29
EASTER 2019
Plan now to head west for the Australian Easter Carnival 2019 in Western Australia. Nicole Davis
Helena Valley
From the 19th to the 27th April 2019 the focus of Australian Orienteering will be on the west coast as Orienteering WA hosts not only the Australian 3 Day Championships but also the Australian Middle Distance and the Australian Sprint Championships, which will be World Ranking events for elite classes.
T
his feast of orienteering will provide six events over 9 days for those wanting to hit peak orienteering but there will be time in the schedule to explore Perth and the beautiful south west of Western Australia. The carnival schedule is set, so now is the time to get in early for flight deals to Perth and to secure your accommodation. OWA has pulled together a strong setting team with a host of names familiar to many regular orienteers. Richard Matthews leads the Australian 3 Day team as controller, while Noel Schoknecht and Tony Simpkins are handling the Australian Middle Distance and Australian Sprint Championships respectively. Perth, the Swan Valley or the Perth Hills would make an ideal base to access the 3 Day venues in the Helena Valley near to Mundaring. The Prologue will be on a newly remapped and compact city school campus in the western suburbs close to Cottesloe Beach and Fremantle. The three days of bush orienteering will provide some good challenges on undulating and steeper slopes peppered with granite, for which the Helena valley is renowned. The areas have recently been mapped by Alex Tarr making use of specially flown Lidar base maps ensuring a quality map that everyone can enjoy from M/W 10 to M/W 75 and beyond! With the Sprint and Middle Distance events at Narrogin in the heart of the wheatbelt, just an easy 2.5-hour drive from Perth, you will be perfectly positioned to explore the city, west coast 30 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
beaches or the wineries and surf of the south west of the State. Or perhaps youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll enjoy the mid-week event at the nearby Dryandra woodlands that will be hosted by SWOT, our Bunbury based orienteering club. The Australian Sprint Championships at Narrogin Senior High School is a small but complex campus map, with bonus subtly
Helena Valley Noel Schoknecht and Paul Dowling checking the Lidar base map.
Foxes Lair.
contoured bush on the surrounding slopes; sure to prove an exciting Sprint venue. The last event of the carnival will be the Australian Middle Distance Championships on the newly mapped Foxes Lair Nature Reserve (www.foxeslair.org) in Narrogin. Setter and mapping guru, Noel, commented “I’m really looking forward to setting here, it’s mainly fast and open with a delightful scattering of rocks and a complex track network ideal for middle distance racing”. If you have not visited Western Australia for Orienteering before this carnival is the one as autumn weather is great for orienteering and sightseeing. Perhaps you’ll head to Rottnest and grab a quokka selfie like Roger Federer and Margot Robbie (Instagram fame may yet be yours!). Perth itself is ripe to explore with the new riverside precinct of Elizabeth Quay, the central Yagan Square foodie heaven and a visit to the recently opened Perth Stadium may even give you the chance to sneak in an AFL game. With Anzac Day falling during the carnival perhaps you may be tempted by a diversion to Albany to see the National Anzac
Centre (www.nationalanzaccentre.com.au) and the “Field of Light: Avenue of Honour” (www.fieldoflightalbany.com.au) installation by Bruce Munro which will run in Albany from October 2018 – April 2019. This immersive art installation will be gently illuminating the Avenue of Honour at Mt Clarence in homage to the Anzacs who departed from Albany for the Great War. Entries for the Australian Easter Carnival 2019 will open later in 2018 with further information on the event website and in Eventor. Keep an eye on the website and follow the dedicated event Facebook page to keep up with entry details and deadlines during the year. Any queries can also be sent via email to the carnival secretary at email: owaeaster2019@gmail.com Carnival Website: www.wa.orienteering.asn.au/easter-2019 Facebook: www.facebook.com/OWAEaster2019/ We look forward to once again hosting the Orienteering community in Western Australia and look forward to seeing you over here!
Helena Valley. JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 31
MOUNTAIN BIKE ORIENTEERING
BIKE SHORTS From Peter Cusworth
Lucy Mackie wins OA’s Athlete of the Year Award
C
ongratulations to Lucy Mackie (NSW) for being named 2017 Athlete of the Year by Orienteering Australia at Easter. This was due to her great results at the Junior World MTBO Championships in Lithuania last year, winning a silver medal in the Middle Distance and placing a close 7th in the Long Distance. She is only the 2nd MTB orienteer, after Adrian Jackson, to win this award.
Golf Course Sprint at Creswick T
he 2018 Victorian MTBO Championships and 1st round of the National MTBO Series, was due to be held on the weekend of 17-18 March at Creswick. Unfortunately a Total Fire Ban was called, first for the Saturday, which meant the Long Distance event had to be cancelled, and then Sunday was also declared a TFB, meaning the Middle Distance race was also cancelled. This was particularly disappointing for the organisers and also the many competitors, some who had travelled from interstate and New Zealand. We were, however, able to run the Sprint event as it was entirely contained within the RACV Goldfields Resort, the event centre for the weekend.
Unfortunately Lucy had a bad crash on her bike (not at MTBO) earlier this year dislocating her shoulder which required surgery and has put her out of competition for most of this year. We wish her a speedy and successful recovery and hope to see her back in action again next year.
The new Sprint map was a unique one as it covered the resort’s mountain bike trails, golf cart tracks and also the resort’s golf course. Yes, we were going to be allowed to ride on the golf course, but not the putting greens or tees.... or the bunkers! So the resulting map had lots of tracks, with lots of junctions, and also large areas of open land, the fairways, to ride. For this event, riders were permitted to ride on areas mapped with the Open Land and Open Land Scattered Trees symbols.
he cancellation of the Long and Middle Distance races at the Victorian Championships in March made the selection task for the selectors more difficult, but the Australian team for the MTBO World Championships in Austria in August is:
Two young Kiwi MTBOers came over for the Vic Championships: Georgia Skelton and Tegan Knightbridge. They are both part of New Zealand’s team to the World MTBO Championships in August and at only 16 and 17 years of age, are two exciting prospects for the future. Unfortunately due to the Long and Middle Distance races being cancelled they only got one race in Victoria, the Sprint, but both rode well with Georgia having an excellent ride to win and Tegan coming third.
Glen Charlton (NSW); Ricky Thackray (WA); Joel Young (QLD). Good luck to all selected.
Keep an eye on these two at the Junior Worlds in Austria in August.
2018 MTBO World Championship Team
T
The Victorian Championships have been rescheduled for early June back at Creswick.
Glen Charlton
Joel Young
Ricky Thackray
NZ World Championships team
F
or the first time in a number of years, New Zealand is sending a team to the World MTBO Championships with Tom Spencer and Conal Boland-Bristow in M21E and Georgia Skelton and Tegan Knightbridge in W20. They were all seen in action at the recent NZ Championships.
32 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
Above: New Zealand’s Tegan Knightbridge (left) and Georgia Skelton (right) are on their way to the World Championships in Austria this year. Photo: Natasha Sparg. Left: Georgia had an excellent ride in Victoria winning the Sprint race and followed up by winning the Sprint at the recent NZ Championships.
2018
Creswick Resort 2018 Victorian Sprint MTBO Championships Scale 1:4000. 5m contours Map: Tony Keeble (EU) Georgia’s route Start to 13 13 to finish
where you can ride
Map shows all controls for Course 2. Riders received a double-sided map with the turnover at control 13. Controls lines and codes have been removed for extra clarity to show Georgia Skelton’s winning W21 route.
W21 RESULTS 1 Georgia Skelton NZ 26:09 2 Marina Iskhakova ACT 29:17 3 Tegan Knightbridge NZ 30:31
The finish at the Goldfields Resort. Photo: Peter Cusworth JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 33
MOUNTAIN BIKE ORIENTEERING
NZ MTBO Championships Alexandra, South Island Craig Steffens – Multi Terrain Bike Orienteers (Qld)
A small but enthusiastic team of Australian riders headed across “the ditch” to once again challenge our Kiwi counterparts in some friendly competition, over quality maps in the Central Otago region of New Zealand.
T
he crisp country air was a welcome respite from the tropical conditions being experienced at home and the weather gods were kind with the forecast rain only arriving right during the final minutes of the presentation ceremony. For many years NZ did not stage national MTBO contests but have now found their stride and this was the latest in a string of recent carnivals that have been well organised and efficiently run, given their small local support base. Early event news had forecast a return to the infamous ‘Linger and Die’ map at Alexandra, scene of the hot and hilly Long Distance stage in 2012 and also the inclusion of an area of open sheep grazing country, devoid of tracks, thereby ramping up the challenging nature of the carnival. The location of the events were all centred in or around Alexandra and the many choices of river, rail and mountain trails in the area made for a perfect opportunity for racing or a social riding trip, with many riders and wives/partners/mates staying on after the carnival.
Tony Howes (Qld) out on course on the Linger and Die map. Photo: Peter Cusworth
The Model event was (thankfully) held adjacent to the Middle Distance site in open sheep grazing land at Chatto Creek, north of Alexandra. The chance to test ride the site was welcome for riders who don’t orienteer by foot and who needed to reacquaint themselves with the many long forgotten map symbols. Careful contour interpretation and rock identification was required as well as bearing selection, made easier by the low key nature of the event. Many rabbit holes and indistinct sheep trails gave a hint at hazards and distraction to come in the Middle Distance stage. The afternoon was marred by the injury to one of the NZ female team members which required medical treatment on site followed by hospitalisation, showing that first aid and emergency procedure always needs to be available and practiced, even at the simplest of events. We wish her a speedy recovery. The following day, the Sprint event was held in complex gold mining area along the riverside of Alexandra. Beginning with an immediate sharp pinch right out of the start, riders alternately
Photos: Julia Moore
The ride to the start from the car park..... 34 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
or some classes could catch the shuttle bus.
Fence crossing point.
printed here at 77%
Keith Wade. Photo: Julia Moore
Heather Leslie during the Long event. Photo: Julia Moore
JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 35
MOUNTAIN BIKE ORIENTEERING
Ricky Thackray heading off from the Middle start with snow capped mountains in the distance. Photo: Julia Moore Craig Steffens, 2nd M40 at Chatto Creek. Photo: Julia Moore
Hamish Mackie (M40) won the Middle Distance race. Photo: Julia Moore
sprinted by foot or spun a low gear to the top, before continuing on the tricky track network. Many riders were fooled by the myriad of twisting tracks, with those faltering punished in the finishing order. A unique feature of the area was the narrow contouring track, transformed from an old water race from the old gold sluicing operations. The Long Distance stage loomed over Alexandra literally, as the surrounding hills and the arduous climb from the 2012 event were clearly visible from practically anywhere in town. Mercifully, an elevated assembly area and an even higher Start line helped to remove some climb from the courses of the previous carnival. Courses still contained a challenging mix of technical trails and strenuous climbs and descent. Mild temperatures helped the physical exertion but route choice bloopers were punishing in the steep and complex terrain. Saving the best until last, the return to the Model event site at Chatto Creek, with its rolling hills and fields of rock and sheep tracks had many experienced riders nervous. A short transport section along the Otago Rail Trail led riders to the Start line, up a small valley studded with rock, giving a glimpse of the navigation ahead. Any hope of using the scant sheep trails quickly evaporated, as they were indistinct and hard to spot until you were right over them. Contour interpretation quickly became the key to resolving the terrain and choosing the right rock outcrop 36 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
Rick Armstrong and Leigh Privett dominated M70. Photo: Julia Moore
for waypoints paramount for the correct controls approach. The low grass of the sheep grazing fields provided fast riding speeds for those confident with their route choice. Rabbit holes were everywhere requiring a sharp focus to avoid spills. The local sheep seemed oblivious to our racing efforts. Sadly, at the end of the three stages, the New Zealand team had triumphed again, winning the AUS-NZL Challenge comfortably on their home turf and retaining the trophy banner. No bunnies were harmed in the completion of the carnival. A big thanks to the carnival organisers, particularly Joe Sherriff .
printed here at 72%
JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 37
MAPPING
Considering Colour-blind Orienteers Janet Fletcher – LOST Orienteering Club (WA)
G
roups that fund Orienteering and support its growth in Australia, e.g. WA Dept of Sport and Recreation, Healthway, Sporting Schools, often ask what we have done/are doing to enable access to our sport for people with disabilities. It is interesting to see that in different States, mappers and event organisers are starting to take this issue seriously, e.g. ONSW smartphone permanent course (The Australian Orienteer, March 2018) provides courses that are wheelchair friendly. For this reason I find it puzzling that a large group of orienteers who have a disability continue to be ignored. I am referring to orienteers who are colour-blind. We have had articles in The Australian Orienteer from Barbara Junghans, an orienteer who is an expert in the field of optometry, presenting detailed information on the impact of defective colour vision on orienteers, and from Ian Fletcher who has provided the lived experience of an orienteer with colour vision impairment, yet Orienteering Australia continues to ignore the information they and others have provided. We know that colour blindness is experienced by approximately 8% of the population, and although there are
various types of colour blindness, around 6% experience the same type to varying degrees. A complete solution is not easy, and that is perhaps why it has been ignored for so long, yet there are ways of improving the situation that have been outlined in various papers over the years (e.g. Designing maps for the colour-vision impaired: Bernhard Jenny and Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso, Bulletin of the Society of Cartographers SoC, 41, p. 9-12, 2007). We also have had a local example of how map colours can be successfully altered to improve legibility for people with red-green deficiencies at the 2014 Australian Championships when minor alterations to colour were made. No-one seemed at all aware of the differences and there was no comment from any competitor, suggesting that no-one was disadvantaged by the changes. I have heard of orienteers saying “I don’t see what they are talking about” when the issue of colour blindness is raised. Of course they can’t see it, but perhaps their imagination might be adequate to understand the frustration of a seriously colour blind orienteer about to start a Sprint course who cannot see the mapped distinction between open ground and out-of-bounds gardens.
Solutions for orienteers with colour vision defects
Orienteering Maps 2017 (ISOM2017) has introduced two new sections:
South Australia’s Adrian Uppill is a member of the IOF Map Commission. Here he responds:
B
eing colour-blind myself I am well aware of the issues that orienteers with a colour vision deficiency may face when reading a colour coded Orienteering map. These issues can be compounded when competition maps are not printed to specification in respect to correct colour and print quality. In this regard the Orienteering Australia mapping pages (https:// orienteering.asn.au/index.php/printing-maps/) refer to the IOF PrintTech ‘test’ sheet that can be used to check colour and print quality of a map. The mapping pages also recommend the colour setting of Purple used for course marking. This colour set, if used properly, is a good starting point to aid in distinguishing between the colours. Unfortunately maps are not always printed to the expected specification or sometimes Elites may receive good quality maps while other classes receive inferior quality maps, which increases the difficulties faced by those competitors, and particularly by those with colour blindness. Maps used for forest orienteering are governed by the IOF International Specification for Orienteering Maps (ISOM). The previous revision of this was from 2000 but it has recently undergone a revision process which began in 2008 and which has resulted in the release of ISOM2017. During the revision period for ISOM2017 several submissions were made by Orienteering Australia that included remedies for colour blind issues. It is noteworthy that the revised International Specification for 38 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
2.12.3 Colour vision impairment; 2.12.4 Printing suggestions for the colour vision impaired. While colours chosen for ISOM2017 took into account colour vision issues, the chosen set is a compromise. A significant change of ISOM2017 to improve recognition of symbols without relying on colour is the introduction of specific symbols per colour. For example the brown cross, which can be confused with a green cross, is replaced by a brown triangle. The table shown illustrates the symbol changes:
This change should reduce some of the difficulties faced by those with colour blindness. However further work is still needed in other areas, such as improving colour settings particularly for the colours Yellow, Grey and Olive Green, and also the green dot (small tree or bush) and brown dot (small knoll) point symbols which can be hard to differentiate.
I will continue to advocate for changes or improvements to these to the IOF Map Commission. Possible solutions for these issues are being considered such as changes to the symbols to aid in identifying them. Examples are the addition of a textured screen of small white dots to the Yellows and a small purple (say 50% purple) dot screen to Olive Green, and the addition of a small white dot to the centre of the green dot so it can be
distinguished from the brown dot. Of course these are not the only possible remedies. Finally any suggestions or comments you may have on improving the legibility of Orienteering maps for the colour blind may be sent to: aruppill@chariot.net.au Adrian Uppill
PRINTING MAPS
T
he Orienteering Australia website has more information on the PRINTING MAPS page:
“When digitally printing maps it is critical that map colours match as much as is possible the colours of the spot colour, off-set printed Print Tech ‘test sheet’. When comparing map colours it is useful to print colour blocks at one side of the map and then compare directly to the colour blocks of the ‘test sheet’. In the same way as above the course marking colour can also be printed as a block colour at the side of the map. The recommended setting for the colour Purple is 30%Cyan, 100%Magenta, 15%Yellow and 0%Black. In OCAD the default colour setting for Purple of 100% Magenta is unsuitable particularly for colour blind orienteers. As colour output varies from printer to printer, particularly from inkjet printers to laser printers, colour settings may need to be varied for each printer so as to achieve the best result. In all cases it is necessary to do trial print runs of the course map and check colours against the ‘test sheet’, and make adjustments as appropriate. If using an off-white waterproof paper it may be necessary to increase colour strength to ensure good differentiation of map colours.” Some examples of colour settings for “Purple” are shown in the map sections here.
Purple = 100 Magenta + 30 Cyan + 15 Yellow
Purple = 100 Magenta + 10 Cyan
Purple = 100 Magenta + 30 Cyan
Purple = 100 Magenta JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 39
O-SPY
50th anniversary of O in Oz
2024 Paris Olympic Games
T
O-SPY Not the gazelle!
J
ohn Walker, founder of Red Roos – ACT, often appears in this magazine as author of the “Red Roo” cartoons; but this time it’s a poem:
he French Orienteering Federation (FFCO) has made a presentation to the organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics suggesting that Orienteering could be included as an additional sport on the program. Amongst the attractions suggested is that French orienteers could likely win medals for the organizing nation given that, in 2017, France ranked third in terms of medals won at world championships. France has also applied to the IOF to host the 2022 World Orienteering Championships.
Free Beer
W
In relays, I would go out first, and build up quite a lead. Example to my team-mates – how to run the bush at speed! I loved it when I scored a few more points then for the team, But now it’s just beginning to be but a distant dream.
hen Niels Bohr won a Nobel Prize for his work in quantum mechanics in 1922, scientific acclaim and a medal weren’t all he got. He also won a free lifetime supply of beer, when Carlsberg Brewery gave him a house which had a pipeline from the brewery to a beer tap inside the home. Talk about winning (liquid) gold.
I guess when I turned sixty-eight it started to appear, That feeling that it just may be the end of my career! My legs won’t work the way they did, and breathing’s getting hard. No matter what the distance, they keep adding extra yards.
Some claim this is fake news distributed by Facebook. But according to CSIRO, some facts are:
The symbols on the maps are simply too small for my eyes, And the needle on the compass seems to always tell me lies! So I just run to the circle, hope to see some red and white, Or I ask another runner, though I know that’s impolite!
•J acob Christian Jacobsen, founder of Carlsberg Brewery, built a house next to his brewery in Copenhagen;
A lament from an old orienteer ….………. I’m not the gazelle that I used to be, and that’s for bloomin’ sure! I could match it with the sprinters, middle distance guys and more. My route choice almost perfect, and my compass-work was great, But I’ve noticed my performances have dropped right off of late.
The fences are much higher, and the contours are too steep, And last week I was even overtaken by a sheep! They place the markers too low down, it hurts me now to bend. I’m well and truly knackered way before I reach the end.
•U pon his death it was requested that the home, named the Carlsberg Honorary Residence, would be afforded to “a man or a woman deserving of esteem from the community by reason of services to science, literature, or art, or for other reasons”; • Niels Bohr was one such recipient.
They no more use a stopwatch to time me in my races; A calendar’s used these days just for me to tie my laces! Back in my prime, I’d run all day and not even get puffed, But now, right from the start signal – I’m well and truly stuffed!
The blurry part is whether the residence had a pipeline running from the brewery. It’s difficult to tell, and the story certainly has the ingredients for a fable. But it’s nice to think that it could be true.
Ski-O
Facebook backlash
T
A
he 2018 NSW & ACT SkiOrienteering Championship will be held at Perisher Valley on Sunday 12th August, organised by Red Roos, Big Foot and Perisher X Country. Everyone who loves or dreams of trying Skiing or Orienteering will be able to take an opportunity to combine both skills and to take part in this exciting Championship. It is the only Ski-O event in Australia and among the only few in the Southern Hemisphere! Course planner is Fedor Iskhakov and Event Director is Marina Iskhakova. Courses for all levels will be available. See the information flyer on Eventor for more details. Entries are open. 40 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
nglo-Dutch multinational company Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies, has threatened to withdraw its advertisements from Facebook and Google saying that it will not advertise on platforms which ‘create division’. This move will be a significant financial blow to the digital platforms concerned. Already, Proctor & Gamble has reduced its spending on digital advertising by millions of dollars after it found that its advertisements were being paired with inappropriate material. In Australia, Unilever owns a number of mainstream food brands such as Lipton, Continental, Streets, Weis, Ben & Jerry’s, Bushell’s, Flora, Paddle Pop, as well as laundry and personal care products such as Rexona, Dove, Lynx, Domestos, Pepsodent, Radox, Sunsilk and Surf. A leading data consumer analyst from GlobalData said: “Unilever’s recent stance shows that, rather than an exception, this type of detailed vetting of on-line advertisers will become the norm”.
Treadmill for Orienteers
More Olympics Doping
A
Russian bobsled athlete failed a doping test at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games. Russian Bobsled Federation president Alexander Zubkov said that a drugtest sample from pilot Nadezhda Sergeeva was positive. The Russian delegation said that the substance found was trimetazdine, a medication used for angina sufferers that is listed by the World Anti-Doping Agency as a banned substance affecting the metabolism. “She confirms she took no such medication and the team confirms she was not issued any medication,” said Zubkov, a former bobsledder who himself was stripped of two Olympic gold medals for the Russian doping scheme at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. He also said a sample she had given five days earlier was negative. Sergeeva’s crew finished 12th in the women’s bobsled competition. The Russian team was barred from the Olympics in December for doping at the Sochi Games, but the IOC invited 168 athletes from the country to compete under the Olympic flag and the title “Olympic Athletes from Russia”.
Adapted from a cartoon in the Tjuringan Star, the newsletter of Tjuringa Orienteers, SA.
The MILLENNIUM CLUB
I
n 2017-2018 Victoria’s Millennium Club welcomed six new LEGEND members who have completed 1000 (or more) Park & Street events since the turn of this millennium. Presentations were made at Summer Series wrap-up dinner in March. Those enthusiastically welcomed were: Legend Member #43 – IAN DAVIES (DROC) Legend Member #44 – ERIC DAVIDSON (BKOC) Legend Member #45 – LYN GREEN (YVOC) Legend Member #46 – PETER DALWOOD (DROC) Legend Member #47 – PHIL TORODE (DROC) Legend Member #48 – TED van GELDERMALSEN (YVOC)
It was the fourth doping case of the Games. Russian curler Alexander Krushelnitsky was stripped of his bronze medal after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium. Slovenian ice hockey player Ziga Jeglic and Japanese speedskater Kei Saito also left the Games after testing positive. Trimetazidine, the substance found in Sergeeva’s sample, has been detected in previous doping cases. Chinese swimmer Sun Yang, an Olympic gold medallist, was banned for three months in 2014 by China’s sports authorities after testing positive for the substance. Sun said he had been prescribed the drug for a medical condition and hadn’t known it was banned. The perceived leniency of that three-month ban led to Sun receiving criticism from swimmers from other countries at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where he won another gold medal. Russia’s bobsled program has been in the spotlight for drug use for several years. Zubkov and four other bobsledders were disqualified from the 2014 Sochi Games for doping, though four other bobsledders have been reinstated. Another gold medallist, Dmitry Trunenkov, was banned last year for failing a doping test.
Bobsled driver Nadezhda Sergeeva (right).
Exercise Block Seen in a woodcraft shop in Ross, Tasmania.
JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 41
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42 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
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GREAT LEGS
Great Legs Long Distance at “Saddleback”
T
he 2018 NSW Championships were held at Yarrowyck, some 35km west of Armidale, in an area described by Event Controller, Rob Vincent, as “AMAZING TERRAIN!!! I believe it is world class; probably the best granite terrain in Australia. The mappers have done an excellent job on the fieldwork and consistency that is equal to anybody else.” There were open areas of fast running, steep rocky sections, and the promised “football fields of bare rock”. Control #4 to #5 Steve Flick
15:27
The Long Distance event on “Saddleback” was particularly challenging with dire warnings about the 200 metres long granite cliff which starts from a large sheet of bare rock and rapidly increases in steepness and becomes almost vertical at the cliff itself.
Ross Barr
13:57
Terry Bluett
15:24
Jim Merchant
16:02
Also challenging for the M70 brigade was leg #4 to #5. The three eventual placegetters each chose different routes which clearly impacted on their final places:
Greg Chatfield
17:12
1. Steve Flick 58:51; 2. Ross Barr 64:51; 3. Greg Chatfield 65:06
JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 43
OPINION
Opportunities for future magazine articles Founding Editor, Ian Baker, suggests the magazine should carry more information about Orienteering Australia, its finances and the major events which OA oversees in Australia or sends representative Teams to compete in other countries.
O
rienteers in Australia are the end ‘owners’ of Orienteering Australia (OA), in a similar way to shareholders in a company. Companies are required to report at least annually to shareholders; there are regulations about the information to be presented. OA does of course have an Annual Report with financial information and this is freely available. However, it is an accounting document so the presentation and much of the content are not exactly absorbing stuff ! Openness and transparency are important. The Australian Orienteer magazine should run a feature article which is not a dreary book-keeping summary but concentrates in a lively manner on financial strategic management and planning.
“Championship” orienteering events There are numerous Orienteering events called “Championships”. Sample of one - I think I do understand what these involve in Australian orienteering. However I do lack understanding of the number of regional and world championships in Orienteering. An article explaining details would be helpful to many. eg Foot orienteering State
States have annual Championships, open to all financial members of Australian orienteering clubs and visiting overseas orienteers. Age grades apply. All States have foot-O Championships in Classic (forest) orienteering, sometimes at different lengths eg Long Distance, Middle Distance. Sprint-O Championships are in (States) Park/street are in ??
Australia
Eligibility to enter is as above. The 2018 Australian Championships carnival is 29 Sept – 7 Oct in SA. Details of the events is on Eventor.
Regional
The International Orienteering Federation has a number of regions in the world. Australia and New Zealand are in Oceania. The next Oceania Championships are 28 Sept – 6 Oct 2019, combined with the 2019 Australian Championships carnival, see above. Entry is open to all registered orienteers.
Newspaper financial pages and magazines publish articles based on company reports, illustrated with trend graphs, pie charts, photos, etc. to make the data visually interesting and readily understood by the reader. A magazine article, up to two pages, will inform members of key facts including: Membership numbers
What is this? Since Orienteering inception about 49 years ago; say every 5th year until 2010 and annual for the recent years. Current membership by State, compared with population (ie penetration); eg VIC has 25% of the country’s population, what is % of OA members? See below for ABS data on population.
Participation
What is this? By State. Also by different types of O: bush, park/street, MTB
Income and expenditure
Sources of OA income and amounts. Expenditures by OA.
Balance of $$$
Where are $$$ allocated. (Remember former OA President Ted Wester’s dictum in the 80’s. “Money sitting in funds is idle. Turn it over, use it”.
The full report Web address for members who want to know more.
A pithy accompanying text, with mug shot of the relevant OA official for the fund, would briefly explain key points and what is planned for the near future. SEPTEMBER 2017 Population New South Wales Victoria Queensland South Australia Western Australia Tasmania Northern Territory Australian Capital Territory Australia
‘000 7 896 6 359 4 949 1 727 2 587 522 246 413 24 703
44 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
% 32 25 20 7 10 2 1 2
Australian orienteers are invited to take part in the Asian Orienteering Championships in Hong Kong 22-27 Dec 2018. www.oahk.org.hk World
World Championships are at three levels: Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC), annually, selected teams to take part. World Orienteering Championships (WOC) annually, selected teams to take part. Explain the new format and rankings incl AUS status. World Masters Orienteering Championships (WMOC) is a monster carnival annually; entry is open to all registered orienteers. Copenhagen, Denmark, is the 2018 centre, 6-13 July.
Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships should be treated in a similar way – State, National, Regional, World. This would create an opportunity for event organisers to book adverts to tie in to this feature. Source ABS website (% figures rounded off to nearest whole number)
SPOT the DIFFERENCE
The Australian Championships carnival in South Australia is not far off, and there will be some complex Sprint events to play with your mind. So itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good time to test your skills at reading a complex Sprint O map. Many of you may have run on this map in years past. Do you recognise it? The scale is 1:3,000 and there are 25 differences in the two otherwise identical map sections. CAN YOU FIND ALL 25 ???
JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 45
LETTERS
Letters 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.
I
Sandwich to eat – I’d had no food or water since breakfast – and to bed with a sleeping pill. At nine o’clock the surgeon came to check me. Off with the patch and the improvement was obvious! The double vision was just about resolved; it would be complete in two or three days as the eye muscles recover from the surgery. Total cost was $7,300 – cost to me $2,600.
Ian Baker
n The Australian Orienteer – March 2018, founding editor Ian Baker related his bike fall accident with consequent double vision. Here is an update, Ian reports: I was scheduled to have remedial surgery on my eye at Melbourne’s big Alfred Hospital, but just two days before the scheduled day I was told it was postponed as “non-urgent and we have other cases”. Not willing to wait indefinitely I arranged surgery privately just one week later. I checked in at the hospital and then had three hours to wait, nothing to do but lie in boredom, fear and trembling. Under general anaesthetic I knew nothing of the procedure which the surgeon told me takes only about twenty minutes. I came round with a large patch over my eye but negligible pain, about the same as a speck of dust in the eye, so my anxiety was misplaced!
Yours, 180 days from the fall, much cheered and infinitely restored, IanB
Advertise your event You can have a 6 x 9 cm event ad for just $50 In colour, if we have room, otherwise black & white Send artwork to The Editor: mikehubbert@ozemail.com.au
Navigating 45 years A History of the Yarra Valley Orienteering Club By Peter Black
HANDYMAN For stockist call 1800 808 971 MAKERS OF THE ORIGINAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE | ESTABLISHED 1884
VICTORINOX AWARD This issue’s Victorinox Award goes to Michele Dawson for her enthralling account of her Orienteering year in Denmark (this edition pages 6-9). Michele will receive a Victorinox Handyman which includes 24 tools and features – retail value $139. 46 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2018
This new book traces the history of orienteering in Victoria and the Yarra Valley club. Includes the beginnings of orienteering in Australia, the first southern hemisphere world championships, evolution of mapping, divergence into bike, street and sprint orienteering, influence of technology, and the pageant of club members, including legends of orienteering, that influenced these changes. Available at events (cash only) or from Ruth Goddard on 03 9457 1836 or ruthg@netspace.net.au
Price: $29. Postage: additional $8
Top Events 2018
2019 June 2-4
JAFA WEEKEND, New Zealand Lake Rototoa & Woodhill Forest www.qb2018.aoa.org.nz
April 19-27
June 9-11
QBIII Orienteering, NSW Rylestone / Kandos www.ccorienteering.org
June 27July 1
WMMTBOC Nagykovacsi, Hungary
May 30June 2 July 28Aug 3 July 5-12
June 28July 1 July 6-13
European Youth Championships Veliko, Bulgaria eyoc2018.eu WMOC Copenhagen, Denmark
July 8-15
JWOC Kecskemét, Hungary www.jwoc2018.hu/ O-Ringen Höga Kusten, Sweden. www.oringen.se WOC 2018 Riga, Latvia woc2018.lv WMTBOC, JWMTBOC Zwettl Austria
July 21-27 Aug 4-11
Aug 4-12 Aug 12 Aug 17-22
Sept 14-16 Sept 29 -Oct 7 Oct 13-18 Dec 22-27
Dec 27-31
Ski Orienteering NSW & ACT Championships, Perisher, NSW North American O Championships Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada yukonorienteering.ca/naoc2018 London City Race Weekend slow.org.uk/events/cityrace2018/ AUS Championships Renmark & Adelaide, South Australia Alice Springs Masters Games www.alicespringsmastersgames.com.au
AUS Easter Carnival Perth Hills & Narrogin, WA wa.orienteering.asn.au/easter2019 European Youth Championships Grodno, Belarus 2019 Scottish 6 Days Strathearn, Perthshire, Scotland WMOC 2019 Riga, Latvia wmoc2019.lv/ JWOC Silkeborg, Denmark www.jwoc2019.dk/ 2019 WMTBOC & JWMTBOC Viborg, Jutland, Denmark
July 6-12 July 27Aug 3 Aug 13-18
WOC Sarpsborg, Østfold, Norway woc2019.no/en Oceania & AUS Championships SE NSW & NE Victoria WMMTBOC Breitenbrunn, Germany AUS MTBO Championships Victoria www.ausmtbochamps.com
Sept 28 - Oct 6 Oct 2-6 Oct 26-27
2020 Easter
AUS 3 Days, NSW
July 7-11 June 28-Jul 5 August 7-15 August 17-23
Sprint WOC, Denmark (near Velje) JWOC, Turkey WMOC, Kosice, Slovakia WMTBOC, Jeseník, Czech Republic AUS Championships, Tasmania
Easter
AUS 3 Days, QLD
May 14-30
World Masters Games 2021 Orienteering near Kobe, Japan www.wmg2021.jp/en/ WOC, Mladá Boleslav, Czech Rep AUS Championships, Victoria
2021
Asian Orienteering Championships Hong Kong www.oahk.org.hk/ Xmas 5 Days, NSW www.onsw.asn.au
July 5-18
2018
pretex
MAPPIN G & COURSE SETTIN G SOFT WARE
ISOM 2017 Appendix 1, s6 ...Attention shall be given to a smooth surface, and to the folding capability. That’s Pretex to a P.
Do you know we also print simple or fully personalised Pretex chest & bike bibs at super keen prices in super short time? See https://goo.gl/212SsK for real event samples then contact Jim or Ken for your next event.
P Affordable P Fully featured P Enhances club mapping P Lidar capable
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JUNE 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 47
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