O-SPY
Finish Shute
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O-SPY
O-SPY
Thank you to Chris Spriggs
n innovative use was found for some farm equipment at a MelBushO event on Wellington Chase, south-east of Melbourne. With the route to the Finish leading up along a track through thick bush it was an ideal “climbing ramp” for young orienteers.
Finish shute – Photo Peter Yeates. Wellington Chase - Easy course.
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n Queensland Chris Spriggs has been coordinating Thursday events for about 18 years, and recently made the difficult decision to step back a bit. Mid Week Orienteering is very pleased to announce that James Mitchell has kindly agreed to take over as Mid Week Coordinator, as from now. Mid Week origins started with the Army and was later taken over by local orienteers. It is still much the same format … a good professional run in the bush or park in and around Brisbane. They always have three Hard courses and an Easy in school holidays and for sponsored events. They now use MapRun for some park events as well. MWO intend to continue with the Thursday format from March to November if they can, assuming they get sufficient volunteers. Many people have started organising Thursdays before moving on to club and higher events. Chris wishes to thank a lot of people who continue to play a big part in keeping MWO together: John Cooper and Matt Ross on the computer, Matt again running the Facebook page and helping to put events on the web, Nev for organizing the money side of things, Jim Bowling for always being there to help. There are many others, past and present, particularly all the people who volunteer during the year. The social side of Mid Week after a run is always enjoyable. Chris intends to continue attending events in this great sport as much as he can! OQ gives a huge thank you to Chris for the many years of dedication to Mid Week Orienteering. Without him, many people would not have been able to enjoy the camaraderie and regular exercise on Thursday mornings, that is MWO.
44 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER SEPTEMBER 2021
Starpicker – Game Release
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tarPicker, a video game inspired by Orienteering.
Created by a confirmed forest runner who is also a veteran in the video game field, StarPicker is a new Orienteering video game now available for PC, Mac and Linux. Thanks to his experience the developer managed to create a dynamic game which will know how to seduce the largest number. Indeed, the idea of this project, started in 2015, is to create an experience which can initiate young people to Orienteering while focusing on the different feelings of excitement so the regular runner can find a footing and challenge. Unlike a simulation game, StarPicker takes some liberties to offer a more fun and accessible experience of Orienteering. The game has its own legend of maps and original ways to play inspired from Rogaine races or training exercises, for example. The story leads the players in 5 different fantastic environments each with their own specificities, and through more than 60 maps with progressive difficulty. New maps will be added regularly and for free afterward. StarPicker is available on the Steam game platform at this address: http://bit.ly/starpickersteam
