The Australian Orienteer – June 2011

Australian 3-Days Western Australia

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SILVA National Orienteering League Event Program 2010

Date Round 1

Race

Location

Capital Orienteering Festival

Canberra

Sat Mar 12

1

Middle Distance - AM

Sat Mar 12

2

Mixed Relay- PM

Sun Mar 13

3

Long Distance

Round 2

Australian 3-day Championships

Western Australia

Fri Apr 22

4

Easter - Prologue (Sprint)

Sat Apr 23

5

Easter Day 1 - Middle Distance

Sun Apr 24

6

Easter Day 2 - Long Distance

Mon Apr 25

7

Easter Day 3 - Relay Distance

Sat Apr 30

8

Australian Sprint Distance Championships

Sun May 1

9

Australian Middle Distance Championships

Round 3

WOC Trials

Tasmania

Sat May 21

10

WOC Sprint Trials

Sat May 21

11

WOC Middle Trials

Sun May 22

12

WOC Long Trials

Round 4

Oceania Championships Carnival

Victoria / ACT

Sat Oct 1

13

Oceania Middle Distance Championships

Sun Oct 2

14

Oceania Long Distance Championships

Fri Oct 7

15

Oceania Sprint Orienteering Championships

Sat Oct 8

16

Australian Long Distance Championships

Sun Oct 9

17

Oceania Relay Championships

All race details can be found at www.orienteering.asn.au www.silva.se

Silva is a FISKARS BRANDS company. australia@fiskarsbrands.com

Athlete of the Year 2010 – Adrian Jackson

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rienteering Australia has announced that Adrian Jackson is Athlete of the Year for 2010. Adrian has been outstanding on the world Mountain Bike Orienteering scene, winning one Gold and two Silvers from the most recent World Championships in Portugal, and bringing his WMTBOC tally of medals to 5 Gold, 2 Silver and 3 Bronze.

Adrian, or AJ to his friends, has now won the Athlete of the Year award on three occasions – 2008, 2009, and now 2010.

congratulates Adrian Jackson on winning Orienteering Australia’s ATHLETE of the YEAR award for 2010. Adrian will receive a Trail Runner headlamp from SILVA

In an interview last year Adrian described some of his training techniques – “I work every weekday, so training has to fit around working hours. I use weeknight rides like road and dirt crits, road bunch rides and the like as training sessions as I find it more motivating to ride hard if I am in a race or riding with others.

I subscribe to the theory that you should be either training hard or riding at proper recovery pace (i.e. very easy - most people ride too hard on recovery rides). Training at moderate pace is of limited use (especially in and around racing), and it is only in general preparation training phases where I do ‘long slow distance’, and even then I am usually including strength efforts or other efforts on the ride.”

Adrian is an aeronautical engineer completing his PhD later this year.

JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 3

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 4 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

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 orienteering@netspeed.com.au w: 02 6162 1200 President: Bill Jones oa_president@netspeed.com.au h: 02 6258 6362 Director (High Performance): Eric Morris oa_highperformance@netspeed.com.au Director (Finance): Blair Trewin oa_finance@netspeed.com.au h: 03 9455 3516 Director (Development): vacant oa_development@netspeed.com.au Director (Technical): Robin Uppill oa_technical@netspeed.com.au h: 08 8278 3017 m: 0419 037 770 Director (Special Projects): Robert Spry rbspry@gmail.com IOF Councillor: Mike Dowling oa_international@netspeed.com.au Executive Officer: John Harding orienteering@netspeed.com.au 02 6162 1200 m: 0427 107 033 Manager (High Performance): Robert Preston oa_headcoach@netspeed.com.au m: 0403 296 516 Badge Applications: John Oliver 68 Amaroo Street, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650

STATE ASSOCIATIONS Orienteering Queensland Inc: PO Box 114 Spring Hill QLD 4004. Admin Officer: Frances Powell, Ph (07) 3379 8238 admin@oq.asn.au OA NSW: PO Box 3295, North Strathfield NSW 2137. Secretary: Anthony Darr, Ph. (02) 8116 9848 orienteering@sydney.net Orienteering ACT: PO Box 402, Jamison Centre ACT 2614. Office: Ph. (02) 6162 3422 orienteering.act@webone.com.au Victorian OA: PO Box 1010 Templestowe 3106. Secretary: Geoff Hudson, geoff@orienteering.com.au OA South Aust: State Association House, 73 Wakefield St Adelaide SA 5000. Sec: Ken Thompson 08 8351 4757 secretary@sa.orienteering.asn.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: Sally Wayte, Ph. (03) 6234 8440 secretary@tasorienteering.asn.au Top End Orienteers (Northern Territory): PO Box 39152 Winnellie NT 0821. Secretary: Emily Prichard emily.prichard@nt.gov.au 0407 180 299

NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE

July 8; Time-sensitive - July 15

ISSN 0818-6510 Issue2/11 (no. 162) June 2011

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, Ph. 0409 797 023 pcusworth@bigpond.com Magazine Treasurer: Blair Trewin Printer: Ferntree Print Centre, 1238 Burwood Hwy Upper Ferntree Gully.

Contribution deadline: April 15; Time-sensitive - April 22.

Deadline dates for contributions are the latest we can accept copy.

Publication is normally planned for the 1st of March, June, September & December. Copies are dispatched in bulk to State associations in the week prior to that date.

Regular Contributors: Badge Awards - John Oliver; Competition - Blair Trewin; High Performance - Eric Morris; MTBO - Blake Gordon; Official News - John Harding; Nutrition - Gillian Woodward; Training - Steve Bird; Psychology - Lisa Lampe.

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

Prior consultation is suggested before preparing major contributions.

Guidelines for Contributors are available from the editor or from state contacts.

State Editorial Contacts Qld. – Liz Bourne 07 4683 6374 (h) batmaps@halenet.com.au NSW – ACT – Philip Purcell philippurc@hotmail.com Vic. – SA – WA – Tas. – Subscriptions: State Association members via State Associations. Contact relevant Association Secretary for details. Other subscribers: Write to The Australian Orienteer, PO‑Box 165, Warrandyte, Vic. 3113. Within Australia: $40 pa. Overseas: Asia/Pacific (inc. NZ) $A49, Rest of World $A58 pa.

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

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

CONTENTS AT H L E T E O F T H E Y E A R .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 W O R L D C H A M P I O N S H I P S P R E V I E W .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 EASTER CARNIVAL................................. 10 A S A D A .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 V I C T O R I A N S P R I N T C H A M P S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 5 P O S T- E X E R C I S E R E C O V E R Y.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 USING GPS.......................................... 18 A VIEW FROM THE 19TH HOLE.................. 20 C O P I N G W I T H I N J U R Y ( P a r t 2 ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 4 C O U R S E S E T T I N G .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA’S MONEY.......... 27 U R B A N O I N TA S M A N I A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 8 URBAN O IN THE TOP END....................... 30 D E V E LO P M E N T I N N O R T H E R N T E R R I TO R Y.. . . . 3 2 R A D I O.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 4 WEST AUSTRALIAN NOODLES................... 35 O - S P Y.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 6 M T B O N E W S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 7 TOP EVENTS......................................... 43 L E T T E R S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 O P I N I O N.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 5 N Z N E W S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 6

Cover photo: Western Australia’s Oscar McNulty, second in M17-20E at the 3 Days and also selected for JWOC. Photo: Jen Graham-Taylor.

JUNE JUNE2011 2011THE THEAUSTRALIAN AUSTRALIANORIENTEER ORIENTEER 5

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW

WORLD ORIENTEERING CHAMPIONSHIPS

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he WOC carnival moves to France this year to the Savoie Grand Revard region in the south-east where the 2011 world champions in Sprint, Middle and Long Distance as well as the Relays will be decided during August 13 – 20. In winter the region is a popular skiing destination and in summer the Orienteering terrain promises to be complex, rocky and steep in places. The WOC organisers gave the following description of the various terrains in their recent information Bulletin:

Sprint qualifications and Finals Terrain: Urban with small wooded areas and parks. There are some fairly steep hills.

Runnability: Very good

Middle and Long Distance qualifications and Finals; Relay Terrain: The Savoie Grand Revard is a karstic plateau situated between 1200 m and 1400 m in altitude. It has significant but reasonable variations in its relief. There are alpine meadows and areas of semi-open forest. The vegetation alternates between coniferous and deciduous trees. The chaotic surface (rocks, sinkholes, karren) provides exceptionally varied competition terrain.

Runnability: Good in the meadows and the semi-open forest but can be poor in the many rocky or steep areas.

Visibility: Generally quite good but can be limited in areas of dense vegetation.

Roads, paths and tracks: The network of paths, tracks and roads is not very dense.

How will the Australian Boomerangs team fare in this highly technical terrain? We’ll have to wait until August to find that out.

Terrain examples 6 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

W

ith France as host country their stars will be expected to do well, particularly the evergreen Thierry Gueorgiou. But can he shake off the “Relay Hoodoo” which has plagued him in the past three world championships? Gueorgiou habitually runs the last leg of the Relay for France, but in 2008 while running with the leaders he was stung by a bee, suffered an allergic reaction and was helicoptered off to hospital. In 2009, again while running with the leaders, he stopped to help the Swedish runner who had badly skewered his leg with a stick. In 2010, again while leading, Gueorgiou uncharacteristically missed a control near the end of the course, running direct from #16 to #18. It was only when he arrived at #21, the spectator control in the arena, that he learned of his mistake and had to run back to #17. France finished eighth that year, and would have been a DNF had Gueorgiou not received the information at the spectator control that he had missed #17.

Canadian Adrian Zissos was in the arena that day and takes up the narrative – “At the front of the men’s Relay it was again high drama. The final leg saw seven teams starting within a few seconds. The French were first off, with the Russians just one second behind. The Norwegians, Great Britain, Switzerland, Czech, and Swedish teams were all chasing, less than 15 seconds behind.

Gueorgiou for France was pushing hard and soon the lead pack was just France and Valentin Novikov the Russian. They had built a small gap over the chase pack.

But just as they approached the stadium the “Curse of Gueorgiou” struck unexpectedly – just when it looked as if the French

were in control we could see something was going strange on the tracking.

Gueorgiou was taking some crazy route to control #17.

Then it became too crazy and we all realized he was not going to #17. He had not seen this control and was in fact running toward control #18. A hush fell over the arena as the speaker had to be more silent so that he would not alert the Frenchman to his mistake.

Finally Gueorgiou realizes when he does hear the speaker, but by now it is too late – he returns to punch the control but now can do no better than 8th place, while Novikov finishes comfortably in first place.

The battle for the other medals is won by Norway, and with Merz out-sprinting Fraser (GBR) to win the bronze for Switzerland.

For the fans it was tragic to see Gueorgiou miss a Relay medal again – the third time running. Two years ago he was stung by a bee when he was leading with just a few controls remaining; last year (I hope you all remember) he lost a medal when he stopped to help an injured competitor, and now for the third time in a row something bizarre stops him from winning. As the arena announcer said, “Perhaps WOC Relay is not Gueorgiou’s cup of tea”.

After the event Thierry Gueorgiou was despondent

for quite some time. He wrote: “It will surely take some more weeks to recover from my mistake.

But hopefully, I will try to find the energy to come back stronger. My success has always been built on my failures.

I have not much to say, except that I did a mistake. It is as simple as this, but I still can’t believe it and it really hurts. I never saw the 17th control of Relay and went straight to the 18th. I just realized my mistake when I passed through the arena and heard that I missed one control.

been the best teammates I could dream to have. And also, to the staff and all the supporters of the French team. I am deeply sorry.

This is, by far, the biggest disappointment of my sport career. I know it will surely take some weeks to get off the ground and laugh at myself.”

Can Thierry Gueorgiou come back in 2011 on his home soil?

I had everything to succeed: best starting position, shortest forkings and probably the best shape I ever had at any WOC race… but I screw it up and I have to apologize, first, to Philippe (Adamski) and François (Gonon) who has JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 7

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW

The 2010 World Championships Blair Trewin reviews his impressions of last year’s WOC held in Trondheim, Norway.

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he 2010 World Championships promised an accessible, urban and spectacular WOC. After the event, there was no doubt that the organisers had delivered that. The question instead was: was it truly a test of Orienteering?

Last year’s World Championships were the most visible example yet of a trend which has been in place for some years, towards giving the biggest events the maximum possible visibility – not just the Sprint, an event which has brought Orienteering to the city for some years now, but the other finals as well. This is being done with considerable encouragement from the IOF, who want to make the sport more visible and (hopefully) more attractive to television, as part of the ultimate goal of seeking Olympic recognition. It is a long time since World Championships venues have been chosen, as Kooyoora, Victoria, was in 1985, on the basis of being the most technically difficult terrain known in the host country.

At Trondheim all three forest events used the same arena, a ski-jumping arena on the Trondheim suburban fringe. As anyone who has spent time in Scandinavia will know, even areas on the fringes of big cities can be of the highest technical quality, and there was nothing intrinsically wrong with the area (which, with a different arena, had hosted some excellent courses for the 1998 World University Championships Relay).

What many were wondering was whether the choice of arena compromised the courses too severely; it was in a corner of the map without a lot of good options for getting in and out, and by the time the Middle Distance and Relay courses got in and out of the arena twice (once for a spectator run through), they didn’t have a lot of course length left for the most technical orienteering.

There were also those who wondered whether the liberal availability of TV controls, combined with a big screen at the arena, made the spectator runthroughs redundant. It was certainly a great event for spectators, further enhanced with the use of GPS tracking (although we quickly learned that, unless you were a contender for the lead, it was rarely good news when they started displaying your track on the screen, and it was especially bad news if it was done to the backing of the ‘Benny Hill’ music), but many of the competitors did feel there was something missing.

The conflict between the traditional and the new is something that many sports have had to deal with over the years – as any long-term cricket fan will tell you. The trends which have pushed international Orienteering in its current direction are only likely to continue, with the IOF’s in-principle decision to include a mass-start event and a mixed Relay in the World Championships program. (Something is going to have to give eventually, and it is unclear what it might be; possibilities include moving qualification out of the main WOC week, or having different events contested in alternate years).

The training maps for WOC 2011 in France, however, suggest that technical orienteering at a World Championships is not totally dead – some of them are amongst the most challenging areas anyone has seen anywhere (and the recent French World Cup race lived up to that reputation, too).

8 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

The Australian performances at WOC 2010

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he Australian team could be pleased with the depth of its performances at the 2010 World Championships. Seven of the ten team members made at least one individual Final. The performer of the week was probably Simon Uppill, who enhanced his reputation considerably with a solid 34th in the Middle Distance, followed by an excellent Relay run, staying with the lead bunch almost to the end of the first leg.

The disappointment was that we were unable to achieve any spectacular individual results, with the best Australian placing being Grace Crane’s 30th in the Sprint. It didn’t help that neither of our best prospects for such a result, Julian Dent in the Middle Distance and Kathryn Ewels in the Long Distance, made it through qualifying. We have become quite accustomed to having at least one top-16 individual result (many of them coming through Hanny Allston), but none were forthcoming last year.

The depth of competition amongst the elite women in Australia is very encouraging, and suggests that the lack of

standout results in 2010 was an aberration. That may be true for the men as well, but good prospects to strengthen the existing team are still thin on the ground. There is a fair bit of depth amongst the junior men at present (despite their modest performances at JWOC 2010), and it would be hoped that at least a couple of them can make the breakthrough to being elite contenders over the next two or three years.

IOF proposes changes to WOC program

T

he IOF Council appointed a project group to develop a proposal for future World Orienteering Championships (WOC) programs. The group presented an intermediate report in January and a final proposal to the IOF Council in May. Guiding principles The intention is to raise the attraction of the World Championships for athletes, media and spectators. Other objectives of the project include broadening the participation, opening up the Championships for new Orienteering nations, and strengthening the World Championships as the primary showcase for Orienteering by positioning it for high quality TV coverage.

The group proposed a WOC where every competition day is a medal day. The number of medal races is proposed to be extended from the current four to five or six. According to the group, the qualification race for Long Distance should be removed. The program should be formed to support the attendance of new Orienteering nations, e.g. by being structured so that it is possible to take part in only part of the WOC. As well, the group proposed to introduce a Sprint-style Rrelay with mixed teams of two men and two women, similar to the one on the World Games program.

What next?

You can follow the proposals in more detail at www. orienteering.org – Foot orienteering – WOC in the Future. from IOF O-Zine 1-2011 JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 9

2011 AUSTRALIAN 3-DAYS

EASTER 2011 WESTERN AUSTRALIA Report: Blair Trewin – Photos: Jen Graham-Taylor

E

aster in 2011 took us to Western Australia. In contrast with the sodden ground and man-eating long grass of the eastern States, the southwest is a drought-stricken land, and the Easter weekend saw us on the parched hills south of York. As we have become used to in the West, it was a land of low rocky hills, and a mixture of open land and thicker, dry bush, slow going in places where the remnants of a January storm still covered the ground.

Proceedings got under way with the elite Prologue, which in contrast with recent years was in broadly similar terrain to the

Grant Bluett-day 1

main event. The performance of the day was by Ian Lawford, running in M17-20E. He had been a slightly surprising selection in the current National Senior Squad, presumably based on his sprint potential, and he demonstrated it in spectacular fashion by beating not only all the juniors, but all the seniors too. Simon Uppill was the best of the seniors, while Jasmine Neve, unruffled by assorted transport-related dramas before the event, got off to a winning start in W21E. Neve continued on where she left off and won the Middle Distance next day too, ahead of her older sister Mace. The Long Distance day, though, was where the big moves were made, as they often are. Kathryn Ewels, after a moderate first two days, won with Vanessa Round not far behind her and the rest well back. That left Ewels and Round in the box seat going into the final day. Ewels led by a minute, but was done no favours by the start draw which had Round starting two minutes behind her. The opening section of the last day was the most technical section of Easter, and when Ewels dropped a minute on #4 the two were almost together.

Both tried to break clear over the rest of the course but never did, leaving Round as the champion for the second successive year – coming from behind on the last day as she did in 2010. Jasmine Neve completed the placings.

Vanessa Round

10 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

Grant Bluett is at the opposite end of his senior career to Round, and didn’t make a great start in the Prologue, but put himself in the box seat with a good win on Saturday. Unfortunately, the Long Distance race wasn’t moving day for the men – a misplaced control meant a no-race. That left Bluett six seconds ahead of Uppill with Rob Preston within striking distance too. Uppill drew first blood on the last day by successfully defending his two-minute start gap over Preston, but Bluett, a late starter, was still to come, and he did the business convincingly to finish three minutes clear. He is probably in his best form since retiring from international competition several years ago, and looks set to be a major figure of the 2011 domestic season, especially with Julian

Lachlan Hallett-day 1

Josh Blatchford-day 1

Belinda Lawford-day 1

Dent (who was in Sweden for Tio-Mila) likely to be away for most of it.

managed to turn on decent competitions. Nicola Blatchford prevailed by three minutes over Katie Bowen and Anna Dowling after three close-fought days, while Ashley Nankervis ran away on the last day in M16 to finish what was looking like it could have been an exciting contest on Monday morning.

The stakes are always high at Easter in the junior classes. A deep M17-20E field had a good chance of providing some drama, and didn’t disappoint. Over the first three days Josh Blatchford built a strong position; he didn’t win a day, but was second on Saturday and Sunday. His nearest challenger was Oscar McNulty, who has an excellent sprint reputation but proved over Easter that he can handle other distances too. The pair were five minutes clear of the field at the start of the last day – and two potential challengers had fallen by the wayside (Lachlan Dow through injury, Ian Lawford through a missed control). Both, though, lost significant time early – Blatchford three minutes at #2, McNulty four minutes at #4 – dropping them into a scrap for the top places. McNulty was first into the clubhouse and narrowly held off challenges from Oliver Poland and Max Neve, but Blatchford, the last starter, appeared just in time, and after a frantic sprint for the line held on by two seconds. Forty seconds covered the top four places.

W17-20E was much more predictable. Belinda Lawford entered the event as a clear favourite. Last year she couldn’t convert that into a result, but this year she never looked like losing and was a comfortable leader from the Prologue onwards. By the time she had won the Long Distance day by seven minutes, the only real interest was whether she could achieve a clean sweep of the four days. She fell just short of that as Krystal Neumann had her best run yet of her comeback from injury to secure second overall, but still had thirteen minutes in hand. Lilian Burrill had four solid runs to finish in third.

The other classes, as is usually the case in the West, were down on numbers but still high on quality. The numbers were particularly small in the younger junior classes, but M16 and W16 still

There were a number of tight battles in small fields, the best of them being in W40 and W45. In a close W45 contest throughout, Jenny Bourne took a two-minute lead on the second day after Su Yan Tay had won the first; the Queenslander took out the last day too, but not by enough to stop Bourne winning by 48 seconds.

In W40 Anita Scherrer took a one-minute lead over Barbara Hill into the final day, and stretched it by a further minute at the finish. W50, a contest between a current local and a former one, might have been close too, but Liz Abbott’s second-day mispunch ensured an easy home-ground win for Anthea Feaver.

Abbott (and Ian Lawford) were not the only ones who missed out on winning chances with Sunday mispunches. Lance Read also let a potential winning position slip in the Queensland-dominated M45. Tim McIntyre set up his overall victory with a win on the first day, but had to hold off a fast-finishing Steve Doyle, who won the last two days and came from fifteen minutes down to lose by three.

There were fluctuating fortunes in both M60 and M65. Paul Hoopmann didn’t win a day in M60, but neither of the first two day’s winners made much impression on the other day, leaving Hoopmann three seconds clear of Steve Flick with a day to go.

He pulled clear with a good last-day run, while Adrian Uppill was better still, winning the last day and making it a South Australian double. In M65 Ross Barr led by a minute after two days, but Tony Simpkins saved his best for last, and after a five-minute win on Monday ended up triumphing with a bit to spare.

JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 11

2011 AUSTRALIAN 3-DAYS

second when she got a break of 6secs over the Queenslander at the second-last.

For the second time in just over a week, the junior men showed their elders how it was done. This time the first two in their field outpaced the seniors; this time it was Lachlan Dow, recovered from the worst of the ankle injury which ruined his Easter, who scored by three seconds after a fluctuating battle with Oscar McNulty which wasn’t decided until the second-last control.

Easter Prologue winner Ian Lawford had to settle for third. As at Easter, W17-20E was a less tense affair, in which Belinda Lawford never looked like losing after opening a 45sec lead by #7. Lilian Burrill was second and Jacqui Doyle led a close bunch in third.

The highlight of the remaining classes was the dead-heat in M55 between Geoff Lawford and Eoin Rothery. Rothery looked to have lost his chance when a route choice at #10 cost him 27secs, but he finished very fast, winning the last seven splits to claim a share of the title. Two other close contests in which tables were turned from Easter were Hilary Wood’s ten-second win over Robin Uppill in W55, and Nigel Davies achieving the same margin against Paul Hoopmann in M60. Valerie Barker was pushed a lot harder than she was at Easter but still had 21 seconds in hand over Judy Allison in W60.

Nicola Blatchford, Prologue

Another to come from behind was New Zealander Kate Fortune, who was nine minutes down in fourth place after the first day in W65, but won the last two days and reversed a three-minute lastday deficit against Jean Baldwin. Her husband Graham followed a similar pattern in M70, although he had a bit more to spare after needing only one day to recover from opening-day misfortunes and was twelve minutes ahead by Monday afternoon.

Valerie Barker, who was also a New Zealander once upon a time, was probably the weekend’s most convincing winner. She was the only person to make a clean sweep of the three days in a class of any size, winning W60 by 20 minutes and only being seriously challenged on the last day. Several others, most of them with plenty of experience on the top step of the podium, also had comfortable wins, including Robin Uppill (W55), Geoff Lawford (M55) and Bernard Walker (M50).

Australian Sprint Championships - Mandurah The next stage of the carnival was the Australian Sprint Championships by the waterside at Mandurah, the shorter championships moving to the autumn timeslot because of the Oceania Carnival later in the year. While the courses started out fast and fairly easy, a technical final section provided plenty of traps for young (and not-so-young) players.

The final section was decisive in both open classes. Simon Uppill trailed narrowly through the spectator control, but reinforced his reputation as a technical master by being 20secs faster than anyone else through the final section. Grant Bluett and Bruce Arthur, in probably the best physical form of his career, both had their chances, but let them slip in the final section and had to settle for the minor placings. In W21E it was Kathryn Ewels who took control at the end; some early wobbles left her 16secs in arrears at #4, but she then won nine successive splits to overhaul early leader Rachel Effeney and win by 39 seconds. Effeney had to settle for third after a tight battle with Mace Neve, who secured 14 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011 12

Su Yan Tay, the 2009 World Masters Sprint champion, and Anthea Feaver showed their quality in W45 and W50 respectively.

At the other end of the experience scale, the Australian Sprint Championships often see one or two relatively unknown winners, and this year’s offering was Jemery Day, who took out M45 in his first national carnival. Kwok Kuen Law took second in the same class to give Hong Kong their best result at this level.

Simon Uppill

Australian Middle Distance Championships Marginata The carnival returned to complex rock for its final day, and it was déjà vu in the open classes, with both Easter winners picking up their second major win for the week.

In M21E the top three from Easter repeated itself. Grant Bluett lost a minute at the first control and was third through the first half, but gradually worked his way into the race. By #11 he had narrowly overhauled early leader Rob Preston, who then fell out of contention for the win when he lost a minute at #13. That left Simon Uppill as Bluett’s only challenger, but by then he was 20secs in arrears, and that gap remained intact to the finish line.

Vanessa Round took control of the W21E race early on, moving to the lead by #3 and never letting it go. Jasmine Neve put up the best challenge with a fast finish and cut a little into the margin over the closing controls, but was still a minute behind. Her sister Mace also got into the placings again at the end of a good week, this time edging out Tracy Marsh by four seconds after a close contest.

The senior classes may have been predictable but the juniors were anything but. At Easter Brodie Nankervis, in his first year in the class, was in touch with the lead group each day (after a Prologue mispunch) without ever quite breaking into it, but at Marginata he kept his head and put together a very solid run, seeing off a challenge from Oliver Poland over the closing controls to win by 19 seconds. In another high-quality race less than two minutes covered the top five, and Ian Lawford kept Lachlan Dow out of the placings by the narrowest possible margin. There was an even bigger shock in W20. Nicola Blatchford is still a W16, and before Easter had not been an exceptional standout even in her own age group – her only national title was in W12 – but she put together a fine race, and was close enough to take advantage when early leader Krystal Neumann had successive errors at #8 and #9.

Emma Campbell, also solid, was an equally unexpected third.

The navigators came to the fore in the older classes and there were several comfortable wins for usual suspects, including Jenny Bourne (W45), Geoff Lawford (M55), Anthea Feaver (W50) and Bernard Walker (M50). Probably the highlight of these classes was in M60, where Hugh Moore (perhaps fired up by a contentious Sprint disqualification) marked his comeback from a serious illness in 2009 to win by a minute over Nigel Davies.

Lilian Burrill-day 1

SILVA NATIONAL ORIENTEERING LEAGUE Blair Trewin

A

good contest looms in the senior men’s competition at the halfway point of the SILVA National Orienteering League. The NSW Stingers, runaway winners for the last two seasons, are again in front this time, but the absence of Julian Dent from most of the races has seen their lead shrink to only two points. Just nine points cover the top four teams, with the Canberra Cockatoos, Victorian Nuggets and Southern Arrows all in the mix, and all have a realistic chance of winning.

It looks like three in a row for the Nuggets senior women.

They took advantage of their depth in Western Australia, where depth was tested, and have opened up a 26-point lead which will be very difficult to catch. The Cockatoos, Arrows and Queensland Cyclones are currently scrapping for the minor placings.

For the women the big remaining question is the individual competition. The two Victorians, Kathryn Ewels and Jasmine Neve, have been swapping the lead as they break clear of the field, with Ewels currently two points in front. Easter winner Vanessa Round is third but should jump once she can drop her zero score from the opening Canberra Long Distance as a scoring race. Simon Uppill is yet to get maximum points, but has six seconds and a third from seven results, a level of consistency which sees him 15 points ahead of Grant Bluett. Rob Preston, for whom the season highlight has been a massive win in the Canberra Long Distance, is in third.

While those with low scores early in the season may be able to move up the standings with a good finish, those who missed the Easter week – like Dent, opening-race winner Dave Shepherd, and Jo Allison – will not be able to get the required ten scores and can hope for a minor placing at best.

The final result in Juniors is looking clear, even at this stage.

Like Uppill, Oliver Poland is yet to have a win this season, but has made the top five in every race, including five second places, and is 26 points in front of Josh Blatchford and Ian Lawford. Belinda Lawford started the season with five straight wins and is also well clear of the field, with Krystal Neumann best of the rest. The team competitions look to be all but decided, with the powerful Canberra boys and Queensland girls opening up big leads.

JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 13

ASADA

Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority

A further 15-minute module is available if you want become a Pure Performance Supporter. This module provides you with the information and resources you need to share the antidoping message amongst your sporting community.

It is easy to use and available free of charge (government funded). Get started today by visiting www.asada.gov.au Need help? Contact ASADA at education@asada.gov.au

ASADA e-Learning - Pure Performance Online What - The Professor, ASADA’s biggest advocate, leads you through an interactive online course comprising six 20-minute modules.

Why - to get educated about anti-doping in sport, and to meet your obligations.

ASADA’s mission is to ensure:

When - any time that suits your schedule. The course is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week (a nonnetworked, high-speed connection is recommended).

•e very member of Australia’s sporting community has the opportunity to access quality anti-doping education;

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•a blend of flexible teaching and learning approaches that cater to a diverse range of needs; •e fficient participant and program management, with meaningful and timely reporting to enable continuous monitoring, evaluation and accountability.

ASADA anti-doping education solutions provide all members of Australia’s sporting community with the opportunity to develop the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes required to be active, effective and responsible in protecting Australia’s sporting integrity.

Solutions are provided for: • I ndividuals – athletes, support personnel, parents, students, educators, general community; •G roups – sporting groups, clubs or teams, schools, classes, community groups and associations; •O rganisations - National Sporting Organisations, Peak Bodies, Sport Institutes and Academies, Federal and State Education Systems including the Tertiary sector.

Anti-Doping: Get Educated!

ASADA e-Learning is a new antidoping education tool developed for the Australian sporting community by ASADA. The core program of six 20-minute modules, called Pure Performance online, provides you with the opportunity to learn about the key areas of anti-doping. It covers topics such as prohibited substances and methods, therapeutic use exemptions, doping control and whereabouts.

14 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

ASADA e-Learning - Pure Performance Supporter What - a 15-minute online module that provides you with information and resources to champion antidoping messages in your sporting community.

Why - to help protect the sporting reputation and integrity of others in your community, and you can receive credit for volunteer, peer or professional development programs.

How - complete the six 20-minute ASADA e-learning – Pure Performance online modules, then request the additional Supporter module through ASADA e-Learning.

ASADA e-Learning - Pure Performance Facilitator What - a 15-minute online module for those with facilitation, training or education experience that provides information and resources to assist groups to develop an awareness of anti-doping.

Why - To help protect the sporting reputation and integrity of others in your community, and you can receive credit for volunteer, peer or professional development programs.

How - complete the six 20-minute ASADA e-learning – Pure Performance online modules, then request the additional Facilitator module through ASADA e-Learning.

VICTORIAN SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIPS

Asha Steer (DROC)

Tim Hatley (BK) Helen Alexander (BK)

Victorian Sprint Championships, 6 March 2011 Monash University (Churchill campus).

Photos: Peter Yeates

It’s mine ... No it’s mine.

Aston Key (MFR).

Debbie Dodd (DROC)

Event organiser Rob Preston with OV President Bruce Arthur and Cavill Cup.

Lanita Steer (DROC), Jensen Key (MFR) and Nicholas Collins (BK) Tash Key (MFR)

Martin Steer hands out some goodies.

David Brownridge (BGO) and Ian Davies (DROC)

JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 15

TRAINING

Post-Exercise Recovery – PART 2 Steve Bird (BKV) 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.

Massage and NSAID Introduction and recap In Part 1 of this article (March 2011 issue) I briefly outlined the reasons why orienteers may need to optimize and ‘accelerate’ their recovery after a strenuous event or training session.

The reasons being due to the fatiguing and performance decrementing effects of: 1. Muscle oedema – fluid retention in the muscle; 2. M icrotrauma and inflammation – micro damage to the muscle fibres and inflammation resulting from the body’s response to damage and initiating a repair process; 3. D elayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (DOMS) – due to unaccustomed exercise (type or intensity) and caused by muscle micro-damage and the resultant presence of various metabolites associated with repair; 4. The accumulation of metabolites.

As indicated last time, when endeavouring to dissipate each of the above, there is a cautionary caveat, in that to some extent they represent the training stimuli that the muscles respond to when producing an improvement in their condition (the training effect), and we should be aware of this when trying to ameliorate their effects, as we may reduce some of the longer term benefits. However, having said this, it may be the case that if the above conditions are too severe, it may be good to ameliorate them with a recovery strategy, and the possibilities that were considered included: 1. W ater immersion, of which there are a number of variations; a. Immersion per se regardless of water temperature; b. Cryotherapy; c. Thermotherapy; d. Contrast bathing.

Plus a passing mention of: 2. Compression Garments; and 3. Active recovery Overall the evidence would suggest that post exercise compression by water may aid recovery by inhibiting oedema, but there was little hard physiological evidence for some of the other claims, which could mean that there is no discernable physiological benefit, or that we’re measuring the wrong things. So, based on the current evidence, there may be a psychological benefit, as well as a possible placebo effect. Which means that regardless of any proven or unproven physiological benefit, if you think it’s doing you good, it probably is, simply because you believe that you can perform better after the procedure. Similar findings and inferences apply to the use of compression garments.

16 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

In this part of the article, I’ll focus on post-exercise massage, which is widely used with the intent of improving performance, reducing the risk of injury, and aiding recovery.

Massage The use of Classic Western or ‘Swedish’ massage is long established and very widespread. It can involve a number of different techniques, as summarized by Weerapong et al. 1: (i) Effleurage – a gliding or sliding movement, that is purported to have a relaxing effect and promote the return of blood to the heart; (ii) Petrissage – involving kneading, squeezing, lifting and wringing; which is said to ‘mobilize’ the muscle tissue and increase local circulation; (iii) Friction – where pressure is applied by the finger tips to specific sites, with the intent to break up adhesions and reduce muscle spasm; (iv) Tapotement – a rapid striking action with the hand, which is intended to stimulate the muscles. Additionally there are techniques such as myofascial trigger point massage, which are used to reduce muscle tension and spasm.

Massage is used in numerous settings, with many different groups to treat a diverse range of conditions, such as chronic pain; a loss of joint mobility in older people; anxiety and depression; and chronic diseases such as COPD. And based on the extensive review of the scientific literature by Weerapong et al.1, there is no doubt that massage has been shown to have both psychological and physiological effects.

However, it remains equivocal as to whether these extend to the specific outcomes of enhanced recovery, improved performance, and reduced risk of injury in sport.

A close scrutiny of the literature commonly reveals problems with the design of studies in terms of the participants used, techniques, analysis, outcome measures, and a tendency to extrapolate the findings to outcomes that were not measured.

For example, massage that increases skin temperature may be claimed to increase blood flow and remove metabolic waste products such as lactate from the muscle. However in reality, whilst massage may increase skin temperature and skin blood flow, the extent to which this also occurs within the underlying muscle is debatable. And furthermore, how effective this is in removing metabolites is also debatable, particularly as a cool down or gentle jog would increase blood flow through the muscle considerably more than massage.

So you see the problem – that is not to say that massage doesn’t have benefits, or is of no value, just that some of the claims and justifications for its use remain to be substantiated.

Massage and recovery As indicated above, massage is claimed to increase muscle blood flow and thereby remove waste products and aid recovery through the delivery of nutrients; however the evidence for meaningful increases in blood flow is equivocal 1-3, as is that for increased lymph flow – which is the purported means to reduce oedema, and there is even less evidence for actual measurable improvements in recovery 1, 2.

Likewise the removal of lactate immediately post-exercise is most effectively achieved through a cool-down comprising of light exercise 2. Furthermore, lactate levels return to their resting values within a few hours, even after exhaustive strenuous exercise, and so massage after this time would not produce any measurable changes anyway.

The same can also be said for ‘Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness’ (DOMS), which occurs 24 – 72 hours post-exercise that is unfamiliar either in type or intensity, i.e. fast downhill running that hasn’t been undertaken for a few weeks. And whilst some, but not all, studies have reported massage to effectively reduce an athlete’s perception of DOMS 1-3, the underlying reasons for this improvement, be it physiological and/or psychological, remain to be elucidated.

Massage and injury prevention/treatment Massage may assist in the prevention of injuries by treating tight muscles, thereby reducing the risk of muscle tears.

It is also used to treat overuse injuries such as tendonosis through physically breaking down adhesions and realigning the fibres. However, definitive research into whether massage reduces the risk of injury is problematic, since it would be unethical to design a study in which the intervention involved the deliberate intent to cause or increase the risk of injury in the participating athletes. Hence we largely rely on anecdotal reports, cross-sectional studies, and the extrapolation of possibilities, which may provide areas for speculation, but do not provide unequivocal proof of cause and effect.

ear or some other body part such as his wrist rather than his ankles when she dunked him in that river and prayed to the gods for his invulnerability.

References 1. W eerapong P, Hume PA and Kolt GS (2005). The mechanisms of massage and effects on performance, muscle recovery and injury prevention. Sports Medicine, 35: 235 - 256.

2. B arnett A (2006). Using recovery modalities between training sessions in elite athletes: Does it help? Sports Medicine, 36: 781 796.

3. R obson-Ansley PJ, Gleeson M and Ansley L (2009). Fatigue management in the preparation of Olympic athletes. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27: 1409 – 1420.

4. L anier AB (2003). Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs following exercise-induced muscle injury. Sports Medicine, 33: 177-186.

5. B ondensen BA, Mills ST, Kegley KM et al. (2004). The COX-2 pathway is essential during early stages of skeletal muscle regeneration. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, 287: C475-83.

6. T rappe TA, White F, Lambert CP, et al. (2002). Effect of ibrufen and acetaminophen on postexercise muscle protein synthesis. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 282: E551-6.

Massage and performance In summary, there is a lack of evidence of a physiological nature for massage improving performance 1, either preexercise, or as part of a post-exercise recovery regimen.

However, the psychological benefits such as a perception of better recovery and relaxation may still make it worthwhile.

It may appear from what I’ve written that I’m sceptical about the use of massage, but in reality I do try to have a regular sports massage every couple of weeks. My reason is to identify and try to rectify any muscles/areas that have become tight, which could increase the risk of subsequent injury. This is not specifically after a particular bout of exercise, but is part of a more general strategy. Likewise I often receive massage from a physiotherapist in the treatment of various musculotendinous injuries, and I certainly think it helps in these contexts. As to the other claims for massage, I would say that there is not enough unequivocal evidence, but we wait to see.

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs NSAIDs Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) are used very widely for their anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties. They are advertised for back-pain, muscle pain, etc. and can be purchased without prescription in any pharmacy. Because of their anti-inflammatory properties they may be used by athletes post-exercise to ameliorate some of the inflammation that occurs following a bout of exercise and/ or injury to muscle and tendons. Whilst this analgesic benefit (reduction in perceived soreness) may have short-term advantages, some studies have suggested that excessive use could limit full recovery of strength and function, as they may inhibit complete repair and remodeling of the damaged tissue to its optimal form 4-6.

Again, in trying to present a balanced viewpoint I should state that in the past I have used Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), usually in the form of one of the ‘nonprescription over the counter’ gels or creams that are rubbed into skin overlying the sore area, if I have an ongoing problem – which in my case has been my Achilles Tendons. However, these days I do try to make such use the exception rather than the rule. And like a number of runners with a similar weakness, I wish that Achilles’ mother had held him by the

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JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 17

USE OF GPS

GPS watches and what they offer the average orienteer Jan Hardy (W55), Australopers, Tasmania

T

he last few years have seen a rapid growth in the use of GPS technology and its applications. While only a few years ago GPS units were around mainly in the form of bulky ‘strap to the back’ units, they have since rapidly crystallised into streamlined wrist units with a multiplicity of functions. I first became aware of Garmin watches several years ago when they began to appear on the wrists of elite orienteers, who could regularly be seen at starts holding their arms high as they waited for that last satellite to lock on before setting off on their runs.

How useful are they?

I am sure that for orienteers of all abilities there is a wonderful appeal in a gadget that will tell you exactly where you went on your course. Hopefully you’ll have a rough idea anyway, at least most of the time. But unlike RouteGadget, where you draw up where you thought you were (or where you thought you should have been), Garmin tells it just like it is.

I trialled our son Louis’ Garmin Forerunner in December 2009 before taking the plunge and ordering one for myself. This had the great advantage that it would arrive while Louis was still living at home so he could load up both the Garmin software and other route interpretive software to get me started. But it was an expensive item (about A$300 at that time – though currently down to around A$200, thanks largely to the strengthening of the A$ relative to the US$) and I did fret a bit as to whether I’d really get the value out of it or whether it would turn out to be just an expensive toy that I wouldn’t use much once the novelty had worn off.

So has it been worthwhile? Emphatically yes! I’ve now had it for 15 months and use it regularly three or four times a week on training runs and some local events. I also use it for precisely mapping track routes for the bushwalking guides we publish, and my husband Bert used to regularly borrow it for “hash” runs before acquiring one of his own. And I’m still using only a fraction of its capability.

What watch to get The Forerunner 305 (pictured) is like a chunky wristwatch displaying up to four data fields simultaneously. These can include stopwatch time, distance travelled on run, distance travelled on current lap, heart rate (a monitor comes with the unit), average speed etc. It can also display elevation, but that is less accurate without a special attachment – which is not at all surprising when you think of the geometry involved. Newer versions of the Garmin had appeared even by the time I bought my watch, and these have a slimmer and more streamlined casing as well as extra functions, but I am very pleased to have gone with the “305” as it has proved to be particularly user-friendly in relation to some later models.

Obviously different variants will suit different people, but the moral is to not assume that newer or more expensive versions are necessarily better for you. If you are thinking of buying a GPS 18 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

Garmin Forerunner 305

watch, ask around, think about what functions you will actually use, and see if you can borrow someone else’s to trial the model you favour.

How does it work in practice?

A few minutes before your run, turn on the watch to allow it to receive satellite signals. As soon as this occurs the display will come on and you hit the start button as you take off. At any point during your run you can hit the lap button to record a split, but don’t worry if you forget because these can also be put in later.

Retrieving data This can be done at a number of levels: • from the watch • from the Garmin Training Centre software (which comes with it) • from programs like QuickRoute that allow you to reproduce your route on a scanned map You can get immediate feedback from the watch itself by changing mode. It will provide you with a summary of total time and distance, calories used, average and maximum heart rate, and the same for each lap.

Once back home sit the watch on a small cradle attached to a computer and while it recharges in readiness for its next outing, up on your screen pops the total and lap data for time, distance, elevation, heart rate, average speed, maximum speed etc, with assorted graphs, as well as a sketch map of your route.

For orienteers, however, it is usually the very precise details of your route that are of prime interest and this is exactly what is provided by QuickRoute, a program which can be downloaded without charge from the internet. You then need a digital version of the map you ran on, but this can be easily acquired by simply scanning it in.

This is where the fun begins – QuickRoute is a wonderful program! It again provides total and lap statistics, but also a route trace overlaid on your scanned map. This does need a bit of initial ‘tweaking’ to line up with the map, i.e. using the computer cursor to match the trace ends with the known start and finish points of the run and similarly one or two well-defined points in between, but with that done everything magically falls into place.

You’ll have a map on your screen showing exactly where you’ve

been, colour-coded for speed with the fast sections in green, the intermediate in yellow and the slow bits in red. You can insert split times at control sites and, by applying the cursor to any point on the trace, can ascertain your distance and time taken to that point.

Range of Applications: A training tool As a training tool it’s brilliant. Firstly it is always useful to know exactly how far you’ve gone as well as how long that took, but in addition the Garmin allows you to analyse just about every aspect of your performance and what you might improve on. If you are training on an Orienteering map you can run different routes between controls on different occasions and compare your own splits, thus getting a more accurate insight into what sort of route choices suit you best. The Garmin actually allows you to set up a “virtual training partner” so you can race directly against your previous performance on a course. And it is the ideal way to perfect pace-counting in different terrains.

Analysing competition performance Obviously it is invaluable if there was a point in the course where you weren’t sure where you were, because the trace will tell you.

But even for those who know exactly where they’ve been and have had the chance to compare splits with others, the GPS will provide not only personal speed data (eg did my pace slacken off towards the end?) but also allow you to look at your progress within a split, using the cursor as explained above. So if you were slower than expected on a control, relative to others, you can see whether it was due to your route choice or fine navigation nearer the control circle.

Controlling There is a lot more to being a Controller than checking that the controls are all in the right spot, but that is one important aspect of the role made much easier with a GPS. As Controller for the 2010 Tasmanian Relay Championships I was able to check all potential control sites (see map) by doing two circuits covering all controls, largely from the direction competitors would approach them. The GPS was also extremely useful in marking unmapped log piles in the southwest of the map. Note that it is not all about position though. Although correctly mapped, control #233 was deceptive in the field as the trace indicates and subsequently got the chop!

Should their use be allowed in major competitions?

This issue is under debate and there is now an IOF ruling prohibiting their use in IOF events. Should Orienteering Australia follow suit? There are certainly many who argue against it, pointing to the positives of route analysis outlined above and arguing that anyone who had to pause to fiddle with their GPS during the course of a race is probably down the back end of the field anyway.

I thought this way until I played around with my Garmin and discovered that lap distance can be on permanent display. This means that you know in a glance what precise distance you are into your leg, or indeed from your attack point (because you can press the lap button at any convenient point). So the potential for cheating is undoubtedly there.

People handle this in different ways. I initially used mine only at local events. However, as their use rapidly proliferates, I now see them being used in competition at all levels – as is permitted under current Orienteering Australia rules – so it seems a bit martyrish to refrain. I also noted with interest that several competitors at a State Championship wore their GPS but with the dial masked by tape. Perhaps a solution lies in that direction and we can combine all the undoubted advantages of GPS analysis along with an assurance of fair competition.

JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER

19

COACHING

A view from the 19th…

Russell Blatchford (Newcastle OC)

…… as an Orienteer, I make a reasonable ‘B’ grade golfer It is a bit on the fascinating side to recollect some of those philosophical gems in life that accentuate the positive of the concept of short/small/little. I can still hear the wisdom in my grandmother’s voice upon clinching a vital hand in a game of 500 leading with a card as innocuous as the 7 of clubs. Trumps were exhausted, no one else could follow suit and as she gathered the cards to shuffle for the next hand she would calmly state “little fish are sweet”.

Then there was that moment when I started to realise that the biggest present under the Xmas tree, which far too often my brothers seemed to get, wasn’t necessarily the best, and Mum would simply say “you see, good things come in small packages”.

Little did I know how true that would become of married life as well! (That should secure another game of golf!!)

And what about that guy called ‘anonymous’, bobbing up on calendars, in diaries, in motivational materials and resources. One classic that adorns the wall of our PDHPE homeroom at school reads “each step forward, no matter how small, is one less step to be taken”.

But for this B/C grade golfer come orienteer, sport has not necessarily mirrored life. The concept of short/small/little contains a warning that is not recognised often enough, invites complacency, a tendency to let the guard down, to take the foot of the pedal, to relax (I’m sure readers have heard many similar clichés from the great sporting commentators) - and far too often with dire performance consequences.

FOR THE GOLFER IN ME – Recognise and respect (leave my ego in the car park): Tale of the tape: 13th hole / par 3 / 122m.

For many years, perhaps tragically, I have recorded playing stats during a competition round at my home club. The 13th hole, known as the ‘quarry hole’ (due a large, excavated crater in front of the tee which historians reliably inform me has a link to the nearby brick works), is the shortest hole on the course. Yet it is a hole that, up until a playing break half way through 2010, I was averaging 6 shots per round on. That’s a triple bogey - and it was destroying many a good score!

I have never hit into the quarry, as it is only an 80 metre carry with a very lofted club like an 8 or 9 iron. The trouble is all around the green. The green is a small target, very narrow. The three bunkers are cavernous, and you play out of them to the narrow part of the green. With limited ability I far too often leave the ball in the bunker because the lip is too steep, or finish in the 20 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

bunker over the other side because I just don’t have the skill to get the ball up and stop it quickly on the green.

And at the back of the green there is a 4 metre drop, demanding a lofted ‘flop’ shot that golfers of my handicap just don’t possess. On many occasions I have played this shot more than once from the same position because I got too cute and the ball rolled back down to me.

The solution though is simple - just finish short of the green off the tee.

This leaves a relatively straight forward chip or putt onto the putting surface, two more putts and pencil in a 4 (bogey) most of the time.

But my ego gets in the way - fancy playing intentionally short of a green on a hole that is so short. So if I don’t hit a perfectly straight shot - you can guess the rest. I have to recognise and respect the challenge of the golf course designer and play accordingly.

At least since returning to play during the recent Xmas vacation I have started to choose a shorter club option when gripped by uncertainty standing on the 13th tee.

FOR THE ORIENTEER IN ME – Recognise and respect (leave my ego in the arena): The first ever orienteering coaching session I attended was during my time with the Albury - Wodonga club.

Peta Whitford and a team made the trip to the Vic/NSW border for a weekend.

The first day was on the magnificent ‘Cyanide Dam’ map, and I distinctly remember a control picking activity in one of the intricate gold mining areas on the map.

The message well and truly received by the time the exercise was over has continued to be spot on as far as my limited B grade skills are concerned - “you don’t make up time on a short leg, but you certainly can lose a lot of time”.

Tale of the tape 1): 2010 ACT Middle Distance Championships / Buckenderra, 1:10,000 / M50 / Course 3 / 4.4 km

but boy, the damage was well and truly done!! I simply did not respect the challenge the course setter’s had set me, and paid a hefty price!!!

Tale of the tape 2): David Shepherd / Orienteering World Cup race #4 / Relay / final leg runner / Switzerland 2002 Researching for my level 2 presentation two years ago I came across an article by David Shepherd which appeared in The Australian Orienteer magazine, June 2003. David has a magnificent record as an elite Orienteer. He has represented Australia at WOC on eight occasions since 2001, and has run in World Cup races in six different years since 2002. He has also run in the prestigious Jukola Relay, Finland, five times.

Domestically he has been M21E Long Distance champion on four occasions, and is a 4-time M21E Australian Easter 3-Days champion.

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss Australia’s elite orienteers over an evening meal with any fellow devotee of our sport and argue that David is still well and truly in our top three.

And for what it is worth I always look forward to attending events when he is running as it is great to watch him in action.

Staged as part of the magnificent Easter Twenty10 carnival, the event was memorable for two reasons - firstly, the wonderful course setting of two talented ACT juniors in Lachy Dow and Luke Poland.

And secondly, my performance on course leg #7 to #8. competitor

time #1 #7

leg #7 - #8 time #8 to (100m) finish

final time

Grant McDonald

19:42

0:50 (quickest)

18:46

39:18 (1st)

Eoin Rothery 22:52

0:54

18:35

42:21 (2nd)

Alex Davey

21:24

0:57

22:54

45:15 (3rd)

me

21:36

9:31

20:06

51:13 (7th)

What were those words of wisdom from Peta Whitford again? “you don’t make up time on a short leg” (Eoin and Alex did not get closer to Grant on leg #7 to #8!), “but you certainly can lose time” (I lost over 8:30 to the three of them!!). I remember thinking what a snack, just a good compass bearing, keep masses of rock on my right, clearing to left of the control. I also remember thinking - have a peak at leg #8 to #9. Then suddenly it dawned upon me - how long have you been running and still no control #8? The rest represented even more of the worst of my B grade skills. Rushing - not thinking, from a distance I couldn’t make anything fit along the fence line but refused to even go down there (ego?), no map orientation contributing further to my incompetence.

Finally relocated north-west of control #9, went to control #9 to eliminate any further doubt, and managed to get things right on the second attempt - from control #9, not control #7! Not surprisingly, I had the best split control #8 to #9 (after all, I only had to turn around and run back to where I had come from),

The article David wrote in 2003 spoke of his final leg run for the Australia #2 team. He had gone out in sight of some of the top teams, and caught a Finnish No. 2 team runner by control #1.

Together after control #2, David wrote of his mistake leg #2 to #3, losing a minute to the Finnish runner, which I would imagine is very significant at this level of our sport in such an important competition.

“The mistake was the failure to remain focussed on the processes required to run an Orienteering race. But maybe I was also fooled into thinking that this was an easy compass leg with tracks on either side to funnel one into the control”.

He later added “maybe again I didn’t recognise the technical difficulty of the leg”.

David Shepherd competing for the victorious Canberra Cockatoos M/W 21 mixed Relay team (partnered by wife Jo Allison), NOL #2, AIS, March 13 2011.

Photo: Karen Blatchford.

JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 21

URBAN ORIENTEERING

Tale of the tape 3): Sydney Sprint Series No.2 / Bicentennial Park / 1: 5000 / January 10, 2011 the important thing was to decide left or right quickly and run with full commitment. Many were observed changing their mind after 5 to 10 seconds of running!

Once again though, those 30 odd metres from the start to control #1 provides further compelling evidence that it is so important to recognise the challenge presented by the course setter on a short leg, attend to your orienteering process and respond with appropriate respect.

FOR THE ‘B’ GRADER IN ME - Recognise and respect (leave my ego in the arena): P the course setter is setting problems P have a plan for every leg P stay in control of the Orienteering process P stay in the moment P recognise the danger P respect the challenge P even the best can lose time on a short leg

I made the trip south with the family for this event, but unfortunately could not compete. But what transpired was fascinating in terms of spectator value and discussion of great course legs. Left or right control #1 to #2 kept many talking for a long time after completing their course, but for mine the real gem was in fact the leg from the start to control #1, a distance of maybe 30 metres.

Many golf courses talk of their signature hole, that one hole on the course that leaves an indelible memory on those that have the fortune to play the course. For course setter Mark Shingler, I think the first leg was his signature leg, a true classic on his course.

Course leg

Split range

Start - #1

0:13 - 3:24

#1 - #2

1:22 - 4:10

What did many in was the mental response to competing in a Sprint event. There was a tendency to start out very quickly, without due attention to the orienteering process. In the most tragic circumstances a few actually headed straight for control #2, and got varying degrees of the way there before realising their error.

The other discussion point centred on the observation that the short first leg demanded full attention, and this set up the route choice surprise of leg #1 to #2 perfectly. Some competitors measured the left choice shorter after the race, though the quickest split was to a runner who went right. Many thought that the additional merit in the right hand option was the ‘free’ look at both control #4 and the exit direction to control #5. All agreed 22 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

congratulates Russell Blatchford on his excellent series of Orienteering coaching articles entitled “A View from the 19th ...”. Russell will receive a Jet Spectra compass from SILVA

IN MEMORIUM

Vale Barry Field

to allow him to fill the top places. So, he concluded, it was people like him who helped the place getters feel good.

Overseas travel with Chris was another love of Barry’s – Antarctica, Peru, Norway and India to mention a few countries. Maybe his entry in a 1992 arry Field, a member of Illawarra Tasmanian event kindled a desire to Kareelah Orienteers, passed away compete away from the mainland on Sunday 10 April 2011, aged 65 and Barry entered the World Masters years, after being confined to St George Championships. He and Chris travelled Hospital and Calvary Hospital for 4 in 2004 for him to compete in Italy, months.

2005 Canada, 2006 Austria, 2007 Before Orienteering, he was a very Finland and 2009 Lithgow, where successful navigator in the Mitsubishi he helped with the Sprint event and car rally team. It was 25 years ago competed in the Long Distance events. when Barry joined Kareelah Orienteers, For Barry, with mid-field rankings, to transferred his map reading skills to pursue this level of Orienteering and Orienteering, started running and travel so far, illustrates his love of the Barry Field (M60) at WMOC 2009 became a stalwart of the sport. sport. He would return with his foreign Whenever the club had an event to maps, very proudly show them around organise, Barry would be there. His help was structured and and store them. Barry had a love of maps; his collection of a high standard, ensuring the job was well done. Club includes every map he ran on. events around Oatley were organised by Barry. We enjoyed The last event Barry entered was the November 2010 club the location and thought put into these events and the event on the new map at Kurnell. He walked around hospitality shown by him and his wife, Chris, after the run. that course with Chris only a couple of weeks before his This was certainly the case when, during Barry’s last event we admission to hospital on 6 December 2010. Barry had first were caught in one of the heaviest downpours of rain ever, run The City to Surf a few months earlier. then it was back to the house to clean up and change into dry The quiet determination that Barry has shown for 25 years clothes while the barbeque was fired up in the garage. to meet the challenges in Orienteering became even more Barry loved maps, navigation, the physical and mental evident when I saw Barry in hospital trying desperately to challenge and driving to country events. When our major overcome what cancer had inflicted on him. It was a brave events were held near Mittagong or Goulburn I could sense battle that had him exercising in the hospital gym for six the especially close relationship that Barry and Chris shared, hours each weekday, and then he was disappointed that the because if Chris weren’t there, Barry would drive home in the gym was closed on weekends. I admired his courage. evening after helping all day and return the next morning to Quietly spoken, welcoming and respectful of others, Barry continue with the next day’s responsibilities or competition. has always been highly thought of in Orienteering circles. We Barry was an enthusiastic competitor – club events, metro have the highest respect for Barry, and have always valued his events, major events, relays, Queens Birthday 3 Days, Easter friendship and contributions to our club.

3 Days, State championships and Australian championships Thank you, Barry, we will miss you.

– he was there to run, and he was in the largest and most Kevin Curby competitive age group in Orienteering. Barry told me, in quite a reassuring manner, that he loved food and wine too much

B

JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 23

SPORT PSYCHOLOGY

Coping with Injury Part 2 Lisa Lampe Lisa Lampe is a psychiatrist and academic with a special interest in anxiety and cognitive behaviour therapy. She works for the University of Sydney and is based at the CADE clinic.

In a previous article psychological factors that might be associated with an increased risk of injury were discussed. In this article, psychological responses to injury and their relevance to recovery are explored.

Reaction to injury An individual’s reaction to injury will be influenced by numerous factors. Firstly, the context of the injury. Was the possibility of injury anticipated or did it come as a shock (‘safety violation’ - see The Australian Orienteer, March 2011, pp18-19)? Some injuries, such as sprains and fractures, happen acutely, whilst others develop gradually, such as overuse injuries or degenerative conditions.

Secondly, the meaning of the injury to the individual. This may be related to prognosis. For example, does it mean they’ll be unable to compete for a few weeks, the whole season, or might it threaten their ability to participate at all in the future? Has the injury robbed them of a good chance to win an event or a series that meant a lot to them? Did the injury come on the back of a previous injury resulting in pain, time off from Orienteering or significant disability?

In respect of the meaning and perceived consequences of the injury, one might ask whether there is a difference between the elite level and recreational level competitor. Research suggests that individuals whose sporting performance is closely tied to their own perceptions of who they are as people may suffer more psychological distress with injury. Lowered self-esteem has been reported as a consequence. Similarly, those for whom involvement in the sport – competing and training – is one of their principal activities in life may experience more distress.

Given that the sport of Orienteering does not support a professional level of elite involvement, these adverse consequences might be somewhat less likely, since most orienteers will have a role in life outside of ‘elite orienteer’; for example they most likely are students or have a job. Recreational orienteers are even more likely to have other interests and sources of achievement in their lives. However, people who may be dissatisfied at work, who are not in relationships (or who have problematic relationships) and for whom Orienteering provides an important sense of achievement or positive feedback may be at risk of a greater psychological impact from injury.

A third factor is the personality style of the individual. Do they tend to be prone to worry or very sensitive to physical symptoms?

Do they tend to be more of an optimist or a pessimist? Just as with other problems and difficulties in life, personality factors can

24 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

magnify or minimise psychological consequences and influence the choice of coping strategy.

Medical treatment factors can also be relevant. For example, is the physiotherapist or doctor confident about the diagnosis and recommended treatment of the injury, or is there a doubt and uncertainty about the exact nature of the injury and how best it should be treated? Research suggests that athletes experience more distress over injuries that are acute, severe and relatively uncommon1.

Strategies for coping better Good communication with treating health professionals is a good start in coping better with injury. Get advice from your GP about who to see. Sporting friends may also be able to give good advice about who they’ve found helpful. Ideally the health professionals should be up to date with current treatments, competent but also good communicators. In general, the more an individual understands about their injury and what will help it, the better. It’s then important to follow the advice given.

In all likelihood, sooner or later, exercises or stretches will be prescribed. It will be necessary to make a commitment to practice these exercises regularly in order to get the most benefit. It can be helpful to work with the health professional to identify small goals that can be worked towards. It is also helpful if these can be linked to a return to Orienteering – for example, when a certain exercise or test can be performed it might indicate that walking a short course could be tried. Research suggests that when injured athletes can be shown evidence that particular physical strategies will significantly improve recovery, they experience a greater sense of control over their injury, which in turn reduces anxiety.

Relaxation and mindfulness strategies can be used to assist in managing tension and anxiety that may arise when thinking about the injury or experiencing the effects of it, such as pain and limitation.

Another helpful strategy from a psychological perspective is to channel energy and enthusiasm into a different area of the sport. It can be difficult to see others out Orienteering when you can’t join in, but it might be possible to derive satisfaction and enjoyment from participating in other ways, for example, coaching, assisting with the running of events, joining in the social aspects of Orienteering, and ‘armchair’ Orienteering by studying the maps later.

Becoming more involved in the organisation of events is also a good way for orienteers to become more tolerant of the inevitable mistakes, minor and major, that occur from time to time in the running of events. Some orienteers allow these planning and organisational errors to cause them a disproportionate amount of distress, which they may then externalise with highly vocal complaints which not only fail to change things, but may just distress the planner and organiser, who are no doubt already feeling bad about the issue. Volunteering is also a recognised strategy for increasing happiness (e.g. see Sharp2).

Maintain therapeutic optimism. Many conditions show a seemingly dogged persistence, but nearly always improve in the end. Plantar fasciitis is a good example of this. It can be surprisingly helpful to talk to others who’ve experienced the same or similar condition and come through it.

Realign goals. Some injuries may pose long term limitations on how an individual can compete or the levels that can be achieved; for example, injuries which occur as a result of degenerative processes. Working towards acceptance of things as they are, and setting goals that are more realistic for changed capabilities can pave the way for ongoing enjoyment.

Action points 1. M inimise your risk of injury before you go Orienteering. Accept that you can’t eliminate the risk.

2. S ee a doctor, physiotherapist or other health professional that you trust. Get recommendations from friends if needed.

3. Follow the advice you’ve paid for.

4. F ind other ways to enjoy the sport while recovering – continue to enjoy the social aspects of the sport, feel supported by fellow orienteers and gain a sense of satisfaction and pleasure from helping run events.

5. Maintain therapeutic optimism.

References: 1. A. Moran, in Sport and Exercise Psychology: A Critical Introduction.

London ; New York : Routledge, 2004.

2. T. Sharp, The Happiness Handbook, Sydney: Finch Publishing, 2007.

There is some evidence that a multifaceted approach to injury that includes both psychological and physical aspects of recovery leads to feelings of greater control and a faster recovery. To this I would suggest that social aspects could be added. The social aspects of Orienteering for most participants represent an important part of their enjoyment of the sport. If you decide to stay away from Orienteering, you miss out on this, too.

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE This is a complex granite area on which many orienteers have competed over a number of years. There are 15 differences between these two otherwise identical map sections. CAN YOU FIND ALL 15 ?

JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 25

COURSE SETTING

Route Choice Legs Rex Niven (Nillumbik Emus, Victoria)

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lassic orienteering includes providing route choice on longer legs. One could ask why – if the course setter has done his job right, all routes are the same!

Let’s bypass this heresy and say that different routes suit different boots.

Making long legs with good route choices takes some work but can surprise you.

In Example One, we have decided to use a hill as a way of creating simple route choices, around or over. Assuming we start with control #7, we want to choose control #8 to give the best options.

Usually at least three choices can be had, left, right and direct, but in this case by adjusting the control positions four plausible routes can be made.

2

In Example Two, a more complicated hill yields five options varying in length, height to climb and technicality, just by manipulating the sites of #5 & #6.

Example Three, is similar to Example One except more ambitious. Now another route choice appears using the road network which is longer but minimizes steep climbs and complex navigation. Sometimes this option exists but is not shown on the printed part of the map, which makes it an unfair leg. This situation occurred in a State Series early last year.

Example Four started with a leg #11 to #12, but then we tried for extra length by stretching to #11 – #13, #11 - #14 then #11 - #15 which has a number of options.

Could the leg be extended further to #10 – #15? Maybe, although the road routes start to look attractive.

A good way to start a course setting exercise is to look for these kinds of legs in different parts of the map without necessarily joining them together. Once you have a few options, see which ones could link together for the longer courses.

26 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

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ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA

Where does Orienteering Australia’s money come from, and where does it go?

Blair Trewin – OA Director (Finance)

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rienteering Australia (OA) is receiving a new injection of funds from the Australian Sports Commission. This funding, of $100,000 per year over the next four years, will go towards supporting participation-development projects, with much of the money to be spent at the State level.

This funding will be received for the first time in 2011. Apart from this, the bulk of OA’s income comes from the following areas: •A SC High Performance funding ($86,000 budgeted in 2011).

This is tied to expenditure in the High Performance area.

•S tate Association Registration Fees ($79,300). This is an amount which is split between the States according to their share of national membership.

On the expenditure side, the largest single area of expenditure is the High Performance area, where $160,000 of spending is budgeted. A bit over half of this comes from the ASC grant with the remainder being drawn from State registration fees and event levies. The largest single components of the High Performance budget include WOC ($45,600), the two part-time High Performance Manager positions ($33,000), WMTBOC ($17,200), JWOC ($15,000), the Manager Coaching & Officiating position ($14,000) and the National Orienteering League ($12,000), with most remaining funds going to coaching activities (such as Level 2 and 3 workshops) and squad training within Australia (both of which are areas where we have struggled to spend our budget in recent years). The WOC and WMTBOC budgets both include some funds carried over from 2009, when the cost was lower than usual because of the small size of that year’s teams.

Apart from State-funded insurance and the ASC participation projects, about $85,000 of further expenditure is budgeted in 2011. The largest single item here is $24,000 for the parttime Executive Officer. $14,000 is budgeted for general administration, such as office rental, telephone and internet costs; $10,000 to support our member of the IOF Council, $7,000 in IOF membership fees and event levies, and $8,000 for the Annual Conference. Many smaller items make up the balance.

•E vent levies ($45,000, including some received ahead of time in late 2010). About two-thirds of this comes from major events (the bulk of it from the Australian Championships and Easter carnivals), and the remainder from the general levy on all events. This fluctuates from year to year depending on where the major events are held – 2011 is quite a low year as Easter will have a lower attendance than it would if held in the southeastern States.

•S tate payments for insurance ($20,000). This covers insurance for public and directors’ and officers’ liability, and goes directly to the insurer.

Other smaller amounts of income include interest, badge sales, donations through the Australian Sports Foundation, and sponsorship from SILVA (our relationship with Ansvar ended last year).

JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 27

URBAN O

Urban Orienteering in Tasmania Bert Elson – Orienteering Tasmania

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asmania’s two main centres of Orienteering are Launceston and Hobart. Both run extensive programs of urban events. Both centres are blessed with a range of good parklands and city fringe bushland which have been used for Orienteering for several decades. Accordingly, while some courses may take participants onto public streets, it is common for events to be “urban” bush events, rather than street events.

Launceston Launceston has a wealth of parks and reserves around the city that have been mapped for Orienteering. They range from very urban areas (now mapped to Sprint Orienteering standards), to park areas, to bush – including the Trevallyn Nature Recreation Area which has been in use for some 30 years! Esk Valley Orienteering Club (EVOC) runs over 40 urban events each year.

Northern Events fall into three groups: Twilight Events: between 4:00pm and 6:00pm on Wednesday evenings in October/November and February/ March. Over time these events have become the main channel

in Launceston for newcomers into Orienteering. The events are set to a well-tried formula - a very easy beginners’ course of about 2.0km, and two easy courses (3.5 and 5.0kms). To keep the more experienced orienteers happy, an additional course such as a score, or scatter or memory course is set.

Typically about 70 competitors take part, of whom about 50% would be school students.

Street events: these events were reintroduced in 2010 after a break of several years. Held on a Wednesday evening with starts between 5:00 and 6:00pm there are two 5-week series, one ‘pre-season’ in January/February, and a winter series in June/July. They are low key, easily organised events with short, long or medium scatter courses. The maps used are adapted from city street maps showing contours, roads, laneways, parks, etc. There are no road names. No controls are put out, but on the back of the map is a multiple choice question relating to each control site. Part of the challenge is keeping one’s pencil intact while completing the course.

These events have attracted 25 – 30 participants. Interest is growing.

Primary Schools Orienteering: for the last eight years, EVOC has been organising a primary schools Orienteering program in conjunction with the Launceston State School Sports Association (LSSSA). The program runs through the third school term; takes place in school hours on Friday afternoons; and is now the largest 3rd term primary school sport in the Launceston area with up to 350 children registered to participate. EVOC personnel manage the program, check the status of maps, plan the courses and set out controls (and pick them up), and provide general advice and assistance on the day. Three courses are set for each event. At the beginning of the term the courses are much the same level of difficulty. Over the term, Course 3 becomes progressively more challenging. The maps with courses are emailed to the participating schools. The schools then photocopy their required number of maps. Generally the first events are on black and white maps, before progressing to colour maps (when moving into bush areas). Included in the financial arrangement with LSSSA is royalty on the maps used, payable to Orienteering Tasmania (in Tasmania all maps are copyright to OT). This program has been highly successful; was recognised by OA with the inaugural Club Development Award going to EVOC, and recognised at the Tasmanian Sports Awards winning the 2008 Minister’s Award for Excellence.

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Hobart Urban events in Hobart are run by the Wellington Ranges (WROC) and Australopers clubs. As in Launceston there are a number of series which now cover almost the whole year with over 30 events in total, falling into four series.

Hobart is fortunate to have over 15 mapped areas within the city and suburbs.

Twilight / School events: these take place on Wednesday afternoons in October/ November and February/March. Venues used include the Queens Domain very close to the city centre, The Waterworks, Mount Nelson (Hobart College) and Wentworth Park on the Eastern Shore. There are four courses ranging up to approximately 5km and SportIdent is now used for all events. These events are popular with both students and regular orienteers and attract up to 100 competitors each week.

The Southern Corporate Orienteering Challenge: a very successful initiative introduced by Peter Hall almost 10 years ago and still running, is the Southern Corporate Challenge.

Key elements of the corporate Challenge have been: •R un as two series of events over 4 weeks in each of November and March; •P romoted widely through government departments and local businesses; • Generally two courses each week; •T eams of 3 to 5 participants with three scores counting for each team but team members can run either course; • Starts between 12 and 1:30pm or 4:00 and 5:30pm; • Participants run individually or in groups; • Results by course (individual) or handicap (team); Incorporating Peter’s unique handicapping system.

The Corporate Challenge handicap system involves assigning every finisher a point score from 7 (1st) down to 1 (7th) then starting again, so 7 (8th) down to 1 (14th) and so on. To some it may seem that the resultant point scores are somewhat random. In reality the system gives a team of office girls who have never orienteered before almost as good a chance as a team of elite runners to win the handicap trophy. In good years there have been almost 100 teams with some

organisations putting in as many as five teams and many organisations such as Dept. of Infrastructure coming back with teams every year since the inception of the event. The major benefit of the Corporate Challenge has been that it introduces office workers, mostly between 20 and 35, to Orienteering – a demographic notably absent from many Orienteering events.

Over the years a number of Corporate Challenge participants have gone on to become regular orienteers and now compete in national carnivals.

The Winter Park O Series: this series of four events is run by WROC members and is held in winter on Sunday mornings. It attracts regular orienteers as well as a sprinkling of newcomers. Events take place on urban fringe maps such as Risdon Brook Dam, The Lea, Poimena Reserve and Hobart’s Waterworks. This series features 1:5,000 maps with large numbers of controls over relatively short distances.

Summer Series: the summer series is run by Australopers. It is a relaxed easygoing series of four events held each January aimed at easing people back into Orienteering after Christmas.

Despite this it has gained popularity and has been attracting about 70 competitors each week. Three courses are set using a maximum of 15 controls in total with starts between 4:00pm and 6:00 pm on Wednesdays. A project is currently underway to expand the Hobart Summer Series to run through both December and January and to utilise a series of new maps currently being prepared. The new maps will cover a continuous swathe of Hobart from New Town and Cornelian Bay in the north, across the city including the Domain and much of the Hobart waterfront incorporating Battery Point, Salamanca Place and St Davids Park and extending as far south as the University of Tasmania.

Tasmania has a vibrant Orienteering scene and while its statewide bush Orienteering events are the highlights of the annual calendar, its 70 or so urban events each year form the foundation for Orienteering in the State.

JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 29

URBAN O

How Top End Orienteers’ events work Lachlan Hallett

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vents are held on Sunday mornings with starts between 7:00 and 9:00am (early so that they are in the coolest part of the day). Course closure is at 11am and generally everything is packed up by midday. Holding only one or two events a month seems to work well for us as it enables participants to engage in other activities and it gives a much stronger incentive to make the effort to attend our event, otherwise they will have to wait another month for the next one.

To make our events more of a social occasion we have a BBQ at every event near the results (free fruit & cold water, $1 sausages and drinks) which acts as a focal point after the event for discussions about route choices and the-one-thatgot-away type stories. We have a monthly newsletter which contains results, information about future events, and a “how was your course” article where people describe how they got around (or didn’t get around…) their course. Articles have been written by newcomers, elites, masters and 10 year-olds.

In Darwin our strength seems to be the ease with which we can attract new people. People are more willing to try something different, possibly because they only intend to be in Darwin for a few years. This may mean that Darwin would be a good recruitment ground for other States! Our current attendance record is 187 people at the Darwin Botanic Gardens on Australia Day this year (106 of which were attending their first event). This narrowly beat our previous best of 186 set late last year at our School championships.

These figures give participation rates of 1 in every 600 people in Darwin attending. To put that into perspective you would need 6,800 people attending an event near Melbourne or 600 people attending an event in Canberra to have the same rate.

The weather dictates when we can access our maps. Darwin has distinct seasons with the Wet Season extending from November to April and the Dry Season from May to October.

The wet season is obviously quite wet (we have had just over 3m of rain so far this wet) which leads to prolific grass growth (2­–3 m high in some areas). This restricts our access to our bush maps to June - October. Other restrictions which may not be as significant to other clubs include our high tides.

Several of our maps are affected to some extent by our 8m tides (e.g. half of our Channel Island map, an island which was formerly a leprosarium, disappears at high tide).

Orienteering in the Territory is full of surprises and challenges.

For instance, how do you explain to landowners that you want to map their property and that you would like to keep coming back for 10+ years when they think that the world will end in 2013? Another landowner organised an airshow for our 2009 NT Championships. We served dinner alongside the airstrip while 20 different planes from a Tiger Moth to a Russian YAK landed with numerous orienteers aboard.

Fortunately our surprises and challenges generally tend to be good ones and usually make good stories to tell around the BBQ at the next event!

30 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

Organisation of a Darwin Street-O event Julianne Giffard

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EO street events are not typically scatter or score events although we may have one or two of these a year. In street events, TEO generally has a very easy, an easy, a moderate, and a long course instead of a hard course. It is usually not possible to make street courses as technically challenging regarding navigation or control location as in bush environments. TEO long street courses differ from moderate in that - a) they’re longer and require more endurance and/or fitness; b) they use only IOF symbols; c) they usually have longer legs and may have more route choice; d) there may be one or two controls that are more technically difficult than moderate level.

The Cullen Bay event held on 13 March, 2011 consisted of four courses. The start location was negotiated with the Kahlin Oval cricket club at Larrakeyah. Susanne Casanova and Lachlan Hallett had prepared a Very Easy 1.6km course with 14 controls on linear features and at every turning point or corner around the oval and nearby streets; an Easy 2.8 km course with 11 controls on features such as lamp posts, gates, fence corners and information boards, situated near linear features but not necessarily at turning points; a 4.8km Moderate course with 10 controls on features such as spur/

fence crossings, electricity boxes, school drinking troughs and thickets on vacant lots; and a 5.7km Hard/Long course with 12 controls, many of which were the same as the Moderate but with a few longer legs, different route choice, and extra controls like a tree mound near a golf course and shrubs on a rocky groyne at the edge of a marina.

Once all the preliminaries had been arranged and maps printed Lachlan and Susanne jetted off to Canberra for the weekend’s NOL races, leaving the rest of the event in the hands of the remaining TEO committee.

TEO uses punches attached to lockable plates for controls in public places. Less public controls may have a hanging control with punch. Most of the controls at Cullen Bay were lockable plates and were placed the day before the event, some by Susanne and Lachlan before they flew out on Friday, and the rest by Emily Prichard (TEO Secretary) on Saturday evening with a map specially prepared for her by Susanne, which would still enable Emily to compete. Since the course planners were not going to be present at the event, the other volunteers were all able to compete by working in shifts covering registration, start, coaching, finish, results and the BBQ. The start area was set up by the first shift at 6:30am. This consisted of an unmanned table for registration slips; a manned table for payment; and another manned table for allocation of start times, and distribution of punch cards and pre-marked maps. An information board was displayed with information about the courses and any particular map symbols or warnings for the day. The Cullen Bay event warned of several fallen trees that had yet to be cleared from the recent cyclone. Other street events have had warnings about nesting lapwings and 1.5m crocodiles being in the vicinity.

Contestants are usually started at 2-minute intervals with those from different courses able to begin at the same time. Starts have a two-hour window between 7:00 and 9:00am. TEO uses manual timing and start and finish times are recorded on the control cards. We welcome many newcomers to each event and coaching is offered between

8:00 and 9:00am. Those who’ve competed previously also avail themselves of the duty coach before and after the event to clarify the finer points of navigation.

The Cullen Bay event had 130 participants consisting of 73 entries. Those on the Very Easy and Easy courses mainly competed in pairs or groups. Moderate participants tended to be a mixture of individuals and smaller groups, and the Long course was made up of 13 individuals and one pair. This was a typical distribution for our urban events and all courses get a mixture of walkers and runners.

The second shift of helpers had also arrived early so that they could compete. They started their courses soon after 7:00 and had all returned by 9:00am and once recovered took over the helm at the finish and results table and the BBQ. This allowed the first shift, including the duty coach and the first BBQer to start their course just before 9:00am, giving them two hours to complete their courses. If the organiser and planner are present at an event, they will usually man the desks for the entire four hours and won’t compete; however, they will often be assisted by other volunteers with administration and coaching.

The rain held off for most of the Cullen Bay event apart from one heavy downpour which lasted about five minutes, drenching those out on the course but the paperwork and BBQ were kept dry inside the cricket shed.

It’s becoming a regular feature at events to hang up the results on wooden blocks. This didn’t always happen in the past because it’s quite time consuming and is dependent on having a few extra volunteers around. At Cullen Bay, and many recent events, people stayed around for longer after their course to watch the results go up, debrief each other and avail themselves of the free fresh fruit and what would have to be the cheapest sausage sizzle in Australia. This also meant that we had a few newcomers around to help collect controls at the end.

JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 31

DEVELOPMENT

Developing Orienteering in the Northern Territory

•C hanged from offering short, medium and long courses to very easy, easy, moderate, short hard (~4.5km) and long hard (~6.5km) courses; •S plit the course setter duties to two people - organiser/ vetter and course planner; • Held course planning and controlling workshops;

Lachlan Hallett

• Increased the number of helpers at events;

C

urrently there is only one Orienteering club in the Northern Territory, Top End Orienteers (TEO). We are based in Darwin but also have maps in and near Palmerston (a satellite city) and Batchelor (a small town 100 km from Darwin). Our club holds one or two events a month giving a total of 17 events a year. We do not offer a separate street O series, instead we try to have at least one event a month within a 15-minute drive of most Darwin residents.

Fortunately Darwin is spread out such that there are several areas of native scrub within this zone that we use in addition to the usual street and park maps.

In 2009 TEO started assessing how it could best cater for its participants. This caused our priorities to be shifted towards increasing public awareness of our events and increasing the enjoyment of our participants. These changes have resulted in a significant increase in the number of people orienteering in Darwin.

To increase the number of newcomers to events we have tried to increase our exposure through: •P articipating in community programs (e.g. Australia Day council events, Activate-NT fitness program, NT heritage week, Healthy Palmerston eating etc); •H aving booths and mini trial courses at relevant expos (Activate-NT, Defence Force family day); •A pproaching media (articles in local newspapers, magazines and exposure through ABC local radio); •D istributing (by email) event flyers to anyone who has participated in an event. This enables flyers to be posted on noticeboards at work, appear in school newsletters and be listed on websites of other organizations; • I ncreasing our involvement with schools. We have been hosting NT School championships annually since 2008.

These promotional activities appear to be working. Over the last two years attendance at our first event of each year has increased by 50%, from 124 participants in 2009, to 169 in 2010, to187 participants in 2011 (106 of whom were attending their first event).

In the past TEO has struggled to cater for and retain newcomers. To improve this we have tried to make it easier for newcomers to find, enter and complete events: •S implified registration - spread our assembly area out in order and made large numbered signs; •H aving at least one duty coach in a bright vest to approach and help newcomers; •A ltered event fees to simplify registration and made it more attractive for newcomers and families: Entry Fees

Members

Non-Members

First event

Individuals

$5

$9

Free

Groups

$8

$12

Free

Extra map

$2

$2

Free

• Switched to pre-marked maps for all events; 32 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

•P roviding a feedback box at events and conducted a large survey in 2009; • Began displaying results at events; •M ade six new maps over the last three years and all maps are now drawn in OCAD and printed in full colour.

Now we are experiencing increased consistency of map quality and course difficulty across the season. This appears to be having positive impacts on participation. Where traditionally our attendance would rapidly drop to ~80 people after the first one or two events of the season, this year we have had at least 130 people at each of the four events held to date.

Conducting these promotional activities, filling the extra roles required at events and dealing with the large increase in participants, especially newcomers, requires many volunteers.

Much of our equipment, forms and timing equipment was designed when TEO events attracted 30–40 people. Thus we are currently reviewing these areas and hope to reduce the workload on our volunteers at peak times to a more manageable level.

Fortunately our membership (our volunteer base) is increasing. In the last three years our membership has increased from 39 to 52 individual and family memberships (which equates to 127 members including kids), making us the biggest club in our State Association, Orienteering SA. On paper this makes us look like we would be able to easily meet our volunteer workloads but our members are relatively inexperienced, 20 have joined TEO for the first time this year, 40 (ie 77% of our current memberships) have been with TEO for less than three years, and only five have competed interstate. This lack of experience can make it difficult to undertake new projects while we are busy trying to run coaching sessions, course setting workshops, committee meetings in addition to dealing with paperwork, updating maps and holding 17 events a year.

To increase the experience of our members we have organised orienteers from interstate to run course setting, mapping and controller workshops. We also encourage members to travel to interstate events. TEO has been hosting NT Championships “biannually” since 2005 to provide locals with the experience of a championship event. In 2012 the NT Champs will be held in conjunction with a round of National

League Races which will further increase the exposure of our members.

We still have several projects that we are working on. A major focus for the club will continue to be the updating of our maps. Many have not been significantly updated for 5–10 years which makes course setting time consuming and also makes it difficult for less experienced navigators.

One of the outcomes from the survey that we conducted in 2009 was that there was a lot of support for a low-key wet season street series. Events would probably be held once a month in the evening and probably be a scatter-O style course. TEO is also pursuing an electronic timing system, new control stands and having results posted on the internet before we tackle some of the items in our too hard basket (e.g. starting up Orienteering in Alice Springs and potentially other remote centres, becoming our own independent State Association and trying to crack the elusive 1 in every 500 Darwin residents attending an event).

Hope to see you at our NT Championships/ NOL races in mid-2012 !!

JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 33

RADI O

Preparations for RadiO Region 3 Asia-Pacific Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championships Ewen Templeton (ARDF-Victoria)

D

uring 2010 the Wireless Institute of Australia asked the Victorian ARDF group if they would organize the 2011 Region 3 ARDF Championships. The radio world is divided into three regions and regional championships are held in the odd years and world championships in the even years.

Previous Region 3 Championships held in Australia were in Townsville in 1996 and Ballarat in 2003.

The 2010 World Championship was held in Croatia and Bruce Paterson and Ewen Templeton were competitors with Jenelle Templeton as coach.

Many ARDF participants are also orienteers so it was decided to run the event just before the Oceania and Australian Orienteering Championships to allow ARDF competitors to stay and compete in both carnivals.

From September 23rd the Blue Light camp in Maldon, Victoria http://bluelightcamp.com/ will have a very international flavour. Competitors are expected from China, Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia, USA, Kazakhstan and Croatia. To date over 100 international competitors have indicated an intention to attend.

There will an Australian Team made up of experienced ARDF participants and Orienteers. The Team does need more members with Orienteering skills and welcomes enquiries from anyone interested in taking part. Training in use of RadiO receivers is available.

The ARDF group organized the Ballarat event, with considerable help from the Orienteering community. Information about the group and more detailed information about the Region 3 ARDF Championships can be sourced on the ARDF group’s home page: www.ardf.org.au. For a direct link to the Championships page go to: http://r3.ardf.org. au/ If you are interested in attending as a competitor or volunteer please contact the WIA ARDF Coordinator, Jack Bramham, by email vk3www@wia.org.au

RadiO course at Emerald Lake Park in Victoria – low-powered transmitters and mini flags were used. The transmissions can only be detected once you are close to the control circle.

34 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

Classes: M/W –19; 21+; 35+; 45+; 55+ and 65+.

Teams can be up to six in each M/W age class.

Program of events: Friday 23rd Sept............ Arrival Saturday 24th Sept....... Model ARDF event, Opening Ceremony and Combo Fox-or/ Orienteering score event Sunday 25th Sept.......... 2m ARDF competition Monday 26th Sept......... Tour Day Tuesday 27th Sept......... 80m ARDF competition & Closing Banquet/Prizes Wednesday 28th Sept.... Departure AUS Team 2003

THE ART OF NOODLING

West Australian

be sure, so west; and there was my favourite spot - near #3. Again. After that it was easy – just complete the right hand approach circuit to #7. On the next leg, on a now very familiar stretch of southbound track, I met the Guides again.

This time I trotted past without speaking, glancing at the map to try to give the impression of being engrossed in a complex navigational problem, which earlier had been all too true.

Ken Brownlie – WOW (West Australia)

My feeble excuse for much of this is that WA’s long distance walking trail, the Bibbulmun Track, crosses the map, partly using my wrong choice of southerly route to #7 and Carol and I had plodded up that section near the end of a five-day outing, just two days earlier. No wonder it was enticingly familiar that Sunday morning.

Noodles

Ella’s experiences described in The Australian Orienteer - March 2011, Ella’s Shoes – The Art of Noodling, must have aroused suppressed memories for many of we ‘fair to middling’ competitors and certainly reminded me of a run I had just last year.

Have you Noodled a course? Tell us about it by sending a map and some text to The Editor.

T

he map was of a disused golf course and adjacent National Park with a network of tracks popular with local residents as it was on the edge of Perth just in the hills. I had run there many times before and on a mild sunny May Sunday morning chose the 2.7km, 110m climb, Hard 4 course (Red 4 to Eastern Staters) at this routine event.

It wasn’t a good run. The spaghetti route in to control #3 was where it first went wrong, only being resolved by eventually admitting the inevitable and relocating on the track junction 100m to the east.

It was from #6 to #7 that things got really interesting. It should have been a doddle. You could run tracks to within 70m east or west of #7, but my overlooking the first junction was also a missed warning of the shambles to come. Annoyed with myself for such a silly mistake I promptly did it again, by choosing the wrong southerly track.

(There’s a reason for that which will be revealed later). I can’t imagine why I next did that loop to the west. It wasn’t for the view, which seemed familiar. I was pretty sure I was on the main southerly track (further east) but couldn’t find the big watercourse so kept heading south until I recognised the hairpin bend, but where was the b*** thing on the map?

That’s where I saw the first group of Girl Guides who had come out in large numbers that day, perhaps to gain their Orienteering badges, but with my nearly thirty years experience I could hardly ask them where I was, so onwards and upwards. At the next junction there was a bush walker having a rest. By then I had abandoned all idea of a reasonable time, so I stopped for a chat. He did not know quite where he was either.

South again felt right although at the time I wasn’t sure why. I was still heading up hill when I met the Guides again. I hope they thought the old guy was being kind when he asked them if they knew where they were. I was too vain to explain the ulterior motive.

Another junction looked familiar but after all this I’d thought I’d better JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 35

O-SPY 23,000 participations in Victoria

Peo Bengtsson still on top

here were some 23,000 orienteering participations in Victoria in 2010, with over 2,700 unique participants. 286 events were run with 193 of them being Park & Street Orienteering. The number of unique participants was down on 2009 by 200, but this can be attributed to the Bushrangers 09 Carnival which attracted many interstate visitors. Participants were up 77 from the last equivalent year in 2008.

ome Australian orienteers will remember that Peo Bengtsson was a frequent visitor to our shores in the early years to assist us in establishing the sport here. Peo continues to compete and was Sweden’s top ranked M75 in 2010.

T

Minna Kauppi voted Top Finnish Sports Star

A

t the annual Finnish TV sports gala awards night Minna Kauppi was voted Top Sports Star amongst all sports men and women for 2010. This is no mean feat given the plethora of top Finns in skiing, motor racing, athletics and other sports.

The 28 year-old student at Jyvaskyla University was described in press reports as a spontaneous, happy and impulsive athlete and she clearly demonstrated that by doing a victory dance on stage. In fact, some years ago, as Minna bounded onto the podium to receive a World Relay gold medal, one Finn was heard to remark “She’s not like the rest of us, you know.”

36 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

S

T

he Queenland Education Dept is making it compulsory for any teachers taking children into the bush on any form of navigation exercise, to get Level 1 Orienteering qualification. Thus Orienteering Queensland has had a lot of demand for courses, and has even conducted two in Cairns earlier this year.

Hip Replacements may qualify you for World Trail O

Orienteering Photos

C

T

om de Jongh has a web site showing his photos of Orienteering events held mainly in ACT. He regularly takes shots at Championship and National Orienteering League events, some of which appear in issues of this magazine. If you are looking for photos of Elite orienteers in action we recommend you look at Tom’s photos at www. dejongh.smugmug.com

Demand for Orienteering qualification

Comeback Queen

A

nnichen Kringstad was crowned 1985 World Champion when she won the WOC event at Kooyoora, near Bendigo.

Now she has made a comeback to Swedish orienteering, but this time in the administrative role of external communication for the Swedish Orienteering Federation (SOFT). – (Skogssport)

alling all hip and knee replacees, you may qualify for the Paralympic class at the World Trail O Championships. All you need is a metal joint and some evidence of ‘significantly reduced mobility’ which shouldn’t be too difficult given that we’re all older and slower than we used to be. New IOF rules on eligibility for Trail O classes include total hip or knee replacements as criteria for eligibility for the Paralympic Class, along with amputations and congenital limb deformities. Conditions such as visual impairment, intellectual disability, or simply age or pain are not criteria for eligibility. So the Paralympic Class in Trail O could be the event of choice for many ageing orienteers with metal in their bones.

MTB ORIENTEERING

2011 Victorian MTBO Championships Korweinguboora, Victoria Words: Kay Haarsma (coach) Photos: Rob Jamieson

Selection Races for the World Championships –

National MTBO Series, Round 1 There was lots to talk about at the selection races: the wet and windy weather; the bike devouring marshes and mud holes; the treacherous metal tracks; course lengths. But once people had seen the result board ...

THE topic of conversation was: “how good are those Juniors!” The next question was “where have those Tasmanian boys come from?” The M-20 Juniors all rose to the occasion and yelled out “pick me, pick me.”

Chris Firman (Qld) coming in to win the M-20 Long Championship.

T

he decision by Orienteering Australia to send three juniors away to JMTBWOC last year has had a rippling effect. Marc Gluskie was the rookie Tasmanian last year, but now two others, Tom Goddard and Oscar Phillips were inspired by Marc to train and aim high too. Similarly in Qld, Chris Firman’s success in Portugal saw Joshua and Daniel Neumann venture south for the trials as well. In Qld the terrain is usually sandy, so they had to acclimatise to the muddy conditions and stick-strewn forest paths. Not at the real pointy end of the results, but they got their team a 2nd place. Country-based Victorians, Heath Jamieson and James Robertson, were also in the M20 mix. A quality field!

have moved to Canberra, so they have access to good mountain bike tracks there too.

Although Marquita won both women’s elite events there were some interesting goings on behind her. In the Long Distance event, a mistake near the end saw Caitlin Wade just fail to grab victory, with her 2nd place being her best ever National MTBO Series or State champs result. The only advantage she had from being the course setter’s daughter was that “I knew there would be controls on top of most hills.” Her young family prevents her from aiming for MTBWOC at the moment. Russian adventure racer Maria Plyashechko is temporarily in Melbourne with

Last year the benchmark was for the Juniors to equal or beat the W21 Elites on the same course. This was why there were incredulous looks at the result board, as the Juniors absolutely annihilated the W21 and M40 fields, with placegetters recording times of 79, 80 and 85 mins on Day 1. NZ champion Marquita Gelderman and Victorian Kevin Humphrey won their classes both days (Kevin is an outstanding adventure racer too). But they were 19 and 13mins respectively behind the winner, Chris Firman.

On Day 2 the Juniors dominated again with Oscar taking the win, followed by Marc and then Chris, taking 78, 78 and 81mins. The courses were more technical so the “oldies” thought they might get closer, but again they were 21 and 13mins behind. A victory for youth; a victory for Australian mountain bike Orienteering!

It’s not easy forging your way in MTBO - most Juniors can’t drive and it is a bit harder to hitch rides to events when you have a bike in tow. Thus there were a lot of supportive parents proudly watching this exciting surge forward in MTBO. So, in the end, the same four boys clustered together at the front end and won themselves JMTBWOC places. For Chris and Marc it will be a second overseas trip, and Oscar has been in the green and gold at foot-O JWOC in previous years, but Tom Goddard has overcome limited experience to win a spot. Exciting times ahead!

The cupboard is a little barer in the W-20 class with Jasmine Sunley resolutely being the only competitor. Recently her family

Oscar Phillips (Tas) has been to a couple of Foot O JWOCs and is now off to a MTBO Junior Worlds.

JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 37

MTB ORIENTEERING

partner Sergey Kurov, who placed in the top third of the field in the men. After Day 1 Maria gave me a sorry shake of her head and said “I rode much more than necessary.” She is obviously a fast learner as on Day 2 she took out 2nd, just 6mins behind Marquita and a minute up on Carolyn Jackson.

The elite’s men’s field had good depth but was lacking two top riders in Adrian Jackson (competing in Mont 24 hr event) and Alex Randall who had recently suffered a severe cut to his knee after imbedding a stick in a training accident. Day 1 saw Gisborne resident Grant Lebbink deservedly win his first National MTBO Series race, after some hard training and XC racing over summer. He had a big 8minute win over fellow Victorians Jamie Goddard and Rob Preston. Steve Cusworth recorded a fast time but omitted control #2 when he presumed it was missing. Steve took six fastest splits and Grant scored five.

Day 2’s Middle Distance event was surprisingly long in time, and Steve Cusworth powered to a big win, recording 90mins to Paul Darvodelsky’s 98 and Grant and WA’s Ricky Thackray both on 102mins. Ex Sydney resident, “Darvo”, relocated to Alice Springs last year, and rumour has it that he bought the local cinema so he can watch the new film releases first! The motivation of an annual and prestigious 5-day MT bike stage race based in Alice Springs in May and some great riding tracks has enabled him to maintain good fitness.

Selectors chose only Melanie Simpson (subject to form in overseas World MTBO Cup events) in the elite women. Melanie, formerly of NSW, is residing in Norway with her partner, where she works as a doctor. In the men only Steve Cusworth and Alex Randall (subject to fitness) were selected. AJ did not nominate as he is staying home to finish his thesis this year. So, the Juniors will outnumber the elites in the team - a little scary.

Impressive Tasmanian junior, Marc Gluskie, is off to his second World Champs, and still only 17 years of age.

The National MTBO Series races and selection trial weekend at Korweinguboora in April were excellently conducted by the combined efforts of many members of the Tuckonie and Eureka clubs. Two days on the one map and the hiring of the adjacent cricket clubrooms proved to be an inspired move, particularly when we were inside when torrential rain came down during the presentations. The Mineral Springs Hotel, just 400 metres away, was a popular accommodation choice. It was nice to have a hot cup of tea and cake from the Eureka Cake Stall and a warm shower before the long drives or flights home too. Many thanks for Blake Gordon and John Erwin for master minding the airport transfers for outer staters.

The brilliant SI and computer work of Ian Chennell and the PA set-up of Bruce Paterson were appreciated. Courses and results are accessible via RouteGadget on the OV webpage. Course setters Keith Wade and Blake Gordon not only designed the courses , but made a log bridge over a river crossing. Day 1’s Long Distance course saw everyone finish before the heavens opened. The main consideration here was how wide one could go on the 1:20,000 map on the route choices. Getting used to a 10 metre contour interval also caught some out, but everyone found little undulations between contour lines too!

Day 2 was supposedly a Middle Distance, but became another Long, due to the very soggy conditions and a little overestimation of our speed. Even tracks on ridges seemed to have watery holes in them and the marshy areas indicated on the map were full on bogs for 50-100 metres with cyclocrosse bike carrying skills coming to the fore. Luckily the organisers had provided bike and shoe cleaning facilities at the finish!

Australian team for 2011 World MTBO Championships in Italy:

Steve Cusworth (Vic) enjoyed a comanding victory in the Middle race after a hiccup the day before.

38 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

Juniors: Chris Firman – Ennogeroos, QLD (19 years) Marc Gluskie – Australopers, TAS (17 years) Tom Goddard – Esk Valley, TAS (17 years) Oscar Phillips – Esk Valley, TAS (19 years) Seniors: Melanie Simpson – Mountain Devils, NSW Steve Cusworth – Bayside Kangaroos, VIC Alex Randall – Yarra Valley, VIC

Grant Lebbink (Vic), winner of the M21 Long race

Rob Garden from NZ, third in M50 Long.

The event centre at Korweinguboora Reserve.

Kay Haarsma (SA) won W40 on both days

Peter Hill (Vic) took out M60 in the Long Champs

Kathryn Ewels (Vic) 4th on both days in W21.

Course setting guidelines As a follow up to the Course setting article by Thor Egerton in the March issue of The Australian Orienteer, this table and some more detailed guidelines are available from IOF site - MTBO - Rules - Appendix 7. It really speaks for itself – and should be easy for future course setters to follow.

Blake Gordon SUMMARY TABLE Legs (all legs should have two or more options on the tracks)

long legs short legs

Sprint 1 – 2 long leg/s (0.8 – 2 km) majority

Middle 2 – 4 long legs (1 – 3 km) majority

Profile

high speed, requires athletes’ full technically demanding concentration

Terrain

- very dense track network - forested area and/or urban area/ parks

- dense track network - non-urban (mostly forested) area

Route choice difficulty Navigation difficulty (map reading)

low - medium high (constant contact with map is required)

Map scale Map size Start intervals

medium - high - medium - high - technically demanding orienteering 1:10000 or 1:15000 max. 30 x 42 cm 2 minutes

1:5000, 1:7500 or 1:10000 max. 25 x 30 cm 2 minutes (could be reduced to 1’ subject to approval by the EA) 20-25 minutes women 45-50 min., men 55-60 min.

Winning times

Course planning

Long majority (1 - 4 km) 3 – 5 short legs

Relay

- physical endurance - tests athletes’ ability to make and plan efficient route choices - non-urban (mostly forested) area - rough, demanding - preferably hilly high low - medium

- team competition - format more similar to Middle than Long distance - spectator-friendly dense track network with different track categories

1:15000 or 1:20000 max. 35 x 42 cm 3 minutes (or mass start for one-man relay) women 85-95 min. men 105-115 min.

1:10000 or 1:15000 max. 30 x 30 cm mass start

all legs between sprint and middle

high and medium medium - high

women 40-45 min. men 45-50 min. average for each leg

In order to avoid accidents: • Two different classes may not have the same leg in opposite directions • Two different classes having significantly different physical strengths may not have identical legs JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 39

MTB ORIENTEERING

MTBO

it’s twice as much fun on a tandem!

Malcolm and Rosemarie Brown are new members of the Multi Terrain Bike Orienteers club in Queensland. This interview discovers why they’re so enthusiastic about the sport.

What makes them unique is that they ride a tandem and have recently upgraded their mount to better handle the terrain conditions usually found in MTBO events.

1. What bike do you ride?

ROSMARIE: This year we are riding our new awesome Fandango Tourista tandem (Tiberius) that we got custom assembled in the US for off-roading. In 2010, we were riding our Apollo Tandem Elite 2004 model (Trusty). The one thing I’d like to impress upon readers is the shear elation we experienced when riding Tiberius in our first MTBO event for the year because riding a touring road tandem off-road is an accomplishment in itself, which is fraught with inherent challenges. But once we mounted our specifically built off-roading tandem, Tiberius, the scope of MTBO opened up for us. Now we can spend the majority of our time out on course in the saddle, instead of on foot pushing Trusty through loamy sand and muddy terrain. Have I mentioned that Tiberius is awesome!

MALCOLM: While the model of the Fandango sounds like it’s for touring, it’s far from that. It is a tandem, specifically designed for mountain biking. The model simply means that it uses a Rholoff hub for gearing instead of derailleur gears. This improves clearance and reduces the chances of damaging the drive train.

2. When and where was your first event?

ROSMARIE: Our first event was at Minnippi Parklands during Bike Week in 2010. When Malcolm had read the program of events for Bike Week that year and saw that MTBO was on offer, he voiced that he’d like to try it. Despite the concept of MTBO being foreign to me, I thought I’d sign us up for something different to try out. We were originally going to ride our singles but somehow the idea of using Trusty for the event was very appealing to me. So, Malcolm put knobblies on Trusty and off we went. Minnippi Parklands wasn’t foreign to us as we often pass through there on our rides but to whiz around it checking in at controls in a certain timeframe offered a more exciting perspective to cycling than commuting. So, I was hooked.

40 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

MALCOLM: I knew it would be fun that’s why I conned Rosemarie into doing it. Talking to Peter Cahill and Craig Steffens post event we found them to be very friendly and encouraging of us using a tandem. This made it very easy to convince Rosemarie to enter us into a real MTBO event. Unfortunately we didn’t get to the first event we entered due to illness but when we e-mailed and phoned Bruce and Gail Campbell to tell them that we would be unable to attend, they kindly offered to give us a credit towards their next event, which we undertook at Beerburrum. And as I keep saying to Rosemarie, it’s the most fun you can have on a bike.

3. How did you like your first event? Can you describe anything memorable?

ROSMARIE: At our first event at Beerburrum, I distinctly remember doing some Foot Orienteering, followed by some more Foot Orienteering in conjunction with MTBO. I say this because there was a number of “bogs” on the course, which we had to wade through as Trusty was unable to be ridden. One thing readers must consider is that the front end of a touring road tandem washes out when it hits a bog, or loose sand. However, the inability of Trusty to traverse parts of the course didn’t deter me from persisting to the finish line. There was great satisfaction in finishing my first event given if it was done on bike and foot.

MALCOLM: Contrary to the impression Rosemarie’s given about the first MTBO event, we actually rode most of the course and had a fantastic time. Actually, the thing I remember most is on the last path leading to the finish gate, it was one of those completely grass covered paths that we use in the courses and we hit a covered tree root very hard. And I groaned to Rosemarie “that hurt” because Trusty doesn’t have any suspension. But it didn’t stop us and we continued on to finish with huge smiles on our faces. Have I told you that MTBO’s the most fun you can have on a bike?

4. How have you improved or what have you learnt since then?

ROSMARIE: I’m starting to learn to read maps and judge distances. Oh yeah, I didn’t tell you that Malcolm’s handicap is his stoker, who is map illiterate. I’m even starting to recognize those cleverly concealed paths that are overgrown with grass and the ubiquitous lantana. The main lesson I’ve learned in MTBO is not to use clipless pedals when you have to run a lot because your cleats get clogged and you can no longer clip in or out.

MALCOLM: Rosemarie’s really getting good at making route choice decisions. It was her suggestion that enabled us to finish the now infamous 2010 Tewantin course within the time limit. Using the longer route around the perimeter saved us considerable time. So, don’t believe she’s that map illiterate. Me, I’m getting more skilled at riding a tandem off-road and have to say my life has been made far simpler since we purchased Tiberius.

I’m also getting better at route choices; weighing up the options, which is the essence of all Orienteering.

your way between given points, which I really enjoy. I also like the camaraderie amongst the people doing it. Everyone from champions down, encourage each other to complete the course, and just enjoy themselves.

8. What’s the worst part MTBO? ROSMARIE: For me, the worst part of MTBO is participating in the rain because visibility is considerably low (my normal view of Malcolm’s back becomes noticeably blurred), especially when you wear “Joe-cool” eye protection – sunglasses. Also, the course conditions (mud, bogs, and waterholes) are not exactly ideal obstacles for a tandem to negotiate in the wet despite Tiberius being off-road specific. However, putting these angsts aside, participating in a wet weather MTBO event is somewhat fun in a masochistic sort of way.

MALCOLM: Lantana! This seems to be a standard requirement for MTBO courses. Only joking, if that’s the worst I can think of, then I really don’t have a worst. It’s all good!

5. What sorts of riding had you done before trying MTBO?

9. What’s your favourite event location?

ROSMARIE: It took Malcolm 15yrs to get me onto a bike. After getting in the saddle in 2003, a friend suggested I could do an individual time trial, which Malcolm was very encouraging of.

So, Malcolm and I set about joining the Victors Cycling Club every Thursday morning at the Murarrie Recreation Reserve for interval training so as to prepare me for time trialling. We both participated in a handicap race there but it didn’t take us too long to realise that road racing wasn’t for us. When we purchased Trusty in 2004 a whole new world of cycling opened up for us. We started commuting to work together on him and doing errands such as fruit and vegetable shopping. Thus began our ritual of shopping and dining on Trusty at weekends and on holidays.

ROSMARIE: My favourite event location to-date is Murrenbong Scout Camp, Petrie. It remains the most distinctive location in my psyche. Putting aside our ubiquitous lantana clearings and bushy overgrown paths, it contained some lovely open grassy areas with tranquil ponds. At the same time, there were some very merciless gravel-clad tracks that were reasonably hilly. Before I continue, I feel it important to communicate my first impression of Petrie.

MALCOLM: Me, I just love riding. From my first bike that I found in some rubbish - fixed wheel, no brakes, no pedals (just spindals), and solid tyres - to our new Fandango, it doesn’t worry me I just like to ride. I grew up near paddocks and with my friends was always off road riding. There were no mountain bikes back then but it didn’t stop us. So, getting into MTBO is like returning to my childhood. The funny thing is I’ve always enjoyed tandeming. As a teenager with some friends, one of whom was a fitter and turner, we made our own tandems out of bikes. And as tandemists will often say “it’s twice as much fun on a tandem”. It took me a few years to get Rosemarie on one but now I know it’s her preferred form of riding.

6. Had you tried any foot Orienteering before MTBO? MALCOLM: No, we have not previously tried any foot Orienteering but we’ve done it in MTBO events. LOL ROSMARIE: Due to a knee injury, Malcolm’s not allowed to run.

So, it rules out foot Orienteering.

7. What’s the best part of MTBO? ROSMARIE: I enjoy MTBO per se, I like what it embodies: cycling, teamwork (for us), map reading, route selection, track/path identification, and sheer elation upon completion. The inherent challenges that every course contains makes each MTBO event experience unique, which is integral to maintaining my interest.

It’s almost the off-roading equivalent to an individual time trial in that there’s a huge adrenalin rush for the rider to beat the clock.

Aside from the terrain being markedly different between these two cycling events, unlike MTBO competitors, individual time triallists are denied the added thrill of choosing their own route to get to intermittent destinations and ultimately the finish line.

To borrow Malcolm’s reference, MTBO “[is]…the most fun you can have on a bike”.

MALCOLM: I love riding in the bush and MTBO takes me to lots of new places, and gives me the freedom to choose where I want to ride. At the same time, it gives you the task of navigating

When Malcolm and I were driving along the entry road to the assembly area, I had a Jens Voigt moment - “wholly molly” I hope this track isn’t on our map because we’d never be able to ride it.

And then once in the car park, I looked around and all I could see were hills, which compounded my fears of not being able to ride the course. So, the landscape before me did not bode well for a memorable riding experience.

After setting off for the first control, we immediately encountered a very steep descent that was laden with tree roots, and given that we had not ridden Tiberius off-road before we were unsure of both Tiberius’ capabilities and our skills on him. So, we opted for some foot Orienteering here. It took us a little while but once we found our comfort zone, we became more game in the saddle; negotiating steeper descents and ascents, riding single paths, and rolling over 6” diameter tree trunks that had barred our way. This was a truly awesome experience for me because we had never been able to achieve these feats on Trusty. So, instead of my initial negativity concerning the hilliness of the landscape spoiling my experience, it actually endeared us to try new things on Tiberius.

MALCOLM: I really enjoyed the varied terrain when we rode at Amiens last year. Pine plantations and Sclerophyll forests with undulating rocky terrain was a lot of fun to ride in. I really look forward to the day that we return there and we take Tiberius because we would be far more adventurous.

10. Any suggestions for event organisers?

ROSMARIE: I think that event organisers should refrain from setting the course in such a way that causes the competitors to utilise the track through the assembly area to get to the finish.

Not only does this potentially place competitors at risk of injury with motorists but also, it denies competitors that sense of fait accompli when having reached the assembly area only to learn the finish is well beyond the start. Also, I think wherever possible, having a post event BBQ is a benefit to competitors in two ways: i) it enables competitors to replenish energy spent during the event, and ii) it gives competitors the opportunity to engage with others post event, which gives them the chance to discuss how they negotiated the course – has potential to help competitors improve upon their skills.

JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 41

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TOP EVENTS 2012

July 1-9

July 1-8

July 10-16

July 11-16

July 23-29

July 30 – Aug 6 July 31 – Aug 6 Aug 13-20

Aug 20-28

Sept 23-28

Oct 1-9

Oct 2-6

2011

OCEANIA

M TBO Championships

Oct 14-16

& Australian MTBO Champs

BEECHWORTH VICTORIA

Ned Kelly countr y

Nov 11-12 Nov 12-13 Dec 27-31

JWOC Wejherowo, Poland www.jwoc2011.pl WMOC Pecs, Hungary www.wmoc2011.com 6 DAYS OF AUSTRIA Wiener Neustadt, Austria www.6daysaustria.com Fin5 Lohja, Finland www.fin5.fi O-Ringen Mohed, Halsingland, Sweden www.oringen.se Swiss O Week 2011 Flims, Switzerland www.swiss-o-week.ch Scottish 6 Days Oban & Lorn www.scottish6days.com WOC Savoie Grand Revard, France www.woc2011.fr World MTBO Champs & Junior World MTBO Champs Vicenza, Veneto, Italy RadiO Asia-Pacific Champs 2011 Region 3 ARDF, Bendigo district, Victoria. www.ardf.org.au Oceania, Australian & Schools Championships VIC, NSW & ACT www.oceania2011.asn.au Puglia 5 Days 2011 Gargano, Italy www.orienteering.it Oceania/Australian MTBO Champs Beechworth, Victoria www.orienteeringalburywodonga.org Adriatic Meeting 2011, Italy (near Venice) www.orienteering.it Venice City Race 2011, Italy. www.orivenezia.it Xmas 5-Days, Central Coast NSW www.nsw.orienteering.asn.au

Jan 8-14

3 DAY CHAM ANASTER 2012 P E

IP S NSH IO

June 18-19

World Masters MTBO Champs.

Dalarna, Sweden www.mtbosweden.se Jukola Relays Virolahti, Finland www.jukola2011.net

AL I

June 17-21

AUSTR

2011

Easter 2012 3 Days

April 6-9

Granite & G ra pes ST AN D THOR PE QL

June 16-17

July 1-8

July 7-14

July 12-27

Dates tba (July 6-13) July 14-22

Aug 20-25

Sept 22-30 Dec 27-31

Otago MTBO Carnival, NZ Christchurch & Queenstown www.otagomtbocarnival.co.nz Australian 3-Days, Stanthorpe, Queensland www.easter2012.com.au Jukola Relays Vantaa, Finland WMOC Bad Harzburg, Germany www.wmoc2012.de JWOC Kosice, Slovakia Tour de Halland inc O-Ringen 2012 Halmstad, Halland, Sweden, www.oringen.se Tour O Swiss 2012 www.tour-o-swiss.ch WOC Lausanne, Switzerland www.woc2012.ch MTBO World Champs MTBO Junior World Champs MTBO Masters World Champs Veszprem, Hungary www.mtbo.hu/mtbwoc2012.php Australian Championships, St Helens, Tasmania Xmas 5-Days, NSW www.nsw.orienteering.asn.au

2013 Jan 5-13

Dates tba Dates tba

July 14-22

Dates tba

25 July – 4 August

2013 Oceania Carnival – NZ Wellington & Hawkes Bay areas www.oceania2013.co.nz JWOC 2013 Czech Republic O-Ringen 2013 Boden, Lapland, Sweden www.oringen.se WOC2013 Vuokkati, Finland www.woc2013.fi MTBO World Champs MTBO Junior World Champs West-Viru, Estonia 2013 World Games Cali, Columbia worldgames2013.com.co

Orienteering Australia – National Training Centre JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 43

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.

R

Short Courses need Long Legs too

ex Niven’s article on course planning in The Australian Orienteer – March 2011, was excellent. I would, however, take issue with one point.

Rex states that on senior courses, “Most legs will be short”. Why, might I ask? Why do most course setters think that people who do short A courses are incapable of doing long legs? Why are longer courses blessed with long legs with good route choice, while those who do short courses are condemned to control pick, with little route choice?

I see no reason why the average leg length on short courses should not be the same as the average leg length on long courses.

I have long followed this practice when course setting and have always had plenty of positive feedback. If the 8km course has 12 controls, then why shouldn’t the 4km course have 6 controls, and so on.

People who set short courses should consider deleting some of the controls to achieve this.

Tony Simpkins at the Australian 3-Days.

Photo: Jen Graham-Taylor

Trevor Sauer, Sunshine Orienteers - QLD

ORI ENTEERING PUBLICATIONS 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

Advertise your event You can have a 6 x 8 cm event ad for just $50 In colour, if we have room, otherwise black & white Send artwork to The Editor: mikehubbert@ozemail.com.au 44 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

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OPINION

Higher Performances beckon……

Michael Hubbert (BK, Victoria)

A

ustralia’s elite orienteers have achieved some very notable performances on the world stage in recent years. Those achievements have set high expectations for the future. Can Orienteering Australia’s High Performance program deliver?

In Mountain Bike Orienteering our riders have been particularly successful in recent World Championship events. One man stands out. Adrian Jackson, or AJ to his friends, has won 5 Gold medals, 2 Silver and 3 Bronze at World Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships including one Gold and two Silvers from last year’s Championships in Portugal. AJ’s performances have been well backed up by quality results from other Australian riders, both men and women, and the strength of our Juniors was ably demonstrated with the podium 5th place finish by our Junior men’s Relay team at their very first world championships appearance last year.

In Foot Orienteering, Australians have also performed well at world championships level. In 2006 Hanny Allston burst onto the world stage with a commanding win at JWOC followed closely by her Sprint win at the senior World Championships in Denmark.

More recently in 2009, Hanny won at the World Games in Taiwan and Kathryn Ewels claimed a podium 5th place in the World Championships Sprint. Our men have not been so prominent but Grant Bluett’s 2001 win at the first World Games in Japan shows what can be achieved.

In Foot-O, apart from Hanny Allston and Julian Dent our juniors have not reached such high achievement levels on the world stage due mainly, I suspect, to the fact that they rarely get to be on that world stage. There’s no doubt that our best juniors have considerable potential talent, but there’s no substitute for headto-head racing to develop toughness and resilience in athletes and our talented juniors don’t get enough of that. To their credit, Orienteering Australia do send full teams to JWOC each year in an attempt to give them the experience of international competition but they are competing against European juniors who get that kind of competition for month after month every year. It’s not so much about being familiar with the terrain as being familiar with the pressure of top competition and knowing how to deal with it.

Obviously they cannot spend all their time in Europe, but what about creating more head-to-head racing conditions for them here in Australia?

One of the problems in Orienteering is that our normal timed start system doesn’t produce much head-to-head racing unless the fields are very large. The smaller fields in most of our junior age groups prevent much head-to-head racing so our juniors don’t regularly experience the tension and urgency which is normal in top level events. Perhaps we should create events that will impose more tension and urgency on our elites, particularly our juniors, which would better prepare them for championship events in Europe.

And before even thinking about championship events in Europe, we need to ensure we have a continuing stream of emerging talent amongst our junior ranks. Should OA devote more resources to talent identification programs in the States? Other sports place a lot of emphasis on talent identification. Should OA do more to assist the State Associations?

Orienteering Australia (OA) receives funding to the tune of $86,000 per year from the Australian Sports Commission for the High Performance program. The funding is aimed at improving Australia’s performances at the elite level of world Orienteering.

Some of the issues confronting any high performance program are – how can performances at elite levels be improved; how can the flow through of good junior talent to senior ranks be ensured; how can new junior talent be identified and nurtured?

The success of the OA High Performance program in addressing these issues is regularly assessed but could the program be modified to achieve greater success? Perhaps more input from Members with experience in this field from other sports would assist OA to fine tune the program for even better results than are being achieved right now. For instance, how can our juniors be nurtured and better prepared for elite level competition at JWOC? Is it possible to give them more experience of tough competition?

JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 45

NEW ZEALAND NEWS

TransTasman Tales

Lizzie Ingham-wins Long Distance.

Silva Superseries 2011

A

fter the cancellation of Round 2 of the Silva Superseries, following the February 22 Christchurch earthquake, Round 3 - the 2011 New Zealand National Championships became an even fiercer contest to decide the best of the best in New Zealand. Results can be found at http://www.maptalk. co.nz/superseries/ Previous series winners Ross Morrison and Angela Simpson (2010) and Darren Ashmore and Lizzie Ingham (2009) headed the points table after the first round at Sprint the Bay in Napier but had to face the likes of Carsten Jorgensen and Penny Kane (2010 National champions) as well as the resurgent Karl Dravitzki, Jason Markham and injury-free and Sydney-based Amber Morrison.

The 2011 National Championships were held in Hawkes Bay, an area noted for its talented elites as well as a thriving Schools Orienteering scene. True to form, Ross Morrison dominated the Middle and Long Distance races, and may have taken all three Championships if he hadn’t been course-setter for the Sprint. Lizzie Ingham was streets ahead with convincing victories over Piret Klade in the Sprint and Amber Morrison in the Long Distance event but struck trouble in the Middle Distance which was won by Penny Kane.

The final round of this season is the Queens Birthday carnival in Auckland, 4-6 June, the scene of one or two Junior upsets in 2010.

Darren Ashmore2nd in Sprint.

Penny Kane. Photo:

46 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2011

Ross Morrison, winner of the Middle and Long.

Photo: Mick Finn.

Oceania Carnival & World Cup 2013

I

n early January 2013, for the first time since 1994, the Orienteering World Cup comes to New Zealand. The first three races of World Cup 2013 will be held in association with the Oceania Orienteering Championships and will give Australasian orienteers an opportunity to watch and mix with the best in the world. With areas and event centres chosen specifically with spectator interest in mind this is one series of events that you cannot afford to miss.

The Carnival will include a wide variety of the best New Zealand Orienteering terrain. Starting with warm-up events in Taranaki and Manawatu, the real business will get under way in the complex sand dunes on the west coast of the lower North Island for World Cup 1 and the Oceania Middle Distance Championships.

The Carnival will then move to Wellington for a high visibility Sprint Championships and World Cup 2 in the heart of New Zealand’s capital city. The Oceania Long Distance and Relay Championships will follow in the rural Wairarapa using a mixture of terrain consisting of both mature pine forest and native bush.

The culmination of the Carnival will be two warm down events in sunny Hawkes Bay, the second of which will include the final World Cup race.

Plan now to support your local elites and to be part of this special event.

The photos are (top) Wairarapa farmland, (right) Wellington - the coolest little capital in the world, (left) open dunes and (bottom) forested sand-dune terrain of the west coast.

Program

Oceania Championships

World Cup

Location

1. Fri 4 Jan

Warm-up event 1

2. Sat 5 Jan

Warm-up event 2

Model

Manawatu

3. Sun 6 Jan

Oceania Middle Distance Champs

WC Event 1

Horowhenua

4. Tue 8 Jan

Oceania Sprint Distance Champs

WC Event 2

Wellington

5. Thu 10 Jan

Oceania Long Distance Champs

6. Fri 11 Jan

Oceania Relay Champs

7. Sat 12 Jan

Warm-down event 1

Model

Hawkes Bay

8. Sun 13 Jan

Warm-down event 2

WC Event 3

Hawkes Bay

Taranaki

Wairarapa Wairarapa

JUNE 2011 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 47

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