INTERVIEW
Kay Haarsma retires Kay Haarsma is retiring from MTBO coaching and administration positions with Orienteering Australia. Marina Iskhakova interviews Kay. 1. How have you started with MTBO in Australia? What was the main attraction? What convinced you that it had a future in Australia? I had heard about MTBO happening in the Czech Republic and got some copies of maps from there. The organisation looked quite easy, with controls only on tracks, and thus could utilise South Australian pine forest areas. I had been increasingly into the various disciplines of cycling and thought this would be another option. I also believed it would be attractive to mountain bike riders and thus open up a whole new market for Orienteering. Soon after I ran the first events in SA Blake Gordon initiated MTBO in Victoria, running both State & Australian Championships successfully and it grew from there. He also master minded the 2004 World Championships in Ballarat and has been a long-time driver of the sport. 2. You devoted a couple of decades to MTBO. How would you define the MTBO? What do you believe are key features of MTBO as a sport? I guess you can define MTBO as “nav on wheels.” MTBO is both a type of Orienteering and a different modality of cycling. It is unique in that competitors can come into it from either sport, or even adventure racing. Also, its useful to still compete in foot O / cycle racing to enhance one’s skills but also for variation. The importance of navigational expertise and mental coolness, rather than physical fitness specificity, can be seen by the fact that, for the moment, the best elite riders do well in Sprint, Middle & Long Distance and Mass Start. Ebike and pair categories also need to be embraced by our sport as there is more than one avenue to the elite pathway. 3. You have been Australian MTBO Coach for many years? How did that come about? What were your WMTBOC countries/years? As a PE & Outdoor Education teacher I had a strong affinity for coaching different sports from a young age. Initially being a runner, I started off as an athletics coach. My O coaching started after my elite foot O career got curtailed by injury. I
2004: Gold to Adrian Jackson, Silver to Belinda Allison in the Middle Distance race at Castlemaine. 38 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER SEPTEMBER 2021
Kay at the 2015 World Masters MTBO in Portugal. Photo: Joaquim Margarido
KAY’S AUSTRALIAN MTBO TEAM SERVICE 2002
WMTBOC
France
team member
2004
WMTBOC
Australia
Coach
2007
WMTBOC
Czech Rep
Coach
2008
WMTBOC
Poland
Coach
2009
WMTBOC
Israel
Coach
2010
WMTBOC & JWMTBOC
Portugal
Coach
2011
WMTBOC & JWMTBOC
Italy
Coach
2015
WMTBOC & JWMTBOC
Czech
Coach
2017
WMTBOC & JWMTBOC
Lithuania
Coach
2018
WMTBOC & JWMTBOC
Austria
Coach
was privileged to be co-WOC coach in 1985 and then JWOC coach/manager six times from 1991-2003. I competed in the first MTBO WOC in 2002 in France and was inspired by the whole scene. Australia was awarded the 2nd Championships in 2004 and I saw a need to coach & co-ordinate a squad to maximise our chances of success. I even spent that year in Canberra as that was where most team members were based.
2008: The full team in Poland.
2009: more Gold for Adrian in Israel. A very small team that year, with just Adrian and Carolyn Jackson.
