The Australian Orienteer - September 1997

SPRING 1997

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"With ANSVAR, you can win a trip to the Swedish O-Ringen and I will be your host” Jörgen Mårtensson,

World Ori­en­teer­ing Champion 1991 and 1995

“The Swedish O-Ringen is one of the biggest sports events in the world. lt's a must for orienteers to take part at least once in a lifetime!”

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For full conditions, see Classified section of The Australian Orienteer, Spring 1997.

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Editorial Ian Baker National magazine of the Orienteering Federation of Australia Inc.

ISSN 0818-6510 Issue 4/97 (no. 108) Spring 1997 Editor and Advertising: Ian Baker, PO Box 294, Black Rock, Vic. 3193 Phone/fax (03) 9551 1758 Art and Assembly: Peter Cusworth, 8 View Street, Avonsleigh, Vic. 3782 Phone (03) 5968 5254 email: cusworth@internex.net.au Magazine Treasurer: Kathy Liley Printer: Priden Heppell , 28 Tarnard Drive, Braeside, Vic. 3195 For details of section editors, state contacts and direct subscription rates, see back cover.

Next issue: Summer (December) Deadline: 24 October in Melbourne (time sensitive material up to 31 October) Guidelines for Contributors are held by state magazine representatives.

Economical course setting

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HAVE often thought that orienteers make things too complicated, leading to too much work for course setters and organisers.

The number of hours put into preparing some of our events is unwarranted and unnecessary in relation to the turnout. At the same time, a competitor's satisfaction in being placed is diminished when there are few taking part.

Several things have occurred recently to stimulate questions in my mind about the way we do things.

First, Victoria's OY event number 3 in April this year is an example. There were 12 courses ranging from 1.5 km to 11.1 km.

The results show only 134 names; many grades had only two or three competitors.

The course-setter had about 90 controls in rugged terrain. I helped collect controls afterwards; picking up three on rock features in a small radius, I could not help questioning whether just one might not have been sufficient. There were four controls unique to Course One where there was only one runner (admittedly the event clashed with the elite Blodslitet but for which there would have been a few more).

Second, the Swiss national magazine for June had an analysis of a major event. "Most controls were visited by fewer than 100 runners...The course-setter had put out no fewer than 94 controls and there were 36 courses".

Third, I remembered that The Australian Orienteer once ran an article by Tony Mount (Tasmania) on economical and efficient course design, and was able to locate it quickly thanks to John Bourne's comprehensive index. Tony has now reviewed and updated this excellent article and it appears on page 24.

Fourth, in April at Christmas Hills on the outskirts of Melbourne Blair Trewin managed to set five courses using a total of 19 controls.

These used hanging markers and punches, not metal stands. He succeeded in putting them all out within one hour, and of course two or three people with backpacks would be able to pick them up even quicker.

Writing in Orienteering Victoria, Ruth Goddard says her club, Yarra Valley, "Is trying to work out some principles for low key organisation...and acceptable level of simplicity without sacrificing essential orienteering challenges. Orienteers are not good at keeping things simple!"

INDEXINDEXINDEXINDEXINDEXINDEXINDEX

Front cover: Jo Allison, 21, from Canberra. In the Australian team for WOC'97 in Norway, running the short course - see WOC report insert with this issue. Jo plans to study in Sweden for the next year, "I'm sure I'll come back physically and mentally stronger, because the standard of competition is so much stronger".

Photo, Graham Tidy, Canberra Times.

5 Letters 7 Did you Know?

9 Ski-O 10 Mountain Bike-O 12 IOF Report 13 Junior Orienteer 15 Junior World Championships 18 Running the Business 19 Coaching Connection

21 Looking Back 22 Great Legs 23 It’s a Thought Sport 24 Course Setting 26 OFA Report 27 Mapping 28 My Quest 29 Competition 31 Coming Events THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

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Guest Editorial John Brammall, OFA Vice President (Development)

Scene 1, 1986 STILL have very vivid memories of my first orienteering event (a score event at the little Hollybank forest reserve near Launceston) sometime in July, 1986. I have virtually lost contact with my work colleague, Lou, who took me, but I “fondly” recall the one eighty that took us off the map and the ten minutes of penalties we incurred as Lou had mistaken the time allowed. Especially, I recall that a few days later Lou dropped in a copy of the results with our names alongside a negative score.

A few months later our family braved our first Easter Three Days at Cherrabah in Queensland and one of my strongest memories is the gentle nurturing of the McComb family as they introduced us to the orienteering rituals such as writing descriptions on our control cards, and even attaching the cards to our bodies with pieces of string or elastic.

Those are but some of the instances of friendly assistance that helped hook me on our wonderful sport. But from the bureaucratic economic rationalistic perspectives of 1997, I could look back at that time and see that I was a client being nurtured by representatives of the organisation. They obviously succeeded!

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Scene 2, 1990 In 1990 I became very much involved with the organisation of the 1992 Veterans’ World Cup. Again, some great memories prevail, but strong among them is John Brock’s leadership and business perspective. We had a product (the event) and this had to be marketed to our clients (competitors). Our marketing campaign was the most aggressive of any Australian orienteering event and was clearly successful both in attracting competitors and attracting sponsors.

At the same time there were changes as government departments moved towards new funding criteria dependent on short and long term objectives, such as participation levels and performance criteria. This is all part of another customer-client relationship, one that operates both ways, between a

sponsor and a “sponsee”. Both parties in a sponsor relationship are clients to one another in a two way contract, each promising to deliver to the other. In crude terms if government is satisfied that we have achieved certain performance levels we receive funding; if we provide publicity and access to our members, we receive commercial, cash or in-kind sponsorships.

Scene 3, The Present The economy is tough: everyone expects value for money. As clients attending orienteering events we expect value for our entry fees (and we can be very bloodyminded critics!). With the current political and economic climate, government sponsors have less to offer and expect more in return; the corporate dollar is much harder to find.

To continue to successfully target government sponsorship we must now achieve quite stringent outcomes, especially in terms of participation and (elite) performance. But it could be argued that without these stringent demands maybe our elite and junior development and coaching programmes, for example, would not be where they now are and we would not have paid officers promoting our sport.

But as government funding drops more we must attract corporate sponsorship from the private sector or more customers (participants). Otherwise we (the current customers) must pay more for our orienteering (i.e. the user pays).

To target corporate sponsorship we must have images to sell, both of the orienteer and of the sport. Our surveys over recent years have provided us with a fairly clear picture of the “average” orienteer, and you must admit that we look pretty good in terms of education, disposable income and life style.

But there aren’t all that many of us. So that very much limits our market value for advertising and sponsorship.

The image of the sport is an even more vexing one. It is an individual and private (or hidden sport), difficult to explain to the nonorienteer, harder even to show it to others.

The current debate regarding orienteering as

a future Olympic sport has raised important searching questions about the very essence of the sport which have been summarised in the recent discussion papers from Sue Harvey, IOF President, in Orienteering World. Is it possible to develop a media friendly sport and adapt it to meet the Olympic specification for a “fair” sport? Are we prepared to change the essence of our sport to satisfy those requirements?

We should also be asking what is to be gained from being an Olympic sport? Recognition and status? A more marketable profile of the sport? Maybe, but at what expense to the essence of orienteering - and for something that will come around every four years at the very most?

And what about potential participants? The introduction of street and ski orienteering, and more recently of mountain bike orienteering (as just three examples) have changed our sport and our pool of potential customers. Consequently we must market these products to these potential customers.

As well, we need to take a broader perspective of just who our customers can be. We in fact have a rather limited pool of potential orienteers in Australia - but there are lots more overseas. Australia’s most successful orienteering event in financial terms was the Veteran World Cup - successful because it was a well marketed product that attracted customers from close on 20 countries. The OFA recently devoted about a year to putting together a bid for WOC 2001 (which was lost to Finland). Now WOC is the highest status event in orienteering, but a rather dubious business venture. What if the same time and resources had been directed to, say, aggressive promotion overseas of an event like Easter 1997 at Broken Hill, the Christmas/New Year Five Days or whatever.

Is it time to set up a marketing arm to do just that?

Maybe it is possible to view these changes and subsequent demands with some resentment. I prefer to speculate (with some excitement) on where we might be heading.

Although I do admit some nostalgia for 1986.

"With ANSVAR, you can win a trip to the Swedish O-Ringen and I will be your host” Jörgen Mårtensson, World Ori­en­teer­ing Champion 1991 and 1995 Just ask for a quote, or renew your pre-existing ANSVAR policy, and you’re in the draw

Australia Insurance Limited 4

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

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L e t t e r s

The Australian Orienteer welcomes letters from members. Preference will be given to letters which are concise and which make positive points

Australian Three Days, Easter, and OY events

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t last I got the results book from Easter in Broken Hill and fell over some astonishing

stuff.

I attended the event with some tourists who tried an enter-on-the-day course. Not only did they not appear on the results display an hour after finishing, worse these courses were not shown at the event centre or at the next day's event either. The frustration is huge because their time in the book was actually a whole hour slower than reality, placing them almost last, instead of first. I probably won't be able to get them near another event ever!

The second thing is that W21A and M21A classes do not get awarded Gold Badges any more. Whoever made this shortsighted decision must have forgotten that elite courses are for "strictly elite runners only". How are you supposed to become a listed elite runner?

You've got it - by a certain number of these valuable Gold Badges! Which brings me direct to yet another issue: The first OY events in the year are often conducted in conjunction with special events for "strictly elite runners only". Would it not be in the interests of everyone to cut out Course One at these events and let the one or two non-elite Course One or Course Two runners enter these special events as well? I think they wouldn't do any harm, would they?

Konrad Wildi (Bayside Kangaroos, Victoria) The editor referred this letter to: Howard Smith, OFA Technical Chair, who said he would be taking the matter up with the organiser, Jeffa Lyon, of the Australian Three Days, who comments:

• The results booklet was later than we would have liked, posted exactly five weeks after Easter Monday for reasons beyond our control (it was however within the OFA technical requirements of six weeks).

• Yes, we did get the M and W21A badge cut-offs wrong. Corrections are: M21A, Gold cut-off is 200.30. Graham Turner, Konrad Wildi, Alex Randall and Alan Garde score Gold credits.

W21A, Gold cut-off is 155.30. Elsie Campbell, Sheralee Bailey and Susan Hancock score Gold credits.

Also please note that in the results book Chris Brown and Carolyn Jackson should

have been shown as equal first in W35A. (The computer automatically formatted them as first and second, despite their times being identical).

• The workers at the finish were rightly much more concerned with "official" competitors' times than with EOD orienteers. Probably we should have decided outright that none of their results would be recorded as these people wanted to experience the sport and the area, no more: otherwise they would have entered officially in advance. One thing I am sure of: more than 100 people did enter on the day. That aspect of orienteering should be available at all national events, whether the results are or are not presented.

Jeffa Lyon tells The Australian Orienteer that the event made a surplus including paying all the costs of the maps.

Back to basics

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as economic rationalism become the catchcry for orienteering's future? Sue Johnston, our sport's President, says in her Guest Editorial (Winter issue), reflecting again the views she expressed at the microphone on Day Three at Easter at Broken Hill: "A high profile is important for ensuring that we remain competitive within the sporting market-place. In order to compete with other sports for members, participants, sponsors, government funding and media coverage, we must present a professional image...national teams which bring us creditable results at international level...increase the profile of orienteering".

Whoops! I thought I went orienteering to be at one with the forest and escape that slick city hype. Aren't I naive?

John Morris (Kareelah, NSW)

Save the trees

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hile I realise that we (OAWA) make money from the distribution of the Yellow Pages, these are becoming totally obscene in the waste of paper involved. The two massive volumes contain a small proportion of information and a vast amount of advertising.

I am telling Yellow Pages not to deliver to me.

This should save one small tree. Perhaps others might think about doing the same.

Dick Anderson (WA) This letter is reprinted, abridged, from OAWA newsletter. In Melbourne, I receive two volumes of Yellow Pages totalling 3212 pages, plus a local edition of some 500 pages, plus a Melbourne Big. The one local edition would be more than enough.

Ed.

Sue Johnston replies:

I am very pleased that someone who read my Guest Editorial took the trouble to write about it. I hope that this exchange might be the beginning of further debate.

We all enjoy orienteering because it gives us the opportunity to be at one with the forest and escape the pressures of work etc. It's also a wonderful sport because it caters for people with a range of fitness levels, technical expertise and motives. But, let's face it, there would be no orienteering to offer that escape or challenge or whatever it is each individual enjoys, if we didn't have organisers of events, maps and other infrastructure to support our sport.

All of this means we have to work hard to look for sources of funding and maintain our memberships so that we have plenty of volunteers; there are many other sports out there looking for participants and for funding dollars too. We could retreat from all the "hype" but that would mean either lower standards of events or higher costs, as well as more work for the decreasing numbers who would stay in the sport.

Club banners and the flags of thirty countries at the O-ringen in Sweden.

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

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LETTERS

ANZ Challenge

T

wo articles in The Australian Orienteer have had as their premise the concept that the purpose of the ANZ Challenge is to seriously determine which nation is "better" at orienteering. If that is really the name of the game, then just go straight to the WOC and JWOC results. I would like to argue however that there are several different purposes for this excellent match between our two nations.

A high-powered springboard for media attention The media are used to the idea of Australia/ NZ competition in other sports and enter into the feeling of this one with enthusiasm, with excellent coverage (e.g. front page newspaper colour photos, reports and results of all six days of competition).

I was personally interviewed by several reporters in NZ and was twice phoned by the ABC from Australia for phone interviews.

The media like the Challenge. Why take away this excellent opportunity for high profile competition?

Stepping stone Just as JWOC is a wonderful stepping stone to full WOC representation, so for many juniors the ANZ team is their stepping stone to WOC. The competition, the buzz and pressure of representing their nation and the experience gained by competing on different terrains all help build their experience, and they gain a taste of the international competition which helps to motivate them as they work towards world-level goals.

Being able to write "Australian Team Member 19xx" on one's CV when applying for grants, sports scholarships and the like can be invaluable to top juniors and elites. As a result of being on the Australian Open Women's Team my daughter Kirsten was given free membership of the local gym worth $450; this of course helps her to be a competitor in the future. Take away the Challenge and you remove these opportunities.

David Brickhill-Jones has become almost a household name in Tasmania, because he was on the ANZ team; our publicity officer has been able to use the fact to generate press interest in a rapidly improving junior.

Australian Masters Honour Team At present the ANZ Challenge is a veteran's only opportunity to represent their country

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(unless they are cheeky like Warren Key, Jim Russell or Louise Fairfax!) and now this opportunity is being reduced.

With more and more veterans travelling to the World Masters Championships, I propose that, regardless of travel intentions (and just as with schools and university teams), selectors (a special panel might be needed) name a very selective, three to five in each age group, "Australian Masters Honour Team". Those named would be awarded the traditional badge as tangible recognition of selection and would be entitled to purchase the ANZ type tracksuit.

For all the above reasons I sincerely hope the Challenge continues and as often as possible.

Louise Fairfax (Wellington Ranges, Tasmania) Louise's letter has been abridged from the original. Ed.

Catching up In Winter issue, Editor Ian Baker wrote he anticipated being the first Australian orienteer to record 1500 starts, probably in early 1999.

I

have, as of today 12 June, 1373 events and will reach 1500 by about Easter 1999. As you hit 1000 events some years ahead of me, it looks as though I'm closing fast! Currently I am averaging 67 events a year.

Dave Lotty (NSW) For the record, my 1400th start was at Taradale, Victoria, on Sunday 22 June. My progress had been slowed by a skiing injury. It has now healed and I am confident of reaching the landmark first!

We would like to hear from other members who achieve 1000 events or other notable achievements (and can verify them!) Ed.

NOW EVERYONE CAN AFFORD TO FLY A JET! SILVA 5 JET

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

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Did you know?

L

AST northern winter, I was in the general store at Antholz in the Dolomites of northern Italy, selecting a bottle of budget wine for our evening meal (note for travellers, a litre cost about $2, and very good too). The local policeman, who had been fully occupied in chatting up Daniela, the sales assistant, enquired, "Are you staying in that house with the Australian flag on the balcony, the place where a girl drives about in a VW minibus?"

➫ Tasmania will host the 1999 Australian Three Days at Easter.

Sand dunes near Hobart airport have been embargoed for remapping together with Bothwell, originally used for the 1980 Australian Championships.

➫ Emily Viner (Eureka, Vic.) was bitten by a snake at the Elite Blodslitet in April at Kangaroo Crossing in north east Victoria.

Reportedly she kept running for an hour or so, had a rest, something to eat, a paddle in the creek and dropped into the hospital on the way to the famous Beechworth bakery. She suffered no ill effects.

➫ Alex Tarr, who mapped two of the Broken Hill areas for Easter this year and is working on Maldon for Easter 1998, has been commissioned by the Victorian Orienteering Association to locate up to 15 areas in Victoria suitable for future Aus. Champs and world class events.

➫ ACT's Jo Allison was named as Australian National University's Sportsperson of the Year for 1996 in recognition of representing Australia at JWOC, World University Champs. and World Cup. And Rob Walter was ACT Sports Star of the Month in April for winning M21E at Easter. Both Jo and Rob made the Australian team to WOC in Norway.

Robin Rishworth on his bike on the summit of Mt. Zeil, the Northern Territory's highest peak, 1532m. Photo: Alan Davis

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OBIN RISHWORTH (Victoria) is well-known as an adventurer and very fit man; his achievements include a win and a second in New York's Empire State Building Run. Now he has ascended each Australian state and territory's highest mountain - eight in total, ranging from 1255m to 2228m - with a bicycle. Note we do not say on a bicycle. Many of these often obscure mountains are utterly unrideable so, when he could ride no further, Robin dismantled his MTB and strapped it to his pack. Occasionally he needed to use ropes to complete the climb; at the top, he reassembled the bike and recorded his feat on film for posterity.

Alan Davis (Yarra Valley, Vic.) climbed a number of the peaks with Robin and subsequently completed the round, also with his bike.

Shredding Alan Davis's map after a MBO event.

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Camp Snoopy at Mall of America, scale 1:1000.

he Mall of America in Minnesota is the world's largest indoor shopping and entertainment complex. And now it has a seven acre (about 0.44 sq. km.) orienteering map, all indoors. A permanent course is used by scout groups and by individuals. Its first international event will be a warmup for the World Masters Cup in September/ October. John Brock (Tasmania) is leading a group of 35 Australians and Kiwis to take part in the series of events in complex terrain; reportedly the army has moved some boulders for the organisers so it's a dead cert they will be control features! Blake Gordon (Eureka, Vic.) is masterminding a report for next issue.

I had to confess our party of ski orienteers from Melbourne was indeed in Haus Tannenblick on the floor below AlburyWodonga's Lynn Cranage and her father/trainer Bob, who were in Europe for biathlon races and had a sponsored VW in which to drive about. "This is a very small town and we do not like to make any unpleasantness for visitors. But every time I see her driving I have to look the other way in case I happen to notice she goes the wrong way round roundabouts.

Would you please explain one day I may actually see her, so it would be better if she could drive the same side of the road as everyone else."

The Italians are charming people and I was able to pass on the diplomatic message to Lynn. Just give her plenty of room if ever you meet her at the traffic islands in Mt. Beauty!

The Optus Australian Ski Awards were presented at a dinner in May in Sydney. Snow Sports Retailer of the Year was Snowgum Wodonga where Bob Cranage is the principal.

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ELINDA JACKSON, 10, did the right thing by Dad, Peter, at the Winter Classic in July in Victoria. Selected to pull entrants' names out of the hat, Melinda drew Peter's to win a top-of-therange Silva compass. Younger brother Tim, age two, completed a string course, with a bit of help.

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

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Did you know?

O

FA Treasurer Kathy Liley (Victoria) succumbed to arthroscopic surgery in June for recurrent knee trouble. A leading W50 she expected the six week recovery period would see her ready for the spring season.

B

RUCE ARTHUR is unlikely to be able to orienteer again this year. He shattered his kneecap in a bad fall at Kahli's Rocks, near Orange, in May and had to undergo surgery (spiral tension wire inserted around the kneecap to put it all back together). Bruce hopes to be back in action next year.

Bruce Arthur hails from SA but is now living and working in Melbourne.

Kathy is another orienteer to take out insurance with OFA underwriter, Ansvar; it gives her special pleasure to see the monthly commission statement showing the money coming back into the sport.

Louise Fairfax, off to Europe Photo: Liz Randall OUISE Fairfax (Tasmania) has been selected to represent Australia at the 1997 World Mountain Running Championships in August in the Czech Republic. She took out the Australian title in the autumn on Hobart's Mount Wellington.

HIS is an elite foot at Broken Hill at Easter. Taping is a slow and costly business but essential for those of us who need to care for our ankles in rough terrain.

OFA Secretary Dave Lotty once told us of his multi-day treatment.

Shave your legs carefully and then tape them. Leave the tape on and just add one more layer on Days Two and Three and so on.

When you shower, put your feet in plastic bags to avoid getting the tape too wet: just wash them with the end of your towel. Dave used this technique successfully for years but then found he was developing skin irritations from leaving the tape on, so now has to do a fresh job each time.

Hint to minimise the agony of removing the tape. Never rip it off, but hold the end of the tape and gently press your skin away from it.

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INNISH magazine Suunistaja, July, contained the official ranking lists. Published in tabloid newspaper format it detailed almost 4000 names on 30 pages. M21 had 1741 names (Juha Peltola on top), W21 690 names (Katja Honkala leading), M65 174 names and W60 33 names. All on a population of just over five million (NSW has over six million people).

N

Z's W21E Marquita Gelderman had a crash in the NZ Short Distance Champs., suffering a broken leg and torn knee ligaments. She had to be evacuated to hospital by helicopter. She has had two operations and hopes to start running again about October.

Incidentally, Choice, July, has a feature on car insurance. Ansvar show up well in quite a number of categories.

L

T

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Up and coming, Juha Peltola, 22.

Scored second place in short distance at the 1996 World Student Champs. and started the 1997 season in great style by topping Denmark's Spring Cup. Made his mark with an eighth in Short Course WOC in Norway in August.

Jim Russell (Victoria) went to the Apple Isle and returned home to Bendigo with the bronze medal, but was not nominated in the small team. For four years in a row 1985-88 he won the King Jim Russell Wycheproof King of the Photo: Greg Potter Mountain, a kilometre uphill carrying a 140 pound (64kg.) bag of wheat on his back. Best time was 5min. 02 sec.

For some years he bore the honorific "King James".

"The legs aren't so beautiful. I just know what to do with them", Marlene Dietrich.

Eddie Wymer knows all about Great Legs, turn to page 22.

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

Waiterere Forest, north of Wellington, was the setting for the NZ Short Distance Championships on 1 June. Map scale is 1:10000 with 2.5m contours.

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his hand-made silk tie with an orienteering design was advertised in Skogssport. It's a gift at 250 Swedish crowns, about $44, and if you write now, it should be here in time for Christmas.

Address is Soft-Forlaget, Idrottens Hus, 123 87 Farsta.

Ski-O

WOC98

participation at the World Championships in Austria or at the Olympic Games Demonstration event in Japan. This means that Australian entrants will be self-funded: estimated cost is about $5500 each. Interested persons - several have already registered should contact Hughes Little, 17 Kelmar Street, Cheltenham 3192. Phone 03 9584 2726.

World Masters, Russia, 1999

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INDISCHGARSTEN in Austria is the event centre for WOC98 from Monday 19 to Sunday 25 January, with a training camp the previous week. There are three races: long, short and relay.

Olympic Demonstration events Ski-O is to be a demonstration event at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games at Nagano in Japan; the dates are 29-31 January. The top 15 males and top 15 females at WOC will be receiving sponsorship to take part.

A model event is on Day One, a short distance event on Day Two, and downhill sprints and a relay on Day Four. The downhill sprint will be a course of about 10 minutes with fewer than 10 controls, spread over a 200 meter drop; heats will be in the morning with the finals in the afternoon.

The relays will be in between.

The event centre is Sugadaira, a small town in Nagano province, about one hour west of Tokyo by bullet train, which will be new for the Olympics.

Australia will take part, but no funding The Australian Sports Commission, in its grants to the Orienteering Federation of Australia, has not made any provision for

The first World Masters in Ski-O has been announced as taking place in 1999 based on St. Petersburg. We have written to the Russian Ski-O Federation in Moscow asking for preliminary information. We hope to publish details in the Ski-O newsletter, October.

Victorian Ski Orienteering Committee Hughes Little (Bayside Kangaroos and Melbourne Nordic) is convening a Ski-O committee within the VOA, and will coopt others.

The role will be to manage the sport within Victoria, basically starting with the planning for the 1998 season.

The OFA will continue to steer cooperation between states, in practice ACT (with NSW) for the Snowy Mountains area and Victoria (with Tasmania possible in the future); to produce the Ski-O newsletter; to be responsible for international affairs.

How to win a 5-Day

Australian Championships ACTOA is organising the 1997 Championships on Saturday 13 September at Perisher, using a new, extended map of the area between Perisher Gap and Smiggin Holes.

In 1998 the Championships are planned for a new map at Mt. Hotham in north-east Victoria.

Jörgen Mårtensson’s decisive winning route choice on leg 16-17 at this year’s Swedish O-ringen.

See page 12.

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

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Mountain Bike Orienteering (MBO)

Blake Gordon, MBO Convenor for OFA, 835 York Street, Ballarat 3350 Ph. 03 5331 7937

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T did not take long to get mountain bike going in Australia- NSW, SA, ACT, and Victoria will hold state championships in 1997! Though the areas will no doubt be less complicated than the complex granite and goldmining terrain that has become the standard in foot orienteering, I'm sure that the challenge of the navigation at speed will produce events of high quality and provide good competition in all age classes. With the largest event expected to attract just over 100 competitors, organisers will need to get their heads together to offer enough classes to attract at least four competitors per class, to make a race of it!

In 1998 we'll try for an Australian Championship - any bidders for that event should contact your state rep. pronto.

New Equipment. The MBO rotating map board has proved to be a success in several trials. The advantage of being able to glance down at one's map while on the move is a significant time saver. The Victorian group believes that the new map board offers a significant safety feature for beginning mountain bike orienteers. The need to keep both hands on the handle bars while

e-mail: b.gordon@aquinas.acu.edu.au

negotiating bumpy and winding tracks cannot be over-emphasised. The young rider needs to be reminded to check the map frequently to keep contact with the map so that errors in navigation can be kept to as minimum. The advanced rider can easily keep the map oriented and relatively free of mud using the rotating map board. The map board looks like a winner!

State Championships I've included a few notes about events in each state (including the championships).

Tasmania: Mike Morphew's new Mt. Lloyd 1:30,000 map (first use on 13 July) should be a step forward - the first purpose-built MBO map in my memory.

Victoria: Rob Plowright will be making a 1:20,000 map for the Victorian Championships on November 16th in the Ballarat area.

SA Champs: Kay Haarsma is making another 1:20,000 for the SA Champs near Adelaide in late October.

ACT: Interest is high in ACT with attendances over 60 at several recent events; the November 2nd State Champs at a 'secret' location (according to Peter Plunkett-Cole) should attract some interstaters.

NSW will start the championship 'ball bearings rolling' with the 2 August event at Penrose Forest, half way between Sydney and Canberra.

ROTATABLE MBO MAP CASE

from SILVA

A specially designed rotating map case for mountain bike Orienteering is now available in Australia. Manufactured by Silva France, the case consists of a 25cm x 25cm rigid platform that clips on to the bike's handlebars (dia 22cm-25cm).

The platform has a clear plastic stud-closed cover which holds and protects the map. You can position a compass on the map inside the cover or obtain a Silva type 19 'Map Guide' compass ($19.95), which clips onto the map case. The MBO map case is rotated by keeping the magnetic 'North' end of the compass needle aligned with the magnetic 'North' grid lines on the map – this way the map is oriented and you're always riding in the direction the map is pointing.

Warren Key, 1997 Australian Short Course champion, sets out on another version of the sport, MBO. Warren is manager of the Melbourne Bicycle Centre.

10

The Silva MBO map case is priced at $69.95 and is available through your local O-Gear Shop at events, or from the Orienteering Service of Australia, 44 Alexandra Pde.,Clifton Hill, Vic. 3068. Tel (03)9489 9766; Fax (03)9481 5368 Credit card mail orders are welcome and supplied free of mailing costs.

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

Worldwide Comments Abridged from the originals

W

RITING in Orienteering World, June, editor Clive Allen says that orienteering appears to be a sport mainly for veterans and families, with the participants having a wide range of fitness and attitude, from the competitive to recreational. It is fine that orienteering appeals to all standards, however the worrying element is the lack of youngsters and athletes in their prime.

Where schools programmes are effective in sampling the sport, there is a failure to get these kids into mainstream orienteering. Young people are usually the children of older members.

Universities with O clubs have considerable potential as a source of new, keen, fit orienteers.

The number of young orienteers has dwindled alarmingly in recent years as competition from other pursuits hots up. Isolated intiatives are not enough to combat this trend: coordinated activity on several fronts is needed.

Mark Valentine (Eureka, Vic.) finishing at Ballarat in May.

Rules of the Road. Like all new forms of orienteering MBO will have its 'teething problems'. I got several e-mail messages in June from the IOF representative Michael Woods, the Australasian representative from New Zealand. Michael is currently visiting France with his primary aim to check out the French maps, competition rules and organisational details so that he can share it downunder. I look forward to catching up with him in Minnesota in September at the World Masters Orienteering Championships.

But we must be aware that our rules adopted at the 1995 OFA Annual Conference (revised in 1996 and 1997) will change as the sport develops. At present they are simply: ride on tracks to get to controls; wear a helmet; the control card must be attached to the bike throughout the competition; bikes must be 'trackworthy' before the start; respect for the environment must be practised by organisers and competitors; do not do anything that you would consider cheating if done by others!

E-mail addresses of the State reps on the OFA MBO Committee are: Lorenzo Calabro (QLD)

s342076@student.uq.edu.au

Dick Ogilvie

(NSW)

dick_ogilvie@rta.nsw.gov.au

Peter Plunkett-Cole (ACT) PPlunke1@email.dot.gov.au

Blake Gordon

(Vic)

Kay Haarsma

(SA)

Tony Whittaker

(WA)

Jo Mitchell

(Tas)

b.gordon@aquinas.acu.edu.au 9701476j@Magpie.Magill.UniSA.edu.au TOWH@dct.wa.gov.au

303 230

289 Male 60%

193 144

41 -20 21-35 36-49 50-65 66+

Female 40%

Analysis of attendance by broad age group at this year's Australian Three Days at Broken Hill. (The non competitors were officials and accompanying persons).

In Course d'Orientation (France) the editorial points out that it is relatively easy to attract people, especially school children, to sample orienteering. The real task is to convert these people into regulars.

Also in Orienteering World, IOF President Sue Harvey compares orienteering with any other product: if it doesn't sell, it means the customer does not like it enough. You can continue to lose sales, or you change the product. We should concentrate on "keeping it simple"; complex organisation is a deterrent, people want to run rather than organise, complex events are not "media friendly".

Peter Palmer says his experience in working with TV has convinced him that first back through the finish is important. He advocates mass start events with three loops of 2 - 3 km to be run in random order, and a winning time of 35-45 minutes.

Handrail (UK) says relays are different to other events. Team members should race head-tohead with their opponents from start to finish. This element is often lost because there are too many classes, clubs lack strength in depth and it is hard to identify your opponents. The answers lie in reducing the number of classes by adopting e.g. Total ages of the team not less/ more than x years, and by providing a variety of lap lengths. Close races require simpler terrain and not too much climb; because the longest Johan Modig course may be relatively short (Sweden) made (and because of the loops headline news by course design) smaller maps winning the classic are often suitable. Clear distance event at numbering will differentiate JWOC in Belgium. between classes.

Our report starts on page 15.

Blair Trewin (Vic.) is preparing an options paper for the VOA on relay formats and classes. He was already aware of the way Norway arranges age groups, as reported in the last issue, and has a copy of the full Handrail article.

do_south.oti@trump.net.au

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

11

Section Editor, Hugh Cameron, Vice President, IOF (Albury Wodonga O.C.)

J

UST how old is orienteering? It's not easy to be definite, but we do know that the first public event took place in Norway in 1897. We can consider it as the birth of orienteering and the sport can now celebrate its one hundredth anniversary.

The IOF is launching the celebrations at WOC97 in Norway and they will continue for a whole year at all major international events, culminating at the 1998 World Cup Final in Finland.

Prior to 1897, orienteering had been practised in the army. In 1886 the word "orienteering" was used for the first time to mean crossing unknown terrain with the aid of a map and compass. In 1895 competitions were held by the military in Stockholm and in Oslo.

Orienteering developed in the nordic countries as a sport in its own right. By 1930 it was firmly established in Finland, Norway and Sweden, with meetings and cooperation between them. The first international competition took place in 1932 between teams from Norway and Sweden. After a break during the war, a nordic body for cooperation, NORD, was founded.

The sport developed in other countries, notably Switzerland, and an international conference was held in Sweden in 1959 with delegates from 12 countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, DDR (East Germany), Hungary, Switzerland, West Germany, Yugoslavia and the four nordic countries. In May 1961 the International Orienteering Federation was founded at a meeting in Denmark.

Today the IOF comprises 49 national federations. The youngest member, India, entered in April 1997.

Main Objectives • A higher profile for orienteering • Increase the number of countries where orienteering is practised • Strengthen the IOF • Discipline (various forms of orienteering) development Official IOF events • World Championships in foot orienteering in odd numbered years and ski orienteering in even numbered years.

12

The first World Championships were in Finland in October 1966.

Norway's Age Hadler won the Men's, and Ulla Lindkvist (Sweden) the Women's.

• World Championships for 20 year olds and younger in foot orienteering (JWOC) and ski orienteering every year.

• World Cup in foot orienteering in even numbered years and ski orienteering every year.

• World Masters Orienteering Championships for 35 year olds and older in foot orienteering (JWOC) and ski orienteering (starting 1999, see Ski-O page 9) every year.

• The first WOC for mountain bike orienteering and trail orienteering will be organised in the near future.

Jörgen Mårtensson and Katarina Borg win O-ringen

A

Good one for Cassie

B

EST Australian performance was by Cassie Trewin with second place in W20A (there was W20E too) in a field of 103. Best result in M20A was Ben Schulz who was 11th overall, improving from his Day One place of 34th.

O-ringen clinics

T

WO Kenyans, Peter Mutua and Johani Mutisya, both high-class runners, took part in the O-ringen and the associated clinics, led by Peo Bengtsson. 35 students from 15 countries in all continents participated.

The O-ringen is said to be one of the world's biggest multi-day sporting events. According to Sweden's Skogssport entries this year totalled 10,401 (1996, 17,007). Attandances peaked in the middle '80s with a high of 23,000 in 1983.

DRAMATIC last stage saw Jörgen Mårtensson beat Hakan Eriksson, Lars Holmqvist and Mikael Wehlin in the finish.

Despite more than five minutes between them in the chasing start, the four were soon together and stayed that way right up to the last but one control, when Jörgen took a different route and was able to gain a few crucial seconds.

If the men's finish was dramatic, the women's was the opposite. Katarina Borg cruised home with a winning margin of almost nine minutes over Gunilla Svärd, who beat Karolina Arewang in the finish straight for Yet another big win second place. for Jörgen Mårtensson.

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

Gunilla Svärd, second in W21E at O-ringen

JUNIORS Section Editor Kay Haarsma

and used to do Little Aths. as well. Initially we all played netball on Saturday mornings too, but this no longer fits in.

Kathryn Ewels

T

HE EWELS name has come to prominence in the O results in recent years, particularly with Jane and Kathryn in the Victorian Schools Team. I catch up with Kathryn, a busy W18 currently doing her final year at school.

Kathryn’s list of orienteering credentials includes: • 1st Vic. Schools 1991, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97 • Aust. Schools Honour Team 1995-96 • Aust. Junior Squad 1996-7 • 1996 - 1st W16 Aust. 3 Days - 1st Aust. Schools Championships - 2nd W16 Nationals • 1997 - 1st W20 Aust. Short O - 5th W20 Aust. 3 Days Running up a grade as still eligible to run W18.

How did you get started in Orienteering?

I began orienteering in 1991, aged 11, with the Vic. Primary Schools Championships being my introduction into the sport. I was a crosscountry runner and was able to pick up enough basic O skills to win the event at Brimbank Park. In 1993 I went with Troy de Haas and his family to my first bush event.

(They live in Macedon also.)

Each school holidays my family has always gone camping and this initially restricted my exposure to orienteering. In 1994 my family began orienteering, as they like the outdoors and the challenge of orienteering too. My sisters, Jane and Meredith, and my mother and father are all now regular orienteers.

However this has meant a rather crowded schedule, as both Jane and I compete for Athletics Essendon in track and crosscountry,

You have come from an athletics background. What are your best events?

I won the Victorian under 14 3km xc and 3km track titles several years ago. This year I was 2nd in the under 18 3km and 5th in the under 20 category. I have been selected in the Victorian crosscountry and athletics teams for the past 4 years and will race in the National Crosscountry Titles in August in Adelaide. My best results in the Nationals have been 6th in the track 3km in 1995 and 8th in the Crosscountry in 1996. (These impressive results have gained Kathryn selection in the Heart Health Beyond 2000 Squad - Ed.) My older sister Jane has been pretty successful in crosscountry too, being selected in the Victorian Schools Team in 1994,5 and 6; as well as the Vic. Orienteering team in those years too. Meredith, my younger sister competes in the W16 age class and is still learning about orienteering.

When did you decide to do orienteering seriously?

My first major competition was the Southern Cross Junior Challenge held in Ballarat in 1994. I orienteered consistently for six months before it, and placed second in the Under 16 Individual and our relay team got third. This gave me a confidence boost and showed that I could succeed if I was to take orienteering seriously. I feel that orienteering is more challenging and interesting than xc or athletics and also more friendly and personal . Peta Whitford’s efforts (Vic. Junior Coach) in making you feel welcome and offering help are in contrast to the athletics scene where some coaches struggle to remember your name.

Do you have an individual coach?

I have received coaching assistance from Lou de Haas, Jim Russell and Peta Whitford but I do not have an individual coach. My family sometimes practises together in the bush near Macedon, and recently I have been improving my running by training weekly with Troy de Haas.

What is a typical training week in winter and do you do any cross training?

I combine my crosscountry and O training, and do O technique on the weekend if I’m not racing. I vary my training surfaces and try to avoid concrete. I cross train by cycling and swimming, and also enjoy playing badminton, netball, cricket and football for my school, Gisborne Secondary College.

Sun 5-8km O race Mon Rest Tues 8 x 200m at 40 secs or fartlek 5 km Wed 10km hill run with Troy Thurs 3 x 500m in 100 secs with 2 mins. recovery Fri 40 min. run or bike ride Sat 3-10km xc race What are your orienteering strengths and weaknesses?

My strength is my running endurance ability.

I am looking to improve my map reading skills and learning how to navigate in detailed areas and in the control circle. My favourite terrain is spur/gully with small areas of gold mining.

How is it that the small town of Macedon has two very prominent orienteering families?

As children we all went to Macedon Primary School where orienteering is part of the curriculum. They have won the Victorian Primary Schools Champs. for the last 5 years!

The town is ideally located between Ballarat and Melbourne with easy access to the bush events. There is no running track, but two football ovals where we train and it has an O map just out of town. The Central Highlands O Club is in the area and we belong to it.

What are your ambitions Kathryn?

I am finishing my VCE this year and hope to go on to uni. to study sports or environmental science. I would like to represent Australia at junior and senior World Orienteering Championships and to become a successful elite orienteer. I would also like to try ski-o.

I want to continue with my crosscountry and athletics and perhaps achieve national selection.

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

13

JUNIOR

ORIENTEER

The Queensland Scene

“Race day’s arrived, you’ve got to keep it all together - but how?”

The Queensland juniors have risen to prominence over the last few years. They had five in strong contention for this year’s JWOC team and gained good representation with Ben Schulz, Melissa Thomas and Lorenzo Calabro all being selected. Kerryn Thomas, just 20 years old, and their newly appointed Junior Squad coordinator, answers my questions:

Can you describe the “career path” for Queensland juniors and reasons for their good results?

The availability of coaching of orienteers at all levels and all ages is probably the key to our success. Our annual Five day July camp is open to all juniors above the age of 10, and we provide specialised coaching for the green, orange and red standard orienteers. This gives the younger ones a good skill grounding, and it is amazing to see how much they improve over the five days.

The next step is the QJOS Squad (Junior) which is open to those 14 years and over who can successfully complete red courses. At present there are 25 in this squad. They attend regular coaching days and six weekend training camps. Their major goal is selection in the State Schools Team, which gives them the opportunity to travel interstate and experience national level competition.

Selection in the “Gold Squad” is the next step. Criteria for this are a minimum age of 16 years and gold badge standard at Easter or the Nationals. In the Gold Squad juniors receive a greater level of personalised coaching and are very committed towards achieving their goals. They have two specific coaching weekends just for them. These then aim for Junior Squad and JWOC selection.

Kerryn, congratulations on your Junior Squad coordinator position. How did you get into coaching and what aims have you for the squad?

I became a Level one coach as part of the CAPS Program, which promotes leadership in sport for young people. In the July camp I coached the orange group which was both enjoyable and rewarding. My main aim is to make the Junior Squad fun. This will lead to increased participation, and if the juniors enjoy orienteering they will be more likely to continue with the sport as seniors.

14

Here’s what some of our top juniors do to get to the start line in the best condition and ideal frame of mind.”

Melissa Thomas

How did you get involved in orienteering and what other sports do you do?

My sister Melissa and I were introduced to the sport by a family friend about 9 years ago. For three years we just attended the local Toowoomba events, which occurred four or five times a year. In 1991 Doug Wilson asked us to run in the regional trials for the Schools Championships. We both made the regional team and then the Queensland Schools Team for the Australian Championships that were held in Queensland close to where we live.

After this exposure to the national level we both got serious about orienteering and started travelling regularly to run at events in Brisbane.

I enjoy most outdoor type sports, and presently do rogaining, bushwalking and rock climbing. I do weights two or three times a week and also use the gym exercise machines and do aerobics to add variety to my running training program.

Is living in Toowoomba an advantage or disadvantage to your orienteering?

Often I have to travel two hours each way to orienteering events. Living in Toowoomba also means that I have to be motivated to go for training runs myself, whereas in Brisbane there are a number of groups that train together various afternoons. However this has forced me to be self-motivated , which I think is an important trait of successful orienteers. An advantage of living here is that we are only about 15 mins away from the Crows Nest maps (Easter 1995), which are more technically demanding than most of the maps in Brisbane.

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

Kirsten Fairfax (Tas): I have a few little routines on race day that help me get into race mode and overcome the inevitable pre-race butterflies. I like to get prepared as much as possible the night before, so I don’t get into a panic finding things the next morning. I lay out all my gear ready. I always try to have a proper breakfast of muesli with banana, and a bit of bread. Then I put on my lucky whistle - it’s seen all my best races, so ...

At the event I have a little chat, not thinking about the race except to check out the finish. I like to do my warmup alone, and use that time to focus, concentrate. Then I have another little chat while I’m stretching, so I don’t get too nervous, but leave five minutes to focus just before I go. I actually think what I do on race day is not that consequential. It is mainly the preparation in the months, weeks and days beforehand. I’m not too worried if something unusual happens on race morning, or something goes wrong. It is not wrong, merely different.

Kerryn Thomas (Qld): At major events or other events I really want to run well in, I tend to get very nervous. I have tried focussing on the terrain and what I think the map will look like, but this makes me even more nervous.

I tend to do better if I talk to other people at the start and not really think much about the map until I pick it up. The two minutes at the pre-start gives me enough time to check which direction north is and to memorise the first description, which is something I do at every event. Thus, if I do that every time, a major event feels just like any other event, and I am automatically thinking about my navigation, rather than how fast I have to run to catch person x or y.

Georgie Statham (Tas): I always have a lucky breakfast of a bowl of rice bubbles, a piece of bread or toast and 750mls of water. I always get to the start far too early and spend ages waiting around thinking about the event.

Joel Johnston (Qld): The mental preparation I go through before a race is the same no matter what level race it is, the Australian Champs or a club event. I like to be as relaxed as possible and I achieve this by being properly prepared before I leave home and listening to music while getting ready to race. On the way to the start I rerun my best races in my mind or I imagine a perfect race where I’m running fast through the bush, flowing well through the controls and racing error free. At the start I try to imagine the first leg and the procedure that I go through to get there: turn over the map, find the first leg, orient my map, route choice decision and race!

Kathryn Ewels (Vic): I prepare myself by doing a warm up with stretches and then visualising myself running through the terrain. I normally walk to the start with fellow Victorian Jenny Prime, who runs in the same age class, and we talk to get rid of any nerves.

Junior World Orienteering Championships 1997 Australian Team Manager Paul Pacqué reports from Belgium

O

N Monday 7 July we moved to the official JWOC accommodation at Leopoldsburg a military camp with 8-bunk dormitories and a huge dining room, big as a football field. The army was one of the main sponsors of the event, providing quite a bit of manpower as well. The meals out of the army kitchen, well that is a different story! Our first meals: French fries and steak for lunch, chicken and stewed cherries for tea.

Tuesday 8 July - Start draw for the short course qualifiers and opening ceremony. Australia marched (not Relay start. Are there more than 22 on the field? Photo: Paul Pacqué really the right verb though) at the head of the long line of 35 teams Paul and coach Jim Russell scored Start intervals were one minute through the town of Leopoldsburg an invite to a reception at the town with three heats in both the men's to the town square. There was no hall but the convenient excuse of a and the women's events. The Australian team, especially the shortage of entertainment: flag team meeting got us out soon. women, were quite lucky in that races up and down the line, raids JWOC Short Course – they all started relatively late. on other team's flags, ascents of an Weyervlakte Lorenzo Calabro was our first army tank and a WWII monument, starter, closely followed by Ben Wednesday 9th July and other acts of soft hooliganism.

Schulz and Rob Preston. We then Some of the Australians even talked Last week during our training had a 20 minute wait before the local marching band into camp in Lommel we had rain letting them use their drums for a about every day. Today it was fine Kirsten Fairfax, Troy de Haas, David Shepherd, Emma Prime and while, showing off their musical but overcast with temperatures in Julia Minty took to the bush. Ben (sic) talent. The highlight of the the low 20s, ideal for running.

Rattray, Melissa Thomas, Cassie opening ceremony, after the usual Jim's last words to the team on Trewin and Rebecca Minty made speeches and traditional dances, the night before were that if up the Australian rear guard. They was a five person parachute team everyone ran cleanly, they should delivering the IOF and other flags all be able to make the A final. We were the ones hoping for elephant tracks. No such luck though: there and a spectacular helicopter fly-by all believed we could pull it off, was hardly any undergrowth. which caught us all by surprise. having trained well on similar Lorenzo finished in what seemed a terrain the previous week. good time, 26.36 for 5,250m or The terrain consisted almost just over 5 min per km. Kirsten exclusively of sand plains and was our first finisher in the dunes. The sand was mostly women's race with a time of 26.35 covered by vegetation, for 4.2 km, 6.20 min per km. Both predominantly open conifers, but were high up on the leader board, some deciduous trees as dense, but only for a short while. For the young stands; runability and qualifier the northern, flatter part visibility were excellent. In some of the forest was used which proved parts the sand dunes provided for extremely fast with the top man very technical orienteering because running 4.21 kms and the fastest of the intricate contour detail while woman 5.15 kms. As some other parts were almost flat, discovered, it was very easy to run requiring very accurate compass too fast and lose map contact in work. In all areas there were the vague terrain. numerous though irregular paths, tracks and roads. Some of the area Only the first 20 in each heat were has been or still is heavily used for to go to the A finals, the next 20 to Troy de Haas (Vic.) had a great run military purposes, leaving sandy the B final and the remainder to to take 9th place in the Short tank tracks, man hole pits and the C final. We ended up with 2 A Championships. Our photo was finalists in both the men's (Troy trenches. taken by Liz Randall at this year’s 5th and Ben S 20th) and the Australian Short Championships.

woman's (Cassie 7th and Rebecca 18th). Ben was the lucky one finishing 20th in his heat with the slowest qualifying time - a long nail-biting wait before he had certainty. Everyone else made it to the B final with the exception of Ben S who had a very disappointing run and ended up in the C final.

We weren't discouraged by not all making the A final; in fact most of the non-A finalists were pretty determined to show that they could have made it by running some top places in the B and C finals. Everyone was ordered by Jim to rest and relax in the 4 hours or so before the finals. It was strange to finish a race and not being able to feel that great "postrace relief".

The finals started at 3 p.m. with the slowest qualifiers in each final starting first. This guaranteed suspense and excitement till right at the end with the leader board constantly changing as more fancied competitors came in. The final was more technically demanding with the southern part of the same map being used where the sand dunes were more numerous and also steeper and higher. This was reflected in the kilometre rates.

Ben R was the second starter with our other team members evenly spread out over the next two hours.

A spectator control on the A courses provided entertainment for the public which encouraged (or

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

15

JUNIOR WORLD ORIENTEERING CHAMPIONSHIPS, 1997 – BELGIUM

Relay changeover Photo: Paul Pacqué

gave instructions) to their countrymen in numerous languages. Many a runner spent some embarrassing moments in front of the crowd trying to locate the control.

The only Australian spectator, Belinda Allison, about lost her voice, loudly encouraging every finishing Australian. She spent some time with the team over the last few days and we all owe her a

big thank you for being such a great happy helper.

The Australians handled the more complex sand dunes well. They should have - after all they trained lots in that sort of terrain. In the C-final Ben S finished 3rd. Lorenzo was 6th and Rob 49th in the B final. Unfortunately Dave was disqualified because of some very sloppy Regnly punching. Ben R felt a bit disappointed with his

49th place in the A final, nevertheless an improvement on his previous JWOC performances.

Troy's race was very exciting. He came through the spectator control close to the leader's time and when he finished he was in 3rd place. We were all getting excited about the prospect of a medal, but the fastest runners were still to come in and he gradually slipped to a magnificent 9th.

Cassie finished 27th, somewhat disappointed because she made a few errors, but we were nevertheless very excited for her. Rebecca finished 49th in the A final, an admirable result in her first JWOC. In the B-final, Julia came 9th, Melissa 20th, Emma 30th and Kirsten 34th.

Not a bad day's work really, and with the classic still to come, they were all keen to get out there and run even better!

In evening the team went off to a short "After the Short Party" to wind down - don't worry, Jim was there to keep an eye on them!

JWOC Classic Race – Gruitrode Friday 11th July

Proud to be a supporter of the Orienteering Federation of Australia

16

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

Australia was fairly lucky with the start draw we thought; none of our runners had an early start. As usual our "best hopes" chose to start in the third or late start group. Often this is an advantage if there is a lot of undergrowth and elephant tracks are formed. However because of the nature of the terrain this was not to be the case. It was also extremely hot, so in hindsight starting early would have been a better choice.

As usual Jim went to the start to provide our troops with last minute coaching and moral support. I waited at the finish. Earlier in the week, with the aid of a previous version of the map and the scant information provided in the programme, we had been speculating about start and finish area (and where the courses would go). Well, we were spot on. We even predicted where the map change was, only a few hundred meters from the finish and

accessible to spectators. This allowed me to see everyone about mid course and to shout some encouragement and even coaching advice to the later starters, based on information from the early finishers.

With the exception of Julia and Rebecca, who had made errors early on, everyone came through with encouraging split times.

Kirsten and Cassie were even less than four minutes off the lead and a consistent second half would have guaranteed a top 20 finish.

The fastest split for the women was 22.40 with ours coming through in: Kirsten 26.20, Cassie 26.30, Melissa 30.45, Emma 33.30, Julia 39.00 and Rebecca 40.45.

The fastest split for the men was 24.50 with Ben R 31.20, Troy 32.00, David 32.15, Lorenzo 32.50, Ben S 34.00 and Rob 34.30. Unfortunately for almost all of them it was the second half which caused the majority of problems and where they came unstuck. Was it the softness of the terrain which sapped their strength?

Didn't they come to grips with the technical and very challenging sand dune terrain? Or couldn't they cope with the extra mental pressure of a race at this level?

Probably a combination of all of the above together with a bit of plain bad luck, as for Troy who broke his compass shortly after the map change.

The finish was quite spectacular with a very steep downhill section which caught more than one participant completely by surprise, causing them to crash at the bottom. With the more fancied competitors starting in the last start block, suspense was guaranteed till the end, with the leader board regularly changing.

The Australians, with the exception of Cassie whose spirit broke after a major error on the first leg after the map change, all struggled in, completely exhausted, proof that they tried their hardest and fought till the end.

Today was definitely not our day and I saw a lot of disappointed faces at the finish line. I don't think anyone on the team was even

JUNIOR WORLD ORIENTEERING CHAMPIONSHIPS, 1997 – BELGIUM remotely happy with their run.

Most failed to master the sand dune terrain with many small open areas and an intricate track network. Some just made too many mistakes, others ran into the wall on maybe one of the hottest days of the summer so far.

In the women's race Switzerland had an excellent day with a first and a third, displacing the fancied Scandinavians from the medals except for Finland's Hanna Heiskanen who also won the short distance race.

The men's winner was Johan Modig of Sweden on 60min51, by a huge margin from Vladimir Lucan of the Czech Republic in 64min10. Sweden dominated the field of 159 orienteers with four out of the first seven. Our best performances were 73rd in the men's (Ben R) 31.4% behind, and 59th in the women (Kirsten).

JWOC Relay – Hechtelse Duinen Saturday 12th July This event was held in terrain which most closely resembled the maps we had been training on, so we had reason to hope for good results. Everyone was also determined to make up for their disappointing performance of the previous day. Our four teams: Ben R, David and Troy; Lorenzo, Rob and Ben S; Cassie, Kirsten and Julia; Rebecca, Melissa and Emma.

With the men off 15 minutes before the women we had 2 very colourful starts with both packs racing off towards the start triangle as if their life depended on it. A spectator control provided additional entertainment.

The best Australian on the day was Ben R who as first leg runner finished only 2.5 minutes off the lead. The Swedes completely dominated both races with a first

JWOC RESULTS 1997 SHORT COURSE Men’s A Final 5 km, 61 starters 1 J Rostrup Nor 23.31 2 P Oberg Swe 23.33 R Gunnarsson Swe 23.33 9 T de Haas Aus 24.46 49 B Rattray Aus 28.50 Men’s B Final 4.9 km, 58 starters 1 A Harju Fin 23.48 6 L Calabro Aus 24.43 49 R Preston Aus 32.43 Men’s C Final 4.65 km, 37 starters 1 G Friedrich Hun 23.30 3 B Schulz Aus 25.32 Women’s Final 4.2 km, 62 starters 1 H Heiskanen Fin 24.17 2 K Miksova Cze 24.43 3 H Jukkola Fin 24.46 27 C Trewin Aus 27.58 49 R Minty Aus 33.29 Women’s B Final 4.05 km, 58 starters 1 R Kuuselo Fin 24.02 9 J Minty Aus 27.15 20 M Thomas Aus 29.37 30 E Prime Aus 30.30 34 K Fairfax Aus 31.22 CLASSIC COURSE Men’s Final 11.9 km, 159 starters 1 J Modig Swe 60.51 2 V Lucan Cze 63.33 3 M Davidik Svk 64.10 73 B Rattray Aus 79.30 86 D Shepherd Aus 82.02 110 R Preston Aus 88.43 111 L Calabro Aus 88.45 115 T de Haas Aus 90.43

1 17 B Schulz Aus 91.01 Women’s Final 7.8 km, 138 starters 1 S Luder Sui 53.36 2 H Heiskanen Fin 54.42 3 R Hullinger Sui 56.00 59 K Fairfax Aus 70.11 79 M Thomas Aus 75.39 90 C Trewin Aus 79.09 95 J Minty Aus 80.33 106 E Prime Aus 88.50 107 R Minty Aus 89.10 RELAYS Men’s 3 x 9.1 km, 53 teams 1 Swe J Pilibad 44.29

J Modig 42.58

P Oberg 42.15 129.42 20 Aus2 B Rattray 46.53

D Shepherd 50.55

T de Haas 53.17 151.05 34 Aus1 L Calabro 50.32

R Preston 56.13

B Schulz 52.45 159.30 Women’s 3 x 7.2 km, 46 teams 1 Swe J Pilibad 44.29

J Modig 42.58

P Oberg 42.15 129.42 1 Swe E. Engstrand 40.59

J. Johnasson 42.14

C Asp 43.46 126.59 34 Aus1 C Trewin 50.30

K Fairfax 54.35

J Minty 64.58 170.03 35 Aus2 R Minty 56.43

M Thomas 58.17

E Prime 57.03 172.03

and second place in the men's race and a first and third in the women's. The Australian teams were never really in the race. In the men's we finished 28th and 34th out of 53 and in the women's 34th and 35th out of 46 teams.

Counting only one "official" team per country we were 20th out of 30 in the men and 23rd out of 27 in the women.

Of course it came as no surprise that Sweden won the Nations cup.

That same evening the most important event of the week took place: the infamous JWOC party. I

can't really report on that one, since I was sworn to secrecy. All I can say is that everyone forgot about their bad runs and had a good time. No doubt grapevine stories will soon reveal who "scored" and who didn't.

Personally I thoroughly enjoyed my first JWOC experience. It was a privilege working with the team and I'd take them again, anywhere, anytime. Most importantly, I have made 12 new friends.

Five Fastest Ways to Find a Control Point NEW! The top of thumb compasses with an extra-large magnifying lens.

Special model for left-handers.

Arrow 2/R and 2/L

Another top-class thumb compass in the Arrow family.

Easy to use, clearly visible scales, rotating capsule.

Arrow 1

A top-of-the-line compass that fits the hand.

Ergonomically designed with rounded edges, hole for control marking, etc.

Arrow 2000

Similar to the Arrow 2000, with a TV-shaped magnifying lens.

A new member just arrived in the Suunto Arrow family of compasses: a thumb compass with a special model also for left-handers. Now there are five models in the Arrow family, each equipped with the unique doublebearing construction developed by Suunto.

That is why every Arrow compass gives you the right direction quickly and steadily.

While the others are still spinning around.

Arrow 2200

The world's only double-bearing wrist compass. Can also be used for taking exact bearings as with a baseplate Arrow M-9

For more information please send a s.a.e. to Outdoor Survival Australia Pty Ltd 6 Dunn Crescent Dandenong VIC 3175 www.outdoorsurvival.com.au

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

17

Running the Business Bob Mouatt OFA National Development Officer

Orienteering, what is it?

What is the product?

F

An OFA Development and Promotion Workshop is scheduled, as I write, for 11-13 August in Canberra. Among the questions I shall be asking the Workshop to consider are ‘What is our product?’ ‘How do we propose to develop it?’ and “How do we propose to promote it?’

In the article on orienteering as an Olympic sport, the IOF says, “We need to define the essence of the sport, i.e. what distinguishes it from other related sports. It is vital that we define the essence and retain it. This is not easy, but doing this will help us to devise the product. We welcome your contributions!”

I do not have the answers, but I consider that if we are to go forward, somehow we must capitalise on the diversity offered by the various forms of orienteering, while at the same time continuing to promote the elite levels of the sport as equal to any other highly competitive sport.

In advocating this approach I would have to review and revise my categorisation of orienteers, see The Australian Orienteer, Winter 1997. Those categories were much too narrow for orienteering in its broadest

OR many people orienteering is a mysterious sport. Especially since different forms of the sport have been introduced over recent years. When the sport was introduced into Australia, there was only foot orienteering in the bush. Major events were run over set distances per age class. It was a simple and well-defined activity.

We have mountain bike orienteering, ski orienteering and trail orienteering; foot orienteering has subsidiary forms - street, park, short course, classic and relays, not to mention score, line, window and map memory events. Then of course there is the related sport, rogaining.

This diversity has not been lost on the International Orienteering Federation (IOF).

In the February 1997 edition of its newsletter Headlines, almost all of one of its four pages was about ‘How can orienteering be made a world wide sport?’ and a further full page was devoted to an article ‘Different types of orienteering create confusion. The Olympics require a defined product’. The very diversity of the sport creates problems in helping its development.

Maldon Gold Easter 1998 Maldon was declared “Australia’s First Notable Town” by the National Trust in 1996 in recognition of its historic streetscapes and the authentic and intact nature of its architectural heritage. The forests surrounding it will further charm you with complex old gold mining on open, gently undulating spur/gully terrain with some steep slopes dotted with scattered granite.

April 10th to 13th 1998 — a feast of orienteering Avoid disappointment, book your accommodation now through Mount Alexander Booking Service PO Box 405 Castlemaine, Vic, 3450.

Phone (03) 5470 5866 — fax (03) 5470 5521 Look for entry form with your state newsletter September-October Event enquiries to Peter Creely, 51 Lowndes Street, Bendigo, 3550, Vic. Phone (03) 5443 1975

18

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

sense. I was interested to note an article in the same issue on orienteering in Norway came up with a similar grouping of orienteers; however, both theirs and mine focused on foot orienteering.

One of the difficulties in considering these issues is that many orienteers have narrow and firm views as to what they consider our product to be. The view is often expressed that ‘classic’ forest orienteering is the pure form of the sport; other forms are useful in that they may lead people to proper orienteering. This has been evidenced by some opposition from current foot orienteers to mountain bike orienteering.

There are also the concerns expressed by some veterans regarding the media coverage of elites and a lack of coverage of the other competitors. Moreover, there is a strong group that believes we should do nothing about developing and promoting the sport.

Their view seems to be that it should be restricted to those ‘in the know’ and that you only get to participate by invitation, a ‘sporting Masonic lodge’. I often wonder how those people got into the sport. Was it through some promotions officer in the early days bringing it to their attention?

Returning to the IOF’s view that we must define the essence of orienteering and retain it, I have been grappling with just how to do that. Putting that aside, for the Development and Promotion Workshop to contemplate, I consider that we must accept that: • Orienteering is a Sport for Life, for all walks of life, for everyone of all ages.

• Diverse forms of orienteering are here to stay and there may be new ones in future.

• Not everyone will embrace and participate in all forms of orienteering.

• We must offer the types of orienteering events that people (our customers) want.

• We should make orienteering available to everyone and encourage them to participate: for the good of the sport, for the good of the country.

In my next column I well let you know what came out of the 1997 Development and Promotion Workshop. Meanwhile what do you think? As always your views are very welcome. My mobile is 041 231 2376 and Email is rmouatt@ozemail.com.au

Coaching Connection Peter Plunkett-Cole

Conflicting Priorities

F

IONA CALABRO is a top performer in W45A and manages to successfully combine her training with her duties as Queensland’s Director of Coaching and, of course, being a parent to junior orienteers Lorenzo, Nino and Tomasina.

Fiona considers her best performances to date to be 2nd in the Australian 3-Days and first in the Queensland Championships in W35A in 1995, being selected to represent Australia in the ANZ Challenge later that year; 4th in W40A in the 1996 Australian Championships and 4th in W45A at the Australian 3-Days in Broken Hill this year.

However, now that she has at last shrugged off a persistent ankle injury which has dogged her for over a year, she is poised to climb the ladder.

Positive steps towards improvement Fiona began orienteering in late 1991 at Lorenzo’s insistence and quickly became hooked. She tended to “fumble around” her courses until she took some positive steps to improve in late 1993. These steps included starting to train with a group of orienteers, losing weight and getting fitter, reading widely, being coached and becoming a coach herself.

Training in a group and getting fitter A keen group of orienteers of varying abilities got together in Brisbane in late 1993 to train together in the forest once a week. Activities invariably included the minimum preparation “Chase the Fox” exercise featured in our March 1997 column, and Fiona found that this training plus an orienteering event each week enabled her to try out different techniques and discuss her mistakes and successes among friends. She saw that other orienteers shared her problems and was able to learn about more advanced techniques at her own pace. She also started what has become an ongoing routine of watching other orienteers and emulating what she likes about their techniques.

Fiona’s big gains in fitness came from gradually introducing one long run about 15km, and one speedwork session e.g. fartlek or one km repetitions into her weekly schedule in addition to the O training.

Losing weight, which Fiona says was a medical necessity for her because of high blood pressure, was more or less automatic with this training regime.

O reading An early favourite book which helped Fiona with her own orienteering was the British Orienteering Federation’s Orienteering Training and Coaching, and she is very keen on Carol McNeill’s articles for her coaching, notably in Teaching Orienteering. Other books she recommends include Norman and Yngstrom’s Orienteering Techniques from Start to Finish, Pathways to Excellence by Peter Palmer and, more recently, Get Fit for Orienteering by Steve Bird.

Being coached In her own coaching Fiona emphasises the importance of following her charges around their courses to provide on-the-spot feedback.

She discovered first hand how useful it is to be followed in her early days and attributes much of her improvement to that type of coaching.

Fiona’s brother, Jim Dougall, was the first of her coaches and it was he who followed her and brought to her attention that she was very sloppy in her compass work. Clive Pope introduced her to the concept of quickly simplifying the next leg, “Which direction should I exit the control, will I have to turn or go straight on, will I go up or down, is it a long or a short leg?”. Then Adrian Rowland urged her to “Stop dithering - make decisions more quickly: he estimated that Fiona could improve her navigation time by 10 minutes on a course, and with improved fitness could be even faster.

Both Clive and Adrian urged Fiona to “talk” her way around her courses, making herself use the right techniques at the right time, simplify the legs, and concentrate.

After heeding all this advice Fiona began putting in very competitive times in 1994 and 1995, and is getting back to this form now, having more or less recovered from her ankle injury.

Personal philosophy Fiona finds that she has to psych herself up to perform well in competition, otherwise she tends to be lazy. On the other hand she has to be careful not to overdo it and become too highly strung.

She tries her best to control the controllable and leaving anything beyond her control out of her mind. She believes that this gives her the best chance to physically and mentally prepare for an event and then go out and enjoy it, without any regrets about the outcome.

Fiona Calabro at Easter in Broken Hill.

Photo: Liz Randall

Becoming a coach Through attending a Level 1 Coaches course in November 1993 Fiona gained the basic theory of physical conditioning and the confidence to pass on to other orienteers the technical skills she herself was quickly learning. She enjoyed coaching and was accredited at Level 1 in mid-1994. At this time she was coaching the Queensland Junior Orienteering Squad and assisting the then state Director of Coaching, Adrian Rowland.

She attended a Level 2 Coaches course in January 1995, was accredited at that level in early 1996 and has now begun studying towards a Graduate Diploma in Elite Sports Coaching (an Australian Coaching Council course) at Human Movement Studies, University of Queensland. Fiona is now the Queensland Director of Coaching.

Coaching reciprocated Helping others resolve their orienteering problems has had a good flow on effect for Fiona. Thinking about techniques and the avoidance of mistakes from different viewpoints to suit different people’s learning styles and aptitudes has enabled her to crystallise the techniques which work best for her.

Advice Fiona’s advice to any orienteer who wants some coaching help to contact their state coaching director. All states have qualified coaches who are only too pleased to practise their skills, and, as Fiona says “two heads are better than one”.

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

19

Research 303

Orienteering brings over $200,000 into area

Male 60%

193 144

10+ 11%

Days away from home

up to 5 days – 44%

The Australian Three Days at Easter is a major event in the orienteer’s calendar.

6-10 days – 45%

4788 bednights in Broken Hill

1-2 days 1%

is a life-time sport.

5+ days 19%

3- 4 days – 80% Nights in Broken Hill

A wide range of accommodation

0

$50000

$100000

$150000

ial

g Sig $1 htse 90 ein 5 Su 8 g $1 ndrie 4 s Org 939 Eveanis $1 nt C er, 18 ate 35 ri n

Pe t $3 rol, C 10 ar 55

The whole region undoubtedly benefits from the number of visitors who would not otherwise have gone there. A significant number will return and there will be valuable word-of-mouth advertising.

Accommodation

Me $6 als, D 22 ri 63 nk s

Ongoing value

the

Mo 28 tel/h % o

Ac $6 comm 57 o 16 da ti

on

B& B You 4% th 6%Hoste l Ca m 32 ping %

r

Orienteers are excellent customers for all grades and types of accommodation, and spent big dollars on accommodation, food, liquor, petrol and sight-seeing. Broken Hill local organisations catering at events grossed $8100 for their funds. tel

Oth Co er m 26 mer % cia l Pri v 4% ate/ oth er

B& B You 4% th 6%Hoste l Ca m 32 ping %

Mo 28 tel/h % ote l

Most orienteers stayed 3-4 nights in the event area. One fifth stayed an average of nine nights, accounting for 1880 bed nights.

Accommodation

10+ 11%

Days away from home

In days 1997 the event centre was Broken Hill5+indays outback New South Wales. 1100 orienteers came to town. Orienteering 1-2 3- 4 days – 80% 1% Members compete in a full range of age groups, 19% unlike many other sports. This means more people take part.

Nights in Broken Hill

Female 40%

41 -20 21-35 36-49 50-65 66+

Pri 4%vate/ o

6-10 days – 45%

289

Oth Co er m 26 mer % c

up to 5 days – 44%

230

$200000

Expenditure

Orienteers are well educated with well paid professional jobs: The majority of orienteers in the workforce are employedPostin graduate professional or managerial/ 27% administrative occupations. The most common occupations for male orienteers are teacher, Degree engineer, manager and scientist, 38% while a high proportion of female orienteers are teachers.

Orienteers aged over 24

Orienteers are light television viewers Postgraduate 27%

Orienteers are heavy users Degree 38% Orienteers aged over 24

$50,000+ 22% $40,000 $50,000 17%

$50,000+ 22% $40,000 $50,000 17%

(1992 research. The corresponding figures for 1997 would be $44,800-$56,000 and $56,000+) (1992 research. The corresponding figures for 1997 would be $44,800-$56,000 and $56,000+)

20

58% of orienteers regard themselves as occasional or rare viewers of television, with a bias to ABC/SBS in preference to commercial channels.

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

Travel: 57% travel interstate for orienteering.

Air Travel: 80% had flown domestically and 46% had flown internationally in the 12 months up to Easter 1997. 54% plan to fly overseas before the end of 1998. (This includes to the Asia-Pacific Orienteering Championships in Beijing, China, ‘98.)

Sports Drinks: 65% of orienteers are users.

Vitamin Pills: 49% of orienteers are users.

Computers: 81% of orienteers have a PC at home (Australia 48%, Aust. Bureau of Statistics “Household Use of Technology” survey, Sept. ‘96). 86% use a computer at work (students, for study purposes).

Mobile Phones: 32% have a mobile phone (Australia 25%).

Running Shoes: Nike and Asics are the most popular brands.

Let's come again...

Writing in The Kangaroo's Tale, Bayside Kangaroos' (Vic.) newsletter, Keith Holmes recalled memories from the past.

Y

EARS ago we were organising the Relay Champs. at Musk, just south of Daylesford.

Charlie Zerafa and I were detailed to ferry the portable loos. After long searching round the Finish, President Tim Spurdens dragged me out of the swamp and ordered, "Keith, on your way home, drag that dunny to Bendigo, it's not far out of your way"!

Not to be outdone by Charlie, who on the previous day had driven off with a kid enthroned, I hooked up and drove off three times, but could not catch a sitter. Late afternoon traffic on the highway was pretty hectic, but I soon fixed that.

In large letters I wrote on the back of the loo, "THIS HAS BEEN IN CONSTANT USE FOR TWO DAYS", and from then on I had a dream run!

Pausing for a short while on the outskirts of Bendigo to let the flies catch up, I was surprised when four families stopped and used the mobile convenience. I have since written to the State Government suggesting as a much needed improvement to motorist comfort several hundred of these amenities sited on all main highways.

Driving away after unhooking my PortaPottie, I was entertained by the staccato rhythm of the flies killing themselves against the back wall. After a fast 80 kms., they couldn't pull up.

LOOKING BACK David Hogg recalls events in Australian orienteering history 25 Years Ago

T

HE Queen's Birthday Weekend 1973 saw Australia's first formal interstate teams competition held in Canberra. Teams from Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT took part, with Graham Moon, then based in Townsville where he organised a few events, representing Queensland.

Victoria took out both the men's and women's team competitions in each of the two events held. Individual winners were Kelvin Roberts (ACT) and Toy Martin (NSW) in the Saturday event, and Rod Dominish (NSW) and Heather Jones (ACT, now Heather Johansen of Waggaroos) in the main event on Sunday.

Other current orienteers participating in the weekend included Alex and Janet Tarr, Ron and Judy Frederick, John Oliver, David Hogg, Ian Hassall, Dave Lotty, Dick Mountstephens, Peter Donnelley, John Lewis, Keith Wade, Ian Baker and Peta Whitford.

At the OFA Annual General Meeting held during the weekend, New South Wales was formally admitted as its third state association.

10 Years Ago

A

BOUT 350 students from New South Wales, the ACT, South Australia and Victoria took part in the 1987 Commonwealth Bank Australian All-Schools Championships at The Rock near Wagga Wagga on 5 July.

This was in the days before the event was conducted in association with the Australian School Sports Council and the Championships were open to all comers, primary, secondary and tertiary.

In June that year, the South Australian clubs, Tintookies and Yalanga, organised the state's first wheelchair orienteering event – not Trail O but a parkland course where participants visited all controls. One keen entrant completed all three courses, accompanied by his wife who walked the whole 8.7 km in stiletto heels.

Tom Quayle’s 14th place – Australia’s best WOC result yet

Keith Holmes in action.

Word of mouth recruiting Helen Post in WA has researched some aspects of members’ attitudes and experiences. The results are in line with previous studies.

49% found out about orienteering from family/friends, showing that word of mouth marketing is the most effective means of communication. 15% read about it in the paper and 12% found out at school.

Of the drop-outs 40% cited time considerations: there is value in mapping areas which may not satisfy the purist but which have the virtue of cutting down travelling time. OAWA’s newsletter contains an A4 size poster which readers are asked to post at sports shops, gyms, clubs and other places where potential newcomers to orienteering are likely to see it.

Tom Quayle’s 14th place at the World Championships Classic Distance in Norway is Australia’s best ever at WOC. Previous best was Madeleine Sevior’s 17th at WOC85 near Bendigo. Tom has two fourth places in JWOC to his credit. See WOC supplement with this issue.

Photo: Graham Tidy, Canberra Times.

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

21

Great Legs Edited by Eddie Wymer

B

LODSLITET is a major Norwegian long distance orienteering race, intended to test participants' strength, endurance and concentration over courses about half as long again as usual. In fact the name means "Blood and tears"! The Blodslitet concept was introduced to Australia by Hal Dalheim snr. in the '70's and has been run each year since in Victoria, organised by the Brumby OC. Halvard jnr., now president of the VOA, was course-setter for this year's elite event in the autumn at Kangaroo Crossing, near Beechworth in north-east Victoria. The map was the model for the 1985 World Championships.

This leg, 2.7 km direct from one side of the map to the other, was about halfway round the women's course.

Dist Climb Nav/n Route Time Natasha Rowe 5.0km 150m easy Right 25.30 Tracey Bluett 3.6km 120m mod Left 27.08 Jo Alllison 2.8km 240m hard Straight 28.29 Emily Viner 3.6km 120m mod Left 29.30 Nicola Plunkett-Cole 3.6km 120m mod Left 29.58 Nicki Taws 3.2km 195m hard Right 31.16 Karen Staudte 2.9km 225m hard Straight 34.15 Cassie Trewin 3.0km 230m hard Rig/Str 35.02 Belinda Allison 2.9km 225m hard Straight ?

Cathy Liggins 2.9km 225m hard Straight ?

22

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

• The coursesetter felt the left route was the best.

• At the widest points, route choices were up to 2.6 km apart.

• Natasha would have continued further along the road if it had not been for some local yobbos scaring her back into the forest.

• Emily missed, approaching the control.

• Understandably exhausted, Jo made mistakes on later controls.

• Runners spent between five and thirty seconds at number four deliberating which route to follow.

Thanks to Warren Key for drawing up the routes and analysing the data.

Last issue featured a "Great Leg" at the 1995 Australian Easter Three Days.

We omitted to name the course-setter, Eric Andrews.

It's a Thought, Sport

10 INDISTINCT TRACK

11

G

RANITE boulder terrain can be confusing and makes for very slow progress if you try to read the detail, particularly if it's rather hard to decipher on a 1:15000

map.

These tips may help your orienteering in this type of terrain.

1. Carry a magnifying glass with you to enlarge the fine map details (see the difference between figures 1 and 2).

You can buy a credit sized plastic magnifying glass and attach it to a string. Some base plate compasses have a magnifying glass built in, but check how good it is before using it in an important event.

2. Read the contour shape information on the map and simplify that to form a new "map" (figure 3).

3. Plan your way to the control from your attack point, using the magnifying glass. Remember to read your control description and note on which side of the feature the marker is positioned.

4. Using a magnifying glass can also help you to pick out tracks through boulder field areas and thicker terrain, marked green on your map. The dashes of the symbol for tracks, especially minor ones, look similar to passble rock faces, hence you may miss track options as a route choice.

12

Figure 1, normal size

INDISTINCT TRACK

11 12

Figure 2, enlarged

Map is Apollo Road, ACT. Item adapted from ACT Newsletter, May 1997

Figure 3, simplified

Peter Plunkett-Cole, our Coaching Editor, and Dave Lotty, Secretary of the OFA, in M40 at the World Champs Carnival 1985 in Victoria. For the complete story on this collection of autographed front covers see Keith Holmes’ "My Quest" on page 28.

OFA Badge Scheme Badges awarded April - July 1997 Western Australia Catherine Chalmers LO.W Eoin Rothery LO.W Craig Dermer KO.W ACT Glenn Bridgart BS.A South Australia Ann Nolan TJ.S Victoria Roly Russell BR.V

W21 M21 M45

Gold Gold Silver

M35

Silver

W45,W50

2 Silver

M20

Bronze

For further information contact John Oliver, 68 Amaroo St, Wagga Wagga 2650 Ph 069 226 208 (AH)

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

23

10

Economical and Safe Course Setting Tony Mount (Tasmania)

I

T is often said that one way of improving your orienteering is to learn to think like a course setter. Obviously the best way to do this is to set courses, but the size and complexity of the task daunts many a potential champion. Here are some ideas that simplify course layouts and minimise the chance of misnumbered controls.

1. Minimising The Controls: The fewer the controls used the greater the route choice, the less the setting and collecting effort, the better the vetting and the lower the chance of making mistakes. The courses are first divided into three kinds based on navigational difficulty – Hard, Moderate and Easy plus Very Easy.

Because of the different requirement for control placement any one control should not be used for more than one of the three kinds of courses. However, there is no reason why many controls should not be used for several of the same kind of courses and so minimise the total number of controls required for the event.

Course 6 is easier and usually shorter than course 5. Course 8 is harder and usually longer than the easy course. Combining 6 with 8 (with two first and last controls) allows course 7 to be longer than both with the full range of moderate navigation ideal for the older B age classes.

Controls needed: 10 to 12. c) The Easy and Very Easy courses (assume one of each numbered 9 and 10) Both these courses have controls on, or very close to, linear features. Course 9 has few at junctions as the challenge is to short-cut these corners, but course 10 needs most controls at linear feature junctions.

This means that some controls can be common to both courses.

Controls needed: 10 to 12 (newcomers like punching them)

a) Hard courses (assume there are five numbered 1 to 5) These courses have most controls on point features far from linear features. To minimise following by runners starting on different courses at the same time, the first control should be different for most courses. The exceptions are for courses 1 and 5 where speed differences are the greatest. Similarly there should be several last-butone controls to minimise the “follow-the-leader-home” problem. .*If courses 4 and 5 have most of the older veterans, controls should be on features easier to see on the map, but not easier to find in the field.

Between 17 and 22 controls should suffice for the five Hard courses. b) Moderate courses (assume three numbered 6, 7 & 8) These courses have most controls on large features close to linear features.

They have to bridge the gap between the easy and hard courses and should therefore have a range of difficulty.

24

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

Total controls needed: 37 to 46 for all 10 courses at a state (OY) event and half this number for a four or five course local event.

(Although different Associations use different ways of numbering courses the general principles are as outline above.)

2. Safe Course Setting: The following plan can make putting out and collecting controls very easy and minimise most sources of error. a) At home - Plan the courses in different colours on the one map.

On a second map mark the probable control sites but not the leg lines between them. Divide the sites into groups for ease of placement and collection (up to 10 per group). From the best start point on vehicle access, mark the route that would most quickly unload controls.

Obtain an up-to-date list of control numbers to be used for your event and use these to number the controls in one group consecutively around the chosen route (e.g. 101 to 107). Repeat for all groups but use different sets of consecutive numbers (e.g. 108 to 118, 119-128, 129-135 and 136-138).

b) First field visit - Visit each control site, move it if necessary and mark with tape the required stand position, at the right height, on the correct side of the mapped feature. Finalise the wording for the Control Description Sheet and write the number on the tape. (As visible tapes sometimes disappear a spare one under a rock is a useful back-up) c) Back home - Draw up a master map with the control numbers against each control site and mark the courses on it in different colours.

Type out all Control Description Sheets on a single sheet. Do not cut up this “Master” sheet at this stage.

Make an accurate master map of the final control locations without the red leg lines. Cut it into sub-maps - one per group of controls and mark on each the start point and route for the control placer and the code letters for each control. d) Next field visit - Visit each site in the planned order with the correct number of control stands and flags and the correct plates elastic-banded in their correct order. Do not take spares. Check the highlighted code letters and descriptions for every course using that control. Tick, or make corrections for each course affected. e) Home again - Copy the “master” sheet (after any corrections) and cut up into separate Control Description Sheets for each course.

Staple through the back of one corner for safe handling in windy weather. f ) On the day - Use the same sub-maps for control collection on the reverse route.

The above method makes it easy to spot a mistake on the Control Description Sheet and virtually impossible to incorrectly place the control or its code in the field. It takes longer to plan at home but it saves time in the field and reduces worry for the event.

The Australian Orienteer Bookshelf A huge range of books can be ordered through The Australian Orienteer. Your patronage helps to improve your national magazine. Order a book for a special gift for someone close to you.

Or just for yourself to help improve your orienteering performance.

SPECIAL FOR THIS ISSUE Get Fit for Orienteering Well illustrated book of 128 pages, 87 photos and illustrations clearly details all forms of physical orienteering training for improved performance. Aimed not so much at World Championship hopefuls, but more at club orienteers who would like to improve their performances in their own age classes. $26.95

Orienteering Technique from Start to Finish Excellent publication from the International Orienteering Federation, containing a multitude of ideas, tips and guidance in little known, yet clever techniques that have helped cunning runners outsmart their rivals. Profusely illustrated with practical examples, including real orienteering maps in full colour. $29.95

MANY OTHER TITLES TO CHOOSE FROM Be Expert with Map and Compass Truly a collector’s item by the “International Father” of orienteering, Bjorn Kjellstrom.

Over 600,000 copies sold in four languages.

Over 200 pages. $19.95 Map Making for Orienteers If you are thinking or about to start making maps for orienteering, this is for you. $39.95 Trail Orienteering Orienteering is a challenge. This book shows how to organise an event for the physically handicapped. $24.95 “ON TRACK” Map reading & Compass Resource Want to brush up on compass use and map reading? This book has everything. $14.95

Orienteering Instructor’s Manual A must for anyone interested in coaching newcomers to our sport. $39.95 Cross Country Navigation If you’re also into rogaining, this is the book for you. Written by the founders of rogaining, it contains detailed chapters on Australian bush navigation. $25.95 The Bing-O-Game A most popular activity at Scandinavian O club social nights. Just like bingo, but the caller’s sheets, icons, cards etc. are all in orienteering symbols, maps and descriptions. $59.95 The Map Mazzle Jigsaw puzzle using the You Yangs (Victoria) orienteering map. Improves map recognition skills. $12.15

HOW TO ORDER: Send a list of items required with your name, address and payment by cheque or money order, adding 10% to cover postage/packing costs. Or you can quote your Bankcard, Visa or Mastercard number, with validity date, name, address, phone number and signature. (Overseas orders: please indicate airmail or seamail and appropriate posting charges will be added).

Mail or fax your order to The Australian Orienteer, PO Box 294, Black Rock, Vic. 3193. Fax (03) 9551 1758

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

25

Orienteering Federation of Australia ORIENTEERING FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIA President: Sue Johnston, Secretary: Dave Lotty, PO Box 740, Glebe, NSW 2037.

Ph. (02) 9660 2067 (w), 9569 2380 (h).

Treasurer: Kathy Liley, National Development Officer: Bob Mouatt, PO Box W49, Wanniassa ACT 2903. Phone (06) 231 2463.

National Marketing Officer: Ian Baker, PO Box 294, Black Rock Vic 3193. Phone (03) 9551 1758.

OFA Badge applications: John Oliver, 68 Amaroo Street, Wagga Wagga NSW 2650.

STATE ASSOCIATIONS Queensland OA. PO Box 114, Spring Hill 4004.

Secretary: Robin Spriggs (07) 3369 0880 (h).

Orienteering Association of NSW. PO Box 740, Glebe, 2037.

Secretary: Dave Lotty (02) 9660 2067 (w), 9569 2380 (h).

ACT OA. PO Box 402, Jamison Centre 2614.

Secretary: Ann Baylis (06) 249 7139(h).

Victorian OA. 332 Banyule Road, Viewbank 3084.

Secretary: Barry Hart (03) 9510 4227 (h), (03) 9268 6124 (w).

OA Tasmania, PO Box 206, Gravelly Beach 7276.

Secretary: Susan King (03) 6394 4668 (h).

OA South Australia, Administrative Centre, 1 Sturt Street, Adelaide 5000. Secretary: Margaret Northcote (08) 8379 7032 (h).

OA Western Australia, PO Box 234, Subiaco 6008. Secretary: Janet Jenkins (09) 389 1316 (h).

Top End Orienteers (Northern Territory), PO Box 39152, Winnellie 0821. Secretary: Pat Eastwood (08) 8981 2085.

26

Promotional Video At the end of June the OFA had received jut under $8000 in proceeds from sales of its video “Among the Best Orienteers”. The total cost of the video was slightly more that $29000 so there is a long way to go yet!! We are encouraging all orienteers to assist in sales ($33.95 for OFA members and $43.95 for non members including postage). States will also receive a direct benefit from any copies they sell.

Asia Pacific Orienteering Australia has been appointed as the Secretariat for APOC up to the 2000 APOC (to be held in Queensland in July). David Hogg will act as the APOC Secretary (responsible for maintaining contact between the APOC nations) on behalf of the OFA. The 1998 APOC is to be held in China in October. We do not know the exact dates yet but have suggested after the Australian Championships in Perth to make an extended tour by Australians possible.

Insurance The OFA has a Public Liability insurance policy which covers all official (i.e. endorsed by a State Association) orienteering events in Australia, including Ski-O and MBO. The policy is for legal liability arising out of an orienteering event and is NOT a personal accident cover. It is intended to provide some protection for mappers, course setters, event organisers and landowners against litigation. The policy has recently been renewed to 24 January 1999.

OFA Conference The OFA’s Annual Conference will be held in Canberra over the weekend of 6 and 7 December.

This is the main policy meeting of the Federation with representatives of all states present to discuss the future direction of the OFA. Items of interest from the Conference will be in the Autumn (March) Australian Orienteer.

Development Officers Workshop A workshop for Development Officers employed

by State Associations and other interested parties was held in Canberra on 11-13 August. Bob Mouatt will report on the Workshop in the Summer (December) Australian Orienteer.

Commonwealth Games There was mention in the last Australian Orienteer that Australia was seeking the inclusion of orienteering on the programme of the 2002 Commonwealth Games. This is not strictly true.

We are seeking the inclusion of orienteering as an approved Commonwealth Games sport. This will allow a host city to include orienteering as one of the permitted 10 sports in each Games. This is a

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

similar arrangement to Olympic Games except that a requirement that the sport be conducted in a number of countries does not apply. Our chances of having orienteering included are not good, however. Although we have the support of several Commonwealth nations (including Britain, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand) the biggest voting bloc is the African/Caribbean nations, where orienteering is not conducted.

The IOF is currently seeking views on the nature of orienteering, especially with regard to Olympic inclusion. It is important that Australian orienteers participate in this debate, and that a representative point of view be put together. A number of articles relating to this appeared in the April 1997 edition of Orienteering World. I invite orienteers (singly, through clubs and through state bodies) to spend some time reflecting on and discussing these issues, and to forward me a copy of their conclusions. I am happy to provide copies of the key articles. Please forward your comments to me as soon as possible. Comments will be summarised in a paper to be prepared for the December OFA conference.

John Brammall, 386 West Tamar Road, Riverside, Tas., 7250. Email: J.Brammall@utas.edu.au.

Phone: 03 6327 2864

ORIENTEERING PUBLICATIONS The following items are available from the OFA. Prices include postage within Australia for single copies. Prices for bulk orders available on request.

IOF Publications International Specifications for Orienteering Maps.$10.00 Competition rules for IOF events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10.00 Control Descriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10.00.

Simple Maps for Orienteering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10.00 Guidelines to Course Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00 Trail Orienteering (BOF book). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $27.00 Trail Orienteering (booklet). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7.50 Trail O (leaflet) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $0.65 OFA Publications Technical Regulations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15.00 Elementary Orienteering Instructors Manual. . . . . . $12.00 Dry Transfer Map Symbols (per sheet). . . . . . . . . . . . $10.00 Level 1 Coaching Manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20.00 Level 1 Coaching Syllabus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3.50 Level 2 Coaching Syllabus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4.00 Level 3 Coaching Syllabus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4.00 IOF Map Symbols (colour sheet). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1.50 Among the Best Orienteers (video)OFA Members -.$33.95 Orders should be addressed to the Orienteering Federation of Australia, PO Box 740, Glebe, NSW 2037, with cheques made payable to OFA.

Mapping for the Orienteer Alex Tarr, Chair OFA Mapping Committee

1. What is a feature?

2. What is an impassable cliff?

N an orienteering map a feature is anything that is obvious to the running orienteer which will assist them in navigation.

When there are many features, the mapper must ensure that the biggest and most obvious features are also the most obvious and most easily readable on the map. Other features must be generalised or even left off, if mapping them obscures the legibility of the major features.

Thus in a detailed area it is always more than likely that an orienteer moving very slowly or stopped will find extra features that, if mapped, would make the area unreadable.

The elite runners handle this situation by a very high awareness of the contours and ignoring all except the largest features until in the immediate vicinity of the control.

Remember, the size of each point symbol on the map is so much bigger than the feature it represents that the mapper must make hard choices about what can be shown in detailed terrain.

On a rocky map there may be rock faces and cliffs ranging from very small rock faces to substantial precipices. Extended lines of impassable cliffs are a major hazard to the orienteer and a significant determinate of route choice. The cliff will be mapped as impassable if it presents a serious danger to the orienteer attempting to climb or descend it and it cannot be very easily bypassed.

All rock faces present a hazard to the orienteer and the size and impact of the symbol reflects this. Particularly extended or dangerous cliffs are usually mapped with tags which makes them a prominent feature. In Australia it has become standard practice not to use tags on all impassable cliffs because of the size of the symbol(the bar plus tags cover a distance of 12.5 metres).

Any gaps in extended lines of impassable cliffs (or a change to a passable cliff ) must be both genuinely passable and capable of being recognized by the orienteer in competition conditions. All cliffs and rock faces will be interpreted by the mapper for dry weather conditions; the runner must adapt their expectations for actual race weather.

O

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE We had a big response to our first "Spot the Difference" in the Winter issue. Entries even came from Sweden and from NZ. The 16 differences are circled on this section of map. How many did you find?

All the entries went into the draw at The Winter Classic at Daylesford, Victoria, on Sunday 27 July: the winner was the Thomas Family (Range Runners O.C.) of Toowoomba, Queensland, who found 14 differences.

They receive the new Silva "Champion" Model 6 thumb compass, worth $99.

The Spring edition's "Spot the Difference" is in the insert to this issue.

3. How many boulders can you fit in your house?

I could fit in about 150 boulders the size of a refrigerator into my house. However I could only map three boulders so that the symbols did not extend past the walls. In the forest if you come across three or more boulders over a small area the mapper is likely to have shifted the relative position of each boulder in order to map them, or to have generalised them by use of the boulder field symbol, or, if they are very closely grouped, to map them as a boulder cluster.

The mechanics of this relate to the IOF Drawing Specifications: •B oulder standard symbol at 1:15000 is six metres diameter on the ground • Minimum gap between two areas of black is two metres Therefore a line of three boulders needs a clear area 26 x 10 metres for absolute minimum legibility.

OCAD WORKSHOP Practical OCAD Workshop Thursday evening, 2nd October CANBERRA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY for members of the OCAD User Group.

To become a member, write detailing personal particulars and OCAD experience to: Eric Andrews, PO Box 863, Stanthorpe, Qld. 4380

Sue Dowling (WA) compiles Coming Events and Results for The Australian Orienteer.

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

27

My Quest Keith Holmes M65, Bayside Kangaroos, Vic.

I

N August ‘83 a fellow Baysider, Tim Spurdens, featured on the cover of The Australian Orienteer. When I complimented him on being a good choice for that issue, he offered to give me his autograph. A few days later while working alone I decided to try and get as many issues as possible autographed by the subject on the cover, and so was born a useless but interesting quest.

Oyvin Thon (Norway’s double World Champion) and Jenny Bourne (ACT) hit the jackpot by being featured three times and I cought up with Trish (Patricia, Tricia, or Trish but never Pat) Aspen by mail to NZ. It took me a trip to the World Vets in Scotland to meet Hazel McNee and later I tracked down Bertil Nordenfelt in Sweden via post, (Bertil was 94 years old). Another grand old vet and friend through the years, Vin Maloney was an easy one at the Vic. O-Gear Shop. The youngest have been Liam McComb, M3, and Troy Merchant, M5.

Karen Barbey was a long wait from ‘85 to after Easter ‘97. Cassie Trewin tricked me: I found her at Easter this year and then on arriving home, in the mail was the last issue

by David Hogg, and Cassie had featured again.

There have been a few shown twice, with two of special note, having been illustrated on covers in close sequence: Christine Marshall (8/91, 10/91) and Nicki Taws (12/93, 5/94).

April ‘87 had seven juniors featured and I caught up with all of them the next year in Canberra. Roy Hiller was a very proud man holding aloft the Shield for WA in ‘88.

Over the years I have been able to complete over 80 issues and in doing so I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of nice cooperative

Top: Oyvin Thon, June 1979.

Oyvin Thon (Norway) won the Easter Three Days 1979 at Sedgwick , Victoria.

Later that year he won WOC in Finland.

He scored a second individual Gold in Switzerland in 1981 and Silver in Hungary in 1983.

Photo: Tom Andrews.

Above right: Caitlin Wade, Feb 1985.

Caitlin Wade was 10 when she was photographed at the 1984 Australian Championships in ACT by the Canberra Times.

Right: Bertil Nordenfelt, Feb 1992.

Bertil Nordenfelt (Sweden) had a big fan club as he won M85 at the Veteran World Cup 1992 in Tasmania.

Photo: Launceston Examiner.

orienteers and it has been satisfying that, as the years go by, most of them are still at it.

I still need a little help in finding Phillip Holman, Karen Edwards and Elizabeth Warden of 1987, Peter McCartney (ACT) and MILO-O-80 Tony Nelson. Also Dianne Corcoran in the wheelchair competing in the Trail-O, ACT, 3/94.

I missed all the World Champions who were on the cover of the November ‘85 Special Souvenir Issue.

And I am missing that kangaroo. While I see many of its relations on the course, I am still looking for “THAT ONE’ Any member who can help Keith Holmes in filling in the gaps in his collection is invited to contact Keith at RMB 2590, Donaldsons Road, Red Hill South, Vic 3937.

Phone (03) 5989 2421.

The Orienteering Federation of Australia acknowledges the support of the

Australian Sports Commission 28

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

Competition Section Editor, Blair Trewin

Australian Orienteering League

Women

T

HE Australian Orienteering League is now in its fifth season, and its fourth in its present format. Four teams contest the League: ACT, New South Wales, Victoria and the Outer States, which consists of everyone else (the AFL pinched our idea and called them the 'Allies'). There are also individual titles to be contested by the competitors.

The 1997 season contains ten rounds, seven of which have already been run. The best five events count towards the individual point score, while all events count for the teams.

In 1997, Natasha Rowe has already wrapped up the womens' title by winning four of the first six individual rounds, to establish a break on the field that her nearest challengers, Tracy Bluett and Mary Fien, cannot bridge even if they win the remaining two individual races. The mens' competition is far more even, with Rob Walter holding a narrow break on a close bunch and six still retaining at least a mathematical chance of winning.

The last two individual rounds, the ACT Championships and Australian Championships, will be crucial.

The ACT has dominated the teams' event over the League's history, winning in each of the last three years. They are receiving their biggest challenge yet this year. With the benefit of having had four of the first seven rounds on home ground, Victoria have established a six-point lead, and New South Wales have also drawn level with the Canberrans. The last three rounds - the Australian Relays is the final event for the teams - are in the ACT, and the two Australian Championship events count for double points, so there is still a close contest on offer.

Standings after 7 rounds (best 5 individual events counting)

Men

1 Rob Walter 2 Jock Davis 3 Warren Key 4 Jim Russell 5= Eric Morris Tom Quayle 7 Eddie Wymer 8 Blair Trewin 9 Jon McComb 10 Andy Hogg

82 78 72 68 63 63 56 54 51 47

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Natasha Rowe Tracy Bluett Mary Fien Emily Viner Jo Allison Cathy Liggins Nicki Taws Nicola Plunkett-Cole Louise Fairfax Belinda Allison

Teams

1 Victoria 2 = ACT

New South Wales 4 Outer States

Australian affair, with only a handful of interstate entries. Cath Howitt in W65 was the only other interstate winner.

Casanova triumphed by three minutes over Cathy Liggins, third at Easter, in what was something of an upset. Heather Smith was a further five minutes back in third. M21 was expected to be close, with Jon McComb set to provide strong competition to Trewin, but it was not to be and the Victorian scored by five and a half minutes over junior Ben Rattray, having his last serious hit-out before leaving for the Junior World Championships.

Reuben Smith also looked promising before dropping ten minutes on a late control.

The pick of the other contests were W18, M45 and M50. There were five within three minutes of the lead in M50, with Doug McMurray being a somewhat unexpected winner. In W18, Julie and Libby Schofield were separated by only 42 seconds in one of South Australia's stronger age groups, and Tony Radford also had less than a minute in hand over Adrian Uppill in M45. While small fields led to large margins in many classes, one who was particularly impressive in her big win was Amber Tomas in W16, who had the second-fastest female kilometre rate of the day.

97 74 72 60 59 58 55 48 40 35 44 38 38 18

The Winter Classic

V

ISITING French elite orienteer Isabelle Abisse ran away with the women's title at the 19th Annual Winter Classic near Daylesford, Victoria, over the last weekend in July. Saturday saw a Hagaby style massstart event (relay type format with coursesplitting to prevent following), followed by chasing starts on Sunday. Continued pg. 31

In control, Blair Trewin won the SA Champs.

SA Champs

J

ENNY CASANOVA and Blair Trewin took out the open classes at the South Australian Championships, staged in fast gully-spur terrain at Arkabatura, south of Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges, on the Queen’s Birthday weekend. Outside the open classes it was almost entirely a South THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

29

Results NSW NIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS Belanglo, 12 April 1997 W21A: 1. Sheralee Bailey (BN.N) 56:03; 2. Jo Parr (BF.N) 63:06; 3. Deborah Cox (BN.N) 77:37.

M21A: 1. Paul Darvodelsky (BF.N) 79:25; 2. Doug Jay (IO.N) 50:30; 3. Alan Garde (NC.N) 50:50.

Other A class winners W-12: Alison Brown (BN.N); W-14: Felicity Brown (BN.N); W-18: Michelle Hill (WH.N); W-20: Katrina O’Connor (KN.N); W35: Carol Osborne (BF.N); W40: Vicki Wilmott (IO.N); W45: Val Hodsdon (SH.N); W50: Ljubov Seidl (KO.N); W55: Maureen Ogilvie (UR.N).

M-10: Jeremy Steele (UR.N); M-12: David Meyer (SH.N); M-14: Peter Preston (NC.N); M-16: Ian Meyer (SH.N); M-18: Andrew Hill (WH.N); M-20: David Shepherd (KO.N); M35: Simon George (BF.N); M40: Nick Dytlewski (KO.N); M45: Gordon Wilson (KO.N); M50: Ron Junghans (GO.N); M55: John Le Carpentier (BF.N); M60: Malcolm Stewart (GO.N).

WA BADGE EVENT Evedon Ridge, 25 May 1997 W21A: 1. Anthea Feaver (LO.W) 70:40; 2. Rachel West (BO.W) 76:38; 3. Cathy Chalmers (LO.W) 85:05.

M21A: 1. Terry Farrell (BO.W) 92:42; 2. Steve Fletcher (LO.W) 94:56; 3. John Toomey (LO.W) 96:56.

Other A class winners W-10: Kendal Sutherland (SW.W); W-12: Erin Post (WO.W); W-14: Sarah Nathan (LO.W); W-16: Cassandra Wade (WO.W); W-18: Breanne English (BO.W); W35: Penny Dufty (BO.W); W40: Brenda Matthews (LO.W); W45: Theresa Howe (LO.W); W50: Rosemary Kullman (LO.W); W55: Leith Young (BO.W); W60: Dorothy Whittam (WO.W); W65: Cath Howitt (UG.Q); W70: Judy Reynolds (BO.W).

M-10: Rhys Challen (WO.W); M-12: Ivan Komyshan (WO.W); M-14: Bart Seward (BO.W); M-16: Stephen Howe (LO.W); M-18: Michael Post (WO.W); M-20: Matthew Hopper (BO.W); M35: Tony McNulty (LO.W); M40: Eoin Rothery (LO.W); M45: Robert West (BO.W); M50: Tony Simpkins (LO.W); M55: Gordon Howitt (UG.Q); M60: Don Young (BO.W); M65: Frank Mansfield (BO.W); M70: Roy Hiller (LO.W); M80: Geoff Reynolds (BO.W).

AUSTRALIAN FAMILY RELAYS Flynn Plantation, 28 March 1997 Outright winners 1. Walter family (John, Tom, Rob) 58:10; 2. Preston family (Peter, Robert J, Robert A) 60:16; 3. Prosser family (Neil, Ian, Gareth) 60:24.

Handicap winners 1. Radford family (Zoe, Kate, Alison) 27:50; 2. Uppill family (Simon, Robin, Adrian) 40:25; 3. Jackson family (Melinda, Adrian, Peter) 41:23.

VICTORIAN RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS Lyell Forest South, 16 March 1997 Group 1: 1. Yarra Valley (B. Arthur, P. Liggins, B. Trewin) 149:39; 2. Brumby 161:01; 3. Bayside Kangaroos 175:00.

Group 2: 1. Central Highlands (T. de Haas, J. Ewels, K. Ewels) 153:04; 2. Bayside Kangaroos 161:31.

Group 4: 1. Central Highlands (D. Gossip, P. Gossip, I. Phillips) 133:45; 2. Yarra Valley 142:24; 3. Eureka 149:35.

Group 5: 1. Yarra Valley (S. Goddard, A. Davis, R. Bulman) 135:01.

Group 6: 1. Yarra Valley (B. McCrae, R. Sheldon, A. Tarr) 102:17; 2. Bayside Kangaroos 146:24; 3. Dandenong Ranges 173:19.

Group 7: 1. Nillumbik Emus (R. Johnson, H. Schofield, H. Edmonds) 114:49; 2. Tuckonie 127:38; 3. Bayside Kangaroos 129:24.

Group 9: Tuckonie (N. McVey, L. Thomas, K. Wade) 88:22; 2.

Yarra Valley 93:10; 3. Eureka 97:27.

Group 10: 1. Yarra Valley (R. Goddard, A. Hughes, C. Thompson) 103:36; 2. Yarra Valley 117:40; 3. Nillumbik Emus 128:09.

Group 11: 1. Yarra Valley (A. Dent, V. Sinickas, S. Carroll) 62:01; 2. Yarra Valley 74:59; 3. Yarra Valley 87:18.

Group 12: 1. Bendigo (A. O’Brien, D. Brownridge, E. Barr) 79:01; 2. Yarra Valley 85:22; 3. Eureka 137:11.

Group 13: 1. Brumby (Mace Neve, J. Neve, Morton Neve) 54:27.

Group 14: 1. Eureka (A. Prendergast, T. Norwood, T. Erwin) 104:18.

Mixed 1: 1. Bayside Kangaroos (D. Sedunary, V. Sedunary, M. Hanna) 160:55.

Mixed 2: 1. Tuckonie (K. Barker, B. Elam, P. Elam) 97:44; 2.

Bendigo 99:07; 3. Nillumbik Emus 117:25.

SA CHAMPIONSHIPS Moralana, 8 June 1997 W-10: 1. Hannah Skehan (TJ.S) 22:56; 2. Shannon Nicolson (YA.S) 27:30.

W-12: 1. Zebedy Hallet (YA.S) 24:37; 2. Miriam Uppill (OH.S) 32:43.

W-14: 1. Zoe Radford (TT.S) 31:10; 2. Anna White (OH.S) 42:17; 3. Bridget White (OH.S) 69:16.

W-16: 1. Amber Thomas (TT.S) 35:40; 2. Catherine Loye (OH.S) 50:51; 3. Lexie Ashforth (WA.S) 55:55.

W-18: 1. Julie Schofield (TT.S) 52:32; 2. Libby Schofield (TT.S) 53:14; 3. Anna Jenkins (TT.S) 58:14.

W-20: 1. Kim Hill (OH.S) 87:07.

W21: 1. Jenny Casanova (WA.S) 58:25; 2. Catherine Liggins (BF.N) 61:47; 3. Heather Smith (TT.S) 66:16.

W35: 1. Margaret Morcom (TJ.S) 121:28.

W40: 1. Robin Uppill (OH.S) 50:28; 2. Anthea Williams (TJ.S) 51:43; 3. Janet Davill (TJ.S) 58:36.

W45: 1. Alison Radford (TT.S) 54:16; 2. Dianne Hill (OH.S) 60:01; 3. Marian Arthur (TT.S) 92:55.

W50: 1. Irena Palmer (YA.S) 47:50; 2. Dianne White (OH.S) 55:16; 3. Jennie Bourne (OH.S) 55:53.

W55: 1. Helen Smith (TT.S) 50:29; 2. Margaret Northcote (TT.S) 59:43; 3. Sue Millard (TT.S) 61:33.

W60: 1. Jeffa Lyon (TT.S) 47:40; 2. Robyn Cutten (WA.S) 94:03.

W65: 1. Cath Howitt (UG.Q) 59:23; 2. Patricia Fairclough (OH.S) 63:12; 3. Joan Jenkins (OH.S) 63:40.

W70: 1. Rae Harris (WA.S) 57:02.

M-10: 1. Simon Uppill (OH.S) 16:40; 2. Brett Merchant (TJ.S) 17:16; 3. Toby Clark (WA.S) 19:32.

M-12: 1. Gareth Williams (TJ.S) 20:41; 2. Troy Merchant (TJ.S) 22:08; 3. Riley Ashton (LI.S) 25:04.

M-14: 1. Ian Anderson (OH.S) 52:41; 2. Lachlan Hallet (YA.S) 55:28; 3. Christopher Davill (TJ.S) 84:35.

M-16: 1. Jamie Potter (TT.S) 55:22; 2. Samuel Winters (LI.S) 71:16; 3. John Nieuwenhoven (TT.S) 78:09.

M-18: 1. Karl Hillyard (TJ.S) 79:53; 2. Michael Clark (TT.S) 86:24; 3. Michael White (OH.S) 90:02.

M21: 1. Blair Trewin (YV.V) 74:54; 2. Ben Rattray (OH.S) 80:22; 3. Jon McComb (OH.S) 80:36.

M35: 1. Andrew McComb (OH.S) 65:45; 2. Peter McComb (OH.S) 76:40; 3. Phil Hazell (TT.S) 81:49.

M40: 1. Lee Merchant (TJ.S) 65:46; 2. Tim Ashman (LI.S) 88:33; 3. David Medlin (SB.S) 96:08.

M45: 1. Tony Radford (TT.S) 55:48; 2. Adrian Uppill (OH.S) 56:37; 3. David Winters (LI.S) 60:43.

M50: 1. Doug McMurray (YA:S) 60:49; 2. Bevan Hill (OH.S) 61:00; 3. Ross Dawson (TT.S) 61:58.

M55: 1. Robert Northcote (TT.S) 45:30; 2. Murray Young (SB.S) 52:29; 3. Gil Hollamby (TT.S) 55:11.

M60: 1. John Lyon (TT.S) 36:54; 2. Gordon Howitt (UG.Q) 38:59; 3. Peter Cutten (WA.S) 45:45.

M65: 1. Bill Catchpoole (YA.S) 88:48.

M70: 1. Lance Fairclough (OH.S) 54:10; 2. Milton Spurling (TT.S) 60:49.

SA RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS Wilpena Spurs, 9 June 1997 W14-16: 1. Onkaparinga Hills (A. White, B. White, C. Loye) 76:03; 2. Tintookies 81:19.

W18-44: 1. Tintookies (A. Radford, A. Tomas, H. Smith) 88:31; 2. Tintookies 88:42; 3. Onkaparinga Hills 128:46.

W45: 1. Tintookies (M. Arthur, J. Lyon, S. Millard) 97:51; 2.

Onkaparinga Hills 106:36; 3. Lincoln 124:02.

M14-16: 1. Tintookies (J. Potter, G. Keatley, J. Nieuwenhoven) 56:49; 2. Tjuringa 68:53; 3. Onkaparinga Hills 99:58.

M18-44: 1. Onkaparinga Hills (B. Rattray, A. McComb, P. McComb) 88:25; 2. Tintookies 92:05; 3. Yalanga 94:07.

M45: 1. Tintookies (R. Northcote, J. Lyon, G. Reeves) 92:43; 2. Lincoln 99:51; 3. Onkaparinga Hills 100:07.

M/W-12: 1. Lincoln (R. McConnell, B. Lawson, R. Ashton) 24:40; 2. Yalanga 40:06.

Mixed: 1. Saltbush (D. Medlin, K. Thompson, M. Young) 70:15; 2. Tjuringa 72:51; 3. Yalanga 92:53.

VICTORIAN BADGE EVENT Kangaroo Gully, 27 April 1997 W21A: 1. Natasha Rowe (YV.V) 65:54; 2. Tracy Bluett (BN.N) 66:13; 3. Mary Fien (BF.N) 67:40.

M21A: 1. Tom Quayle (RR.A) 86:55; 2. Jock Davis (BF.N) 88:45; 3. Jim Russell (BG.V) 89:21.

Other A class winners W-10: Melinda Jackson (NE.V); W-12: Rachel Edmonds (NE.V); W-14: Zoe Radford (TT.S); W-16: Emily Hart (EU.V); W-18: Kathryn Ewels (CH.V); W-20: Libby Schofield (TT.S); W35: Helen Edmonds (NE.V); W40: Helen Schofield (NE.V); W45: Alison Radford (TT.S); W50: Kathy Liley (YV.V); W55: Dale Ann Gordon (EU.V); W60: Dorothy Adrian (NE.V); W65: Joyce Rowlands (NE.V).

M-10: Brett Merchant (TJ.S); M-12: Troy Merchant (TJ.S); M-14: Adrian Jackson (NE.V); M-16: Simon Goddard (YV.V); M-18: Justin Slater (BG.V); M-20: David Colls (YV.V); M35: Rob Plowright (EU.V); M40: Peter Jackson (NE.V); M45: Tony Radford (TT.S); M50: Robert Smith (TT.S); M55: Bob Kaill ( . ); M60: John Lyon (TT.S); M65: Tom Norwood (EU.V); M70: Gordon Clarke (YV.V); M75: Hjalmar Nilsen (BG.V).

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SOUTH AUSTRALIAN BADGE EVENT Mount Hayfield, 4 May 1997

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W21A: 1. Susanne Casanova (WA.S) 71:38.

M21A: 1. Reuben Smith (TT.S) 89:30; 2. Kym Barnett (YA.S) 94:28; 3. Greg Morcom (TJ.S) 118:15.

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Other A class winners W-10: Hannah Skehan (TJ.S); W-12: Miriam Uppill (OH.S); W-14: Zoe Radford (TT.S); W-16: Catherine Loye (OH.S); W-18: Amber Tomas (TT.S); W35: Deborah Semple (TJ.S); W40: Alison Radford (TT.S); W45: Marian Arthur (TT.S); W50: Dianne White (OH.S); W55: Susan Millard (TT.S); W60: Jeffa Lyon (TT.S); W65: Joan Jenkins (OH.S); W70: Rae Harris (OH.S).

M-10: Simon Uppill (OH.S); M-12: Troy Merchant (TJ.S); M-14: Lachlan Hallett (YA.S); M-16: John Nieuwhoven (TT.S); M-18: Karl Hillyard (TJ.S); M-20: Damian Dawson (TT.S); M35: Andrew McComb (OH.S); M40: Lee Merchant (TJ.S); M45: Tony Radford (TT.S); M50: Robert Smith (TT.S); M55: Robert Northcote (TT.S); M60: John Lyon (TT.S); M65: Bill Catchpoole (YA.S); M70: Lance Fairclough (OH.S).

30

Telephone 06 242 1329 Mobile 0412 360 280 Facsimile 06 241 5284 Email graeme_d@compuserve.com

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

See us at ‘OZ97’

Coming Events AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY Ann Baylis (06) 249 7139 September 7 Scabbing Flat 13 AUSTRALIAN SKI-O CHAMPIONSHIPS, Perisher 14 Tharwa Tor 21 Rattall Creek/Mulloon Creek 28 ACT CHAMPIONSHIPS 30 AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS/

ACT SHORT-O CHAMPIONSHIPS October 1 AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS/

NATIONAL SCORE EVENT 4 AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 5 AUSTRALIAN RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS 11 Perisher, Snogaine 19 Mulligans Flat November 9 Tanners Flat, Relays Summer-O events scheduled for 12, 19, 26, 30 November.

December Summmer-O events scheduled for 3, 10, 17 December.

Community Program events are planned around midday on most Wednesdays to 12 November.

NEW SOUTH WALES

Dave Lotty (02) 9660 2067 OY = Orienteer of the Year, ML = Metro League September 7 Pennant Hills.......................................................... ML 13 AUSTRALIAN SKI-O CHAMPIONSHIPS, Perisher 14 BLUE MOUNTAINS CHAMPIONSHIPS, Lithgow.........OY 21 Hornsby Heights..................................................... ML 28 Macquarie University October 11 Perisher........................................................ Snogaine 12 Centennial Park 19 Westleigh 26 Castle Hill............................................................... ML November 1-2 ORANGE SPRING CLASSIC, Orange 9 Lane Cove 16 Grays Point 23 30 West Lane Cove C ENTRAL COAST REGION Peter Orr (02) 4942 1727 Newcastle OY event scheduled for Oct 19 at Morans Creek.

ILLAWARRA REGION Mark Ziebell (02) 4267 3742 Events scheduled for Sept 20; Oct 19; Nov 9; Dec 6.

NEWCASTLE REGION Geoff Peel (02) 4968 0977 Events scheduled for Sept 7, 21 (Newcastle OY); Oct 12; Nov 2.

NORTHERN TABLELANDS REGION Don Barker (02) 6775 5560 Events scheduled for Sept 19; Oct 19, 25; Nov 9, 22; Dec 9.

SALTBUSH ORIENTEERING CLUB Ken Thompson (086) 45 0747, Leanne Hemer (086) 45 1259 Events scheduled for Sept 21; Oct 12, 24.

ORANGE REGION Boyd Wymer (02) 6361 3816 Events scheduled for Sept 21; Oct 19.

LINCOLN ORIENTEERING CLUB Jenny Lawson (086) 82 6723 Events scheduled for Sept 14; Oct 17.

SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS REGION Sandra Stewart (02) 4681 9046 Events scheduled for Sept 28; Oct 19; Nov 16.

TASMANIA

WAGGA WAGGA REGION Darryl Dickinson (02) 6922 4767 Events scheduled for Sept 7, 21; Oct 19; Nov 9, 23.

QUEENSLAND

Scott Simson (07) 3345 4527 QOL = Queensland Orienteering League, OY = Orienteer of the Year September 7 Holts Hill...............................................................QOL 14 Amiens....................................................................OY 21 Toohey Forest 28 Anzac Park October 12 Blue Stone Creek North.........................................QOL 26 Springfield.................................................Club relays November 7- ................................................................. Night series December 7 NIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS, Brisbane

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Margaret Northcote (08) 8365 7867 N = Novelty event, OY = Orienteer of the Year September 6 Arbury Park 7 Mount Magnificent 10 Gumeracha Goldfields 13 Little Shepherd

NIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS, Moonrocks 14 Moonrocks..............................................................OY 21 Rock Oyster 27 Carisbrooke October 8 Mount Gawler 11 Mount Barker 12 Craigburn 25 Mount Pleasant.................................................. Night 26 Mount Pleasant.............................. Score(N) + Bike-O November 4 Field River 22 AGM December 2 Adelaide Parklands SOUTH EAST ORIENTEERING CLUB Steve Hicks (087) 62 2539, Linley Bowyer (087) 25 4511 Event scheduled for Sept 7.

Winter Classic Continued from page 29.

Isabelle is a member of France's elite squad and has represented her country in international events, including World Cup races. She was due to return home on 18 August in time for the French Championships near Reims.

Men's winner was Blair Trewin (Victoria).

Next year's Winter Classic will be the twentieth of this major event in the Victorian calendar. Mike Hubbert of organising club, Bayside Kangaroos, says it will be run at Queen's Birthday Weekend when the weather is usually fine, and that a multi-day format will be adopted.

Rod Bilson (03) 6272 7411 TOS = Tasmanian Orienteering Series, TOL = Tasmanian Orienteering League.

S = Southern Tasmania, N = Northern Tasmania, NW = Northwestern Tasmania.

September 7 Ridgeway (S)

Trevallyn (N) 14 Stephensdale ....................................................... TOS 21 OT 21ST BIRTHDAY PARTY, The Lea 28 Buttons Beach (NW) October 12 Pittwater (S)

Hadspen (N) 15 Bellerive (S).................................................... Twilight 18 TASMANIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS, Mount Pearson 19 TASMANIAN RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS, Jasons Task 22 Domain (S)..................................................... Twilight

City Park (N)................................................... Twilight 29 Howrah (S)..................................................... Twilight

Heritage Forest (N)......................................... Twilight November 2 Rokeby Hills (S) 5 Mount Nelson (S)........................................... Twilight

Trevallyn (N)................................................... Twilight 9 Arboretum Eugenana (NW) 12 Natone Hill (S)................................................ Twilight

Royal Park (N)................................................ Twilight 19 Taroona (S)..................................................... Twilight

Punchbowl (N)............................................... Twilight 23 Sandridge Pines (S)............................Christmas event 30 Waddamana (N).................................Christmas event

VICTORIA

(03) 9459 0853 OY = Orienteer of the Year, ML = Metro League, SS = Saturday Series September 6 St Helena................................................................. SS 7 Little Hard Hills.......................................................OY 13 Park Orchards.......................................................... SS Wangaratta.................................................... Training

Lake Mountain....................................................Ski-O 14 Kangaroo Crossing nr Beechworth .........................OY 20 Warralong Heights.................................................. SS 21 INTERCLUB CHALLENGE, Graytown 28 Strath Creek ........................................................... ML

October 5 Conical Hill............................................................. ML 11 Yarren Dheran......................................................... SS 12 VICTORIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS, Castlemaine 19 Royal Park.............................................................. ML 26 RUNNERS WORLD RELAY November 2 Studley Park................................................. Scatter-O 7 VICTORIAN PRIMARY SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS 8 VICTORIAN NIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS, Little Forest 9 Little Forest.........................................................Score 19 VICTORIAN PRIMARY SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS 23 Tooroorrung..................................... OY presentations ALBURY-WODONGA ORIENTEERING CLUB Leigh Privett (060) 25 4959 Events scheduled for Sept 13, 14 (OY event at Kangaroo Crossing); Oct 26; Nov 4, 11, 18, 25; Dec 9 BENDIGO ORIENTEERS Colin Walker (03) 5439 6427 Events scheduled for Sept 6, 13, 20, 21, 27; Oct 11, 25; Nov 1, 8; Dec 5

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Deb Hopper (08) 9397 5104 Details published in the Healthway Sporting Service column in Saturday’s West Australian.

OY = Orienteer of the Year event.

September 3 BE ACTIVE SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS 7 Mount Billy 14 Julimar 21-22 WA CHAMPIONSHIPS, Hovea (JFNP) October 5 Carinyah SOUTH WEST ORIENTEERING TREKKERS Don Mason (08) 9795 7706 Event scheduled for Sept 7.

NORTHERN TERRITORY Peter Slade (08) 8927 2701 SO = Street-O September 14 Lee Point October 12 Holmes Jungle November 9 Myilly Point

IOF CALENDAR on the Internet This lists events around the world: http://www.orienteering.org/calendar.htm

The Whole Wide World of Orienteering Orienteering World

NZ Orienteering

Official magazine of the IOF. Colour. Six issues a year. Airmail $35, surface $30.

New Zealand’s national magazine. $26.

Scientific Journal of Orienteering Two issues a year. Airmail $19.

CompassSport

Britain’s national magazine. International news, event guides, reports, mountain marathons, MB-O. Six large issues a year, colour. Airmail $50, surface $37.

Orienteering North America 8 issues a year, colour maps in about half.

Pay in US funds: airmail $US51, surface $US27. Visa or Mastercard, $61, $31.

J. Berman’s Orienteering Supply, PO Box 360, Sunderland, MA 01375.

Phone/fax 413 665 7822.

For Orienteering World, Scientific Journal of Orienteering, NZ Orienteering, CompassSport: send cheque payable to The Australian Orienteer, PO Box 294, Black Rock 3193 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER – SPRING 1997

31

Classifieds PUBLISHED 4 TIMES A YEAR: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.

Editor Badge Awards Coaching, Training Elite Events, Results Great Legs IOF Juniors Looking Back MTB-O OFA Photos Running the Business Ski-O

Ian Baker John Oliver Peter Plunkett-Cole Blair Trewin Sue Dowling Eddie Wymer Hugh Cameron Kay Haarsma David Hogg Blake Gordon Dave Lotty Liz Randall Bob Mouatt Ian Baker

Personal and private announcements are published free of charge subject to space being available.

Trade and commercial advertisements, including events and sales by individuals: $4 up to 20 words, then 10c per word. Cash with order please.

Australian Orienteer, PO Box 294, Black Rock, Vic. 3193. Fax 03 9551 1758.

SERVICES EVENT ADVERTISING in this magazine reaches orienteers throughout Australia. Event ads. are at a special reduced rate. See your state editorial contact or phone 03 9551 1758.

PHOTOGRAMMETRY - Australia's premier photogrammetrist is available to prepare your base map. For further information and a quote, contact Chris Wilmott on (02) 4294 1891.

PLANNING AHEAD for your major event? I am looking to fill in my mapping schedule in summer/autumn 1999 and from winter 2000 onwards. Quality maps at reasonable rates.

"Batmaps", Eric Andrews, PO Box 863, Stanthorpe, Qld. 4380. Phone 076 83 6374.

YOUR PHOTO in this issue? I can supply prints of my pictures.

Phone/fax Liz Randall, Melbourne 03 9723 4832

P eter C usworth • G r a p h i c A r t i s t 8 View St, Avonsleigh Victoria 3782

(03) 5968 5254 email: cusworth @internex.net.au

Desktop Publishing and Graphic Design Services

Contributions are welcome, either directly or via State editorial contacts.

Prior consultation is suggested before preparing major contributions. States hold Guidelines for Contributors including how to present material.

SUBSCRIPTIONS State Association members Via State Associations. Contact relevant Association Secretary for further details.

Other subscribers Write to The Australian Orienteer, PO Box 294, Black Rock, Vic. 3193.

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Other countries on application.

Two-year subscriptions twice the above amounts. Please send payment in Australian dollars by bank draft or international postal order.

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. Please send payment in Australian dollars by bank draft or international postal order.

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

• Brochures • Newsletters • Advertisements • Business Cards • • Letterheads • Image & Text scanning • Bromides • Printing •

BROCHURES, NEWSLETTERS and promotional material.

Project management, writing, photography, printing. Ian Baker, PO Box 294, Black Rock Vic. 3193. Phone/fax 03 9551 1758.

INSURANCE coming up for renewal? Ansvar gives you competitive rates and the normal agent's commission is passed to the OFA. For a no-obligation quote, Freecall 1800 240 599.

ACCOMMODATION MITTAGONG. Coming to an event in the Southern Highlands?

Camping is available at the OANSW House at Belanglo. The House is also available for training (or even a holiday). Ring Dave Lotty on 02 9660 2067 for information.

FOR SALE MAPS, for catalogue contact Bayside Kangaroos (Victoria). Phone 03 9568 3602.

COMPASSES for N. and S. hemisphere, O-suits in various colours and sizes (some worn by World Champions!), maps from all over the world. Eddie Wymer, 03 9598 0898 a.h.

FANCY PANTS lycra running tights. $34.95 plus postage.

Sportsmart, 85 Cochranes Road, Moorabbin 3189. Phone orders 1800 637 881 (have credit card number ready).

We were wrong Corrections for Winter issue • ACT Junior programme takes place Saturday 11am-1.30pm. The Wednesday lunchtime events are the ACT Community Orienteering Programme.

• Ansvar ad. on inside front cover says Jörgen Mårtensson was World Champion in 1993 and in 1995. Correct dates are 1991 and 1995; he was second in 1993 and again this year.

Mistake was the editor's memory.

• Coming Events and Ski-O newsletter shows incorrect phone number for Terry O'Halloran in Ski-O listing. Correct number is 06 236 9139. Apologies to whoever has the number we printed!

• We reported that Petter Thoresen of Norway was dropped/resigned from the Norwegian national squad because of a sponsorship dispute and might not be eligible for WOC selection. However this did not necessarily affect his selection for WOC. Our information came via Sweden's Skogssport.

In winning form in Finland, 1993 Short-O World Champion Petter Thoresen, and first in the Classic at this year’s WOC in Norway.

Photo: Pirjo Valjanen in Suunistaja

ANSVAR O-RINGEN CONTEST

Conditions of entry

1. Information on how to enter and on the prize forms part of these conditions of entry. Employees and their immediate families of Ansvar Australia Insurance Ltd. are ineligible to enter. Promotion commences 1 September 1997 and closes 24 December 1998.

Ansvar will record the names and addresses of all persons who request a written quotation for insurance, and/or renew a pre-existing policy, under the policies underwritten for the Orienteering Federation of Australia. The draw will take place in public on Day Five of the Australian New Year Five Days Orienteering 1998-9. The winner will be informed by mail and his/her name published in The Australian, Monday 11 January 1999, and in The Australian Orienteer, Autumn 1999.

2. There is one only prize, comprising return economy airfare from your capital city in Australia to Stockholm, travel to and from Borlange, event entry fee to the 1999 O-Ringen, local transport to and from events, bed, breakfast and dinner in three-star accommodation or equivalent for eight days.

The travel arrangements from Australia-Stockholm return will be made by Ansvar's nominated travel agent. All arrangements within Sweden will be made by Worldwide Orienteering Promotions, Sweden.

All expenses other than those specifically listed are the responsibility of the prize winner. Travel insurance is not included in the prize.

3. The prize must be taken as offered; it is not exchangeable for cash. It is for one person only; should the winner wish to take an accompanying person or persons this is at the winner's own expense.

4. The promoter is Ansvar Australia Insurance Limited, 20 Collins Street, Melbourne, Vic. 3000.