The Australian Orienteer - December 2014

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AUS Champs in WA World Cup preview RRP $8.50 inc GST

2015

Round

Date

Event

Location

Sat 7th March

Mixed Sprint Relay

Sydney

Sat 7th March

Sprint Qualification

Sydney

Sun 8th March

Sprint Final

Sydney

Fri 3rd April

Elite Prologue

Jamestown SA

Sat 4th April

Easter Day 1 Middle Distance

Southern Bri Glen Jamestown SA

Sun 5th April

Easter Day 2 Long Distance

Bri Glen-Tunderri Jamestown SA

Mon 6th April

Easter Day 3 Relay

Mulga Valley Jamestown SA

Sat 23rd May

Middle Distance AUS v NZ

Canberra

Sun 24th May

Long Distance AUS v NZ

Canberra

4

Sun 28th Aug

Ultra Long Distance

Ballarat

5

Sat 26th Sept

AUS Champs - Sprint

Victoria

Sun 27th Sept

AUS Champs - Middle Distance

Victoria

Sat 3rd Oct

AUS Champs - Long Distance

Victoria

Sun 4th Oct

AUS Champs - Relay

Victoria

1

2

3

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

ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA

The President’s Page Blair Trewin

Blair interviews Alistair George at the Aus Schools Champs.

W

e are now more or less at the end of another Orienteering competition year in Australia. It was pleasing to see another successful national carnival this year, and also pleasing to see that the turnout was the best we have yet seen for events in Western Australia. Hosting such a series of events is a major challenge for any State Association, but especially for Western Australia who are amongst the smallest of the State Associations and have to draw on all of their resources to make the events happen. They deserve a lot of credit for pulling it off, no doubt with a few behind-thescenes issues but nothing which was visible to the outside world.

The week also once again reinforced how important the Australian Schools Championships, and the fact that State teams are organised to travel to them, are to the development of Orienteering within Australia. As someone whose own junior career (just) pre-dated their existence and thus knows how few of his own generation continued in the sport beyond their midteens, I know only too well how critical the event has been for attracting and retaining junior orienteers in the sport. (Even some of those who do disappear for some time end up returning to the sport; I was especially pleased to see 1989 junior boys’ champion Dale Hawkins, largely unsighted for a couple of decades, return to the sport during the recent carnival with a win in the M40 Sprint).

We’re fortunate in some ways that Australia’s political geography has given us just the right number of units to create a good competition without spreading the talent too thin (and that the Australian sporting culture, outside the professional codes, is that team sporting competition at national level is normally contested

by State); the North American countries, with total numbers of orienteers which aren’t so different to ours, don’t have that, and their development pathways are the lesser for it.

The online production and broadcasting of the Schools Championships has also reached a new level in the last couple of years – one which I suspect is virtually unmatched outside the largest Orienteering countries in Scandinavia. Those of us who are regulars there have long known that Schools Relays day is the best spectator day of the year in Australian orienteering, and now the rest of the world can see that too. It helps that a lot of people are available to do things there who on other days would have their own races to worry about (and that we can do things like having recent graduates chasing the Relay lead bunch with cameras), but shows what is possible for promoting the sport more widely.

There’s a tendency amongst us to think that no-one else could possibly be interested in watching Orienteering, but it’s not necessarily true – I was quite surprised at how positive a reaction it got when I sent the link around to my work colleagues of the

WOC TV coverage (even once they got past the novelty of having a familiar voice on the commentary…).

In my last column I noted that the signals coming from the Australian Sports Commission was that funding would be directed much more towards bringing younger people into the sport than previous rounds of funding had been. This is now taking shape through the Sporting Schools program, although there are still a lot of uncertainties as to how this will work in practice. This is potentially an outstanding opportunity for us to build further on the good participation growth we’ve seen in the last few years – we’re getting closer to cracking the 100,000 barrier (92,000 in 2013) - but there are (at least) two major challenges for us. The first is to give ourselves visibility to schools interested in running programs and not be swamped by the higher-profile sports, and secondly to train sufficient coaches and instructors to be able to deliver programs. Coaching has long been a point in our Orienteering infrastructure where we have struggled to get enough people involved; the new programs will hopefully give us a kick-start to address that. We have, though, been able to fill some key positions at national level, with the recent appointments of Jim Russell and Russell Blatchford to positions with the National Development Squad and Targeted Talented Athlete programs respectively.

The next thing we have to look forward to is the Oceania Championships & World Cup events, which will only be a few weeks away by the time you read this. Tasmania has been putting in an enormous amount of effort in the lead-up and it is good to see from the entries that many of you will be there to take part. It will be a special week for those who are competing in the World Cup events; the opportunity to compete at elite international level on home soil is one that comes only once or twice in an Orienteering lifetime. It was certainly one of the highlights of my own career to be able to run a World Cup race on home ground in 2000, and it will certainly be the same for those who are good enough to be in this year’s team. Hopefully we won’t unleash too much of our wildlife on the visitors (I strongly recommend Lizzie Ingham’s blog post on the subject to those of you who haven’t seen it).

I look forward to seeing many of you in a new Orienteering year at Oceania; for the rest of you, may you have a successful and enjoyable Orienteering year in 2015, whether it is in forests far and wide or the local bush, streets and parks closer to home.

DECEMBER 2014 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 DECEMBER 2014

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 ACT 2911 President Blair Trewin Director High Performance Lance Read Director Finance Bruce Bowen Director Technical Jenny Casanova Director Special Projects Robert Spry Director Media & Communications Craig Feuerherdt Director International (IOF Council) Mike Dowling Executive Officer John Harding National MTBO Coordinator Kay Haarsma National Head Coach Nick Dent Badge Applications John Oliver

orienteering@netspeed.com.au w: 02 6162 1200 oa_president@netspeed.com.au h: 03 9455 3516 lancer@hillbrook.qld.edu.au orienteering@netspeed.com.au h: 02 6288 8501 orienteering@netspeed.com.au m: 0427 605 167 rbspry@gmail.com craigfeuerherdt@gmail.com 0438 050 074 oa_international@netspeed.com.au orienteering@netspeed.com.au 02 6162 1200 m: 0427 107 033 kayhaarsma@hotmail.com 08 8337 0522 nickdent7@gmail.com 02 4384 3627 68 Amaroo Street, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650

STATE ASSOCIATIONS Orienteering Queensland: PO Box 114 Spring Hill QLD 4004. Admin Officer: Tim McIntyre admin@oq.asn.au Orienteering NSW: PO Box 3379 North Strathfield NSW 2137. Admin Officer: John Murray, Ph. (02) 8116 9848 admin@onsw.asn.au Orienteering ACT: PO Box 402 Jamison Centre ACT 2614. Secretary: John Scown, Ph. (02) 6162 3422 orienteering.act@webone.com.au Orienteering Victoria: PO Box 1010 Templestowe VIC 3106. Secretary: Carl Dalheim, voa@netspace.net.au Orienteering SA: State Association House 105 King William St Kent Town SA 5067. Sec: Erica Diment (08) 8379 2914 secretary@sa.orienteering.asn.au Orienteering Western Australia: PO Box 234 Subiaco WA 6094. Secretary: Ken Post, Ph. (08) 9246 2552 kpost1@bigpond.com Orienteering Tasmania: PO Box 339 Sandy Bay TAS 7005. Secretary: Janet Bush secretary@tasorienteering.asn.au Top End Orienteers (Northern Territory): PO Box 39152 Winnellie NT 0821. Secretary: Lana Luders topendorienteersNT@gmail.com

NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE

January 16. Time-sensitive: Jan 23

ISSN 0818-6510 Issue 4/14 (no. 176) DECEMBER 2014

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 pcusworth53@gmail.com Magazine Treasurer: Bruce Bowen Printer: Ferntree Print Centre, 1154 Burwood Hwy Upper Ferntree Gully.

Contribution deadline: January 16; Time-sensitive - January 23.

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: Competition - Blair Trewin; High Performance - Lance Read; MTBO - Kay Haarsma; Official News - John Harding; Nutrition - Gillian Woodward; Training - Steve Bird; Coaching – Hanny Allston.

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 – batmaps.liz@gmail.com NSW: Ian Jessup – marketing@onsw.asn.au ACT: John Scown – scown@light.net.au SA: Erica Diment – diment@adam.com.au – tel (ah) 8379 2914 VIC, WA and TAS – vacant 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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Opinions expressed in The Australian Orienteer are not necessarily those of Orienteering Australia.

CONTENTS T H E P R E S I D E N T ’ S P A G E.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 AUS CHAMPIONSHIPS............................... 6 N AT I O N A L O R I E N T E E R I N G L E A G U E . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ............. 13 A U S U LT R A LO N G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 E A S T E R 2 0 1 5 .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 O - R I N G E N 2 0 1 4.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 AT T R A C T I N G N E W C O M E R S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 G O AT R A C I N G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 0 R O B’ S ODE TO ORIENTEERING IN THE BUSH. . . 3 2 COACHING – The Overtraining Paradox....... 34 NUTRITION – Carbo Boost....................... 35 WORLD MTBO CHAMPS........................... 38 A L E X R A N D A L L R E T I R E S.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 0 VOLUNTEERS........................................ 39 L E T T E R S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 O - S P Y.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 6 TOP EVENTS......................................... 47 Cover photo: Zazi Brennan. Photo: Tony Hill

DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 5

AUS CHAMPS

Photos by Tony Hill except where noted

2014 Australian Championships Carnival The Trewin Report Blair Trewin Bryan Keely

T

his year’s national championships carnival made one of its periodic excursions to the western side of the continent.

While numbers were a little down on what they would have been in the eastern States and some fields were further depleted by injury, recent parenthood or absence overseas, it was still the best turnout yet for an event in the West, and the events were a fitting reflection of that. Most of the areas, except for the Schools Championships, were previously unknown to those from the eastern States (and some to the locals too), and provided a good range of orienteering challenges.

While many came from far away for these events, some came from further than others. International orienteers had a major impact on many of the results, not just the New Zealand presence that we’ve become used to (in the form of domination of the Schools Championships, and Lizzie Ingham sweeping the board), but also a number of young Danish orienteers spending time in Australia who gave us an excellent exhibition of their talents, particularly on the final weekend.

WA Long Championships, 27 September It was a wet start to the week on the gully-spur terrain of Spice Brook north of Perth. Some kept a bit in reserve for the two national championship races to follow on the two succeeding days, but there were still some very good races. The elite men had one of the best of them, with only 47 seconds separating the top three; Simon Uppill, who led most of the way, just held off Dave Shepherd, with Jakob Edsen the first of the Danes to make an impression, in third. W20 also had a very close finish, with Lanita Steer edging out Anna Dowling by 23secs; she had a slow start and did not take the lead until the second-last.

Two internationals who would make a major impression at senior level in the rest of the week, Thor Nørskov (Denmark) and Tim Robertson (NZ), ran M20 in this race and were well clear, with 6 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

the young Patrick Jaffe impressing by being the best of the locals in third. There was also a clear international win in W21 in the unsurprising form of Lizzie Ingham, seven minutes clear of her compatriot Laura Robertson, with Zoe Radford showing promise as best Australian (unfortunately the rest of her week was spoilt by injury).

In other classes, it was a day for laying down a marker for the rest of the week. This was done in especially impressive style by Liz Abbott in W55; while her winning margin, an astonishing 25 minutes, was bolstered by mistakes elsewhere, her kilometre rate was still good enough that it would have placed her sixth in W21. Others to send a clear message included the highly-rated New Zealand W16 Danielle Goodall, who was five minutes clear of Tara Melhuish, and her teammate Max Griffiths, who was a massive 14 minutes clear in M16. At the other end of the margin scale, Val Hodsdon led three within 35secs in W65, Greg Barbour was 48secs ahead of Scott Simson in M40, and Patrick Miller and Michaela Maynard had margins measured in seconds rather than minutes in M14 and W14 respectively.

Australian Middle Distance Championships, 28 September The first taste of rock for the week came with the Australian Middle Distance Championships, near Toodyay, with courses that made the most of the area’s pockets of complexity, and some tough climbing late which helped to sort things out in a few classes.

Ian Lawford had indicated with his win at the National League event at Kooyoora that he was in good form, and reinforced it by taking his first senior national title over Denmark’s Jakob Edsen.

It was close early on, but a 30-second miss by Edsen at #8 proved to be decisive, meaning that his fast finish was too late to cut the gap under 13 seconds. There was a late change in the minor

After winning a gold medal at JWOC, and Gold and Silver at the Junior MTBO Worlds in Europe, New Zealand’s Tim Robertson (NZ) finished off his trip by winning the Australian Sprint title in WA. Matt Doyle

Aston Key

Photo: Steve Bird

placings with Simon Uppill overtaking Dave Shepherd at the last control.

In what was to become a familiar story during the week, it was a New Zealand quinella in the women’s race, although Lizzie Ingham’s margin over Laura Robertson was a lot smaller this time – only 29secs. Both were consistent almost all the way with Ingham just a little bit faster. There was a major breakthrough result from one of Australia’s promising younger orienteer; Krystal Neumann took her first resident national title (and third overall) with a consistent run.

One of the closest races of the day was in W20, where Nicola Blatchford held on by nine seconds over Kayla Fairbairn despite losing 30secs at the last control; Fairbairn’s loss of 90secs at #11 proved to be critical. There was also a close battle for third with four within 42secs. Alice Tilley had lost time at #4 to put herself out of contention to win, but was able to recover to third after both Hannah Goddard and Lanita Steer let chances to secure that position slip over the closing stages.

Three JWOC team members contested the sharp end of M20.

Matt Doyle emerged as the winner, taking a useful lead by midcourse after misses there by early leader, Brodie Nankervis, and Oscar McNulty. Doyle was 1:30 ahead by #16, and although he lost some of that at #17, he had more than enough in reserve over Nankervis, while a fast finish saw McNulty edge out Ed CoryWright for third.

New Zealand had another good day with their younger juniors with comfortable wins for Danielle Goodall (W16) and Connor Cleary (M16), although the locals did provide the closest result of the day when Aston Key prevailed by a single second in M14.

Other close results included Judi Herkes’ 41sec win over Jean Baldwin in W70, while Liz Abbott was pushed harder than the previous day but still had 56secs in hand over Carolyn Jackson, and Tim Hatley was 54secs clear of Andy Simpson in M50.

There were also some big winning margins. Some, like Natasha Key’s 13 minute win in W40, were in thin fields, but those to impress amidst deeper company included Ted van Geldermalsen, more than four minutes ahead of Roch Prendergast in a typically big M60 competition, while Su Yan Tay had a similar margin in W50, ahead of Toni Brown who had her best week at this level.

The gaps were smaller in a high-standard M55 field in which Warren Key was just over a minute ahead of Rob Vincent and three in front of Geoff Lawford, while Carol Brownlie had the best local result to the day when she was two minutes ahead of Lynn Dabbs in W60.

Australian Sprint Championships, 29 September The action moved to suburban Perth on a holiday Monday with the Australian Sprint Championships at Curtin University. The challenges were fairly typical of those of a post-war university campus, with an arena well-suited to seeing the action mid-race.

Once again, the New Zealand women dominated. For much of the race it looked like Laura Robertson might break through for a win against Lizzie Ingham, getting to a 10sec lead at #7 in a race which was very tight throughout, but she was unable to quite hold it as Ingham emerged over the closing controls to score by four seconds. Rachel Effeney was the closest local challenger, with 20secs dropped at #5 being the difference between her being right up with the two leaders and slightly further back, on a day when no others got within two minutes of the lead.

International domination was even more pronounced amongst the men where they filled the top three placings, led by JWOC gold medallist Tim Robertson. Robertson started a little slowly but had hit the front by #8, and gradually pulled away over the second half of the course to finish 26secs ahead, with the Danish pair of Jakob Edsen and Thor Nørskov filling the minor placings.

Some time lost at #7, one of the trickier route choices on the DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 7

AUS CHAMPS

Patrick Bradfield Smith

Michaela Maynard

course, saw Ian Lawford miss out on a chance of a second resident title in as many days, with Simon Uppill taking the honours.

The New Zealand juniors also had a good day, filling three of the top four places in both junior elite classes, as well as in M16, and also winning W16. There was joy for the locals (in both a State and national sense) when Oscar McNulty led a Kiwi trio home in M20, the result never really being in much doubt once he got a useful early lead. W20 was close early with only 19secs separating the top five at #7, but Alice Tilley dominated the second half of the race, being first or second on the last eight splits, and ended up a comfortable winner over Kayla Fairbairn and Nicola Blatchford. Danielle Goodall made it three wins in three days in W16, while in M16 it was a third different New Zealand winner in three days as Andrei Popovici took the honours.

There were some excellent races in the older age groups, featuring some who are regulars at the top regardless of the format, and some who are at their best in the shorter format. M55 was in the former category, with Warren Key holding off a late charge

by Geoff Lawford to hang on by six seconds. Su Yan Tay, well established as a formidable Sprint competitor, was pushed all the way by Paula Shingler in W50 but held on by 23secs, while only 21secs covered the top three in M50, in which Andy Simpson defeated Tim Hatley and Kenneth McLean.

In addition to McNulty, there were a number of other local wins.

Most noteworthy was that of Dale Hawkins in M40; he won the junior boys (as a Tasmanian) in the first Australian Schools Championships in 1989, but then had been largely unsighted for a couple of decades before re-emerging in his new home State.

Carol Brownlie was again a winner in W60, while Tony Simpkins took the honours in M65.

Australian Schools Championships, 1-2 October It was Tasmania’s year in the Australian Schools Championships, in one of the closest competitions yet, with only seven points 8 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

covering the five leading States at the end of the two days. Victoria took a one-point lead into the Relays, but Tasmania always looked to have their noses in front once they took good leads on the first legs of both senior Relays. The key battle on the day, in the context of the overall result, was that in the senior girls, where New Zealand took control on the second leg but Tasmania and Queensland were battling for second; Hannah Goddard went out three minutes in front of Winnie Oakhill, and while Oakhill cut that in half it was not enough. It was going to be hard for Tasmania to be beaten from there, although it took the points from junior teams well down the field to confirm it. Remarkably, the ACT managed to get within three points, taking third place, without a senior girls’ team, bringing back memories of their 1991 win in similar circumstances (13 of the 14 members of that team subsequently represented their country at some level).

Both days were held on Peterdine, a fairly open, rocky area which had a reputation for being ultra-fast. That reputation, though, was founded on its use at Easter and in the drought year of 2006; it was a different story this year with long grass and lots of small rock underfoot. One might have expected tracking to be a factor in such terrain, and it was, but it didn’t seem to make much difference to the senior individual results, with the first two starters in the girls filling the first two places, and the first three in the boys three of the first four.

Anna Dowling caught Alice Tilley by three minutes at the first control, and the pair were close on the ground for the rest of the course, with both getting gaps on the other at times but not being able to sustain them. The New Zealander did manage to break away in the last section but not by enough to threaten Dowling’s lead. No-one else got close for the rest of the day; Kayla Fairbairn led at halfway but dropped right away over the rest of the course, and with others also making late mistakes, Georgia Jones’s solid run was enough to lift her to third. Matt Doyle entered the race as clear favourite but gave himself a lot of work to do after losing

NSW’s winning junior boys relay team

Jack Hill

Anna Dowling

three minutes at #3 and one at #6. He did not get into the top three until near halfway and eventually hit the front at #15. Ed Cory-Wright challenged him hard and cut into his lead a little in the last part of the course, but fell eight seconds short, while compatriot Matt Goodall, who had led through the first half of the course, lost third to Jarrah Day with a miss at the second-last.

The junior boys provided a fine demonstration of how to win a junior race which was a bit more technical than most of the field were used to. Aston Key was by no means the fastest in the field – he was in the top four on only three splits – but he made no mistakes of any consequence, and that was enough to give him the title as his faster rivals stumbled. Andrei Popovici lost time early, and Patrick Miller late, but both were quick enough to get into the placings regardless. The junior girls featured a close contest between the experienced and relatively new at national level, in the form of the ACT’s Tara Melhuish and Tasmania’s Rachel Allen. Melhuish had her nose in front for most of the way; Allen took the lead briefly at #10, but the Canberran edged away to win by 23secs, with a five-minute gap to the next, Queenslander Lauren Baade. The pre-race favourite, Danielle Winners

Goodall, lost 11 minutes at #7 to fall out of contention, whilst the locals’ best hope, Jo-Anna Maynard, also lost time mid-course after leading early on.

Whilst they took no individual titles this year and did not lead after the first leg of any of the four Relays, New Zealand’s depth eventually came to the fore and they came close to sweeping the second day as they once again claimed the Southern Cross Challenge. The only team to take a point off them were the NSW junior boys, who put three good legs together through Alastair George, Duncan Currie and Callum Davis; it looked like Max Griffiths would overrun Davis on the last leg, but Davis regained the lead for a narrow win. The junior girls took a while to settle down with seven within four minutes on the first leg, and still had three within three minutes after two legs, but Danielle Goodall blew everyone away on the last leg to bring New Zealand through from third, with Tara Melhuish running almost as well to put the ACT next in line.

New Zealand also won the senior girls easily thanks mainly to Vida Fox’s domination of the second leg. They had to work harder for the senior boys, where Tasmania led them by eight minutes

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Queensland

Tasmania

Tasmania

Victoria

Tasmania

Senior Girls

Emily Cantwell (QLD)

Heather Muir (QLD)

Michele Dawson (NSW)

Lanita Steer (VIC)

Anna Dowling (TAS)

Senior Boys

Ian Lawford (ACT)

Oliver Poland (ACT)

Oliver Poland (ACT)

Matt Doyle (VIC)

Matt Doyle (VIC)

State

Junior Girls

Anna Dowling (TAS)

Winnie Oakhill (QLD)

Asha Steer (VIC)

Asha Steer (VIC)

Tara Melhuish (ACT)

Junior Boys

Max Neumann (QLD)

Ashley Nankervis (TAS)

Jarrah Day (TAS)

Simeon Burrill (QLD)

Aston Key (VIC)

Queensland

Queensland

South Australia

Victoria

Tasmania

Senior Girls Relay Senior Boys Relay

ACT

ACT

Tasmania

NSW

Tasmania

Junior Girls Relay

Queensland

Tasmania

Queensland

Queensland

ACT

Junior Boys Relay

Queensland

Tasmania

Tasmania

ACT

NSW

DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 9

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Lizzie Ingham Photo: Steve Bird

Ian Lawford Photo: Steve Bird

after one leg and four minutes after two, but with their strongest runners early it was always on the cards that they would be caught, and Ed Cory-Wright duly did the necessary with the day’s fastest time. Tasmania held onto second, while Stephen Melhuish overtook Aidan Dawson late to put the ACT into third.

Australian Long Championships, 4 October The traditional high point of the Australian orienteering calendar brought us this year to an area which offered a mix of open and semi-open farmland, and enough reasonably thick and/or steep patches of bush to bring route choice into play. It was an area which was enjoyed by many, without the long grass (or the heat) which had made parts of the midweek events hard work, and provided some reasonable technical challenges too.

As had been the case earlier in the week, most of the notable results at the front end were produced by internationals. To some extent this reflected the below-strength local fields – for a variety of reasons, mostly either absence overseas or injury, none of the women from the WOC team made the start line, and only two of the men – but it also reflected the strong overseas talent on display.

There was a new face at the front end of the men’s field. Thor Nørskov, who had achieved a top-10 result in the JWOC Long Distance, had played second fiddle to his compatriots earlier in the week, but this time he took the lead early on and never let it go, taking the title with a comfortable margin of over four minutes. Tim Robertson looked a likely runner-up for much of the race, but lost nearly three minutes to the leaders on #19, the race’s longest leg, opening the way for Ian Lawford to take second outright (in the process also getting his second resident title of the week). In a distance which has a historical reputation as being one for the experienced, all three placegetters were aged under 22.

The women’s race was fairly straightforward without big swings, and produced the same result at the front end as every other race 10 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

for the week – Lizzie Ingham first and Laura Robertson second.

Ingham was first or second on every split and ended up with an eight-minute margin. After a year in which her orienteering has not had the consistency which she would have liked (but in which her triathlon exploits left no room for doubt about her fitness), Aislinn Prendergast produced a good run on the day and held off a fast finish from Laurina Neumann to take the resident championship.

There was more joy for the locals in the junior classes; although Jenna Tidswell led a New Zealand sweep in W14, further up the age range their one win came from Danielle Goodall in W16, and that was by three seconds over Asha Steer in the day’s closest result. Patrick Jaffe reversed the result of last year’s Australian Schools by beating Simeon Burrill by 13secs in a fluctuating race.

In W20, Lanita Steer, whose form prior to this race had been a bit patchy, proved to be clearly the fastest in the field in this terrain, and with one minute lost at #10 her only glitch, she was four minutes ahead of the field. Anna Dowling, coming off her good Schools Championships, was best of the rest, while Michele Dawson’s fourth was just enough to give her the National League title. Matt Doyle took his second championship win of the week, taking the lead over Oscar McNulty on the long ninth leg and holding it through the rest of the race.

Quality came to the fore in many of the older classes. Particularly amongst the men, the pre-race favourites delivered with often substantial margins; Bruce Arthur, making his first appearance in M40, Bill Edwards in M45, Jim Russell in M50, Warren Key in M55 and Ted van Geldermalsen in M60, all of whom had margins of between three and eight minutes.

Lynn Dabbs also had a very big win by being ten minutes ahead of the W60 field, but several of the other women’s classes provided very interesting races. W55 was the closest of them, once again featuring Liz Abbott and Carolyn Jackson; this time Jackson was the faster of the two, but could not quite recover from losing

time at #5 and ended up eight seconds short at the end. Su Yan Tay completed a sweep of national titles in W50, but only by 37secs over Toni Brown, with Christine Brown and Sue Hancock also within three minutes, while Cath Chalmers’ consistency saw her prevail over the faster Jennifer Enderby in W45. Home successes were at the older end of the spectrum, including Mike Howe (M70), Lois West (W65) and Don Young (M80).

Australian Relays, 5 October The week finished next door to the previous day, on a showery day at the Australian Relays. Consistent with the theme of the week, plenty of wins went across the Tasman with four titles heading New Zealand’s way; only W20 of the elite classes saw a local win. At the State level, there was an unexpected overall win

by Victoria as they performed well across numerous age groups; any chance New South Wales, a regular winner of that trophy, had disappeared with mispunches in several key age groups.

M21 was close for two legs, but eventually the depth of Denmark’s team proved too much for the rest of the field. There were four within a minute after the first leg, and still three within three minutes after two, with Bruce Arthur giving Victoria the edge over the Danes and Western Australia. That was as long as the lead lasted, with Thor Nørskov much too good on the last leg. Tomas Krajca did his best to give the home crowd something to cheer about as he came close to running David Brownridge down, but the Victorians kept the National League points by 52 seconds.

There was never any real doubt about the win in W21 once Laura Robertson gave New Zealand a big lead, but there were some interesting contests behind that, especially in the context of the National League with Queensland needing to beat Victoria by two places. The battle between the two States was close throughout, with Western Australia also in the mix for two legs. The three teams started the last leg 1:18 apart, but Anna Sheldon edged

away from Clare Brownridge to give Queensland the points – if not enough of them.

The Tasmanians came to the fore in W20. Victoria were their closest challengers early as New Zealand made a slow start. For the next two legs it was a question of whether New Zealand could bridge that ten minute deficit. They cut it to six minutes on the second leg, and Kayla Fairbairn made further deep inroads on the last leg, but Hannah Goddard was able to hold on. New Zealand dominated the last two legs of M20 through Ed Cory-Wright and Tim Robertson after a close start, with Brodie Nankervis overtaking Victoria and the second New Zealand team on the last leg to bring the Tasmanians home in second and complete a very good week for their juniors.

On a day without a lot of close finishes (and none which came down to a final sprint), M65 was the closest of them, being decided by just over a minute; Queensland were 12mins ahead of Western Australia after two legs but Mike Howe almost caught that up. Victoria set up their overall win by taking out W65 and M55 and being the first Australian team in M45. New Zealand took both M16 and W16 (and took second in M16 as well), but local highlights there included Callum Davis again winning a tough last-leg battle, this time against Tasmania for third, and Tara Melhuish bringing the ACT up from fourth to second with an excellent last leg.

The next national carnival will be sooner than usual; we now have the Oceania Championships in January in Tasmania to look forward to. It will be a particularly appealing prospect for those in the World Cup team, but should be an excellent week for everybody.

DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 11

NATIONAL ORIENTEERING LEAGUE

2014 SILVA NOL Blair Trewin

T

he story of the 2014 National Orienteering League season was one of the balancing act between individual brilliance and depth. The Canberra Cockatoos, with an abundance of the former, dominated most of the season, but when it came to the year’s final events in Western Australia, with most States not at full strength, the depth of the Victorian Nuggets came to the fore. The Cockatoos’ men had established a sufficiently big lead earlier in the season to hold on by eight points. However, their women, having led all season, were unable to field a Relay team in the final round and were overhauled by the Nuggets and the Queensland Cyclones, who were most impressive of all in the season’s final week, but started from too far back and were four points short of a first title.

Simon Uppill Photo: Tony Hill

Both senior individual titles were effectively settled earlier in the year, with Simon Uppill winning four of the first seven races of the year and Hanny Allston six of the first eight. Lizzie Ingham and Ian Lawford both jumped to second with impressive finishes to the year, with Ingham making a clean sweep of the individual races in Western Australia, while Lawford took wins in the Australian Middle Distance and Ultra-Long Championships and was the lead Australian in the Long Distance.

Depth also came to the fore in the junior competitions. The Tasmanians have more of it than any other State, and this was reflected in the Foresters taking out both junior team titles. The junior men did it with a little to spare, with the Nuggets their closest challengers; the women were dicing with the NSW Stingers for most of the season but in the end were a bit too good in the Championships week.

In the Individual titles, the junior women provided the year’s closest competition. No-one won more than three of the twelve races, three were still in contention for the title going into the final round, and in the end it was decided by a single point, with Michele Dawson’s consistency giving her the win over Anna Dowling, Nicola Blatchford and Lanita Steer. It was a different story for the junior men, with six wins giving Matt Doyle the maximum possible score and a comfortable win over Oscar McNulty and Brodie Nankervis.

The Australian WOC JWOC and MTBO teams outfitted by Trimtex

12 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

JWOC 2015

Junior success in Bulgaria Karen Blatchford

What a pleasure it is firstly to have the opportunity to act as Manager and accompany the JWOC team to Bulgaria and secondly to report to the Orienteering community about our enjoyable and successful time together.

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reparations prior to JWOC 2014 had an online flavour this year with coach Hanny Allston conducting many seminars to discuss training, race preparation and the specifics of Bulgarian terrain. It was fantastic to have our JWOC athletes and some elites all online asking and answering questions from all parts of Australia. Thankfully, following the Easter carnival, we had a training camp in the Blue Mountains because the next chance for us all to be together as a team would be in Bulgaria. Following on in this flavour we established our own JWOC fb page as a chance to keep families and friends in Australia updated with photos and results and regular postings, our usual Team blog and, of course, the Team started a craze with their own Instagram!! … a craze that took on among other National teams.

Our athletes and coaches gathered a week prior to competition.

Hanny of course had been competing at WOC in Italy, some athletes had been spectating and competing in Italy in the public races and all of our boys had arrived in Bulgaria early and had been checking out some of the training maps. Arrival at our accommodation was in groups and we ended up having rooms fairly spread out throughout the hotel. How can we complain about anything to do with our accommodation though, it was fantastic and certainly well worth the extra expense to get the A accommodation. Appropriately so, we were accommodated with the other formidable teams, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Denmark and Canada and New Zealand.

Athletes were in pairs in rooms with their own bathroom, air conditioning, wifi, a fantastic foyer area for socializing, a gym and heated pool and massage area and amazing meals.

Australian and New Zealand team members training together during the training week.

The team

Our training week was as well organised and appropriate as I can imagine possible. To hear team members from NZ and Australia comment to the same effect was very rewarding for NZ coach Rob Jessop and Hanny. Our training week program involved map walks, simulation races, and practices at a variety of intensity levels. All training was done together, NZ and Australia athletes meeting together each evening and training together each day and even spending our rest days together …. until competition week ….. then we became friendly opponents.

Training Week The first training session focused on the Middle Distance terrain with some map walk/jogs of low to moderate intensity. It was obvious that Rob (NZ coach) had done an extensive amount of work in preparing training activities for this week. He provided printed courses and our own flags to place in the bush. The next day saw the athletes engage in some moderate Long Distance training on ‘Govedarci’ and some Sprint training in a park where NZ and Aust athletes together had mass starts for some legs.

The rest day was particularly valuable and following a relaxing morning we took advantage of a local tourist attraction, a 4.8km Gondola ride from Borovets, climbing over 1000m to a peak of 2369m. The steep ride took around 25 minutes and the view from the top was amazing. A terrific way to spend a rest day.

Comments from the athletes indicated that the race simulations were one of the best training activities they’d encountered, DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 13

JWOC 2015

Olle Poland Middle Distance Final

Brodie Nankervis Sprint

Matt Doyle Sprint

and particularly valuable for those that had Olle Poland Relay never competed in a big competition before.

The evening prior to the simulation Hanny, Rob, Anna (NZ coach and Manager) and myself met and had a random start draw, organised maps and control descriptions and travel arrangements for the athletes. We then met with the Team and distributed the information and had it on display in the accommodation as we would be during competition week. With the two Teams we had four vehicles between us. Athletes were told of their leaving time (when to be in the foyer) and who they would be travelling with. They were encouraged to follow the same routine they would adopt during competition week with a gear check in the foyer and transport to the Start without going via the Finish area. We had race simulations for Sprint, Middle and Long Distance terrain during the training week. All were original Rob Jessop courses with our own flags in the bush. Hanny and Toph and Rob were in charge of putting out the flags and Anna and I were occasionally trusted to find them and bring them in after training :-) On the Sunday prior to competition we had another rest day and all Team members chose to chill together, flirt a little, swim, finalise profiles and rest their legs or do a jog … anything that suited their own preparation. By this time we were regulars at the Samokov supermarkets. Thankfully the meals at the accommodation were so good we only needed to supplement water, sports drinks, fruit and snacks.

Competition Week The weather during the training week was encouraging however the competition week showed us just how quickly conditions can change and how to cope with lots of rain at major competitions.

The Sprint event in Samokov was no exception with only perhaps the first 20 runners experiencing dry conditions for their run. The running surface became extremely slippery and it was obvious that the tents provided for our gear were going to provide an extra challenge during the week if the rain persisted – all our gear was saturated. Despite the conditions the Aussies came away with some terrific results: Our top three men, Oscar, Brodie and Matt all placing in the top 30; our top five women, Asha, Anna, Nicola, Olivia and Lanita all within 50 seconds of each other and around 3mins slower than Sweden’s Sara Hagstrom’s 13:15 winning time.

A terrific way to start a very successful JWOC campaign. From here we went to a local sports stadium for the award ceremony where we could celebrate a NZ gold medal with Tim Robertson and the NZ Team.

14 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

Summer growth in the Long Distance terrain resulted in lush, green grass in the open areas leading to some slow running and longer than expected winning times. The Long Distance event really was very difficult this year - physically and technically very demanding and different to any terrain experienced in Australia. Our late starters had the best runs and in particular our boys once again proved they can master anything that is thrown at them. The Aussies were being noticed!

We had time to celebrate our success but also needed to refocus on our Middle Distance event, the change of scale and change of terrain. Our rest day involved a run on the complex Middle Distance model map and then time at the hotel to enjoy some wifi, the pool, a movie, a chat AND afternoon tea with our Aussie and NZ supporters at the hotel. We might try to make a habit of this sort of social occasion each year.

The weather for the Middle Distance Qualification and Final saw much needed sunshine!! The qualification races provided a few surprises with some of the more notable European competitors having difficulty in the complex contours. We had some very admirable performances, in particular from our three most senior boys, Olle, Oscar and Brodie, to qualify for the A Final and Matt and Henry only just missed out. Michele, Nicola and Anna had very solid runs to qualify in good positions for the B Final.

Unfortunately for the Middle Distance Final all athletes were placed in quarantine and with the A Final held first, spectator numbers and atmosphere at the arena were missing and the feeling in quarantine was somewhat more relaxed than the majority of JWOC Final races. To top it off spectators found themselves cheering a dog on as it ran down the finish chute …. Only in Bulgaria. The Aussies once again performed beyond expectations with our A Final men placing 16th (Brodie), 32nd (Oscar), and 34th (Olle). Absolutely amazing! To have four of our girls in the top-23 of the B Final is fantastic and made Hanny’s job of Relay selections very difficult. As is the depth of this Team any of the teams chosen were in the chance for a top result.

The Relay saw the first miss-punch of the competition, the return of thunderstorms and drenching rain and our first major injury.

Oscar put in one of the gutsiest performances to come through the spectator control leading and then to finish only seconds behind the leading teams ….. while sporting a nasty gash to his knee requiring hospitalisation and some serious cleaning out and strapping. At least he got the sympathy vote at the JWOC party ….

No shortage of offers to look after poor Oscar :-)

Lanita Steer Middle Distance Final

Anna Dowling Relay

Nicola Blatchford Sprint

Asha Steer

M20 Middle Distance Zheleznica South 1:10000 5m

Banquet 2014 was to be the first year where no official banquet was organised however a Belgium athlete had taken it upon himself to organise a JWOC party at a local nightclub in Borovets. Now if you’d had the culture shock we’d had after driving around Bulgaria for the past two weeks, you would never have imagined that a nightclub of this calibre existed in Borovets; it was awesome. The organising athlete came to a Manager’s meeting to explain the JWOC Party and ask for Managers’ support, which was unanimous. This party was all on his head with no official organising team involved so as Team Managers we offered to set boundaries, supervise during the evening and ensure no alcohol was taken to the premises. All athletes would agree it was a very successful JWOC party. Now, as a teacher I may have gone overboard with the supervision later in the evening but rest assured our athletes all walked back to the hotel together, all caught their respective flights and buses the following morning and all were very well behaved …. AND we’ve ensured the official banquet will return from 2015 on. Maybe I’ll relax a little next year - haha.

From the 2014 Team we farewell Brodie, Oscar, Olle and Michele and wish them all the best as they move to the Senior elites.

The JWOC 2014 final team score saw Australia in 13th position!!

Superb effort. And as well as working hard this awesome group of Aussie athletes were just so much fun to be around, not only for Hanny and I but clearly the other teams enjoyed their company immensely.

Over for another year While we can focus on individual results at JWOC it’s nice to look at the bigger picture. JWOC is an amazing opportunity for our junior elites, both to represent their country and to experience a big European competition and also to foster enthusiasm and development as orienteers in the hope their passion for the sport will see them competing for many years to come. It’s an exciting time in Australia for High Performance management and it’s exciting for our juniors to look at JWOC results and see just how achievable even their most ambitious dreams and goals can be. We thank Orienteering Australia for the support and financial assistance in once again sending twelve athletes to the competition.

For Hanny and myself in our first year in these roles as Coach and Manager respectively, we could not have been prouder of the Team we spent time with in Bulgaria, not only of their performances but of their attitudes, commitment, camaraderie and selfmanagement. We are so very thankful that we accepted these as two year positions so we get to take on board criticisms, advice and gained knowledge from experience to do it all over again next year in Norway.

Bring on JWOC 2015.

DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 15

Wildfire Sports Australian Ultra-Long 2014 Geoff Lawford

T

he cream of Australian orienteering ran head to head in the second Wildfire Sports Australian Ultra-Long – this year held at Kooyoora in late August on a double header weekend that included the Victorian Middle Distance Championships and the Wildfire Sports Victorian Long Distance Championships. On a cool but sunny Spring-like morning three mass starts sent waves of elite runners through the Melville Caves picnic area straight into a muddle of boulders, bare rock and contours that only Kooyoora knows how to stage.

This year the Ultra-Long field - in a race for a major $2500 prize of a return trip to Europe (plus race entry) - was boosted by some of New Zealand’s best talent - Lizzie Ingham (13th WOC Sprint 2014, 20th WOC Middle 2014) and Nick Hann (5th JWOC Middle 2014, 22nd JWOC Long 2014, 21st JWOC Sprint 2014) – both in top form from successful campaigns in Europe. Nick, in particular, seemed to have his eye firmly fixed on the main prize, having travelled across the Tasman for the sole purpose of racing.

Australians in contention included Dave Shepherd, Lachlan Dow, Brodie Nankervis (last year’s runner up), Jasmine Neve and Rob Walter – these days a bit of a specialist in long distance races.

The runners in the four elite classes (Junior and Senior men and women) were eligible for the prize, with the overall winner being decided on kilometre rates compared to Nordic elite kilometre rates for their respective classes in Ultra-Long races.

Following the mass starts, course setter Jim Russell had the runners split by loops, including Phi loops, so that no two runners had the same control sequence – evident from the variety of exits the runners made from the Start arena. After each main loop the runners returned through the Start arena, grabbed their next map and (mostly) returned into the fray. The courses were both physically and mentally taxing, featuring long legs with multiple route choices and fine navigation into the controls.

Projected winning times were: M21E - 2h30m; W21E - 1h50m; M17-20E - 1h50m; and W17-20E - 1h35m.

In the Men’s elite class the excitement was most evident with Bryan Keely returning from the first loop in the lead – but pursued closely by Ian Lawford and Lachlan Dow. At control #18 Lachlan Dow snatched the lead and held it through the second map change by a narrow half minute margin over Rob Walter. A few controls later Lachlan unfortunately retired injured but the intensity of the racing increased with the lead see-sawing between Ian Lawford and Bryan Keely, before Ian finally pulled clear at control #46 and built a four minute margin by the finish over Dave Shepherd, second, and Bryan Keely, third.

16 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

Nick Hann

In the Women’s elite class Lizzie Ingham, last year’s prize winner, returned in the lead after the first loop but unfortunately had to retire from injury. She was closely followed by Clare Brownridge, Sarah Buckerfield and Jasmine Neve with Jasmine taking the lead from control #18 and building it through the second and third loops for a 9 minute win over Sarah, second and Clare, third.

The Junior women’s elite class had a small field of five runners with the lead hotly contested by Anna Dowling and Nicola Blatchford until the middle of the race, shortly after the first map change, when Anna slowly pulled clear for a 9 minute win over Nicola (second) and Michele Dawson (third) a further three minutes down.

From the outset, Nick Hann stamped his authority on the Junior men’s race, leading by four seconds over Matt Doyle at the first control and building the lead from there for a five minute win over a gallant Matt, with Brodie Nankervis a further five minutes down for third place.

Using a computer program developed by Ian Chennell, standings for the main $2500 prize were broadcast to a TV screen for the benefit of spectators. As the race unfolded these standings were continually updated, and it became clear fairly early that, barring a mistake, Nick Hann would be taking the prize home to New Zealand. And indeed, with Nick having a kilometre rate faster than the elite men – though for a substantially shorter course, that was the eventual outcome with a percentage of 108.4 (compared to Nordic elite kilometre rates). Second for the big prize was Matt Doyle (114.2%), third Ian Lawford (116.2%), and fourth Brodie Nankervis (119.1%).

During prize-giving, $1500 of additional prizes – including Inov8 racing shoes and customised “Ultra-Long” racing tops - were on offer from race sponsors Dirty.D (personalised Orienteering apparel) and Wildfire Sports (Orienteering/sports equipment and accessories). Eureka Orienteers and Bendigo Orienteers (the organising clubs) wish to thank Dirty.D and Wildfire Sports for their support and again hope that the Ultra-Long added variety and challenge to the national calendar and helped our elites build

WORLD MASTERS ORIENTEERING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Jenny Bourne wins Double Gold in Brazil

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t WMOC 2014 held near Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, Jenny Bourne of Eureka Orienteers was triumphant in both Finals of her W60 age class. She became 2014 World Masters Orienteering Champion in Sprint and Long Distance, winning both by considerable margins.

The Sprint Final was held in a park around a major waterfall with partly cleared picnic grounds but a lot of thick forest with an extensive track network. The hills and thick forest made for some interesting route choices. Jenny won by the large margin (for a Sprint) of 47 seconds.

Placegetters in the Women’s course.

Elite class placegetters M21E Ian Lawford .......................2:24.40 David Shepherd ................2:28.52 Bryan Keely .......................2:30.31 W21E Jasmine Neve ...................2:13.31 Sarah Buckerfield ..............2:22.06 Clare Brownridge ..............2:27.20 M17-20E Nick Hann .........................1:38.33 Matt Doyle ........................1:43.47 Brodie Nankervis ...............1:48.13

In the Long Distance Final she was again victorious, this time by a margin of 1min 8sec over the next finisher. Jenny had a remarkably consistent week of Orienteering, finishing a close second in both Long Distance qualification races and then maintaining this consistency to win her second Final.

Other Australians to do well, this time in the M60 age class, were Ted Van Geldermalsen (Yarra Valley OC) – 4th in the Sprint and 10th in Long Distance; Paul Pacque (East Valley OC) – 12th in Sprint and 7th in Long Distance. Other good results were: Blair Trewin (Yarra Valley OC) – 13th in M40 Sprint; Ann Ingwersen (Parawanga) – 10th in W70 Sprint and 9th in Long Distance; Geoff Lawford (Eureka) – 7th in M55 Sprint and 27th in Long Distance; Kevin Paine (Bushflyers) – 4th in M85 Sprint.

Lastly, honorary Aussie Peo Bengtsson (Sweden) won both the Sprint and Long Distance Finals in M80.

W17-20E Anna Dowling ...................1:47.42 Nicola Blatchford ..............1:54.50 Michele Dawson ...............1:57:44 Bridget Anderson races up the bare rock slope out of the start.

The four placegetters in the race for the main prize.

towards international standard. Perhaps next year an Aussie can get it together and finally win! Thanks go to Toph (Christopher Naunton) for a great commentary during the race! And thanks also to the weather gods!

Maps of the courses and routes taken can be found on Routegadget on the web, and split times are on Winsplits.

File photo of Jenny in action at the 2012 World Masters DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 17

EASTER 2015

2015 Australian 3 Days Carnival Robin Uppill and John Such

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o be held in South Australia from the 3rd – 6th April, this traditional Easter Orienteering Carnival will begin with the Prologue in Jamestown using a newly mapped area within the historic township. The three bush days will be held on mallee areas about 30 km east of Jamestown and 50 km north of Burra. These areas are north of those used for the Australian Three Days in 2007 and have been newly mapped/ re-mapped.

Originally, Days 1 and 2 were planned for the Wirrabara Forest, a mixture of pine and native forest, but this area was decimated by bush fires early in 2014, which rendered it unusable for Orienteering. Consequently, new event areas had to be chosen. These new areas have limited (Day 3) or no mobile phone coverage (Days 1 and 2) and so the event may have a lower level of technology than recent Carnivals. However, results will be posted in a timely manner, and hopefully, radio controls will be in place to support commentary.

The four event areas are: Prologue: Jamestown (township, school and parkland area); Day 1: Southern Bri-Glen – Northern Merridee with a new extension to west; Day 2:

Bri-Glen – Tundarri (new area);

Day 3:

Mulga Valley (new area).

Bri-Glen and Merridee were first used for the Australian Three Days in 1990. Remapping is by Paul Hoopmann (Bri-Glen) and Adrian Uppill (Merridee). Paul has also mapped the new Mulga Valley map, and Adrian the Tundarri map and Merridee extension. The terrain is complex spur gully, with some very deeply incised and complex water courses on parts of the maps. Linear rocky outcrops are common. Mallee cover, limited light green and scattered open areas will make for fast running and fast km rates.

Applications have been submitted to the IOF for the Prologue and Day 1 to be World Ranking events. With the new IOF ranking system, Australia can run additional Sprint WREs, hence the inclusion of this event.

The course planners are Andrew Kennedy for the Prologue, Simon Uppill for Day 1, Phil Hazell for Day 2, and Paul Hoopmann for Day 3. Those local and interstate orienteers who attended the SA Long Championships in the Flinders Ranges in 2013, experienced the very challenging Long Distance courses that Phil has set. Simon, with his experience in elite Orienteering, and as a previous course planner for Long Distance NOL events held in SA, should set a great challenge in the complex watercourse systems to be used on the Day 1 map. Spectator viewing is planned for all the longer courses on all days and should add to the interest for all orienteers when they are not running themselves.

With permission of the OA Technical Director the following rule variations will apply to Days 1 and 2. Winning times for

18 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

Sunday April 12th - a Long Distance Format Badge Event will be held at Pewsey Vale approx 75mins from Adelaide in the Mount Lofty Ranges, near Angaston. The terrain is pine and native forest with complex rock detail. Classes offered will be 5-year age ranges with elite classes included.

Day 1 will be reduced by 5mins for all classes except Elite Classes. Winning times for Day 2 will be increased by 5mins for all classes except Elite classes. Day 1 course planning style will follow that for Middle Distance events. And to encourage participation by less competitive orienteers, the following additional classes are offered – M/W65AS and M/ W45B.

For all information on the Carnival – see http://sa.orienteering. asn.au/AusThreeDays2015/DetailedProgram/

Orienteers will need to consider accommodation options in the local towns of the mid-North of South Australia. A limited number of powered camp sites, and unlimited unpowered sites are available in Jamestown at the Victoria Park Sporting and Showgrounds (these can be booked in the Entry system on Eventor). Travel times from various towns to the events are as follows: •F rom Jamestown (limited accommodation, Event Centre camping here can be booked with entries) - 35-40mins; • From Burra - 50-55mins; • From Peterborough - 40-45mins; • From Clare - 70-75mins; •O ther options - around Gladstone, Laura, Wirrabara 75-80mins.

All Orienteering Australia meetings and the OA Presentation dinner will be held in Jamestown which is about 220km from Adelaide (~2:30 to 3 hours drive).

The mid-North of South Australia should also be a great place to view the total lunar eclipse to occur on Saturday April 4th.

Two events will be held in the Mount Lofty Ranges near Adelaide on the following weekend for orienteers wanting to have a week or more in SA. Take the opportunity to visit the Flinders Ranges, or maybe the South Coast and Fleurieu Peninsula, or even Kangaroo Island, after Easter then enjoy the following two events.

Saturday April 11th - a Foot and MTBO Score Event in the Mount Crawford Forest of the Mount Lofty Ranges (about 50mins from Adelaide), this area is a mixture of pine and lesser native forest, spur gully terrain. Navigation will be Easy to Moderate with the aim of giving orienteers the opportunity to visit a lot of controls in the 2 hours. Easy and Moderate courses are to be offered for those who do not want to do the Score event DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 19

O-RINGEN

O-Ringen turns 50

Way back in 1965 a group of elite Swedish orienteers decided that there should be a 5-Days event to promote Orienteering in Sweden. The group called themselves the O-Ringen and the first Sverige Fem-Dagars was held that year in the Skåne region. The event attracted some 160 participants. Now called O-Ringen, the carnival returned to Skåne to celebrate the 50th 5-Days event and 22,571 orienteers took part.

Peo Bengtsson

One of the original founding group was Peo Bengtsson, well-known for his tour groups to Australia and many other regions. Peo was there to celebrate the 2014 50th anniversary event.

Also competing was Peter Hobbs of Dandenong Ranges OC, VIC, and here he takes up the story.

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aving already booked a European holiday, including the Italy 5 Days and WOC carnival, I was delighted to be invited to tag along with a group of German orienteers to O-Ringen. This year’s carnival was held in the Skåne region in south east Sweden.

There was some talk of participation numbers being slightly down due to a clash with Swiss-O week, however with more than 20,000 participants at O-Ringen I certainly didn’t notice. Over 60 different competition classes, including M90 and M95, were available. I chose to enter M21 along with 255 others; not to be confused with M21E, M21L or M21S !

The thing that constantly amazed me was the scale of everything.

The first start in my class was 9am and the last was around 3pm.

There were five different Start locations each day and eight lanes in the Finish chute. The results were displayed on a combined 100m of monitors, with over 500 competitors in some classes.

There were about 14 manned water stations on course, plus

20 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

a mega water station at the Finish line with no fewer than 10 people pouring drinks out of water cans. There was an open shower area about 200m long and more club tents and flags than you could imagine. On the rest day I visited O-Ringen town comprising of a makeshift settlement of 6,000 competitors in tents and campervans as far as the eye could see plus a dining hall and full scale retail Orienteering shop.

The events were held in a range of terrain including complex rock and contour features and a memorable run in complex sand dunes beside the Baltic Sea. Unlike many Victorian maps, there was virtually no typical spur/gully terrain. All of the maps for M21, including Middle Distance events in complex terrain, were mapped at a scale of 1:15,000 meaning that careful feature-tofeature navigation was required.

Among the firsts for me were competing in sunscreen and 32 degree heat each day, extensive stone walls, knee deep marshes,

controls at ‘charcoal burning ground[s]’, complex sand dune navigation and having several disorientated competitors virtually grab at my map to relocate themselves (forbidden in Australia, but apparently common in Europe).

Despite an unfortunate DNF on Day 2, I thoroughly enjoyed the week and can highly recommend O-Ringen to anyone looking for some unique and quality orienteering during their European holiday.

Eight lanes down the finish shute.

The mega water station at the finish.

Peter Hobbs (centre) running down the finish shute at O-Ringen

Take in the view of Coffin Bay from the top

South Australian Long Distance Championships Sunday June 7th at Mount Dutton

A new map by David Winters (remember Broccoli Hill?).

Mount Dutton is a plateau of grassy slopes, she-oak forest, and large granite outcrops. The hill overlooks the picturesque waterways of Coffin Bay and is situated 45 km from Port Lincoln.

South Australian Middle Distance Championships

S.A. STATE CHAMPS LOWER EYRE PENINSULA Mount Dutton PORT LINCOLN

Monday June 8th at The Sandmine

The Sandmine was first used for the 2005 S.A. State Championships. The subtle limestone terrain proved a real challenge and was highly praised by those who experienced it. Close to Coffin Bay and the Cathedral Rocks Wind farm.

The Sandmine

DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 21

NEWS

Australian Supporters’ Shirts

O

rders are being taken for the popular Australian Orienteers Supporter’s shirt, vest and jacket. These are great to wear at events both overseas or at home. They have given the Australians attending overseas events a team look which is casual and very functional.

All items are made by Trimtex and orders can be placed with Colin Price (aussieogear.com).

Orders need to be finalized by late January so that we can distribute at Easter or post (at cost).

Cost for the Polo shirt is $50.

The vest is $80.

The jacket is $97.

Sizes are comparable with other Trimtex items so you need to go up one size from that which you normally wear, but Colin can advise. All inquiries to Colin Price at colinp53@yahoo.com.au

SPORTident news

S

PORTident has been working on certification of the new Air+ system with the IOF for the past two years. At first its applications were seen in Ski-O and MTBO. But then the IOF made a late decision to add the Mixed Sprint Relay to the 2014 WOC program in Italy.

A requirement was to use contactless punching.

The WOC 2014 organising committee decided to use SPORTident Air+ for the Mixed Sprint Relay. In close collaboration with the organiser SPORTident introduced Air+ to the technical staff and fixed some relevant technical parameters. The Sprint Relay is over and the SPORTident Air+ solution was given comprehensive recognition.

So now there is a nice situation: There is a new discipline in foot Orienteering at WOC level.

For the first time a contactless punching system was used at WOC. The first contactless punching system used is SPORTident Air+.

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22 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

WORLD CUP

World Cup round to be held in Tasmania

Internationals coming

The Australians will be competing against some of the best in the world, such as: Judith Wyder (Switzerland) - 2014 Sprint World Champion

Annika Billstam (Sweden) - 2014 Middle Distance World Champion

O

rienteering Australia has announced the team to compete in the World Cup races in Tasmania in January. Australia is entitled to a maximum of 10 runners in each discipline (men and women). A full team has been selected.

AUS World Cup Team WOMEN

Sprint Middle

Long

Hanny Allston

Y

Y

Y

Bridget Anderson

Y

Y

Y

Grace Crane

Y

Y

Y

Rachel Effeney

Y

Belinda Lawford

Res

Res

Res

Heather Muir

Y

Krystal Neumann

Y

Y

Y

Laurina Neumann

Y

Y

Y

Jasmine Neve

Y

Y

Y

Aislinn Prendergast

Y

Y

Y

Kathryn Preston

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Vanessa Round Anna Sheldon MEN

Y Sprint Middle

Y Long

Bruce Arthur

Res

Julian Dent

Y

Y

Y

Lachlan Dow

Y

Y

Y

Matt Doyle

Y

Y

Y

Mark Gregson

Y

Res

Res

Bryan Keely

Y

Y

Y

Ian Lawford

Y

Y

Y

Oscar McNulty

Y

Y

Y

Brodie Nankervis

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Rob Preston

Svetlana Mironova (Russia) Olav Lundanes (Norway) - 2014 Long Distance World 2014 Middle Distance World Champion Champion

David Shepherd

Y

Y

Y

Simon Uppill

Y

Y

Y

Sören Bobach (Denmark) 2014 Sprint World Champion

Mårten Boström (Finland) 2013 Sprint World Champion

Maja Alm (Denmark) – 2014 World Sprint bronze medallist

Ida Bobach (Denmark) 2010 Junior Sprint & Long Distance World Champion

Matthias Kyburz (Switzerland) - 2012 Sprint World Champion

Daniel Hubmann (Switzerland) - 2014 World Sprint & Long Dist silver medallist

Coaches: Tom Quayle, Wendy Read Manager: Nick Dent The World Cup races will be part of the Oceania Carnival.

The races are: Sprint Qualification – Friday 2nd Jan “Cataract Gorge”; Sprint Final – Saturday 3rd Jan “University Tasmania Launceston”; Middle Distance – Thursday 8th Jan “Coles Bay”; Long Distance – Saturday 10th Jan “Transit Flat”, west of St Helens.

The Middle and Long Distance events will also be the Oceania Championships 2015 and will enable the best placed runner from Australia or New Zealand to earn a spot in that discipline at the 2015 World Championships in Scotland in August.

Sara Lüscher (Switzerland) – 2014 World Middle Distance 4th place

Tove Alexandersson (Sweden) - 2014 World Sprint & Long Distance silver medallist

DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 23

XMAS 5 DAYS

Ultra Sprint comes to the Xmas 5 days Ian Jessup and Ron Pallas, Orienteering NSW

U

ltra Sprint - the shortest, most intense form of Orienteering – will make its NSW (and possibly Australian) debut at the Xmas 5-Days at Sydney’s Centennial Park on New Year’s Eve.

And for those who are staying in Sydney, loads of time to freshen up and get ready for the world-famous New Year’s Eve Sydney fireworks.

At an Ultra Sprint – or micro Sprint as it is sometimes called – participants have to complete a number of very short courses (usually around 1km) within a time window. For the fifth and final day of this year’s annual Carnival, competitors will have a two-hour window to complete the three courses on offer. The fastest aggregate time in each class is the winner.

The following links will give you a taste of what to expect:

Okay, that all sounds just like a mini O event. Where’s the novelty?

Here: 1. T here are no control descriptions and no numbers on the control units. Instead there is a dot in the middle of the control circle identifying the exact location of the control.

2. T here are controls in an artificial (man-made) maze to contend with at some stage. In the maze you are not allowed to reach over the bunting to punch the control.

3. T here will be some dummy controls to try to trick you.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8RmY8LERcc www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBarSXqgV5I Xmas 5 Day notes: this year the Carnival is distinctly urban and will be conducted on some of Sydney’s prime waterfront real estate. We hope that the overseas elites en route to Tasmania will take part, along with many other Australian orienteers seeking some runs before crossing Bass Strait. It’s also an excellent vehicle to introduce our Summer Series regulars to Line Courses, Sprints and a touch of bush navigation.

Day 1 is a long Sprint at Georges Heights, with stunning views from Manly to the Harbour bridge.

Day 2 is a Sprint on Cockatoo Island in the middle of Sydney Harbour – this is Orienteering’s debut on the former shipyard island.

4. A mis-punch (miss a control) will not disqualify you, but will add a 30-second penalty each time.

Day 3 is a 45-minute Score Course at Pyrmont, a former workingclass harbourside suburb now greatly gentrified, running from Darling Harbour to Glebe Island Bridge.

5. T here is no minimum distance between control placements. A control on Course 1 might be on the western side of a tree, and a control on Course 2 might be on the eastern side of the same tree.

Day 4 is a traditional bush event on the Darks Common map at Lapstone at the foot of the Blue Mountains – ideal for an afternoon of sightseeing further up the mountain.

With a scale of 1:1000 or 1:1250, there are over 250 individual trees marked on the map to make sure you keep concentrating.

Each tree will be denoted by a green circle or dot, surrounded by white to show the amount of canopy/shade it covers (see sample map from the UK).

It’s up to you how long a break you take between Courses, but you must complete all three courses by the stipulated closure time.

Day 5 is the Ultra Sprint. At the time of printing we’re still awaiting confirmation we can host it right outside one of Sydney’s major sporting venues.

Entries for the Xmas 5 Days close on December 14. There will be a limited number of enter-on-day slots. If you are entering all five days, your best four scores count towards the overall champion in each class.

For those people continuing their summer O tour by going to Tasmania for the 2015 Oceania Championships and World Cup round, the Ultra Sprint will be done and dusted by 11am so you have time to hit the road or get to Sydney airport.

London Maze.

24 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

Ultra Sprint Map UK.

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destinationlaunceston.com.au DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 25

DEVELOPMENT

Attracting Newcomers Peter Hobbs – Dandenong Ranges OC, VIC

Public perceptions of Orienteering, including reasons why people may or may not be attracted to the sport, is something that I sometimes ponder.

I

n 2011 an informal running club with approximately 50 members was established at my workplace located in the City of Casey in Melbourne’s outer south east. Members participate in informal running sessions and enter formal fun runs including The Sunset Series – a fun run series consisting of three 4km/8km events in city locations at a cost of $31 per run or $75 for all three (2012 prices).

In 2012 and 2013, approximately 30 of the 50 running club members attended these fun runs which were spread a few weeks apart during January to March. Members paid up to $75 in entry fees for the series and left work early to make the 50km peakhour journey along the Monash Freeway into the city.

In 2013 the newly established Casey Street-O series in Melbourne was scheduled during the same months as the The Sunset Series.

What a great opportunity, I thought, to entice running club members to attend some of the Casey Street-O events. At $4 a run, an abundance of local knowledge, a 2km trip from work and no need to leave work early, I envisaged lots of running club members giving it a go. Enthusiastic emails were sent to members, word of mouth and positive words were spoken aplenty around the workplace and the Casey Series co-ordinator Greg Andrews and I were confident that many would attend. The result: one running club member attended one of the five Casey Street-O events.

I was surprised. To my mind, a low-key Street-O event in the City of Casey is a perfect training run for members of the running club. So why did so few running club members give it a go? This gave rise to a series of thoughts and questions that I had been pondering for a while:

? ?

Why is it difficult to attract new people to Orienteering and why don’t more 18-40 year olds (i.e. younger people, just like those in the running club) participate in Orienteering?

Why do so many from this age group come to DuO events or Melbourne Bush-O events but then we never see them again?

26 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

?

Why do expensive fun runs and adventure races, including “Tough Mudder” the most extreme of them all, have such large participation and comprise significantly of 18-40 year olds, but Orienteering – also an adventure sport – struggles to attract and retain this age group?

So many questions. So few answers.

Reflecting on this quandary, I have a theory that tries to answer these questions. It is worth highlighting two things. Firstly, the theory does not provide solutions of how to attract and retain 18-40 year olds, rather it attempts to explain why it is difficult to attract and retain newcomers in this age group. Second, the theory needs to be read in the context of being just one among other factors that might also explain why it is difficult to attract and retain newcomers.

My theory begins with a statistic that I learnt in Year 12: attending a party by yourself where you don’t know anyone (apart from the person that invited you) rates as a generally terrifying social experience for 86% of adults. Or to put it another way, it may not necessarily be a terrifying experience, but nevertheless, something that at least 86% of people simply would not do.

Drilling a little deeper into why this is so, I think it has a lot to do with what I call “the unknown”. An individual attending a party where they don’t know anyone will likely fear the following: •W hat will I do when I walk into the party and don’t know anyone?

• Who will I talk to? And what will I say to make small talk?

•W ill the other guests be similar people to me or will they be a totally different type of crowd that might make me feel uncomfortable?

• What if I end up standing in the corner by myself?

• Have I dressed up or down too much?

•W ill the party be in a big bright room or a venue with lots of nooks and crannies?

• I just don’t know what to expect !!

Perhaps I am exaggerating slightly with the above scenario, however what I am trying to illustrate is that there is every chance the invited guest will elect not to not attend the party due to “the unknown”. Or if they do attend, there is a reasonable chance that they will stay for only a short time and leave early. Perhaps only 14% of people in this situation will attend the party and of these a far smaller percentage will truly enjoy the experience and do it again.

Comparing the above scenario to a newcomer (or a pair of newcomers) attending an Orienteering event, there are many similarities. I would hazard a guess that a potential newcomer would be pondering some or all of the following unknowns:

•W hat will I do when I arrive at the Start location and don’t know anyone?

• Who will I talk to? And what will I say to make small talk?

• I remember Orienteering as a kind of dorky sport, where you tramp slowly around the bush. Hmmmm…..

• I can’t use a compass !

•W ill the other orienteers be similar people to me or will they be a totally different type of crowd that might make me feel uncomfortable?

• I’m feeling pretty comfortable with this!! Can’t wait to start!!

On the face of it, Orienteering has many things going for it, such as: • Low cost.

• Entirely available to all ages and abilities.

•N o experience necessary (at least for Street-O; Bush-O is another matter).

• Health and wellbeing benefits.

• What if I end up waiting at the Start area by myself?

• Is an outdoor sport, similar to adventure racing.

•H ave I worn the right clothes? Lots of other people are wearing uniforms.

•N o complex paperwork or expensive memberships required.

• Am I fit/fast enough? What if I am too slow?

However according to my theory, these tangible and objective benefits that might attract people to Orienteering are overruled by “the unknown” factor. The question is: what can we do to reverse “the unknown” and increase the chances of people electing to try Orienteering? How can we make Orienteering more alluring? As I said, I don’t have the answer.

• Will the Orienteering event be easy or difficult?

• I am sometimes confused by a Melway; what if I can’t read the map and get lost?

•E veryone else seems to know each other and knows what they are doing. I am a bit confused with it all !!

• I just don’t know what to expect !!

Again, I am exaggerating slightly with this scenario, however just like the party scenario there is a good chance that the potential newcomer will choose not to attend the Orienteering event due to “the unknown”. Very few people in this situation will attend the Orienteering event, and of these, it is likely that a far smaller percentage will truly enjoy the experience and come back for more.

I now know why members of my workplace running club did not attend the Casey Street-O series but attended the fun run series en masse - “the unknown”. By extension, this may be why Orienteering often struggles to attract and retain newcomers in the 18-40 age group.

These are just my opinions and are entirely open to challenge and discussion. Any suggested solutions are most welcome too.

So what then is different about a fun run or adventure race? Why will dozens of my colleagues pay $31 a pop for a 4km or 8km fun run in the city and travel 50km for the pleasure; but not spend $4 and attend an Orienteering “adventure” just 2km away? Similarly, why will hundreds and thousands of 18-40 year olds attend these events and other adventure races?

It becomes apparent that many of “the unknowns” associated with the party and Orienteering scenarios, do not apply to a fun run or a typical adventure race. Instead, an individual attending one of these events will likely be thinking some of the following:

The UK’s Orienteering Magazine Packed with maps, event reports, coaching tips and advice, MTBO, Mountain Marathons/Rogaining, Competitions and much much more.

• I know what a fun run (or adventure race) looks like and I know that when I arrive I don’t have to speak to anyone (other than at Registration) or ask what I have to do. It is OK that I don’t know anyone.

Subscribe online using all major credit cards at www.CompassSport.co.uk

• I have participated in numerous fun runs before, since I was a kid, and I am familiar with the type of person that attends these events. I know that there will be lots of people like me in the 18-40 age range (and I will see some eye candy too!).

I feel a bit trendy participating, actually.

• I won’t be standing at the Start area by myself because there are 1200 other people participating. Also, I know where to go at the Start, because it is a one-way course.

• I ’m comfortable with the clothing that I’ve worn – it’s pretty similar to everyone else’s (and I reckon my new running outfit is pretty cool actually!)

• I know that I am fit enough to get around the course and I know I won’t come last.

• I know what to expect with the event; it’s a one way course and I don’t have to navigate anywhere (or in an adventure race, there is no or less navigation and it is generally easier than Orienteering navigation).

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MOC RC#5 Trail O Test Israeli Open Competitions Product Reviews Deeside Night Cup British Night Champs Informal Event Formats Know Your Class Leader Concentration Training CLOK Acorn Event Training Formats

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RC#5 Big 5 O Map Scales Women in O Fitness for O Hypothermia Competitions Product Reviews Newsletter Awards Ten Years of MOC Stockholm Indoor Cup Informal Event Formats Know Your Class Leader Mountain Marathon Calendar

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• I don’t need to use a compass.

• I am sometimes confused by a Melway, but that is of no consequence here.

‘A luxury you can afford.’

DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 27

BOOK REVIEWS

Into the Heart of the Himalayas

W

alking the length of the Western Himalayas alone, Jono Lineen trekked from Pakistan to Nepal, a trip of some 2,700 kilometres. His motivation was the death of his younger brother several years earlier. Along the way he absorbed not only the landscape but the beliefs of Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus. He trekked through jungles, deserts and high alpine areas, at times climbing to above 5000 metres.

Written in a very readable style, he takes us along on his journey of discovery of places and beliefs; showing us the simplicity of life in the region, yet also the sincerity and tenacity of people he meets along the way. His voice is as measured as the footsteps he takes; it is informed and intelligent and yet his ideas are as simple as the tea and lentils he eats while hiking.

In 326 pages he takes us on a journey through seasons, landscapes and religions. For the traveller there are fascinating descriptions of the mountainous terrain and of the villages and townships along the way. There is also much about the beliefs of peoples in the region. This account is about facing the past and embracing the future, all amongst the highest mountains in the world.

Jono Lineen’s new book is Into the Heart of the Himalayas, published

by Melbourne University Press - $29.99.

Orienteering... ...in the bush...

Autobiographical Orienteering Anecdotes – New and True!

W

ilf Holloway is best known for his “Murder at The 14th Control”, but he was also one of the chief organisers of WMOC 2012 in Germany. His latest book is, as the title suggests, a collection of true stories and musings on Orienteering taken from his almost 50 years association with the sport. In his long Orienteering career Wilf has been competitor, mapmaker, course-setter, event organiser, controller, teacher, club coach and coach of the German national Team.

His recollections include both triumphs and failures to which we can all relate. He harks back to the early days of Orienteering in the UK and in Germany when maps were drawn by hand (and OCAD was something one could only wish for); when SPORTident was a figment of someone’s imagination; and when hunters could refuse permission to enter German forests. Yet, many of his musings are on much more recent occurrences such as miss-placed controls, mapping errors, magnetic East lines, poor control sites, running out of water at WMOC 2012 – it seems we keep repeating the sins of the past.

One of Wilf’s major interests is in sports psychology and he recounts the performance of the much favoured German Women’s Biathlon Relay team at the recent Sochi Winter Olympics. A young inexperienced skier had to be added to the team at the last minute. Which leg should she be given? Wilf goes through the possibilities with legs 1 and 4 being absolute no-no’s.

Inexplicably, the German team coaches gave her leg 1, which she proceeded to mess up, losing 3 minutes and with low shooting points on the 6km course. Unsurprisingly, the German team failed to medal and the young skier left Sochi in a demoralised state.

222 pages of very readable tales and anecdotes which will interest both young and old orienteers. Available direct from www.wilfholloway.de or wilfholloway@web.de

Advertise your event You can have a 6 x 9 cm event ad for just $50

WARM UP FOR TASSIE www.vicorienteering.asn.au/events/bush/WUFT/

26th to 28th December Castlemaine, Victoria 28 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

In colour, if we have room, otherwise black & white Send artwork to The Editor: mikehubbert@ozemail.com.au In memory of Rex Saye, the orienteering software which he designed and wrote (OTrack and Corpse version 7 with new features) is now available free of charge at

www.o-ware.com

KIDS IN O

Into the Heart of Orienteering Jono Lineen (ACT)

I

n my new book Into the Heart of the Himalayas I tell the story of a 2700-kilometre solo trek I made along the length of the Western Himalayas. One of the first questions people ask when I’m talking about the book is how did you find your way?

To anyone reading this magazine the answer is blatantly obvious but to people who aren’t familiar with Orienteering, when I explain that I spent years running around the bush with a map and compass, it all seems a little strange. But Orienteering has given me much more than the ability to find my way around Canberra’s metropolitan parks or to navigate for thousands of wild kilometres on the Himalayan edge between India and Tibet and this is why I’m so grateful I can introduce the sport to my children.

Being able to navigate in the outdoors, especially in a place like Australia where the landscape is an intrinsic part of the national psyche, gives kids an immediate sense of confidence – not only in that external, I-know-where-Iam awareness, but in the inner way of knowing you have a modicum of control over your environment. Knowing where you are is knowing where you sit in world. It’s amazing for me to watch my kids, to see the joy on their faces when they find that elusive control and I know their smiles are the culmination of not just physical but mental effort and in the combination of those two is an understanding of place. For kids that sense of control gives them the room to push themselves and reach their potential.

Nature is becoming more and more elusive in our overwhelmingly urban lives. We’re so fortunate in Australia to have easy access to the wild, it’s an asset and a gift and for me not to use it in my kids’ education seems senseless. Orienteering is the perfect portal into that wild world, the limitless space beyond the grid. Having navigational confidence opens up a dimension that fewer and fewer Australians get to see and appreciate. What other sport puts children so deeply into nature, leads them into the woods and then teaches them the way out.

So many people come to Orienteering as an avenue to fitness. For me it’s a wonderful by-product. Orienteering is not about pounding around a cinder track or getting white-line fever up and down the monotony of a fifty-metre pool. It’s about pushing mind and body as a unity in open space. When I’m navigating well and moving fast through the bush, my body is not complaining – it’s telling me go faster – and that’s what I want to shout at my kids when they’re charging through the eucalypts, grins upturned, maps flapping in the breeze.

Orienteering is a complete sport, a sport with a long horizon, an activity that is more than the sum of its parts because it’s an endeavour of infinite variables, just like real life. If your kids tell you they’re bored while you’re out Orienteering, tell them you’re lost and they have to find their own way back to the Finish.

DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 29

GOAT RACING

Goat Racing? No Kidding!

Ian Jessup (Garingal Orienteers, NSW)

Would you like to be able to skip a control during a race? Of course you would. Hmmm… but which one would you skip? And what if there was a section in which you could visit the controls in any order? Yep, I like that too.

Hmmm… but in which order would you do them? Oh – and it’s a mass start and you’re allowed to follow your rivals.

T

hese were some of the conundrums facing participants in the third annual GOanna held last August in an Orienteering format known as “Goat Racing”. This year the day had a distinctly international flavour as it moved into the winter calendar on the Macquarie Uni map. Craig Ogilvie, a member of the Rand OC executive in South Africa, was here on holidays, saw the event on the calendar, and entered. And a late starter on the GeckO course was Aco Stamenkovski from Macedonia. Dobra work !

The mass start format saw many of the 67 runners remain at the big green flag for 30-60 seconds while working out the optimal route to the first control on each course, and perhaps their ‘skip’.

The two longer courses had plenty of climb and crossed Lane Cove River twice. Fortunately the week’s rain meant only the shoes got wet, although Maggie Jones (UR) found a way to cross back via the weir waist-deep! “It was lovely, I needed cooling off,” she reported.

First finisher was Garingal club captain Tania Kennedy on the GeckO (4.3km) course. Tania skipped #5. When she entered Christie Park she cut straight across the oval to #6 (187), and finished in 32 minutes exactly. She was followed by four outstanding juniors in Ewan Shingler (runner-up for the second year), Finn Mackay, Jonathan Koruga and Tania’s youngest son Tom. Ewan and Finn were three minutes up on Tania heading into Christie Park but somehow took eight minutes going from the car wreck #5(188) to the track end #7(180) near the tennis courts.

Tania knows this area from SSS and must have slipped by the distracted duo, who had skipped #6(187).

Winner of the DraGOn (6.2km) course was BigFoot’s Swedish star Patrik Gunnarsson. Patrik was nursing a gammy leg but still sped around in 46:47 to win by almost 20 minutes. He wasted three minutes looking for that fiendish #3(189) and dropped, rather peculiarly, the very last control inside the sportsfields.

John Bulman (GO) pipped Alice Westwood (UR) in a sprint finish for the silver. John was three minutes clear heading to the fork but chose the car wreck over the boulder and lost time, and more time heading into the housing estate for the box. Alice snuck in front at C but John edged 5secs ahead by D and held on by 6secs.

Winner of the GOanna (9.6km) at last (mp in 2012, 2nd last year) was GO long-distance specialist Glenn Horrocks who was home in an impressive 55:46. Less than two minutes separated the next three runners: ONSW president Greg Barbour (BF), GO junior Toby Wilson and the Feet’s Andy Simpson.

Most of the top placegetters dropped #8 (going there made the box A-B-C-D a lot longer to complete) and one other bush control. I expected most to also choose #5 but some left out one of the controls near the end on the north side of the river.

30 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

The long course began with a long leg to compulsory control #1.

Options were north out of the sportsfields onto the bush track, or south out of the fields onto the roads, under the M2 and then bush bash down or take the cycle path around to the bush track.

Afterwards there was lots of post-race discussion as to tactics. This further cements the great sense of community among orienteers and their thirst for problem solving.

The Splits and Routegadget made for interesting reading and showed the variety of options that people took. Of particular interest on the DraGOn was how many went to #8b(173), the car wreck that looked very gettable compared to #8a(171) behind the boulder.

Thank you to the enthusiastic participants whose love of O make this event fun to set. I wonder how people feel about having the GOanna on a Sprint map for a change? And I reckon this type of novelty event would go well as one of the public races during an Australian Championships carnival. What do you think?

GeckO course

DraGOn course

GOanna course

DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 31

COMMENTARY DEVELOPMENT

My Ode to Orienteering in the Bush Robin Simson (Toohey Forest, QLD)

M

y first Orienteering event was just down the road in Toohey Forest, an island forest in suburban Brisbane. It was 1975, before the forest was sliced in two by the South East Freeway.

It was a forest I thought I knew well but it took me twice the winner’s time to scramble around the course.

Back then there was still 640ha. of unimpeded bushland stretching from Mt. Gravatt in the east to Toohey Road in the west. I had already been reading about Orienteering in Scandinavia, and had thought of introducing the sport to my Mt. Gravatt High School senior geography class as a map reading and navigation experience; yet by that year, 1975, I was in the process of moving on to work at the newly established Maroon Outdoor Education Centre on the shores of Maroon Dam in the country near Boonah. Orienteering had arrived in Queensland a year or two too late for that opportunity to make Orienteering a curriculum unit in my senior school geography course.

Fortunately, the Maroon Centre offered new opportunities and with the help of Helen Sherriff, a staff member who was already a talented orienteer, having represented Wales before migrating to Australia, I soon had produced two local bush maps near the outdoor centre, and in 1976 we hosted the second Queensland Orienteering Championships. Back then there was no sizeable Orienteering community to cater for but we were working on it.

Forty years later I am still orienteering, making maps, setting courses and coaching juniors. What I tell my Mini Cyclones Squad (12-14 year olds) is that above all I want them to love running in the bush. The bush to me is the essence of Orienteering and always should be. I understand that the sport has to move on and encompass other formats but it is in the bush where the real splendour exists, it is where the sport can infiltrate your soul and become part of who you are. Call it obsession, spiritual pantheism, the greening of religion, whatever you like; but that is where I want to run, in the bush where my life is enriched.

What is it about ‘Doing It in the Bush’ that makes Orienteering such a special sport? For me it is bringing me back to nature, to where the roots of life are always on show. A Finnish friend of mine told me that the Finns speak of ‘The Nature’ as the ‘love all around you’. We humans should always remember that plants existed many millions of years before us. We are very late comers to Gaia, to the Earth’s marvellous biosphere. It is the plants of the fields and forests from which we draw our life support. Almost all life forms depend on the process of photosynthesis in plants for the harvesting of the Sun’s energy and making it available for species to use. We humans need time back in the savannah or the 32 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

forest to remind us of this link. Bush based classic Orienteering is a form of recreation that helps us re-immerse ourselves in nature.

I have orienteered overseas in New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, Finland and the Czech Republic. They were all great experiences in rural or forest landscapes. They all brought interesting challenges in differing terrain. They all tested out my physical fitness and my brain. They all at times forced me to stop and re-locate, to find a way to establish my current position on the map. Rarely was the fault other than my own. I would not go overseas to orienteer in the streets, amongst ashphalt, concrete, and the pedestrian and vehicle traffic. I don’t like to go all that way to orienteer through a hidden fog of diesel fumes, garbage smells and other unsavoury air pollutants. I go to experience their forests and their mapping and to escape the busy cities for the clean air of the natural landscape.

I have always loved bushwalking and also teaching – the pedagogy of place. I want my charges in the sport to experience the same joys. To scramble along the base of sandstone cliffs to locate a control, to experience the inverted terrain of limestone sink holes, to be confused my the maze of forms in coastal sand hills, to run out of the bush onto a large slab of bare granite and not be sure which pile of boulders beyond the slab is the one that hides the flag. Hopefully the young orienteers will also come to understand the geology and other environmental factors that account for the terrain differences they experience from map to map. And, more importantly, I hope to recruit them, surreptitiously perhaps, to be ambassadors for the preservation of wildlife habitat and natural landscapes.

The IOF seems intent on pushing the sport more and more towards the urbanised formats, to make it possible for it to be staged in or close to the big cities, to be where the media find it convenient, no more difficult to get to than the local golf course.

And indeed that may be the future, for many countries can offer little more. Unlike Australia and the northern hemisphere coniferous forest, there are few large tracts of forest land that aren’t too mountainous or too densely vegetated for our sport to flourish. The olive grove, the abandoned quarry, the botanical garden or the city parkland may be the only option. Hence Sprint Orienteering is the new priority. Much of the mapping energy has switched to Sprint maps, to University campuses and to urban precincts like the quaint walled towns of Europe.

I read in the September 2014 issue of this magazine about the City Race Euro Tour, the Sprint Canberra series, the Sprint the South West, the Victorian Sprint into Spring, and the Hobart

Photo: Tony Hill

Shorts. It looks like a takeover. But there is another opposite movement, the flourishing of adventure races, that also include navigation challenges. These are multi-disciplinary multi-day events that take competitors into rugged landscapes increasing the danger level and the thrill; all promoted with high-powered marketing and TV shows, and sold as fund raising initiatives for charity. So I despair. The change is over-whelming.

So I now wonder whether long distance classic Orienteering as I have come to know it, a unique combination of physical and mental challenges in forested terrain with winning times of up around 100 minutes for elite runners – the form of the sport which has been loved by three generations of my family – will still take pride of place in the Orienteering calendars of the 2020s and 2030s? Will we still see the WOC and JWOC include the Long Distance events, and will the carnivals like the Swedish O-Ringen, the Scottish 6 Days, or even the Australian Easter 3 Days still be with us in 2040? I hope so! But I am no longer sure.

I myself am pleased to leave a legacy of bush maps. I’m sure other mappers who have also enjoyed many hours of solitude out in our bush sorting out the complexity of the contours and the unique terrain features in order to represent them in a way the orienteer can read the map on the run, also feel as I do. We must never let convenience and pragmatism take the bush out of Orienteering. Let us keep faith with “Running the Country.”

The new initiatives in Nature Play that have been designed to entice children away from the TV and computer into experiences in the natural world may be the salvation for bush Orienteering.

But you have to convince families and hold their support and interest. And so the long drive to the best bush maps out in the country may not take on. Those Orienteering clubs with access to interesting bushland pockets in suburbia should count ourselves lucky. We might be able to tailor a program that inspires kids to want to learn more and go further with our sport, but I can’t see that it will be an easy sell.

Robert Irwin wants other Queensland kids to come out and play.

Steve and Terri Irwin’s son is the face of the Nature Play program in Queensland which aims to reconnect children with the great outdoors. Children are issued a passport filled with “missions”, such as fly a kite, visit a national park, camp under the stars or build a sandcastle. We need Robert on our side, not to get kids to orienteer around Australia Zoo, commendable as that may be, but to get kids into native forest, to break down the fear factor and discover the joy of being like the wallaby running free-range, with just a topographical map to guide them.

Calendar Confusion

I

n 2015 two of the most popular Orienteering carnivals in Europe will overlap. On Saturday 1st August WMOC in Gothenburg, Sweden, will stage the Long Distance Final. On the same day, WOC in Inverness, Scotland, will hold the Mixed Sprint Relay, arguably the best WOC event for spectators. There will also be a Sprint event for spectators on the same day at the same venue.

On Sunday 2nd August the WOC Sprint Qualifier and Final events will be held, and nearby will be Day 1 of the Scottish 6 Days carnival. It will be difficult for competitors at WMOC who stay for the Long Distance Final to get to Scotland in time to see any of these three WOC events, nor take part in the first event of the 6 Days.

A partial solution proposed is a charter flight. PWTUrheilumatkat, a Finnish sports travel agency, is organising a charter flight from Gothenburg to Inverness, departing on Saturday 1st August around 18:00. The estimated price per person is €230-290, depending on the number of passengers. If you are interested contact them directly: info@pwt-urheilumatkat.fi How did this clash of events occur? The Scottish organisers say they were aware of the clash with WMOC 2015 at an early stage and lobbied the IOF to ask the Swedes to change dates. Though sympathetic they were unable to avoid an overlap with the opening race (Sprint Relay) of WOC 2015.

In an article in CompassSport, IOF President Brian Porteous is quoted: “This is unfortunate and is a product of the fact that the IOF has never previously sought to control its calendar with any great consideration being given to the major public multi-day events. The IOF Council has now created a calendar policy which recognises the importance of the major world multi-day events like O-Ringen, Finn-5, and Scottish 6 Days ……. so that we will not have clashes between them and World Championship events in the future.”

DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 33

COACHING

The Overtraining Paradox Hanny Allston

W

e are lead to believe that overtraining is a ‘syndrome’ reserved for the elite or the silly. After all, elite athletes can easily complete hours of solid training. And the silly? They just do a lot. However, in this article I wish to highlight an important paradox about overtraining.

I recently had a client who came to me following difficulty completing a trail race. He was a forty-year old, single parent of three children and running his own business. He was also chairman of a school board and heavily involved in his eldest son’s sporting ambitions. Amongst this schedule, he was fitting in four sessions of training a week. Two of these were intervals with a local squad. The remaining sessions were run early in the morning before the children got up. On his best weeks he may complete about five to six hours of training, plus a little stretching before bed.

Following discussions with my client, it became evident that he was suffering from overtraining: sleep constantly disturbed; heart rate suppressed whilst training hard; elevated heart rate in the morning; daily fatigue, especially in his legs; depressed mood with decreased tolerance to stressors at work and home; moodiness with the children; and a failure to athletically perform in races. He was neither elite nor silly, just a guy who works hard for the benefit of everyone.

This leads to the question, how could my client be overtrained?

After all, the text-book definition suggests overtraining as: ‘a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual’s exercise exceeds their recovery capacity.’

When I raised this notion of overtraining my client’s response was, ‘but I only train up to four sessions per week!’ If you experienced a similar reaction to the word exercise, now consider this: Overtraining = Working Out + Daily Stressors > Rest + Recovery Many athletes do not take into account their daily stressors, which may actually be a far greater load than that of the workouts they complete. Note that I am not talking about stresses. You may enjoy these activities but cumulatively, they place a load on the body.

Busy adults can find that the cumulative load of training and 34 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

daily stressors can exceed their rest and recovery. My client loves many aspects of what he does but the cumulative load has led to emotional, mental and physical fatigue to a point where he risks injury, sickness or underperformance.

This now leads to the next question - how do you bring a busy adult back from overtraining? Too often we divert straight to the exercise. And whilst yes, this may need work and adjustment; it is not always the underlying problem. What I like to suggest to my clients is - modify what you can modify.

For many individuals it would be hard to create more time in the day for rest and recovery whilst also doing everything else that you do. We can’t change the number of hours in a day or the fact that we must work in order to pay the bills. For an adult, exercise is often a necessary unwind, a chance for personal endeavour, or to socialize with like-minded people. Simply cutting back training may not be the answer.

However, often we can change small things, small routines, behaviours or personal rules that have become so ingrained that we barely recognize them. Not only do they take time, but also valuable emotional and physical energy. Do any of these ring a bell?

• I must put a home cooked meal on the table every night otherwise we won’t be as healthy;

• I must agree to look after my best friend’s children every Wednesday and Friday night or otherwise I’m not a good friend; • I can’t tell the squad coach that I need to reduce the training load or otherwise he might not think I’m worth his investment; • I can’t tell the committee that after five years I need to stand down and spend more time investing in myself; • I paid for Bootcamp for a year and I should go until the subscription ends.

These are just a few arguments that I have heard over the last few months and a case of very black and white thinking. I have found that most athletes I work with are Type A personalities and, like myself, we struggle to see the shades of grey. Reducing unnecessary rules, tasks and routines may be a positive start in allowing your body more rest and recovery. For example: • Two nights a week I could just make a healthy salad with a store-bought sourdough loaf of bread; • I might ask my friend if I can look after the kids only on Wednesday nights and every second Friday; • I might just reduce the squad coaching to one or two sessions a week; • I will attend Bootcamp during the weekdays but on weekends I will do my own activities.

Secondly, everyone can change his or her diet. It doesn’t need to be going on a diet, but everyone can modify what they choose to eat to reduce or eliminate refined carbohydrates, unhealthy vegetable oils, caffeine and sugar. Dietary changes can have a huge impact on a person’s life, especially the quality of their sleep and

balance of their moods. A balanced diet rich in protein will assist the body’s ability to recover from training sessions whilst healthy fats will support the neural and endocrine systems.

Rest and recovery also needs your attention. Rest certainly suggests sleep but other passive and active recovery methods are also important to consider. Tasks that are creative or mindful will nourish your body as they help to alleviate some of the stress response. Tasks such as cooking, art, reading, mindful walking and yoga are great places to start. Further to this, socialization in moderation will help to support the hormonal system, especially the regeneration of our masculinity and femininity.

Finally, allow the body to sleep. It is during sleep that the true physical and mental recovery can happen. During the night, the earlier sleep cycles are important for the body’s physical recovery then in the latter dreaming cycles the body is mentally and emotionally repairing. Dealing with daily stress, including dietary stress, will lead to better sleep quality, and greater mental and physical performance the next day.

In summary, one of the most common misconceptions in sport and exercise is that training is just completing a workout. On the contrary, training is the workout PLUS the recovery that follows.

As our body deals with all stressors in the same way, the harder we push in training (volume, strength or intensity) and life (work, family, volunteer, social) the greater the recovery required. In essence, if you wish to optimize your performance and avoid overtraining, consider everything that you are doing. The less stress we are under in our daily life, the more capable we will be of training to capacity.

NUTRITION

Getting your Carbo Boost Gillian Woodward Gillian Woodward is an Accredited Practising Dietician and has been providing advice in the field for over 25 years. She has been an orienteer since 1984.

S

tephen Bird’s article on glucose as an ergogenic aid (The Australian Orienteer - Sept 2014, pp36-38) touched on some very important facts. I’d like to show you how to put his ideas and his warnings into dietary practice.

Stephen gave some good advice about sports drinks – take heed.

Make it up strictly according to the directions in order to benefit to the maximum. I have seen too many athletes suffer because they make up their powdered sports drink incorrectly. They either ‘add a little extra’ powder for an extra boost, or ‘skimp on the powder’ so they don’t get too many calories (kilojoules) for fear of weight gain. Both these mistakes will alter the concentration from the ideal of a 6-8% sugar solution, which has been found to empty most rapidly from the stomach. You don’t want fluid sloshing around in your stomach when you are running. It’s your muscles that need it, so let them have it in the quickest possible time.

Stephen’s advice on rinsing the sports drink around your mouth before swallowing is also good – if you want to gain that extra boost to brain receptors that will result in you feeling less fatigued.

He made another point about orienteers experiencing fatigue due to starting an event with partially depleted glycogen stores – particularly in longer or multi-day events. How can you avoid this situation? There are a number of strategies to consider. In the week leading up to your prolonged or multi-day competition: • Eat a higher than usual (for you) carbohydrate diet for the last three or four days before the event. This means every meal and snack should be based on carbohydrate. So 5-6 times a day you are eating/drinking cereals, grains, fruits, dairy foods and starchy vegetables like potato, sweet potato, corn and legumes. You should be aiming to at least consume between 8-10 grams of carbohydrate for every kilogram that you weigh.

For someone weighing 70 kg, that is between 560 and 700 grams of carbohydrates in the day. This might seem like an awful lot! It can be daunting, especially if you are not used to it. But to make it easier to consume, I suggest you include plenty of ‘carbo-rich drinks’ which are not as filling as fibrous food. Flavoured milk, juices and even soft drinks might help to boost those daily carbo targets. Avoiding too much fibre might DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 35

NUTRITION

also be a useful strategy – go for whiter breads, non-wholegrain cereals and don’t overdo the fruit and vegies (especially with the skins on). Try not to have too much fat either, because it tends to fill you up too much so you don’t have room for enough carbohydrate-rich foods.

If you don’t know how to work out how many carbs you are consuming, there are plenty of phone apps around to assist.

As a guide, there are about 15 grams of carbohydrate in 1 slice of bread, ½ a cup of cooked rice or pasta, 1 cup of fresh fruit, ½ a glass of fruit juice, ½ cup of potato, sweet potato or legumes, ½ of a 200g tub of flavoured yoghurt, a small muesli bar or ½ a glass of flavoured milk.

• At least 3-4 days before competition, ease off your aerobic training load. If you don’t do this, your muscles will simply burn up more of the glucose (coming in from the carbohydrates) that your body needs to be storing up as glycogen for use in the long event. Do some stretching and a few light weights if you must but try not to use up too much energy.

• On the morning of your long or first multi-day event, get up early enough to eat and drink a good breakfast, allowing at least two hours for its digestion (can be longer for some people).

The criteria for this pre-event meal are that it is low in fat, high in carbohydrate, low in fibre, easy to digest, high in fluid and familiar. Ideally, you have had plenty of practice in working out what suits your particular body’s needs immediately before an event but if you need suggestions, here are a few:- flaky cereal with low fat milk, yoghurt and fruit with a juice; OR, toast, raisin bread or crumpets with a scrape of margarine and plenty of honey or jam or syrup and a glass of chocolate milk. If you are the type of person who gets butterflies in your stomach when you eat solid foods before competition, then try just having liquids, eg a fruit smoothie made from banana, milk, yoghurt and honey or a large glass of syrup- flavoured milk or a very large glass of fruit juice or, better still, a milk-based sports drink which can be purchased in a tetrapak in the supermarket.

I’ve known some people to down a litre of custard (150 grams of carbs in liquid form) before competition – not a bad strategy if you happen to like it! Obviously when you are travelling away from home as you often are to such Orienteering events, having the right foods and drinks available at the right time can be a challenge. But with careful planning and an ice-pack in your kit bag, it isn’t that difficult to organise.

• If you have eaten well 2-3 hours before your start, top up again in the last hour or so with some pure carbohydrate, preferably in the form of liquid. A sports drink alternated with water can be suitable – sipping about 150ml every 15 minutes in the last 1.5 hours leading in.

• As suggested by Stephen, taking some sports drink in a drinks– pack or carrying a sports gel in your pocket can also give you a 36 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

valuable energy and brain boost on a very long course or when running in high temperatures.

• Don’t forget recovery nutrition – especially important for multiday events! You need to pump in the carbohydrates within the first 30-60 minutes after you finish your run. You need to have about 1 gram of carbohydrate per kg that you weigh. If you don’t feel hungry, just drink them instead. Fruit juice, soft drink, smoothies and sports drinks are all a good way to start. Then you can add a muesli bar, jam sandwich or sweet muffin or cake as your hunger increases. High glycaemic index choices are good – that is why watermelon is often chosen for recovery. It is high GI as well as full of fluid.

Glucose being available in the blood supply to exercising muscles is the key ingredient for maximising your performance. It can certainly make the difference between just making it around the course and placing in the top few in your category. It takes practise to work out exactly what foods and drinks suit your particular make-up. Don’t just copy what other people do. Work it out for yourself by trialling it in training sessions. Your body will tell you what suits it best – what gives you the best energy boost without discomfort or stomach stress.

Give it a go and reap the rewards!

MTBO

MTBO National Series in WA Carolyn Jackson

Excellent courses completed a very varied and high quality series of events.

In spite of all the organising team living 300km away in Perth, they overcame pretty well everything thrown at them. New single tracks were being made right up to the event, a contingency for planned burns that didn’t happen, SI issues, heavy rain and a very seriously lost competitor in the Long Distance event all made their already huge task even more difficult. They were out looking for him, which meant they didn’t have enough daylight to collect all controls, however they needed those last few for the Middle Distance ........

Ricky and his team deserve a huge congratulations.

Convertible Mapboard Compass

W Photos: Bill Vandendool

A

fter a fantastic week and a half of foot Orienteering, it was the turn of the final MTBO National Series round, based in Margaret River. The event timetable was organised brilliantly, with the foot events around Perth, followed by a remarkably high quality four Sprint events in Bunbury, then continuing to move south to Margaret River for the MTBO. Long, Middle Distance and Sprint awaited us and they turned out to be as good events as you could possibly hope for. Ricky Thackray led a very small organising, mapping and course setting team, with Ian Dalton and Duncan Sullivan playing major roles.

They did an amazing job, with many, many hurdles thrown in their way. Everyone who took part hugely appreciated their efforts, but sadly the numbers were quite low.

indchill Sports (manufacturers of the Windchill Mapboard) has produced a mapboard compass to replace the now discontinued SILVA mapboard compass.

This combination “adventure” compass utlilises the SILVA Micro Racer compass and an almost indestructible polycarbonate holder which can be joined and slid onto a mapboard to create a unique multi-purpose compass.

You can either use the Micro Racer compass as a conventional thumb compass for foot Orienteering, or slip it into the polycarbonate holder and it instantly becomes a mapboard compass for MTBO. For those that already have a Micro Racer Compass, the polycarbonate holder can be purchased separately. The Micro Racer Compass / Mapboard holder combination retails for $30.00 and the Polycarbonate holder retails for $12.00.

The Micro Racer Mapboard Compass and holder are available from Orienteering Service of Australia (OSoA) - contact Ralph Koch on 9714 8540 or go to the OSoA website www.osoa.com.au

The Long Distance event was held approx 40km east of Margaret River in a new area, which had many challenges. Curvy, complex and often vague tracks made for intense navigation and plenty of route choice. The soft tracks were covered in all sorts of debris, fallen trees and water, and were very tiring which added to the challenge. Some remarkably long times were recorded, but everyone had a lot of fun!

The next day we moved back to Margaret River for the Middle Distance held in the sensational single track of the ‘Pines’ MTB park. One-way and complex single tracks had many stopped at junctions, scratching their heads trying to work out exactly where they could and couldn’t go! Very well mapped and great courses, I found this one of the most fun MTBO events I have ever done.

In the afternoon the Sprint was held at the edge of the township.

The map included a variety of terrains including bush, park and schools, forcing us to quickly change our navigation techniques.

DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 37

MTBO

2014 World MTBO Championships – Poland

Angus Robinson had an excellent World Champs with one top ten and two top 20 results.

Report & photos: Peter Cusworth

This year the World Senior and Junior MTBO Championships carnival also included the World Masters. This changes from year to year and is scheduled to keep changing in the future too. The World Masters is aligned with the European MTBO Champs next year, but obviously, when all three championships are held together, it turns out to be quite a large event. This year’s carnival was also a round of the European Youth Cup. On championship days, the start lists stretched out for most of the day.

T

his year’s Australian team was the smallest for some time with just two Senior males: Chris Firman (QLD) and Alex Randall (VIC), plus three Junior males: Karl Withers (QLD), Angus Robinson (VIC) and Tim Jackson (VIC).

Piotr Czajkowski (VIC) was appointed coach and his Polish connection was a real asset to the team’s stay. After several years of observing as a travelling parent, Murray Withers (QLD) knew what was required as Team Manager.

There were five Aussies competing in the World Masters: Carolyn Jackson (W50), Peter Cusworth (M60), David Firman (M60), Tony Howes (M50) and Barry Huntington (M70).

New Zealand junior Tim Robertson, fresh from winning gold at JWOC, was staying with the Aussie team for the champs and seeing how he went with MTBO as well. Rob Garden (M60) and Marquita Gelderman (W40) from New Zealand were on a grand tour of European events and were also taking part in the Masters.

The Championships were held at Białystok (pronounced: byäwi-stôk), which is about 200km east of Warsaw and not far from the Belarus border. The team stayed in a large house in the village Supra´sl, just outside the city. The event centre was also at Supra´sl.

There are extensive forests in the area, some of which are primeval, and more than enough to cater for the well-attended week-long training camp, and still not be too near the embargoed championship areas. The training camp, held the week before the champs, gave everyone ample opportunity to practise riding and competing in terrain quite similar to the champs. There were several Sprint, Middle and Long Distance training days and as the week progressed, the intensity rose as did the number of competitors. Unfortunately the weather was not brilliant. We were expecting mid twenties days but it was mostly mid to high teens with drizzly rain on several days.

Competition kicked off with an unofficial Mixed Sprint Relay.

Each team had one male and one female who each had to complete two legs. Carolyn Jackson was the only Aussie female present so she teamed up with Alex Randall in the Masters (40 plus) class. They both rode really well and took out the Gold medal over some other impressive teams. The rest of the Aussies teamed up in pairs to compete as unofficial teams in the unofficial event. A great concept though and exciting to watch.

38 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

The next day saw the start of the official events with the Sprint being held right in Białystok. The venue was a city park with trees, lawns and many paths. Competitors then had to use a bridge to cross over a multi-laned freeway into a more heavily treed bushland park with masses of very minor tracks, many with lots of fallen trees across them. MTBO rules in Poland, as with most Europeans countries, permit cross country riding, so many routes involved competitors “cutting through” rather than using the mapped tracks only.

We woke up to cold, grey skies and rain and this persisted throughout the day making riding and jumping logs quite treacherous. On the plus side, the organisers were quite pleased as it meant we were less likely to encounter any locals out in the park.

Of the team members, Angus Robinson had the best result coming in 10th, only 1:44 down on gold. NZ’s Tim Robertson was second in M20 just 3 seconds behind 1st. Not a bad start to his international MTBO career! Tim was using a smallish mapboard and explained after the race how he had to stop and reposition his map during the event, something that definitely would have taken more than 3 seconds. On hearing this Rob Garden loaned Tim a larger board for the rest of the events!

There were 27 controls on the M20 course (31 on M21) and similar on other courses, so as well as negotiating the conditions and navigation, just keeping track of what control you were up to, was quite a challenge as the control lines criss-crossed over your map.

Carolyn Jackson had a great ride carefully negotiating the tricky conditions to take out a win in W50 by 1:45 and thereby taking the first step in defending the three titles she won in Portugal last year.

Marquita Gelderman (NZ) also handled the conditions well winning W40 by nearly the same margin as Carolyn.

The Middle Distance race was back in the forest. The country in this area is reasonably flat, but most courses could be described as undulating. Personally I found the forest riding most enjoyable with a multitude of varying track options through forests of birch and pine all of which was very very green. Most courses in the Middle Distance race had routes where shortcutting through the bush was probably the fastest way, even though it may have

Carolyn Jackson won all three W50 titles for the second year running.

meant running with your bike as it was not quite rideable.

Thinking in this way is quite different for us Aussies MTBOers but NZ’s Tim Robertson was in his element cutting through at every opportunity to take the gold medal in M20. Apparently he spent a lot of time running with his bike and using more typical foot O techniques. Angus Robinson had another good ride to finish best of the Aussie team in 19th place.

Carolyn Jackson was really showing her class with a commanding victory in W50 with a 5:36 margin to second place. Despite feeling off-colour during the training week, she was showing no mercy to her rivals. Marquita Gelderman continued her winning ways in W40 with another clear victory. Peter Cusworth recovered from a tentative ride in the Sprint to take the Bronze medal in M60.

After a rest day the Long Distance event awaited. The course setters had got creative with their courses to get the best out of the map and included multiple loops through a common spectator control which was next to the Finish shute for the final time through. Courses also had “A” and “B” variations so that riders were on different sequences of the loops, and all of these things added considerably to the complexity of the event requiring utmost concentration throughout.

Angus Robinson rode well again with another top 20 finish coming home in 17th place. Tim Robertson finished just out of the medals this time in 5th place.

Alex Randall had his best ride of the carnival with 36th place in what was his final individual event in the Elite World Champs after riding at the very first World Champs in 2002.

Carolyn Jackson continued her winning ways to complete her successful defence of all three W50 titles taking out the Long Distance by over 10 minutes! A remarkable achievement over a quality and experienced field. Add the gold from the Mixed Relay, and an impressive haul of 4 gold medals to take home.

SPRINT M20 1 Sandberg Oskar 2 Robertson Tim 3 Vanhanen Konsta 3 Rantala Aleksi 10 Robinson Angus 33 Jackson Tim 43 Withers Karl M21 1 Kvale Hans Jorgen 1 Foliforov Anton 3 Medvedev Grigory 51 Firman Chris 75 Randall Alex W40 1 Marquita Gelderman W50 1 Carolyn Jackson M50 29 Tony Howes M60 4 Rob Garden 7 Peter Cusworth 11 David Firman M70 9 Barry Huntington

SWE NZL FIN FIN AUS AUS AUS

20:18 20:21 20:27 20:27 22:02 24:07 25:39

NOR RUS RUS AUS AUS

21:46 21:46 21:52 25:36 29:32

NZL

22.21

AUS 20.18 AUS

28.47

NZL 24.22 AUS 26.58 AUS 30.14 AUS 38.42

MIDDLE M20 1 Robertson Tim NZL 2 Kiselev Vladislav RUS 3 Chernykh Viacheslav RUS 19 Robinson Angus AUS 39 Jackson Tim AUS 51 Withers Karl AUS M21 1 Gritsan Ruslan RUS 2 Hradil Jiri CZE 3 Foliforov Anton RUS 52 Firman Chris AUS 69 Randall Alex AUS W40 1 Marquita Gelderman NZL W50 1 Carolyn Jackson AUS M50 50 Tony Howes AUS M60 3 Peter Cusworth AUS 6 Rob Garden NZL 17 David Firman AUS M70 9 Barry Huntington AUS

LONG M20 1 Waldmann Andreas 2 Blomster Anders 3 Kiselev Vladislav 5 Robertson Tim 17 Robinson Angus 32 Withers Karl 41 Jackson Tim M21 1 Foliforov Anton 2 Fuchs Baptiste 3 Hradil Jiri 36 Randall Alex 40 Firman Chris W40 3 Marquita Gelderman W50 1 Carolyn Jackson M50 35 Tony Howes M60 2 Rob Garden 3 Peter Cusworth David Firman M70 11 Barry Huntington

AUT FIN RUS NZL AUS AUS AUS

88:34 95:21 95:37 97:18 104:25 111:24 122:10

RUS FRA CZE AUS AUS

110:18 112:02 112:22 129:54 132:22

NZL 102.07 AUS 80.52 AUS 142.13 NZL 107.46 AUS 108.59 AUS mp AUS 142.45

44:33 45:41 46:29 51:13 60:42 76:19 55:20 55:51 56:23 67:47 72:48 45.31 40.39 83.25 56.32 58.19 69.49 99.50 Top: Angus Robinson crossing the bridge during the Sprint race via the ramp. Above: Chris Firman using the stairs. Photos: Piotr Siliniewicz

After an early mistake, Peter Cusworth rode solidly to get back into the medals and finished in third place to claim his second Bronze for the Champs. He had a good battle with Rob Garden who got in just ahead of him to take silver. Marquita was unfortunate in losing time on a track that the purple line partly obscured. She finished with a Bronze in W40 after a successful week of riding.

The Relay was held in an interesting forest/urban area on the edge of Białystok. We had an M20 team of Angus, Tim and Karl, while Carolyn joined Chris and Alex to make an M21 team.

Unfortunately both teams suffered mp’s so a disappointing end to the Championships.

Personally I found the forests in Poland great fun to ride (except for the nettles!) and the courses were some of the best I’ve ever done. Challenging and demanding, but rewarding to complete.

DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 39

MTBO

That’s it...

I’m done That’s what Alex Randall said to me when chatting to him just after he finished the Long Distance race at the World Champs in Poland in August.

I wasn’t quite sure whether he was referring to how he was feeling just after finishing the race – there was a short, steep climb to the finish line, in full view of the spectators at the end of a pretty long ride – but no, Alex was referring to his long and distinguished career as the mainstay of Australia’s World Champs MTBO team.

Alex (right) with Adrian Jackson and Tom Walter after winning the Relay Bronze medal in Australia, 2004.

Climbing the final hill to finish the Long race in Poland this year.

Photo: Peter Cusworth

During the Long race in Estonia in 2013

Story & interview by Peter Cusworth Alex’s results at World MTBO Championships

M

any others have come and gone from our World Champs team, but Alex Randall has nearly always been there, and at most championships, he has managed to record at least one truly world class ride, usually in the Long Distance final.

There have been 12 World MTBO Championships since the first in France in 2002, and Alex has been to all but two. He decided not to go to the 2009 Championships in Israel, and had to withdraw from the 2012 team due to injury.

There was a two year gap between the first two world champs and in that “between” year of 2003, Alex scored possibly his best individual MTBO result winning a Silver medal in a World Cup race in Poland. His only World Champs medal was a Bronze in the Relay in Australia in 2004 with Adrian Jackson and Tom Walter. The team finished one second off silver!

Like most of us, Alex started out as a Foot Orienteer and spent much of his teenage and twenties years contesting orienteering events at the pointy end. He made the Australian JWOC team in 1992 in Finland and was reserve for the team in 1990 in Sweden.

Persistent leg injuries turned him into a bike rider and he took to MTBO with great enthusiasm and success. His commitment, training and overall preparation was evident from the start.

Alex’s bikes and all of the bling bits on them have always been a good way to see the latest trends in mountain biking in action.

The newest, lightest, potentially fastest piece of equipment would soon adorn whatever frame he happened to have at that time, and his bikes are always beautifully maintained.

40 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

2002 Fontainebleau, France Short: 36th out of 116 Long: 12th out of 115 Relay: Aus 8th with G Lebbink & T Walter 2004 Ballarat, Australia Middle: 36/116 Relay: Aus 3rd with A Jackson & T Walter 2005 Banska Bystrica, Slovakia Middle: 61/130 Long final: 14th (top 60 qualify) Relay: Aus 7th with Adrian Jackson & Anthony Darr 2006 Joensuu, Finland Middle: 17/115 Long final: 35 (top 60 qualify) 2007 Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic Sprint: 14/83 Middle: 63/110 Long final: 18 (top 60 qualify) Relay: 15th with Paul Darvodelsky & David Simpfendorfer

2008 Ostróda, Poland Sprint:50/77 Middle: 21/93 Long final: 13 (top 60 qualify) Relay: 11th with Paul Darvodelsky & Adrian Jackson 2010 Montalegre, Portugal Sprint: 33/77 Middle: 21/93 Long final: 27 (top 60 qualify) 2011 Vicenza, Veneto, Italy Sprint: 65/87 Middle: mp Long final: 20 (top 60 qualify) Relay: 12th with Steven Cusworth & Oscar Phillips 2013 Rakvere, Estonia Sprint: 49/91 Middle: 43/93 Long final: 19 2014 Bialystok, Poland Sprint: 75/93 Middle: 69/94 Long final: 36

Now on the “other” side of 40, Alex can retire from the elite international MTBO scene with a particularly impressive record that he should be well proud of. Our national team will miss his presence as he is still our most consistent performer.

Alex won a silver medal at the World Cup race in Poland in 2003. Above: on the podium. Right: During the race.

Interview with Alex Randall 1. Of the 10 World MTBO Championships you’ve been to, is there one that is a favourite?

Well, the Aussie one is a great one to have been part of, and not only because it featured my only medal at World champs. I had injured my back quite badly earlier in the year and there was a possibility that I wouldn’t be able to ride or work again, much less compete in that particular race. It was so relieving to be able to get back into a position to be able to be an athlete again, and be able to race in front of the ‘home crowd’.

2. Which race do you feel was your best performance at a World Champs?

The long race in Poland in 2008 and perhaps even France 2002 I think gave me one of my better results place wise.

But the long in Estonia in 2013 was perhaps my most clean race. I only missed, I think, two route choices and made no errors in execution in a very long race.

well into their 40s......even start in their 40s. Now the winners and top 10 are purely dedicated MTB orienteers – most likely full-time athletes and well supported.

I remember early races where you could get away with a few minutes errors and not pushing to your maximum. Now you have to drive hard the whole way and be clean. It’s the way a worlds should be now, but it’s taken a few years to build up to this depth internationally.

4. You’ve competed in all sorts of bike events – what is it you like about MTBO? For me, I can still think at very close to the speed that I ride a regular MTB race at. Going to MTB XC or similar I’m good in my age group, but not at all close to elite at any time. This changes when you have to navigate. All the fast guys had to slow down a bit to get around a MTBO race.

3. Having competed in nearly all World Champs, do you feel the Champs are better now? Is the competition getting harder?

5. For more than a decade you have been training through Melbourne winters to be race fit for World Champs around August.

How was that? Will you take it easier through winter 2015?

It is a true world champs now. In the early days the oldies could get a look in. Beat Okle, Mika Tervala and guys like Paul Darvodelsky could race on

Well, I did spend a bit of time overseas before the worlds usually. So I got to escape the worst of winter of course!!

Plus I have a great asset – the ability to

ride intervals effectively on a stationary trainer. This kept me out of the worst of the rain/cold.

But next year I have already got plans for a similar trip to this one...... but with my road bike this time, and a shift to Masters road cycling – something I have already been doing with Eastern Vets for the last few years for speed training during the summer. Chris Ellenby from Yarra Valley also races with Eastern.

6. How do you see elite MTBO progressing in Australia in the coming years? Any thoughts on things we should improve on?

The big issue is participation, and there is no easy fix there. It is a vicious circle, with a small sport not putting on many events, and therefore the elites we do have not getting enough competition.

Then the size of our country makes it hard to even get to local events, so newcomers aren’t encouraged that way either.

7. Are you going to continue racing elite in Aus MTBO events?

Yes, I still love MTBO, and don’t plan to stop.

8. Any desire to compete in World Masters MTBO in the future?

Perhaps. Maybe once a few years have gone by and some more of the older international elites move on.

DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 41

2015 AUS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Volunteers WITHOUT VOLUNTEERS, SPORT IN AUSTRALIA COULD NOT SURVIVE. HOW DO WE, THE SPORT SECTOR, DEVELOP EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES TO RETAIN AND ATTRACT NEW VOLUNTEERS?

T

he Australian Sport Commission, through its National Sport Research organization, recently released a study into the role of volunteers in sport.

A summary document available on the Clearinghouse for Sport website https://secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse provides some information gleaned from the study. Much of what follows is contained in the Summary report.

The ASC identified a need to undertake research among the Australian population in order to develop targeted and effective volunteer recruitment and retention strategies.

The primary purpose of the Market Segmentation for Volunteers study across Australians aged 14-75 years was to identify the core set of attitudes, motivators, needs and barriers that underpin Australians’ decisions to volunteer in sport (including at club level and other types of sports related volunteering) as compared to other voluntary activities, and to use this information to develop a needs-based market segmentation model of Australian sports volunteers.

The segmentation across the whole Australian population resulted in the identification of 10 segments based on differences in attitudes to volunteering and current volunteering behaviour: • Five volunteer (including but not limited to sport volunteers) segments: Happy Helpers, Community Committed, Opportunists, Altruists and Overcommitted; and • Five non-volunteer segments: Occupied Observers, Sidelined, Self Servers, Well Intentioned, Uninvolved.

Reports on each of the volunteer categories are also available.

The research indicates that across all sports we are doing some things really well, with nearly all club volunteers reporting they were satisfied with their experience (89% extremely or somewhat satisfied) while 92% of club sport volunteers are likely to continue volunteering in club sport in the next 12 months.

The study also provides key insights for the sport sector to better understand their volunteer workforce and how they might need to manage them into the future, such as: • Being able to distinguish the main motivations and barriers for volunteering in sport as compared to those who might consider volunteering in other more charity based activities; • Recognising that people who volunteer in sport generally have a direct connection to the sport either through themselves, their children or other family members and friends; • Reaffirming the retention of current volunteers as being the most cost effective means to maintain the ‘sport delivery workforce’; • Understanding the biggest challenge for sports is providing volunteering opportunities and engaging with individuals that matches their life-stage - from being a teen, to a young adult starting university or work, to starting a family right through their retirement years.

When club sport volunteers are looked at in isolation, ‘Happy Helpers’ and ‘Community Committed’ are the dominant segments.

42 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

‘Community Committed’ make up one third (34%) of club sport volunteers, with a further one third (33%) being ‘Happy Helpers’.

‘Opportunists’ are the smallest proportion, making up only 9% of club sport volunteers.

Within the ‘Happy Helpers’ and the ‘Overcommitted’, the challenge is to maintain those volunteering in club sport throughout the life stage where they are participating in the sport or have a child participating in the sport. Similarly, acquisition within these two segments requires an overt effort on behalf of clubs to clearly ask and demonstrate the need for roles that do not require significant skill and commitment: the ‘every little bit helps’ principle.

Providing a sense of recognition of having used their time productively is also essential.

One of the challenges for the ‘Community Committed’ segment who are already volunteering within clubs is to ensure their loyalty and commitment to the clubs does not intimidate newcomers, and that they identify that while not everyone can make the same commitment they do, there are ways that less committed, less knowledgeable volunteers may still be able to help.

The ‘Self Servers’, ‘Sidelined’ and ‘Occupied Observers’ are the key segments for acquisition of new volunteers. ‘Self Servers’ may be encouraged to volunteer in sport if they gain a tangible personal benefit of some kind, such as skills and work experience. The ‘Sidelined’ like sport and may be encouraged to volunteer in club sport if they can identify a role that fits in with their physical capability and other commitments. The ‘Occupied Observer’ will be encouraged to be involved in club sport through their child’s participation.

Acquisition of those involved and participating in sport (themselves or their child) is possible. Make use of strategies such as buddy systems, and clearly defined roles or short lived roles that do not require considerable commitment will assist in getting some involved. Capitalise on the social motivations to volunteer amongst sport volunteers, many just need to be asked and invited in to the club.

Those current club sport volunteers who are likely to continue volunteering in club sport will do so for the enjoyment of having a role to play in the sport club and organisation (51%), and / or because of their child’s continued involvement (50%).

The research found that 23% of Australians aged 14-75 years stated they were likely or extremely likely to volunteer in club sport in the next 12 months. With three in four (73%) of those likely to volunteer in club sport in the next 12 months coming from those not currently volunteering in club sport, there is also clear potential for acquisition.

Future volunteering in club sport is strongly linked to life stage.

Overall, families are the most likely to volunteer in club sport in the next 12 months, with half (51%) of those likely to volunteer in club sport in the next 12 months having children at home under 21 years.

Clearly, there is potential for Orienteering to recruit volunteers who are not at present involved in the sport. But, as the report emphasises, retaining current volunteers is by far the most “cost effective” way of maintaining a high level of excellence in administering our sport and in delivering top class events.

People who understand Orienteering make the best volunteers in our sport. So, for those who may remain in the sport but stop volunteering, or those who leave the sport altogether, how can we retain them by making their volunteering a more pleasurable, rewarding and fulfilling experience?

That is the question we must answer.

Acquisition from outside of sport involvement is much more difficult as without an interest or connection to the sport, people are highly unlikely to want to volunteer their time.

Self-interested emotional motivations are the most prevalent for the sport club volunteer, with many volunteering to support / be a role model for child, family or friends; because they have to be at the venue anyway (playing or watching family play); and to feel part of the sport association or organisation.

However, these volunteers are also more likely to have some experiential or tangible motivations over other volunteers fun / enjoyment, social reasons, and shaping how the club / organisation operates and ensuring it continues.

Lack of a cause that people are interested in or passionate about is one of the key reasons for not volunteering in any activity (followed by lack of time and fear of commitment). The greatest barrier to sport volunteering is not having a direct involvement or interest in the sport, and this highlights that participation is key (either their own or their child’s).

Unlike volunteering generally, sport volunteering and particularly club sport volunteering, is strongly skewed to families. Some 77% of club sport volunteers are aged between 35-54 years, compared to 49% of volunteers in sport outside of clubs and 30% of volunteers outside of sport.

The research found that 55% of club sport volunteers filled ‘general support’ roles. This was followed by fundraising (45%), being a scorer or timekeeper (37%), canteen/ bar duties (35%), being a committee member or administrator (31%), being a coach, instructor or teacher (28%) or being a referee (22%).

Seasonal club sport volunteering was the most common (58%).

That said, nearly one in four (24%) reported volunteering in club sport all year round.

Regardless of whether volunteering was seasonal or year round, most club sport volunteers (64-67%) volunteered at least weekly.

This research also indicated that club sport volunteers spend some significant time volunteering with half (52%) of weekly club sport volunteers giving more than 10 hours a week.

Custom O Tops & Bike Jerseys from $45* each For clubs, teams, special events or individuals, feel a part of it in your custom made top.

We can design something for you, or use your own design.

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Contact: Peter Cusworth peter@worthcycling.com Ph 0409 797 023 DECEMBER 2014 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.

EVENTOR Murray Hanna (Bayside Kangaroos, VIC)

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any of the sentiments expressed by Dorothy Adrian (Australian Orienteer - September 2014) ring true with me, especially those referring to Eventor.

My experience of Eventor is this: 1. I myself missed one Bush-O event because I (mistakenly) thought you had to use Eventor to enter, and that we all had to pre-enter, but I couldn’t work out how to use it. At the time, I was disgusted that Orienteering had become an exclusive club which required you to know how to enter before you were able to enter; 2. Since then, I have heard one club-mate say, in so many words, that he will not be returning to competitive orienteering (after a long break), because he had a look at Eventor, and decided it was too hard; 3. This year, I haven’t seen another one of my club-mates at bush-O at all, and I do know that he had had quite a lot of trouble trying to use Eventor to pre-enter (and sometimes failing), last year.

to receive the weekly O-News email, so that he could find out what was coming up.

A couple of weeks later, Joe read in the O-News email that there was a “State Series”, near Taradale. “That sounds like a nice way to spend a day” he thought. He clicked on a link which took him straight to the event information in the Eventor calendar, where all the details were clearly displayed. Joe was a bit unsure about the courses – which one should he try? He decided to ring the organiser, whose phone number and email details were right there on the same page. They had a chat, and she convinced Joe to go for the Moderate course 7, rather than one of the Hard courses.

She explained how the advertised distance is not the “real” distance. “Do I need to enter beforehand?” asked Joe. “Well, preentries close tonight, to give us time to organise our map printing, but it’s fine for you to register when you arrive. We’ll have plenty of extra maps, particularly for the moderate and easy courses, as we always get quite a lot of people entering on the day. I’ll make sure there’s a map for you. And because it’s your first time, you’ll only need to pay the discounted Member rate”.

Joe printed off the driving instructions, packed his gear, and set off on a sunny July morning. When he arrived, he was shown where to park. It was only a short walk to Registration, where Joe was pleased to see Peter, along with many of the same people he’d seen at the MelBushO event. Peter took Joe to Registration, where Joe confirmed that his map was available, paid, and hired a compass and SPORTident stick, before being directed to the Start, about 50 metres away and visible through the trees. “Just follow the bright pink tapes” said Peter. “And take your Start Slip - it will let the start official know to give you a Course 7 map ”.

Peter went over a couple of basic skills with Joe and walked up

There has to be a better way. Personally, I’m going to think twice about taking part in bush-O events in the future. It’s so easy to rock up at the MelBushO events, and register, pay, and leave for the Start all within 30 seconds.

S cenario D – What REALLY happened to Joe Bloggs?

Debbie Dodd (Dandenong Ranges OC, VIC)

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oor old Joe Bloggs – his orienteering experiences as described in the Letters column (Australian Orienteer – September 2014) have been a very mixed bag. Under Scenario A, Joe set out on a wing and a prayer to find an event “somewhere near Castlemaine”. Fortunately this scenario is highly unlikely, given that organisers’ contact phone numbers and email are always clearly displayed above the map (which is “pinned” with much more precision than Scenario A suggested), and driving directions are provided in the information sheets, all very easy to find within a single click from the Eventor calendar, and always featured in the O-News bulletin and on the front page of the OV website in the leadup to an event.

As for Scenario B… I’d like to replace it with Scenario D, and tell you the real story about Joe Bloggs.

Joe came along to a local “MelBushO” event, after hearing about it from a friend. He was impressed with the organisation, and the friendly and helpful volunteers. One guy in particular (let’s call him Peter – there are several in every club) spent quite some time showing Joe how to orientate and interpret the map, how to use the SPORTident stick (“the kids would love this”, thought Joe, “I must bring them next time”), and even offered to go with Joe to the first couple of controls. Afterwards Joe saw that his result on the Moderate course was quite OK – he’d finished midfield, and that was with a couple of large errors. Peter found him afterwards and as they compared notes and enjoyed their oranges, they chatted about other Orienteering events on offer. Joe signed a list 44 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

VICTORINOX AWARD The Victorinox Award goes to Karen Blatchford for her photos and articles, particularly from JWOC. Karen will receive a Victorinox Handyman which includes 24 tools and features – retail value $119.

to the Start with him. “Remember” said Peter, “if you get stuck, follow the safety bearing west and you’ll come out on a wide dirt road; just turn left and follow that all the way back here.” Joe nodded – he’d read that on the Information handout and taken note. He also knew to check in at the Finish tent when he returned, even if he hadn’t managed to complete his course.

Joe was about three quarters of the way around his course and doing OK – he’d seen Peter a couple of times and given him the thumbs up. He was thoroughly enjoying being in the forest, seeing the traces of gold mining activity, a profusion of wildflowers, even spotting a few kangaroos, while learning more about spurs and gullies. He liked the feeling of being on his own – he could have been a world away from the stress of his everyday life. At the same time, it was reassuring to know that there were plenty of other people around if he did need help, and that the organisers would be monitoring their computer and looking out for his return.

a lot of people today are wearing some sort of club top, and you have a flag up.

Your club seems very friendly, and well organised - can I sign up?”

Joe is now a member of that club, and wears his new O-top with pride. He registered with Eventor, and loves the way he can check out the details for any event in Australia, all in one place.

Joe travels regularly for work, and he orienteers wherever he finds himself on the weekends, without the hassle of checking multiple websites or wrestling with a variety of entry systems. He can register and pay in a couple of minutes.

Joe has recently taken up Park & Street Orienteering to stay fit over summer, and has even offered to set a course for his club. He brings the family along sometimes – the kids have a ball, and his wife has made a lot of new friends amongst the power walkers. She even goes along to StreetO by herself when Joe is interstate.

Scenario D is certainly much closer to the real newcomer experience than Scenario B, which painted a bleak picture of grumpy, Joe Bloggs competing at a recent event. money-grabbing officials who think that newcomers are simply more trouble than they are worth. On the contrary, clubs and organisers work Suddenly, Joe realised that his compass was no longer there – he extremely hard to ensure both safety and enjoyment for ALL their recalled snagging the cord on a tree, but that must have been a competitors, but particularly for newcomers, who are always very while ago. He couldn’t remember where it happened. He was welcome and highly valued at any type of event, big or small. on a small track, which he’d taken to avoid crossing one of The exact same people who organise low key club events, are also those deep gullies (he’d noticed that Course 7 was set so that organising State Series and major Championships, and I’m sure difficult terrain could be avoided, even if it meant a longer route that is true right across Australia. via a track or following a watercourse). He didn’t feel confident In Victoria, organisers follow standardised procedures which enough to attempt his last few controls without the compass, so are readily available on the Association’s website. Most of those he decided to head back to the assembly area. Joe knew he could procedures are very similar, if not identical, regardless of the have used the sun, but the sky was cloudy now, so he studied his event size or format. Having written many of them myself, and map. Knowing that his little track went due south, he figured if he provided training for clubs, I can reassure all readers that our turned right and kept that long gully on his left for reassurance, newcomers would NEVER be: he would hit the big track that would bring him back to the • met with a “grim response” or “barked at” for not pre-entering; Finish. Just then, another competitor came past. “Everything OK?” we are delighted to have newcomers; she asked. “I think so”, replied Joe. “I’m heading out along this • charged $40 (OV policy is to charge first timers the member rate gully to the main track, and I’ll get myself in from there”. “OK – of approx. $20); I’ll let them know at the Finish that I’ve seen you, and that they should expect you in about 20 minutes”.

• told to use a compass to find the Start (I have personally never experienced this, and I have been to pretty much every Victorian “Hope they aren’t mad at me for losing the compass” Joe thought event in the last dozen years); ruefully. However, when he arrived back and reported in, he was greeted warmly. “Glad to see you back” they said. “We’re just • forced onto a Hard course (every organiser knows to ensure the checking the computer to see who else is still out”. “I lost the majority of their spare maps are for Moderate and Easy courses); compass” Joe confessed. “That’s OK, the main thing is that you’re • sent to the Start without confirming map availability (this is back safe and sound. Otherwise we would have had to send out a done at registration). search party – although we knew where to start looking, thanks to The organiser’s contact phone number field in Eventor is Jenny, who told us where she’d seen you”. “Oh” said Joe, “Do you mandatory when setting up an event in the calendar, so a have to do that often? Send out a search party I mean.” “Almost newcomer will always see this on the main information page. never – but just in case, we have a full emergency response plan.

In the Finish tent, we use our computerised system to keep careful The most important thing for us is to have everyone return safely. track of missing runners, particularly if they are inexperienced Why don’t you head over to the Junior Squad tent and get a cup rather than just “noticing they haven’t returned”. In fact, all of our of hot soup?” Joe was happy to forfeit his $15 deposit for the lost Entry, Start and Finish procedures are designed with this primary compass, and decided to invest in one of his own. After all, it aim foremost. We have comprehensive emergency response seemed he was going to be orienteering regularly. procedures. And we would NEVER berate a lost competitor in Afterwards, he spied Peter and they had a chat and a laugh. They the manner suggested – our number one concern is always for went over the map together, and Peter explained a couple of their wellbeing. We are all too aware how difficult it is to attract things Joe could have done differently. “There’s obviously lots to newcomers into Orienteering, and we do everything we can to learn” he reflected. “By the way” he continued, “I noticed that encourage them to continue.

DECEMBER 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 45

EVENTOR has made life better for most

Where are they now?

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David Jaffe (Melbourne Forest Racers, VIC)

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fter the letters in your last edition (September 2014) I wanted to assess whether Eventor has really made life better or worse. I was not involved with the selection of Eventor. However, we were the first to set up a national Carnival using it (Easter 2013) and therefore saw how this change impacted the Orienteering community. I know many found it hard but I think the pain of change was worthwhile.

However I need to dispel some myths.

Your previous letters implied that Eventor can’t provide contact details for organisers, can’t provide written travel instructions or allow non-electronic payment. It can do all those things.

It’s easy to give the organisers’ name, phone number and email address. You can add written travel instructions and attach flyers. So it’s up to organisers to “over supply” information. Eventor has ways to handle manual payments so it doesn’t force electronic payment. OA has invested in a range of help and support mechanisms for organisers and entrants if people want it.

So where has Eventor left us? It’s terrific that we have a single calendar showing events all over Australia. Imagine what a great impression that must provide any potential orienteer. Organisers can use a common system to set up events and it saves hours of work with simpler interfaces to the other systems like SPORTident. In my experience it takes less than an hour to set up an event and it takes me less than ten minutes to enter my family per event and pay. I love not having to enter things like SI details time after time.

Without logging in you can use the calendar to see what is on, get all details, see who has entered and get results. So there are no barriers for those researching the sport or for those who are new. I think potential Orienteers expect us to have a system like Eventor. After all, the next generation of Orienteers want everything to be electronic.

While some feel that the system was foisted on them, we need to share investments like this and collaborate more. This saves work for many volunteers and the system itself is a time saver. Clearly some still resent the change, but on balance I think Orienteering Australia made a good investment. Now it’s up to us to use Eventor in the best way and help and support each other.

46 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2014

O-SPY Orienteering Service of Australia

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alph Koch has taken over OSoA. Better known for his MTBO mapboards Ralph has now taken on the OSoA business first started many years ago by Tom Andrews. One of the many items in the OSoA catalogue is Wilf Holloway’s book “Murder at The 14th Control”.

ave those people responsible for orienteering equipment ever wondered what happens to those signs that disappear over the years? In a recent clean up of the ACT orienteering equipment, we unearthed a novel use for a direction road sign. It appears to be from the mid-1990’s.

Now the question is - where are they now?

John Scown (ACT) [Ed:- John Lewis of Red Kangaroos was another participant, but probably didn’t write his name on the board, also Keith Pryor (RK), Gordon Quantock (ACT) and Ian Baker (Bayside). Other names seem to have been lost in the mists of time.]

Contact Ralph Koch: Orienteering Service of Australia www.osoa.com.au PO Box 41, Hurstbridge VIC 3099 Phone: 03 9714 8540 Mobile: 0419 577 514 A Division of Koch Industries P/L ABN 74 879 209 652

Warning - 54% of athletes that tested positive in 2013 were for a prohibited substance found in supplements

B

en McDevitt, CEO of Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency (ASADA) recently contacted sports bodies with important messages on supplement use stating that ‘More than half of the Australian athletes banned from sport in 2013 tested positive to a prohibited stimulant found within a supplement product. We really want athletes to get the message

- if they use supplements containing prohibited substances they are risking their health, career and reputation.

Since 2010 a total of 39 Australian athletes have received bans of up to two years for testing positive to a prohibited stimulant that was contained within a supplement product.’

TOP EVENTS 2014

2016 Dec 26-28

Dec 27-31

Dates tba

WARM-UP for TASSIE near Castlemaine, Victoria www.vicorienteering.asn.au/events/ bush/WUFT/ XMAS 5 Days Sydney NSW. www.onsw.asn.au/ xmas-5-days-2014

July 9-16

July 16-23

July 17-23

July 24-30 Dates tba Aug 20-28 2015 Jan 2-11

Jan 13-16

April 3-6

June 26-28

July 1-5 July 2-6

July 5-12

June 8-14

ICE-O 2015 Reykjavik, Iceland www.natloc.org MTBO 5 days 2015 Pilsen, Czech Republic NATLOC 2015 Nuuk, Greenland www.natloc.org JWOC 2015 Rauland, Norway www.jwoc2015.org WMMTBOC 2015 Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal O-Ringen 2015 Borås, Sweden. www.oringen.se

July 25 Aug 1

WMOC 2015 Gothenburg, Sweden www.wmoc2015sweden.se

Aug 1-7

WOC 2015 Inverness, Scotland www.woc2015.org Scottish 6 Days 2015 Inverness, Scotland www.scottish6days.com/2015 WMTBOC, JWMTBOC 2015 Liberec, Czech Republic www.wmtboc2015.cz AUS Championships Carnival 2015 Ballarat region, Victoria www.vicorienteering.asn.au AUS MTBO Championships Anglesea, Victoria www.ausmtbochamps.com

Aug 14-23

Sept 26Oct 4 Nov 7-8

O-Ringen 2016 Sälen, Dalarna, Sweden. www.oringen.se WMTBOC, JWMTBOC 2016 Aveiro-Coimbra, Portugal WMOC 2016 Tallinn, Estonia www.orienteerumine.ee/wmoc2016 WOC 2016 Stromstad – Tanum, Sweden www.woc2016.se/en/

Oceania Championships 2015 & World Cup, Tasmania oceania2015.com The Hobart Shorts near Hobart, Tasmania oceania2015.com Australian 3 Days Carnival 2015 Jamestown, 200km N of Adelaide South Australia

July 18-24

Aug 2-8

JWOC 2016 Engadin, Switzerland 5th Tour O Swiss Switzerland www.tour-o-swiss.ch Swiss O Week 2016 Engadin, Switzerland

2017 April 21-30

WMOC 2017 New Zealand www.worldmastersgames2017. co.nz/en/ July 1-7 WOC 2017 Otepää, Estonia www.orienteerumine.ee/woc2017/ July 9-16 JWOC 2017 Tampere, Finland July 9-16 FIN5 2017 Tampere, Finland July 16-22 O-Ringen 2017 Arvika, Värmland, Sweden. www.oringen.se August 3-13 The World Games Wroclaw, Poland August 20-27 WMTBOC 2017 Vilnius, Lithuania

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