The Australian Orienteer – December 2018

DEC EM BER 2 0 1 8

2018 AUS Championships 2018 WOC 2018 WMTBOC RRP $8.50 inc GST

2019

Round 1

2

3

4

5

6

Event

Date

Location

1. Relay

30 March

Hill End, NSW

2. Long Distance

31 March

Hill End, NSW

3. Sprint Relay

19 April

Perth, WA

4. Sprint

20 April

Perth, WA

5. Long Distance

21 April

Beverley, WA

6. Middle Distance

22 April

Beverley, WA

7. Sprint

26 April

Narrogin, WA

8. Middle Distance

27 April

Narrogin, WA

9. Middle Distance

18 May

Cowra, NSW

10. Ultra Long Distance

19 May

Cowra, NSW

11. Sprint

28 September

Wagga, NSW

12. Long Distance

29 September

Cootamundra, NSW

13. Relay

30 September

Cootamundra, NSW

14. Long Distance

5 October

Wangaratta, VIC

15. Middle Distance

6 October

Beechworth, VIC

NOL events 1 - 6 will be selection trials for the 2019 JWOC team.

NOL events 1, 2, 5, 6, 8 - 10 will be selection trials for the 2019 WOC team, with particular focus on events 9 & 10.

All race details can be found at www.orienteering.asn.au

ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA

The President’s Page BLAIR TREWIN

W

e’re now approaching the end of another year in Australian orienteering. Our national carnivals have become a success story of recent years and have seen significant growth (when comparing with the previous time at the same venue), with South Australia attracting numbers which we would previously have expected to see only in the southeastern States. Putting on a week of events is a big task for any State Association, particularly one of the smaller ones, but South Australia handled it with aplomb.

Many people especially appreciated the chance to run on terrain a little out of the mainstream, whether it was the erosion of Renmark or the rock-strewn hills of Keynes Gap. Next year it will be the Oceania Championships, and what we hope will be our biggest week of events yet, spread between three States. Regional championships are becoming an increasingly important part of the international scene (and in 2019, the 16, 18 and 20 classes will be formally recognised as IOF Youth and Junior Regional Championships), as well as being an important domestic competition. They are also starting to attract a reasonable crowd from outside the host region; more than 200 of the participants at this year’s North American Championships were from outside North America. One addition to the event will be the staging of the first Melbourne City Race on the following weekend; this, a long-form urban race on an ISSOM map, is a race format which has become popular in Europe but has not yet taken hold in Australia.

The Australian Schools Championships were again a very successful event. I’ve previously noted how successful they have been in engaging and retaining participants through the later school years, an age group where many sports suffer very rapid drop-out (as did we, before that event existed). In discussions we had in October, there was a general consensus that the broad shape of the event is sound but that there were some changes we could make to strengthen the event without diluting its essence (further details will be discussed at the Annual Conference in December).

A challenge which remains for us is to retain young orienteers after they leave school, especially those who leave their home towns to study (as many Tasmanians, South Australians, and those from outside the main cities do). In Britain, university clubs are a significant part of the Orienteering scene; those who read CompassSport will have seen a name familiar to us, Georgia Jones, starting a successful one up at her new home in Exeter.

The university sporting and club culture in Australia is different, and our history is that no university club in Australia to date has survived long beyond the graduation of its founders, but we’re quite prepared to try again.

Our Annual Conference is coming up in early December.

Our biggest task will be to adopt a new strategic plan, which we hope will give all of us, at National and State level, a common sense of our direction and goals (and which will hopefully be small enough that it actually gets read ..…). This will take place against the backdrop of what Sport Australia (the old Australian Sports Commission) wants sports to be doing, something they are still sorting out themselves at the time of writing, following

Blair heading for the finish chute at this year’s Australian Sprint Championship.

the release of the National Sports Plan. We’ve also had valuable feedback in the course of meeting with all of the States during the course of this year and will be bringing some of the ideas from that to the Conference; a lot of them focus on facilitating better communication between the States, and between Orienteering Australia and the States.

We’re approaching a significant point in our history – 50 years of regular orienteering in Australia or of the formation of a national body (2019 and 2020 respectively) – and will be looking at ways to mark that occasion over the next couple of years. David Hogg is already doing some work on recording important parts of our history, whilst many of the key people are still with us.

One who is no longer with us and who will be much missed is Tim Dent, who was a member of Australia’s first full World Championships team in 1974, and subsequently had a long and productive competitive and organisational career, as well as being famed as one of our sport’s technical eccentrics – in his case by not using a compass.

DECEMBER 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 DECEMBER 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: Chelsea Mullavey, secretary@vicorienteering.asn.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

January 11. Time-sensitive: Jan 18

ISSN 0818-6510 Issue 4/18 (no. 192) DECEMBER 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: January 11; Time-sensitive – January 18.

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.

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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 2 0 1 9 A U S 3 D A Y S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2 0 1 8 A U S C H A M P I O N S H I P S.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 WINNING TIMES REVIEW......................... 14 N O L U P D A T E .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 I N V I TAT I O N A L C A M P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7 MOIRA WHITESIDE................................. 22 G R O W I N G T H E B A S E .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 4 N U T R I T I O N T I P S.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 ROUTE CHOICES INTO THE FUTURE?........... 26 T H E T H O U G H T S P O R T .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 8 M Y 1 0 T H W O R L D C H A M P I O N S H I P S.. . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 2018 WOC........................................... 34 2018 WMTBOC...................................... 36 M T B O N E W S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 0 V A L E T I M D E N T.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1 O - S P Y.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2 TOP EVENTS......................................... 45 S P O T T H E D I F F E R E N C E .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 6

Cover photo: SA Senior Girls celebrating Schools Relay win – photo Tony Hill DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 5

AUSTRALIAN EASTER CARNIVAL 2019

WEST AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEERING TAKES CENTRE STAGE WORDS: NICOLE DAVIS

Umuna

Next Easter join in the adventure and enter the Australian Easter Carnival 2019 in Western Australia. With a variety of events, terrains and locations to explore there has never been a better time to experience everything Western Australia has to offer, both on and off an Orienteering map.

F

or West Australians it’s a chance to host friends from the Orienteering community around the country and have home turf advantage while enjoying the friendly atmosphere of a national event in their home State.

For those heading West from the other parts of Australia it’s a chance to explore Perth and the many areas of natural beauty of this vast State. With the Easter weekend based in Perth and nearby areas you’ll have time to explore some of the city including: the magnificent Kings Park, the Elizabeth Quay precinct, the central Yagan Square foodie heaven, Scitech Perth, or maybe you’ll take the chance to sneak in an AFL game at Perth’s recently opened Optus Stadium.

There will be Australia’s best elites, juniors and masters competitors battling it out but the beauty of National Carnivals is their inclusive nature, with entry to every event open to all orienteers. There are courses to suit every level of skill and fitness across all age groups. You can enter every event, or you can take your pick. It is even possible to enter individual days of the Australian 3 Day Championship.

And with the Australian Sprint Championships and the Australian Middle Distance Championships in Narrogin on the Friday and Saturday after Easter weekend there is plenty more quality Orienteering on offer. Plus, on Thursday, there is a mid-week Wandoo Wander Score event to keep you “map fit” and orienteering-ready at the Lions Dryandra Woodland Village.

Dryandra is the home of the Woylie so why not stay overnight and go to the special Bana Mia Nocturnal Wildlife Experience?

Narrogin School

Foxes Lair 6 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

AUSTRALIAN 3 DAY CHAMPIONSHIP, PERTH 3 RACES ON 3 MAPS IN 3 DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES OVER 3 DAYS 3 Day cumulative time over the Sprint, Long and Middle race for all competitors. Enjoyable, standalone Good Friday sprint and Family Teams event

AUSTRALIAN SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIPS & MIDDLE DISTANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS, NARROGIN - WORLD RANKING EVENTS A complex campus, fast running bush and a fox’s lair await in Narrogin. Home of the woylie and host to these two world ranking events that will provide a quality orienteering experience for all.

EN E ATRRLIEYSBOP IRED N M IDT-AUG EN R

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TIQU&E QUALIT N E VENYTMSS APS & QUALIT Y MAPS

wa.orienteering.asn.au/easter-2019

Combine Tourism and Orienteering Rottnest Island – grab a quokka selfie like Roger Federer and Margot Robbie - Instagram fame may yet be yours! Or just cycle around this car-free island and enjoy the beautiful beaches and snorkeling.

National Anzac Centre – with Anzac Day during the Carnival visit Albany and this combined museum, memorial and park complex. There is also great walking on in the area, including the Bibbulmun Track and the Stirling Ranges.

Barna Mia – at Dryandra discover threatened native marsupials in a natural setting, and experience the wonders of the woodland, with a nocturnal tour.

Entries are now open. Early bird entries, at discounted rates, are available until 16th December 2018. Regular entry fees apply until entries close on 24th March 2019.

Easter Carnival 2019 EVENT SCHEDULE Good Friday Sprint Relay 19th April

Elite Sprint Relay & Family teams event, Perth (venue tba)

Australian 3 Day Championship 20th – 22nd April Day 1: Saturday – Sprint event Scotch College Campus, Perth Metro (west).

Day 2: Sunday – Long Distance event Hill Park Dale, Beverley Day 3: Monday – Middle Distance event Umuna, Beverley

Wandoo Wander – Thursday 25th April

Dryandra Lions Village & Woodlands, Dryandra

Check the website, Eventor and the Facebook page for details and deadlines leading up to the event. Book early for the greatest choice and best prices for flights, places to stay and rental cars. On the website you’ll also find all the map details, embargos, who’s course setting and map locations to assist with your travel planning.

Australian Sprint Championship – Friday 26th April

We look forward to once again hosting the Orienteering community in Western Australia. See you when you “head west” in 2019.

Narrogin, Foxes Lair,

Narrogin, school campus, afternoon starts

Australian Middle Distance Championship – Saturday 27th April morning starts

email: owaeaster2019@gmail.com Website: www.wa.orienteering.asn.au/easter-2019 Facebook: www.facebook.com/OWAEaster2019/ DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 7

AUS CHAMPIONSHIPS

29 September – 6 October

The Trewin Report WORDS: BLAIR TREWIN PHOTOS: TOM DE JONGH (FOR MORE: WWW.PHOTOSBYTOM.COM.AU), STEPHEN BIRD, TONY HILL AUS Middle Distance - Alastair George (NSW).

Australian Middle Distance Championships

P

erhaps the most anticipated event of the week was the first.

Renmark is unknown Orienteering territory to most nonSouth Australians, and some of the views on the way in suggested some fairly extreme erosion on the slopes. The area where the courses were was mostly more subtle than that, but still with plenty of features to provide the challenge for a technical Middle Distance course.

She might not be a South Australian but Natasha Key was almost on home ground here, just across the border from her old home turf of Werrimull. It was a very up and down race, with few having clean runs, only a minute separating the top nine at #8, and Key, Krystal Neumann, Belinda Lawford and British import Grace Molloy all taking turns in the lead. Key had dropped to sixth after losing 30 seconds apiece at #9 and #10, but from there she came good, hitting the lead at #15 and continued to the end.

Krystal Neumann lost her chance for the win at #12, a control which troubled all the medallists, but recovered to take second ahead of Belinda Lawford.

M21 was much more of a blowout than expected, with Matt Crane on top by the imposing margin (in a race of this length) of three minutes. It was close for the first half as Patrick Jaffe, running up, and Tommy Hayes both made good starts. The crucial stretch was between #16 and #22, where Crane held steady whilst others behind him were losing time in bits and pieces; by the time he came out of that he had an unassailable lead. Hayes held on for second, whilst Simon Uppill got into the placings despite a bit off his usual pace, with only two top-three splits. Henry McNulty was fastest at the end, but three significant mistakes in the first half left him too much to do.

New Zealand had the best of W20, with Katie Cory-Wright edging out Zoe Melhuish by 14 seconds after both had consistent runs. Asha Steer led much of the way but lost five minutes at the fifth-last, and pre-race favourite Tara Melhuish was never in it 8 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

after major time losses early. There was also a close duel at the front of M20 between Simeon Burrill and Alastair George; the Queenslander, who has returned to his best form after missing out on JWOC selection earlier in the year, edged away in the last part of the course to take the title. Noah Poland (3rd) and Daniel Gray (5th) both achieved career-best results at this level.

Close finishes are par for the course in middle distance competition and this year was no exception, particularly in the men’s masters classes where M50, M55, M60 and M65 were all decided by 10 seconds or less. Port Lincoln’s Tim Ashman won his first national title in M65 by the day’s equal-smallest margin, five seconds, whilst Jeff Dunn led four within 40 seconds in M60, and Geoff Lawford five within 38 seconds in M55. In contrast, the women’s events gave the chance for the cream to rise to the top and put a bit of space between itself and the rest, nowhere more so than in W50 where Jennifer Enderby had nearby five minutes in hand, whilst in W60 Carolyn Jackson was the only one to get within five minutes of Jenny Bourne. There were also reasonably comfortable wins for two of the usual suspects in W65 (Carol Brownlie) and W70 (Jenny Hawkins).

The carnival’s opening day was the first instalment of a duel we were to see a few more times during the week, with Kaia Jorgensen giving New Zealand the honours in W16 against Mikaela Gray.

The visitors also had the better of M16, where Will Tidswell edged out Alvin Craig, while the wins of Iida Lehtonen in W14 and Toby Cazzolato in M14 marked them out as ones to watch for the rest of the week.

Australian Relays

C

ompetition moved up the road the following day, to more riverside terrain with some intensive erosion in the second half of most courses. It was a day of fluctuating fortunes in terrain which was more challenging than it looked at first glance.

The fluctuating fortunes were well illustrated by the two open classes, both won by teams which were seven minutes in arrears

AUS Relay start.

AUS Relays - Liis Johansen (W21E - VIC).

AUS Sprint - Amy Dufty (WA) - 1st W10A.

after the first leg. In W21, Liis Johanson, running for the Victorian second team, had that break on everyone else, but the real battle was happening further behind. Lanita Steer opened out a clear lead over Winnie Oakhill, which was crucial in Victoria’s eventual win over Queensland as Aislinn Prendergast and Natasha Key held the margin for most of the way. In the men’s, Martin Dent was a bit off the early pace set by Henry McNulty and Nathan Lawson and the ACT changed over in fifth place, but Andrew Barnett had taken them to the lead by the end of leg two (with some help from a Victorian mispunch), and Matt Crane extended the lead further for a big win over New South Wales.

Both of the top junior classes saw final-leg lead changes. In M20 that was reasonably predictable; the main question on the day was whether Brody McCarthy, taking over after Patrick Jaffe had taken the early lead, would be able to bring Victoria back soon enough to put Aston Key out within striking distance.

That mission was accomplished – New South Wales, Victoria, New Zealand and the ACT were within two minutes at the final changeover – and Key did the rest for a five-minute win. Tara Melhuish is making a bit of a habit of running down big lastleg deficits in Relays, having done so at the Australian Schools last year, and did it again this time, coming from four minutes back on Tegan Knightbridge to give the ACT the points over New Zealand.

New Zealand may have missed out in W20 but they made up for it in W16, achieving a rare sweep when three of their teams filled the three places. They missed an opportunity, though, in W14, where New South Wales came through on the last leg. The Queensland M16s and South Australian M14s both gave notice of what was to come from their teams midweek with what turned out to be comfortable wins, although the South Australians were pushed hard for two legs by Tasmania, and the ACT and Victoria had one of the day’s few sprint finishes for second place in M16.

(The only really close finish for the lead was in M/W12, where Tasmania, New South Wales and the ACT were separated by 1:17).

On a day with several big comebacks, Jenny Bourne’s was perhaps the most impressive; going out 15 minutes down on New South Wales in third place in W55, she overtook both them and the ACT to win easily for Victoria. In M55 Victoria edged away on each leg to win a high-standard contest from New South Wales and the ACT, but elsewhere in the masters grades, one dominant team ruled the roost. NSW had flag-to-flag wins in M65 and W65 – by 26 minutes in the latter – and Tasmania had an even larger margin in W45 after Clare Hawthorne dominated the last leg. New Zealand were never threatened in M35, although Greg Barbour and Scott Simson did make limited inroads into Carsten Joergensen’s 15-minute break, whilst Jon McComb’s flying last leg in M45 took Tasmania from sixth to second but was still well short of overhauling Victoria’s lead. The ACT emerged comfortably clear in the end in W35, after a good-quality first leg battle between Marina Iskhakova, Tracy Marsh and Grace Crane.

Australian Sprint Championships

T

he action moved to the schools of Renmark for the third event of the week. The built-up areas of the two schools used was relatively small, but some temporary barriers – commonly seen at major international events, but a rarity in Australia – made things more complicated, and a section out into some pathcrossed saltbush garden caused more problems than the setters anticipated.

The Sprint is usually Natasha Key’s strongest distance, but there was no third successive title, as she lost more than a minute at #5 to fall out of contention. Bridget Anderson and Aislinn Prendergast both started well, but both drifted out of it in the second half as Belinda Lawford took control. Lawford was never seriously threatened in the second half, winning by 37 seconds from Grace Molloy, who edged Krystal Neumann out at the end.

The British may have taken a silver in W21 but they went one better in M21, as the pace of recent arrival Nathan Lawson was too much for the field. It was always reasonably close, with Lawson DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 9

AUS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Schools Long Dist Jemima Lloyd (SA) & Bayley Fisher (TAS).

AUS Sprint - Belinda Lawford (ACT).

Elye Dent (ACT) 1st M10A AUS Sprint.

Layla Dent & Veronika Iskhakova (ACT).

pushed hard most of the way by 2017 JWOC silver medallist Tommy Hayes, but the gap held over the second half of the course and ended up at 12 seconds. Simon Uppill was the best of the locals, just keeping Henry McNulty out of the placings.

The junior men’s race saw a good race involving three of Australia’s leading JWOC runners and a New Zealander.

Beforehand, one might have expected Aston Key and Patrick Jaffe to fight it out, but in fact it was Angus Haines in front for most of the way. Two wobbles in the last few controls were crucial for the South Australian though, and Jaffe, who had been there or thereabouts for most of the way, took the lead with five controls to go and held it to the end. A strong finish from Kurtis Shuker gave him second, nine seconds behind, with Key just overtaking Haines for third.

The Middle Distance may have been a disappointment for Tara Melhuish but she wasted no time in making up for it. In the Sprint she never looked like losing, extending her lead throughout the race and pushing her margin out to more than a minute in the end – a lot in a championship Sprint race – with a time which would have placed her second in the senior event. Asha Steer and Briana Steven were the best of the rest.

Close finishes are often the order of the day in Sprints, and none were closer on this day than W14, where the top five were separated by only 11 seconds, with Nea Shingler coming out on top. Kaia Joergensen and Toby Cazzolato doubled up on their wins from two days earlier in W16 and M14 respectively, but Alvin Craig turned the tables on Will Tidswell, taking the M16 title by nearly a minute.

There were some close finishes in the masters classes too – one notable one being in M50, where for the second race in a row Alistair Cory-Wright and Shane Doyle were separated by a single-digit margin at the front, but this time with the New South Welshman coming out on top. And some dominant performances by quality orienteers - Carol Brownlie was well clear again in W65 with the day’s biggest margin, just over two minutes; Eoin Rothery’s run in the normally competitive M60 class was 10 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

Schools LD - Lucy Jarrett (WA).

equally impressive, with no-one within a minute and only Ted van Geldermalsen within two. Others whose lead was well over a minute included Clare Hawthorne (W45), making a welcome return to high-level orienteering; Craig Feuerherdt (M40), backing up from a Middle Distance win; and John Le Carpentier (M75), whilst once again in W60 it was Jenny Bourne, then Carolyn Jackson, then daylight. Jon McComb pushed Carsten Joergensen hard in M45 but was unable to quite break through for the win, whilst there was a minor surprise in the deep M55 field when Tony Woolford overcame Warren Key.

Australian Schools Championships

T

he ACT won their third successive Australian Schools Championships in 2018. It was close for two days, with South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland still within striking distance after two days, but in the end the depth of the Canberrans across all four age classes was critical. South Australia were second in their best result for 15 years – a particular highlight being having three of their senior girls selected in the Honour Team – whilst a promising New South Wales bid for the title was derailed by illness, leaving them badly understrength for the Relays in particular. New Zealand, yet again, won the Southern Cross Junior Challenge, although not by quite as much as in most recent years.

Aston Key went into the individual events as the reddest of red-hot favourites – the only other WOC representative to run in this event is Tim Robertson, in 2012 – and was duly untroubled in either race. In the Sprint, which took competitors back to suburban Adelaide, he was exactly a minute ahead of another runner with strong Sprint credentials, Duncan Currie, with Jed Fleming completing the medals. In the Long Distance, he was already 2:30 up by #7 and looked like he might run away completely with it, although the minor placegetters would probably have been reasonably satisfied to get within five minutes or so. Oak Jones, the only New Zealander to be close to the lead

Schools LD - Ella Cuthbert (ACT).

Schools Long Dist - Duncan Currie (NSW).

Schools LD Senior Boys placegetters.

Schools Long Dist Zoe Melhuish (ACT).

in either race, looked like being one of those minor placegetters for most of the way, but he lost time late, and in the end Dante Afnan and Noah Poland took the honours.

Apart from Key, only one other competitor took medals in both individual races; David Stocks emerged ahead of more fancied rivals to take gold in the Sprint and bronze in the Long Distance in the junior boys. Alvin Craig had gone in as a clear favourite, but lost time at #7 in the Sprint and was playing catch-up from there, with Stocks 35 seconds ahead by #8 and not seriously threatened thereafter. Craig got back to second late in the race but was overhauled at the end by Toby Cazzolato, continuing an excellent week. Samuel Garbellini had had a day of frustration in the Sprint when a missed control cost him a possible medal, but he made no mistake in the forest, getting three minutes clear of the field in the tricky first loop and holding that lead to the end. This time Craig was able to get back to second after a slow start, 42 seconds ahead of Stocks.

There may not have been huge amounts of dramas in the boys’ classes, which may have been because the senior girls used up the event’s full quota of it. That started with the Sprint, where two of the favourites, Zoe Melhuish and Mikayla Cooper, crashed out of contention at #9, whilst both Ella Cuthbert and Joanna George had chances for second which they lost with mistakes in the final section. Lucy Burrell had also had an uncertain start and was only ninth at #8, but dominated the second half and finished nearly a minute clear, in a class swept by New Zealand; Jessica Sewell and Georgia Skelton were the other medallists, with George the best of the locals.

There were also plenty of mistakes early in the forest, with several campaigns (including Burrell’s) derailed at the second control. Joanna George was one of those who struck trouble early, but this time it was her twin sister’s turn; Abigail had a consistent run where many others could not, and came back in the lead. She still had to withstand two major challenges. First, Zoe Melhuish looked to have posted a faster time but turned out not to have punched one of the controls; then George’s South Australian

Schools Relay - Noah Poland hands to Andrew Kerr for ACT.

teammate, Emily Sorensen, came home with a rush but fell just two seconds short.

New Zealand had the best of the junior girls. The Sprint was a well-contested race, in which Mikaela Gray led for much of the course, but never by more than 10 seconds, and slipped away a little in the later stages to drop to third. That opened the way for Emily Hayes to take the win, whilst in a very encouraging result, Niamh Cassar, with limited orienteering experience but lots of speed, was the lead Australian. Kaia Joergensen had had to settle for fourth in the Sprint after a patchy run, but it was a different story in the forest; an imposing performance saw her run away from the field to win by more than five minutes, taking over half the splits in the process. Her teammate Penelope Salmon was second, whilst for the second time in two days, a promising New South Wales youngster entered the medals; this time it was Iida Lehtonen who edged out Anna Duston and Mikaela Gray.

That opened the way for the Relays, usually the most exciting part of the event. To have a realistic chance of overhauling the ACT in the overall score, South Australia needed to beat them in at least three of the four Relays, but that never looked like happening, and as it turned out the ACT took three wins (of the State teams) and a second to leave the matter in no doubt whatsoever. (One noteworthy feature of the Relays was that there was not a single mispunch).

The junior boys was a race which saw numerous swings. South Australia led after two legs, but there were three other teams within four minutes, with Alvin Craig having taken NSW from ninth to second and ACT and New Zealand also in the mix. Toby Cazzolato and Oskar Mella both had wobbles on the last leg, but they might have struggled to hold on regardless, because Toby Lang rose to the occasion with probably the race of his career to date – with the second fastest leg time after Craig – to bring the ACT home from third, ahead of New Zealand.

No-one was surprised that New Zealand had the best of the junior girls; the surprise was that for two legs, it was their second team who were holding sway. Eventually their first team came to DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 11

AUS CHAMPIONSHIPS

AUS Middle Distance - Tara Melhuish (ACT).

AUS Sprint - Aston Key (VIC).

AUS Middle Distance - Angus Haines (SA).

the fore and took the race comfortably. The close battle here was for the points for lead State; Queensland went out in sixth, but a storming run from Mikaela Gray took her through the field. She had a seven-minute gap to close on the ACT and almost did it, but Justine Hobson held on by 23 seconds.

The senior boys started as a pack race, with six teams finishing the first leg within 1:30 of the lead. By halfway through the second leg that had thinned to a two-way race between the ACT and New Zealand, and that was how it remained for the rest of the day. Jason Bond’s strong second leg gave the Kiwis a oneminute lead after two legs, but Patrick Miller was able to pull that back, and scored over Oak Jones by 34 seconds in the day’s closest result. A second Queensland team beat the first one but the official team still claimed third; Aston Key needed to catch 12 minutes to get Victoria into the medals, but was only able to get nine.

Lucy Burrell and Ella Cuthbert gave New Zealand and the ACT a good start in the senior girls, but South Australia’s depth was always likely to come to the fore. Joanna George and Emily Sorensen, running the last two legs, ran the day’s two fastest times; by the end of the second leg, they were five minutes ahead of the field, and by the end of the third they had stretched that to a massive 17 minutes. The ACT got just ahead of New Zealand for second.

AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS HONOUR TEAM: Senior Boys: Aston Key (VIC), Dante Afnan (SA), Patrick Miller (ACT), Noah Poland (ACT) Senior Girls: Joanna George (SA), Abigail George (SA), Ella Cuthbert (ACT), Emily Sorensen (SA) Junior Boys: Alvin Craig (NSW), David Stocks (ACT), Torren Arthur (VIC), Toby Cazzolato (SA) Junior Girls: Mikaela Gray (QLD), Justine Hobson (ACT), Nea Shingler (NSW), Iida Lehtonen (NSW) 12 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

2018 SCHOOLS WINNERS State

ACT

Senior Girls

Sprint Long Relay

Joanna George (SA) Abigail George (SA) South Australia

Senior Boys

Sprint Long Relay

Aston Key (VIC) Aston Key (VIC) ACT

Junior Girls

Sprint Long Relay

Niamh Cassar (NSW) Iida Lehtonen (NSW) ACT

Junior Boys

Sprint Long Relay

David Stocks (ACT) Samuel Garbellini (QLD) ACT

Australian Long Distance Championships, 6 October It was another change of terrain for the Australian Long Distance Championships at Mount Crawford. For the longer courses, there was a mixture of very fast open pine forest, eucalypt sections with lots of green, young pines, and open areas, making route choice (and lasting the distance) the day’s biggest challenge.

Henry McNulty’s headline results so far have been in the Sprint, including a bronze at this year’s World University Championships. Now returned to Australia after a spell in Trondheim, Norway, he proved to be clearly the fastest in the field over the full course; Nathan Lawson matched his pace in the first half and Martin Dent in the second, but the former dropped away late and the latter had lost too much time early to be a contender (although still picked up his first championship medal). Matt

AUS Long Distance - ROCKS.

AUS Sprint - Tash Key (VIC) punches.

AUS Sprint - Niamh Cassar (NSW).

AUS Sprint - Ryan Stocks (ACT).

Crane was consistent to be best of the rest, but never really challenged the Western Australian, who was seven minutes clear at the end.

Simon Uppill’s title defence may not have got to first base (illness meant he didn’t make the start line), but Natasha Key’s went as well as she could have hoped for. The fourth control was where it was won and lost; four of the top five lost significant time there, leaving Key with a three-minute lead. From there the result was in little doubt, although a strong finish by Krystal Neumann cut the final margin to under two minutes.

Aston Key and Patrick Jaffe have been clearly the best junior men of the moment, and this event was the one which was most clearly a duel between them. It was close most of the way, with Key in front through the first half after Jaffe lost some time at #6, but Jaffe was not to be outdone and took the lead in the last quarter of the course, to win by 41 seconds. The result came at the end of an excellent month for him, including two national titles and a number of good senior elite results, a dominant performance in the Victorian Long Distance Championships the best of them.

New Zealand again had a strong presence in the junior women’s events. They took W14 and W16 through Isabella Zinzan-Dickie and Tessa Burns (who upset Kaia Joergensen by ten seconds), and filled two of the three places in W20, but not the one which mattered most. Briana Steven led narrowly through the first half, but Tara Melhuish was always close to the pace, and emerged with the lead in the final stages, the twelfth control proving to be crucial as she won by just over a minute.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the different formats of event call on a different range of skills, and only three Australians were able to win (in contested classes) all three national titles on offer. One of these was no surprise; Jenny Bourne has been dominating whichever age class she enters for decades, and although Carolyn Jackson pushed her in all three W60 formats this year, she was still able to achieve the clean sweep. The other two sweeps went to South Australians who were

AUS Long Distance - M-W10 winners.

taking their first wins at this level. Toby Cazzolato has emerged from a deep South Australian M14 contingent to mark himself as one to watch for the future, whilst Tim Ashman, not seen a lot outside his home State, emerged on top in all three events in a competitive M65 class.

Carsten Joergensen also did a clean sweep, capping it off with a comfortable Long Distance win in M45. Two other bids for a perfect week fell at the last hurdle. Carol Brownlie and Lynn Dabbs were close for most of the way in W65 but it was Dabbs who emerged in front over the later stages, whilst seven minutes lost at #5 cost Jennifer Enderby any chance of adding a W50 Long Distance title (won by Barbara Hill) to the Middle Distance and Sprint; she still had enough points from earlier in the season to take the SILVA Medal.

W70 turned on the race of the day, with only seven seconds covering the medallists, and 37 seconds the top four. In the end it was decided in the finish chute, with Libby Meeking coming out on top over Jenny Hawkins after not having led at any stage during the course; Robin Spriggs and Ruth Goddard were the others who were unlucky. M60 had almost as much depth at the top, with four within 1:17, although without quite the same late fluctuations, as Ted van Geldermalsen’s narrow lead over Rob Vincent held for most of the second half, whilst others to win by less than a minute included Dave Middleton over Steve Flick in M70, and John Le Carpentier over Alex Tarr in M75.

The week finished with the South Australian Middle Distance Championships on the open, rocky terrain of Keynes Gap. For the National League competitors this was the showdown for the title (see separate NOL report), but for everyone else it was the chance to enjoy themselves in some distinctive terrain, like the Renmark areas not previously seen by most non-South Australians.

DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 13

AUS LONG DISTANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Winning Times Review WORDS: VINCENT LOYE, COURSE PLANNER AND JENNY CASANOVA, CONTROLLER

T

he Australian Long Distance Championships were held on the Gumeracha Goldfields map near Mt Crawford. This map contained undulating to steep spur-gully terrain with an extensive track network, and with three distinct types of vegetation: native scrub, open to semi-open pines, and open paddocks with some rock detail.

TABLE 1 – COURSE LENGTH DETERMINATOR Target Winning Time - min

Actual winning time - min

National Standard Relative Speed*

W16A

40

28:32

0.58

4

W50A

55

46:35

0.57

50

37:53

0.54

Class

Calc. course length - km

Planned course length - km

Nominal km rate

Planned km rate

Actual km rate

min/km

min/km

min/km

Actual km rate faster -%

5.8

4.4

10

9.1

6.5

29

5.4

5.7

10.2

9.6

8.2

15

4.7

4.9

10.7

10.2

7.7

M21E expected:

24 The map provided mostly good 50 33:43 0.51 4.4 4.4 11.4 11.4 7.7 33 W60A running terrain but lacked areas of intricate detail. Nevertheless, 50 42:09 0.47 4.1 4.1 12.3 12.2 10.3 16 W65A all ‘A’ courses were planned as * National Standard is relative to the selected M21E run speed much as possible to include the most interesting legs, although track options were available and While the M21E run speed was slightly faster than anticipated were legitimate route choices for some legs. GPS tracking of (5.5 vs 5.8 min/km), applying the faster run speed would have selected Elite runners showed that direct routes through the added 250m to the W60A course – so not significant. southern mid-green native scrub areas were indeed largely avoided in favour of longer track routes. In all, 21 courses The major factor was map terrain. Whilst the longer courses were set, with 94 control sites to provide sufficient variety and had slower areas with greater margin for error, the shorter limit obvious track running. courses did not, and this was not easy to reflect in the planned course lengths. It is acknowledged that a number The National Standard relative speed guidance which is of men’s courses could also have been approximately 10% available as part of Appendix 1 to the Orienteering Australia longer, but the table below shows that a more detailed rules was prepared some time ago based on run rates across analysis would indicate the junior/senior Women ‘A’ courses a number of terrain types from past national carnivals. It has should have been 20% longer. proved useful for course length planning because it gives: W55A

• Relative speeds •W inning times (for Long Distance and Sprint races; Middle Distance & Relays are still a work in progress)

TABLE 2 – MAP TERRAIN ADJUSTMENT Class

Actual climb %

Intricate detail %

Native scrub %

Semi-open forest %

Open forest %

Open paddock %

Terrain factor

Climb factor

• Percentage length

Run speed factor:

1.3

1.1

1

0.8

0.7

•S uggested course-class groupings

Typical

3.5

20

20

25

25

10

1

1

W16A

3.3

0

0

10

90

0

1.22

0.99

W50A

4

0

0

30

70

0

1.16

1.03

W55A

3.2

0

0

15

85

0

1.2

0.98

W60A

3.3

0

0

15

85

0

1.2

0.99

W65A

3.2

0

0

15

85

0

1.2

0.98

A table using relative km rates to determine course lengths based on anticipated M21E km rates and required winning times was prepared for all events in the 2018 Australian Championships Carnival: ‘COURSE LENGTH DETERMINATOR.xls’.

Some adjustments in km rates/relative run rates may need to be made to reflect variability with a single map’s terrain and while the slower terrain was taken into account for the longer hard courses in the Australian Long Distance Championships, extra-fast terrain was not fully accounted for on the shorter hard courses, which did not venture south to native scrub areas or up on to the Tower Hill Ridgeline, and so mostly ran through very open pine forest. For many of these courses, winning times were well below National Standard targets as per the OA rules; no more so than the W16 and some senior women – see results in TABLE 1:

14 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

Gumeracha Goldfields Course 13 W16A & W60A Scale 1:10,000

Applying the map terrain adjustments for the relevant Women’s courses provides the following winning times based on their actual run rates – TABLE 3:

TABLE 3 – TERRAIN ADJUSTED WINNING TIMES Calculated course length factors applied - km

New actual winning time

Target winning time

- min

- min

Winning time difference (shorter) - min

W16A

4.8

31

40

9

W50A

6.5

53

55

2

W55A

5.5

43

50

7

W60A

5.2

40

50

10

W65A

4.8

49

50

1

Class

The table also shows that if map terrain had been better factored in to provide longer courses, some winning times would still be well below target.

A final factor, and very significant, is how fast many of the junior and senior orienteers are now orienteering - this is not currently reflected in the National Standard Relative Speed chart available from the OA rules. Whilst winning times for the longer courses mostly met targets, we acknowledge that some course lengths were indeed too short, and recommend a review of the National Standard relative speed guidance.

DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 15

NOL UPDATE

WORDS: BLAIR TREWIN

S

imon Uppill and Natasha Key made history in the 2018 National Orienteering League by each claiming their sixth individual Senior titles, a mark not previously achieved; at the start of this year, they were level with Jo Allison, Nicki Taws and Rob Walter on five.

The Senior Men’s division of the National Orienteering League had one of its tensest finishes yet. Unlike some previous years, it didn’t come down to a Relay sprint finish, but it did come down to the narrowest possible margin as Victoria and the Canberra Cockatoos came into the final round, at the South Australian Middle Distance Championships, separated by a point – whoever took the win on the last day took the title. The Cockatoos had had the best of the season’s final week and did it again when it counted, making it with about four minutes to spare to score by a single point. It had been a fluctuating season, with Canberra having the better of the two national carnivals and Victoria of the rest of the season; both teams lost heavily from a Relay mispunch (Canberra in the March sprint, Victoria in the Australian Relays) and it would have been a different story had either not happened.

It was also a reasonably close call in the Junior Men’s. Victoria at its strongest, led by Aston Key and Patrick Jaffe, were ahead of the rest, but they weren’t always at their strongest and trailed into the final week. Emerging with the points – and NSW relegating Canberra to third – in a close Australian Relays was crucial, and they eventually finished five points ahead of the Cockatoos.

There was less tension in the Women’s team competitions, which had been wrapped up long before the season’s final race. Victoria returned to dominance this year after missing out in 2017, and finished an imposing 51 points ahead. The main team interest was in the battle for second. The Cockatoos looked to have this in hand at halfway, but a poor second half of the season, where they had little support for Belinda Lawford, saw them drop back to the field, with the Queensland Cyclones emerging from the pack to overtake them in the final week. The Cockatoos’ Junior Women, though, showed that 16 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

Simon Uppill

Natasha Key

Aston Key

Tara Melhuish

there is still a lot of talent coming through in Canberra, and achieved the maximum possible score; also showing a lot of junior promise were the Southern Arrows, who got their best result yet with second.

The Senior Men also had the closest individual competition of the year.

Simon Uppill’s four wins for the year came in the four days of Easter. He was consistent thereafter, but Matt Crane’s win at the Australian Middle Distance brought him within striking distance.

Crane could have taken at least a share of the title with a win on the final day, but was only able to manage second, leaving Uppill three points clear in his bid to make history. Brodie Nankervis and Matt Doyle, neither of whom appeared in the last week of the season, had enough points from the first half of the year to take third and fourth.

Natasha Key’s individual honours were also in some doubt going into the last day of the season; she could have been displaced had she finished low enough and Krystal Neumann won. As it happened, the evergreen Victorian made sure of it by winning the last race herself, one of seven race wins for the season, whilst neither Neumann nor third-placed Belinda Lawford improved their score.

Aston Key, despite being shaded by Patrick Jaffe for the most part in the last week, managed the highest possible score for the season and finished 15 points ahead of his teammate, with Angus Haines the best of the rest. In the Junior Women’s, Tara Melhuish’s season had both high points and low, but there were more than enough highs – including six wins – to keep her ahead of Asha Steer and Zoe Dowling.

INVITATIONAL CAMP

Meet 11 year-old Tommi Haipola

Tommi led ACT Mixed team to 3rd place at AUS Relays.

WORDS: TONI BROWN (ACT) PHOTOS: TOM DE JONGH WWW.PHOTOSBYTOM.COM.AU

T

ommi is an outdoors fun-loving type. He rides horses on his family property and plays soccer for winter sport. That is, until he was struck by the O-BUG. In Term 3, 2017, Tommi’s school Miles Franklin Primary chose Orienteering as part of their Sporting Schools program. Along with 150 other students, Tommi experienced Orienteering for the first time. There must have been something about the experience that made Tommi think more about Orienteering, because that night it was a hot topic around the family dinner table. Tommi’s dad, being a GIS analyst, found his ears pricking up. What followed next is exactly what Orienteering ACT strives for.

In Term 1, 2018, OACT brought SC-ORE School Orienteering, a participation program, to Miles Franklin Primary. As with all Orienteering programs, reaching out to parents through the maze of sports offerings can be a challenge.

Tommi at the AUS Championships

In February 2018, in preparation for SC-ORE at Miles Franklin, OACT held a “pop-up” - a 30-minute information session at the entrance to the school. The school promoted this information session to the children and parents. Tommi and his dad turned up. Dad Danny was clearly intrigued.

Tommi and a friend signed up and after the 4-week SC-ORE series Tommi had the bug! He chose Orienteering as his winter sport (over soccer) and, through the course of the season, dad Danny took to the “forest” as well! A few good experiences, inclusion in ACT’s Blue Lighting Training Squad, and inclusive social activities and before you know it the Haipola family is the Haipola O family.

Next stop - Australian Championships - Tommi was invited to attend the Invitational Camp at the Nationals carnival. In September 2018, Tommi and his family made the Australian Championships in South Australia part of a family caravanning school holiday. This was because Tommi’s mum Shauna, signed him up for the Invitation Camp where he got more socialising and learning!! Tommi’s family were willing to have a go amidst some of the strongest junior orienteers in the country, most of whom are second or third generation orienteers.

Tommi came away from the Championships a true orienteer - more knowledgeable, more skillful. He had good runs, and in between runs he learnt a lot and made lots of new friends!

Along with many of ACT’s strongest primary school aged juniors, Tommi keenly signed up for Spring SC-ORE. With no team members from his local school, the organisers were able to pull together a composite of keen kids from a mix of schools.

Tommi H is a thinking, brave outdoors kid. He is not afraid to leave the track and hit the bush and he is not afraid of trying something new. Sure, he would love to win, wouldn’t we all.

Tommi’s pathway into Orienteering means he is clearly on the road to success. And luckily for Tommi, there are lots of other kids in the upper years of primary school in the ACT who Tommi can connect and train with, and a strong and inclusive junior training program.

OACT looks forward to watching Tommi’s progress over the next few years.

FOOTNOTE: SC-ORE has previously been reported on in Australian Orienteer (Dec 2015 pg 34; March 2017 pgs 9-11; Dec 2017 pg 29).

Tommi Haipola at SC-ORE event on Oct 25.

The essentials are: Parental engagement, fun with friends, school based, school safe, genuine challenge.

DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 17

INVITATIONAL CAMP

Schools Invitational Camp WORDS: AYLWIN LIM

Andrew Barnett gives technical tips.

T

he Camp was held over six nights at West Beach Caravan Park in Adelaide.

It was concurrent with, but not an official part of, the Australian Championships Carnival, and targeted kids aged 9-18 who were not in the State Teams.

There were 55 full-time participants plus another 32 part-timers (incl. adults, but excluding visitors from the State Teams). They came from NZ (36), ACT (21), SA (13), Vic (11), Qld (2), WA (2) and NSW (2).

Class is in.

The Camp provided a chance for juniors and parents to meet and get to know each other better; through sharing accommodation, meals, activities and excursions. For many, it was their first time encountering orienteers from other States.

The evening sessions were very well attended, informative and fun. The early icebreaker generated some learning while laughing (who would have thought of converting maps into bikinis, a mythical sea creature, or a train - in a frame - down a drain - in the rain ‌‌..

OK - you had to be there!).

Fun and games.

Night-O Relays.

18 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

Pizza.

Map reviews.

Andrew Barnett spoke on ‘Techniques for Different Terrains’. Many of us appreciated his tip, ‘Bend low to seek the light’ (from the mapped open yellow clearings), when in young pine forests such as at Wirra Wirra.

Cathy Hogg spoke on ‘Injury Prevention in Adolescent Orienteers’, outlining steps to prevent ankle and chronic overuse injuries. Thanks to her, we now know the importance of balance training and stretching after exercise; and that in teenagers, bones grow first, muscles grow later.

Sky Challenge.

Sky Challenge

The Kahoot quiz on O topics offered some technical O challenges and with a number of the State Schools Team members dropping in for this evening session, it was a great opportunity for Camp members (next year’s hopefuls) to join up into teams with some of the older kids.

The Night Relay was packed with fun. For many, this was the first time for OWLS – Orienteering-withLights. And for others, the first time in a Relay situation.

Sky Challenge

Sky Challenge

Sky Challenge

Sky Challenge DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 19

INVITATIONAL CAMP

AUS Relays - Maggie Mackay (NSW).

AUS Sprint - Marcus Cazzolato (SA).

Aoife Rothery at recent ACT SC-ORE event.

For the highly competitive, there was warming up and jostling to start - all in good fun. A few families and their kids travelled substantial distances to be involved.

Sorting generally equal teams of three into 18 teams, ensuring the younger runners were safe, was an operational extravaganza, but once sorted they were off!!

The optional SkyChallenge at Mega Adventure Park and Dolphin Cruise along Port Cathy Hogg talks injuries.

Adelaide River on the Carnival ‘free day’ attracted around 35 people each.

We also had two Come N Try events, held with the support of the Caravan Park, which attracted 42 novice kids, plus their parents.

I believe that the Invitational Camp concept is very successful in encouraging junior development. For many this year, awareness of the Camp was patchy and mainly via word of mouth. For it to reach its maximum potential, it needs to be promoted by all State Associations, and to be included in future official Carnival programs.

Dolphin Cruise. Yes we did see one or three!

Come N Try event.

20 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

Come N Try event.

AUS Middle Dist M12A - Bodie Terrill (3rd).

Some participant comments: Giselle - The best thing was going on Mega (SkyChallenge) and the Trivia Night.

Awesome food!

Paul (Giselle’s dad) - Great format.

Something good to keep the kids occupied.

Catering was well organised, efficient and varied. Nothing worse than thinking about cooking dinner after a long day!

Sasha - It has been so much fun! Loved Kahoot! It was great to make new friends.

Andrea (Sasha’s mum) - Wish I had known about this earlier!

AUS Relay start - Ashley White (M-W12 VIC).

AUS Sprint - Cate Nemeth (QLD).

Michael, John and Christopher - Thank you for the friendship and patience, and showing us new tips and tricks.

Gemma - Best thing about Camp was the pool, food, beach and movies.

Sophie - What the route choice speaker said will help improve my skills.

Dougal - I will remember to do strength and conditioning (exercises) at least once a week.

Luca - The night relay was the best thing.

Amber - I will always remember the people.

AUS Sprint - Claire Adams (VIC) Relay start - Cate Nemeth (M-W12 QLD).

Isabella - I loved the food and the freedom, but I need better wifi and warmer blankets!

Greg (Parent) - It was great to be able to stay with other orienteers, and to enjoy their company. It let us make new friends and renew old ones.

Heather (Parent) - Our family really enjoyed the opportunity to meet other families, for the up and coming youth to interact and to participate in the wonderful evening training sessions.

Anonymous teenager - I had 28 slices (of pizza)!

Anonymous Mum - It would be great if accommodation could be closer to the events. The drive each day was arduous.

Another Anonymous Mum - Some kids cold at night. Not enough breeding. (sic)

Owen and Luca.

DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 21

Moira Whiteside: a wonderful woman in more ways than one WORDS: BARBARA JUNGHANS – GARINGAL ORIENTEERS; DIRECTOR 2017 AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEERING CHAMPIONSHIPS

The name Moira Whiteside may not ring a bell with many, but after you read this article you will realise that Moira’s legacy directly affects most orienteers in Australia today.

H

ow? The short explanation is that Moira left a significant bequest to Orienteering Australia when she died in 2013, specifically to go towards organising the Australian Championships events. In the short term this amounted to $76,200, and in the long term will constitute 20% of her considerable estate. As each State takes turns to stage the Australian Championships, they have the opportunity to apply for up to $10,000 to put towards ‘taking the Championships to a new level’. Thus, Moira single-handedly facilitated Australia’s rapid move towards all major Orienteering events being able to adopt extensive hi-tech O-Lynx radio capture of bush-data, GPS tracking of elite athletes, and results displays that almost instantaneously update, both live at the venue and with the potential for online audiences anywhere in the world to access our results live.

Some background ……

Moira was introduced to Orienteering in 1975 after a gap of over twenty years since having played cricket and softball and represented NSW at hockey. It did not take Moira long to

22 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

understand what the sport of Orienteering was about. As an Inspector of physical education in schools, Moira confessed she was not fit, but she quickly became hooked and moved to improve her fitness. Moira read everything she could about Orienteering. She attended any event she could get to, including overseas when on holidays in the UK and Finland. Moira soon went on to arguably become Garingal Orienteers’ most successful member.

The achievement Moira is particularly remembered for, is her W50 win in the 1977 Jan Kjellström International – one of UK’s two premier events each year. However, Moira went on the next year to be the W50A Australian Champion for seven continuous years! By the time she was in W60A, Moira had also won the Easter 3-Days on five occasions. Over those years she also won the NSW Championships on five occasions and the ACT Championships on four, plus won in Victoria and Queensland, and represented Australia in several trans-Tasman competitions.

If not the winner, Moira typically scored a place. Moira told everyone that her strategy was to ‘follow the red line and count paces’. This way she was not distracted by dense track networks, but she did get her feet wet a number of times going straight through marshes.

Moira’s work did not lend itself to allowing her to take on the bigger organisational roles, however she never lost sight of the large manpower requirements to put on Orienteering events.

Moira is quoted in a Garingal newsletter as saying: “The most important group in Orienteering are the workers who accept office in the organization and who run the events. Nothing is too small for them or too big. A select group form a core that provides small recreational events for all comers to enjoy. The same people prepare highly competitive events at State, National and international levels. An examination of names over many

years reveals who these people are. Because of them the public can discover the joys of being self-reliant in the forests of the world. To put it in a nutshell these workers give their lives to Orienteering. The sport thrives because of them. Without them the sport would wither away. We can never thank them enough.”

In 1981, Moira told Dick Ogilvie that it will be impossible for her to repay Orienteering for the pleasure the sport has already brought her (The Australian Orienteer, Oct/Nov 1981). Moira always volunteered for Garingal’s helper roster and reliably did whatever she could, even into her 80s (despite having to give up going into the bush after a hip replacement at age 64). Her teaching instincts kicked in, and she gave many newbie orienteers, especially the juniors, one-on-one advice.

Perhaps the first inkling that Moira could think outside the square with respect to being ‘a helper’ was in 1981 when she funded the purchase of a statue, “The Silver Hare”, to be awarded annually to a person in Garingal who deserved recognition (be it a junior who had excelled or someone who had contributed significantly to the ongoing running of one of the many facets of our club).

Moira’s involvement in Orienteering and her good sportsmanship was acknowledged by her being awarded Honorary Life Membership of Garingal in 2005.

In conclusion ……

Should we not be surprised then, that Moira has left a portion of her estate to benefit Orienteering? The German Director of SPORTident noted during a visit to a major event in Canberra a couple of years ago, how advanced was Australia’s use of Orienteering technology. I believe this has largely been achieved due to Moira’s beneficence.

In recognition of Moira’s philanthropy, two perpetual trophies are awarded in her name to the M and W21E class winners of the Australian Middle Distance and Australian Sprint Orienteering Championships. And, the Director of every Australian Orienteering Championships Carnival is extremely grateful for Moira’s vision!

Acknowledgements: Thanks go to Beverley Johnson who delved into her Garingal archives, and to Jim Merchant, Garingal’s statistician, for the material presented in this article.

XMAS 5-DAYS RETURNS TO THE HARBOUR CITY Ian Jessup – ONSW Marketing & Communications Officer

Sydney’s glorious harbour and cityscape will be on full display when the annual Xmas 5-Days returns to the Emerald City this year. Our first foray into an urban Xmas carnival, in 2014, produced record attendances and organisers are hoping for another good turnout.

The 5-Days will offer multiple formats, so there’s something for everyone. We also hope the mostly central Sydney locations will lure more Summer Series folk into other Orienteering formats.

Nearly all events are easily accessed by public transport and offer visitors plenty of sightseeing opportunities.

The planned program is: Thursday Dec 27 (pm): 45-minute Sydney Summer Series score event at Milsons Point.

Right beneath the Harbour Bridge, this assembly area takes in amazing views of the Opera House, the bridge, the CBD, Barangaroo, Luna Park and North Sydney. Iconic Sydney. Will Duncan Currie’s course take us past the residences of the Prime Minister (whoever that may be at the time!) and the Governor-General?

Friday Dec 28 (am): Mystery format at Centennial Park.

Sydney’s great urban park is a recreational haven between the bustle of the city and the tourist mecca of Bondi. Open spaces and an intricate rocky hillside will make for generally fast orienteering.

Saturday Dec 29 (am): Mystery format at Beacon Hill.

The infamous Clay Pan map has a myriad of single tracks and an intricate BMX network to confound even the most careful navigator. The NSW Stingers are hosting.

Sunday Dec 30 (am): Sprint at the International College of Management at Manly.

This former seminary is a landmark on the northern beaches and we are delighted to christen it as an Orienteering venue, along with St Paul’s School across the road. Being a Sunday, public transport is capped at $2.60 per adult all day. Spend the rest of the day discovering North Head, Shelly Beach, Little Manly, then grab some fish & chips and finish with a dip at Manly Beach.

Monday Dec 31 (am): Sprint at Sydney University.

One of the best Sprint maps in Australia offers a stern navigational challenge to finish our Carnival. Close to Central Station (for buses and trains) so you can make a quick getaway.

The New Year’s Eve fireworks are at 9pm at dozens of locations around Sydney, and again at midnight in central locations.

DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 23

FUTURE OF O

Growing the base WORDS: DAVID POLAND (ACT)

T

here are, broadly, two ways to increase the number of high achieving athletes in any given sport. The immediately obvious is to train and coach the existing elites. The second and more sustainable approach is to increase the number who might become elites by growing the base. This second approach has many additional advantages not the least of which is that (given time) it also increases the number of volunteers and helps our sport become more sustainable.

If our vision is to see more orienteers orienteering more often and better (as opposed to seeing the same old orienteers orienteering more often and longer) then we need to increase the pool of committed orienteering athletes aged 14 to 20 and to optimise the potential of each individual.

Having written an article on possible changes to the Australian Schools Orienteering Carnival I was invited to attend a meeting in Adelaide during the recent Carnival to discuss such changes. Many people have asked me how the meeting went and so in response here is my take on the outcomes. It should be noted that this is not an official record of the minutes and that the OA National Conference in December still needs to ratify decisions, but I feel that broadly I have covered most opinions.

Firstly there seemed general acceptance that now is a great opportunity to consider improvements. The greatest challenge identified however was not how to improve the Schools Carnival itself but rather how to meet the needs of those NOT selected to compete.

And that is precisely the crux of the matter. Currently we only provide opportunities for twenty children from each Australian jurisdiction to attend .…. 140 in total. If Orienteering is to survive as a sport then realistically we need to double that number. That may mean not being constrained by traditional State borders.

Some States that currently struggle to field teams of twenty may cry foul that it disadvantages them in the competition but is the ultimate purpose of the Carnival to identify the “best” State or is it to provide opportunities for growth? If some States can field forty or even sixty children why should they be prevented from growing? Perhaps it is even time to consider regional rather than State teams.

In this regard we can follow New Zealand’s example which is much more focused on growth, to the point where those selected for JWOC are actually excluded from the competition so as to allow space for aspiring less experienced children.

24 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

To this end I was pleased to hear the meeting agree to allow New Zealand the opportunity to field two teams. And NZ had already agreed, in the interests of participation, to formulate those teams as approximately equal in abilities (rather than an A and B team). Yes - we have so much to learn from the Kiwis.

It was also very pleasing to hear that nominated reserves will now be able to win individual medals (but not count for team points) if they run well on the day. This will help them feel more included.

Of even more significance non-selected children will now be able to compete in the same races as their selected friends albeit immediately after the reserves. They will not be eligible for medals or team points but it will mean they can run with their friends rather than being assigned to compete with the oldies when all their friends have gone home. This is a great outcome and may well encourage more children (and their families) to attend the Carnival.

Perhaps one disappointment from my perspective was that the meeting did not discuss at all the concept of an Invitational Camp which was trialled in 2017 and again in 2018. Some 80 or so parents and their non-selected children were in attendance in Adelaide and a smaller number had attended in 2017 in Bathurst.

Despite this the Invitational Camp has struggled to receive any publicity from Orienteering Australia or official recognition.

This is surprising because the concept of an Invitational Camp actually addresses most of the concerns that the organisers of the Schools Carnival have. Firstly, it encourages more people to attend the Carnival bringing in substantial additional participation (and revenue). It also requires no supervision from officials as parents must attend. And finally it has no limitation on numbers and has the flexibility to adapt to widespread event locations. I can only hope that in 2019 it is officially promoted and recognised as a Carnival activity.

A few of the other decisions made at the meeting are outlined below: Age Category – There was some discussion that we should change the age cohorts (currently under-15 and over-15) to instead align with current categories in other events …. ie under14, under-16, under-18/19 …... This would certainly help those of us holding selection races. It would also provide children a smaller jump to the next level and would encourage more children to participate. But then someone mentioned bus sizes.

In Australia mini buses come as 12 or 24 seaters and it was felt that ideally team sizes should be no more than twenty children and four officials. So the current age categories will remain but sensibly they will also apply to the non-selected children on those three days.

Sprint Relay – There was significant support for a Mixed Sprint Relay but uncertainty as to which event it should replace and so that discussion will no doubt continue. Perhaps the Queen’s Birthday weekend competitions in NZ and NSW could be an appropriate venue. Or even the December Development Camp.

Secondary Schools Oceania Orienteering Challenge – This trophy, currently in Australia’s possession has been in existence since 2005 but was not discussed, presumably due to time limitations.

Cross Border issues – It was disappointing to see this matter unresolved mainly because it was the last item on the agenda and was a victim of meeting fatigue. I am hopeful that a way can easily be found to allow residents of close border cities to compete in adjacent State teams if they wish. Examples include Queanbeyan to ACT, Wodonga to NSW, Tweed Heads to QLD and Darwin or Alice Springs to SA. Allowing State borders to hamper growth is regrettable.

Items that were not discussed at all – Apart from the Invitational Camp these included the idea of appointing a Youth Ambassador aged approximately 21, and the question as to whether the Schools Carnival is actually a couple of days too

long. Other issues brought to my attention have been the long distance between accommodation and the events. This raises safety issues for volunteer managers acting as drivers for two hours twice a day after running long events themselves.

One matter not discussed was how to encourage more spectators at the Schools bush Relay and other Schools events.

Certainly having non-selected children take part immediately after the selected children will encourage more parents to be in attendance. I wonder if the management of adult entries in the public afternoon races could be better organised with start times allotted by number like a supermarket deli queue. This would allow the public time to watch parts of the Schools races presentations instead of standing in a queue for 30 minutes at the public start.

Finally it is worth noting that the meeting was a closed meeting in that only official State school managers, coaches and selected others were invited. I found this surprising given that a score of other interested people expressed a desire to be involved. If Orienteering Australia is to be accepted by the broad Orienteering community it must find a way to involve the broad membership. After all, that is where the volunteers come from.

It was great to see so many positive outcomes from the meeting and I feel it is important that these discussions are shared with others who were unable or not permitted to attend.

Editor’s note: see announcement by Orienteering Australia: “Australian Schools Orienteering Committee”, on page 43.

Nutrition Tips Victorian Institute of Sport Nutrition Tips - Healthy Balanced Eating Listening to your body and acknowledging your hunger and fullness cues is a key skill in healthy balanced eating. Our bodies don’t stop and start at midnight every 24 hours and sometimes we are hungrier some days and not so much others. The key to filling these gaps and acknowledging hunger can be achieved through snacks.

Snacks can fulfil our hunger cues but also provide us with important extra nutrients we can’t always get through three meals alone. Think dairy, vegetables and fruit. Here are some reasons why ……..

We know that 96% of Australian adults don’t get enough vegetables in their diet, so this is a great place to start when planning out your daily snacks. Osteoporosis occurs in 1 in 3 Aussie women and 1 in 5 Aussie men; achieving calcium requirements through dairy rich snacks can work towards preventing this. Fruits also give you an extra edge in getting in enough fibre; put two pieces of fruit in your lunch box for good bowel health.

Happy Snacking!!

Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a disease where the bones become weakened, set to affect 1.53 million Victorians by 2022. Our bones continue getting stronger until we reach the age of 20. From then on, if we maintain a diet high in calcium, vitamin D, protein and enough energy we can prevent and slow the natural weakening of our bones. Calcium and vitamin D are the essential minerals to maintain bone mineral density.

But without enough energy, our hormones struggle to keep up with energy demands and our bones weakening is one of the first physiological responses.

This is especially important for athletes and exercisers with big energy demands. Having enough carbs, protein and fats with calcium and getting some of the vitamin D ensures you’re doing your best to prevent not just osteoporosis but also bone injuries like stress fractures.

So eat up and get some sun this Spring.

Resistant starch You’ve heard about the benefits of fibre, how about resistant starch?

Resistant starch is very much the new kid on the block when it comes to the gut microbiome and gut health. Resistant starch is a type of dietary fibre, or carbohydrate chain found naturally in foods. They are resistant because humans don’t have the naturally occurring enzymes to break them down. Once they are eaten, they move through the gastrointestinal tract undigested until reaching the colon.

Resistant starch is what provides the ‘good gut bacteria’ with food or nutrients to thrive. This is otherwise referred to as a prebiotic. Prebiotics have been associated with improved immune system, reducing inflammation and improving gut health or digestion.

Resistant starches are found in specific foods with the amount of starch altered by cooking methods and ripeness. They are found most commonly in: Sorghum, Millet, Legumes, Unripe bananas, Potatoes, Pasta, Rice, Raw oats, Cashews.

DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 25

FUTURE OF O

What Route Choice are we taking into the future?

QUANTITY, QUALITY or BOTH (Whole Sport) A personal perspective on where we are at and where we are headed NICK DENT - CENTRAL COAST ORIENTEERS, ONSW, OA

A

fter reading two recent articles in The Australian Orienteer - “Opportunities for Future Magazine Articles” by Ian Baker (June 2018) and “50th Anniversary of Orienteering in Australia next year” (Sept 2018), I have been motivated to put down some perspectives on the future “route” that Orienteering can follow into the next 50 years. This perspective has also been developed as a result of my years of experience in organizing major events, managing and coaching State and National teams, experiencing high level Orienteering events in many countries and also many discussions with other orienteers about the direction of Orienteering in Australia.

As Ian Baker, the founding editor of The Australian Orienteer says “orienteers in Australia are the end owners of Orienteering Australia, in a similar way to shareholders in a company”. As the shareholders we have a responsibility to make sure that the sport is being managed and organized in such a way that it’s future prosperity is assured for those who will want to orienteer long after we are no longer around, especially given the age structure of orienteering participants today. We are approaching the 50th anniversary of Orienteering in Australia, during this time seven State Associations and many clubs have grown into effective organisers of Orienteering events throughout the country.

World Championships (WOC 1985, JWOC 2007, WMOC 2002 & 2009, WMTBOC 2004) and World Cup events (2000 and 2015) have been organized, new versions of the sport have been developed such as Mountain Bike Orienteering, Sprint Orienteering and Park & Street Orienteering. The sport has grown remarkably in this period of time and as a result clubs and State Associations have accumulated (significant in some cases) funds. These funds are the return on the time and effort of many volunteers from within the sport over these 50 years.

Quantity (Participation) or Quality (Event Presentation, High Performance, Technology) or Both?

The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) is now providing funding to National Sports Organisations (NSO) to achieve its priority of increasing participation, ie; attract non-active people and people from population groups who are less active. The outcome is improved health of the population.

This is a very worthwhile strategy and something that Orienteering Australia (OA) and the States have responded to with great energy.

Draft minutes of OA AGM April 2018: “Participation in Orienteering is continuing to grow nationally” “Participation in both National Carnival and at the grass roots is growing especially for events held close to where people live”

But what about Quality?

Specifically in relation to athlete development and high performance. During 2016 ASC stopped the $86,000 Whole of Sport funding that was mostly used to fund the High 26 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

Performance Program as outlined in the OA 2016-2019 Strategic Plan “Athlete development and high performance vision – •w ell supported training, coaching and information resources to provide the opportunity for any orienteer of any age or skill level to develop their orienteering skills •a development pathway achieving excellent results for young orienteers with potential to aspire to become world class senior orienteers representing Australia in their 20s and 30s •h igh levels of retention of talented orienteers from the junior to the senior ranks •A ustralian podium placegetters in World Championships and World Cup events • f ull Australian teams of A final standard in foot and mountain bike orienteering •m ajor international Orienteering events regularly staged in Australia and New Zealand •a high profile, showcase elite Orienteering event annually in every State capital • a strong network of active coaches throughout Australia” If these objectives are to be achieved or even moved towards then a new funding model was needed. At the OA Special General Meeting June 2017, the issue of how to fund the HP Program was the main item on the agenda. The minutes of this meeting clearly indicate the State’s desire that the HP Program should be self-supporting (whatever that means?).

At this meeting a motion to increase the fees paid to OA for Group 5 events so that this extra money could help with the HP funding was defeated 10-2. The overall increase was to be 50c by 2019.

There appears, due to funding changes and States’ expressed priorities, to be a shift in the focus away from quality towards quantity. From the perspective of this shareholder I have to say that this is very disappointing as without the quality we are not maximizing our outcomes as a sport, and it is very much a short term strategy.

Why cannot we have both Quantity and Quality as both short and long term strategies working together to grow the sport and make it self-sustaining. I believe we can but it requires a broader perspective of Orienteering as a sport as well as a recreational activity to be developed by all those in leadership positions both at National, State and Club level.

It also controversially involves clubs and States being a lot more open about their actual financial positions and the actual amount of funds collectively held across all levels of the organisation on behalf of ALL shareholders in our sport, and what plans there are for these funds to be re-invested back into the sport from which they have come.

Based on a study of the available information on the internet about State orienteering bodies’ financial statements for 2017 I can say that the accumulated shareholder funds for six State bodies adds up to approximately $1.4m. In most cases a substantial amount of the funds are held in term deposits and so earning interest. I was unable to find a financial statement for one State. In States (example NSW and Victoria) where the clubs are the organisers of the events and not the State body, most of the revenue will therefore end up in the clubs’ accounts. I have not been able to find any financial data on any club website but I believe that this information is available. Anecdotally I think you can safely say that at least as many funds are held in club accounts as is held by the States. This means conservatively there exists at least $2.8m in accounts held by Orienteering clubs and State bodies all of whom operate under the umbrella of Orienteering Australia.

Orienteering Australia Constitution “2. Name and Structure. The Orienteering Associations of Australian States and Territories that have accepted this Constitution, together form Orienteering Australia (hereinafter referred to as “the Federation”). The Federation shall be the supreme authority in all matters affecting the sport of Orienteering at the national level. The Federation shall be a member of the International Orienteering Federation.”

Regardless of the actual amount it is quite clear that over 50 years substantial “shareholder” funds have been accumulated by the sport. The question is not how much but what plans do the States and the clubs have for re-investing these funds back into the sport from which they came. Yes, I know maps cost money and we have mostly always paid mappers for the great work they do (and the value of these assets is not measured in terms of future earnings) but I have been

involved in enough event management and organization to know that the expenditure on a map needs to spread over a number of years just like the income potential from the map. If we can accept that these funds which have grown over the years through the efforts of all the volunteers who themselves are mostly orienteers, actually belong to the sport of Orienteering as a whole and not just the club or State that shows the amount in their financial statement then we can start to develop a whole sport approach to how best to utilize these funds.

So yes, we can have quality and quantity at the same time, if only we can somehow start to develop a whole sport approach rather than one that simply looks at the interests of the club or State. This would require an approach to utilising the assets that have built up over 50 years to generate further growth in this great sport that we all enjoy so much and that has given us all such wonderful experiences. It needs to be what is best for US not what is best for ME. In conclusion despite the great opportunity available to us given the funds available I am not optimistic given the brief that has been stated regarding the development of the new OA Strategic Plan which commenced at the OA Conference in Dec 2017 and which appears to be driven by the States rather than the national body and be focused on quantity.

Quote – (Draft minutes OA AGM April 2018): “OA is rebuilding the strategic plan - it will place participation at the core of all we do” Some real facts to consider: NOL #12 - 2018

M21E entries 7; W21E entries 2;

NOL #11 - 2015

M21E entries 19; W21E entries 13.

Both events were the Ultralong so are comparable.

The Australian WOC JWOC and MTBO teams outfitted by Trimtex

DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 27

SPRINT-O

The Thought Sport The balance between running and cunning in Sprint Orienteering WORDS: ROSS BARR

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ollowing several recent Sprint events in Europe (including WMOC 2018), and at home, where the speed and running part of my subtitle equation has perhaps become in the ascendent, I thought it might be good to have another look at what we really mean by Sprint O and the balance we are achieving. My thesis is that Orienteering, ‘cunning running’ to use the classic descriptor, should be a balance between the two factors – but that the balance should vary to suit the format.

Bush orienteering, especially the classic Long Distance format event, will demand more ‘running’ strength and fitness than ‘cunning’ ability, but also showcases map reading (terrain understanding and interpretation), and long leg route choice – often a defining factor. Sprint O on the other hand, while needing running speed, raises the bar in quick decision making and instant route choice selection – but without the longer term consequences of these actions found in the classic bush orienteering event. In the longer format, you can often recover poor initial route selection and mistakes, not so in Sprint O, where the smallest of route choice errors is often fatal.

On that basis I would expect Sprint O courses to be intensive, and based on something similar to the David May (UK) scoring principles mentioned in these pages before. Minimal (if any) no-choice legs, left/right options as a basis, and as many multiple route legs or intensive map read/interpretation routes that the terrain allows - and the course planner can find. The key factor is intensive thinking and concentration between controls, with hardly a let up. Constant planning, constant evaluation, often constant adjustment – and all going as flat out as possible.

Cunning personified!

To be avoided if at all possible, are legs where there is no route choice, especially if they are longish (1.5 – 2min plus) ones. Even worse when they are in the open – across sports fields for instance. I detect a potential difference of opinion here, as I have seen many Elite distance Sprint events where open sports field running/looping can form a reasonable part of a course, and is a notable spectator and commentary friendly aspect. I think the Elite competitors like this as well – being at the height of athletic prowess and ‘on show’ (not something us oldies care for). The recent South Australian Schools Sprint event at Keithcot Farm used just such an open sports field loop as a spectator and commentary provider.

The Keithcot spectator loop was half way through a very intensive campus, so the small relief gained in the open was soon lost as the second half ‘cunning’ puzzle in the buildings reasserted itself. I note that the courses here were deployed across two maps at A5 size printed on the one A4 sheet, as ‘1’ (first half) and ‘2’ (second half), and much as we had seen from Ted & Margie at the 2018 Melbourne Sprint Weekend. This technique, 28 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

using a double bite at a small campus, has also been well used

by Bold Horizons in Sydney, and is a great way to maximise the cunning, thinking and intensity of Sprint Orienteering within environments otherwise too small.

The 2018 Australian Sprint Championships at Renmark Schools, in a less interesting and intensive campus environment, also used open sports fields, this time to gain distance (it was out of sight of the commentators), and provided the concentration relief that aids the running over the cunning. Not that this was a major aspect of course, the many legs in the two building groups were exciting, often sub 30secs, and the #11 #12 leg on Course 7 being one David May would have given at least a ‘2’ score to, maybe a 3 – with multiple route options (some wide), and concentration needed throughout. The word ‘throughout’ being key here, and not something the no option running legs (#8-9-10 on Course 7 for instance) offered.

Generally, and notwithstanding the minor running instances noted above, Australian Sprint Orienteering (and the best of UK thinking) seems on a different plane to recent continental European experience, where the Finals of the World Masters in Copenhagen were very disappointing indeed. The area selected was spectacular from an old world tourist city perspective (many of the Royal Palace buildings and gardens were on course), but you were lucky to get a left/right leg choice every now and then – many were straight out no-choice flogs. Naturally the fast guns swept all before them. Tash Key’s course reproduced in The Australian Orienteer (Sept 2018) reveals much here, with good intensity to controls #7 and #8 and then huge distance with little option before re-engaging the duck & weave towards the Finish. My own M70 course had perhaps four out of the 15 legs that challenged quick thinking – the rest, exhausting and straightforward running. I think we do it much better down under.

The WMOC 2018 website has an excellent M50A runner’s headcam video by Mika Rautio on show that also highlights the straightforward nature of the terrain and the course. Well worth a look. http://www.wmoc2018.dk/photos/sunday-july-8/ Another recent Italian carnival Sprint linked two small towns, where admittedly you had to concentrate, with two long legs that were straight ahead down the connecting main road for well over a kilometre of the 2.7km course. Although there was a left/ right (at a pinch) on one of these legs, this was Middle Distance running, not orienteering. And unless the plan was to completely exhaust you between dollops of cunning, is an example where the Euro balance is much too focussed on the running.

The need for speed in Europe might have something to do with spectator and television audience expectations, and where the puzzled, the crouching, the indecisive and the plain old discombobulated sprinter, might not be quite the look they were hoping for. Certainly not the Olympic orienteering look – if indeed that is still a goal.

I should note here that there is a ‘variation’ in some of the best Euro Sprint events, and something not really available in Australia – those events located in historic town centres, with their intricate street and laneway patterns, often maze-like.

Challenges in these old townscapes can be quite different to a campus course, and often offer singular routes (some quite long) that can be difficult to decipher amidst a myriad of wiggly street shapes on the map. You are often very wide of the red line in these terrains, concentration at a premium. This is fast stuff, and perhaps the best of Euro Sprint O. Despite the almost opposite offer in Denmark noted above, generally worth travelling for.

Latvia 2019 maybe?

So to sum up, Sprint Orienteering should try wherever possible, to avoid dead running – especially open terrain dead running. Tip the balance towards the ‘cunning’ factor even if

this means the use of double maps or a map flip. There can be something quite disconcerting about plunging back into the same terrain from different directions. It might seem you would be a bit familiar with things the second time around, but my experience is anything but. I think many MSW fans will agree.

Quality Sprint O should see the cunning factor easing ahead of the running factor. After all, the ‘thought sport’ is a great way for the joggers amongst us to think their way to victory!

Editor’s note: the recent 2018 VIC Sprint Championships held at Federation University, Ballarat, ticked all the boxes for both running and cunning navigation. More on this in the next magazine.

DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 29

2019 NZ CHAMPIONSHIPS

2019 New Zealand Orienteering Championships

Near Elephant Rocks close to Humpy Bumpy.

The countdown is on!

Entries for the NZ Orienteering Championships 2019 open soon. It will be a complete action-packed Easter holiday laid on for you in NZ! Peninsula and Plains Orienteers (PAPO) are very proud to be the host of this event in the fascinating Waitaki region of the South Island. What can be better than a holiday using your nav ability alongside heaps of like-minded map-sport people, even if the majority of them are Kiwis?

And it’s serious competition time, so there is the chance to challenge yourself against the very best with friendly rivalry between old and new mates.

Oh, and did we mention new maps?

It is not often we all get the chance to run on completely new areas and terrain. PAPO are excited to be able to offer three new maps for these events in an area of New Zealand that has rarely been mapped and

used for Orienteering before. We will supplement it with an area first used for Oceania in 2009 with the quirky but cute name of “Humpy Bumpy” near Earthquakes (yes, that’s a place name) for the Relay.

But wait, there’s more ……

You’ll all be here for the challenging Orienteering, but for gear freaks the event will have also some stalls to buy the latest O gear. With more than 400 people to meet and chat to, this will be the place to be. There will be one combined meal evening where we can all swap stories of relocation triumphs and disastrous loss of map contact.

The prizegiving will feature not only our champions, but will recognise some serious chief O bods who have contributed so much to our athletic map geekery fun. If you want to get an idea of what the area and event will be like, we’ll have more info each month, so sign up to our email or the news feed on our website.

Kuriheka.

To finally get rid of those preevent nerves We can take the hassle out of your accommodation as well. We recommend you stay with a group of orienteers – they will help recharge you every night with their own circuitous route stories. We have help on hand to book into local hostel accommodation in boarding schools.

Kuriheka sample.

Maerewhenua 30 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

Oamaru sample.

What about O fashion?

An overview of the events:

Yes, let’s make it happen! Save your 1950s Scandinavian kaleidoscope shirt for evening wear. During the day, we know you want to be up with the latest hip O event shirt, so we will have some event t-shirts available. It will have our sweet logo and maybe a few slogans.

You will be able to order yours when you register.

In total, it will be four days of intensely detailed areas each with guaranteed navigational and physical challenge.

Each event will test your orienteering prowess and provide plenty of interest in new terrain. The course planners are setting courses that highlight the unique detail to challenge you to reach your true orienteering potential.

What else is there to do?

All the events are close to the steampunk capital of Ōamaru, which also has 19th century whitestone buildings and amply planted and beautiful public gardens. Ōamaru boasts a thriving arts and music scene, and the local wildlife features little Blue and Yellow-Eyed penguin colonies.

Australians who miss kangaroos can even see them in NZ (well wallabies anyway) - crazy huh! In the region around you’ll find the most fascinating geological scenery and landscapes, from the mysterious Moeraki boulders to windswept beaches, and the remains of ancient Māori rock art. A short drive further, and you will be in the snowcapped mountains as the Waitaki River leads you into the majestic Southern Alps.

Don’t miss out, sign up for priority info today to be in the know first when entries open.

Oamaru.

DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 31

WOC 2018

My 10th World Championships WORDS: NATASHA KEY

A

t the age of 46, I probably wouldn’t have thought back in 1995 I would still be racing elite in 2018. There were three kids and an 11 year gap out of serious orienteering, and then a lot of hard work to get back in 2016. I think those of us that are not in our twenties any more, or even thirties, will know how hard it is to remain injury free let alone get fit enough to race at the elite level, I have been very lucky indeed (held together by glute and core exercises at my Barre Pilates class!). Having been a quality over quantity trainer all my life I think that has given me a bit of longevity at this end.

The chance to be in the same Australian team as one of my kids was also a pretty big carrot and something that has kept me going over the last 12 months and it paid off with both Aston and I making the team, unfortunately not in the same Relay team though .…. might be the carrot for another big event sometime soon…...

The trip to Europe this year was a whirlwind of craziness, starting with European Youth Championships in Bulgaria and ending with WOC in Latvia. With JWOC, WMOC, WUOC, O-Ringen, and OOcup in between.

Aston’s amazing success in winning the EYOC Sprint at that international level was a very emotional thing to watch as a parent - I get way more nervous watching the kids than I do for myself! It certainly started the trip off on a high.

There were many more highlights and great experiences and friends caught up with, too many to mention, but lots of training and preparation leading towards Latvia. I think the best preparation leading up to WOC races, for myself anyway, is to compete in as many big races as I can. Something we don’t get much practise at in Australia is high level racing with big set ups, spectators, GPS, even TV cameras. These are things I know can affect my races. So the Sprint at the World Masters was a great warm up race as it had all these elements.

Our WOC team accommodation was 45mins drive out of Riga in a small town, unfortunately not near any other teams which is always fun, but very comfortable none the less.

Aston and I arrived in the week before the first race, we had been doing some Sprint training in Switzerland for the few days before. In plenty of time to have a look at the Sprint area - from outside the embargo on the surrounding roads. Lots of guessing where the Start might be, what the course setters will use as route choices, will there be artificial barriers and so on. Its quite a nerve 32 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

racking few days as never at home do you ever have all of this time to think about one race!

Life within the WOC apartment consisted of lots of time spent talking about, shopping for and cooking food (probably a good distraction), nightly team bonding walks through the beautiful pine forest, team meetings, walks to the shop to get ice-cream, nerding over old maps and doing running wilds, and actually going out training on the training maps.

Spending time in quarantine areas is something a little different also, especially when your warm up companions are world champions.

The Sprint Qualifier suited me well, but I had made a small mistake so I had to wait nervously until all the runners had finished to see if I made the top 15 in my heat. Unfortunately, not for Aston who just missed out. A more technical course would have suited him better but what a great experience at 18 to be there and be a part of it. The relief and happiness to make a WOC Final is a big thing, it is extremely cut throat. I have been lucky to have always made the Finals, some times by the skin of my teeth.

The Sprint Final unfortunately didn’t go well, I went out too fast and let the nerves get to me, not slowing down when I needed to, and getting jostled by throngs of tourists added difficulty, and at the end of the race I found out that I had skipped #4 extremely disappointing.

I also ran the Forest Relay and the Long Distance. Relays are always fun with the added excitement and distraction of more runners in the forest. Kyrstal, Belinda and I had a solid performance moving up four positions from last year.

The Long Distance, now the last event of the carnival was in the same forest as the Relay - green, steep gully/spur with low visibility (and wasps!). There is nothing relaxed about a WOC Long Distance, it is the hardest race physically and I started with a mindset of nervous determination. The first few controls were nothing like what I expected so I was overly cautious, and then there was a big route choice leg which I spent a good 15 seconds looking at. In the middle of the course a route choice option took us back through the Arena area and potentially the ‘wrong way’ through the spectator loop, supposedly this is allowed and was done by others but I was unsure and lost a minute or so going through the forest instead. I actually felt really good and strong over the last part of the course and just finishing a Long Distance race is a form of elation in itself! 35th - I am happy with that as

it means I was in the top half of the field. I feel I could have done better but that’s Orienteering for you.

I think one of the great things about going to these big events is the friendships you make and keep for years, the social aspect should be fostered.

I am happy and feel very lucky and privileged to have been able to compete at WOC again, and especially with Aston, insert big smile, I guess its like playing in the same cricket or netball team as your kids.

A big congrats to Vanessa who finished 23rd in the Middle Distance, and Matt Doyle who spent so much time in the hot seat at the Middle Distance (where the current race leader sits up on a podium) that he got sunburnt.

I can’t remember the last time I wrote an article for the Magazine so I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to our Orienteering community in its entirety. The tireless volunteers who run the National and State Associations, the event organisers and helpers, the coaches and managers, AO magazine crew and all the runners. The funding we receive to help cover the costs comes from the people who get up early in the mornings and go and put flags out in the forest for our local events, I always try to remember to say thank you but if I haven’t I am saying it now. Thank you.

A special shout out to Russell Blatchford for introducing me to Orienteering way back at high school in Mildura. If it wasn’t for him I may never have found this sport of ours, it certainly has taken me to some incredible places, meeting some amazing people, I feel very lucky.

DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 33

2018 WOC

Nokian_Tyres_WOC2018.pdf 1 6/4/2018 7:52:30 PM

Matt Doyle.

Middle Distance – Women 1 2 3

Natalia Gemperle Marika Teini Isia Basset

23 Vanessa Round 24 Lizzie Ingham 45 Laura Robertson

Russia Finland France

32:02 33:32 33:56

Australia New Zealand New Zealand

37:30 37:41 42:41

Middle Distance – Men 1 2 3 30

Middle Distance - Vanessa Round.

Eskil Kinneberg Daniel Hubmann Florian Howald Tim Robertson

Norway Switzerland Switzerland New Zealand

32:59 33:05 33:13 38:06

40 Matt Doyle

Australia

39:32

50 Matthew Crane 60 Matt Ogden

Australia New Zealand

41:32 47:33 Matt Doyle enjoys his time in the Middle Distance Leader’s chair.

Forest Relay – Women 1 2 3

Switzerland Sweden Russia

18

Australia Krystal Neumann Natasha Key Belinda Lawford New Zealand Laura Robertson Imogene Scott Lizzie Ingham

19

1:45:03 1:45:18 1:47:20 43:18 44:38 50:29 48:42 50:54 40:26

2:18:25

2:20:02

Krystal Neumann.

Forest Relay – Men 1 2 3 17

Norway Switzerland France New Zealand Tim Robertson Matt Ogden Gene Beveridge

39:00 39:08 43:18

18

Australia Henry McNulty Matt Doyle Brodie Nankervis

38:00 42:53 42:48

Forest Relay – Brodie Nankervis (above), Henry McNulty (right).

34 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

1:47:26 1:47:30 1:47:36 2:01:26

2:03:41

Matt Crane.

Sprint Final – Tim Robertson dashes to the Finish.

Long Distance - Tash Key.

Long Distance – Women 1 2 3

Tove Alexandersson Maja Alm Sabine Hauswirth

35 Natasha Key 46 Lizzie Ingham 60 Imogene Scott

Sweden Denmark Switzerland

1:14:04 1:15:31 1:16:30

Australia New Zealand New Zealand

1:41:17 1:47:48 2:09:07

Sprint – Men 1 2 3

Daniel Hubmann Tim Robertson Andreas Kyburz

Switzerland New Zealand Switzerland

14:05.9 14:07.0 14:26.0

Sprint – Women 1 2 3 23 41

Maja Alm Tove Alexandersson Judith Wyder Laura Robertson Imogene Scott

Sprint Relay 1 2 3

Sweden Switzerland Denmark

58:27 58:58 59:14

Denmark Sweden Switzerland New Zealand New Zealand

13:43.1 14:00.0 14:10.3 15:40.1 17:21.0

Long Distance – Men 1 2 3 39 49

Olav Lundanes Ruslan Glibov Fabian Hertner Matt Ogden Gene Beveridge

Norway Ukraine Switzerland New Zealand New Zealand

1:37:43 1:40:20 1:40:47 2:03:26 2:16:06

51 Bryan Russell Keely

Australia

2:18:29

60 Matthew Crane

Australia

2:31:48

Tove Alexandersson’s bad day

W

e know that Orienteering is not only a test of physical ability but also one of mental ability and perseverance. Proof of that was on display at the 2018 World Championships women’s Middle Distance event when Swedish champion, Tove Alexandersson, came up with a performance she will surely want to forget.

Alexandersson is always expected to do well, often to win, and was building another collection of top performances at this year’s WOC with Silver in the Sprint and, next day, Gold in the Sprint Relay (where she posted fastest time on her leg).

Two days later came the Middle Distance event in which she was again expected to medal.

Long Distance Bryan Russel Keely.

But fortune didn’t shine on her that day. Tove made a small error to #1 and was only 26th fastest (in a field of 71). A more major error to #2 saw her 45th fastest and in 57th place overall. All was not lost because Tove has speed when she gets going. But #3 became a real mystery for her. Clearly her confidence was ebbing. She passed the nearby #4 and then just roamed around, eventually giving up on #3 and just jogging the rest of the course to finish with a smile on her face, 59th fastest but with a mispunch.

And showing the rest of us battlers that even champions can have an off day.

DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 35

WMTBOC & WJMTBOC 2018

World MTBO Championships

Zwettl, Austria WORDS: KAY HAARSMA PHOTOS: NATASHA SPARG

Glen Charlton

Ricky Thackray

Joel Young

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training courses. One afternoon we went into Vienna and raced a Sprint event, through streets and parks, organised by the Austrian team coach Thomas Hnilica. With a sprinkling of other nations also competing the excitement levels rose. Unfortunately Glen Charlton broke his front wheel in a high speed crash with another rider. This necessitated a visit to ex-pro Bernard Kohl’s 3,000 square metre bike warehouse, where most of us spent too much.

Finally it was the big move to the Championships accommodation, an agricultural college, Edelhof, about 3 km from Zwettl. Besides the normal range of animals and crops there was a decent amount of medicinal marijuana being grown. The two-person rooms were adequate but the mid 30’s temperatures saw the team budget extend to several fans.

The Mass Start event was the first race. While in normal events riders get one minute to get the map sorted and work out initial routes, in the Mass Start and first leg of the Relay they only get 15 seconds. Stress personified! Racing was fast with small groups of riders looping back through the Finish whilst doing three loops.

The MTBO SPORTident Air range is 1.8 metres – this posed a problem with riders needing to ensure they got close enough when riding in a group.

The mapped areas, except for the Sprint, were all relatively similar with a myriad of tracks and many of these were dead end tracks. In Austria it is illegal to ride (or carry) your bike off-track except on orange (open ground), so “cutting” between tracks was illegal. This caused much angst, as it was sometimes difficult to identify the dead end tracks, especially if some rider had ridden through. The lack of control circle cutting by the course setters

he 2018 MTBO World Championships were hosted by Austria for the first time, at Zwettl, some 130 km from Vienna. This district is known as the Waldviertel or Wood Quarter as it is 49% covered in forest – perfect for O. As usual, the elite and junior championships were held together, involving 30 countries. On the same program were the European M&W17 Youth Championships.

It was a pity that the MTBO Worlds overlapped with the WOC foot-O in Latvia, as NZ’s Tim Robertson (who resides in Austria) would have liked a chance to do both.

Australia had a small team of three elite men, Ricky Thackray (WA), Glen Charlton (NSW) and Joel Young (Qld) and were happy to combine forces with New Zealand’s three rookie representatives (two juniors & one elite) to form a “down under” squad with Kay Haarsma as coach, assisted by managers Tash Sparg (AUS) and Andrew Skelton (NZ). Luckily orienteering language seems to be universal as the Kiwis needed interpretation for thongs (jandals); bathers (togs); knicks (bike shorts); occy (tie-down); and esky (chillybin)!

We all met twelve days before the Championships and immediately raced the 2-day Austrian championships held at Villach, some 400 km from Vienna. This proved an invaluable initiation into the complex Austrian maps and we were rapt to see Tegan Knightbridge take 2nd place in the opening W20 race.

A few more days were spent training around Villach and taking in the delightful culture of a 10-day festival in the city centre where men in lederhosen and women in folk dresses were the norm.

The team then moved base to Bad Voslau (30kms from Vienna), and Austrian junior Tobias Micko set us some excellent 36 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

Ricky Thackray

Glen Charlton

AusNZ squad training

Georgia Skelton celebrating her 4th.

Tegan Knightbridge

also made things unclear at times. The Elites all had GPS trackers and big screens showed the men’s and women’s tracks separately at the Finish arena. GPS tracking is also great for race analysis, with all riders poring over computers each evening. The terrains were mostly very hilly and in the Long Distance the elite men raced 47kms while the women did 37kms. The Sprint was largely in a fenced military facility (normally off limits), around barracks and army vehicles.

The “cutting” controversy started in the first race, the Mass Start. Russian champion Olga Shipilova Vinogradova was first across the line and was acknowledged as the winner at the flower ceremony. Before the medal ceremony the organisers looked at the GPS tracking of the top riders and discovered that Olga (& Antonia Haga (FIN)) had both clearly cut across the forest, while the girls behind had stopped and retraced their steps. So Camilla Søgaard (DEN) was elevated to take the gold medal. A number of male riders were also DQ’ed and protests saw some reinstated, both in this race and others. There seems to be a grey area in the rules on whether a rider who accidentally cuts but gains no time benefit should be DQ’ed or not. Then there is the quandary, if you only find out you are DQ’ed at 7pm where is the rider’s chance to protest and be heard by the jury? This “cutting” and fairness problem is even harder when riders don’t have GPS tracking and it relies on honesty, especially if some riders are seen to “cut”.

How did the Aussies go? Ricky Thackray was our standout performer with consistently good navigation in all events, although he felt a touch disappointed that his placings were from

Conal Boland Bristow

53rd - 58th. This just shows the depth of the elite men’s field now that it is being constantly bolstered by graduating juniors.

Ricky had gone to Europe early and competed in the MTBO Masters in Hungary and also the Swedish 5 Days, so was racing fit. In the Sprint Ricky was just 4 minutes behind the winner, and only 5 minutes in the Relay. Just 13mins before the Relay start he discovered his jockey wheel had broken! That’s not a spare part normally carried. Ricky problem solved by taking a jockey wheel off Coach Kay’s bike and just made the start in time as first leg rider.

Glen Charlton’s best race was the Middle Distance, with 58th and just 5:38 behind. A DQ for inadvertent “cutting” near control #1 spoiled his Long Distance race, as did a mispunch in the Sprint, so he didn’t get to fully maximise his improved fitness. He did make the effort of bringing across a roller to warm up on, as Start quarantine areas are often notoriously small.

Joel Young undoubtably learnt a lot in his first outing at WMTBOC, although beset with mechanical problems. His cleanest ride navigationally was in the Relay, although he lost 5mins repairing a broken chain. He limped home in another race with a cracked rim and broken spokes and subsequently rode other races with manager Tash’s back wheel. His DQ in the Relay was for riding across yellow, as only orange was rideable.

The Kiwis hadn’t had anyone at WMTBOC for some years, so it was exciting to have them in Austria. The two junior girls had displayed excellent form in Australia and both were eager to test themselves at the highest level. 16-year-old Georgia Skelton did tremendously well to make the podium with 4th in the Middle DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 37

WMTBOC & WJMTBOC 2018

Distance and then followed up with a 6th in the Sprint. In the latter she was just 28secs from a medal. The Austrian speaker at the medal presentation gave Georgia a memorable initial podium introduction as “from the other side of the world” rather than NZ. Tegan Knightbridge had her best ride in the Sprint, just 3 mins behind the winner. Conal Bristow-Boland’s best result was a pleasing 56th in the Middle Distance. A broken wheel saw Conal run 70% of the Sprint & he was controversially DQ’ed for “cutting” in the Long Distance.

The most dominant rider was Czech Martina Tichovska with two Gold & three Silver medals. Russia’s Grigory Medvedev led the men with a Relay Gold and a Silver & Bronze in individual events. Overall the Czech Republic was the leading nation in the WMTBOC medal haul, aided by a very strong women’s team. Russia was 2nd and Finland 3rd. Ingrid Stengaard, a Finnish veteran, amazed all with good results despite having given birth just 8 weeks earlier! A couple of young overseas guns who had resided in Australia over summer had success in Zwettl. Adrian Jaeggi, who stayed with the Robinson family in Melbourne grabbed a JWMTBOC Gold and Silver. Antonia Haga, who had been in NSW & Tasmania, was delighted with her first individual WMTBOC medal, with a Silver in the Long Distance. Just happy for a medal, even though only five seconds off Gold. Our “half Aussie” Kylian Wymer managed to claim three Golds, one Silver & one Bronze for his French team in the European M17 Championships.

Onward to Viborg, Denmark for WMTBOC 2019. Think sand rather than hills.

SOME RESULTS: Mass Start event – Men 1 Jussi Laurila Finland 2 Davide Machado Portugal 3 Kevin Haselsberger Austria 58 Ricky Thackray Australia 69 Conal Boland Bristow New Zealand 74 Glen Charlton Australia 76 Joel Young Australia Mass Start event – Women 1 Camilla Søgaard Denmark 2 Martina Tichovska Czech Republic 3 Sonja Zinkl Austria Mass Start event – Junior Women 1 Uliana Sukholovskaya Russia 2 Alena Fedoseeva Russia 3 Kaarina Nurminen Finland 11 Georgia Skelton New Zealand Sprint – Women 1 Henna Saarinen Finland 2 Martina Tichovska Czech Republic 2 Camilla Søgaard Denmark

1:20:46 1:20:49 1:20:50 1:45:36 1:50:36 1:59:52 2:07:24 1:17:42 1:19:03 1:21:12 1:12:17 1:13:10 1:13:36 1:22:16 20:05 20:14 20:14

38 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

Sprint – Men 1 Anton Foliforov Russia 2 Grigory Medvedev Russia 3 Krystof Bogar Czech Republic 57 Ricky Thackray Australia 79 Conal Boland Bristow New Zealand Sprint – Junior Women 1 Vilma Kralova Czech Republic 2 Uliana Sukholovskaya Russia 3 Lea Hnilica Austria 6 Georgia Skelton New Zealand 19 Tegan Knightbridge New Zealand Middle Distance – Men 1 Simon Braendli Switzerland 2 Baptiste Fuchs France 3 Grigory Medvedev Russia 53 Ricky Thackray Australia 56 Conal Boland Bristow New Zealand 58 Glen Charlton Australia Middle Distance – Women 1 Olga ShipilovaVinogradova Russia 2 Martina Tichovska Czech Republic 3 Veronika Kubinova Czech Republic

20:39 20:51 20:53 24:58 44:01 16:19 16:53 17:08 17:36 19:27 1:02:14 1:03:18 1:03:51 1:33:26 1:38:22 1:43:50 1:08:55 1:10:51 1:11:13

Middle Distance – Junior Women 1 Vilma Kralova Czech Republic 2 Constance Devillers France 3 Alena Fedoseeva Russia 4 Georgia Skelton New Zealand 24 Tegan Knightbridge New Zealand Long Distance – Men 1 Krystof Bogar Czech Republic 2 Simon Braendli Switzerland 3 Anton Foliforov Russia 57 Ricky Thackray Australia 64 Joel Young Australia Long Distance – Women 1 Martina Tichovska Czech Republic 2 Antonia Haga Finland 3 Svetlana Poverina Russia Long Distance – Junior Women 1 Constance Devillers France 2 Vilma Kralova Czech Republic 3 Lucie Rudkiewicz France 18 Tegan Knightbridge New Zealand

51:39 52:51 54:02 55:35 1:14:44 1:56:13 1:58:20 1:59:31 2:35:12 3:05:06 2:01:14 2:01:19 2:05:11 1:34:06 1:35:06 1:40:13 2:10:56

Ricky Thackray nearing the finish of the Long Distance race.

Camilla Soegaard, Danish winner of the Mass Start.

Editor’s note: Crossing forbidden areas means instant disqualification. The problem is that the disqualification doesn’t happen instantly, even when competitors are issued with GPS trackers which display routes in real time on big screens in the arena. As Kay mentions (above) one competitor was acknowledged as the winner at the flower ceremony only to be later disqualified for “cutting” prior to the medal ceremony. In the Elite races some 27 competitors were disqualified, mainly for crossing forbidden areas and mainly after preliminary results were announced.

Only the Elites had GPS trackers, so what happens when competitors are not issued with GPS trackers? In one of the junior European races it was reported that a competitor had crossed a forbidden area. The competitor denied it and was awarded the Gold medal. Later, the Team coach apparently asked to see the GPS watch

The Men’s Long Distance map – note particularly the second leg #1 - #2.

Contours 5m, Scale 1:15,000 (but reduced to 80% here).

which the rider just happened to be wearing.

The coach found that the GPS showed the competitor clearly crossing a forbidden area and demanded that the Gold medal be returned.

It was re-awarded to the second placegetter who had “only” received Silver at the medal ceremony. So the rightful winner missed out on all the celebration and joy of receiving Gold at the medal ceremony.

This highlights a problem which the IOF must solve. Flower ceremonies and medal ceremonies

are meant to celebrate the true winners and placegetters. Competitors should not be disqualified later and medals re-awarded. The problem places an enormous burden on event officials and team leaders alike, not to mention the athletes. (Just look at the confusion caused by the later disqualification of Olympic athletes for doping violations and the resulting poor image of the Olympic Games that this has created in the media.) Orienteering can do without adverse media scrutiny.

DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 39

MTBO NEWS

BIKE SHORTS PETER CUSWORTH

The National MTBO Series concludes

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he 2018 National MTBO Series wound up in mid October with the ACT MTBO Championships. The weekend races also comprised the first round of the 2019 World Masters MTBO Series. Ten Kiwis and two Brits joined the local Aussie riders for an international flavour.

The Middle Distance race was held at East Kowen on Saturday afternoon and included a good mix of fast single tracks and fire roads. Plenty of route choices were available.

The Long Distance Championship was held at Pierce’s Creek on Sunday morning. There were a number crucial longer legs and most courses included quite a lot of climbing, so was a true long distance test for riders.

Several National Series classes were still to be decided and some good rides over the weekend sealed series titles for several riders.

The 2018 National MTBO Series winners: Dylan Bryant (M14), Ricky Thackray (M21), Ori Gudes (M40), Craig Steffens (M50), Peter Cusworth (M60), Rick Armstrong (M70), Graeme Cadman and Eino Meuronen = 1st M80.

Kate McKenna (W14), Rhiannon Prentice (W20), Carolyn Jackson (W21), Tamsin Barnes (W40), Carolyn Matthews (W50), Heather Leslie (W60), Peta Whitford (W70) and Helen Alexander (W80).

Full series standings are here: https://eventor.orienteering.asn. au/Standings/View/Series/80

2019 NATIONAL MTBO SERIES Round 1: NSW MTBO Championships (inc selection trials), 6-7 April, Newcastle Round 2: QLD MTBO Championships, 31 August - 1 September Round 3: Australian MTBO Championships, 25-27 October, Maryborough, Victoria.

2018 World Masters MTBO Series

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eith Dawson, the World Masters Series supremo, was over from Europe and on hand in ACT to present medals to our podium placegetters in this year’s series.

Ann Ingwersen =1st in W75, Carolyn Jackson 2nd in W60, and Dale Ann Gordon 3rd W75.

Graeme Cadman was 1st in M80 but not present in ACT. Full World Masters MTBO Series standings here: https:// tinyurl.com/ yb5vwttz

The always smiling Marina Iskhakova in action during the ACT Middle Distance Championship. Marina, along with husband Fedor, have reinvigorated the ACT MTBO scene since moving to Canberra. They had a 5 race season in 2018 and have already announced a 6 race series for 2019. Photo: Roy Meuronen Photography.

2019 Australian MTBO Championships, Maryborough, Victoria, 25-27 October

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ext year’s Australian MTBO Championships will be held in Maryborough, Victoria from 25th to 27th October. For the first time, there will be four championship races over three days with the inaugural Australian Mass Start MTBO Championship being contested on the Friday afternoon.

Mass Start races are now included in all World Elite, Junior and Masters Championships, so time we had an Australian Championship too.

Three new maps are being made around Maryborough for these championships, with competitors having the option of riding to three of the four events from their accommodation (the 4th event is in nearby Dunolly).

Added to the four championship events, will be a warm-up/ training event, plus the possibility of a Schools MTBO event.

Plus The ACT MTBO Championships – 18-20 October 2019

Congrats to Carolyn, Dale Ann and Ann on receiving their series medals.

Photo: Roy Meuronen Photography.

40 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

The ACT Championships are being held the weekend before the Aus MTBO Champs so that our Kiwi friends, and all of you Aussie riders, will have 7 races to contest in 10 days. ACT is putting on three races: Long, Middle and also a Mass Start, so a good chance to get some practice for the Aus Mass Start Championship the following week.

VALE Tim Dent On the 9th of October the sport of Orienteering lost a champion. Tim Dent, a Life Member of Yarra Valley Orienteering Club passed away following the toughest course he had ever attempted to endure.

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im and Helen travelled from England to start their new life As both sports grew so did Tim’s accomplishments. In World together in Australia following their marriage in 1971. They Rogaining he attended many events and achieved excellent results had both enjoyed ‘rambling’ in the countryside of England and including 1st in the Super Vets class (55 years of age and over) in on their arrival continued their love of the outdoors by joining New Zealand in 2000 and 1st in the Ultra Vets class (65 and over) the Melbourne Bushwalking Club. in the USA in 2014. Between 2000-2017 Tim won 25 Orienteering In 1973, the enticement of an added challenge to his love championship events, 17 for foot events and 8 in mountain bike of bushwalking drew Tim to the relatively new Yarra Valley events. He had also achieved in excess of 750 events in the Street Orienteering Club. This was the beginning of a long and Orienteering Millennium Club ranking. extremely successful course for Tim. As Orienteering evolved, Tim Yet with all this success Tim was a modest achiever and never relished the challenge and competed in all forms of the sport one to boast about his accomplishments. Helen recalls that bush, park & street, sprint and mountain bike orienteering. In whenever she asked Tim about his results it was always “pretty addition to this, he successfully participated in both Australian good” for 1st, “not so bad” for 2nd and “OK” for 3rd. That was and international rogaining events. the end of it - never seeking any praise and conversely he In 1974 Tim was selected in the didn’t dwell on missed opportunities. Tim’s philosophy inaugural Australian team to compete in was to always be accepting of his losses and move on. the World Orienteering Championships Tim absolutely loved being in the bush and always in Denmark and again in 1976 when appreciated a challenging orienteering or rogaining course. they were held in Scotland.

He was always generous in his knowledge of the sport.

Always one with a desire to increase He took time to share the routes he had chosen and to the challenge of the sport, in 1983 Tim provide information and advice so that other competitors made the decision to orienteer without could improve their own performance. Because of his a compass following his 1st place at desire to always be challenged, Tim would enter a course the Easter 3-Day carnival in ACT. From in a younger age group then on, hail, rain or shine, it was no which offered the choice compass for Tim, with the exception of of a longer distance, it rogaining events. often meant that he didn’t Tim also proved to be an invaluable get a place but again the Yarra Valley Club member. Over the desire for challenge would years he held the office of over-ride the need for 2017 AUS 3 Days.

Club President, Secretary accolades. and Treasurer. He had been Tim will be fondly involved in mapping, fieldremembered by many for testing, course setting, event his calm and quiet nature. organising and club coaching.

He was always cheerful, He was a person who you welcoming and willing could totally rely on to to help. Orienteering ‘get the job done’ with the has lost an amazing minimum amount of fuss. sport champion, but Tim In 1986 he was awarded was much more than a the esteemed status of Yarra champion orienteer, he Valley Orienteering Club was a champion person, Life Member. He was Club who will be ever so sadly 2011 Oceania Relays.

Champion in 1981, 1982, missed by his loving 1983, 1992 and 1996. He family and friends. won the Yarra Valley Classic from the Orienteering Victoria e-bulletin.

Distance Australian Champion Tim at the 2012 Vic MTBO Championships award in 1992, 1997, 1999, in Maryborough.

2004 and 2007.

DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 41

O-SPY

list of awards and commendations and quotes from Minister Gavin Jennings and the Keeper of Public Records: https://tinyurl.com/yakwntfq

2019 AUS University Championships

O-SPY Yarra Valley OC history wins award

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he Australian University Orienteering Championships will be held at Charles Sturt University in Wagga on Saturday 28th September. This Sprint is the first event in the 2019 Oceania and Australian Championships Carnival, the website for which is: oceania2019. orienteering.asn.au On signing the agreement university sport peak body, UniSport Australia, commented: “The event sounds great and looks like it will attract a great standard of athlete as well as hopefully increase participation. Big tick in our books that it is on a university campus as well!”

Participants will be required to indicate to Ian Prosser, OA High Performance Administrator, whether they wish their entry to count towards the UniSport event and to confirm their university enrolment status. The University Championships is only contested in M&W20E and 21E classes, not in any other classes even if competitors are university students. But Ian advises that even 60-year-old students should be able to handle a M/W21E urban Sprint course so they should enter that if they want to be included!

T

he book Navigating 45 Years: a History of the Yarra Valley Orienteering Club written by Peter Black received a commendation at the Victorian Community History Awards presented at the Arts Centre, Melbourne. The book traces the history of Orienteering in Victoria and the Yarra Valley club including the beginnings of Orienteering in Australia, the first championships, evolution of mapping and featuring legends of Orienteering through the decades.

The Victorian Community History Awards are presented by Public Record Office Victoria in partnership with the Royal Historical Society of Victoria.

A major event of History Week, the annual awards recognise the work of individuals and groups committed to telling stories of local history. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the awards program.

The website contains more information about the awards program including full 42 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

UniSport collectively represents more than one million students nationwide at 43 member universities.

Sydney Summer Series revamp

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e have been working with dirtyd in rebooting the Sydney Summer Series. I know they are behind the Sprint into Spring as sponsors, whereas we have them noted as ‘supporters’.

The reboot came after our 27 seasons and perhaps a flatlining, and we thought it needed a shake.

Several initiatives are underway, not the least the introduction of a SSS Season Ticket. So far we have sold 92, way beyond our initial thoughts.

Season ticket purchase was open for about six weeks into the season until Nov 21st. The prices were: Senior $212, Junior $144, Family $568; only available via Eventor.

We have also programmed a four event ‘cluster’ in November, where all four events are in overlapping areas. This will test those first-timers that like their event, but are then let go when the next one is remote (we vary locations across Sydney week by week). The dirtyd’s are also working up new running tops, and we have banners and other graphics in the making. Oh, we are also adopting the new by-line ‘Sydney Map Running’ to give passers-by an idea what we are about. We will be offering free MINI courses at just about all SSS events this summer. The vast majority of these will be off-road to ensure the safety of children participating.

All quite exciting, and there is a good sense of renewal happening. (from Ross Barr)

Aussie Supporters Shirts

A

ussie Supporters Gear can be ordered now. Trimtex make great long-wearing gear which will look good at local and overseas events. You can get a shirt, vest or jacket which will be easily recognised by fellow Australian orienteers and give a team look when travelling overseas.

Orders need to be in by the end of January 2019 so that delivery is in time for the Easter Carnival. They can also be posted to you for a small charge.

I am happy to advise about sizes. There are minimum quantities required for orders but I will advise.

Prices: Jacket - $114; Vest - $83; Shirt - $58.

To order, please contact Colin Price colinp53@yahoo.com.au.

Trail Running Guidebook by Hanny Allston “I have always known that I must share the knowledge I was fortunate to learn along my athletic journey. I hope that by writing this book I can pass forward the baton and help you to achieve your wildest dreams” - Hanny Allston.

marathon and distance track athlete.

She still holds numerous race records, from the marathon to ultramarathons.

Hanny has a depth of academic and employment experiences working with athletes, both elite and recreational.

She is also an award-winning businesswoman, who knows what it is like to live in the modern world and to juggle responsibilities. Hanny is the person to guide you on your own journey. She wants to help you to Be, Play and Perform Wilder – to help you find your feet.

For more information please visit http:// www.hannyallston.com.au/trail-runningguidebook.html

Bee free Honey

spaces in the honey sections of some supermarkets, now some genius has come up with bee-free honey, or honey with no real honey in it. So-called Vegan Honey is made in Byron Bay (no surprise there) and the ingredients list states: Ingredients: Concentrated Organic Coconut Sap, Organic Apple Juice Concentrate, Organic Artichoke Inulin 2%, Orange Blossom Water 2%, Cracked Cell Wall Wild Harvested Pine Pollen 2%.

Wow – all those ingredients and no mention of honey from honey bees.

So how have they been permitted to call it “Honey”?

W

ith all the recent news about adulterated honey, that is real honey with sugar syrup added to reduce the cost, and those empty

Australian Schools Orienteering Committee

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he “Find Your Feet” Trail Running Guidebook provides athletes of any ability a safe pathway of preparation to their chosen adventures. Hanny Allston’s personal coaching methodologies focus on sustainable, long-term health, training and performance successes.

The Trail Running Guidebook contains a snapshot of key lessons that Hanny has learned on her journey to becoming a world champion and elite trail running record holder. To help you find your feet in the sport of trail running she shares her theories on training & racing strategies, nutrition & hydration, equipment, how to avoid the common injuries, running technique, and psychology. These techniques and knowledge are of value to Orienteers and anyone who runs.

Unlike growth models where training builds and builds with little reprieve, Hanny’s unique model – Wave Training – allows athletes greater potential for recovery, self-reflection, and spontaneous playfulness. Hanny has experienced the elation of success but also the pitfalls of striving too far for performance. It is from this honest place that she writes this book for you.

Hanny Allston is a world champion, elite Australian trail runner, and previous

F

ollowing on from the recent meeting in South Australia after this year’s Australian Schools Champs, at its recent Board meeting the OA Board agreed to establish a Select Committee, to be known as the Australian Schools Orienteering Committee. The members will comprise of a Coordinator, as chair, and appointed by the OA Board, plus one nominee from each State Association.

Some of the responsibilities of the Committee will include •O verseeing governance of the Australian Schools Orienteering Championships and other schools orienteering activities at national and international level.

•E stablishing and maintaining rules and policies (other than technical) relating to the Australian Schools Championships and make recommendations to the OA Technical Committee on technical rules. This includes managing the transition of existing School Sport Australia rules and policies to equivalent OA rules and policies.

•F acilitating liaison and information exchange between State Associations, and between the State Associations and OA, on matters relating to schools orienteering.

•E ngaging with Orienteering New Zealand and other orienteering organisations in the region as required.

At this stage, it is not intended that this committee have any responsibilities, other than information exchange, over schools orienteering activity at state level, or introductory activities such as the Sporting Schools program.

It is expected that the Committee shall meet at least once a year during the Australian Schools Championships. Other meetings (including meetings by teleconference) may be convened.

The Committee will have such decision-making powers as are delegated to it by the OA Board.

Orienteering Australia is pleased to announce that OACT’s Valerie Barker will be the inaugural Coordinator of the Committee.

Paul Prudhoe Executive Officer, Orienteering Australia Inc. DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 43

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.

School Sport Funding David Poland in his article, “Time to review ASOC?” (Australian Orienteer, September 2018) makes a number of valid points. I very much support his argument that the loss of School Sport Funding and the development of other pathways to encourage young orienteers gives us the opportunity to step back and assess what we can do better. I particularly support the suggestion that this event be restyled as a Carnival and allow all children of school age to

participate in the event at the same time. By all means still have “official” teams if it encourages competitors to develop their skills during the lead-up, but let those who missed out on selection have the opportunity to race against their peers.

In past years unofficial teams in the relays have enjoyed pipping their official counterparts!

I suggest that in order to develop an innovative way forward we should consult those who have the principal role in all of this. No, not our administrators; but the young people concerned – a brainstorming session with junior competitors could produce just the ideas that we need.

Jenny Hawkins

The UK’s Orienteering Magazine Packed with maps, event reports, coaching tips and advice, MTBO, Mountain Marathons/Rogaining, Competitions and much much more.

Subscribe online using all major credit cards at www.CompassSport.co.uk 52 pages, full colour, 6 times a year £50 World Subscription Var. 05

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RC#5 Fixtures Reviews Publicity Competitions JK2018 Report Training Format Interland Report Zagreb Indoor O UK Elites Abroad Product Reviews Coaching Column British Nights 2018 Deeside Night Cup Wessex Night League Know Your Class Leader

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RC#5 JK2015 Fixtures Publicity Competitions WOC Preview Training Format Informal Format Product Reviews British Nights 2015 World SkiO Champs RAF Linton-on-Ouse Wessex Night League Stockholm Indoor Cup Know Your Class Leader

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RC#5 Fixtures Photo-O Competition s Facebook & O Training Forma Informal Forma t Product Revie t ws Wilf's Wond erings Coaching Colum n Newsletter Awards Orienteerin g in China GBR Elites Overseas Stockholm Indoor Cup Edinburgh Big Weekend Know Your Class Mountain Marat Leader hon Calendar

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‘Contains more maps than you can poke a stick at.’

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VICTORINOX AWARD This issue’s Victorinox Award goes to Aylwin Lim for the enormous amount of work he did in organising the Invitational Camp in Adelaide during the recent Australian Championships carnival. Aylwin will receive a Victorinox Handyman which includes 24 tools and features – retail value $139.

44 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

Jim Russell

Ph. 0411 125 178 jymbois@gmail.com

A new shipment has arrived.

Get in early to secure your Pretex for 2019. https://goo.gl/t81zFf

Top Events 2020

2018 Dec 22-27

Dec 27-31

Easter

Asian Orienteering Championships Hong Kong www.oahk.org.hk/ Xmas 5 Days Sydney, NSW www.onsw.asn.au

Sprint WOC, Denmark (near Velje, Jutland) woc2020.dk June 26 JWOC, Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkey - Jul 3 jwoc2020.org/ July 21 California O Festival - Aug 2 San Francisco & Lake Tahoe www.cal-o-fest.com August 7-15 WMOC Kosice, Slovakia www.wmoc2020.sk August 17-23 WMTBOC & JWMTBOC Jeseník, Czech Republic Sept 9-13 WMMTBOC Heinola, Finland AUS Championships, Tasmania

2019 April 19-27

June 15-16 June 27-29

July 5-12 July 6-12 July 24-28

July 27Aug 3 July 28Aug 3 Aug 3-10

Aug 13-18 Aug 27-31

Sept 28 Sept 28 - Oct 6 Oct 2-6

Oct 25-27

Dec 27-31

AUS Easter Carnival Perth Hills & Narrogin, WA wa.orienteering.asn.au/easter2019 Jukola Relays Kesäyö, Kangasalla. Finland European Youth Championships Grodno, Belarus https://eyoc2019.by/en/ WMOC 2019 Riga, Latvia wmoc2019.lv/ JWOC Silkeborg, Denmark www.jwoc2019.dk/ OO Cup 2019 Bohinjska Bistrica, Slovenia www.oocup.com/ 2019 WMTBOC & JWMTBOC Viborg, Jutland, Denmark wmtboc2019.dk Scottish 6 Days Strathearn, Perthshire, Scotland SOW 2019 – Swiss O Week Gstaad, Switzerland www.swiss-o-week.ch WOC Sarpsborg, Østfold, Norway woc2019.no/en DURMITOR O Challenge 2019 Zabljak, Montenegro www.dochallenge.me AUS Uni Championships Charles Sturt University, Wagga Oceania & AUS Championships SE NSW & NE Victoria oceania2019.orienteering.asn.au WMMTBOC Rabenberg, Breitenbrunn, Germany 2019.mtbo-deutschland.de AUS MTBO Championships Maryborough, Victoria www.ausmtbochamps.com Xmas 5 Days, NSW www.onsw.asn.au

AUS 3 Days, NSW

July 6-11

2021 Easter

AUS 3 Days, QLD

May 14-30

WMOC & World Masters Games Orienteering near Kobe, Japan www.wmg2021.jp/en/ Forest WOC 2021 Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic 2021 World Games Birmingham, Alabama, USA www.theworldgames2021.com/ JWOC 2021 Aguiar da Beira, Portugal AUS Championships, Victoria

July 5-18 July 15-25

July 18-25

2022 July 9-13

Sprint WOC 2022 Edinburgh, Scotland

2018

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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 DECEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 45

SPOT the DIFFERENCE

This map has been used often for a variety of events – Sprint, Adventure Racing and Park & Street O. In the buildings complex the map is multi-level and participants need to have an acute awareness of their surroundings to navigate successfully.

Here, in two otherwise identical map sections, we have created 25 differences.

CAN YOU FIND ALL 25 ???

46 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2018

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All the signs are there for a great carnival in three phases:

A41

A41

THE OLYMPIC WAY

Oceania Sprint WAGGA WAGGA

Schools Sprint 1 OCT & Public Day 1

28 SEP

Australian Long COOTAMUNDRA

29 SEP

Oceania/Aus Relay COOTAMUNDRA

A41 M31

THE OLYMPIC WAY WAGGA REGION

30 SEP

Schools Long & Public Day 2

2 OCT

Schools Relay & Public Day 3

3 OCT

THE OLYMPIC WAY HUME FWY

Oceania Long WANGARATTA

Oceania Middle BEECHWORTH

COOTAMUNDRA

WAGGA WAGGA

280km, 3hr

200km, 2.25hr

180km, 2hr

175km, 2hr

80km, 1hr

CANBERRA

WANGARATTA 240km, 2.75hr

40km, 30min

6 OCT

SYDNEY

100km, 1hr 95km, 1.25hr

5 OCT

BEECHWORTH

MELBOURNE

However you get there, come and join the fun along

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oceania2019.orienteering.asn.au