The Australian Orienteer – December 2007

Australian Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships

Winning PartnershiP

The Australian Sports Commission proudly supports Orienteering Australia The Australian Sports Commission is the Australian Government agency that develops, manages and invests in sport at all levels in Australia.

Orienteering Australia has worked closely with the Australian Sports Commission to develop orienteering from community participation to high-level performance.

AUSTRALIAN SPORTS COMMISSION 2 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

Orienteering Australia is one of many national sporting organisations that has formed a winning partnership with the Australian Sports Commission to develop its sport in Australia.

www.ausport.gov.au

w w w. o r i e n t e e r i n g . a s n . a u Orienteering Australia PO Box 284 Mitchell BC 2911 President: Bob Mouatt Director (High Performance): Mike Dowling Director (Finance): Blair Trewin Director (Development): Ben Rattray Director (Technical): Andy Hogg Director (Special Projects): Robin Uppill IOF Vice President: Hugh Cameron Executive Officer: Kay Grzadka Manager (High Performance): Robert Preston Manager (Coaching & Officiating Development): Bert Elson Badge Applications: John Oliver

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STATE ASSOCIATIONS Queensland OA: PO Box 114 Spring Hill QLD 4004. Secretary: Angela Hoelzl, Ph. (07) 3325 1165 oq@oq.asn.au OA NSW: PO Box 3295, North Strathfield NSW 2137. Secretary: Dave Lotty, Ph. (02) 8116 9848 Orienteering ACT: PO Box 402, Jamison Centre ACT 2614. Office: John Suominen, Ph. (02) 6162 3422 orienteering.act@webone.com.au Victorian OA: PO Box 1010 Templestowe 3106. Secretary: Warwick Williams. Ph. (03) 8846 4140 voa@netspace.net.au OA South Australia: State Association House, 73 Wakefield St Adelaide SA 5000. Secretary: Ken Thompson 08 8351 4757 secretary@oasa.net.au OA Western Australia: PO Box 234 Subiaco WA 6904. Secretary: Carol Brownlie Ph. (08) 9446 3457 carolnken@ozemail.com.au Orienteering Tasmania Inc.: PO Box 339, Sandy Bay, TAS 7005. Secretary: Cindy Fagg secretary.oti@trump.net.au Top End Orienteers (Northern Territory): PO Box 39152 Winnellie NT 0821. Secretary: David Rolland brolland@bigpond.com

NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE

JAN 11. Time-sensitive: Jan 18

ISSN 0818-6510 Issue 4/07 (no. 148) DECEMBER 2007

The national magazine of Orienteering Australia Inc. ABN 77 406 995 497 Published four times a year: First day of March, June, September, December. Print Post Approved PP 236080/00011 Editor: Michael Hubbert, P.O. Box 165, Warrandyte, Victoria 3113 mikehubbert@ozemail.com.au Phone (03) 9844 4878 Magazine Design & Assembly: Peter Cusworth, 8 View Street, Avonsleigh, Vic. 3782. Ph. 0409 797 023 cusworth@netspace.net.au Magazine Treasurer: Blair Trewin Printer: Priden Printing Services, 21 Century Drive, Braeside, Vic. 3195 Contribution deadline: January 11. Time-sensitive material, January 18.

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CONTENTS WORLD CHAMPS 2007.............................. 4 OCEANIA CHAMPS................................... 6 WESTERN NOMADS................................ 12 S T A T E C H A M P S R O U N D - U P .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 P R O F I L E – J o y c e R o w l a n d s.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 5 BOOK REVIEW....................................... 18 NEWS................................................. 20 DID YOU KNOW?.................................... 22 E P I L O G U E F O R J W O C.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 TOP EVENTS......................................... 29 L E T T E R S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 0 SPORT PSYCHOLOGY .............................. 32 A N T I - D O P I N G .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3 N U T R I T I O N .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 6 M T B O A U S T C H A M P S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 8 MTBO WORLD CHAMPS .......................... 40 TA L E N T S E A R C H .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA REPORTS.......... 46 Front Cover: Craig Steffens (QLD) on his way to winning M40 in the Australian Long MTBO Champs at Cessnock, NSW in November. Craig is also the President of Queensland’s new MTBO club. Photo: Troy Merchant DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 3

1st Minna Kauppi Finland – – – – – 1st Heli Jukkola Finland – – – – – 6th Hanny Allston Australia – – – – –

80:17 80:17 84:17

1 2:47 2:47 3:11 3:11 3:15 3:15

2 2:17 5:04 2:18 5:29 2:35 5:50

3 2:06 7:10 2:21 7:50 2:28 8:18

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Fin 15:48 2:23 6:02 1:15 5:45 5:03 2:43 2:32 4:06 8:49 3:23 1:42 1:35 1:02 2:21 1:51 2:18 2:15 1:11 0:41 0:22 22:58 25:21 31:23 32:38 38:23 43:26 46:09 48:41 52:47 61:36 64:59 66:41 68:16 69:18 71:39 73:30 75:48 78:03 79:14 79:55 80:17 16:35 2:23 6:13 1:17 5:29 5:13 2:24 2:34 2:34 9:05 2:51 2:24 1:06 2:20 2:03 2:18 1:39 1:30 1:16 0:51 0:22 24:25 26:48 33:01 34:18 39:47 45:00 47:24 49:58 52:32 61:37 64:28 66:52 67:58 70:18 72:21 74:39 76:18 77:48 79:04 79:55 80:17 18:22 2:17 6:29 1:22 4:03 6:37 2:36 2:46 2:47 9:39 3:12 2:33 1:00 2:17 1:59 2:33 1:35 1:32 1:11 0:46 0:23 26:40 28:57 35:26 36:48 40:51 47:28 50:04 52:50 55:37 65:16 68:28 71:01 72:01 74:18 76:17 78:50 80:25 81:57 83:08 83:54 84:17

Jo Allison

Photos: Erik Borg

Minna Kauppi, Finland

Troy de Haas

Julian Dent

Hanny Allston

Women’s Relay start

4 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

WORLD ORIENTEERING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Hanny Allston takes 6th, 9th & 13th places at WOC races in Ukraine What a week for Hanny Allston. In a demonstration of all-round class not seen before from an Australian orienteer at a World Championships, she took 13th place in the Middle Distance event followed by a medals podium placing 6th in the Long Distance, and 9th in the Sprint (where she was defending her Title from 2006).

And in between she anchored the Women’s Relay team to 7th place.

Hanny showed to the Orienteering world that here is an emerging talent and that her win in the Sprint Championship last year was not just a ‘flash-in-the-pan’. If they didn’t know it before the top women orienteers in Europe now recognise that as Hanny matures as an athlete she will become a serious challenge to their dominance of women’s elite orienteering – the first credible challenge by an athlete from outside Europe. Hanny didn’t win a title this time but in the years to come more medals will surely hang around her neck.

Of the others in the Australian Team, Julian Dent‘s 22nd place in the Sprint and 24th in the Middle Distance were best, showing that he, too, is maturing as an athlete. Anna Sheldon’s 30th in the gruelling Long Distance event was a best performance for her at WOC and one with which she should be very pleased. Grace Elson finished 30th in the Sprint and 32nd in the Middle Distance and others to make the Finals were Jo Allison (Middle) and Kathryn Ewels (Sprint).

Dead-heat for First

Minna Kauppi and Heli Jukkola

Biggest drama of the week took place during the Women’s Long Distance Final when Finland’s Minna Kauppi and Heli Jukkola dead-heated for first place. Kauppi led by as much as 1:40 early in the race but lost it all on the short 12th leg when she took the tourist route. Jukkola got a little confused on the 15th, 17th and 19th legs, dropping to over 1min behind. But then Kauppi dropped 39sec and 45sec on the short 20th and 21st legs and the Finnish teammates were level at the last control. It was a sprint to the finish line with both recording the same time – the first dead-heat in World Championships history.

The ‘make-or-break’ leg for most runners was the long leg to the 4th control. Defending champion, Simone Niggli (SUI) (16:02) took the western route staying mainly in the forest while Kauppi (15:48) and Jukkola (16:35) took to the streets.

Hanny Allston (18:22) also chose the street option but went wider than the others and lost 2:34 to Kauppi on the leg. That proved decisive and Hanny was unable to claw back any of that time.

Minna Kauppi and Heli Jukkola both thought it even better to share the gold than just get it, or just not get it. “We have competed against each other for a long time. In relays we have been on the Finnish team together. It was good that we shared the gold today. That’s better than if one had been one second faster than the other”, said Jukkola. Kauppi thought the same. “A shared gold is not like a silver. It’s a gold !!”.

The Finnish girls later teamed with Paula Haapakoski to win the World Championships Relay for the second year in a row.

Gueorgiou back Frenchman Thierry Gueorgiou didn’t win a medal at WOC last year but he showed he is back to top form with wins in his favourite event, the Middle Distance, and also the Sprint.

Simone Niggli (SUI) took away two more gold medals to add to her expanding trophy case when she also won the Middle Distance and Sprint races.

Gueorgiou took his fourth World Championship title in the Middle Distance. Last year he made a big mistake near the start of the race and didn’t get any ‘flow’ after that. This year he lost some time in the start of the race: “On the way to the first control I lost control of my orienteering. I really had to stop and try to find where I was. I had run on the compass so I managed to relocate without big problems” he said.

Sprint (Botanical Garden) This map was created just for the WOC Sprint, and the organizers went through some tough negotiations to be able to use the area. It will never be used for Orienteering again (in the near future, anyway). The final approval came as late as May when the President of the Ukraine Olympic Committee, Sergej Bubka (the well-known former holder of the pole vault world record), gave the organizers his support.

The 2008 World Championships will be held near Olomouc in Czech Republic and already there are Aussie groups planning their trip.

Hanny comments …….

The Qualification races were certainly the toughest that I have ever run. I knew they were expecting it to be rough out there when the terrain description stated “steep, vegetation with many thorns, needles and stinging nettles. In the open areas there is long grass, weeds and rose bushes …” Deep gullies were often filled with slimy mud and there was a slight scent of pig farms wafting towards the Finish. Mmm mmmmm.

The terrain was not just physical, it was also very technical.

Sharp erosion gullies were obscured by the dense vegetation so competitors needed to be right on top of the control before they saw it. There were little opportunities for quick paced running and often the hills were almost too steep to run. But hey, there were many exciting adventures in the forest too and interesting route choices, particularly the one thjat saved me over 30sec – jumping straight off an 8m cliff to the shock of a nearby observer.

LONG DISTANCE FINAL – I didn’t feel good at all when I first started, but after about 20 minutes I got into a rhythm and started feeling great. It’s a shame the course didn’t have another 6km like the men’s, I think I could have kept going. I can’t complain. I came into this race with no expectations so I’m happy with the way I ran today.

SPRINT FINAL – I really wanted to be good technically today and finish off these Championships on a good note. And I was able to do that. I didn’t make any real mistakes, but I think some of my route choices cost me time. My legs just couldn’t go any quicker today, but I’m happy, I did the best I could. (excerpts from Hanny’s blog notes) DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 5

Rob Walter

Hanny Allston

Kathryn Ewels

Photos: Erik Borg Grace Elson 2.47km

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

Fin

1st Simone Niggli

SUI

12:06,9

0:39 (1)

0:29 (1)

0:20 (1)

0:38 (1)

0:36 (2)

2:35 (1)

0:45 (1)

0:47 (3)

0:14 (6)

1:42 (2)

1:01 (4)

0:39 (6)

0:29 (2)

0:36 (4)

0:36

2nd Minna Kauppi

FIN

12:26,6

0:42 (6)

0:37 (19)

0:22 (9)

0:41 (3)

0:36 (2)

2:41 (4)

0:47 (2)

0:50 (8)

0:13 (1)

1:42 (2)

1:00 (3)

0:36 (1)

0:28 (1)

0:35 (2)

0:36

9th Hanny Allston

AUS

13:26,9 0:44 (15) 0:35 (11)

0:22 (9)

0:52 (36) 0:43 (15)

2:40 (3)

0:52 (5)

0:54 (16) 0:17 (39) 1:47 (11)

1:03 (7)

0:46 (32)

0:32 (9)

0:42 (20)

0:37

6 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Photos: Bob Mouatt

Australian Challenge Team

Karen Blatchford Todd Neve and Catherine Hewitt

Alex Tarr

Relay start DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 7

OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Carnival Report Blair Trewin

The Oceania Championships came to Australia for the second time. It was the third major carnival in a year, but was still pleasingly well-attended, including a solid New Zealand contingent. There were no fewer than three Australia-New Zealand competitions: the regular Challenge on the final weekend, an elite Test Match between the Australian Bushrangers and New Zealand Pinestars, and a Schools Test Match over the midweek events.

ACT Championships - Antills Creek The Carnival started with the one event which was not part of a formal trans-Tasman competition, the ACT Championships. It was the first time the area had been used since the mid-1980s and there was a definite retro feel to the day, complete with controls on native cherry trees. The only thing missing was some Wa Wa Nee on the PA system.

The best race of the day was in W21E, featuring two WOC team members and one who probably isn’t too far away. Grace Elson led through much of the first half, but lost the lead when she dropped two minutes at #11. That left Vanessa Round in front through the middle of the course, but Elson regained the lead on the long 18th leg and held it to the end, despite a wobble on #22.

Jo Allison was a little off the pace in the first half, but finished strongly and was level with Round by the last control before being outsprinted. Less than a minute covered the top three.

Competition over the long M21E course suffered through preceding more significant days to come, with half the field failing to finish, but there was still room for an imposing run by Julian Dent. Dave Shepherd stayed within two minutes of him until the steep climb through #20 and #21, but the gap then blew out to five. Kerrin Rattray, after a steady run, was six minutes further back.

New Zealand gave an early indication of some of the classes they would do well in during the week. Michael Wood took out M60 and Jack Vincent was three minutes clear in M20. Greta Knarston was nearly six minutes ahead of the W20 field, in which Bridget Anderson held off a fast-finishing Aislinn Prendergast for second, and Selena Metherell led a Kiwi 1-2-3 in W14. Duncan Morrison also upset the talented local duo of Joshua Blatchford and Lachlan Dow in M16, although Lilian Burrill led most of the way to score one for the locals in W16.

Oceania Middle Distance Championships & Schools Individual Test Match - Honeysuckle Creek Julian Dent completed the second leg of his bid for four individual wins when he dominated the Middle Distance Championships. He hardly put a foot wrong in the complex terrain, winning 14 of 23 splits and no more than a few seconds behind on any of the others. He gradually extended his lead over the course to a bit over two minutes, with Dave Shepherd once again his closest challenger. Ross Morrison was three minutes further back, leading a group of four within a minute.

8 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

Anthea Feaver.

Photo: Bob Mouatt

W21E again saw a narrow win for Grace Elson over Jo Allison (although Vanessa Round was not a part of the equation this time). Once again she opened up a lead early, leading by 1:30 by the sixth control and winning 9 of the first 13 splits. Allison came back at her a bit in the second half, as she had the previous day, but never really threatened and fell a minute short. Tracy Bluett was another minute behind after a consistent run, in probably her best major result of the year.

Greta Knarston again dominated W20, catching several runners ahead of her (including fellow Kiwi, second-placed Nicola Peat) and winning by four minutes, after a very impressive first half of the course. Bridget Anderson was the best of the locals in third.

A good day for the New Zealand girls was continued by Jaime Goodwin in W16. She finished a bit over three minutes ahead of Lilian Burrill, who was good early but made two mistakes in the second half, whilst Erin Paterson gave the visitors another placing after recovering from a first-control error.

Jack Vincent also backed up from his Sunday win to take M20, but there were impressive runs by Lachlan Dow and Joshua Blatchford (both effectively running up from M16 because the senior Schools Test was conducted on the M20 course). Dow led for most of the first half, and ended up only just over a minute behind, whilst Blatchford finished third, squeezing out JWOC team member Rob Fell. Kurt Neumann, also running up an age group (as he usually does), took out M16 by 47 seconds from two New Zealanders, Matthew Ogden and Duncan Morrison, but Dave Mallen and Thomas Carter got close enough to give Australia the team win – just – and level the score at two classes apiece going into the Relay.

Once again, Geoff Lawford and Jenny Bourne impressed in their classes, winning by 6-7 minutes in M50 and W45 respectively.

Bourne was particularly impressive in having the fastest time on her course, when the opposition included the M60 class, once again won by a New Zealander – Dave Middleton this time.

Buy yourself a JET for Christmas NUTRITION

“It’s not by chance that the world’s best orienteers run with a SILVA Jet compass.” says Grant Bluett who runs with a Silva 6 Jet Spectra

SILVA 6 JET SPECTRA

For competitive orienteers who prefer the ultimate in thumb compasses. Features the broad fluorescent Jet needle and the unique time saving ‘Spectra’ colour coded ring. Elastic thumb strap and rubber pad for a safe and sure grip. Map scales in 1:10,000 and 1:15,000.

Available in left and right hand models. $138 from your local O-gear shop at events.

SILVA 5 JET

Features a scratch resistant ‘comfort-fit’ curved back-end baseplate and the unique fluorescent red/white, broad Jet needle. Easy-to-grip housing with enlarged dial. Detachable map scales in 1:15,000 and 1:10,000 and silicon baseplate feet to prevent unintentional slipping on maps. $133 from your local O-gear shop at events.

SILVA 1S JET

Same high-performance Jet needle as in above model.

Large magnifying lens in baseplate for enlarging fine map detail. Other features as in 5 Jet. $145 from your local O-gear shop at events.

Buy yourself a Jet at the next event

Photo: Tore Myrberg

JET compasses have the unique super-fast “Rare Earth” broad magnetic needle for the fastest settling and stability when running over rough terrain. Guaranteed to save precious seconds every time you check your bearing.

OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS Schools Relay Felled Timbers New Zealand took out the Schools Test match comfortably on a warm day when, after a fluctuating day in which three of the four classes were in doubt at some stage, they won all four Relay classes.

Australia led both junior classes early on after the first of the four legs and held their leads to the last change.

The junior girls started especially well, when Lilian Burrill opened up a gap of eleven minutes on Jula McMillan. Erin Paterson pulled back three minutes on Melanie Neumann, but the last two legs were what really made the difference as Jaime Goodwin and Laura Robertson ran the two fastest times of the day. Robertson went out a minute down on Georgia Parsons, but Parsons lost three minutes at the first control and the visitors were never headed thereafter.

The Australian junior boys were four minutes ahead after two legs thanks to good runs by Todd Neve and Thomas Carter, but Duncan Morrison ran the day’s fastest time to send Matthew Ogden out just behind Kurt Neumann. The Australians would still have been favourites at that stage after Neumann’s individual win, but Ogden took the lead by the common second control after a shorter split, and extended that through the rest of the course to score by two minutes.

In contrast to the juniors, the Australian senior boys were in trouble early as Scott McDonald and Jourdan Harvey took New Zealand to a lead of five minutes. Lachlan Dow again impressed with a very fast split, closing the gap to two minutes, but it was always going to a big ask for Simon Mee to make inroads on Jack Vincent, despite his excellent relay record for Queensland. Mee was able to hold the gap, but never looked like bridging it.

The senior girls saw the most comfortable margin of the day. Kate Morrison gave the New Zealanders a lead of ten minutes after the first leg, and although Aislinn Prendergast was able to pull back three minutes of that, Australia was never in the hunt. Nicola Peat and Greta Knarston pulled away over the last two legs, although Krystal Neumann’s final-leg time was only a little over a minute behind.

Oceania Sprint Championships - Radford College Competition returned to urban Canberra with the Sprint championships at Radford College. (It was so urban that Eric Morris jogged across from work to do the event during his lunch break). The complex network of buildings made for a challenging course at speed, with a brief bush section in the middle the only opportunity to relax at all.

Natasha Key has been largely absent from the competitive scene for the last two years, first through pregnancy and then back trouble, but she came back in convincing style with a narrow win in W21E. Jasmine Neve led for most of the way and was 13 seconds ahead at #10, but drifted back to the field after that.

Kathryn Ewels was also competitive throughout and took the lead at #14 (the fourth-last), but then lost 20 seconds at #15 and dropped out of the placings. That gave Key the lead for the first time. Grace Elson levelled it at #16, but Key was a little faster over the last two legs and won by five seconds, with Elson two seconds ahead of Neve.

10 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

Seven seconds also covered the placegetters in M21E. Simon Uppill, making his first appearance for the week, led narrowly most of the way, and was still in front at #19 after the spectator control. By then Julian Dent, who had been 19 seconds down at #11, had closed the gap to five, and although Uppill had no major mishaps, Dent was too fast over the closing stages, taking the lead for the first time at the second-last. David Shepherd was second and Uppill third.

Ross Morrison, in fourth, was the best of the New Zealanders, losing his chances when he lost 24 seconds at the first control.

New Zealanders dominated the junior classes. Scott McDonald and Jack Vincent fought out M20 with Erin Paterson (NZ).

Vincent’s 15-second error at #12 Photo: Bob Mouatt proving decisive. Greta Knarston was outstanding in W20, only three seconds slower than Natasha Key (running the same course); Rachel Effeney ran well but 36 seconds was as close as she could get. M16 and W16 both saw Kiwi quinellas, with Jaime Goodwin leading Erin Paterson in W16 and Duncan Morrison ahead of Matthew Ogden in M16.

There was a reversal in an age class hitherto dominated by New Zealanders when Tony Simpkins was 45 seconds ahead of Michael Wood in M60, whilst another upset occurred when Eoin Rothery edged out Geoff Lawford in M50. Gillian Ingham was 48 seconds ahead of Carolyn Jackson in W50, whilst there was a first major victory for Su Yan Tay in W40.

Oceania Long Distance Championships Brayshaw’s Hut The feature event of the Carnival, for most, was the Long Distance championship at Brayshaw’s Hut, a granite area at the southern end of Namadgi National Park. It is near Mount Clear but has more open areas than Mount Clear does; fallen timber from a storm earlier in the year made for hard running in many of the forested areas.

The M21E race will be remembered for its wildly erratic nature; it may not have been the most technical area ever used, but it is difficult to remember an elite race in Australia in which the favourites collectively made more mistakes. It was a particular roller-coaster ride for Julian Dent. He caught four minutes on Dave Shepherd by #4 after Shepherd lost time on three of the first four controls, but then lost four minutes at #8 and 1:30 at #10, to drop him three minutes behind Kerrin Rattray and Simon Uppill.

Dent then won five successive splits between #12 and #16 to get back to within 55 seconds, and re-caught Shepherd, only for the two to lose another three minutes when they ran off the map at #17. Rattray was holding his nerve amidst the carnage (Uppill also having fallen a little off the pace after an uncharacteristically scratchy run), but Dent steadily pulled him in, and had got within 33 seconds by the third-last. Rattray then had his worst control of the day, losing a minute to Dent at the second-last, and that was enough for Dent to claim one of his more unusual victories. Rattray was second, still by some margin his best longdistance result, and Uppill third another minute back. James Bradshaw was the best of the visitors in fifth.

There was nowhere near as much drama in W21E, which followed a similar pattern to the other two forest races of the week – a narrow win for Grace Elson over Jo Allison. This time the margin

was 34 seconds. Once again, Elson led from start to finish and was two minutes in front by #4. Allison then had a good section and was within 17 seconds by #11, but that was as close as she was able to get as both ran steadily to the end. They were six minutes clear of anyone else, with Tracy Bluett completing a repeat of the Middle Distance placings, while Penny Kane in fourth was the only New Zealander to make any impression on the results.

Australia dominated the individual Challenge, winning by 20 classes to 4. The four that they lost came as no real surprise given the form earlier in the week – M/W20 and M/W60. The individual junior results, though, ran counter to the form from earlier in the week as both the dominant figures of the week to date, Jack Vincent and Greta Knarston, missed the placings. Morten Neve had perhaps the most impressive run of his career, winning M20 by three minutes in a kilometre rate which would have been very competitive amongst the seniors. He was unable to find much support and Simon Jager’s second led the way for a New Zealand team victory. Lizzie Ingham took out W20 by three minutes. She was pushed much of the way by Belinda Lawford, before Lawford lost two minutes on the last control to blow out the margin.

Knarston was out of contention after errors in mid-course, and then suffered a head injury in a fall towards the end.

New Zealand might also have hoped to take out W16, but their stars from earlier in the week all made major errors early, and Krystal Neumann dropped down to take it out by five minutes from the consistent Lilian Burrill. Lachlan Dow was equally commanding in M16, nearly five minutes ahead of Joshua Blatchford after pulling away in the second half.

Paul Liggins did justice to his recent good running form when he was three minutes ahead of Jim Russell in M40. Geoff Lawford resumed normal service in M50 with a comfortable win over Eoin Rothery, and Jenny Bourne was an equally comfortable winner in W45 over Anthea Feaver, whilst Patricia Aspin was a predictably convincing winner in W60 over fellow New Zealander Jill Dalton.

The closest race of the day was in M60, another New Zealand quinella. Dave Middleton and Michael Wood were level at the final control, but Middleton had the superior sprint and scored by eight seconds. Others to prevail by narrow Rick Armstrong. margins included Ian Hassall (15 Photo: Bob Mouatt seconds ahead of Clive Pope in M70) and Nigel Davies (22 seconds ahead of Gordon Wilson in M55).

With the individual trophy safely in the bag, the Australians finished the day looking to complete the job in the Relay the next morning.

Oceania Relays - Antills Creek The competition week finished back at the gully-spur of Antills Creek, as two rugby-disappointed nations clashed in the Relays. The terrain looked superficially easy but had ample scope for parallel errors, as several leading contenders discovered.

As Challenge relays go the event was rather lacking in drama, and the only real interest by halfway through the day was in the eventual size of the margin. New Zealand looked like they had a chance of winning five or six classes, but had to settle for four. Only

two of the 24 classes saw last-leg lead changes, and no Challenge race was closer than three minutes.

The pick of the races, for drama at least, was M21. It helped the interest level that some contenders were as erratic as they had been the previous day, and that there were several other decent teams in addition to the Challenge teams. There were five teams within 1:30 on the first leg, led by Matt Parton for a composite team. Both Australia and New Zealand were in that group, but New Zealand looked to have made a decisive break on the second leg when Reuben Smith lost seven minutes to a parallel error on the long leg. That left Simon Uppill with a big deficit to make up on Neil Kerrison, but he was equal to the task, taking the lead by two-thirds distance and running away at the end in a very fast time. Dave Shepherd and Julian Dent were equally impressive on the final legs for their teams and brought them home ahead of both national teams, with Shepherd taking the race out for a Canberra Cockatoos team.

W21 also saw a composite team beat the national teams. With a clear sense of déjà vu, Grace Elson came in first on the opening leg, 49 seconds ahead of Jo Allison (neither of them were in the Bushrangers team). Allison was close enough to set her team up for a comfortable win through Briohny Davey and Mace Neve.

New Zealand led the Challenge race after the first leg, but Vanessa Round gained nine minutes on Jenni Adams on the middle leg, and unlike the men this was decisive.

The New Zealand junior teams were disrupted with the withdrawal of Greta Knarston, which caused reshuffling throughout the ranks. They were still able to survive a scare in W20, when Lizzie Ingham went out just behind Aislinn Prendergast but was too good on the final leg, but were unable to make an impression in W18 and W16 (the only age group other than the two elite classes which was not won by a Challenge team). Jack Vincent gave New Zealand a nine-minute lead on the first leg in M20, and although Morten Neve regained some of this the Australians were unable to get closer.

New Zealand ensured a win in M60 when Wayne Aspin gained five minutes on Greg Chatfield on the second leg, in a race which will be best remembered for its finish – Michael Wood tripped over a flag being carried by his team-mates and ended up sprawled in the gravel five metres short of the finish line. They would have expected a win in W60 too, so it was a major shock when Patricia Aspin lost 18 minutes on the first leg. They never recovered from that and drifted further back over the rest of the race, but did make up for it with a comfortable win in W65 after three good legs.

Australia won a high-standard battle in W45, with Jenny Bourne getting a minute clear of Gillian Ingham and last-minute replacement Liz Abbott consolidating on the second leg. A New Zealand mispunch on the first leg killed a close M16 race. Most of the other classes were formalities or walkovers, although there was an interesting contest between two Australian teams when the M18 and M40 teams met on the same course. Leon Keely and Paul Liggins started the final leg together, and finished it almost together, but Keely’s speed was enough to give him a narrow win in one of his best performances yet.

DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 11

MEET YOUR TEAM

Cody Whitfield, York Street O Ian Dalton, Australian Schools Coordinator

W20 Australian Relay champions in 2005 - from left, Erin Post Kellie Whitfield, Sarah Dunnage

Western Nomads won the Junior National League for the first time in 2005 - from left, Sarah Dunnage, Cody Whitfield, Kellie Whitfield, Ivan Komyshan, Erin Post, Rhys Challen

Rhys Challen at 2005 AUS Champs in Tasmania.

12 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

Craig Dufty on the Fly World Master Champ Anthea Feaver

WESTERN NOMADS was updated with brighter and more comfortable fabric in 2004, but is still based on the original design.

The Western Nomads strive to maintain a good profile with the general orienteering population in Western Australia – many have been active members of the OAWA Council at various times and we make our summer/pre-Easter team training events open to everyone who wants to come along.

OAWA and the Department of Sport and Recreation initially provided some funding to assist team members with travel costs and this was supplemented with fundraising by the team. We have run the Perth Metro (or Summer) Series as a fundraising initiative since 1998/99 taking the series from an 8 event series on black and white maps to a 13 event series on full colour maps. The increased participation in the Metro Series over time means that financial support for the team is presently derived solely from the Metro Series.

WA Juniors Win Aus Relay in Tassie 2005

T

HE Western Nomads will celebrate their 10th anniversary in 2009 !! Our claim to fame would have to be that we have by far invested the most in travel costs and amassed the most Frequent Flyer points of all the teams in the National Orienteering League (NOL). Our proudest achievement is winning the Junior National League (JNOL) in 2005, although we have had plenty of highs to celebrate. These include World Cup representation by Andy Hogg and Karen Staudte, Bushrangers by Craig Dufty and Rachel West, JWOC by Gareth Candy, Erin Post, Kellie Whitfield and Rhys Challen, World Masters Gold for Anthea Feaver and Bronze for Karen Staudte. Our Junior women have also had great success in the JNOL with wins for Erin Post and Kellie Whitfield while Sarah Dunnage has placed 2nd in this competition.

Another highlight was the support provided by Orienteering Australia that enabled WA to host a round of the National League in 2005. This was the first time that a National League event had been held in WA outside a major carnival and the attendance at the event by many top eastern states orienteers gave locals the chance to finally see some of Australia’s best orienteers in action.

Western Australian orienteers initially competed in the National League as part of the Transcontinental Tigersnakes team. Craig Dufty and Rachel West had keenly competed in some national league events prior to 1998, and the return to WA by Natalie Smith with Andy Hogg, together with good form for John Toomey in 1998, provided the motivation for this group to initiate a new State-based team. OAWA and Orienteering Australia both supported the move to establish a new team for WA and the team first competed in the National League from 1999. Our team suits got their first outing at the Australian Championships carnival held in WA in 1998, and helped to raise the profile of the team amongst the local orienteers. These uniforms were designed by the team members and proudly worn at all events. The team uniform

One of the original aims of the team was to encourage greater participation and competition in the open age classes – to foster the development of local orienteers and to provide pathways to encourage junior orienteers to remain in the sport. We also aimed to have complete teams of at least 3 men and 3 women at all events. The Nomads have had an open team structure – anyone who travels and runs in the Elite class gets a guernsey and qualifies for OAWA funding.

Again this structure was intended to encourage participation by as many as possible. The fact that a total of 15 men and 14 women have scored National League points for the Nomads over the past 8 years is testament that this philosophy has worked. Our full team goal has been harder to meet of late, but was something that we achieved in the initial years.

Babies and adventure racing have taken their toll on the Nomads stalwarts and the 2006 & 2007 seasons have been a bit of a hiatus for the team. We will always struggle with our isolation, and the time taken to travel to events, as well as the cost, makes ongoing commitment difficult, particularly for the younger orienteers. However the current crop of juniors and recent juniors have shown great potential and we certainly hope they continue with the sport and one day take us to the top of the table. What a great way to see Australia! compiled by Carol Brownlie

Some team statistics: MOST POINTS EARNED Senior Men Craig Dufty Senior Women Rachel West Junior Men Rhys Challen Junior Women Sarah Dunnage

793 615 425 467

MOST ROUNDS CONTESTED Cath Chalmers – every event from September 1998 until October 2006 BEST TEAM PLACING 4th (1999 & 2003); Junior division – 1st (2005) HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL OVERALL PLACING Senior Men John Toomey 5th (Craig Dufty & Andy Hogg both 6th) Senior Women Karen Staudte 10th Junior Men

Rhys Challen 6th

Junior Women Erin Post & Kellie Whitfield 1st (Sarah Dunnage 2nd) Rhys Challen on his way to winning Easter 2007

DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 13

COMPETITION

State Championships roundup Blair Trewin

South Australia South Australia returned to this year’s Easter areas at Twigham, running their Sprint championship on the Saturday before the Long Distance event on Sunday. Simon Uppill was dominant on both days, winning the Sprint by nearly three minutes and the Long Distance by seven. The tightest battle was for second in the Sprint, when Lachlan Hallett edged out Blair Trewin between the last control and the finish. Trewin was able to reverse the result next day.

Susanne Casanova took an early lead over Vanessa Round in the Long Distance race and was never headed, extending the gap to over five minutes by the end of the day, and reversing Round’s win in the Sprint. Jenny Casanova finished well to take third in the Long Distance race, whilst Catherine Loye occupied that place in the Sprint.

Natasha Key continued her comeback by winning the Victorian Middle Distance Champs. Photo: Bob Mouatt

Queensland Queensland led off the spring championships season with their usual two-day event, west of Warwick, with the first day doubling as the Middle Distance Championship in M/ W21 and 20. Lorenzo Calabro, little-sighted in Australian orienteering since being selected for the 2001 WOC team, made a convincing return to the scene, winning both days comfortably to lead by 10 minutes overall, ahead of Mark Nemeth and Dane Cavanagh. W21 was a battle of the juniors and near-juniors with Anna Sheldon away at WOC. Ainsley Cavanagh won narrowly on the first day, and then extended her lead by another four minutes on the second day, with Bridget Anderson withstanding a strong Sunday challenge from Krystal Neumann to finish second.

Western Australia

Krystal Neumann.

Photo: Bob Mouatt

Western Australia also run their championship over two days (although their Middle Distance event is separate).

The first day in M21 was relatively tight, with Craig Dufty, Rhys Challen and Terry Farrell separated by four minutes. The long second day, though, sorted out the toughest competitors, and Dufty came to the fore, extending his lead to more than 20 minutes in the end. Farrell was second and Challen third. The women saw a good battle between Rachel

14 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

West and Kellie Whitfield. Whitfield led by four minutes on Saturday night, but West was able to overcome that on the second day to score by a minute. Kim Hazeldine was third.

Victoria The championships season finished in Victoria with two events on the 2006 Easter maps near Castlemaine. Bruce Arthur did the double, winning both the Middle Distance and Long Distance championships by 1:30 and three minutes respectively. His Long Distance win was particularly impressive, coming with a late start on a very hot day. Blair Trewin was second on both days, ahead of Warren Key on Saturday and Jim Russell on Sunday.

Natasha Key continued her comeback by winning the Middle Distance very narrowly, having just nine seconds to spare over Kathryn Ewels. Ewels turned the tables in the Long Distance on Sunday as Key had a somewhat erratic run, and took the race out by just over two minutes. She joined Arthur as a first-time winner of the Victorian open Long Distance championship. Jasmine Neve completed the placings on both days.

Tasmania Ryan Smyth continued a productive first year as a senior by taking his state’s open title. Paul Liggins, in excellent running form, was the fastest competitor in the race, but eight minutes of mistakes at #4 and #5 put paid to his chances.

Instead, Smyth’s closest challenge came from Paul Pacqué, but the veteran fell just over a minute short, with Liggins third.

Corinna Woolford (formerly Kelly) made one of her periodic appearances on the championship scene to take out W21 by three minutes. Louise Fairfax lost her chance with a disastrous first control, and could only finish third despite being the fastest through the remainder of the race. Emma Warren was three minutes behind Woolford in second.

PROFILE

JOYCE IN 1987

Joyce Rowlands (W75)

(excerpt – “Second Start” by Hazel Edwards, Penguin Books (1987))

“Becoming self-reliant in the bush boosted my confidence.”

Nillumbik Emus, VIC

JOYCE ROWLANDS: age 52 Present occupation: orienteer and teacher Previous occupation: primary school teacher

Rowlands Family from AO, June/July 1978

Strengthening your body through regular and pleasurable exercise can also lead to a change in self-confidence.

Married with two daughters and a son, at forty-three, Joyce began to orienteer, running novice courses with her son’s encouragement. By forty-five, she improved so rapidly that she represented Australia against New Zealand.

Known as “cunning running”, Orienteering is a sport where runners must punch a number of marked controls, using a map and compass to navigate their way to the finish in the shortest time possible.

Now fifty-two, Joyce regards her participation in the five-day Swedish 0-Ringen competition (an international Orienteering event) as one of her greatest personal achievements.

JOYCE IN 1978 (excerpt – The Australian Orienteer, June/July 1978) Mid 1977 saw the Rowlands family at their first event, having been talked into it by their neighbours, the McLennans (RH). Father Glyn is putting up a battle not to be coerced – but the rest of the family are truly committed.

Joyce (45) Primary Teacher, Heathmont East. “This beats housework any day, it’s great being out in the bush and my life has taken on a new look for me. I only wish I’d been doing it years ago. The families and friends met are a side benefit to the joy and satisfaction of seeing gradual improvement in O-skills. The essence of enjoyment is the family are able to do the same things together at their own level.” Aims to keep going for years, improve skills and encourage other children and families to try the sport.

David (19) Science, Monash Uni. He enjoys the personal challenge in Orienteering and competing against fellow M19’s (will he ever beat Phillip Norwood?), is fascinated by maps and is into map-making with the club.

Enjoys bushwalking and Rogaining. 3rd M17 VIC Championships 1977. 1st M19, Easter 1978.

Helen (17) HSC, Yarra Valley School. Orienteers when studies permit.

A perseverer who hates to quit; what an achievement to enjoy the wet Budkavle in NSW this year! Enjoys athletics, knitting and football. Wish for the future - “that there be more girls of my age group to help me become confident in my navigation.”

Anne (12) Form 1, Tintern. “The fun of the sport and my legs keep me going. I ran in the Ballarat 5-Days and found that 5 consecutive days of Orienteering helped me a lot.” (1st on Day 4.) Interests: ice and roller skating, horseriding and Girl Guides. Ann is ambitious, she has started at a good age and we hope there are plenty of other girls to help her reach her goal.

The family says “Sundays don’t come around fast enough.”

“I wish every day could be Sunday. Orienteering in the bush gives me such a thrill. Black Swan Reservoir was the first course I tried. Never had any bush experiences as a child, so I had no feel for distance. Becoming self-reliant in the bush and being able to understand the maps boosted my self-confidence. I hadn’t driven long distances much before.

Interstate championships were interesting to us and I was the only driver, so I had to plan long trips, camp, learn to tow a trailer and learn how to keep awake on the way home.”

On the occasions when Joyce’s husband accompanied them, she won two Australian Championships. He drove the car.

“Driving tires me and it was possible to relax beforehand.

Then I could concentrate better during the event. There are sets of challenges in Orienteering which are exciting. You don’t have to win every time. Each step is an achievement.”

As a primary teacher, Joyce encouraged her students to enter the first Schoolgirl/Schoolboy Championships. Heathmont East Primary produced a team of ten children which won the championship, with Joyce collecting the teachers’ award.

“All my life, I’ve been a person with a lot of natural energy, but Orienteering is a radical change of sport because it has extended my skills.” A trim, small-boned, fifty-two year old, Joyce admits that she doesn’t train mid-week as do many keen orienteers. School preparation, housework and listening to the family absorb her time. “Get to bed between midnight and 1 am, up at 7 am, but I’d like a bit more sleep.”

Joyce wishes she had been less independent and encouraged the family to share more in the domestics. “I would prefer to be teaching part-time. Children are more vocal now. I have a grade four. At times, it’s very tiring. Part of the-older-womangrowing-up, perhaps having some change of life problems, and the difficulty of getting it all together.”

Joyce doesn’t like succumbing to weaknesses, so the physical demands of running W50 (Women’s Over Fifty) courses of between 4 and 7 kilometres in varied terrain, is a considerable achievement. Completing the five days in the Swedish O-Ringen competition in Scandinavia was a satisfaction.

DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 15

sport. When I first started Orienteering, work paled into insignificance. It was new. Challenging. I can remember wishing every day was Sunday. Enthralled at getting out there. Most of my life centres around Orienteering now.”

Joyce belongs to Rockhoppers, a small but gregarious club.

A couple of club members are Joyce’s age and they form a team to compete in age relays. “When I’m out, it gives me great pleasure to feel I’m fit and will perhaps live longer. I see other women struggling to even carry the shopping. At least, I can jog.”

JOYCE IN 2007 Now 75, Joyce says: “ I love the freedom of being alone in the bush with the security of a good map – it’s a powerful feeling. Wonderful friendships made over many years – especially interstate. It’s great belonging to a close club where everyone is a vital core member. Orienteering became a way of life. A great sport.

When old workmates meet me again they always ask “Do you still orienteer?”

As a teacher at Heathmont East primary School I took 11 children to the first Schools Championship event, and we came 1st. We won the second year too but unfortunately there was no trophy awarded until the third year so we never had one to gloat over and proudly display at school. Nikki Taws, an ACT elite, was one of those students.

Joyce running down the finish chute at Easter 2005 in Jindabyne.

The Rowlands had planned their overseas trip around the orienteering dates.

“Being one of 25,000 people going into the bush each day was unbelievable. A special run-up for each age group. I didn’t score well, but I finished every day’s course.” Joyce is particularly proud of that. So was her son, David, when she returned home. As a cartographer, some of David’s interest in maps developed from Orienteering.

On Sundays, Joyce used to insist that the girls got up and went Orienteering with her. Now aged nineteen and twentyfour, they’ve dropped out of Orienteering, but may return.

While in Finland, the Rowlands also went to the first Veterans’ World Cup. “Finland and Sweden were fantastic in summer.

I’d love to go back there.”

In the next decade, Joyce would like to train for “one of those lovely events”. She admits that, “With some of the international signs, I didn’t know what I was looking for at the control until I found it.” But next time, it would be different.

“Isn’t it superb to be as old as fifty or even sixty and go to an international event and meet all these lovely people.

Representing Australia at forty-five, against New Zealand, it was great to get my Australian badge and tracksuit and everything. If women my age can keep orienteering, providing we don’t have car accidents along the way, because it’s rather hectic getting to some of these places, we’ll have to open up some older age groups.”

Orienteers compete as equals regardless of age. Joyce mentions twelve-year-olds who call her by her first name.

“Agewise and sex-wise, Orienteering offers a unique 16 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

Newly crowned 2007 Oceania Champion in W75, Joyce Rowlands reflects on her many enjoyable years attending Orienteering events.

PROFILE I loved it when MTBO started. What a challenge - and here was my chance to see more of the map and the forest (because as you get older the foot-O courses shorten). My first bike was bought from an exchange teacher when she returned to Germany. I was very proud of my basket on the bike which held my maps. I felt like Mary Poppins and I could do anything!

I enjoyed the soft fleecy seat cover as well. I’ve toughened up a bit since those days and Gordon has made us both a clever revolving map board using Peter Maloney’s carbon fibre offcuts. It’s just great solving the puzzle of where to go and in which direction – route choice is vital. There’s so much fun to be had tearing along covering more of the countryside than one can do on foot and having these wonderful adventures.

Gordon and I are the oldest MTBO competitors. I can recommend MTBO to everyone.”

AO: How has Orienteering changed for you over the years?

I remember when we ran in any old comfortable clothes and Elites came back from overseas with bright coordinated running suits. There was quite a resistance at first before we all accepted the idea of a club outfit.

The suits were needed in Europe to protect limbs from scratching and cross-infection as many thousands ran the courses. I think our first thought was that bright colours would be seen through the forest and people would be followed.

I have very warm memories of Rockhoppers, my first O Club. They were so friendly and helpful to a beginner (30 years ago) and everyone was needed to work when an event was held. David was taken to events first by Mary & Jim McLennan, our new neighbours. Eventually I agreed to try it and got hooked. I then took my three children but could not persuade my husband at all.

I can remember several Easter 3-Days when Rockhopper boys stood facing each other and threw a raw egg back and forth, stepping back each time to increase the distance. It was quite dramatic when the egg finally broke.

Because Rockhoppers lost a few members it became necessary to join with another club and most of us joined Nillumbik Emus. This is also a good friendly club that’s bigger so that means more people to share the jobs.

We have been very successful in many recent years in winning the most points as Club of The Year.

AO: Event organizers keep forgetting to include a W75 class, don’t they.

I understand that our sport focuses on the young. However, older folk do need the recognition as the founders and backbone of the sport and that they are still orienteering as well as being role models for young people. So it’s very frustrating to be offered limited age groups in competition entries. So much so that if the oldest age classes are not offered we think “bugger it”, they don’t want us and don’t care whether we come or not.

Today the maps are better – more detailed, better coloured and of varying scales. SportIDENT is exciting to use, encouraging more speedy exits at controls and courses can be set on smaller areas, criss-crossing without worry of people visiting controls out of order. Each club now has their own equipment to house and maintain – better than borrowing the old VOA trailer. This makes it easier to conduct multi-day events.

AO: Do you like the Park & Street events and suburban Night events?

AO: Nillumbik Emus has grown from an amalgamation of many clubs over the years. You came from Rockhoppers. What has changed for you in the bigger club?

At present the oldest women’s class in MTBO is W60, but Joyce is still very competitive and usually on the podium.

I really enjoy the Park & Street-O midweek events – especially the cool, crisp air which somehow empowers one to run even better. They are not so far to travel and a high technical ability is not needed to set the courses and organize them. It brings many non-orienteers into the sport and many enjoy the company and regular exposure, especially in summer at the BBQs afterwards.

AO: Your son, David, has been a very successful Rogainer. Do you rogaine?

Rogaining is also a lot of fun. Sue Healy (NE) and I used to go a lot and I remember once that we were quite chuffed that after we returned at midnight and had a short sleep we found that we had scored more than some of the chaps who had stayed out all night.

It’s a great social occasion too as well as enjoying the bush at a slower pace and having time to enjoy little finds along the way, like birds, rock shapes and unusual plants. Also the camping, the food and the company are great.

My new husband, Gordon Clarke, has spent the last 30 years fighting to get his age group every five years since he was 50, and up to his current one of M85. It is sad and makes us very angry. Even the women have had age class problems too and we even had to fight and write letters to get a long leg in our earlier courses to give us some route choice as our courses are shorter overall.

AO: Any plans for an O-odyssey overseas in the future? There’s plenty of W75s in Europe.

I’d love to compete overseas again which is the icing on the cake but at 75 years old I would like to see more of Australia while I’m able. I used to play a lot of hockey and tennis and have always had a lot of energy. I do still feel young at heart with the same old urge to win and beat my competitors who have come and gone over the years. I have a 99 year-old mother who is still very well and sometimes the time to train gets taken up with other responsibilities.

I have been lucky to enjoy our lovely bush and this wonderful sport which I hope continues to grow and give enjoyment to many more Australians.

DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 17

BOOK REVIEW

Banksia:

A Kangaroo’s Tale

by Rob Simson

SYNOPSIS Despite the fantasy, this is a story about science and philosophy, about who we are and what geology can teach us. Sandy is a Darwinian figure endeavouring to make sense of what he, a grey kangaroo, can observe, giving things meaning and teasing out theories. For the lay reader the story could be an eye-opener to the truth about our existence; to the scientifically literate it is a journey in seeing creation through another set of eyes – kangaroo eyes.

T

HE story is woven through the landscape of the spectacular Banksia Peninsula. Think Tasmania in topography supporting the ecological diversity of a temperate coastal environment and you have a picture of this imaginary world. The map shows it to be joined to the mainland by a narrow isthmus of shifting sands and mangrove marshland, hindering overland incursions, so despite a history of earlier aboriginal occupation and some attempts to establish mining and grazing enterprises during European times, the mythical Banksia remains without the presence of permanent habitation when our tale begins early in the year 2002.

Sandy is a young grey kangaroo in one of several small mobs ruled by the domineering Buck. The young roo’s life is turned into turmoil in a series of unpredictable events following the terrorising experience of a dramatic meteorite strike on a hillside close by to the mob’s normally peaceful home range. Curiosity drives young Sandy to explore, not just the crater formed by the meteorite strike, but far and wide on the peninsula in his quest to know whatever there is to be known about his world. He is assisted, and at times hindered, by his cobber, Badger, his rock-wallaby friend, Tyler, and the annoyingly attractive though unpredictable female kangaroo, SaSa. A weird set of circumstances, bring Sandy into contact with a number of human bipeds, both friend and foe. One of the friendly bipeds is seventeen year-old Jason Worthy, whose intimate knowledge of the events of Sandy’s life make him the ideal first person story-teller in the second part of the tale.

Jason has trouble with compulsive obsessions, undertaking his own relentless mission to learn more about the natural world of Banksia, and in particular, to find a trilobite fossil like or better preserved than the one his grandfather, himself a retired geologist, had once seen in the now forgotten Whitehouse collection of the 1930s. The two companions, macropod and human, form a trusting and beneficial partnership, taking on a journey of discovery, scientific finds and humiliating disappointments, through both the hops and strides that lead towards the inescapable and disturbing climax.

18 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

In composing this novel the author has broken down the artificial barrier between different genre, infusing a fantasy of animal characters and imaginary settings into a documentary-style of narrative, so the reader is left wondering as to what in the end is real and what is unreal about existence.

At one point the story reads: “Sandy thought back to his dream experiences…… Perhaps he himself was no more than another creature’s imagination. Such thoughts made him giddy and he had to pinch himself in order to concentrate on what was tangible.”

And when Sandy finds a trilobite fragment in a meteorite crater just as a fierce bushfire is about to overrun himself and Badger: “Sandy’s heat exhausted brain made no sense of the find. He didn’t even think it was for real. His mind had become a sea of vague impressions – scents, sounds, apparitions, hallucinations. It was his memory playing tricks. It was his past infusing the present. It was this conundrum again. How to know dreams from reality?”

About the author WELL known Queensland orienteer, Rob Simson, has found time to produce a novel which should have wide appeal to members of the orienteering community from teenagers to veterans.

After a professional career in geographical and outdoor education, Rob Simson continues his passionate interest in landscape aesthetics, geomorphology and environmental ecology, and these passions have provided the themes for his engaging story, Banksia – a kangaroo’s tale.

Rob started orienteering in Queensland in 1975 and is a foundation member of the Toohey Forest Orienteering Club in the southern suburbs of Brisbane. He has been committed to the sport ever since and still contributes in a substantial way as a mapper, competitor, event official and a coach of up-and-coming juniors.

Rob believes his greatest achievement in Orienteering has been successfully lobbying to have the annual Australian Schools Orienteering Championships established as a national carnival under the joint banner of School Sport Australia and Orienteering Australia.

As the national secretary for School Orienteering from 1989-1999 he was able to promote the importance of the event and has seen it grow in the quality and depth of the performances of participants and in its national overall prestige.

In Rob’s novel, there is no surprise that the story is told with maps, drawn with OCAD software, as well as illustrations to supplement the text as the characters, both animal and human, explore the imaginary world of the Banksia Peninsula.

The book should have wide appeal to all who love the Australian outdoors and can be purchased for $24.95 plus postage directly from Rob by email to robinsimson@powerup.com.au. It is also available through the Boolarong Press website.

Banksia: A Kangaroo’s Tale Review by Fiona Calabro

R

IGHT from the start, this story of a grey kangaroo, and an imaginary peninsula off the Australian east coast, is deeply engaging. Sandy explores his world, as a young, developing animal, making sense of it by naming things, and one can’t help but be reminded of one’s own childhood explorations, particularly if lucky enough to have access to bushland. The reader shares in Sandy’s thrills, trials, and journeys, as he learns to relate to the world around him.

As he develops relationships, we are reminded of our own, with other humans, and also animals. The author uses an intriguing combination of observation and imagination to create this vivid and challenging tale.

In the course of the book, all of life’s milestones and major relationships are explored and discussed. While the book does become fantasy to some extent, as Sandy is unusually intelligent and communicative, the main relevance of this stratagem is to make us reconsider our assumptions about animal and human consciousness, to think again about the continuum between them, and about what an animal might perceive, feel, and think. It also provides a compelling storyline, as we are searching to know and understand Sandy better and ourselves at the same time.

In the second part of the book, the narrator becomes Jason, a young student interested in geology, who develops a strong relationship with Sandy. Life on the peninsula is full of action and events, often with harsh consequences for the inhabitants. The characters are described with relish, and owe more than a little to the life and experience of the author.

The inter-reaction between the peninsula and the “bipeds” who live close by, particularly after a meteor strike, allows for a fascinating depiction of man’s effect on nature, coping with change, and the damage that humans can cause by trying to control the earth for their own ends. Banksia has many different visitors, from those who want to goggle at the meteor strike, scientists who wish to study it, others to exploit the opportunities commercially, still others who wish to steal or tame the animals, to controlling bureaucrats who are also fearful, inflexible, and unwilling to make decisions.

Far from being an inert and unresisting canvas, Banksia and its inhabitants often fight back against these intrusions!

Banksia – a kangaroo’s tale

by R P Simson available from Boolarong Press www.boolarongpress.com.au or direct from the author for

$24.95 plus postage Rob Simson 11 Pandanus Street Sunnybank Qld 4109 Ph. 07-33454527 robinsimson@powerup.com.au

What makes the book unique and tremendously appealing is the fact that it is written by a geographer, and the observations and interpretations of the natural life of the peninsula are richly and intensively described and recorded.

The story of the kangaroo and his friends, including, eventually, human ones, allows for a philosophy of life to be presented in miniature. The animals and plants are closely related with the earth itself, depending on the rocks and soils beneath for their very nature, and these relationships allow for a wonderful complexity of life forms, developed after aeons of history. Banksia, a geological paradise with tremendous variety, and indeed representative outcrops of most geological ages, allows for a stunning microcosm of varied habitat, and its description becomes a vivid and wonderful scientific tour. We are even given finely detailed maps and illustrations so that we can understand the peninsula fully. The book is clearly based on a lifetime of thought, observation and study.

In a recent issue of the Guardian Weekly, (3/8/07) Madeleine Bunting described a new genre of writing which is putting centre stage the interconnectedness between human beings and the wilderness. People, often cut off from natural surroundings in large cities, crave to know “the bush” better.

However, if our attention is drawn to it, a bustling, varied, natural world can be observed right under our noses. In books such as Mark Cocker’s Crow Country, the author writes a tremendously detailed description of the life of crows in England, going to great lengths to find and study rookeries.

The reader will never look at crows quite the same way again.

The appeal of such books is that we can enrich our lives and understand ourselves better by heeding and observing nature, and experiencing the thrill of getting to know it in more depth and detail. Sandy could be the next grey kangaroo you spot, and Banksia could be Moreton or Fraser Island.

Richard Dawkins, in Unweaving the Rainbow, begs for poets and scientists to cross the divide which traditionally but unnecessarily exists between them. He wishes for poets to obtain inspiration from science, and scientists to be able to write in a manner which inspires people to love and respect scientific learning and discovery. Surely Rob Simson achieves the combination Dawkins is looking for.

OR I ENTEER I NG PUB LI CATI ONS IOF Publications

Australian Publications

International Specifications for‑Orienteering Maps . . . . . . . . . . $11.00 Competition rules for IOF events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $11.00 Control Descriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . $11.00 Simple Maps for Orienteering . . . . $11.00 Trail Orienteering (BOF book). . . . . $30.00 Trail Orienteering (booklet). . . . . . . . $8.25 Trail O (leaflet) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $0.70

Elementary Orienteering Instructors‑Manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . $13.20 Level 1 Coaching Manual. . . . . . . . $22.00 Level 1 Coaching Syllabus. . . . . . . . $3.90 Level 2 Coaching Syllabus. . . . . . . . $4.40 Level 3 Coaching Syllabus. . . . . . . . $4.40 Among the Best Orienteers (video).$19.75 Sponsorship & Advertising, 1996 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . available from states Club Guide, available on disc.

Prices include GST and postage within Australia for single copies.

Prices for bulk orders available on request. Orders should be addressed to Orienteering Australia, PO Box 284 Mitchell BC 2911, with cheques made payable to Orienteering Australia. Email: orienteering@netspeed.com.au DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 19

NEWS

2009 AUSTRALIAN 3-DAYS

P

LANNING has commenced in earnest for Easter 2009 which will be based around Launceston, Tasmania, 10 -13 April 2009.

The carnival will open with the elite Sprints and Family Relays to be held in the Trevallyn reserve on the outskirts of Launceston. This venue has been chosen for a number of reasons: 1. I t’s ease of access for those flying in to Launceston that morning or driving from the ferry terminal at Devonport.

2. It’s scenic location and variety of terrain.

3. I t’s convenience for media coverage for the opening of the Carnival.

Photos from the new area being mapped for day 3 of Easter 2009.

Day 1 action will move to Diddleum, some 50 km NE of Launceston, to an area last used over five years ago and currently being remapped. This is an area of granite, erosion gullies and recently planted tree farms. The advent of the tree

farms has added a new dimension to this area and should provide a lot of challenges and plenty of fun.

Days 2 and 3 are being held in the Fingal valley in the vicinity of Royal George, an old tin mining town and scene of the 1996 Tasmanian Championships. The Day 2 map is an area which was not used in 1996 and features a variety of terrain including spur, gully, mining remains and rock outcrops, both sedimentary and granite.

The final day will be on a new area only discovered last year through the use of geological maps and due to be mapped for the first time in early 2008. It is on the opposite side of the valley from the existing Royal George maps and is all granite but has a broad undulating plateau dissected by valleys often with detailed granite on their sides.

The choice of Launceston as the event centre ensures plenty of accommodation options as well as lots of opportunities for eating and socializing between events. The full program will include some fun midweek events on interesting maps and the Galaxy Sprint and a National League event the following weekend.

Stay tuned for more details over the coming year.

Bert Elson/Jan Hardy – Carnival organizers

HEALTHY TURNOUT TO MAPPING WORKSHOP

E

RIC Andrews held a mapping workshop based at Molong near Dubbo in the week prior to JWOC this July. The workshop was attended by almost 20 mapping enthusiasts ranging in experience from some near beginners to a number of highly experienced and practiced mappers. Attendees came from most States and New Zealand.

The workshop ran from Tuesday evening to Friday afternoon covering a very wide range of mapping skills and issues. In addition all attendees undertook practical

exercises on existing maps near Molong. This is where the dedication of Eric and Liz and the keenness of the attendees really showed out as the wind and rain howled in from the south on two of the three outings with even snow flurries on Thursday afternoon.

Group photo taken in between snow showers on Thursday

20 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

Feedback from the workshop was very positive and it was great to see such interest in mapping which bodes well for the future of Orienteering in Australia. Our thanks to Eric Andrews and Liz Bourne for holding the workshop.

Bert Elson (attendee)

DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER

21

DID YOU KNOW Competed in Most Countries From Norway, Petter Fure reports that “Peo Bengtsson (Sweden) has orienteered in about 84 countries while Norway’s Invar Braathen and Bernt O. Myrvold have 77 countries to date. Next year the Norwegian travel company PWT (www.pwttravel.com) has a cruise expedition http://www.pwttravel.com/karibien/karibien_ e.htm with competitions on a lot of islands in the Caribbean. Bernt O. Myrvold is entered, and will probably overhaul Peo Bengtsson.

Amazing.”

We haven’t done a detailed investigation amongst well-travelled Australians but it seems that Blair Trewin would be high on the list with 23 countries: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Kazakhstan, United States, Canada, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Northern Ireland and Italy.

Your Editor can claim only a paltry 15 countries.

There are probably plenty of readers who have competed in more countries than that.

Please let us know.

Was WOC 2007 fair for all?

Olav Lundanes

Norwegian Juniors in motorway accident in China Sept 27 – Junior World Champion, Olav Lundanes (Østmarka club), Magne Dæhli (Løten club) and Ida Marie Næss Bjørgul (Halden club), were involved in a fatal car crash in China.

A local tried to cross an unlit motorway at night and was hit by the car in which the Norwegians were passengers. The local was killed and the O-stars shocked, but fortunately unhurt. They were in China to participate in the Park World Tour series.

Lundanes said that they are OK, and needed no “shrink” after the accident. So “back to business” - orienteering.

The Norwegian Dagbladet headline read “Sat two hours in the Chinese wilderness with dead man”. It also said that the questioning of the witnesses took “some” time, as none of the Chinese police officers spoke any English.

Reports and sightings of control ‘watchers’ calling in runners to controls leads to the obvious question as to whether runners from some nations had that little extra advantage over their competitors. Those who won medals in all the Finals were clear and well-deserved winners who showed that they were the top performers on the day. But placings well down the list are just as important to those orienteers who are fighting for them. A few seconds saved here and there on the course can mean quite a lot and if those seconds are saved unfairly then those who are pushed down the finish list can rightly feel annoyed. Many lowertier competitors are fighting for a certain top-whatever finish to help obtain or retain funding for next year’s campaign.

Calling out the location of controls is often heard of in major events in Europe but it’s been said that it could never happen in a World Championship. Well it has, and it’s high time the sport’s administration took steps to stamp out the practice.

The principle of The Silent Forest must prevail in Orienteering.

Brits claim schools cross-country is physical abuse Advising them about their legal rights at school, a Guide to 14–16 years old British school kids tells them “You have the right to be protected from emotional or physical abuse”. Just two examples are given – bullying and cross-country running.

The publishers of the Guide have sold more than 30,000 copies to schools around Britain. We wonder what their attitude is to rugby.

O truly is a family sport Two years ago we ran an article describing how local Park & Street orienteers had donated generously to give a fellow orienteering family a much-needed holiday. In an article entitled “Orienteering is a Family Sport” (AO-Dec’05, p3) Peter Yeates described how young orienteer, Lachlan Korvin, was dealing with chemotherapy and radiation treatment to beat a disease which had recently claimed his mother.

Peter described how his Dandenong Ranges club had “decided to put in a bit of money and we thought we would “rattle a tin” at the next couple of events and raise a few hundred dollars. We were promptly staggered by the response and in two weeks these wonderful people had donated over $1600, many to a family that they barely knew. I asked one generous donor how this could be so and his simple reply was, “because he is one of us and this could happen to any of us.”

Lachie went on that holiday, courtesy of “these wonderful people”, recovered his health and is back at Billanook College. As a result of his ordeal Lachie has become involved with Canteen which supports young people affected by cancer. He recently received their Shooting Star award for living the organisation’s values and he featured in an article in the local newspaper.

22 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

2007 Melbourne Marathon Tasmanian orienteer Hanny Allston won the Women’s division of the Melbourne Marathon held in October.

Her time of 2:40:32 was her best so far. Occasional Park & Street orienteer, Agni Ziogos, won her 5055 category. Her time was 3:12:10 for 1st 50-55 female and 17th Female overall.

The Women’s Half Marathon was won by another Park & Street orienteer and 2006 Commonwealth Games Marathon representative, Lauren Shelley (BK-V), in a time of 1:14:54, and Martin Dent (ACT) finished 2nd in the Men’s Half Marathon in 1:03:43.

Snakebite at Rogaine Tyson Hillyard (TJ & Southern Arrows manager)) fell sick during a Rogaine up near Burra in Sth Australia and had to be evacuated to an Adelaide hospital with what turned out to be a nasty snakebite that had him crook for quite awhile.

EPILOGUE FOR JWOC 2007

The AUS Team remembers After all the hype and euphoria that was JWOC 2007 in Dubbo what lasting impressions did the Carnival leave on our young JWOC Team? Their Team Manager, Hilary Wood, questioned each team member about their memories and here is a selection of their responses.

Q: What was the highlight for you in Dubbo?

Vanessa Round – running almost as well as I’d hoped. It was a big relief. I would have been really disappointed if I’d run badly after all the build up (obviously!). The best thing was that it was in front of a home crowd – it just made it so exciting and it was great that I could share the excitement with everyone who was there.

Bridget Anderson – everyday was a highlight for me but I guess one of the best experiences was the first time I ran through a spectator control during the Sprint. The noise was so unbelievably loud and it just felt great to know they were all cheering for you.

Morten Neve – it was all pretty exciting; probably going through the first spectator control in the Long Distance.

Realising I was on a pretty poor time I was amazed at the shrieking from the crowd as I ran through – everyone sounded way too excited. (When I finished I found out Vanessa was just behind me and had posted the fastest time so far – that probably deserved the cheer I heard.)

Rachel Effeney – the Relay was my highlight as it was a great conclusion to a fun week.

Simon Uppill – my result in the classic Long Distance. Also that this year was a chance to show Australian orienteers what competing at JWOC is really like.

Heather Harding – running in front of a home crowd – the cheering and support was amazing, especially running out as the first Australian starting in the Sprint.

Belinda Lawford – Just being in the team was awesome and seeing all the other teams and what they were like.

Louis Elson – meeting people from other countries and playing ‘Stomp Ball’.

Rhys Challen – running JWOC itself was a highlight though I particularly enjoyed the Long Distance from the spectator’s point of view and meeting new people.

Rob Fell – the trip highlight was the camp in Blackheath with the morning run through Govett’s Leap. But the Dubbo highlight was definitely the great feeling at the Model event.

Jess Davis – definitely the party and meeting people from all around the world. Oh, and Vanessa and Simon doing so well.

I actually cried when Vanessa ran down the finish chute on the day of the Long Distance. And bonding with my roomies.

Q: In preparing for JWOC in Dubbo what did you do differently to preparing for national championships?

Bridget Anderson – I consulted three different people 8 months before JWOC about how I should train up until JWOC. But my training wasn’t only physical, I did a lot of mental training teaching myself how to concentrate and relax before a big race. I also became way obsessed with Armchair–O as I lined my whole toilet with granite maps.

Vanessa Round – I hadn’t focussed on a carnival so intensely and for so long as I did for JWOC. All my training and racing was directed towards JWOC. I travelled interstate for relevant technical training more than usual. Also, I put a lot more effort into making sure training was a priority. More thought went into the mental aspect as I really wanted to make sure I would run well.

Simon Uppill – the running training I did for JWOC probably wasn’t too much different to what I would have been doing anyway. This is because running at the elite level (21E – not 20E) in Australia is relatively similar to the competition at JWOC. Although I have done more running training in the lead up to JWOC than I have in previous years, I believe this is what I would have been doing anyway at this point in my life to compete for a M21E national championship, and I will continue to build on this. The major difference would be the amount of training in relevant terrain, which I may not necessarily get for a national championship. Another difference is that JWOC itself provided a powerful motivator for training.

Belinda Lawford – I haven’t really ever prepared properly for national champs before so it was all new to me. I trained on granite areas as much as possible and went through things that would come up at JWOC such as dealing with spectators.

Morten Neve – most of it was similar. Usually I would try and be well rested for lots of races through the year, but I tried not to sacrifice much training this season, just focussed on JWOC. DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 23

Simon Uppill.

Photo: Erik Borg

Bridget Anderson.

Photo: Erik Borg

Rob Fell.

Photo: Erik Borg

Rachel Effeney.

Photo: Erik Borg

24 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

Bridget Anderson

Morten Neve

Heather Harding Rhys Challen.

Photo: Erik Borg

Vanessa Round

Jess Davis

Belinda Lawford

Louis Elson

DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 25

EPILOGUE FOR JWOC 2007 Rachel Effeney – with only a short time to prepare, my physical preparation didn’t change however I focussed on being relaxed and building my confidence in the terrain at the training camp.

Louis Elson – I did not do much differently. Obviously I tried to train on granite maps as much as possible but I tried to treat it as any other big event in general.

Heather Harding – not having the experience of running a JWOC before I tried to prepare and organise myself for the week – e.g. mentally preparing for each race in terms of things like adjusting to spectator controls and home crowd support. My training was also at a slightly higher level to maximise my fitness level.

Rhys Challen – Nothing especially different as I have always treated the nationals as big and important events.

Rob Fell – prepared my training program specifically to deal with the week–long program. Was not expecting selection and so needed a special ‘catch up’ training program. Thanks Grant!!!

Jess Davis – I definitely trained harder and there was probably more mental preparation required. Visualising running with the best orienteers from around the world and that kind of thing. Although the real thing is still a bit of a shock.

Q: If you have the opportunity again what would you do differently?

Vanessa Round – I don’t think I would change anything. I did a lot of specific granite training and thought a lot about what I could do to make sure I was confident I would run well. Not having a niggling injury since Easter would’ve been nice, as my physical preparation wasn’t ideal, but I coped with that and it all turned out fine!

Jess Davis – I would have trained a lot harder. Those Europeans can sure run fast. Between AUS Champs and Xmas 5–Days last year I lost a lot of fitness and I ran really badly at the 5–Days. I had to work really hard to actually get back to a normal level of fitness again. So I won’t be slacking off like that again.

Bridget Anderson – I would have done training a little bit different beforehand. I think I could have done more base training, but other than that I thought my preparation for JWOC was pretty good.

Jess Davis.

Nick Andrewartha.

Photo: Erik Borg

Morten Neve – don’t go into any particular race with a varied attitude. Run every race as well as you can. Otherwise I am pretty pleased with my build up, wouldn’t do too much differently. Hopefully next year I’ll have another years training under my belt.

Rachel Effeney – I would spend more time in the terrain.

Simon Uppill – I think my physical training for JWOC was adequate, although it’s possible that more fitness training for the Long Distance could have improved my result in that race.

As far as technical aspects I feel we were provided with easily enough opportunity to prepare. However, often this was on the same areas and this meant that it was possible to become ‘lazy’ with your orienteering because you know the area well.

I’m not sure how this could have been different due to the limited number of training areas.

Heather Harding – I would try and be fitter. You don’t realise just how tough the competition is and how tough the racing is (especially the Long Distance and backing up after each race) at that level until you experience for yourself.

26 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

Belinda Lawford

Belinda Lawford – I would do more races where I am under pressure so I am used to it.

Louis Elson – I would have trained harder for the Classic (Long Distance); in particular my strength on the hills as I feel that is where I lost most time in the Long Distance event.

Rhys Challen – I would do a lot more navigational training not just in the few months before the event. While my fitness was not high it was more than equal to the pace I could navigate at.

Belinda Lawford – probably being sick because I couldn’t really get myself to focus on my next race. I don’t think I did get over it.

Bridget Anderson – my result from the Middle Distance Final. I don’t know how I got over it. I just forgot about it by dinnertime and starting thinking about the Relay the next day.

Louis Elson – I was disappointed with my Relay run but I got over it pretty quickly because once the race was over there was nothing I could do about it.

Rob Fell – would have begun training pre selection trials!

Support was excellent though. Having the experience of JWOC means I would be a lot more comfortable competing if I had the chance again.

Rhys Challen – catching a cold during the training camp prior to JWOC, I didn’t get over it – that was the problem.

Q: What was a low point for you and how did you get over it?

Q: Sum up your JWOC in Dubbo in one word.

What is that word?!

Vanessa Round – the low point was when I realised it was all over, all the internationals left and we had to go home. I’m probably not over it yet, but instead of going straight home to normality, I went skiing for the first time!! I had a low after Easter when I got an injury and didn’t know how long it would take to get better. Luckily it wasn’t as bad as I feared and I just did what I could to keep going.

Morten Neve – I simply couldn’t believe how physically tough the Long Distance was. I thought I’d get through it OK. I was wrong. I just wanted it to end. Hard to talk your mind into focussing on the next few days. Hanny had to do that for me.

Rob Fell – The low point was the variety of illnesses that overcame the team leading up to the competition.

Um…Europeans!!! (Jess Davis) Snacktacular (Rob Fell) Can’t be done! (Louis Elson) Awesome (Heather Harding, Belinda Lawford, Rhys Challen, Vanessa Round) Rewarding (Simon Uppill) Fun! (Rachel Effeney) Superawesomefantastic! (Bridget Anderson)

Jess Davis – Probably not running at my best. I was very disappointed with how I ran in the Long Distance. I got over it by simply focussing on the next race. This will definitely motivate me to train a lot harder for next year.

Rachel Effeney – being sick throughout the events was frustrating and definitely a low point. I tried to not let it affect me by focussing on my navigation for every race.

Simon Uppill – my mistake in the Middle Distance qualification. This mistake had occurred because I hadn’t done what I had planned in the race. To get past this I went over the mistake, figured out why it occurred and how I could avoid it, and then concentrated on the Final the next day.

Heather Harding – My performance in the Long Distance race was a low point – it physically and mentally exhausted me and I lost some confidence. For the next race (Middle Distance qualifying) I changed my focus, so I managed to relax and regain my confidence.

Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 27

28 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

TOP EVENTS 2008

2009 March 21-24 Australian 3-Days Dubbo, NSW aus3days2008.orienteering.asn.au

June 28 WMOC 2008

-July 5 Marinha Grande, Portugal www.wmoc2008.fpo.pt

June 30- JWOC 2008 July 6 Gothenberg, Sweden www.gmok.nu/jwoc2008

July 10-20 WOC 2008 Olomouc, Czech Republic www.woc2008.cz

July 21-25 O-Ringen 2008 Dalarna, Sweden www.oringen.com/dalarna2008

July 25-30 APOC 2008

South Korea

www.apoc2008.kr

July 30- Aug 8

Aug 3-9

Nordvestgallopen 2008 Voss/Bergen, Norway Creoso 6 Day South East Wales

Aug 24-31 MTB-WOC 2008 and MTB-JWOC 2008 Ostróda, Poland www.mtbo.pl/woc2008/

April 10-13 Australian 3-Days The Royal Easter O, Launceston, Tasmania www.tasorienteering.asn.au

July 5-12 JWOC 2009

Trentino, Italy www.jwoc2009.it

July 19-24 O-Ringen 2009 Smaland, Sweden www.oringen.com/smaland2009

Aug 2-8 Scottish 6-Days

Tayside, Scotland www.scottish6days.com/2009/

Aug 2-8

Swiss O Week Muotatal, Switzerland www.swiss-o-week.ch

Aug 18-23 WOC 2008 Miskolc, Hungary www.woc2009.hu

tba MTB-WOC 2008 and MTB-JWOC 2008 Israel

Oct 10-17 WMOC 2009

Lithgow NSW www.nsw.orienteering.asn.au

Sept 20-28 Australian Championships Carnival

Maryborough, QLD

www.oq.asn.au/2008austchamps

Sept 30 Australian MTB-O Championships

-Oct 1 Maryborough, QLD www.oq.asn.au/2008austchamps

Orienteering Australia – National Training Centre

CLASSIC INJURIES Kay Haarsma reported that Carolyn Strong (TT-SA), a 40-something relatively new orienteer (came in via MTBO) was negotiating a high fence at a recent event. She fell and got hung upside down with an ankle strangled between two wire strands. Unable to reach back to her ankle she was stuck there for some time yelling for help. Eventually a group of newcomers (a great introduction to O) discovered Carolyn and disentangled her. She suffered nerve damage and a nasty cut but it should come good in time.

Carolyn takes up the story:

Saturday Afternoon - Suburban foothills of Adelaide: I decided to do a short course as I had already done a 50km training bike ride that morning and I was feeling a little tired. Set off and I had to cross a style to reach the first control which was in view on a parallel fence. The style crossed a metre-high wire fence (with square sections) with two single loose wires on top. I suddenly found myself doing a press-up on the plank of wood on the far side of the fence, my left ankle had the two strands of wire wrapped tightly around my bare flesh and to make matters worse my right foot was locked in the square portion of the fence around my toes.

The strands of wire were really tight around my ankle but I couldn’t reach them as they were behind me, and I was supporting my weight. I cried for help three times as my whistle was in my back pocket, which I couldn’t reach either. I thought help would come but no-one came. I realised I must have put my left foot in between the top two strands not over then tripped over the fence tightening the wire. I then decided to try and get my body back over the fence (which would release the wires).

Unfortunately with my blood rushing to my head all I managed to do was to pass out. I came around and found I had fallen off the wooden plank. My head and shoulders were on the ground but my feet were still trapped in the top strands of the fence, and the wire was tighter making a groove in my flesh.

It was at this point that the next orienteers arrived on the scene, a family with two young boys, trying orienteering for the first time, on a come-and-try-it basis, they were surprised to find me strung up on the fence like a christmas chook. They were soon able to release my feet and I went back to the start to receive first aid.

Luckily, although it had been five minutes, I only suffered some peripheral (sensory) nerve damage, which is improving.

Ed: Our thanks to Carolyn for this graphic description.

DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 29

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.

Not Elite I am happy to support Orienteering Australia, but can seldom find anything I want to read in the magazine. I am a W65 recreational Orienteer with no prospects of going to big events or competing with top Orienteers. I Orienteer for fun and fitness and have no access to coaching, but I enjoy the bush and would love to improve my navigation skills.

Any chance of including some coaching tips, or general information for the geographically challenged, or am I the only one out there who is not an elite athlete?

Sally Grattidge Townsville Ed: I’m trying to broaden the scope of articles but I am limited rather by what people will submit. I hope the Nutrition section is of interest to you, at least. And I think most people like to read about our Juniors doing so well.

Rogaining article (Sept’07) I write in reply to the article that appeared in AO-Sept’07, p35. I do not know who the author was as the article was not credited. In any case, I and many of my colleagues in Rogaining have been astonished by the seeming rancour of the attack on Rogaining contained in the last two paragraphs of the article. I hope that you will give me a right of reply.

Firstly, we all know that the maps used in Rogaining differ significantly from those used in Orienteering. In the view of almost all Rogainers, the use of Government Survey maps is an inherent part of the sport, and ‘errors’ and other ‘shortcomings’ in these maps are accepted as part of the sport. An attempt to carry over into Rogaining the expectations of mapping one has from Orienteering is simply wrong – the “fault”, if any, is in the expectation, not in the sport.

We all accept that controls should not be misplaced, or located on features where the mapping is doubtful. Errors of this type do, however, occur – in both sports. I have been at (major) Orienteering events where courses have had to be cancelled because of a misplaced control. This has not led me to criticize Orienteering in general, or claim that this limits Orienteering’s “potential to grow”. In Rogaining, the ability to know when it is time to “move on”, rather than to persist with an unfound control, is, in fact, a part of the sport.

This is not to minimise the problems associated with misplaced or badly sited controls, nor that we should not take every effort to reduce (ideally remove) the incidence thereof.

It is regretted that the occasional example may (as started by the author of the article) “limit the enjoyment factor” of some competitors. But this is certainly not true for most Rogainers I know. My own memories and enjoyment of the many Rogaines I have competed in have certainly not been adversely affected by the occasional misplaced or badly sited control I have dealt with.

Secondly, the attack on Rogaining as having “an inflexible administrative hierarchy” left me amazed, and not knowing whether to fume or laugh. Having being involved in both 30 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

sports for over 20 years, I have, in general, found the administration in Rogaining to be more easy going / less regimented than that in Orienteering. What “red tape”? I can categorically state that I have found very little “red tape” in Rogaining. The author of the article should have provided some substantiation in support of this extraordinary claim.

No doubt there are instances in both sports where we are not as “user friendly” as possible, and that efforts should be made to reduce these. Unfortunately, the article in question gives no guide to the Rogaining fraternity as to what the perceived issues are. The reference to Athletics and Swimming in the 60s and 70s is unhelpful to me - and I suspect to most other readers.

Perhaps the author had a bad experience at the recent Rogaine Championships. If so, I feel sorry for him/her. But to attempt to tar all of Rogaining is ridiculous.

Glenn Bridgart President, ACT Rogaining Association Member, Bayside Kangaroos Orienteering Club Ed: any unattributed text in the magazine is editorial.

Rogaining In AO-Sept’07, you wrote “Rogaining also suffers from an inflexible administrative hierarchy similar to the difficulties seen in Athletics and Swimming in the 60s and 70s. They need to recognise that they are there to help competitors (their customers) rather than bind them with red tape.”

Some rogainers have taken offence, drawing comparisons with the red tape they experience at Orienteering events. I would like to offer you some support.

Rogaining has a great tradition of seeking feedback from participants and using this feedback to evolve. At the same time, there has been a considerable shift to what you call “inflexible red tape” over the past 25 years. This inflexibility is also seen in Orienteering, netball, swimming, soccer and many other sports. A focus on making Rogaining completely “fair” has led to more restrictive rules on many aspects. One example is the increasing inflexibility of Rogaining rules about teams getting credit for checkpoint visits. The policy now applied may be appropriate to top level competitors (although this can be debated as well) but is often irrelevant to the needs of many other participants.

Administrators in many sports have the view that they must follow the rules blindly. They see the rules as an end in themselves. However, Rogaining and other sports are primarily for enjoyment. Rules are adopted firstly for safety reasons, and secondarily as a way to ensure a fair and enjoyable result. They are not an end in themselves.

Maintaining flexibility in applying rules is good, not bad. If I am competing in a Rogaine, I trust the organizers to be fair.

Applying this to the example above, if they credit points to a team who have no plans to be competitive and who have lost their checkpoint card, this meets the aims of the sport better than rigidly giving them zero.

Rod Phillips (VIC)

AUS Rogaining Championships The informative article in AO-Sept’07 was spoilt by some unsubstantiated criticism of Rogaining.

I interacted with a wide range of competitors after this year’s event and didn’t encounter a single criticism of the accuracy

of the map. Further, I and my team members had no difficulty reading the map, but like others, we were challenged at times by the complexity of the terrain. Eric Andrews did a fine job and reached a useful compromise in dealing with two base maps with different levels of detail. The contours are more detailed on the eastern side because Eric had access to a higher quality base map there.

This was of little or no importance for competitors because the checkpoints used were on major features, certainly on features well above the level of fine detail on the eastern section of the map. I can appreciate that some competitors may have been confused by the level of detail on the eastern side of the map, however, this confusion is akin to that experienced by orienteers in some granite areas. Experienced competitors know what to do in this situation; that is, ignore the fine detail and use the big features for navigation.

It may be that concern about the accuracy of rogaining maps develops from a misunderstanding of the requirements for Orienteering and Rogaining. For the former, accurate maps showing relatively small features are essential because of the shorter winning times for events. Omission of a patch of thicker vegetation on an Orienteering map could disadvantage some competitors and be the difference between finishing in or out of the placings. While Rogaining also requires accurate maps (particularly accurate contour detail), the extended duration of the event and the size of the competition area make it both unfeasible and unnecessary for the level of detail required for an Orienteering map.

Law was rampant as we visited the two controls sequentially between 2 and 4am Sunday morning. However we could still admire the magnificent country under a full moon and console ourselves at the time with the belief that we had visited the locations shown on the map.

Subsequently, and appropriately, following consideration by the administrative committee, team scores were adjusted when supported by the electronic data of the route followed by the team.

Overall rogaining does provide an attractive navigating experience with events of 6, 12 or 24 hours duration.

The Northern Territory Rogaining Association is to be congratulated for organizing an excellent ARC 2007.

Personally I enjoy both Orienteering and Rogaining, so let’s support each other for the benefit of both sports.

John Anderson Garingal Orienteers and NSW Rogaining Association

Regarding the second criticism: in fact, the administrative hierarchy of Rogaining is quite similar to Orienteering with a national body overseeing the administration of State associations. Rogaining has demonstrated impressive national and international growth in recent years with associations in each of the States and Territories, and is well established in USA, Canada, New Zealand, Czech Republic, Ireland, Estonia and Russia. World Rogaining Championships are held every two years. The 2008 World Championships will be held in Estonia (http://8wrc2008.rogain.ee/).

Opinion pieces are valuable but their value lies in the accuracy and the fairness of those opinions. Unfortunately, in my opinion, both of these qualities are lacking in important sections of the article.

Ian Dempsey

Re “Orienteering in Alice Springs” I refer to the article “Orienteering in Alice Springs” in the Sept’07 edition. The article reports on the Orienteering events organized as a lead up to the Yeperenye Yaw Australian Rogaining Championships 2007 held in the East MacDonnell Ranges in the Northern Territory, and on the Rogaining championships, but unfortunately ends with a number of negative comments which I consider are out of place in The Australian Orienteer.

From my experience, enjoying both Orienteering and Rogaining, the 1:33,000 scale map for the Yeperenye Yaw event was of a high standard particularly considering the area covered of approximately 200 km2. Similarly the map for the World Rogaining Championship held in 2006 in the Warrumbungles, at the same scale, is an excellent map.

Both maps involve photogrammetry and cartography by people well known in mapping of major Orienteering events including the recent JWOC. Unfortunately two controls at the ARC 2007 were not at the location shown on the map. In my team’s case Murphy’s

VICTORINOX AWARD The quarterly Victorinox Award goes to Vanessa Round for her excellent performances in JWOC 2007 held near Dubbo last July. Against fierce opposition Vanessa achieved a 6th place podium placing in the Classic Long Distance event.

Vanessa will receive a Victorinox Voyager with 20 tools and features including a watch/alarm/timer; retail value $109.95.

DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 31

SPORT PSYCHOLOGY

Away from the forest – mental training sessions at home Jason McCrae – Psychologist

I

n the March’07 edition I wrote of visualisation and how it can be used to effectively practice Orienteering without being anywhere near a map or event. Continuing that theme this edition, there are many Orienteering specific training drills which can be used in preparation for races. They are sessions designed to practice both mental and technical skills ‘away from the forest’ that will prepare the orienteer for competition.

Not all of these training sessions would necessarily be classified as visualisation but they do use the principle of practicing your orienteering techniques in your mind, without actually travelling to a forest or map. Some training sessions I’ve seen used or used myself that train the mind are: v Before big races grab some maps of similar areas to the terrain you will race in, or perhaps even the old map of the area when available, and set a course about the length you think your competition will be, trying to make it as tough as possible. When setting the course think about what are the challenging legs for this sort of terrain? What aspects of the terrain are difficult navigationally or physically? How would you ‘trick’ runners into mistakes? By doing this you begin to think about what challenges a good course setter might present you with in the particular terrain and how you might overcome them. v Have a fellow orienteer set a course for you on a map similar to terrain you will compete in and then visualise yourself running the course. Choose routes for each control and then imagine yourself running the leg. What features would you see on the way between controls? How do you pace yourself on the course? An extension would be to use a highlighter to mark the features you would use to navigate the leg.

32 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

v Complete a visualisation of a course while on a training run. The challenge of this session can be raised by trying to read a certain number of legs in a certain space of time, for example, visualise one leg of the course in the time it takes to run between two light poles. v Take a map, again of a similar area to your upcoming competition, and look at every feature and try to imagine what the bush looks like at that point. Visualise the green, the clearings, the rocks, the termite mounds, the gullies and spurs. Are there any features you are unsure what they would look like? If so, how could you have a better idea before the race? v When doing a physical training session of intervals or hill repetitions endeavour to read your way around a course between the repetitions/intervals (during the rest periods).

This sounds relatively easy but what it will do, as well as sharpening your technical skills and visualisation, is give you an insight into how fatigue influences your decision making and map reading. For many orienteers even looking at the map when fatigued becomes difficult, yet alone making good choices and navigating well. v A twist on the previous exercise is to look at a leg of a course during a rest period between intervals or hill repetitions, deciding which route choice you would take and what would be the key features you would use to navigate as you ran the leg. Then, at the end of the next interval/hill, mark on a blank sheet of paper the leg drawing in those key features you chose at the start of your interval/hill. This exercise becomes more difficult as fatigue sets in, gets the orienteer practising navigation and simplification and uses visualisation to rehearse orienteering at your best.

Something on your mind?

This column has been appearing in The Australian Orienteer for approximately 3 years now covering a range of sport psychology topics such as goal setting, overcoming distraction, focussing on processes and recovering from mistakes. One of the things I’ve tried to do is provide action plans and tips that can be implemented by orienteers in their training, competing or technique generally.

Is there anything “on your mind” when you compete that you find challenging? If so I invite you to drop me an email and see if we can address it in the next or subsequent columns. I’m happy to keep your details anonymous if you wish. Please email me on the address below at least a fortnight before AO submissions are required (see submission date on page 2 of this edition).

Jason McCrae is a Psychologist in the ACT, currently working for Lifeline Canberra. He has previously worked as a Sport Psychologist at the ACT Academy of Sport which is also Orienteering Australia’s National Training Centre. He can be emailed on jason. mccrae@tpg.com.au

ANTI-DOPING

Drugs in sport Steve Bird

Welcome to the murky world of drugs in sport, or to be more encompassing ‘Ergogenic (work enhancing) aids’ in sport. It’s murky because despite the efforts of various authorities it’s complex, with areas of greyness.

A

S we’ve seen in recent times, there are issues around whether to discriminate between ‘performance enhancing’ drugs, and the use of ‘recreational’ drugs that may or may not affect performance. There is also an element of greyness in setting the moral boundaries. For example, if we say that drugs or other performance enhancing techniques are banned because they give an unfair advantage, where do we draw the line between: (i) going to altitude to live and train, to enhance oxygen delivery, (ii) sleeping in a hypobaric chamber that simulates being at altitude, (iii) removing some of your own blood, allowing your body the replenish the loss, and then reinfusing the extracted blood to increase oxygen delivery, and (iv) injecting the hormone erythropoietin (EPO) to stimulate your body to produce more red blood cells.

Essentially, all of these can have the same effect, yet we have applied a moral stance, in which (iii) and (iv) would be deemed as cheating, whist (i) and (ii) would be permissible. If in the above example we draw the line at blood reinfusion and injecting EPO, on the grounds that they’re not a ‘natural’ effect, why then do we allow other medications to be taken without applying the same criteria, say for example with asthma medication. Since this also enables someone to compete and perform at a level that they may not be able to without the drugs. So in this case we shift the rationale to the difference between ‘illness’ and ‘normal’, but this is a spectrum with no definite line. And to a certain extent, we accept medications because as a society we accept them as part of our daily life, but the way society has shaped us means that taking drugs to enhance performance doesn’t feel right, and so we consider it immoral and cheating. I am, of course, being provocative for the sake of stimulating discussion and I’m not advocating the use of drugs in sport, just highlighting the complexities of the issues which are dictated by our view of society and what it should be.

Likewise the argument of giving someone an ‘unfair advantage’ is also ridden with holes, as ‘unfairness’ can have many forms.

For example we could extend this to: having the right parents who gave us the best genes for a particular sport; or living in a particular geographic location that has better facilities; or socioeconomic status. Who knows how many potential champion polo players are out there, but never get to ride a horse, let alone afford a stable of polo ponies. So why do we accept some forms of unfairness, but not others. We could say that it’s because taking drugs is bad for your health, but you only need to spend a few hours in the Emergency Department of the local hospital to see that if we applied the criteria of ‘bad for your health/risk of injury’, we would need to ban a whole range of sporting activities outright.

And so the philosophical arguments go on, and “being a bear of small brain” (A. A. Milne; Winnie-the-Pooh) I shall leave them to

the philosophers, BBQ and Bar Room discussions, whilst I stick to the less subjective aspects of the topic, in outlining some of the basic science. This article will attempt to clarify some of the points involved by reviewing a few of the aspects associated with doping substances and procedures in sport, outlining which drugs are involved and suggesting why those involved in sport may be tempted to use them.

Research evidence for ergogenic benefits Conclusive research into the ergogenic effects of particular drugs or doping procedures, and the health risks they convey is often difficult due to the nature of the subject. For example, since their use by those involved in sport is, by definition, not permitted, it precludes any sports individuals from taking them as part of any scientific research study on the topic. This means that research findings are sometimes based upon non-sportsmen and women, a consequence of which may be that the results bear little resemblance to the sporting situation and sports performer whose physiological responses may differ quite considerably considering their levels of fitness and training. Additionally in conducting any drug related research there is of course the ethical issue of giving someone a potentially dangerous substance even if they are a volunteer. It’s also a fact that the potential hazards associated with sports related drug abuse often relate to the large doses that are used. When these drugs are used to treat medical conditions they are given in particular dosages under strict medical supervision, with their effects being strictly monitored. Conversely when they are abused by the sports performer, these drugs are often taken in very large dosages which are far in excess of the therapeutic dosage and used without any medical supervision, resulting in a far greater risk of adverse and serious side effects to the user.

However despite the difficulties associated with researching into the topic there is a growing body of published scientific evidence which is helping to produce a clearer picture of the situation.

These findings are supported by a larger volume of anecdotal evidence, small-scale studies and case reports, all of which contribute to our understanding of the subject.

Medications and doping The topic of drug abuse is clouded by the fact that many of the banned drugs are medically prescribed to treat particular disorders and some are even present, in small amounts, in common ‘over the counter medicines’. This makes it imperative that anyone involved in sport should be aware of which therapeutic drugs are permitted and which are not. Orienteering Australia has a published anti-doping policy, and the Australian Sports AntiDoping Authority (ASADA) has an Anti-Doping Handbook that can be downloaded from the Web. A key message from this is to contact the relevant team doctor if you are unsure, and for all those competing abroad, do not to buy medicines yourself but go DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 33

via your team doctor, who should be familiar with those which are permitted and those which are not. Obviously there are times when people do need specific forms of medication, particularly amongst the older age groups and it should be stressed that the reason for banning a particular drug is not to preclude from the sport those individuals who may be taking it for genuine medical reasons but to prevent its deliberate use as a performance enhancer by otherwise healthy individuals. This is always an issue in Masters age-group competition where the prevalence of certain medications can be quite high.

Doping categories Due to the vast array of individual substances and methods that could be abused by the sports performer they are grouped into categories and banned by category rather than by individual name. This has been a growing list over the years, which according to the 2007 World Ant-Doping Code now includes:

Prohibited substances • Agents with anti-oestrogenic activity • Anabolic Agents • Beta-2 agonists • Cannabinoids • Diuretics and other masking agents • Glucocorticosteroids • Hormones and related substances • Narcotics • Stimulants

Prohibited methods • Chemical and physical manipulation • Enhancement of oxygen transfer • Gene Doping The benefit and hence potential prevalence of each of these will depend upon the physical and mental demands of the sport, with some being more pertinent to Orienteering than others.

Anabolic Agents Perhaps the most notorious and widely publicised of these are the Androgenic Anabolic Steroids (AAS). They include the hormone testosterone and related drugs which mimic its activity. Testosterone is the ‘male hormone’ which is produced by the male testes along with other related hormones such as epi-testosterone. The normal actions of these hormones are to promote the male sexual characteristics and promote the growth of body tissues. Hence they are both androgenic and anabolic.

Females do produce testosterone but in smaller amounts, with the ovaries and adrenal cortex being the site of its production.

The anabolic androgenic steroid drugs that are included in this category attempt to mimic the anabolic (growth promoting) effects of testosterone, whilst minimising their androgenic (masculinising) effects. They do however cause a variety of very serious effects and side-effects upon those who abuse them.

Sports performers take these drugs for a number of reasons. They have been used in sports which require large amounts of strength and power where the additional muscle bulk is an advantage.

Documented examples of this include the athletic throwing events such as shot putt, weight lifting and American Football where they are incorporated into regimens involving training with heavy weights and high protein diets. They have also been used in other sports such as endurance running for a very different reason.

Here their use is not aimed at increasing muscle bulk but their use aids the recovery between hard training sessions. We all know how we feel rather sore, stiff and tired the day after a hard race.

We often use the expression ‘I’ve still got yesterday’s session in 34 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

my legs’. This is because the body needs time to recuperate after very strenuous exercise and must repair any of the damage that has incurred. Steroids can accelerate this process enabling the individual to train harder on a more frequent basis. A number of endurance runners have been caught for steroid abuse. Another effect of steroid abuse is to increase the aggressiveness of the individual and in some cases promote belligerence towards the opposition, a factor for consideration in contact sports. This increased determination to train hard and succeed is put forward by some physiologists as one of the reasons why steroids enhance performance in the way that they do.

The risks associated with steroid abuse are quite considerable.

Here it is important to emphasise that the medical use of steroid drugs does not necessarily include those being discussed here and when it does, the medical dosages are far smaller than those commonly taken by those seeking to use them as ergogenic aids. Hence the risks being outlined here refer to the mega doses associated with their abuse in the sporting situation.

The reported risks include; liver cancers, kidney failure, high blood pressure and an increased risk of coronary heart disease.

In juniors their use can stop the long bones from growing and hence will stunt their growth. In males the use of steroids inhibits the normal functioning of the body’s own hormonal systems in such a way as to cause the testes to atrophy and reduce the sperm count very considerably. Furthermore the use of large amounts of anabolic steroids will cause some of them to be converted into estradiol which is a female hormone and cause the subsequent development of breast tissue (gynaecomastia).

This is a reason why some users will also take another banned category of substances; the anti-oestrogenic agents. In females the consequences of steroid abuse can extend even further. Here the androgenic properties of the steroids can have a masculinising effect resulting in the growth of facial hair, a permanent deepening of the voice and masculinisation of the genitalia. Other somewhat milder effects include acne in both males and females.

Diuretics Diuretics are used to reduce the water content of the body by promoting the production of urine. They have been used in some sports for two basic reasons. Firstly to lose weight, usually when attempting to compete in a particular weight category, as in sports such as weight lifting, boxing and judo. Secondly the production of large amounts of urine is used to try and flush other illicit substances, such as other drugs, out of the body as rapidly as possible.

In Orienteering they would convey no advantage as their dehydrating effect would adversely affect the functioning of the cardiovascular system, its ability to deliver oxygen around the body and its capacity to cool the body whilst exercising.

Furthermore any fluid loss of this sort which is not medically supervised can have serious consequences upon the individual’s health.

Hormones and related substances This group of substances include a number of natural hormones and their analogues, such as Erythropoetin (EPO), Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), Leutinising hormone (LH), Human Growth Hormone (hGH), and Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1).

Erythropoetin is a naturally occurring hormone which is produced by the kidneys and promotes the production of red blood cells (erythrocytes). Since red blood cells are responsible for the carriage of oxygen around the body, one of the effects of training is to increase their number, thereby enhancing the body’s aerobic capacity. This increase in aerobic fitness enables the individual to sustain a faster running speed. EPO has been used by endurance performers to artificially cause a further increase in

ORIENTEERING IN THE RED CENTRE ANTI-DOPING the number of red blood cells in the hope of attaining an even greater improvement in fitness above and beyond that which they have attained from their normal training. However its use has been associated with a number of fatalities, most notably amongst cyclists a number of whom have died of cardiovascular failure. Its use, other than for bona-fide medical purposes, is therefore extremely dangerous. hCG promotes the production of anabolic hormones, such as testosterone, by the body. Its effects are therefore similar to that of Anabolic Steroids and it is taken for similar reasons. It may also be taken to counteract the effects of testicular damage caused by anabolic steroids. Likewise LH may be taken to stimulate the testes to produce testosterone. hGH is produced by the pituitary gland and is another growthpromoting hormone. It influences virtually all the cells of the body but affects the bone, muscle and connective tissues in particular. Due to its growth-promoting effects it has been used by those seeking an increase in musculature. However it also causes a thickening of the bones and this is most noticeable in the face. An excess of hGH can occur naturally in some adults where it causes the acromegaly. Other side-effects of the drug’s abuse include an increased risk of diabetes. IGF-1 has growth-promoting effects, and is the hormone through which hGH works. It has a similar structure to insulin, hence its name, and can produce the same effects, which include the risk of diabetic (hypoglycaemic) coma.

Narcotics Narcotics are used medically to give pain relief. Chemically they are based upon the opiates and in particular upon Morphine, or its chemical analogues such as Heroin, and can therefore also give a sense of euphoria and invincibility. Codeine is a narcotic, but is permitted (pg 33, Anti-doping handbook, 2007), as are some other pain killers, and to be sure what is permitted it is always best to check with a sports physician.

Narcotic drugs affect the central nervous system and inhibit the sensation of pain. They are addictive and have the adverse effect of inhibiting the normal breathing processes as well as causing psychological disturbances. The uses of narcotics in sport are related to their pain-killing properties which can enable participants to continue training and competing despite fairly serious injuries. The problem here is that whereas without the drug the individual would be forced to rest and let the injury heal up before continuing to train, with the drug they don’t feel the pain and are therefore likely to make the injury considerably worse without realising it as they don’t feel the effects of the damage they are doing until the effects of the drug wear off. This can result in permanently disabling injuries and many sporting careers have been prematurely terminated by this ‘compete now - pay later’ attitude.

Stimulants Stimulants mimic the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and sympathetic hormones such as adrenaline. Participants are not permitted to take them when they are competing, but in terms of some of the medications that contain the stimulants, these may be permitted out of competition. They include the amphetamines and other stimulants.

Stimulants increase alertness and reduce the sensation of fatigue.

They can also promote hostility and belligerence towards the opposition which is why they are sometimes taken by those involved in contact sports. They can produce side-effects such as elevated blood pressure, headaches, insomnia, irrational behaviour, anxiety, gastrointestinal disorders and irregular heart beats. The fact that they mask the sensation of fatigue makes them particularly hazardous as the sportsperson may push themselves beyond their natural limits. These risks are further increased in hot conditions as they confuse the body’s

thermoregulatory system which can result in overheating. These effects have been cited as the cause of a number of drug related fatalities, particularly in competitive cycling, most notably Tommy Simpson in the 1967 Tour de France and Kurt Jensen in the 1960 Olympics.

Within this group of drugs it is particularly important to highlight the fact that a number of them may be present in common cold remedies or asthma treatments. For example the stimulants ephedrine and pseudoephedrine; therefore when buying medications, all competitors should check what it contains before they use it. Of course, if you need these medications, you should be asking yourself whether you should be competing at all.

Due to its widespread presence in the diet, caffeine was banned above a certain level. Basically this was a level requiring drinking very large amounts of strong coffee just beforehand or taking it in some other form such as tablets. It therefore represented a deliberate attempt by the individual to elevate the amount of caffeine in their body for its use as an ergogenic aid. However there has recently been considerable debate over the practicalities of banning a substance that is so ubiquitous in our diet (as well as being present in the products of so many of the major sponsors of sport!) that according to the ASADA handbook, pg 34, it is no longer prohibited.

Prohibited methods - Blood Doping Blood doping is a procedure used by some endurance performers.

Like the use of EPO its purpose is to increase the number of circulating red blood cells and hence the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. The procedure involves removing about two units of blood 4 - 8 weeks before competition. This is then stored for a number of weeks whilst the individual continues to train and will naturally replace the lost blood in their system back up to its normal volume. In some cases the donated blood has been known to have come from relatives of the same blood type rather than the individual themselves. Then a few days or even hours before a competition the stored blood is reinfused back into the individual thereby artificially increasing their blood volume above its normal level. This technique has been used by cyclists, crosscountry skiers and endurance runners. It conveys a number of risks associated with changes in the circulatory system, the risk of infection and the risk of receiving the wrong blood, which could have fatal consequences.

Summary As indicated in this article the issue of drug abuse in sport is complex. There are many different factors to consider and much debate over the existence of any potential ergogenic effects and the risks involved. However, most authorities would agree that the dangers are real although in the absence of large amounts of documented evidence the exact magnitude of these dangers is unclear. Overall, the sport of Orienteering has a relatively good record as a ‘clean’ sport, with relatively few confirmed cases of doping offences, the majority of which appear to have been inadvertent. The most notable case was that of a Norwegian female relay runner at the World Championships some years ago who tested positive for pseudoephedrine. It was found that she had inadvertently taken it in a medication and was banned for three months. Under today’s rules she would not have been banned.

References: Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) (2007). Anti-Doping Handbook, Australian Government.

Professor Steve Bird is at RMIT University, Melbourne. Steve worked with the Great Britain National Orienteering Squad for over 10 years and is now assisting the Victorian Junior Squad.

DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 35

NUTRITION

To Supplement or Not? Gillian Woodward

WHEN asked why they use dietary/nutritional supplements, most athletes would give one of the following reasons: 1. to meet the extra energy/nutrient demands induced by heavy training loads; 2. to produce a direct (ergogenic or work enhancing) effect on performance; 3. to compensate for less than ideal diets or lifestyles.

Firstly we need to acknowledge that there are two main classifications of sports supplements for athletes. One is called simply a ‘dietary supplement’ because it usually contains nutrients in amounts similar to those found in foods, but is in a form which may be more practical for the athlete to consume. The second is called a ‘nutritional ergogenic aid’. These usually contain nutrients in much greater than recommended quantities, are often purported to have a direct ergogenic effect on performance and usually rely on theoretical rather than scientifically controlled research evidence. Needless to say, the former are quite well accepted by sports scientists, whereas the latter are not usually supported by sports nutrition/medicine experts.

The first and third reasons above are usually a sign that the athlete has not fully realised the importance of a high carbohydrate training diet and the need to practice good recovery strategies (re-fuelling spent glycogen after heavy training). Much of this problem can be fixed by consulting a Sports Dietitian who can help plan fuel intake that matches exercise needs and is practical to consume in a normal working day. This might well include the use of dietary supplements – especially fluids like sports drinks/gels or nutritional drinks (which add the energy and nutrients of a small meal in one drink) - to add extra carbohydrates and energy in an easy-to-consume form.

Reason two is the tricky one to deal with here. Often the athlete is looking for a quick solution – something that will give a boost to energy level or endurance capacity, without having to put in much effort. They may have heard about the ergogenic aid through a multilevel marketing company, which has given only personal testimonials or non-peer-reviewed, non-scientific evidence to support it. Their claim is often that ‘everyone is using them’, which may provide powerful motivation, but does not prove they work! The placebo effect is well known and many of the claims about supplement benefits can be put down to this factor.

36 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

The role of most commonly sold nutritional ergogenic aids remains unsupported. The exceptions to this include caffeine, bicarbonate and creatine, which can provide benefits to specific athletes (mainly sprinters) in certain situations.

It is wise to remember that the supplement industry is a very profitable business, while the production and marketing of their products is poorly regulated with respect to control of quality or scientific support for their many claims. Athletes are vulnerable to not only wasting their money but also to risking possible side-effects or inadvertent doping arising from supplements which may contain traces of illegal substances or may not contain the stated quantity of the ‘performanceenhancing’ agent/ingredient. The risk is small but quite real.

So what is the place of nutritional supplementation for the busy, heavily training athlete? It may well be necessary to add extra energy (especially if not able to maintain training weight) or nutrients (vitamins/minerals) to the diet. But doing this in a well–controlled, planned fashion with the advice of a sports nutrition expert is by far the best way. It is of no use to supplement an athlete who has not first tried to achieve their goals through adequate dietary strategies. With good meal and snack planning as well as attention to adequate fluid intake, many of the nutrient needs can be met very easily, but in some cases, it is made more convenient or achievable for an athlete by the addition of things like liquid meal supplements, sports bars or carbohydrate gels and sports drinks.

But there again, many a sports bar can equally be replaced by a cheaper supermarket substitute such as a breakfast or muesli bar. Some of the weight-gain powders are no more than skim milk powder equivalents and the dose of amino acids in some supplements would be less than that found in a small carton of yoghurt. In other words, don’t be ‘had’ by the glamour of the word ‘sport’ which may be used to simply increase the price of the product rather than provide you with something that will enhance your athletic performance.

In the next edition I will review what really makes up an adequate training diet and how to take good care of your recovery nutrition.

Gillian Woodward is a Practising Dietician and has been providing advice in the field for over 25 years. She has been an orienteer since 1984

APOC 2008

SEOUL, KOREA

APOC 2008

Asia Pacific Orienteering Championships 2008 Asian Orienteering Championships 2008 Seoul, Korea July 25 – 30, 2008 The Korea Orienteering Federation (KOF) are proud to host the 15th Asia Pacific Orienteering Championships (APOC) and the 1st Asian Orienteering Championships (AOC) to be held in July 2008. The event, co-sponsored by the Korea Tourism Organization and Seoul Metropolitan Government, will offer participants a unique orienteering experience and a chance to visit dynamic Seoul. We welcome all of our orienteering friends from around the world to join in the fun and excitement!

Preliminary Program

Contact information

July 25, 2008 (Fri): Model Event, Registration July 26, 2008 (Sat): Sprint, Opening Ceremony July 27, 2008 (Sun): Long July 28, 2008 (Mon): Rest Day July 29, 2008 (Tue): Middle July 30, 2008 (Wed): Relay, Closing Ceremony

The Entry Form is in Bulletin 2 which can be downloaded from the website.

Korea Orienteering Federation Tel 82-2-318-2164 Fax 82-2-318-6005 Email: info@apoc2008.kr website: www.apoc2008.kr

DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER

37

MTBO NEWS

A Silver Lining for NZL at the National Championships

Blake Gordon OA MTBO Coordinator

D

I Michels, the New Zealand manager, said to me when I met her at Killingworth, NSW, just before setting off to the start, “We’ve left some of our best at home – trying to blood a few new riders”. The rules were simple. New Zealand, as visiting nation, selected the seven age classes they could contest (must include M21 Elite and W21 Elite) in the Australia-New Zealand Challenge. Three riders could compete for each country in each of the selected age classes; the sum of the top two selected riders times from each nation were compared and the lowest total time won a point. With seven classes over each of the three days, a tie was not possible.

Saturday - Flies, Mud and Riding the Yellow With steady rain over Friday night, we awoke to a warm humid day with little wind, lots of flies and mud & puddles the order of the day. The organisers were on site when we arrived, but the truck with toilets aboard managed to wedge itself halfway up the 300-metre track to the assembly area. So we assembled our bikes (still in the Ground Effects bike bags) by the side of the road.

The usual scramble for air pumps, lost/misplaced SI sticks and zingers, map boards to attach and pedals to thread on – all part of the preparation that MTBOers have learned to master. At least we had two races today (value for preparation) – both at the same assembly area with remote starts.

The ride to the start gave us a chance to sort out some of the big features – two large power/transmission lines with 100metre wide rough open areas. We could ride on any yellow today so these areas might be crucial to route choice. Under the freeway, through a dip with a stream and along the muddy track filled with puddles to the start / map distribution area. All seemed in order.

The news at the finish was good – our M21 Elites Adrian Jackson, Alex Randall and David Simpfendorfer had taken 1st, 2nd and 4th in that order with Damian Welbourne from Newcastle in 3rd. AUS 1, NZL 0. But soon after came the first surprise – our M40’s had taken 2nd (Tim Hatley) and 7th (Tim Hay) while Peter Swanson (NZL) had blitzed the field to take1st and David King (NZL) 5th - good enough for a 6minute win to the Kiwis. It mattered little that Craig Steffens (Qld) and Graeme Hall (Qld) had pinched 3rd and 4th behind the leaders – they had embarrassed the selectors – but the score stood AUS 1, NZL 1.

Next out were the Women 21 Elite with Marquita Gelderman (NZL) setting a cracking pace in the slippery conditions to score a 9 _ minute win over Thorlene Egerton (AUS) with Angela Eccles (NZL) 3rd, 7 1/2 minutes in front of Carolyn Jackson. All of a sudden it was NZL 2, AUS 1. Next scheduled classes to start were the M60 and W50 on Course 4. First off in M60 was Michael Wood (NZL) who had run so well at the Foot-O Oceania events only a month ago in Canberra. Then Dick Ogilvie (NSW) and Hub Carter (Qld) wove their way through the puddles and 38 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

disappeared out of sight. At 11:12 the officials called halt to the start order - not enough Course 4 maps. Quick thinking – several meetings and 1 1/2 hours later – new Course 4 maps were handed out to the assembled M60’s and W50’s.

Meanwhile at the finish – the day was hotting up – as was the competition. Australia’s M50’s swept the top two places with Eoin Rothery 1st and Lee Merchant 2nd clear Challenge winners over Rob Garden 6th and Bruce Meder 7th. But New Zealand’s W40 team of strong-riding Di Michels 1st and Viv Prince 4th scored a 7-minute win over Australia’s Lyn Stichbury 2nd and Carol Osborne 3rd. Things were looking up for the Kiwis with NZL 3, AUS 2. So with two classes to go – the delayed M60’s and W50’s – the first day was tilting New Zealand’s way.

The M60’s was decided early in the delayed race when news came back that Tom Clarkson (NZL) had mispunched giving the win to Tim Dent 2nd and Peter Hoban 4th with NZL Michael Wood in 3rd. Leigh Privett (VIC), back from injury, had embarrassed the selectors again to win the M60 class, but all hinged on the final class – the W50’s. Kate Chown (AUS) narrowly won (by 30secs) from fast-finishing Jacqui Sinclair (NZL) but Alison MacDonald’s (NZL) 3rd place won the day for the Silver Ferns NZL 4, AUS 3.

Sprint Distance on Saturday Afternoon First order of business was to wash the mud out of the chain and rear forks – and then lube up the chain for the afternoon Sprint.

This combination of events – two in one day – with a Middle Distance event followed by a Sprint – had never been tried in Australia. But the Big Foot organisers were up to the task - all was ready at 3pm for the first starters. The automated start – with a mechanical recorded voice calling you up, giving instructions, then “Ready, Steady, Go” – worked well (and attracted many positive comments). The courses were fast and furious – with winning times in all classes under 23 minutes. The area had dried out a bit, but there were still motor bikes and an odd 4WD spinning in the muddy bits. It did not stop the Kiwis who seemed to revel in the conditions (“just like home” I heard several times) – but the result was the same. AUS won the M21 Elite, M50, M60; NZL won the M40, W21 Elite, W40, and W50. So we went “home” to caravan parks, tents, motor homes and motels – to clean our bikes, shower, eat dinner and work on a strategy to overcome the 8 – 6 margin that had developed over the two Saturday races.

New Zealand team members Andrew Bott, Bruce Meder, and Michael Wood accept the ANZ MTBO Challenge trophy from Australian team members Dion Keech (Manager), Adrian and Carolyn Jackson. Photo: Troy Merchant

Tim Hay (QLD) and Jiri Cech (NSW) concentrating hard on their maps during the Sprint race. Photo: Dion Keech

Sunday – after the Thunderstorm They had not had rain in Cessnock since June, but on Saturday night it bucketed down, complete with lightning and thunder.

They thanked us for bringing the rain as we checked out, but we wondered what it had done to the tracks at “Astley’s Tower”, in Kitchener, just 10 minutes from Cessnock. The day was bright and sunny with a nice breeze, but the single track was slippery and the sandy roads had turned sticky with sizeable puddles. But it was another day and conditions were the same for all riders – improving as the day went on. How were we going to turn the tables on the rampaging Kiwis? Everyone had their own strategy – make less mistakes, ride faster, take the single-track, avoid the climbs, concentrate – and most of all - enjoy the ride.

The M21 Elite were just as rock solid as they had been on Saturday. Adrian Jackson scored an impressive 13minute win over team-mate Alex Randall 2nd , with Stu Adams (Newcastle) in 3rd and David Simpfendorfer 4th. The M40 class continued to baffle the selector’s choices with three non-team Australians – Craig Steffens (Qld), Graeme Hall (Qld), and local Patrick Dellagiacoma – taking out the top 3 places, but NZL team members took 4th (Peter Swanson) and 5th (David King) and picked up the valuable point. AUS 1, NZL 1. Lee Merchant (AUS) was next to finish – topping the M50’s for the second time and when Eoin Rothery (AUS) took 3rd, that made the score 2 – 1 in AUS favour. Then the AUS Women’s Elite combination of Carolyn Jackson 2nd and Melanie Simpson 3rd scored a hard-fought victory, despite Marquita Gelderman’s third win of the weekend – a narrow 28secs margin over Jackson. Tension mounting: AUS 3 – NZL 1. If Australia could just win two of the remaining classes - M60, W40, and W50 - the banner would stay in Australia.

The mad scramble finding and punching your SI at controls. Photo: Troy Merchant

a courageous 15minute winning margin over their Kiwi rivals, but the final score read AUS 4 NZL 3 for the Long Distance event. The Challenge over three races finished NZL 11, AUS 10. In the closest tussle between the two nations yet, the riders from the land of the long white cloud took home the banner by a single point.

There were some consolations for the Australians. Adrian Jackson won the Resident Champion Men Elite Trophy while his mother Carolyn won the Resident Champion Women Elite Trophy. In the battle of the States, the shield went back to Victoria (30 points)), with NSW 2nd (24 points), Queensland 3rd (18), South Australia 4th (10), ACT 5th (5), WA 6th (1), TAS 6th (1).

After the record attendance at these MTBO nationals, we look forward to next year’s titles in “it better be sunny” Queensland.

NZ’s Marquita Gelderman dominated the Women’s Elite class winning all three races and gaining full World Ranking points.

Photo: Dion Keech

The AUS M60 team had won both the Middle Distance and Sprint races on Saturday. Tim Dent (AUS) was first up on the board in just over 72 minutes, but that was bettered by the consistent Michael Wood (NZL) who navigated well to vault into first with a time of 68.22. News came back that Peter Hoban (AUS) had not completed the course, and when Tom Clarkson (NZL) beat Ray Sheldon (AUS) by 1 1/2 minutes, the Kiwis were assured of a vital second point. AUS 3, NZL 2.

So it would be up to the W40’s and W50’s to decide the winner of the 3rd ANZ Challenge. Both groups were out over 90 minutes, but when New Zealand’s W50 Jacqui Sinclair and Alison MacDonald finished first and second, the Challenge was decided. The AUS W40’s Lyn Stichbury and Joanna Parr managed DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 39

The Worlds in Czech Republic, plus…

Kay Haarsma

Four of our team raced in the Polish 6 Day at Nowa Kalecki not only as lead up events for MTB-WOC 2007, but also to examine the terrain for the 2008 Worlds which will be held nearby.

W

E stayed in a hotel on a lake and the races were held in the large adjoining forest area. Relatively flat, a little sandy in places, a confusing myriad of tracks and the option to ride through the bush all made for difficult route choice decisions and speedy map reading. MTB-WOC 2008 will suit good navigators and be enjoyable riding. Animals likely to be sighted include deer, squirrels, storks and perhaps a wild pig, while walkers and mushroom pickers abound. The food will take more getting used to with cherry juice, thick soups, meatballs and purple pasta (blueberries added) being routine lunch. Breakfast and dinner both consisted of bread, cheese, and sausage.

David Simpfendorfer in the Middle Distance event

Alex Randall has competed in all five MTB-WOCs.

During the 6 Day, David Simpfendorfer, Alex Randall and Paul Darvodelsky all incurred the penalty of paying for dinner with a DNF each. Paul reckoned he didn’t DNF as he mistakenly took and rode the women’s course! This punishment seemed to work as none of the boys mispunched in the WOC events.

David earned his “Larry” nickname for often being late. The best example was in the 6 Day relay when he was away warming up when he should have been going out as No. 2 rider - Alex had to substitute.

The team all came together 10 days before WOC for a Euro cup meeting in the Polish mountains at Ladek Zdroj, near the Czech border. This was a beautiful spa town setting. We had a Sprint, Long Distance and mass start event all on the same ultra-hilly map. With the initial “sprint” involving one lap of the mountain and giving a winning time of 44 minutes we got 40 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

Antje Bornak (GER), Michaela Gigon & Sonya Zinkl (AUT) compare routes after the Long Distance event.

M O U N TA I N B I K E O R I E N T E E R I N G good value for money. They also ran a multi day Foot O event on the same map. Their “sprint” was more traditional being around the detailed town and having the elites interviewed on stage in the minute before starting. Thorlene Egerton, being a bit hyperactive, laced up her sandshoes and impressed in taking 3rd in the women’s A class. Our training then moved to Blansko (near Brno) and then Zahradky (near Telc) for more specific Czech terrain conditions for the last week.

Spare time was largely spent in coffee shops, eating, reading and … riding. Czech is heavily forested with numerous marked riding and walking trails so it was hard to stop people going for scenic tours. David Wood, an endurance racer, was also preparing for the upcoming Crocodile Trophy. He raced several mountain bike world cups in Europe before joining us. Thorlene, an adventure race aficionado, often took in the sites at a run and had an amazing ability to drop off to sleep exactly on cue. Tony Clark’s big frame didn’t like economy seats and this initially gave him some back problems. He did enjoy the cycle friendly roads in Czech where even buses are polite. Paul Darvo liked his long lunches and supposedly requested his girlfriend fly over to wax his legs. David S studied endlessly any Financial Review that he could get his hands on while Alex Randall’s reading propensity saw him read the last Harry Potter book not once but twice.

Television coverage of World Championships is now sought by the IOF. In Czech the Sprint was covered live on national TV and riders had cameras literally in their faces at the start and around the course. There was also some TV coverage of the other events. I was a member of the jury and we were able to access footage as evidence in disqualifying competitors who rode illegally through the forest. In Czech you are allowed to carry your bike through the forest but not ride it. In Poland you are allowed to ride through the bush and this is occasionally the ideal route. Another interesting jury matter was when a competitor inadvertently stayed in a start box an extra minute. Initially he was given that minute back by the organizers but it was deducted (and he went from 2nd to 4th) when the jury had to adjudicate on a protest. The fact that the starts were all silent during the week inferred that it was the competitor’s responsibility to start at the correct time.

The WOC Relay had a rent-a-crowd of some 1500 extras, as Czech’s famous 2-day Bike Adventure was deliberately programmed to start on that afternoon. This is a bike Rogaine for pairs, normally over 12 hours. Similar to the Polaris but the start & finish area is the campground so no gear needs to be carried. Quite a number of WOC riders raced in the Relay and then headed out on the Bike Adventure. Martin Ševcík, a member of the Czech silver medal Relay team, was in the winning men’s team beating some 238 teams in the elite division. Hungarian team members Anna Fuzy and Veronika Cseh had to settle for 3rd in the women’s category. If you are heading to Europe in July this is an event to target as the Czech forests are heavily tracked and ideal for MTBO. Ian Dalton (WA) planned his o/s holidays around WOC. Initially he had just planned to race the public events and spectate but he was offered the Media liaison role for our team. He was officially accredited and sent out in the field with his digital camera, wrote the reports for OA and helped with the team blog. A tremendous support to the team.

His funniest moment was observing (and hearing) Irish competitor John Houlihan when his SI string got caught on a control and then the flag itself got wrapped in his back wheel.

WOC results Our small team did quite well with the men getting three top20 results plus Alex’s excellent Relay ride. The men’s depth has improved dramatically since MTBO started and making the top-10 is now very difficult. Most were relatively happy with most rides and need more MTBO-racing to improve.

Getting over to Europe to race other events before the Worlds is important. Thorlene, in her first Worlds, improved with every event. The women’s field doesn’t have so much depth and there are opportunities there for the taking, if we can entice more women to race.

Bike traveling hassles This year both Paul and I had our bikes lost at Heathrow for some days. Qantas and many airlines only allow you 20 kg and one piece of luggage. Tony Clark was the only one of us who managed to meet this limit. One person got charged $1000 excess on the way over and I got stung for a couple of hundred on the way back. British Airways currently allow bikes free as extra items. So before you travel check this aspect out thoroughly as it is often worth paying more for the flight, as excess could be charged on each leg. I cart my bike around in a normal cardboard bike box, which is light and easily attainable at bike shops worldwide. The downside is that taxis often refuse to take such a big object. Soft bike bags with some additional padding are probably the best method as they are smaller in size. Either way ensure you have wheels or a little trolley for transport.

Michaela Gigon MTBO’s best known female rider, has been one of 200 professional athletes in the Austrian army for some years.

She receives a monthly wage and in return has to sign in at the Vienna base every morning when not traveling and send in her training details. Michaela spent some time in Australia in 2004. She was World Champion in the Middle Distance in 2004, ‘05, ‘06 and in the Long Distance in 2007. Michaela is a great promoter of MTBO and collates the international ranking list. This can be accessed via her website at www.michigigon. at/

The Scott 24 hour The biggest in the world with 3,000 competitors, moved back to its original home in Stromlo forest, Canberra recently.

There were many MTBO’ers racing on the new purpose-built track with Adrian Jackson and Julie Quinn being stand-out performers. Adrian had the 14th fastest day and the 3rd fastest night lap and was in the 2nd placed pro team. Julie was 13th fastest by day and 6th by night and with fellow orienteers Andrew Rowe and David Baldwin won the mixed 4 class. Ian Prosser was in a 3rd placed team, while the young gun team of Julian Dent, Seb Dunne, Mace Neve, Felicity Brown, David Shepherd and Kerrin Rattray were a close 4th in the mixed 6 category.

A Czech event that I assisted at was “The Rockyman” – an Orienteering hardcore duathlon. This involved 10kms Foot O, 200km of MTBO and 5kms of Foot O. It started in Czech Paradise, a lovely area of rock stacks near Jicin and finished in the ski town of Rokytnice. Competitors had to carry their passports because the race went over some Polish mountains. After 12 hours of racing Martin Wurz won by just a few seconds. All competitors were accommodated for the night in ski huts complete with kegs of beer that I had helped roll down the mountain.

DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 41

MTB WOC 2007

Heinz Leuenberger (SA) during the Long Champs, on his way to 6th in M50. Photo: Troy Merchant .

Bob Prentice (NSW) 2nd in M50 in the Long and 3rd in the Sprint.

Photo: Troy Merchant .

Bill Chalmers M60 (NSW) avoiding a puddle at Cessnock Photo: Troy Merchant

Melanie Simpson (NSW) 3rd in Women’s Elite in the Long and Sprint races Photo: Troy Merchant 42 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

Adrian Jackson (VIC) won all three Championships and gained maximum points in the World Ranking events. Photo: Dion Keech

Alex Randall (VIC) was second Men’s Elite in the three races. Photo: Dion Keech

Australian team rep Thor Egerton (QLD) was second in the Middle and Sprint and 4th in the Long race.

Photo: Dion Keech

DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 43

TA L E N T S E A R C H

The Tasmanian Experience Christine Brown

In 2003, Orienteering Tasmania embarked on a Talent Search Program in partnership with the Tasmanian Institute of Sport. The Talent Search program was a national program between the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), the various state Institutes (Academies) of Sport, and a selected few State Sporting Organisations.

The ACTOA, with the support of Orienteering Australia, were keen to participate in the program but were unsuccessful in their attempt to become included. Paul Pacqué, after hearing about the idea from ACT, approached the Tasmanian Institute of Sport and successful negotiations resulted in the inclusion of Orienteering in the Tasmanian Talent Search Program. Christine Brown recently interviewed Paul about the Talent Search Program.

Paul, explain how you got involved in the Talent Search Program.

In the mid-nineties I worked as a Junior Development Officer for Orienteering Tasmania for a number of years and was disappointed by the almost non-existent flow-on effect from working with schools to increasing the number of club members and active orienteers. Later, as the National Junior Squad coach and JWOC coach I was often annoyed with the fact that my involvement with the squad members was limited to the few occasions when the group got together at training camps. Over the years, I also became increasingly frustrated by the general lack of enthusiasm and interest most orienteers show for being coached other than on a casual basis. After hearing about the unsuccessful attempt in ACT, I thought that it would be great to have a Talent Search Program in Tasmania.

Keen to broaden my coaching involvement to the absolute grass roots level of the sport, the prospect of working for a year with a small group of hand-picked kids who had no previous Orienteering experience seemed like the perfect new challenge I was looking for. After preparing a detailed proposal, I entered into negotiations with the Tasmanian Institute of Sport (TIS) and after several meetings Orienteering was accepted as the first “non mainstream” sport in the Talent Search program (the other sports in the program at the time were cycling, rowing and athletics). At the same time I needed to obtain the support of the Tasmanian orienteering community. Sadly, there was quite a bit of initial reluctance from some of the clubs. The main argument against the proposal was that recruiting juniors without their parents being involved was doomed to fail. Fortunately Orienteering Tasmania was happy to let me run with it for one year and see what evolved.

So once we were in, what happened next?

The selection of a Talent Search athlete happens in three phases.

In the 1st phase, the PE teachers of High Schools agreeing to be part of the program conduct several basic fitness and ability tests (e.g. shuttle run; vertical jump; 20m sprint; etc). Next, after collating thousands of results, the TIS invites the students in the top 10% to regional Phase 2 testing. This consists of more tests (e.g. ergometer testing) and anthropometric measurements. From the top 10% performers of Phase 2 the participating sports can then invite students to try out for the final sport-specific phase of testing.

44 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

In that first year, the TIS allowed me to invite a total of 66 students to Orienteering specific sessions in Launceston (38) and Hobart (28) based on the results of their shuttle run. As this had not been done before I had to come up with a series of tests to be administered. I settled on four tests: a 200m hill sprint (testing anaerobic power); a 3km cross country run (testing aerobic capacity); a 1.5km easy Orienteering course; and a paper test to gauge knowledge of contours and land shapes. Athletes were also given a short questionnaire, inquiring about their existing sporting commitments, their availability, parent support, etc.

As far as I was concerned the two most important questions were whether they had enjoyed their short Orienteering experience and whether they were interested in trying Orienteering as a sport.

Even more so than their actual test results, the replies to these two questions were used in deciding who was ultimately invited to join the first squad for twelve months. Of course not all invited athletes accepted the offer.

How many athletes started in the first year and what were the commitments they had to make?

The first squad consisted of 8 athletes in Launceston and 5 in Hobart. In Launceston they were offered the opportunity to attend two fitness and one skill training session per week.

Attendance was never made compulsory. Gradually they were encouraged to start attending local events, then the bigger state events. They were also invited to all training camps that were conducted for the existing Tasmanian junior orienteers.

Anecdotally, it took more than a year for this first group to be fully accepted as equals by OT’s existing junior members. At the first training camp they were completely shunned to the extent that they ended up calling themselves “the rejects”. Eventually, when it became clear that they were making significant progress and began to challenge the others, the group started to take notice and finally accepted the newcomers into their midst.

Since that first year there have been a varying number of athletes taking up the offer to join the Talent Search program. While some dropped out either before or after their 12 months were completed, others have kept going and continue to orienteer regularly.

It’s now 2007 and the program has been running for 5 years, what are the positives to come from Orienteering being involved in the TS program?

There have been numerous positives but I think these are the main ones: • The continued support of the TIS and from Orienteering Tasmania. The TIS is very result focussed, so we must be doing something right. Being chosen to be part of the TS program has certainly given extra kudos to our sport.

• Club memberships have been rejuvenated. The sceptics were proven wrong - recruiting and retaining juniors without parent participation is possible providing we look after them well.

Furthermore many of the parents and siblings of TS athletes have also become involved, both as participants and in administration.

• The extra number of juniors has created a critical mass of juniors at events and training camps that now regularly attract 40 juniors or more. This has made the social side of Orienteering more appealing. Other non-TS orienteers have reaped the benefit of the larger social scene.

• Of the 26 Tasmanian juniors who travelled to Dubbo for JWOC and its associated carnival, 14 came directly or indirectly out of the TS program.

• From a performance perspective, most TS athletes that have persevered have achieved success at state and national level. With few exceptions all of them have been named in a Tasmanian Schools Team. Several have placed at State and National

The victorious Tassie juniors at the JWOC carnival in Dubbo

Championships and have been selected in National teams (e.g.

School Honour Team; Australian Schools Team to compete against New Zealand; ANZ Challenge team). In May four ex-TS athletes took part in the JWOC trials in Orange.

As with all things good there are negative aspects too. What have you observed? he high drop out rate has been disappointing. We have lost T some of the most talented kids. Talented athletes often have many demands on their time and Orienteering struggles to compete with more high profile sports.

• Despite the success of the program and the many benefits it has brought the clubs, there still are very few orienteers willing to be actively involved in the program (e.g. as coaches). Some clubs still seem reluctant to fully embrace the program.

• There is limited interest or willingness of athletes who continue with Orienteering after their first 12 months to be coached “properly”. As observed earlier this is not limited to TS orienteers and unfortunately our elites are very poor role models. There seems to be something in the orienteers’ psyche that makes them think they don’t need help. Unfortunately Orienteering doesn’t seem to have the same coaching culture as many other sports.

There must have been some highlights over 5 years. What are they?

Tasmania they have drastically increased the benchmark test results needed for selection into the program. For instance for 2008 they have indicated they will at most accept 12 athletes across all sports. One aim for the future is therefore to expand the program by conducting our own independent TS testing and recruiting.

• From a development perspective, it is important we continue to put as much of our (human and financial) resources as possible into supporting our junior orienteers (via the TS program or otherwise). It is OT’s goal to field a full team in all NOL competitions from 2010 onwards. Athletes recruited through the TS program will hopefully progress from being a member of our school team to contributing to our JNOL team and ultimately become an important part of our NOL team.

• From a performance perspective I am convinced some of the TS athletes have enough talent to gain selection in National Teams and represent Australia at JWOC and WOC. It will require a lot of persistence and hard work but it will definitely be worth it.

Thanks Paul - in closing what advice could you offer to other States in regard to TS? Don’t bother trying to emulate us. We just started a streak and intend to win the National School Championships for many years to come

• The personal satisfaction I get from working with these young athletes. Seeing them progress from complete novices to very competent orienteers is the main highlight. The TS program has certainly provided me with the challenge I was hoping for.

• Seeing the many happy smiling faces at events, training sessions or camps and trips away when the juniors get together and are enjoying themselves.

• Although my focus is very much development oriented, the many great results by our juniors are very pleasing (e.g. winning the 2007 Australian School Championships).

Where to next? Do you have continued goals for the program?

Yes, there are definitely goals for the future.

• At the national level, the ASC last year scrapped the “masstesting” based Talent Search program and instead they have adopted a “project” based approach (e.g. the women Olympic Skeleton Squad and the “Dirt Roads to London” MTB program).

Although the TIS decided to keep the TS program going in

TS athletes Brea Pearce, Claire Butler and Catherine Hewitt after finishing 2nd in the 2007 Australian Schools Championships Relay.

DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 45

ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA

High Performance Mike Dowling, OA Director, High Performance

W

HILE I was getting ready to start at the Australian Long Distance Championships back in July I once again overheard that hoary old mantra often pedalled about in Orienteering decrying the so-called advantages that the “runners” would have on the day at the expense of the so-called “navigators”. In my 32 years as an orienteer in a conventional competition setting there has never been a time when the winner was not the person who gets around in the fastest time. It would seem self evident that fitness is a major component of the capacity to be a successful orienteer; be it at a low key club event, a national championship or representing Australia in international competition. The fitness factor is one of my three core tenets of what it takes to be a successful internationally competitive orienteer in combination with strong technical skills and a never-give-up, calm & positively focused mindset. The simple fact is that when it comes to World Championships you might have the technical skills to orienteer at that standard but without the high level fitness to back it up you will simply not be in the race.

Readers may wonder where all this is leading. One my goals over the next 12 months is to work with our national junior coaching team to improve the level of fitness and race readiness of our top junior athletes and to inculcate a culture of high level physical fitness as a necessary pre-requisite to national representation. I have to be brutally honest and say our Kiwi cousins from over the Tasman often leave us behind in my observations of junior competition when it comes down to this factor. Our worthy junior Aussie representatives at JWOC in Dubbo would also have keenly observed the capacities of the top European juniors. As Director, High Performance my role is all about aiming to win the premiership. The premiership in our sport is medals at World Championships. While we don’t have the financial resources and suffer from the tyranny of distance when it comes to accessing high level international competition we need to be smarter about how we can use creative means to get more of our talented and best young athletes super race-ready to perform on the international stage. This will only happen with greater depth in our best young orienteers. The obvious spinoff with greater depth is that it will push the overall standard as these juniors move into senior ranks. The key starting point in my view is high level physical fitness.

New National Coaching Teams The OA Board in partnership with the high performance management groups is finalising the appointment of our national coaching teams. We are delighted that Hilary Wood and Nick Dent will continue their involvement by heading up our national junior coach/management team. It is also very gratifying to see long time national team representative Dave Shepherd offer his services to assist Nick and Hilary prepare the team for JWOC 2008 in Gothenburg, Sweden. And we are close to making similar appointments for our WOC and MTB WOC teams. It is very important to acknowledge that in orienteering people take on these vital roles in a purely voluntary capacity. It is a huge ask of individuals to give up their time to do these jobs and we should all make a point of particularly thanking such people for their commitment and dedication to our country’s international teams.

46 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2007

Thanks Brett National men’s coach Brett Weihart advised that due to work and family commitments he could no longer offer his services to our sport in this role. Brett’s presence will be sorely missed by our men’s team who found him to be a most professional coach and he had the highest respect of the athletes for his insight, organisation and understanding of the intricacies of international competition. From my own personal perspective I would like to pay particular tribute to Brett for his work.

The High Performance Strategic Plan We are now in the middle of our three-year Plan for our high performance program. As has been mentioned before in this column, the plan is the guiding document of our HP program and as such belongs to all our stakeholders; the member States of OA, athletes, coaches and the wider community of orienteers. The document is a dynamic one and continuously undergoes changes and refinements as circumstances change and evolve.

Reviewing the Plan was one of the focus tasks at the 2007 Annual Conference of Orienteering Australia. Got an idea on how to make a positive contribution to developing our High Performance program? Our door is always open! Please contact me: Mike Dowling, 17 High St., Bellerive 7018.

Ph 6244 71773. Email mdowling@tassie.net.au

Executive Matters Kay Grzadka Board Meeting

The Board took the opportunity to meet during the recent Oceania Championships Carnival in Canberra.

The Manager, High Performance, Rob Preston and Manager, Coaching & Officiating Development, Bert Elson also attended the meeting.

IOF Event Advisor’s Workshop

An IOF Event Advisor’s Workshop was also held during the Carnival.

The workshop was very successful and produced some new eligible IOF Event Advisors for Orienteering Australia.

Orienteering Federation 2007 World Cup questionnaire. OA is seeking a return to biennial World Championships in odd years and the World Cup in even years.

National Fixtures

The 2008 National Fixtures on the Orienteering Australia website will be finalised once all States have determined dates for their Championship and Badge events.

Results Database

A set of international flags is now being stored at the Orienteering Australia office and are available for hire for $100 by State associations for World Championship events.

The Results Database on the Orienteering Australia website continues to expand with the ability to include relay results. Upcoming work will include the completion of statistical data, enabling competitor and badge scheme credits searching and allowing the export of data to an OE archive.

World Cup

Annual Conference

International Flags

The International Orienteering Federation is currently performing an evaluation of the 2007 World Cup aimed at capturing needs for minor adjustments in the short term and discussing the World Cup program model in a larger context in the longer term. Orienteering Australia’s views have been outlined in its response to the International

A draft agenda has been circulated and a call for papers made to Orienteering Australia Board members and Committee Chairs.

Clothing Sale

Orienteering Australia is seeking to dispose of its stocks of redundant clothing. More information is available on the website.

A PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

The Fourth Instalment of the Final Tetralogy Bob Mouatt

T

HE fourth and final instalment of my tetralogy is about administration. Administration is one of the most frustrating, time-consuming and yet essential activities of any sporting organisation. In her first couple of weeks in the job, our new Executive Officer Kay Grzadka said to me, “Is it always this busy?” as she attempted to come to terms with the plethora of emails flooding into her Inbox. Like most orienteers who have never been involved with the upper echelons of Orienteering Australia, Kay was surprised by just how many matters were referred to Orienteering Australia for information or action.

In this article I will try to answer the question, “What does Orienteering Australia really do?” with just a few examples of administrative activities.

Constitution, Policies and Competition Rules Where do I begin? Let’s start with the Constitution and the Operational Manual, including Competition Rules. These are all on the Orienteering Australia website at http://www.orienteering. asn.au/administration/ . Few orienteers would bother looking at these documents unless something occurred with which they were not happy and they were searching for ways and means of redressing their concerns. Orienteering Australia provides the umbrella for all orienteering activities within Australia and like other national sporting organisations it has to be a legal entity.

Now days that means having a constitution, being incorporated, having an Australian Business Number, an Australian Registered Business Number, etc and having a wide range of detailed policies, as well as competition rules to regulate the sport.

Keeping all of these documents current is almost a full-time job, as triggers for change come from many sources, the government, the ASC, the IOF, internally, etc. Failure to maintain policies current could lead to loss of ASC funding. Hence that is one reason to keep on top these activities, but there are many others.

A typical example came to light during the recent Oceania Championships. While the 2005 and 2007 Championships included Sprint and Middle Distance Championships, the current version of the rules, last revised in 2003 does not mention either.

Obviously the rules will have to be amended.

Planning, Budgeting and Consulting with Constituents Orienteering Australia maintains four-year rolling Strategic Plans, Operational Plans and Budgets which are reviewed and revised each year at its two-day Annual Conference, held on the first weekend in December. In addition to reviewing and revising Plans and Budgets, the Annual Conference considers major changes in direction and major shifts in policy, including new policies. It is also an opportunity for Orienteering Australia to consult with its constituents, the State & Territory associations.

The Plans, Budgets and major changes in policy are ratified at the Annual General Meeting, held on Easter Sunday. When all of the business of the outgoing Board is completed at the AGM, a new Board is elected.

remained an active item. At the start of 2007, Orienteering Australia was obliged to increase the Public Liability Insurance cover to $20 million to meet the demands of many landholders.

Professional Indemnity for coaches, etc remains at $2 million.

It was increased a few years ago and might have to be increased again in the near future. Following pressure from both within and outside Orienteering, Orienteering Australia was obliged to arrange Directors & Officers Insurance for itself, State & Territory associations and clubs. The issue of indemnifying landholders has risen again lately and given the reluctance of OA’s insurer to indemnify landholders against negligence on their part, Orienteering might lose access to some existing venues and not gain access to some new venues, if some landholders continue to seek indemnity before permitting access.

International Orienteering Federation Being a member of an International Federation brings with it a range of ongoing activities and responsibilities. Australia is not only the strongest nation outside of Europe, it is also one of the most influential outside of Europe, hence it has to be initiator and champion of many causes relevant to nations like us. This means being across all of the international issues and engaging in the activities of both the IOF Council and its Commissions.

International Competitions The increase in international competitions has increased the administrative workload for Orienteering Australia: budgeting funds to support teams, selecting coaches, managers and teams, maintaining communications with coaches and team members, acquiring uniforms, providing letters of support for people to obtain leave, etc. Even the AUS-NZL Challenge consumes a lot of time and effort to ensure Australia has a well-presented team.

National Competitions The National Fixtures List is growing each year as we struggle to cope with the expansion of the national carnivals and national competitions through new formats and disciplines. How Australian Orienteering will cope with the growth in major events on the National Fixtures List will be one of the two major topics for discussion at the 2007 Annual Conference. The discussion will also consider whether Australia should be bidding for foot World Championships and/or a series of the World Cup in the near future, given that the IOF wishes to see both held out of Europe on a more regular basis.

The Tip of the Iceberg

Insurances

What I have mentioned above is only the tip of the iceberg.

There are many other activities that occupy the time and resources of the OA Board and its paid officers. For example I have not mentioned the High Performance program, including Anti-Doping policy and activities, Development & Promotion, Media & Marketing, Sponsorship, The Australian Orienteer, the OA website, results and participation databases, statistical data, Curricula and Accreditation of Coaches and Officials, Member Protection issues, etc.

Insurances became a hot topic a few years ago and for a while there was a possibility that small enterprises such as small sports might be priced out of the market, but fortunately sanity prevailed and premiums stabilised. However, insurance has

I trust that in my four articles I have been able to help ‘grass roots’ orienteers have a better understanding of the activities of Orienteering Australia and the issues that the sport is facing at all levels.

DECEMBER 2007 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 47

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