LETTERS Great Legs I’m the O statistician in Tasmania just to introduce myself. Like it appears that many others do, I always enjoy your sections showing maps and descriptions of the winners’ route. I would find them even better if they showed the map scale. There were many very interesting maps in the last issue (June) but hardly any of them showed a scale. I find this an important map feature, even for my armchair orienteering. I’m interested in the length of the legs, since I’m very interested in course setting, and I’m also interested in the speed at which the top orienteers compete, given that I’m a plodding M55. Being an Italophile, I particularly enjoyed the maps (and the concept) of the ParkO in the small Italian towns, some of which I have visited. Thanks for an interesting magazine. Larry Podmore (Tas)
MTB-O events in SA COMMENT needs to be made on the reference to Mountain Bike Orienteering in South Australia in a letter by Kay Haarsma in the June edition. Event comparisons are valid if similar parts of the program are compared. In 2005, the Autumn to Spring event competitive program run by the city based clubs affiliated with OASA included 6 weekend MTB-O events. Around 30 foot Orienteering events were also held in this main program. The remainder of the 108 events to which Kay refers to are events for schools, low key events held mid-week, Summer Series park-street events in which we would not include bike events for insurance and safety reasons, and events run by the four “country” clubs affiliated with OASA. Inclusion of MTB-O events is up to these individual clubs, and Top End Orienteers includes such events. The program of MTB-O events in SA is influenced by: • Map availability as areas close to Adelaide and with an appropriate track network are limited, and those available are largely mapped; • Willingness of the clubs to run events; • Level of interest, which has not increased since the format was introduced. With respect to the second point, MTB-O events, with some notable exceptions, are still largely organised by foot orienteers, many of whom do not participate in the bike events. Many of us as volunteers, are prepared to contribute, often significantly, to foot events as part of the reward for doing so is being able participate in foot events, but our willingness to do so in a second discipline in which we may not participate is limited. At the 2004 SA MTB-O Championships, most of the helpers at the event and the course planner are not participants in MTB-O, and although we are prepared to support MTB-O to some extent, unless the level of interest increases significantly resulting in a new pool of organisers coming into the sport, this support does not extend to organising more than the current number of events. I realise that the lack of overall funding for those participating in MTB-O at the elite level is an issue, and if OA and the State associations had more funds to distribute to high performance groups in both foot and mountain bike disciplines, they would do so. This funding situation is not unique to Orienteering, many other small and not so small particularly female sports, face the same issues. The relationship between the efforts of volunteers as organisers and our role as participants is also relevant to the comments by the OA President, Bob McCreddin, also in the June issue. Even at major events such as the Australian 3-Days, many of us are present as participants first and spectators second. Whilst these events remain as “all-comers” with respect to participation, organisers need to consider this as well as spectator requirements. Robin Uppill (SA)
6 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER SEPTEMBER 2005
The Australian Orienteer welcomes letters. Preference will be given to letters which are concise and which make positive points. The editor reserves the right to edit letters, particularly ones which are longer than 300 words.
Why can’t a NSW Orienteering event be cancelled? IN NSW last July we had the unfortunate incident of an orienteer lost overnight and in fact not found until 1:04pm the next day. The Sportident units were taken and reprogrammed for the next day’s event losing valuable information. People staying at the (OANSW) hut were notified and others rung to help in a search at first light before the police rescue teams went in. Most people contacted gave up their run in the next day’s event without hesitation, getting up at 5am, but still felt the next day’s event should have been cancelled. It was felt others should have been redirected back to the previous day’s area to help either in the field or with food. (Thank goodness McDonalds sent free food and drink to all the rescue parties, we were starving by 12:30) It was also disappointing to find out the next afternoon that the landowner of the Sunday event also wanted the event cancelled due to access problems because of the wet weather and was told “No – an event could not be cancelled”, so those that ran had to walk up to 2.5km to get to the assembly area and start times were delayed an hour. I wonder what other orienteers feel about this Judi Hay (NSW) Response from OANSW: 1. There were 240 entries in the Sunday event with most people travelling 2 to 4 hours from home to compete in this and the Saturday event (many for the Sunday only). This is not an uncommon situation in NSW and the noncancellation rule - provided you can get to the event (flood?) or there is not an imminent safety concern (bushfires?) - is to allow for this. 2. 25 to 30 orienteers went to the Saturday area to assist and once the Police took over responsibility for the search at around 9 am they would not permit anyone to search without direct communications to the search HQ. Extra orienteers in attendance would have been spectators and probably unwelcome. 3. It must always remain a voluntary action on the part of individuals to take part in a search. We are fortunate that a number of people (more than enough as it turned out) gave up their Sunday run to offer assistance. 4. Only a few of the SportIdent units from Saturday were needed and taken for the Sunday event and these were units at or near the assembly (start, finish, clear and check units). The field units were still available for interrogation to determine who had been to a site if anyone knew how to do this. 5. The property manager for the Sunday event was concerned about damage to part of his access road on the Saturday morning (there had been heavy rain on the Friday) and an alternative parking area was agreed with a 1.5km walk (not 2.5km) to the assembly. There was not a cancellation threat. The start was put back 1 hour to assist people to get there in plenty of time but most people took the opportunity to start early, which is easy to do with a SportIdent start unit. Letters continued on page 30
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