O-SPY

O in Tasmania turns 50

2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the first orienteering event held in Tasmania - on September 9, 1972 at The Lea, Hobart. 2022 is also the 30th anniversary of the very successful Veteran World Cup event held in St Helens which attracted almost 1700 competitors from 23 countries.

Scottish 6 Days

In 2023 the Scottish 6 Days returns to Moray from Sun 30 July to Friday 4 August, but as a five-day event with four days to count and a “rest” day in the middle. The reason for this is the difficulty in finding six good areas without undue travel, the strain on Scottish orienteers, and a lot of accommodation is now Friday to Friday. Many Aussies have made the trip to Scotland in past years and it’s unlikely that the changes will deter them in 2023, travel restrictions permitting.

Believe it or Not

On US ABC TV (which you can watch on SBS), two of the weather forecasters are named Ginger Zee and Danielle Breezy.

Introducing the Bluebottles, the NSW Junior Squad

NSW Junior Development Squad has a new name and logo - the Bluebottles. The squad is the gateway to the NSW Schools Team and eventually the elite National League team, the Stingers. The Bluebottles name, logo and new T-shirt design were all driven by the junior squad which is always on the lookout for new recruits. Squad members must be at least in Year 6, and either already doing Moderate courses or looking to move up to Moderate level (where you learn to go cross-country). The squad is a great chance for junior orienteers to make new friends, develop their skills and travel around the State. Camp costs are kept down by camping or staying in bunk accommodation, and everyone pitches in for food. “We love having parents help at our camps, and we encourage them to have a go at the activities as well,” said Bluebottles manager Helen O’Callaghan. “There is a such a good, fun atmosphere in the squad and the kids have a fantastic time.” For all enquiries, please contact Helen via woolfordfamilyhome@gmail.com

Australia’s Beijing Winter Olympic Team – A West Australian connection

Congratulations go to Don Young’s grandson, Lars Young-Vik, who has been named in the Australian Olympic Team to compete in the 15km cross country event at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The cross country event was held on 11th February.

Lars Young-Vik representing Norway at JWOC 2021.

When was the last time you saw a 7 month old on the Overland Track?

On a 24hr whim, Graham, Nikolas and Hanny decided to hike the Overland Track. Over four days they hiked the 82km from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair in Tasmania’s highlands. Nervous at first, it brought them closer as a family and resulted in a memory of a lifetime to be hatched. (from Find Your Feet publication)

Cartoon from a 1984 Orienteering Queensland newsletter. (Submitted by former OQ Newsletter editor Trevor Sauer - Sunshine Orienteers, QLD.)

Breakdancing to debut at 2024 Paris Olympics

With two years until the Paris Olympics, Japanese breakdancers are hoping the street dance genre’s inclusion in the world’s largest multisport event can boost its popularity and increase recognition of Japan’s status as a global powerhouse. Japan’s breakdancing community has been stepping up preparations for the quadrennial Games’ return to the French capital, aiming to ride the wave of success from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where Japanese athletes achieved a record medal haul. In “breaking,” as the discipline is widely known, dancers improvise to music played by a DJ, pulling off stylized footwork and body-bending acrobatics such as head spins and legspread windmills. About five decades after it developed in the nascent New York City hip-hop scene, the 2024 Paris Olympics will feature 32 dancers competing over two medal events, one per gender. “The attraction of breaking is that each dancer has unique and individual dance styles. I can never get enough of it,” said Ramu Kawai, a 20-year-old dancer who captured two gold medals at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. “I hope there comes a day when everybody knows breaking. Until the Paris Olympics, there may be many people who are not familiar with it, but I think that may change if a Japanese dancer manages to win gold,” she said. At the Olympics, dancers — known as b-boys and b-girls — will go face-toface in solo battles and be judged in the Place de la Concorde, a major public square on the bank of Paris’s Seine river that will also be home to other urban sports — 3×3 basketball, skateboarding and BMX freestyle.