LETTERS

Carry-O

Early Orienteering events in Bulgaria were held in the format we now know as Long-O. Teams of 3 or 4 members competed over two days on courses which were 30 to 40km long. Teams camped out overnight and had to carry all their equipment in the same way that Mountain Marathon competitors have to do today. But there was a catch – usually each team had to carry one of their members for 1 or 2 kilometres as well.

Honour for Hanny

In early February, Hanny Allston was named the Tasmanian Junior female Athlete of the Year for 2005. Hanny’s achievements at State, national and international levels last year were recognised, making her a very worthy recipient of the award.

Bill Jones (President, Orienteering ACT) leads by example as he prepares to donate blood to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. Bill was one of nine orienteers who made a group donation on 21 December. The others were: Kerryne Jones, Colin & Colleen Mock, Jenny Hawkins, Tom de Jongh, Murray Scown, Emma Murray and David Osmond (a local distance runner).

LETTERS

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.

Tripping Hazards More Oldies

During the 2005 Victorian Orienteering Championships at

Barambogie an incident occurred at the downloading tent that resulted in a great deal of pain and distress to one of the competitors. After downloading, Libby Hassall began to move away from the tent and immediately fell heavily to the ground. She had tripped over the tent guy rope which was in the path of those leaving the tent. The fall resulted in a torn rotatorcuff and ruptured supraspinatis tendon in the left shoulder. She was referred to a surgeon who doubted that he would be able to repair the tendon as it had retracted so far that he would not be able to re-attach it. If this was the case normal use of the arm would not be possible. The surgeon scheduled an operation to see what could be done for the injury. The operation took place late at night and the result was not available until the next morning. It was a great relief to read the report stating that the procedures had been completely successful …… but the rehabilitation period would take several months and full use of the arm would take two years. In the meantime the arm must be totally immobilised in a brace for six weeks. This incident shows how easily an injury can occur from simply tripping over a tent rope. At every Orienteering event there would be tripping hazards resulting from the setting up of the infrastructure. Perhaps a safety assessment should be made when the setting up is completed so that the risk of such an accident occurring is lessened. Ian Hassall (IK-N)

I note that in the December’05 AO ‘letters’, G. Jones again raised the point I tried to make many times to your predecessor (Ian Baker), that AO is too heavily weighted to the elites. Your answer was a re-run of his - including the supposed comparison with golfing magazines that only feature elites, not hackers. I will now make the same point to you as I did several times to Ian - this is NOT a valid comparison. I can choose to purchase a golfing magazine, or not. I do not choose to purchase AO - much of the price is thrust upon me compulsorily as part of my registration as a member of a State association (required to compete in Champs, etc). In answer, please find me a golf club that requires compulsory purchase of a golfing magazine as part of their membership. Ian used to defend this compulsion to purchase AO as it being necessary for its survival. If so, AO is in a completely different market, and should listen more to the wants of its readers. Who is your front cover with elites supposed to be appealing to - the already committed orienteer, or an ‘outsider’ we wish to impress? I suggest that you can’t have it both ways - either AO is a compulsory rag for members, or it is a commercial publication setting whatever standards it wants for the marketplace.

Alternatively, if it is primarily an advertising tool, let us all be levied say $10 per year for promotion of O, and let us off having to buy the magazine.

Glenn Bridgart (WE-A)

(Ed: Glenn – In obtaining your AO through your membership of OACT you’re getting it at a sizeable discount – currently 42% discount and soon to be more when non-member rates are raised. We can only offer such a discount by ensuring we achieve reasonable circulation levels. We try to make every edition of AO the ‘best read possible’ for our subscribers. You clearly do read AO so getting it via your membership is probably the best option for you.)