The Australian Orienteer – December 2022

Australian Championships Magazine Survey

Melbourne City Race

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The Chairman’s Page

MIKE DOWLING – CHAIR OA BOARD

Wasn’t it wonderful to be able to return to an Australian Championships week in Victoria at the end of September!

By every measure the week was an outstanding success. A diversity of terrains, the weather stayed reasonably kind during this La Nina period that is having a big impact down the eastern seaboard of Australia and with over 1100 unique entrants through the week of competition there was an undoubted enthusiasm by the orienteering community to enjoy all that is on offer through such a week after a two-year absence.

Climate extremes globally seem to be having an increasing impact on our sport globally. Another manifestation of that was the impact of extreme heat that disrupted the 2022 Junior World Championships in Portugal last July. As you read this issue of The Australian Orienteer the three forest format races that could not be held then will have been conducted in early November. We were able to send a small team to these races and it is gratifying that several of our junior orienteers were able to make the journey back to Portugal.

Our junior and senior elite athletes make many personal financial sacrifices to represent us on the world stage. Our sport does not attract strong outside sponsorship, so we must rely on fundraising to support our athletes. One way we can all support our athletes to represent us on the internationals stage is to make a tax deductable donation through The Australian Sports Foundation. Please consider making a small donation if you can to support our athletes. Orienteering Australia is very grateful for the number of our community who have already done so through this year.

Our next major event is of course the Oceania Championships in Tasmania in early January of 2023. The exciting thing for me is that we will finally get a chance to savour the new terrains that the organisers have been trying to present to us since the disruptive effects of the COVID pandemic. Admittedly I am a little biased being a proud and passionate Tasmanian, but the new to Orienteering terrains for the Middle Distance and Long Distance races do promise to provide the sort of quality orienteering experiences that make the St Helens area a place of orienteering magnificence. If you haven’t

already done so, get your entry in before they close and get on down to Tasmania for a great summer holiday of orienteering. Meanwhile, on the Board front several things have been happening. As this issue goes to press, we will have held a Special General meeting to update the initially adopted constitution to allow Orienteering Australia to finally move to a company limited by guarantee structure. Some small changes have been brought about largely by the introduction by Sport Australia of the National Integrity Framework that we have adopted and are implementing. One of the important facets of the Framework is to meet the Child Safety provision. This does require us to reflect on our approach to child safety in our sport and how we can always ensure a safe environment for our young people to enjoy the massive benefits our sport provides. I am extremely grateful and thankful that we have such a capable person as Andrew Shipton who works on a voluntary basis as our National Integrity Manager to lead our sport in all aspects of the implementation and compliance of the Framework. In addition, Orienteering Australia is in the midst of conducting a range of online workshops across the four themes of governance, performance, competition and participation. These workshops have an important role in providing a forum between Orienteering Australia and our member States as to how we can effectively work together in partnership to ensure our sport delivers the best possible experiences to our existing and new participants. Many readers will also be aware that Orienteering Australia was the beneficiary of a quite substantial bequest from the late NSW orienteer Moira Whiteside for the purposes of supporting the Australian Championships. The Board has finally adopted a formal process for how our future Australian Championships (Australian 3 Days Championships, Australian MTBO Championships, Australian Championships Carnival) organisers can apply for grants through the bequest.

Grant applications must integrate the ‘Great Opportunities’ aspect of Orienteering Australia’s strategic priorities which is: To nurture opportunities to increase participation in Orienteering, and for every orienteer to grow and contribute to our community – whether as recreational participant, competitor, volunteer, coach, or administrator. Proposals that have positive spill over effects for Orienteering outside the Australian Championships and/or are of an innovative bent will be considered favourably. Specifically, proposed grant projects should focus on growing participation across all Championship age classes, enhancing the Championships experience for participants and building local community engagement in the Championships.

In closing, I wish all orienteers a safe, enjoyable Christmas and New year. May we all look forward to what 2023 will bring to enjoy our wonderful sport of Orienteering.

Editor’s scribble

or do they return in later years when kids are older and filling the young wave? It’s a bit of both I suspect. Either way, that gap presents a challenge to our sport’s administrators to find ways of attracting new participants and keeping current ones in those age classes where entries are low. And what happens to those in the older wave as they age even further? They probably want shorter courses and easier terrain but certainly not easier navigation. That presents another challenge to course setters and organisers alike. We certainly want them to retain their interest in our sport.

Orienteering was introduced to this country more than 50 years ago. In those early years participants who took up the sport tended to be young, fit, outdoor types looking for a new challenge. Some moved on to other things but many stayed with Orienteering so that now, some 40 or 50 years later we still have many participants who have ridden the age-class wave throughout and now form part of the 45 to 75 age classes. In the intervening years they were joined by more who were their age contemporaries and some who are their children, so that entries in the 45 – 75 age classes remain strong.

Then there’s the young wave consisting of Elites and Juniors. But in between the two waves there’s an obvious gap. Some of the older Elites, and a few who enter B courses, may well fit into that gap but there is not enough of them to match the two waves. The chart of entries in the 2022 AUS Middle Distance Championships recently held at Blackwood in Victoria clearly demonstrates the two waves and the gap between them.

So what happens when orienteers leave the young wave? Do they leave for good

Time for a new Editor

All Editors to date have been ‘original orienteers’ from the days when Orienteering was becoming established in Victoria and had still to spread to other States. David Hogg and Michael Hubbert both competed in (and finished) the inaugural Upper Beaconsfield event in 1969, while Ian Baker joined the Orienteering scene soon after. It’s been more than 18 years since I took on the Editor role and I’ve enjoyed every moment. However, it is probably time to hand over the baton to a new and younger Editor who may have some different ideas on the direction the magazine should follow. It’s a paid position with funds from magazine revenue$4,125 (incl. 10% statutory Super) per edition, plus expenses. The Magazine Survey shows that readers want the magazine to continue so I’m happy to carry on until a new Editor can be found. If any of you out there in Orienteering Land are interested in the role, please get in contact with me (Michael Hubbert).

Michael Hubbert

Chair & Director – International (IOF)

Director – Finance

Director – Technical

Director – Secretary

www.orienteering.asn.au

PO Box 3379, North Strathfield, NSW 2137

Mike Dowling international@orienteering.asn.au 0410 775 799

Richard Mountstephens finance@orienteering.asn.au 0412 739 491

Anna Sheldon technical@orienteering.asn.au

Andrew Lumsden andrew.l@orienteering.asn.au 02 9412 3545

Director – Operations & MTBO Craig Steffens craig.s@orienteering.asn.au 0418 871 193

Director – Brett Weihart brett.w@orienteering.asn.au

Director Coaching & High Performance Clare Hawthorne clare.h@orienteering.asn.au

Director Media & Communications Troy de Haas troy.d@orienteering.asn.au

National Integrity Manager

Andrew Shipton integrity@orienteering.asn.au

General Manager Árpád Kocsik gm@orienteering.asn.au

OA Head Coach

Natasha Key headcoach@orienteering.asn.au 0419 549 532

OA Assistant Head Coach Jim Russell assistantheadcoach@orienteering.asn.au 0411 125 178

High Performance Administrator Fredrik Johansson hpadmin@orienteering.asn.au 0423 030 957

Manager Coaching Development Brodie Nankervis coaching@orienteering.asn.au 0429 433 323

Anti Doping Medical Officer Mark Freeman markfreeman@hotmail.com

Editor OA Enews Linda Burridge oa_enews@orienteering.asn.au

National Sporting Schools Coordinator Jim Mackay sportingschools@orienteering.asn.au 0407 467 345

Coach & Controller Accreditation Jim Mackay accreditation@orienteering.asn.au 0407 467 345 Badge Applications John Oliver 68 Amaroo Street, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650 0427 201 954

STATE ASSOCIATIONS

Orienteering Queensland: PO Box 275, Ferny Hills DC, QLD 4055. Secretary: Sue Campbell 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: Stephen Goggs, Ph. (02) 6182 1815 office@act.orienteering.asn.au

Orienteering Victoria: PO Box 1010 Templestowe VIC 3106. Secretary: Aislinn Prendergast secretary@vicorienteering.asn.au

Orienteering SA: 1 Windsor Rd, Glenside SA 5065. Sec: Fi Pahor secretary@sa.orienteering.asn.au

Orienteering Western Australia: PO Box 234 Subiaco WA 6904. Secretary: Ceri Pass, oawa.secretary@gmail.com

Orienteering Tasmania: Secretary: Julian Roscoe 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 13. Time-sensitive: Jan 20

ISSN 0818-6510 Issue 4/22 (no. 207) DECEMBER 2022

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

Printer: Ferntree Print, 1154 Burwood Hwy Upper Ferntree Gully.

Contribution deadline: January 13; Time-sensitive – January 20. Deadline dates for contributions are the latest we can accept copy. Publication is normally planned for the 1st of March, June, September & December. Copies are dispatched in bulk to State associations in the week prior to that date.

Regular Contributors: Competition – Blair Trewin; Official News – Andrew Lumsden; MTBO – Craig Steffens

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: VIC, WA and TAS – vacant

QLD: Liz Bourne – batmaps.liz@gmail.com

NSW: NSW Marketing – marketing@onsw.asn.au

ACT: John Scown – scown@light.net.au

SA: Erica Diment – ericadiment@adam.com.au – tel: 0408 852 313

Subscriptions: State Association members via State Associations. Contact relevant Association Secretary for details. Other subscribers: Write to The Australian Orienteer, PO‑Box 165, Warrandyte, Vic. 3113. Within Australia: $40 pa. Overseas: Asia/Pacific (inc. NZ) $A49, Rest of World $A58 pa. Delivery is airmail, there is no seamail option. Please send payment in Australian dollars by bank draft or international postal order, or pay direct by Visa or Mastercard. Quote full card number and expiry date.

Subscription renewals (direct subscriptions only). The number in the top right hand corner of the address label indicates the final issue in your current subscription.

Opinions expressed in The Australian Orienteer are not necessarily those of Orienteering Australia.

CONTENTS

THE CHAIRMAN’S PAGE ............................. 3 MAGAZINE SURVEY 6 XMAS 5 DAYS 2022 8 GRAND PRIX – OGP#1 14 2022 AUS CHAMPIONSHIPS CARNIVAL 16 INVITATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TEAM 26 50 YEARS ON: 1972 – 2022 29 WOC & JWOC THANK YOUS 30 MELBOURNE CITY RACE WEEKEND .............. 32 2022 ACT & NSW SKI-O CHAMPIONSHIPS 36

OA NEWS 38 2022 WORLD UNIVERSITY CHAMPIONSHIPS 39 2022 WORLD CUP & EOC 42 SPOT THE DIFFERENCE – DECEMBER PUZZLE . 44 LETTERS 45 O-SPY 46 TOP EVENTS .......................................... 47

Cover: Ruby Phillips (W16A - BO.WA) at 2022 AUS Middle Distance Championships, Blackwood – photo Tom de Jongh.

MAGAZINE SURVEY

In June & July last Orienteering Australia conducted an on line survey of readers of The Australian Orienteer magazine asking for their opinions on the content of the magazine and its format. Here are some of the outcomes: There were 182 responses received.

Three optional questions were asked, being: Is there anything that is not in The Australian Orienteer that you would like to see as a feature or regular item? – 58 responses

What do you most like about The Australian Orienteer? – 120 responses

What do you most dislike about The Australian Orienteer? – 76 responses

Gender

Significantly more respondents identfying as male.

Female Male

Prefer not to say

Age Range

70.9% of respondents were in the over 50 age range which indicates master orienteers are more “invested” in the The Australian Orienteer

Junior (Under 21)

Senior (21 to 35) Master (35 to 50)

Super Master (50 to 65)

Respondents indicated a desire for publishing in both print and digital formats.

Print Edition Only Digital edition Only Both Print and Digital Edition OA should cease publication and do something different

Ultra Master (65 plus) Master (35 plus)

Respondents by State

Quite an even spread of respondents across all States noting that WA, as the smallest member State in numbers, had the third equal percentage of responses.

Preferred Form of Orienteering

Just over 90% indicated Bush which is probably indicative of the age demographic of respondents

163 (90.1%) 79 (43.5%) 108 (59.7%)

The Survey asked several major questions aimed at defining the preferences and demographic of readers. For example: 0 50 100 150 200

Reading/Accessing the Magazine

Print Edition

Digital edition Both Print and Digital Edition I don’t read The Australian Orienteer

Articles/Features in The Australian Orienteer of Interest

People profiles

Major IOF events

Major Australian events National League

Bush Orienteering

Sprint & Urban Orienteering

MTBO Course analysis

Event previews

Technical articles

Maps and mapping Orienteering awards Spot the difference

Opinion pieces

Diet and nutrition O Spy Cartoons and humour Nothing is of interest

109 (59.9%) 118 (64.8%) 142 (78%) 81 (44.5%) 144 (79.1%) 116 (63.7%) 47 (25.8%) 139 (76.4%) 101 (55.5%) 119 (65.4%) 130 (71.4%) 87 (47.8%) 70 (38.5%) 84 (46.2%) 62 (34.1%) 41 (22.5%)

5 (2.7%) 89 (48.9%)

Most like about The Australian Orienteer

(Optional Question)

The areas that were mentioned more than once were:

• Leg/course route analysis

• Info about the sport/promotes the sport

• Events - national reviews/summaries

• Maps

• Print/magazine format

• Production quality

• Quality/breadth of articles/content

• Events - international

• Adventures of Jeff

• Events - previews

• Photos

• MTBO

• People profiles

• Spot the difference

• Nothing/very little

Most Dislike about The Australian Orienteer

(Optional Question)

The areas that were mentioned more than once were:

• Too much elite focus

• Out of date content

• Digital format hard to read

• Content not orienteering relevant

• Too much MTBO

• Cartoons

• Lack of context at times / lifestyle information

• Inconsistent photo quality

• Spot the difference

• Waste of resources/paper

Like to see as a Feature or Regular Item

(Optional Question)

58 respondents provided input to this question. The areas that drew a suggestion more than once were:

• Technical material e.g. route analysis/course analysis/ armchair orienteering

• Product/equipment/software reviews

• Profiles/interviews - elite and non-elite

• Coaching/training tips

• More overseas maps/competition coverage

• Club profiles

• Interviews with orienteers local and overseas explaining how they complete courses

• New participants to the sport interviews

Xmas 5 Days 2022 (Lithgow)

1 Hard 1 (~ 7km) Men A M21

2 Hard 2 (~ 6km) Men B Women A M20,35 W21

3 Hard 3 (~ 5km) Men C Women B M16, 45 W20,35

4 Hard 4 (~ 4km) Men D Women C M55 W16,45

5 Hard 5 (~ 3km) Men E Women D M65+ W55+

6 Moderate 3.5km Men F Women E

7 Easy Men G Women F

Orienteering NSW invites you to the Xmas 5 Days 2022 which will be based in the Central Tablelands of NSW. 5 great events suitable for every orienteer. Four within 30 minutes of Lithgow and the last day in Wentworth Falls. Fun for all the family but also set to challenge you. A great variety of maps using different terrains.

The Central Tablelands offers some fantastic things to do during your afternoons off so go to Lithgow Tourism for ideas and accommodation options.

You will find more information about the Xmas 5 Days events and locations on Eventor as they are finalised.

The main things you need to know now are;

• Entries will open 5th November.

• There will be NO Enter on the Day.

2023 Easter Carnival

Picture yourselves in the beautiful Snowy Monaro region in April 2023: autumnal colourings abound, the air is crisp and clear, and you are spoilt for choice of activities during the hours when you are not part of the exciting Easter 2023 Australian 3 Days Carnival being brought to you by Orienteering ACT.

The Orienteering events will be centred on Jindabyne, Nimmitabel and near Lake Buckenderra; these three venues and Cooma are all within 30 45 minutes drive of each other, which will maximise the time you have not only at each event but in exploring the region later. We are so pleased to be offering you the opportunity to experience this wonderful alpine landscape from the rich perspective of Orienteering. Start your planning to join us in 2023 now!

• BYO water

• Please observe the “Social distancing” rules and any other Covid regulations of the day.

• Fantastic maps and great courses.

• There are many accommodation options in the area.

• Lots to entertain you after your runs.

• Entries close Saturday December 17th with NO late entries and NO EOD.

Event director is Colin Price.

If you have any questions please contact Colin. colinp53@yahoo.com.au

Looking forward to seeing you all in Lithgow on the Central Tablelands.

Accommodation will be centred on Cooma and Jindabyne, but the buzz of Snowy 2.0 and the wealth of attractions in the region means accommodation options will be limited if left too late to organise. We highly recommend that you also try the other small townships and villages in the region as well - Lake Buckenderra, Nimmitabel, Berridale, Dalgety - for all motel and camping options. Join Orienteering ACT at Easter 2023 as we host a fun filled Carnival of events in the corroboree frog country of alpine NSW.

Text - Valerie Barker. Photos - Ann Scown

With the Oceania Championships in January 2023 imminent, the Championships organisation is gathering pace. Course setters have been busy putting the final touches to their courses which will provide orienteers with the type of orienteering experiences that Tasmania is renowned for. The Championships kick off on January 7 with the Sprint at the University of Tasmania campus in Launceston. This is fine Sprint orienteering terrain with new buildings and works providing additional challenges for those who have competed there before.

The Championships then move to the St Helens area on Tasmanian’s beautiful sun coast. The St Helens region is an area of world class orienteering

combined with stunning quartz sand beaches, red granite coastline, scenic natural landscapes, and world class mountain biking. The Long Distance and the Middle Distance events will feature new maps and new terrain for orienteering produced by the late Rob Plowright, one of Orienteering’s finest mappers, featuring both complex tin mining terrain and granite strewn hillsides. The Relay will return to part of the magnificent terrain first used for the 1992 IOF Veteran World Cup.

Enter via Eventor. Standard entries close on 2 December 2022 and late entries close on 16 December 2022. You may also book Oceania specific camping located in the beautiful Pyengana valley 20 minutes west of the main competition

centre of St Helens. Camping is quite close to the venue of the Oceania Long Distance and the Middle Distance competitions.

Keep up to date with all the news about Oceania 2023 by regularly checking the Oceania 2023 website and follow us on Facebook.

Extend your Tasmanian summer of orienteering by entering The Hobart Shorts, a series of events in and around Hobart from January 15 to January 18. Don’t delay, enter now, and book your accommodation if you have not done so. The East Coast of Tasmania is a popular summer holiday destination and accommodation can be hard to come by if you leave it to the very last minute. We look forward to seeing you next January.

For those disappointed that MSW is not on in 2023, you will be thrilled to hear that Sydney is taking a turn to host a weekend of Sprint delights. A feast of 4 Sprints in 2 days, with an extra wee one squeezed in on Monday for those interstaters lucky enough to have a public holiday (or those Sydneysiders not tied to their desks). For our elites it is the second NOL weekend of the 2023 season, and an ideal opportunity to start stacking up your points early with an Individual Sprint and Mixed Sprint Relay on Saturday, and a Knockout Sprint on Sunday.

Saturday morning - University of Sydney Run through pathways in this iconic Uni that Malcolm Turnbull, Gladys Berejiklian, Germaine Greer, to name a few, have trodden on in their student years. A mix of new, old and very old sandstone buildings with steps, sneaky thoroughfares, bridges and passages on this classic Uni campus. Last used for a NOL in 2015, lots of updating and tricky course setting by Ross Barr will ensure it will be a challenge for all.

Saturday afternoon - University of NSW UNSW sets the scene for our second Sprint. Take the tram straight from the city, cheap, convenient, no parking and no chance of getting lost on the way! Built in 1949 on a tight, sloping space, this more modern style university has a wealth of multiple shaped buildings, tight corners, overpasses, underpasses and confusing levels, so plenty to entertain. The Elites will have a Mixed Sprint Relay, individual races for everyone else. A good opportunity for our potential JWOC candidates to practise a Mixed Sprint Relay, ready for the first scheduled JWOC Sprint Relay in Romania later in the year.

Spend Saturday evening exploring the sights of the harbour city with a wealth of any kind of cuisine you desire, with the magnificent Opera House and Bridge as a backdrop. Enjoy the evening reflecting on the day; successes, mishaps, the “if onlys” and recharge for the following day so you can do it all over again!

Sunday morningSt Gregory’s College, Campbelltown

After an overload of city life, it’s time to head southwest to St Gregory’s College, Campbelltown which is neatly situated close to the Hume Highway. This is a classic boarding school with older well established buildings interspersed with newer modern shaped buildings. It is a small campus, but do not be deceived. Be prepared for steep, nasty slopes, multiple flower beds and uncrossable walls just to keep you focussed. As the school motto says ”You will reap what you sow”, be prepared and you will enjoy this challenging area. Watch the Elites go head to head in the frantic dash of the Knockout Sprint Qualifier where every place has to be fought for to proceed to the next round. Who will have the strength to power up those hills in front, and who will just get squeezed out?

After the excitement, consider relocating to nearby Mount Annan Botanic Gardens (20mins drive) for refreshments and a bit of plant spotting to recharge before the final event of the weekend.

Sunday afternoon - University of Western Sydney, Macarthur campus

A 10 minute drive from St Gregory’s College will take you to our final campus. A modern University in a rural setting with lakes, streams and grassy slopes galore. Plenty of space to spread out you would think, but the buildings are a tightly interlinked maze with corridors, covered walkways, tunnels and concealed courtyards all poised to confuse you. There will be ample opportunity to run and watch the Elites as they battle it out in the semi final for the places in the final, and then tussle for podium prowess. With plenty of route choice, and opportunity to outsmart and out run, this is a fantastic arena for this competition and will keep all our competitors pushing mentally and physically to the final control.

If you are heading home then it’s a 5 minute drive back onto the Hume Highway, and you are on your way quickly, and hopefully avoiding the Sunday evening traffic fracas.

Monday

Although not part of the Sydney Sprint Weekend, for those with the time and energy there will be a further, more low key, event on Monday morning. It will be a picturesque harbourside venue with sparkling sea views and sunshine (well hopefully), a nice scenic event to round off a busy weekend.

There will be age category prizes for those completing all SSW races, and we may even slip in some spot prizes just in case you need further enticement.

Entry via Eventor, further details can be found on https://onsw.asn.au/events/ssw2023

Kambarang Karnival 2023

The Noongar people, traditional owners of the lands in south western WA, divided the year into 6 seasons. The Kambarang season, from Oct Nov, is where we see an abundance of colours and flowers exploding all around us. The weather is warming, the flowers are spectacular, and it’s a fantastic time to visit WA!

The Kambarang Orienteering Karnival embraces this spirit.

Over 8 days you’ll be rewarded with high quality orienteering, including an updated Middle Distance map in farmland granite (granite without tears!), new Sprint maps and a fully updated bush map showcasing the best WA has to offer. Plus WA’s famous wildflowers and much more ….....

The program:

Event 1: Sat 30 Sept AUS Championships Middle Distance

A totally updated and improved map using LIDAR in classic, beautiful farmland granite. Complex and challenging but definitely no tears! This area was first used in Easter 1993.

Event 2: Sun 1 Oct AUS Championships Relays

A mix of complex and fast farmland granite, ideal fun for a Relay, on an updated map adjacent to Event 1.

Event 3: Tue 3 Oct Schools Sprint and Public Pre-Entry Event

A beautiful private school next to the Canning River in Perth.

Event 4: Wed 4 Oct Schools Long Distance and Public PreEntry Event

More farmland granite to enjoy east of Perth, just west of Brookton, first used in Easter 2011.

Event 5: Thu 5 Oct Schools Relay and Public Pre-Entry Event

And even more open farmland granite to enjoy in an adjacent area to Event 4.

Event 6: Sat 7 Oct AUS Championships Long Distance

A mix of granite, gullies and spurs in mainly runnable forest. First used for the Australian Championships in 1988, this fabulous area has been begging for a return to the national competition arena.

Event 7: Sun 8 Oct AUS Championships Sprint Comprising two adjacent private schools on the Swan River in Perth, this totally new map is complex and challenging a great way to finish the Kambarang Karnival.

And whilst you’re here, check out the amazing tourist opportunities in Spring in Western Australia.

Further information: grahambraid@iinet.net.au

Paula & Mark Shingler

Grand Prix –OGP#1

WARREN KEY

The first weekend of the Australia Orienteering Carnival saw the inaugural Orienteering Grand Prix.

The arena was picture perfect, overlooking beautiful Lake Daylesford and set amongst spring blossoms. Fortuitously, the weather was kind and entries of over 550 made it feel like an MCG crowd. For everyone involved it was a step into the unknown and a day of full-on action.

The Elite format involved what was really three races in one: Part 1 saw the mass start knock-out phase at just 5 minutes into the race with a “penalty loop” for those who were being dropped; the leaders continued straight through to the urban phase and through the top of town that ended in an arena dash for position to set up the critical re-start order. A top-4 place here meant a small but valuable time advantage leading into the last leg. Those in the next 6 places started only 5 seconds later, and the rest within touching distance. Orienteering skill was still the winner but tactics played a bigger than usual part. The race-deciding last 700 metres loop involved all the attributes of orienteering we love, subtle route choices, technical challenges and tight decision making, where micro seconds really do count. It looked like fun and I was told after that it was a great learning experience for a new and evolving head-to-head racing format.

To add to the excitement, two Juniors fought it out for the Elite female crown with New Zealand up and coming star, Kaia Joergensen, passing Victorian Milla Key in the Finish chute.

And more drama when both Aston Key and Angus Haines were sensationally disqualified in the Men’s race gifting the crown to our master of ceremonies, Victorian Pat Jaffe. Taking home the Junior Elite trophies were Milla Key (VIC) & Ryan Gray (QLD).

What was refreshing was the buy-in by so many; from the beginning with the Carnival director Warwick Williams and his club Eureka led by Ian Chennel and Mark Valentine, to all the OGP support team. The organised chaos was beautifully handled by all.

Like it was for every day of the Carnival, the best came with the excitement of the unknown on the day. The Schools opening ceremony orchestrated by Sue Guinane was the “best ever” and broke new ground. The “Le Mans” start; new, hectic and exciting to watch. The anticipation of the crowd following the race through the early stages with the first micro split control before the wait-to-see moment; who would be delayed by that penalty loop on the saddle. It was tense. The route choice that wasn’t and the re-emergence of the peloton into the arena and jostling for position was also tense. The swarming spectators, seeking the best vantage point to see the re-start chaos and quick positioning for the final flourish at the Finish hill climb was full on action, from both sides of the fence. And the race up to the summit finish etched with graffiti and lined with supporters was fantastic.

I would like to thank Fergus Fitzwater and Carl Dalheim who helped bring the OGP to life. To the huge crowd who got there early and stayed late, I really hope you enjoyed the day.

See you at OGP#2.

Chloe Marcant (TAS) leads Neo Kozma (VIC) & Lucinda Barnes (QLD).

Aston Key (VIC) & Patrick Jaffe (VIC).

Serena Doyle(NSW) & Caitlin Young (ACT).

2022 Grand Prix - Lake Daylesford.

Warren Key.jpg

Milla Key (VIC) in 2nd place.

THE TREWIN REPORT

TEXT: BLAIR TREWIN; PHOTOS: TOM DE JONGH

For the first time in three years, an Australian Championships week went ahead in 2022. Whilst Easter events had taken place in 2021 and 2022, this week in Victoria marked a return to something resembling normality for the Australian orienteering program, despite the best attempts of the weather to periodically throw spanners in the works (it was fortunate the events were not a fortnight later). The week brought new areas and revivals of old areas, and a resumption of normal service in some classes and the emergence of new leaders in others. It also marked the welcome return of a significant New Zealand presence, who made themselves visible in the junior classes in particular.

While nearby areas in Victoria’s central highlands continued to be drenched the Sun Gods shone on most event arenas during the Australian Championships and ASOC though the terrain underfoot was decidedly mushy in places.

The week got under way with the Victorian Middle Distance Championships and a new event, the Orienteering Grand Prix, on the opening Saturday, but it was on the Sunday that things started to get serious.

Australian Middle Distance Championships – Blackwood

Blackwood promised a goldmining orienteering experience unlike anything we had seen before, with a relatively small area of intensive surface mining – other areas have small pockets like it but not enough for a full course. It was expected to be technical, and was, and the valley location survived relatively unscathed from the storms last year which flattened some of the forests on higher ground nearby. The density of controls in a small area added another technical element to the mix, with M70 and M80 two classes in which the fastest finisher mispunched.

Both senior classes were decided by less than a minute, with one expected result and one unexpected one. Aston Key’s fifth place in the WOC Sprint had shown the progress he had made over the last three years, and results earlier in the year suggested his forest skills were on an upward trajectory too. This time, he was pushed all the way by another member of an exciting younger generation, Alastair George, who had several National League and major event placings to his name in his first two senior years without quite breaking through for a win. For much of the course it looked like this might be the day as he held a narrow lead through the first two-thirds of the course, but Key was just a bit too good at the end and finished 30 seconds clear. Simon Uppill, always consistent in technical terrain, was best of the rest.

In W21E the two protagonists were an experienced Australian and a young New Zealander. Kaia Joergensen is still young enough for the Schools team but was stepping up a level here; Grace Crane has spent the last 18 months re-establishing herself as the leading Australian woman in the forest events. Both were slightly off the pace at the start but had emerged as the two leaders by halfway. At that stage Crane was in the lead and looked likely to go on for the win, but Joergensen had other ideas and came over the top with a fast finish.

Blair Trewin (VIC) at AUS Middle Distance - Blackwood.

This was only one of several triumphs for junior New Zealanders on the day, none more impressive than in W16 where Anna Babington led a sweep of the top six (and eight of the top nine). They took both junior elite grades by comfortable margins. Rachel Baker avoided disaster in W20 on a day when there were several disasters to be had, finishing over two minutes ahead of Mikayla Cooper, while Zefa Fa’avae’s margin in M20 was even more impressive, winning half the splits on the way to a 3:42 win over Alvin Craig. Sam Carryer in M16 completed their list of victories with the day’s closest result, in which he, Cooper Horley and James Wright were separated by 26 seconds; Wright looked the likely winner before losing a minute at the fourth-last, which left Carryer far enough ahead to be able to survive a mistake of his own at the second-last.

There were several classes where one person, and one person only, managed to get through the technical parts relatively cleanly, and that made for some margins which were very large by Middle Distance standards. Alistair Cory-Wright started an excellent week for him by putting nine minutes between himself and the rest of the M55 field, Cathy McComb was almost as far in front in the usually competitive W50, and Marina Iskhakova’s margin in W40 was also not far short of double figures.

Craig Dufty achieved his first national title of a long career in M50 in a race where the top three were within a minute; Carsten Joergensen and Steve Craig both finished fast but were unable to quite close the gap.

Ricky Thackray might have made it a second breakthrough for those of Western Australian origins when he led M45 for most of the way, but a late mistake opened the door for Rob Walter and Bruce Arthur.

In the last decade, M35 has not been the place to look for competitive races, but this time there were three evenly matched at the front, with 49 seconds covering Andrew Slattery, Eric Smyth and Daniel Stott – not the last time in the week where they would be facing off against each other. The remaining sub-30 second margin was in one of the oldest classes, W80, where Dale Ann Gordon just edged out Ann Ingwersen. Rod Gray, one of eight in the week’s field to have run in the Australian Championships 50 years ago, marked the occasion by taking out M65.

Zoe Carter (SA) & Diedre Sharkey (ACT) crossing the creek in the AUS Middle Distance.

Australian Schools Championships

Like the other Australian Championships events, the Australian Schools Championships were making a comeback after a threeyear break. Three years is longer in the lifetime of a junior than a senior. The team results may have been much the same as they were three years ago, with New South Wales comfortably the leading State and the two New Zealand teams dominating the Southern Cross Junior Challenge, but many of the personnel had changed, particularly in the junior classes where all but a handful were first-timers at this event.

Proceedings got under way with the Sprint at Kyneton, with a mix of gardens early, school buildings later, and reasonable quantities of mud. Nea Shingler is the first Australian participant in this event to have run a senior World Championship while still at school (Tim Robertson did it in 2012 for New Zealand) and it was no real surprise to see her dominate the Sprint, her favoured event, winning by over a minute. Kaia Joergensen, coming off her impressive result the previous day, was the closest challenger for most of the way, but successive mistakes on #19 and #20 dropped her to third behind her fellow New Zealander Zara Stewart.

There was also a comfortable margin in the senior boys, with Alvin Craig making a fine return after some time out with a 36-second win. The result was set up with a flying start, winning the first seven splits, and he was not seriously challenged from there. As with the girls, New Zealanders contested the minor placings, with Zefa Fa’avae edging out Sam Carryer by two seconds in a race in which they were not separated by more than five at any point in the second half. The junior girls had the closest race of the day. Even more so than usual this year, it was a place for new names to emerge and Liana Stubbs was the main one to do so, taking the honours with a consistent run – she only won one split - and a fast finish. Juliet Freeman started well, getting out to a 23-second lead at #12, but was unable to hold on and was overhauled at the second-last in a fivesecond margin. New Zealanders filled the next two places too, with Greta Prince’s fourth the best result for someone not in an official team since Brodie Nankervis’s third in 2010. It was a Tasmanian double as Euan Best, one of the few juniors to have previous

experience in this company, was on top all the way in a 31-second win over Elye Dent. Illustrating their depth, the next nine places went across the Tasman.

Next day the Carnival moved to the sodden slopes of Mount Alexander, with steep slopes and granite boulders (although neither of them on the scale of some other parts of this map). The New Zealand depth had not translated into any individual wins on the Sprint day but Zefa Fa’avae changed that in the Long Distance, swapping places with Alvin Craig as he got on top over the closing downhill controls. The other three Long Distance winners all did the double from the Sprint, although for Nea Shingler it was a very close-run thing; she and Kaia Joergensen were never more than 31 seconds apart, with both taking turns in the lead, but the Australian was eight seconds clear at the Finish line. A fast finish saw Zara Stewart pip Erika Enderby for third.

The junior boys once again featured a reasonably comfortable win for Euan Best against a Dent, but this time it was Hayden in second place, becoming the youngest medallist in the event’s history – a consistent run, where others often weren’t, bringing an impressive result for someone still eligible for M12. Whilst the top two were three minutes apart, Matthew Greenwood led a group of five separated by only 40 seconds between third and seventh. The junior girls’ Long Distance was the only individual event during the week with little New Zealand presence – their best result was fifth. Liana Stubbs led most of the way and finished a bit over a minute ahead of Lilja Lehtonen, whilst another breakthrough result was achieved by Sanda Halpin, who set a benchmark time early in the day which only two others were able to beat.

As always, ASOC finished with the Relays. The State title was not in serious doubt this time, with New South Wales going in with a big lead; the closest contest was between the two New Zealand teams, with Harua ultimately getting on top of Karahiwi. New South Wales’s one outright win came in the senior boys. Five were within three minutes of the lead on the first leg, but most crucial was that Oskar Mella came back with the lead for NSW with their two strongest runners still to come. Alvin Craig made that clear on the second leg

2022 ASOC Relay start - Milla Key.

ASOC Relays - Senior Boys.

ASOC Relays - Junior Girls.

Schools Sprint - Kyneton - Nea Shingler (NSW).

Long Distance - Junior Girls.

ASOC Long Distance at Mt Alexander - Josh Newnes (QLD).

as he opened up a six-minute lead, and although Felix Hunt made a small impression on Sam Woolford (and pulled away from Zefa Fa’avae to give Harua second over Karahiwi), the win was never in doubt.

New Zealand dominated the senior girls, with the two teams 13 minutes clear of any State and not seriously challenged after the first leg, which Milla Key narrowly led for Victoria. Zara Stewart went from a minute down to two minutes ahead against Anna Babington on the second leg, and Kaia Joergensen pulled Karahiwi away further on the last. New South Wales were a distant third but always looked like being the leading State from the second leg onwards.

The two New Zealand teams came out on top in the junior boys too, this time with Harua ahead, although this was a closer contest with five teams within 3:39 after two legs. It looked to be a very open race amongst the State teams – in the Long Distance the top seven Australians had come from seven different States – and so it proved. Euan Best had given Tasmania a four-minute lead on the first leg but they had dropped back into the pack by the end of the second, and in the end three consistent runs gave South Australia the honours. Harua were in charge most of the way in the junior girls after a fast first leg from Juliet Freeman, although Sanda Halpin’s fine second leg brought the ACT back to within 1:30 before the margin grew again. A fast final leg from Lilja Lehtonen lifted New South Wales into third.

New South Wales’s eventual margin was 10 points over the ACT, who did well to get second given their lack of a full senior boys team. After the individual events it looked like a race between Tasmania and Queensland for third, but two Relay mispunches for Queensland settled that, dropping them to sixth with Victoria fourth and South Australia fifth.

2022 ASOC winners

State

New South Wales

Senior Girls Sprint Nea Shingler (NSW)

Long Distance Nea Shingler (NSW) Relay New South Wales

Senior Boys Sprint Alvin Craig (NSW)

Long Distance Alvin Craig (NSW)

Relay New South Wales

Junior Girls Sprint Liana Stubbs (TAS)

Long Distance Liana Stubbs (TAS)

Relay ACT

Junior Boys Sprint Euan Best (TAS)

Long Distance Euan Best (TAS)

Relay South Australia

ASOC Honours Team

The full team announced is:

Junior girls: Lilja Lehtonen (NSW), Liana Stubbs (TAS), Ruby Phillips (WA), Savanna Sweeney (NSW).

Junior boys: Euan Best (TAS), Eckart Bosman (WA), Miles Bryant(QLD), Hayden Dent (ACT).

Senior girls: Erika Enderby (NSW), Justine Hobson (ACT), Eszter Kocsik (NSW), Nea Shingler (NSW).

Senior boys: Alvin Craig (NSW), Cooper Horley (NSW), Callum White (VIC), Sam Woolford (NSW).

ASOC Long Distance at Mt Alexander, Eric Lovell (QLD).Schools Sprint, Kyneton, Erika Enderby (NSW).

Schools Sprint, Kyneton, Oskar Mella (NSW)

The competition moved to the outer fringes of Melbourne for the Sprint Championships at Salesian College in Sunbury, a small and detailed but reasonably typical school area. The course setting required looking for some very wide route choices at times, something not always seen by the participants.

After his World Championship performances, Aston Key was a redhot favourite and so it proved. Patrick Jaffe did enough to keep him honest but gradually dropped back to be 24 seconds in arrears at the end, while Angus Haines recovered from an early error to get into third. Reflecting the quality at the top end of the field, only four got within two minutes of the lead, an unusual spread for a Sprint event.

In contrast to the men, the women’s event had no obvious favourite, and in the end it was an international visitor who took the honours. Although she had missed the 2022 Final, Spaniard Maria Prieto has a WOC 21st place (and a JWOC 7th) to her name, and had shown in the first half of the Middle Distance that she was not out of place in this company. In the Sprint, her best event, she opened up a lead early on and was out in front for the remainder. Asha Steer was her closest challenger early, but Caitlin Young got on top in the second half to be the lead Australian.

One of the biggest turnarounds was in W20, where Nea Shingler looked to be cruising to victory before losing a minute on the fourthlast and dropping to fifth. That opened the door for a New Zealand sweep, with Zara Stewart edging away from Molly McGowan and Kaia Joergensen over the closing stages. The locals had a better time of it in M20, when Alvin Craig held a narrow lead over Ewan Shingler most of the way, and held on by eight seconds despite a small wobble at the second-last.

Several other junior classes saw late turnarounds. In M16 it was the last control which was decisive, with Cooper Horley taking the lead there after Euan Best had led by 13 seconds at the secondlast. In M18 Daniel Wood overtook Lochlann Hogan at the second-last, while in W18, Zoe Carter was over a minute down on Kelly McKinnon at halfway but hauled it in over the closing stages, continuing an impressive year of Sprint performances. Anna Babington led another New Zealand sweep in W16, while they were one second away from doing likewise in W14, won by Zara Toes. The most interesting of the masters races was W45, in which the top four were only separated by 17 seconds, and eventual winner Rachel West was in sixth place with four controls to go. Allison Jones, Ceri Pass and Heather O’Donnell all led at different stages, but second place for O’Donnell was still a career best. The three leading M35s turned on an even closer race than they had the preceding Sunday; this time Daniel Stott and Eric Smyth could not be separated after a fast finish from the Queenslander, with Andrew Slattery only just behind.

Mispunches were again significant in a few classes, including M60 where Tim Hatley’s win culminated a good year for him; he did not enter the top three until the fourth-last control but finished with a 51-second lead. Alex Tarr came from behind in M80 to overhaul Trevor Simpson by 11 seconds, making him the second of the “1972ers” for the week to take a title, and Ana Herceg also overcame an early deficit to take W60. At the other end of the scale, there were several classes where the margin was more than a minute; Kathie Dent showed her speed to turn the tables on Marina Iskhakova in W40, whilst others with large wins included Jenny Bourne (W65), Alison Radford (W70), Jenny Hawkins (W75) and Eoin Rothery (M65).

Australian Sprint Championships – Sunbury

The final individual event was the Long Distance Championships at Maldon, featuring a mix of terrain, with granite to start and goldmining to finish. As befits a Long Distance race, it was a hard day’s work on the longer courses, particularly for the women whose winning time was close to the men (something which will be becoming the norm soon, at least internationally).

Aston Key was out to make it a clean sweep of individual titles and that result was never really in doubt. Patrick Jaffe was his closest challenger, but was already behind by the time he dropped two minutes at #14, and from there the only question was the margin, seven minutes in the end. Angus Haines had some significant time losses too, but a good finish saw him through into the placings.

Grace Crane has been clearly the pick of the Long Distance runners over the last two years, and on a particularly long day, she was in front most of the way. Caitlin Young did have a good second half, and cut the gap from four minutes to two over the closing controls without ever really looking like winning. Aislinn Prendergast is another who does well over the longer distances – she had finished ahead of Crane on the long day at Easter – and completed the placings.

M20 had a number of twists along the way. Zefa Fa’Avae and Alvin Craig both held the lead at points during the first half of the course. Ewan Shingler got to the lead for the first time at #12, lost three minutes at #20 to fall behind Sam Woolford, but was back in front by

#24, before holding out his NSW teammate over the technical closing controls to win by 44 seconds. It was a Shingler double when Nea won a somewhat more straightforward W20 race, pulling away from Mikayla Cooper in the second half after a close opening.

Apart from Aston Key, six others did the clean sweep, three juniors and three masters. Elye and Hayden Dent made it three out of three in M14 and M12 respectively, with Elye especially dominant with a six-minute margin on a relatively short course. Also completing a sweep with margins on the day beyond six minutes were Jenny Bourne in W65, and Alison Radford in W70; Bourne is no stranger to national titles, but for Radford it was her first Long Distance A class title since 2003. Anna Babington was comfortably clear of the W16 field – once again dominated by New Zealand with eight of the top nine – despite an up-and-down run, whilst Alistair CoryWright was pushed closer in M55 than he had been in the previous two events, thanks to a good run on a rare Australian appearance by Sweden-based Donald Staudte (a past Australian WOC representative), but still finished two minutes ahead.

The technical final section was crucial in many classes; even the last control was not a giveaway, as demonstrated in W75 where it was critical to Jenny Hawkins taking the lead over Libby Meeking. W60 had five different leaders, a top four with 1:45 and a top six within 3:34, with Lisa Mead ending up on top when the music stopped

Australian Long Distance Championships – Maldon

Sophie Best (TAS).

AUS Sprint - M & W 21E winners.

AUS Sprint - David Stocks (ACT).AUS Sprint - Patrick Jaffe (VIC).

AUS Sprint - M & W 14A winners.

AUS Sprint - M & W 12A winners.

Sandra Tarr (VIC) & Justine Hobson (ACT).

to take another title across the Tasman. W55 also saw the top four separated by less than two minutes, but there most of the reshuffling took place in the first half of the course, with Alison Inglis taking the lead on the long leg – most courses had one – and staying there. There were some closely bunched finishes in junior classes too. Consistency saw Amy Dufty through at the head of a bunch of five within two minutes in W14 despite not winning a split, while the New Zealand pair of Jake McLellan and Eddie Swan were separated by less than a minute in M16. Two older classes which had been close all week and were again on this day were M35, where Daniel Stott took over in the last 20 minutes of a long race to edge Andrew Slattery out by 54 seconds, whilst Rob Walter edged out Bruce Arthur for the second day in a row in M45.

At the other end of the margin scale, Grant Bluett dropped back into his M50 class and put five minutes between himself and the field. Greg Barbour (M60), Steve Flick (M75) and Alex Tarr (M80) were all likely winners regardless, but time losses by others turned potentially close races into blowouts, while Eszter Kocsik blew the W18 field away early, already five minutes clear by the 20-minute mark and nine at the end.

Aston Key (VIC) makes a splash in the Middle Distance race.

The week finished with the Australian Relays, which has often closed the championship week, although not since 2017. Campbells Creek offered a mix of typical Victorian goldmining terrain, and some steeper gully-spur which the longer courses made it to.

M21 opened with four teams within two minutes after the first leg. Although Martin Dent had the lead for the ACT, the most critical part of this equation was that James Robertson was in the lead group for Victoria. With Patrick Jaffe and Aston Key to come, this made them clear favourites. The ACT hung in for longer than might have been expected, with Matt Doyle managing to finish with Jaffe despite the Victorian doing the day’s fastest time, and Andrew Barnett only falling back slowly from Key on the last, but the Victorians did what they needed to do and finished three minutes ahead. NSW and South Australia were both in the hunt for two legs but dropped away later, although NSW did managed to hang onto third.

The women started with a race in two on the opening leg, with Aislinn Prendergast and Krystal Neumann four minutes clear of the field. Queensland dropped away from there, and Natasha Key put Victoria in a strong position, but Caitlin Young lifted the ACT through the field to close the gap to a couple of minutes, putting Grace Crane within striking distance – or would have done but for a mispunch. With the ACT out of the picture, Victoria were untroubled to take the win, with Asha Steer stretching the margin further over her sister Lanita (running for South Australia); a strong last leg by Justine Hobson brought the ACT’s second team into third. Both junior elite classes ended up in battles between NSW and New Zealand, and in both cases it was NSW who won. It didn’t look like it would be that way in M20 when Zefa Fa’avae gave New Zealand a four-minute lead on the first leg, but Alvin Craig emerged from a group of four within two minutes to bring NSW alongside them at the start of the last leg. That left it a head-to-head between Ewan Shingler and Felix Hunt on the last leg, and Shingler just edged away to win by a minute. W20 was a similar story after two legs except that NSW were up against two New Zealand teams rather than one. Nea Shingler ran the day’s fastest time on the last leg and was first across the line; of the two New Zealand runners, Zara Stewart pushed

Shingler close but mispunched, while Molly McGowan dropped back but held second anyway.

New Zealand’s depth saw them sweep most of the younger junior classes, most spectacularly in W16 where they filled the first four places. Only in M16 were they pushed; Euan Best gave Tasmania a six-minute lead on the opening leg but the visitors ran that down over the next two to win by two. The youngest age group provided the day’s closest finish, when Hayden Dent completed an excellent week by coming from third for the ACT to squeeze out Western Australia by six seconds.

Western Australia were also on the wrong end of the day’s secondclosest finish, when Steve Flick closed down a seven-minute gap on the last leg in M75 to bring NSW home by 15 seconds, but they did not go home completely empty-handed after taking the inaugural W75 title. Also decided by less than a minute was M55, but there the winning State was not in doubt – the two teams separated by 27 seconds were both from NSW, with the nominal second team triumphant.

M65 and W65 both saw big turnarounds. Victoria were 12 minutes down in eighth place after the first leg in M65, but Chris Norwood brought them up to third on the second leg, then Ted van Geldermalsen overran the ACT on the last, turning a seven-minute deficit into a three-minute win. In W65, NSW and Tasmania were the two leaders after two legs, but NSW dropped to fourth and Tasmania were disqualified after taking the wrong map, leaving the ACT to come through from third.

M45, W45 and W55 were all close for two legs before blowing out on the third. NSW took out M45 when Jock Davis pulled away from Ben Goonan, whilst fast final legs from Allison Jones and Jenny Bourne gave the ACT wins in W45 and W55 respectively. Despite those results it was only enough to make a dent in NSW’s winning margin for overall State points.

It will not be long before major competition resumes; with the Oceania Championships in Tasmania in January, a drought of major events is turning into a feast. This year’s events were successful and the turnout was pleasingly good, hopefully a sign of things to come.

Australian Relays – Campbells Creek

Kaia Joergensen in the tunnel at Wattle Gully.

AUS Relay start.

Number Twins

Long-time orienteers (now both M75) Peter Searle (Bendigo) and David Hogg (Canberra) found they had identical bib numbers if you turned one upside down.

Hermann Wehner – M98 years young

Hermann is well known in Orienteering circles around the world having competed with distinction for many years. At the 2022 AUS Sprint Championships a special M98A class was created just for Hermann. And he won it! Hermann was a popular attraction amongst the crowd in the Sprint arena where many were keen to have a chat with the legend.

Abbie Lane, Ingrid Young & Eve Tague chat with Hermann.

Hermann chats with Warren Key.

2022 Goldfields - Chewton - Zaf Bluett-Jones shows how he won all legs on Course F. Photo: Warren Key.Creek fording at Blackwood Middle Distance Championships.

Development Team Success at ASOC DAVID POLAND

After the reforms of 2019 opened the Australian Schools Orienteering Championships (ASOC) to participation from independent athletes, this year a further step was taken with the creation of a Development Team, involving athletes from all States, invited to participate. Best of all, with the generous support of the host State Victoria, it proved possible to stay on site, along with all the State teams and the two New Zealand teams.

Statistics: • 16 athletes in total • 14 boys • 2 girls • 9 aged over 15 • 7 aged 15 or under • 5 States

From all accounts the Development Team proved very successful in both developing technical orienteering skills and in the social aspect of the sport.

At the conclusion of ASOC, athletes and parents were invited to comment through a written survey.

Parent Feedback

• Even though my child didn’t get selected on the State team it meant he could still experience a team environment. The Team really welcomed him.

• The coaches and leaders have been fantastic, really welcoming and accommodating.

Athlete Feedback

• I liked meeting new people, orienteering on new terrain as well as staying away from home.

• We would like to be able to gain points for our Team.

• I learnt to keep calm and take time especially on my first few controls.

• The coaches were helpful with the maps.

Other things gleaned from the survey

• Average 80% satisfaction rating.

• Likes (in order) - social, coaching / training, events, food, fun, location.

• Things to do better next time - more uniforms, more coaching meetings, more training, smaller cabins, stay together more, contribute to points.

More Parent Comments

• Our son really enjoyed the experience of the camp and competing and has gained a lot from the last few days.

• It was a great opportunity for kids who did not make a State team to participate as we would not have sent our child otherwise.

• Communication from organisers was excellent.

• A big thankyou and appreciation to all the volunteers that have made this opportunity possible.

• Our son has expressed a lot of joy at being at the camp and having the opportunity to be part of the Carnival.

Acheivements

By the end of the week the Team was buoyed with some strong results. Some team members featured in the top third of their field.

• In the Senior boys Development Relay the team finished 7th out of 12 finishing teams (4th Australian team).

• In the Junior boys Development Relay the team finished 10th out of 14 finishing teams (8th Australian team).

• In the Long Distance race, 2 Senior Development boys were in the top 50% of the field of 44 starters.

• In the Long Distance, 2 Junior Development boys demonstrated outstanding performances coming in 9th and 19th Australians.

• I learnt to really focus on the contours. I realise I need to do more physical training.

• I liked the informative coaching and being part of a social camp.

• The camp was fun. I got more focused coaching and improved my orienteering skills.

• I learnt how to make better route choices.

• I learnt how to run a Relay and all about gold mining terrain.

• I loved the social side of things, the events, and the food.

• We would like more uniform shirts and jackets.

• Thank you for helping me improve my orienteering.

• Thank you for a great opportunity.

• As parents we are grateful that he has been able to participate in the Carnival and gain the experience.

• I think it is a fantastic initiative and hope the Team keeps going at future Carnivals.

• If success in attracting, retaining, and developing new orienteers is fundamental to achieving Orienteering Australia’s strategic goals on both participation and performance, this action is on the money!

• It was fun!

• It was social!

• It was accessible! Thank you.

Relay Team SB 1 - Charlie Young, Nick Stanley, Seth Sweeney. Callum Waland and David Poland.

SB 2 -

Spot the Difference – September solution

Here are the September Spot the Difference solutions. The original puzzle is overleaf on page 28. DID YOU FIND ALL 25 ???

ASOC Sprint - Julia Barbour.

ASOC Relays - Ewan Keith and Savanna Sweeney NSW.

Nick Stanley and Jonathon Nolan.

Relay Team

Kieren Joseph, Alex Crowe, Callum Waland.

MAP 1

September Spot the Difference

In the September magazine we gave you a complex bush map. MAP 1 was essentially the original map. MAP 2 contained 25 changes. Some of the changes were easy to find and some were not. Both map sections were enlarged from the original 1:10,000 scale for easier legibility. The solution is on page 27.

DID YOU FIND ALL 25 ???

MAP 2

50 Years On: 1972 – 2022

The 1972 Australian Championships was held near Steiglitz in Victoria. It was the first Australian Championships held under the aegis of Orienteering Australia. Andrew Lumsden, Greg Tamblyn and Rod Gray ran M18A. This was a 6.8km course, with 230m of climb and 9 controls (2022’s M18A course was 7.9km, 385m and 21 controls). The 1972 map was printed in black and white, was 1:15,840 (four inches to the mile) and had four symbols on the legend: contours (30 and 50 foot), tracks, fences and dams.

Pictured are six of the eight people who attended both the 1972 and 2022 Australian Orienteering Championships.

From left to right: David Hogg, Alex Tarr, Janet Tarr, Andrew Lumsden, Greg Tamblyn and Noel McVey. Don Fell and Rod Gray were the other two. Of the eight, Rod was the only person to break 90 minutes in 1972. At least half of the eight were out for more than two and a half hours early perseverance seems to be a factor in long orienteering careers.

1972 to 2022 and still competing. David Hogg re-presents the SILVA Trophy to Alex Tarr.

The photo shows David Hogg re presenting the SILVA Trophy to 1972 winning Victorian team member Alex Tarr. The SILVA Trophy is won by the best M21 State Team.

1972 AUS Championships - M21 winning route by Sture Lantz (VIC).

WOC & JWOC Teams thank their supporters “Thank You” from our Elites

There were some amazing experiences had by some of our most talented Elites this year in Europe and elsewhere abroad. After missing out on the opportunity to compete over 2020 and 2021 it was great to see a large contingent travelling to represent Australia this year in Teams and also others competing in spectator events for experience.

Australia was represented at the following International races: World Cups #1, 2 and 3, World Championships, European Youth Championships, Junior World Championships, World Games and World University Games.

The benefits of competing and training overseas are enormous for our Elites and upcoming Juniors, to experience new terrains and see our Sport at a whole different level. They come back with a burst of enthusiasm and eyes wide to what they need to do to improve. This is not always easy and all fun and games for them though, there is a lot of hard work put into training and technical research for months and even years beforehand, into saving money, missing School, Uni, work ... just to get there.

But there is also a lot of support given to most of our Team members and I would like to acknowledge this and on behalf of our athletes take the opportunity to say “thank you” to those Clubs that support their club members who make International or State teams, to State Associations and also to Orienteering Australia itself. We also have some very generous donations from the Orienteering Community. Some of which are anonymous and we’d really like to say “Thank you” and how much it really does help. I think for a lot of our athletes it wouldn’t be possible to afford the costs involved to have these opportunities without such amazing support.

I asked our team members from WOC and JWOC to put into a ‘snap shot’ sentence some of the experiences they had and are grateful for. I’m sure there is plenty more they’d like to say given the chance though ….....

Thanks

again, Natasha Key – Head Coach

Erika Enderby: JWOC was such an amazing experience and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to compete against the best Juniors in the world. Incredible Sprint races and memories I will cherish forever. I would also like to thank my parents, Newcastle Orienteering Club, ONSW and everyone else who made it possible.

Emily Sorensen: WOC was such a crazy amazing experience and a huge learning curve. It was so surreal being in the same race with the likes of Tove Alexandersson and Simona Aebersold. Getting there would not have been possible without the support from Tintookies, Bigfoot, OSA and ONSW. Also a big thank you to our amazing coaches, Mary and Tash, for taking care of us, organising us and making the experience as stress-free as possible. And another massive thank you to Warren and Mikkel for organising training in the week before the races.

Mikaela Gray: I really loved competing in awesome terrain at JWOC in Portugal. My favourite memory was lining up next to Norway and Sweden in the mass start. Thanks to OQ and Ugly Gully for their support, and I hope to return to Portugal even stronger!

Aston Key: WOC this year was super fun and an amazing learning experience for the years to come. I would like to thank my parents, OA, OV, DROC, MFR, TuS my Finnish club and my teammates, who all helped and supported me in getting to the starting line fit and healthy, to compete at my best.

Ryan Gray: JWOC in Portugal was so much fun! The weather might have overcompensated a bit from Aussie winter, but it was an incredible opportunity to meet people and race in some amazing terrain. It wouldn’t have been possible without my Club and State’s funding and support for which I am very grateful.

Jensen Key: JWOC was an experience like no other, it was an opportunity to make new friends and improve my navigational ability. I loved the terrain, especially the forest. I would like to thank MFR, DROC, OV, OA and Latrobe Uni.

Julia Gannon: JWOC was a fantastic opportunity to improve my orienteering (particularly Sprints …), catch-up with and meet overseas friends, and be a part of something great! Big thank you to Orienteering QLD and Range Runner for all their support.

Ethan Penck: JWOC was an incredible experience which has changed my life forever! I will never forget the fantastic people I met and raced against on some fabulous terrain. I’d like to thank my parents

for helping me get there, my coach for getting me fit, and my fellow orienteers back in SA for continuing to keep the competition high.

Nea Shingler: WOC - Such a surreal experience and an epic opportunity! JWOC - Hot with a side of incredible Sprint orienteering that wouldn’t be possible without the support from home!

Olivia Sprod: I’d like to FLAG that it’s a happy SI of relief that we have such an excellent group of UNITS in our OA community, we thank you for all the COMPASSion to help the team head NORTH to sprint our hearts out for AUS. The experience has left a positive (Den)mark on us :)

Ewan Shingler: WOC and JWOC were amazing experiences and I would like to thank all of those people who helped me participate at these events.

Mikayla Cooper: JWOC and WOC were such eye-opening, inspiring experiences and I created memories that’ll last a lifetime.

Sam Woolford: JWOC was a fantastic experience to share with all of the Aussie team and Kiwis. Massive thanks to Bush ‘n Beach orienteering club supporting me to make it there.

Alastair George: WOC was an amazing experience. Although disappointed with my result, it has only fuelled my motivation for next year. Thanks Bigfoot, ONSW and OA for supporting me and the Team to compete at the highest level. We wouldn’t be able to do it without the support.

Caitlin Young: WOC was an awesome opportunity! I learnt a lot about what to improve on for future international events and it was such a fun Team to spend the week with. Thanks to Bushflyers and OACT for your support.

Joanna George: JWOC was a memorable experience and very motivating. It was great meeting new people and being able to compete in an International event. Thank you to family and coaches for all the support.

Angus Haines: WOC was like no other comp I had ever been to, the atmosphere in the arena was buzzing. You felt the same rush as the athletes competing when they came running past. Being about to spectate and compete in such an incredible event was an honour.

WUOC, as always, was another outstanding week filled with all the novelties of an orienteering competition. From the FISU anthem being played 6 times a day, to the outstanding social relay before the banquet, I made and reconnected with many amazing friends, as well as running some of my best international results.

David Stocks: There are so many memories and connections that I am so grateful for and can hopefully look forward to building on in future years. The whole trip was one huge highlight! I loved being able to sample a variety of terrains and experiences across Europe, with such a fantastic bunch of coaches, teammates and friends.

TEXT: DEBBIE DODD; PHOTOS DAMIAN SPENCER AND MICHAEL HUBBERT

Waverley Stadium was the host to AFL teams, the location for the first World Series Cricket matches, and venue for many major rock concerts. Today it is a compact and complex residential development, with the former oval as its centrepiece, and enhanced by numerous parks and playgrounds.

For the morning’s opening event, Damian Spencer produced a beautiful map, and set courses which took full advantage of the concentric circle layout, and featured the historic oval and grandstand as the centrepiece. A mind bendingly circular map with many staircases in and out of the sports arena and a killer final control half way up the grandstand. Possibly it was positioned to provide competitors with a great view of the arena and beyond, but by the time we had climbed up to the control flag few were in any physical condition to admire the view and most were thinking only of how to get down again.

Tatterson is a large urban park in the flat southeast suburbs of Melbourne. The park features several sporting facilities, lakes and bridges, and large themed playgrounds. It is surrounded by narrow, quiet streets which offered a variety of terrain, and some great route choices. The highlight of Tatterson is the “tree maze”, which featured on all courses.

The Williamstown map is well known to Melbourne Park & Street orienteers, but this was the first use of a new colour, large scale version.

The finale on a lovely sunny spring day was an epic, with mapper and planner Ricky Thackray setting true urban long distance courses – a mixture of long legs with multiple route choices, and fine navigation in the small but complex pockets of parkland and Botanic Gardens. Everyone had a chance to experience the Williamstown foreshore and the city views from Point Gellibrand.

Milla Key (MFR VIC) won the Women’s 11.2km Course 1 in 55:41 from Serena Doyle (UR NSW) and Heather O’Donnell (YV VIC) who dead heated for 2nd place. James Robertson (BG VIC) won the 11.2km Men’s Course 1 in 44:36 from Bruce Arthur (MFR VIC) and Callum White (YV VIC).

Results, splits and some routes can be viewed via Eventor.

MCRW will be back in 2023, hopefully back on the Docklands map where it all began.

2022 ACT & NSW Ski-O Championships

MARINA ISKHAKOVA (ACT)

The 2022 Ski Orienteering Championships were held at Perisher Valley on Sunday 14th August, organised by Red Roos, Big Foot and Perisher X Country. This event formed part of XC Ski week (www.perisherxcountry.org) with the start in front of the beautiful, warm and special Nordic Shelter at Perisher.

Everyone who loves or dreams of trying Skiing or Orienteering were able to take an opportunity to combine both skills in our exciting Championships. It was the 8th Championship, after Swedish ski o expert Patrik Gunnarsson brought the concept back to Perisher in 2014.

It is the only Ski O event in Australia and among the few in the Southern Hemisphere! Course Planner was Virpi Komulainen (BN NSW).

35 Ski Orienteers showed true courage and made heroic efforts in spite of particularly cruel weather conditions at Perisher Valley while fighting for 2022 ACT & NSW Ski Orienteering Championships titles. For many it has been the first XC skiing event in 3 years, as COVID put on pause the Ski O Championships in 2020 and 2021.

The Championship was delivered in Rogaine format in 4 classes – Solo F (2hours), Solo M (2hours), Team (2hours) and Juniors (1 hour).

OACT & NSW Ski-O Team

Placegetters

• In the Solo F category top-3 results were: Jenny McLeod (31p), Cath Chalmers (22p) and Martina Broder (19p).

• In the Solo M category top-3 results were: Iain Roberts (35p), Paul Cook (31p) and Robert Vincent (29p).

• In the Team category top-3 results were: Monica Binder and Bruce Barnett (32p); Sanda Halpin and Mary Ann Kulh (18p); Dom Pitot and Kirsten Pitot (16p).

• In the Junior category top-3 results were: Aoife Rothery (9p); Ariadna Iskhakova (8p) and Veronika Iskhakova (4p).

Lock in 13 August 2023 for your next Ski Orienteering adventure!

Sport class returns to NOL in 2023

18 April Day 3, AUS 3-Days – Maidenwell

24 September Victoria Middle Distance Championships – Daylesford

25 September Australian Middle Distance Championships – Blackwood

30 September Australian Sprint Championships – Salesian College, Sunbury

1 October Australian Long Distance Championships – Nuggety Ridge

2022 National Rankings – non-elite Rankings

After positive feedback from the trial of the Sport Class at Round 2 of the 2022 National Orienteering League (NOL) season, OA is excited to announce an ongoing trial in the 2023 season!

The Sport Class, designed for competitive orienteers who may have other priorities than just the goal of Elite racing on the international level, will feature courses of approximately 70% of the corresponding Elite class. It will feature in both the junior and senior NOL competitions, where individuals will be competing for points as an important contribution to their States’ team result. In 2023, the Sport Class will feature in all forest races.

2022 SILVA Medal

DARRYL ERBACHER - OA STATISTICIAN

The SILVA Medal is awarded to the Australian orienteer who best performs relative to their class in specified events. Points are awarded for Days 1, 2 and 3 of the Australian 3 Days Championship, the Australian Long Distance Championships, the Australian Middle Distance Championships, the Australian Sprint Championships, any State Championships conducted at the 3 Days carnival and the Australian Championships Carnival and the Asia Pacific Orienteering Championships or Oceania Championships (when conducted in Australia) as follows: 1st –4 points; 2nd – 3 points; 3rd – 2 points; for otherwise finishing 1 point.

The SILVA Medal winner is the orienteer with the maximum number of points accumulated from their best six events. In the event of a tie, the SILVA Medal is determined by count back using the average of the six best winning margins. In 2022 the relevant events were:

16 April Day 1, AUS 3-Days – Reedy Creek

17 April Day 2, AUS 3-Days – Reedy Creek

Congratulations to Marina Iskhakova (RR ACT) on winning the 2022 SILVA Medal on a countback from Aston Key (MFR VIC). Marina’s average winning margin was 0.17, Aston’s was 0.05. It was a back to back win for Marina as she was also victorious in 2021.

in non Elite classes have been determined based on results in the Australian 3 Days Championship (31, 32, 33), Australian Championships (AS, AM, AL) and the Victorian Middle Distance Championships (VM). Points are awarded for each event (with at least 4 starters) completed on the basis of 100 points for first place and lesser points for other competitors. When more than one orienteer in a class has 100 points, the first ranked orienteer is determined by the average of their three best winning margins.

Some points of interest in the 2022 rankings:

1. Winner by the largest margin was Dale Ann Gordon (EU V) at 40.73.

2. There were a number of classes where orienteers scored 100 points: W65 – Jenny Bourne (AO A), Debbie Davey (WR N); W50 – Jennifer Enderby (NC N), Cathy McComb (AL T); M80 – Trevor Sauer (SO Q), Alex Tarr (YV V).

Marina’s back to back wins joins those achieved previously by:

• Alex Tarr (1976/1977);

• Ian Hassall (1992/1993/1994, 1998/1999, 2004/2005);

• Geoff Lawford (2010/2011).

Orienteers who achieved a score of 20 or more points are listed below:

Name Club Class Pts Av win margin

Marina Iskhakova* RR A W40A 24 0.17

Aston Key* MF V M21E 24 0.05

Rob Walter RR A M45A 23

Grace Crane AO A W21E 23

Steve Flick BN N M75A 22

Jenny Hawkins NT N W75A 22

Jenny Bourne* AO A W65A 22

Jennifer Enderby* NC N W50A 22

Geoff Lawford* AO A M55A 22

Cooper Horley GO N M16A 22

Torren Arthur MF V M18A 21

Debbie Davey WR N W65A 21

Cathy McComb AL T W50A 21

Alison Radford BG V W70A 21

Bruce Arthur MF V M45A 20

* Previous winner

3. There were 32 clubs that had members ranked in the first three places: ALT , RR A (12); YV V (6); MF V (5); AO A, BF N, GO N, NC N (4); BK V, KO W, PO A (3); BN N, BO W, EN Q, EV T, RR Q, SH N, SO Q (2); BB Q, BG V, BN N, BS A, LO W, NE V, OH S, ST N, UG Q, WO W, WR N, YA S (1).

4. Families with two or more members in the first three places in the rankings were: Dent (RR A) – Layla (W10), Hayden(M12), Connor (M12), Elye (W14), Kathy (W40); Radajewski (PO A) – Tessa (W10), Alice (W14), Owen (M16); McComb (AL T) –Zali (W18), Cathy (W60), Jonathan (M50); Iskhakova (RR A) – Veronika (W12), Ariadna (W14), Marina (W40); Bourne/Lawford (AO A) – Jenny W60), Geoff (M55); Key (MF V) – Sue (W65), Warren (M60); Arthur (MF V) – Torren (M18), Bruce (M45); Braid (KO W) –Rohan (M12), Lachlan (W14).

5. The classes with most ranked runners were, for the women, W16 (16), and for the men M65 (22).

6. The most successful States for first places were: ACT (15) and Victoria (8).

Marina Iskhakova punches another control.

2022 World University Championships

Irecently competed in the World University Orienteering Championships in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. This was an amazing experience, not only competing with very high level orienteers but also experiencing the atmosphere of an international level event.

Biel/Bienne is located on the boundary of German and French speaking Switzerland (hence the dual names), about half an hour by train from the capital of Bern. The town sits at the end of a lake of the same name, surrounded by wooded hills that make for excellent orienteering. The athlete

accommodation was provided by the Swiss Institute of Sport and was located on the side of the mountain above Biel, accessible by funicular, which provided great views of the region!

The schedule was packed – I ran in the individual Sprint, Middle Distance, Long Distance and forest Relay events. My favourite event was the Middle Distance, which took place on Corcelles, a hilly map rich in contour and rock details. The terrain was very varied even on individual legs, often starting in rocky detail, coming through clearings alongside deciduous forest before

heading back into the rock to find the next control.

The atmosphere of all the races was amazing, particularly the Middle Distance when we cheered for Aston as he ran into 4th place, only 3 seconds off 3rd place. After completing your race at the Middle Distance you could then walk across the arena to a dairy farm to get lunch provided by the Swiss Institute, which was set up next to a pen of calves which appreciated all of the many athletes’ pats. I’m not sure if the calves or the athletes enjoyed it more!

JULIA GANNON (QLD) (originally written for e-news)

Men’s Forest Relay start (Ewan Shingler & Angus Haines).

2022 World Univ Championships - Julia Gannon .

WUOC is for athletes between 18 and 25 who are currently studying at a university or similiar institute or have obtained their degree in the year preceding the event.

28 nations entered the Championships with Australia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland participating with the maximum 12 athletes.

Our Australian representatives ran really well on some fast terrain in the Sprint to achieve some amazing results!! Special congratulations to Aston Key for his 5th place (just 3sec off 3rd) and Angus Haines for 29th.

It was a huge day at the Middle Distance event, with two top-30 results!! Aston excelled again in the Middle Distance achieving 4th place, (only 1 minute behind the winner and only 3 seconds (again) behind a medal), while Alistair George ran amazingly well to come 29th. Emily Sorensen was the best Aussie girl in 44th (8:32 down on the winner).

It was all smiles at the Long Distance event too as the Aussies smashed it with two top-30 results! Well done to Angus Haines in 27th and Alastair George in 30th.

In the Relay, the men’s team of Angus Haines, Alistair George and Aston Key placed a very creditable 10th.

Aston Key 5th in the Sprint.

Liam Stolberger (NZ) - Long Distance.

Julia Gannon during the Sprint race.

Emily Sorensen’s World Cup & EOC recollections

(ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR E-NEWS)

The European Orienteering Championships/World Cup Round 2 in Estonia was one of the toughest orienteering experiences and a huge learning curve for me. This was my first World Cup race and although we’d been at WOC a month before it was still quite intimidating as the teams were bigger so the depth was significantly bigger.

On the first day in Estonia, we went to the Model event where we learned lots about the terrain which was quite different to what we have in Australia. However, unfortunately, the Model map was actually quite different to the competition terrain and therefore did not fill us with much confidence!

While scattered open would normally be quite dreamy in Australia, on these maps it’s something we quickly learned to avoid. Think head height stinging nettles, or grass with lots of fallen trees and stumps underfoot – my ankles never felt safe when running through here. The green was generally better than the yellow, but notably on the Middle Distance there were patches of thick vine-like plants that felt like smashing through a jungle.

The race agenda for the week was Middle Distance qualification, Long Distance, Middle Distance Final, and Relay. Each of these races were challenging in their own way. I found the Middle Distance qualification tricky with a few controls giving me trouble, but overall,

I was mostly happy with my performance given the lack of experience in the terrain. My main issue was that what I expected to see from reading the map was different to what I saw in the terrain, which lead to me being easily confused and hesitating a lot. It wasn’t the race I was hoping to have, but I have learnt a lot from it after reflection. The second race was the Long Distance, and I don’t think I’ll be forgetting it anytime soon. Filled with two crossings of a field of head height nettles and getting stuck chest height in marshes, it was a big day out (for everyone). For my 12.9km course I ended up covering 17.2km, which was the longest I’d run for a long time due to an injury I picked up at Easter. After learning lots from the previous day, I managed to pull it together for a long but for the majority clean race. Being a very early starter meant I was also able to watch the boys on the tracking and cheer them in the Finish which was good fun.

Running first leg in a Relay is something I’ve only done a couple times before having always tried to avoid the position every time the occasion arose. In saying that, it was very cool to have the opportunity to do so in such a high-pressure situation. I’m still not sure if it’s for me but I enjoyed the experience, nonetheless. When we weren’t racing, our down time was filled with map geeking, bulletin reading, uni work, basketball, a touch of sight-seeing and multiple scooter trips to the supermarket for snacks supplies. All in all, it was an experience I will not forget, and I can say with confidence that it has helped me and all the others on the Team develop as an orienteers.

Aussie Team at World Cup Round 2 in Estonia.

Emily Sorensen at Easter 2022.

Spot the Difference – December puzzle

MAP 1

With summer here it must be Sprint time so here is a World Championships Sprint map for you. MAP 1 is essentially the original map. MAP 2 contains 25 changes. Some of the changes are easy to find and some are not. Both map sections are the original 1:4,000 scale.

CAN YOU FIND ALL 25 ???

Hidden Heroes at Orienteering (anon)

It is Day 8 of the Carnival (the Australian Long Distance Championships at Nuggety Range) - quite warm - the “hottest day so far” and the effect of the sun was to increase the humidity to saturation. Well that was what it felt like as I carried my O gear through the car park prior to heading off home.

I passed a large gentleman sitting on the tray of his car hydrating himself. He was almost grey with dehydration, covered in sweat and in quite a bit of distress. I asked him for the second time that day, “are you OK?”

“Yep” he answered and added wearily “I’m all done in”.

I replied: “Were you successful in getting the roo out?”

“Yeah, all good”, he answered.

I added: “You are a good man and well done for that.”

He replied “Ta, thanks”.

Just what had he done?

I was on Course 8 like many others and had made the absolutely worst route choice of all time. After climbing the hill to Control 9 (#74) I continued up and up, then along the contour, down the ridge into a valley past a bunch of pits. I was on my way to finishing when I saw this guy with a lump of wood in his hands clearing away some blackberries. It appeared to be a very strange thing to do, so I asked him: “Are you OK?”

He replied: “Yeah”.

MTBO Corrections

Ricky Thackray

The September edition of The Australian Orienteer incorrectly stated that Will Whittington mispunched both the Long Distance and Sprint events at the World Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships in Sweden.  Will in fact recorded his best result in the long distance race with a 32nd place in a time of 1:40:17 for the 18.3km course. Note that all distances stated in both this and the September edition are straight line rather than shortest feasible route and competitors were required to stay on tracks, paved or open areas so the actual distance could be anywhere from 25-50% longer than the straight line.

The June edition also stated that I was hoping to avoid the mechanical issues that have been plaguing me throughout my WMTBOC races over the years.  I’ve

Then I asked: “What are you doing?”

He said: “There’s a kangaroo stuck down a hole and I’m getting him out!”

I asked: “Do you need some help?

He said: “Nah! ....... I’ll be all right.”

I said: “Good luck mate!” and continued on with my course.

Animals like kangaroos are a part of Orienteering in Australia. Where I come from (WA), we have them moving about on our courses and we see their tracks and nesting places. During this Carnival we saw them crossing our paths many times. At Mt Alexander we saw a roo gracefully jumping over fences at the Finish chute; and we saw the two terrified roos in the arena at the Relays, trying to get away from the waiting competitors by bounding up the cliffs either side of the chute. At Orange last year, along one of my last legs we saw the worst consequence - a roo covered in blood from a broken leg (the call went out for a vet to put it down).

All I want to say is that we have heroes out there who may not, in the scheme of things, be recognised for their efforts. Why would someone give up their course to save a roo?

I heard someone say once “there are more of them where they come from”. That may be so, but there are 8 billion of us on this planet so why save a life? The problem is, it may be your life that we are saving.

It is time I think we should say “thank you” to this good man who showed great empathy and willingness to do something (I think) that very few of us would do.

never suffered a mechanical in a single world race!  I’ve now raced in 28 official WMTBOC events over six lots of championships (29 if you count the first unofficial mass start in 2016) and have recorded results in all of them.  We’ve had other riders (Glenn Charlton being the main one) who suffered repeated mechanicals but it’s never been one of my shortcomings.  I have had a couple of mechanicals prior to events (the 2018 relay being the main one I can remember whilst I was warming up) but these were always fixed before commencement.

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.

Will Whittington in Sweden.

Ricky Thackray

O-SPY O-SPY O-SPY O-SPY O-SPY

Words to DRIVE SUCCESS

“What drives me to keep going is the passion for the game. To live moments that stay inside me forever, and play in front of the best crowds in the world and the best stadiums. That’s what drives me and the passion for what I do”.

Rafael Nadal, Spanish Professional Tennis Player (speaking after winning his 14th Roland Garros crown and 22nd Grand Slam title ‑ June 2022)

Value of Volunteers

Newly appointed CEO of the Australian Sports Commission, Keiran Perkins, has said in a recent speech that the value of volunteer workers to Australian sport is estimated to be $4 billion each year.

In Western Australia, SportWest has attempted to quantify the $ value of WA community sport. SportWest believes the findings can be used at all levels of government to illustrate the true value of community sport.

The extraordinary headline findings are:

1. Organised sport in WA delivers an estimated gross benefit of $10.3 billion per year.

2. For every dollar of economic and social investment into sport, more than $7 of economic and social benefit are fostered.

3. Each participant in organised sport in WA realises a return of $10,178 from their participation.

The data this project has delivered will now allow WA sport to provide a compelling case to both government and the commercial sector as to why investment in sport is a good investment.

And, in Queensland, officials from the Gold Coast Council have praised the legacy of hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games, claiming it is bringing an economic boost to the sporting economy, which is nearly at AUS $800 million a year.

Did You Know?

That some 35% of a banana is the peel which is an exceptional source of dietary fibre and also a potent source of polyphenol compounds which have been shown to have antimicrobial, antibiotic and antioxidant properties. Scientists are developing ways to extract these compounds for use in many ways such as preserving food and extracting active ingredients for pharmaceutical products treating Parkinson’s disease and also some diabetic medications. All from the humble banana.

Finally When

French writer and philosopher Voltaire arrived in England in 1726, he attended a sporting festival by the River Thames at Greenwich. He wrote that, so far from the event being confined to young men, “I was agreeably surprised when I heard that there was to be a race for the girls as well, and that, besides the purse which was the winner’s prize, the chemise was to be given to the best runner among the girls and the hat to the best runner among the men.”

VICTORINOX AWARD

This issue’s Victorinox Award goes to Tom de Jongh for providing many high quality orienteering photos to the magazine over many years, and at no cost to the magazine. Tom’s photos have really lifted the quality of the magazine and attracted more readers. Tom will receive a Victorinox Handyman which includes 24 tools and features – retail value $139.

MAKERS OF THE ORIGINAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE | ESTABLISHED 1884

2023

Dec 27-31 Xmas 5 Days Lithgow area, NSW www.onsw.asn.au/xmas-5-days

Jan 7-12 Oceania Championships Launceston, St Helens & Hobart

March 11-12 2023 Sydney Sprint Weekend NSW

April 7-10 AUS 3 Days Carnival, ACT Snowy Monaro

May 13-16 World Masters MTBO Champs Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia

June 17-18 2023 Jukola Relays Porvoo, SE Finland.

July 2-9 JWOC 2023, Baia Mare, Romania

July 11-16 Forest WOC 2023 Flims Laax, Switzerland

July 15-22 Swiss O Week 2023 Flims Laax Falera, Switzerland

July 23-29 O-Ringen 2023, Åre, Sweden

July 30Aug 4 Scottish 6 Days (actually 5 days) Moray, Scotland

August 11-18 World Masters Orienteering Champpionships, Kosice, Slovakia

August 18-27 WMTBOC & JWMTBOC Jicin, Czech Republic

Sept 9-10 AUS MTBO Championships Brisbane, Queensland

September AUS Championships, Western Australia

Dec 27-31 Xmas 5 Days NSW (venue tba) www.onsw.asn.au/xmas-5-days

2024

Mar 29-Apr 1 Easter AUS 3 Days Carnival South Australia

June 15-16 Jukola Relays Lakia, Finland

June 27-30 2024 European Youth Orienteering Champpionships, Poland

June 28-30 World Masters MTBO Champs Viborg, Denmark

July 12-16 2024 Sprint WOC Edinburgh, Scotland

July 15-21 2024 JWOC Czechia

July 21-27 O-Ringen 2024 Smålandskusten, Sweden

August 3-9 World Masters Orienteering Champpionships

Turku, Finland

August 15-20 European Orienteering Champpionships, Mór, Hungary

Sept 9-16 WMTBOC & JWMTBOC Bulgaria

Sep 28 - Oct 6 AUS Champs Carnival Armidale, NSW