The Australian Orienteer – March 2021

MA RC H 2 0 2 1

ISSUE no.

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200

WINNING PARTNERSHIP

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

Orienteering Australia has worked closely with Sport Australia to develop orienteering from community participation to high-level performance.

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

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ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA

The President’s Page BLAIR TREWIN

W

e enter the new year hoping for a better year in Orienteering, as in many other aspects of life. At the moment the signs look encouraging for us to, at least, have a reasonably normal local events program this year (national events are a bit more at the mercy of pandemic events), and I am sure many of you are looking forward to it – especially those of us who didn’t get too many opportunities to get out into the bush last year.

We can be pleased at how well we managed to weather the challenges of 2020. This owed something to our National and State organisations going into last year in a sound position, and a lot to the work that was done to keep things moving, and the creativity that was sometimes deployed to keep things happening. As in our outside lives, 2020 forced us to embrace technological change that might otherwise have taken years to penetrate; in our case, the ability to run events virtually through MapRun and other online apps. Whilst our organised events will probably largely return to what they were, eventually, this leaves us an even stronger base for exploiting the full potential for having events available to run any time – important for engaging those people who are out there to exercise rather than compete.

All of us have missed out on a lot in the last year, but particularly those with international aspirations. Unless the situation in Europe improves faster than it looks like doing at the time of writing, we’re probably looking at a second year in which it’s not possible for Australian-based athletes to compete internationally, which is a significant hole in an elite career. We hope that, at least, it will be possible to run a full domestic National League season in 2021, and perhaps to compete more with New Zealand if the opportunity arises.

One of the many things which didn’t happen in 2020 was the OA annual conference. In its place, we ran a series of topic-specific workshops, which attracted a lot of interest and were valuable in allowing in-depth discussion for a lot of subjects which don’t always get the chance for in-depth discussions. Technology makes it much easier to bring our committees (or equivalent) together than was once the case, when we relied on a single meeting each year at Easter, and also makes it easier for OA to play one of its most important roles – that of facilitating the sharing of best practice between the States. If an idea works well in one State, it’s probably going to work well in most other States too.

It is going to be a significant year in the governance of Orienteering Australia. By the time you read this we will have considered a new constitution (which shouldn’t have too much effect on the average orienteer but is important for us as an organisation going forward).

We will also have several new faces on the Board, through both existing vacancies, and Bruce Bowen and myself reaching our maximum terms under the new constitution, assuming it passes. If you are interested in playing a role in the direction that orienteering in Australia takes into the future, we would definitely welcome you as one of those new faces (and we are especially interested in female and younger candidates, to get a perspective from across the orienteering community).

Finally, as you will read elsewhere in this magazine, Mike Hubbert is in the process of stepping down as Editor. Mike has been closely involved in the sport for more than 50 years, since the first Victorian events were run, and has made a great contribution across a range of areas, not least in his editorial role for the last 17 years. He has definitely earned his retirement and we thank him for his service.

SC-ORE – Black Mountain Peninsula, Nov 2020 – PhotosByTom.com.au MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 3

AOC 2021 - AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEERING CHAMPIONSHIPS

TO BE CONFIRMED Australian Orienteering Championships 2021 – Sept 25-Oct 3 – Launceston & St Helens, Tasmania Australian Schools Orienteering Championships 2021 – Sept 28-30 – St Helens, Tasmania Turbo Chook 3 Days 2021 – Sept 28-30 – St Helens, Tasmania

2021 Round 1

March 13-14

Harcourt/Creswick Vic – Eureka Challenge - Sprint, Middle, Long (JWOC and WOC trials)

Round 2

April 2-5

Molong NSW – Easter 3 Day – Sprint, Middle, Long, multi-day (JWOC and WOC trials)

Round 3

April 24-25

Renmark SA – Middle, Long (WOC trials).

Round 4

May 15-16

Broulee NSW (ACT event) – chasing start Middle, Relay

Proudly supported by WILDFIRE SPORTS

4 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

w w w. o r i e n t e e r i n g . a s n . a u Orienteering Australia PO Box 3379, North Strathfield, NSW 2137 eo@orienteering.asn.au President Blair Trewin president@orienteering.asn.au Director High Performance Stephen Craig stephen@orienteering.asn.au Director Finance Bruce Bowen finance@orienteering.asn.au Director Technical Jenny Casanova technical@orienteering.asn.au Director Media & Communications vacant

Director International (IOF Council) Mike Dowling international@orienteering.asn.au Director Bill Jones directorbill@orienteering.asn.au Executive Officer Paul Prudhoe eo@orienteering.asn.au National MTBO Coordinator Kay Haarsma mtbo@orienteering.asn.au OA Head Coach Jim Russell headcoach@orienteering.asn.au High Performance Administrator Fredrik Johansson hpadmin@orienteering.asn.au Manager Coach Development vacant National Sporting Schools Coordinator Jim Mackay sportingschools@orienteering.asn.au Coach & Controller Accreditation Jim Mackay accreditation@orienteering.asn.au Badge Applications John Oliver 68 Amaroo Street, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650

0418 287 694 0413 849 309 02 6288 8501 0427 605 167

0418 287 694 08 8337 0522 0411 125 178

0407 467 345 0407 467 345

STATE ASSOCIATIONS Orienteering Queensland: PO Box 114 Spring Hill QLD 4004. Secretary: David Firman secretary@oq.asn.au Orienteering NSW: PO Box 3379 North Strathfield NSW 2137. Admin Officer: John Murray, Ph. (02) 8736 1252 admin@onsw.asn.au Orienteering ACT: PO Box 402 Jamison Centre ACT 2614. Secretary: Stephen Goggs, Ph. (02) 6162 3422 office@act.orienteering.asn.au Orienteering Victoria: PO Box 1010 Templestowe VIC 3106. Secretary: Aislinn Prendergast secretary@vicorienteering.asn.au Orienteering SA: 1 Windsor Rd, Glenside SA 5065. Sec: Erica Diment 0408 852 313 secretary@sa.orienteering.asn.au Orienteering Western Australia: PO Box 234 Subiaco WA 6904. Secretary: Eleanor Sansom, oawa.secretary@gmail.com Orienteering Tasmania: Secretary: Julian Roscoe secretary@tasorienteering.asn.au Top End Orienteers (Northern Territory): PO Box 39152 Winnellie NT 0821. Secretary: Susanne Casanova topendorienteersNT@gmail.com

NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE

April 16. Time-sensitive: April 23

ISSN 0818-6510 Issue 1/21 (no. 200) MARCH 2021

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, (100023602 for NSW).

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, 1154 Burwood Hwy Upper Ferntree Gully.

Contribution deadline: April 16; Time-sensitive – April 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; MTBO – Kay Haarsma; Official News – Paul Prudhoe.

Contributions welcome, either directly or via State editorial contacts.

Prior consultation is suggested before preparing major contributions.

Guidelines 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 – ericadiment@adam.com.au – tel: 0408 852 313 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.

Delivery is airmail, there is no seamail option. Please send payment in Australian dollars by bank draft or international postal order, or pay direct

by Visa or Mastercard. Quote full card number and expiry date.

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

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

CONTENTS T H E P R E S I D E N T ’ S P A G E.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 I S S U E N O 2 0 0 .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 M E L B O U R N E C I T Y R A C E.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 “J E F F ” C A R T O O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 CONTROL DESCRIPTIONS........................... 14 MAPLINK............................................... 18 RADIO CORONA ...................................... 24 R O B S I M S O N M E M O R I A L S E AT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 YOUNG MAPPERS SHINE............................ 29 N U T R I T I O N .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 TRAINING.............................................. 34 M T B O N E W S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 6 BOSS MTBO SERIES................................. 38 I O F N E W S.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 0 L E T T E R S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1 OA NEWS.............................................. 42 S P O T T H E D I F F E R E N C E .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3 O - S P Y.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 TOP EVENTS........................................... 47 Cover photo: ACT O-Sprint, Jan 2021, Justine Hobson, Bushflyers ACT. Photo: Tom de Jongh – PhotosByTom.com.au MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 5

ISSUE no.

200 With just four or six issues each year it has taken some time for The Australian Orienteer to reach number 200. Since the magazine was introduced in 1979 a lot of water has flowed under the bridge, many controls have been punched, many courses completed, and Orienteering itself has changed from being essentially a navigation sport in the bush to suburban events, city races, Sprint, MTBO, electronic punching, virtual courses and virtual controls. In fact, the adrenaline rush we get from spotting those orange & white flags has virtually disappeared at many events these days.

To mark the milestone we asked the three Editors to look back over their time in the chair.

EDITORS: Ian Baker: ......................... June 1979 – November 1985 David Hogg: ..................... February 1986 – March 1997 Ian Baker: ......................... June 1997 – June 2004 Michael Hubbert: ............. September 2004 – current

6 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER

THE FIRST EDITOR lan Baker

A

s Orienteering got going in Australia there was a need for an occasional newsletter to give news of upcoming events; at this time there was a bush event just once a month, though they soon became more frequent. As time went by the newsletter got bigger, we needed more copies for the growing membership. At Action Printing in Melbourne, Lawrie Barnett and his assistant Connie provided a more professional service and the newsletter became an A5 size publication with photos and other illustrations, published six times a year.

would take my layout and assemble it into artwork which I then checked before printing plates were made. I never kept a tally of the many hours this entailed – the answer might have frightened me.

Oct 1985 cover – World Championships in Bendigo.

June-July 1979 – the first issue.

By the end of 2020, Ian Baker had completed 2386 events as competitor, organiser or course-setter.

The content expanded. There were feature articles on all sorts of things to do with Orienteering and related topics. Louie the Fly ( John Lewis) and I had founded the O-Gear shop in the expectation of becoming incredibly rich as just about everyone in Australia took up the new sport; we had a regular page to promote our sales. We also were successful in attracting some advertising to help cover the costs of the newsletter

After the 1985 World Championships based in Bendigo, Victoria, I was feeling burned out. As well as managing the magazine I provided coming event details to the major Melbourne newspapers and results summaries of Sunday bush events. I also had a regular spot on “Sports Roundup” in drive time on ABC radio which was repeated on Saturday “Grandstand”. I was happy to hand over to David Hogg, not knowing that I would return some years later.

Our strategy was to publish a 36-page issue within our budget, with any additional funds from advertisements used to print extra pages and some in colour. We retained a surplus to smooth out any cost increases to members.

In the interests of full transparency the magazine had its own separate bank account and financial reports We managed to pull in some advertising.

SILVA was always a supporter through Tom Andrews. Ansvar Insurance came in too as part of a sponsorship package. These underwrote the introduction of some colour pages. Later, Warren and Tash Key came in with the Melbourne Bicycle Centre.

Tom Andrews, the founding father of Orienteering in Australia and by now the Australian agent for SILVA compasses, and I used to lunch together. Over a steak and a few beers we came up with the idea to develop the Victorian newsletter into a national magazine, The Australian Orienteer.

The economics would only work if we could build circulation by convincing States to take part, giving us economies of scale. We prepared a business plan and took it to the Orienteering Federation of Australia, the assembly of all States and the ACT and NT.

In 1979 we launched the first issue of The Australian Orienteer. We had a more substantial printer by this time but it was still long before the age of the personal computer and associated publishing and design programs. I used to receive galleys (long strips) of type which I laid out on the dining room table to make a rough layout with photos and other illustrations. The printer

In 1997 I returned as Editor with an honorarium paid, though nowhere near commercial rates. The policy was “Be a good read/be on time/be financial.” The magazine was to be a ‘cost centre’, a ‘business’ owned by the Members with its own accounts, budgets etc. subject to overall OA review by the OA VP, mostly Bob Mouatt. The annual budget was approved by OA and administered by the Editor with essential accounting support

by Kathy Liley (VIC) who managed the magazine finances for many years.

The first issue of Ian’s second term as Editor, Winter 1997, with Rob Walter on the cover.

MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 7

THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER

While the content varied widely, during my eleven years as Editor the general appearance of the magazine changed only slightly, maintaining the same masthead that Ian Baker had used in the original issue. Towards the end of that period, I could see the potential for ‘jazzing up’ the magazine, but lacked the time, graphic skills and resources to put that idea into practice.

When Ian resumed the position of Editor, I was pleased to see him and Peter Cusworth rejuvenate the magazine in a fresh and more adventurous style.

A CHANGE IN DIRECTION David Hogg

A

t the end of 1985, like many others who had been heavily involved in organising the World Orienteering Championships in Bendigo, I needed a break from major event organisation but still wanted to contribute to Orienteering at the national level. For several years, Ian Baker had been looking unsuccessfully for someone to take over as Editor and seemed delighted when during 1985 I offered to relieve him at the end of the year.

Some orienteers were surprised by my change in direction, but I found it quite a natural challenge to take on. I had previous experience in writing, editing and publishing and, as a sideline to my consulting business, operated a typing service with very competent staff. That proved a major asset in the days before email when all copy, whether handwritten or typed, had to be retyped and put onto floppy disks for the printer. As technology advanced, we moved to desktop publishing, making the layout process more efficient, but still requiring the printer to screen and insert the photographs to achieve a suitable quality.

My overriding philosophy for The Australian Orienteer was to make it a publication which orienteers would not only enjoy reading, but would also want to keep. To that end, I encouraged and often wrote interesting and diverse feature articles, including many that were built around specific themes. This was important not only for the readers, but also to maintain my own enthusiasm for producing the magazine.

I have always enjoyed writing and my enthusiasm for the task was constantly sustained by the compliments, both verbal and written, that were received along the way. I never published the written comments, however, in the belief that these were intended for my eyes only and were not of interest to the readership.

David Hogg in the early days.

The production and distribution of the magazine was a team effort involving many people within and outside Canberra. These included the ACT Junior Squad who, every second month as a fundraising effort, spent an evening packing the copies for mailing to direct subscribers in those States where the subscription was optional.

While I was keen to see subscription numbers increase, including among overseas readers, I was never an active proponent of compulsory subscriptions for State Association members. I took the view that, if members found the magazine worth reading, they would subscribe to it in any case, and preferred to focus on attracting readers through the quality of the content.

July 1995 cover featuring Blair Trewin and Eric Morris.

WOC 1997 Women’s Relay – podium 6th place: Tracy Bluett, Emily Viner, Alix Young, Nicki Taws (photo - David Hogg).

September 1994 cover featuring Jenny Bourne.

8 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

TIME FOR A NEW EDITOR

TAKING UP THE REINS Michael Hubbert

All Editors to date have been ‘original orienteers’ from the days when Orienteering was becoming established in Victoria and had still to spread to other States. David Hogg and Michael Hubbert both competed in (and finished) the inaugural Upper Beaconsfield event in 1969, while Ian Baker joined the Orienteering scene soon after.

O

ne of my greatest memories took place just two years after I took on the editorship. Hanny Allston won the 2006 WOC Sprint at Aarhus, Denmark – the first and only WOC winner from a country outside of Europe. And I was there to cover it. At the midway spectator control I thought she was running like a cat – smooth and fast.

And when she steamed up the Finish chute we had no idea whether her time would stand. But it did. And Crown Prince Frederik was there to award her the gold medal. (He, of course, has a close affinity with Tasmania.)

The moment Hanny realised she had won.

Another pleasing element is being able to watch and report on the continual growth and development of our junior orienteers.

They keep getting better and better. Hanny also won at JWOC in 2006 and Aston Key followed with a JWOC win in 2019. But it’s on the home front that we see more and more of our juniors improving every year and it’s a pleasure to be able to regularly feature them in the magazine.

It’s been 17 years since I took on the Editor role and I’ve enjoyed every moment. However, it is probably time to hand over the baton to a new and younger Editor who may have some different ideas on the direction the magazine should follow.

I’m happy to carry on until a new Editor can be found so, if any of you out there in Orienteering Land are interested in the role, please get in contact with me (Michael Hubbert).

The move to full colour some years ago has allowed the inclusion of many more maps for your enjoyment. Maps being the basis of our sport the more we can include the better.

Previously, maps were included as inserts which was an expensive exercise limited to just one or two per magazine. Now we can include many more.

DE CE M BE R 2018

SEP TEMB ER 2019

Crown Prince Frederik congratulates Hanny.

Aston Key JWOC Sprint Champion

Hanny on the podium.

2018 AUS Championships 2018 WOC 2018 WMTBOC

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Aston Key JWOC champion, September 2019.

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December 2018 cover.

MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 9

MELBOURNE CITY RACE WEEKEND 2021 - in April Get Ready to Race Again!

Discover Melbourne from a New Point of View Saturday April 17, 2021

MCR PARK PROLOGUE INNER EASTERN SUBURBS Sunday April 18, 2021

MELBOURNE CITY RACE PORT MELBOURNE (note: the date has been pushed back from March 20-21 due to the Formula One Grand Prix being planned for the same weekend).

10 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

City Races are long distance events in Sprint style – complex urban areas, short legs, lots of direction changes and route choice – but courses are 3 - 10km long. They feature colour maps at Sprint scale, and SPORTident/SI Air (SIAC) punching.

The 2021 Melbourne City Race heads to the seaside! You’ll explore the best that Port Melbourne has to offer, including Beacon Cove, Station Pier, Bay Street and the famous South Melbourne Market. There’s a maze of irregular narrow streets and lanes, perfect for navigating! You’ll also enjoy an amazing array of architecture from quaint cottages and historic stone pubs, to multi million dollar apartments on palm tree lined boulevards. There are beautiful parks and gardens, and of course the foreshore, where you’ll taste the salty tang of fresh sea air!

Take the Light Rail from the CBD (tram #109 from Collins Street near Southern Cross Station, to Graham Street, then a 5min walk to the arena), or drive – there’s free parking within easy walking distance.

This year we’ll have an indoor social hub for Registration and Results, with kitchen, toilets, and secure space for bags – an ideal place for meeting up before the race, and hanging out afterwards. There are any number of cafes and lunch venues a short distance away.

Staying for the weekend? There is a full range of accommodation in the city and suburbs, with great transport links to the race.

City Races have taken Europe by storm – now it’s Australia’s turn. Don’t miss the chance to say “I was there in 2021!”

SAT 17 APRIL – MCR PARK PROLOGUE A perfect warm up race in the inner eastern suburb of Cremorne.

Date: Saturday 17th April 2021 Start Location: Barkly Gardens, Cremorne (Melway 2H B11) Terrain Description: Urban parkland, complex street network and riverside trails SUN 18 APRIL – MELBOURNE CITY RACE, PORT MELBOURNE Date: Sunday 18th April 2021 Start Location: Port Melbourne

pretex Jim Russell

Ph. 0411 125 178 jymbois@gmail.com

GET IN EARLY TO SECURE YOUR PRETEX FOR SEASON 2021. https://goo.gl/t81zFf

Terrain Description: Highly complex urban parks and streets in Melbourne’s famous bayside suburbs. (from Orienteering Victoria web site)

MAPPING & COURSE SETTING SOFTWARE • Your AUS/NZL OCAD reseller since 2012 • Providing first line help during your day • Sketch Layer for field work released • OCAD 12 & earlier try Sketch Layer in Trial editions • DEM contour smoothing now uses 3-D algorithm Personal & club funds may have suffered under Covid, thus until Easter 2021, I will continue to apply the previous 15% discount on 3 year terms (vs 3 x 1 year).

Australia & NZ OCAD reseller

PO Box 625 Daylesford VIC 3460 Ph. +61 3 5348 3792 info@ocad.com.au MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 11

Aston Key, JWOC Gold Denmark 2019.

Str8 Kompakt Compass with Str8 Magnifier and Nvii Crazy Light Forest 1 Shoes.

Nvii & Str8 are Now Available in Australia For all sales in 2020, Nvii & Str8 will donate 20% of your purchase price to your choice of National Junior JWOC or Senior WOC Team or State School Team. * nominate on purchase. Only for purchases at

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12 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 13

CONTROL DESCRIPTIONS

From Boulder to Power Pole The urbanisation of the Sydney Summer Series (and the rise of control eccentricity).

ROSS BARR (NSW)

T

he Sydney Summer Series (SSS) is perhaps the nation’s premier summer, urban, orienteering event series – now robustly into its 30th season. These are mid-week Score course events that evolved from the need to do something during the summer “off season” to keep your hand in. They met a need in 1991, and have grown in significance ever since – the current season experiencing record attendances.

SSS events have always been held on a wide variety of venues used on a rotating basis – from urban National Parks, reserves and local parks, to beachside, harbourside, inner city and outer suburban venues, tourist hot spots and equally ‘undiscovered’ locations. There is not much of Sydney that is not mapped.

Despite the Series being held well within Sydney’s urban footprint, the early days were very much in the grip of normal bush orienteering nomenclature – with control sites almost always echoing the familiar forest-O features. Rockface, thicket, track junction, boulder cluster, eastern cliff foot, pit, clearing, high point, etc, etc. There have also been early Rogaining style descriptions – such as one control site noted as “7m east of man-made feature”.

“The clearing with a good view”

14 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

We even see a throw-back to the very earliest days of our sport in Australia (Beaconsfield, VIC, and its emblematic control “the clearing with a good view”; or a later one “in the scrub”) with such wonderful early SSS control sites as “tree near tap near swing”, “a bush in the middle of the open forest”, “fresh Mulberries in tree nearby creek/ track crossing” and the delicious “middle crevice of many at foot of cliff ”. In the same vein, it’s hard not to also chuckle at “top of the hill” (Wollstonecraft in 1996).

These seem wonderfully vague now, and in some cases probably were - older maps (several SSS early ones in black & white) not a patch on

“In the scrub”

#17 on Riverview map is the ‘giant spider web’

current cartographic accuracy and fine scale. And remember control site markers in those days were small red and white flower pots. No flags.

Over the years, the well-used riverside parks and park/reserve bush maps of the earlier seasons have been augmented by a wider variety of almost purely streetscape locales, which has seen the rise of “power pole”, “bus shelter”, “fence end” and “seat” control sites at the expense of our old friend the “boulder”. There would be many inner-city maps where you’d be hard pressed to find a boulder, let alone cliffs and ones with crevices! The other factor at work here is the slow strangulation of bush area off-track usage, with Council mandates more and more being issued with ‘stay on track’ addendum. Given the hurdles to overcome in bush running permission, you can see why it’s so much easier and hassle-free these days for organisers to run pavement than run leaf litter.

Another consequence of this is that the athletic speed and planning prowess of today’s Summer Series racers does not seem to be mirrored in a rise of bush-O skill development – or bush orienteering participation. Maybe a topic for another day.

Sorry, I can’t help you.

I can tell you how to find the next control.

Anyway (and despite the urbanising), we still treasure variety in the Sydney Summer Series, and location variety does tend to give map type (and control site) variety, and this locale variety is what the Series is planned around. You are going to get “sand dune thicket”, “Norfolk Pine tree” and “boat ramp” at the Dee Why and Curl Curl beachside maps, but you won’t find the “ferry wharf ”, “historic dock” or “oil tank” of inner west Balmain. Granted, there will be the ubiquitous seat and power pole in both – with these two probably now a feature

MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 15

CONTROL DESCRIPTIONS

of almost all SSS maps and all course planning (the “power pole” maybe a short half head in front of “seat”). The power pole was one of the contentious issues between ONSW and the organising clubs/ organisers in our earlier days – that a control must be on a mapped feature. The battle here subsequently lost by officialdom, with these now common, and unmapped, control points being assumed to be in the middle of the circle along the road or path. As they generally are.

So, with the increased size of the programmes (from 5 events in season #1, to a full 26 these days), and the urbanisation of much planning, the rise of the man-made feature has become a ‘feature’ of the Series. And in tandem with this MMF rise has been a noticeable rise in the use of eccentric and unusual control sites. In the first decade of events, I can only find a dozen or so unusual and singular control sites - ones that have only been used once. But in the last ten years, several dozen control features have graced the programme – many of them presumably selected for their unique (and sometimes funny) implications.

Without providing an exhaustive list (check the SSS website for the SSS Anniversary Quiz on this subject), a selection of these ‘interesting’ control sites give you the flavour of summer running in Sydney, the recent flavour, and the wily humour of our superlative course planners.

Consider the following: “brush turkey mound” (probably not one found in Melbourne – at least not yet), “spaceship”, “giant spider web”, “Sydney harbour bridge” (this one a real puzzle), “octopus”, “horse”, “duck sign” (bit of an animal theme developing here), “hole in the wall”, “banana patch”, the curious “thingummajig”, “canon”, “kaboom” and “truck-wash”. We’ve also had the wonderfully vague “verge”, “bend in road” and perhaps my all-time favourite “dead end”! That one, in a steep inner harbour map, “Sydney harbour bridge”. probably saw many runners coming to the same (physical) conclusion in claiming it.

#24 on The Gordon Highlanders map - “horse”

16 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

Several unusual sites have featured on different maps – “anchor” for instance, a popular control on both the inner harbour Little Manly and 40 Baskets maps – with tidal factors coming to mind at one of those events! Another unusual feature to occur on different event maps is “bird bath” (Bellbird Creek out west and the inner north map Berry’s Creek at Wollstonecraft). “Mound” was also one to be found on several of the early maps.

Often maps had several of the same feature, the number of them sometimes featuring in the Pork Pie race narratives. Multiple seats, signs and power poles are common, as are bus shelters and road junctions (with normally a side ascribed) - but one map (Pembroke Park in October 2000) featured four “chairs”. A control feature never seen before or since.

In addition to these physically similar features, many different maps have had control sites of the same feature, but have described them in a variety of ways – perhaps confusing to the SSS novice, but adding to our rich (and mad) history. A classic is the common small, often green, electrical sub-station box one finds on road edges. Looking through notes, we discover “SCC box”, “kiosk”, “transformer”, “power box” and “sub-station”. One worrying one was a “giant transformer”!

In similar vein we have another of the summer series most beloved features, common to pathway and creek side track - the sewer vent pipe. These tall green tin stacks are often hard to see in the bush, but have saved many a planner’s bacon in the inner west with its alleyways and tight street patterns. If you are looking for a “sewer pipe”, a “stink pipe”, or a “vent stack”, you are looking for the same thing. Not so sure about the ominous “sewer inspection opening” though!

Other possibly Sydney-centric sites (apart from the brush turkey mound), might be the control we had on a “fig tree”, or the one on a “ship wreck”, or indeed the well-remembered one on a “life buoy” - this latter control not living up to its name in a very wet Manly Dam event that saw it go underwater! Many other odd and funny ones (“model railway gate”, “historic bubbler” and “guy wire”) could be anywhere of course – and hearing about the magnificent “student reading” on the Melbourne Uni map, I think my amusing urban control site theme has just scratched the surface.

If we can’t get off track to termite mounds, boulder and foot of cliff so much these days, here’s to “steps”, “ditch”, “bark chip area”, “instrument box” and “distinctive pole”. We might have urbanised, but we’re still having fun. SSS is attracting over 200 participants to most events this summer. A booming season.

And, most recently, advice for the January 2021 event at Collaroy was: “Please note the channel at Dee Why Lagoon was opened two weeks ago - so expect to get your feet a little wet if crossing from #25 or #3 to #12”. And in early February we had the rather unique control description “16873 km from Edinburgh”.

The inventiveness of course setters seems to never wane.

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

Subscribe online using all major credit cards at www.CompassSport.co.uk 52 pages, full colour, 6 times a year £50 World Subscription Var. 05

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RC#5 Fixtures Silvanus Interland Competitions Ultrasport RIP Informal Format Product Reviews Facebook & Clubs UrbanO Inclusivity GBR Elites Abroad British Nights 2020 CompassSport Cup Know Your Class Leader

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Enjoyed in 31 countries around the World.

MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 17

MAPLINK

MapLink keeps Orienteering alive during Melbourne’s long locked-down winter DEBBIE DODD (OV) Photos: Geoff Hudson & Michael Hubbert

Debbie Dodd with QR check-in.

T

he new Winter fixture was fresh from the printers, and we were putting the finishing touches on our annual summer Awards Night, when the first Lockdown was announced. It was hard to believe we’d just hosted hundreds of orienteers from all over Australia for the Melbourne Sprint Weekend – soon to become a fond memory of better times.

tradition. And the best bit? You could avoid running on those chilly autumn/winter nights – perfect now that huddling together for warmth was no longer allowed.

In fact, MapLink is so much more than a DIY Library (we rapidly built one of those, too – it has over 700 maps from previous bush, park-street, sprint and MTBO events). Maps of previous events are all well and good, but, well, we’ve done them already. We have short attention spans! We want something new!!

Of course we were all desperate to get back together for real events as soon as possible. Our wish was granted in late May, when “training” was allowed for groups of 20. Online pre-entry and staggered starts quickly became our norm, replacing Melbourne StreetO’s famously casual “rock up and chuck $5 in the bucket, and mass start at 7” approach. MapRun allowed us to have contactless punching. We wondered if anyone would want to come; after the first week we had to offer overflow daytime sessions to accommodate the numbers, and events were regularly over-subscribed (a first for Orienteering!)

Knowing we’d need to get maps online quickly for people to exercise with, a small group sprang into action faster than you can say “vaccine”; within 24 hours, MapLink was born. “Oh, that’s just another collection of old maps for people to print off and use when they like” you say. “We’ve all done that”.

People took to MapLink with great enthusiasm, and it was good fun; the best part was that without the need for large parking areas, we could start from previously unused locations in unfamiliar sections of some maps, giving a completely new feel to places we’d been many times. MapRun stats tell us that 2000 people used the app in Melbourne between April and September, and we estimate the same number again used MapLink without MapRun – that’s 20 people a day that otherwise would not have been orienteering.

The call went out, and within no time, course setters were creating brand new courses; our MapRun team were setting up kml/kmz files at warp speed; we had a MapLink facebook page, an online virtual scoring system, and a Google docs library, which started filling up with maps. We were quickly spoilt for choice. People could use MapRun with their MapLink course, then share and discuss the best (or worst) routes, and sledge each other in fine Melbourne StreetO

Melbourne crawled agonizingly slowly along its first Roadmap out of restrictions. We had 6 wonderful weeks of some sort of freedom, and had just held our first two competitive events for Winter, when the

18 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

MapLink table -maps printed at home, kept face down, and sanitizer ready to go.

MapRun start.

Lower Mullum Mystery – 1:10 000 MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 19

MAPLINK

20 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

news came through in early July; we were all going back into another 6 week lockdown. MapLink came out of hibernation the next day as we dusted ourselves off for Iso 2.0.

Interstaters will no doubt find it hard to understand what that second lockdown was like. I still don’t quite know how to process it.

I remember doing my weekly Zoom exercise class in early August, and trying not to cry as they announced over 700 new cases that day. We all became experts on graphs and charts as we watched the numbers slowly fall; we all tried to predict 14-day averages, and figure out what “mystery cases” were. We watched Premier Daniel Andrews front up to 130 long and usually painful press conferences; we couldn’t look away. Looking at Eventor was unbearable, seeing those little blue “results” circles that showed an event had been held somewhere, while Victorian events all had lines ruled through them and “rescheduled dates tba” appended.

It’s history now that 6 weeks turned into nearly 4 months. Our world grew increasingly smaller with curfews, border closures, rings of steel, and 5km radii. Some people were lucky – I had 12 different maps within my red circle; others had only a couple, or worse, none at all. We all knew exactly where our boundaries were; how many kilometres we could eke out by running every single street in our neighbourhood; how far we could drive our cars or ride our bikes if we followed the perimeter whilst gazing wistfully across an invisible

barrier; and who we could meet up with when 2 people from different households were allowed to spend time together as long as their bubbles overlapped. We wanted to scream, sob, or curl up in a corner with a blanket over our heads. It seemed as if it would never end. Just writing these words is like revisiting a dystopian alternate universe.

But new MapLink courses kept coming through the whole time.

Mappers used them to learn new skills; novice course setters had time to learn at their own pace, and some turned into regular contributors – three of those have since set bush courses as well, which we used for some recent Sunday Training Sessions. In all, we received over 130 contributions, covering most of metropolitan Melbourne. “Maps Near Me” became our slogan, as we tried to make sure everyone in metro Melbourne had at least one MapLink within reach. We kept a master map, colour coded, and challenged course setters to fill in the gaps.

We also put MapRun’s “Start Anywhere” function to great use so that people had as much flexibility as possible. People mapped and set courses in their own neighbourhoods, and on any maps they could get to in under an hour (often on their bikes). All courses had a time limit of 45 minutes, to ensure compliance with the strict exercise rules in place of one hour once per day.

MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 21

MAPLINK

MapRun route.

We were amazed at how many people continued using MapLink for all those long, tough weeks and months. Without it, our return to events would undoubtedly have been nowhere near as successful as it’s been.

I recorded 53 MapLink runs personally; others did far more than me.

Having some variation in our limited exercise “diets” was a life saver.

We worked really hard at making sure Orienteering didn’t drop off everyone’s radar, by constantly pushing out new MapLinks on an almost daily basis. This was invaluable as an engagement tool; it gave us a welcome distraction, something different to talk about, and a reason to get outside for a regular run or a walk, and keep those Covid calories at bay.

We hung on every word of every government announcement, waiting for the magic day when community sport could resume, the groups could be bigger than 5, and the distance we could travel was increased to 25 km. We suddenly had a whole world to reconnect with! I could venture north of Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway!! It was exciting and overwhelming all at once.

Finally on November 2nd, after weeks of hypothetical planning, we held the first Summer Series Park Street event; and the first event of any kind in Melbourne since July 6. Armed with a new QR code checkin system, a gratifyingly long pre-entry list, our Covid kits of sanitizer and paper towel, our new credit card reader, and our new Covid safe plan, we swung into action. QR codes were unfamiliar to many; lots were using MapRunF or MapRunG for the first time; and many had simply forgotten what to do, it had been so long! We had to readjust to being social, albeit in groups of no more than 10 at once. We didn’t recognize old friends behind masks and under Lockdown Hair (queues at hairdressers were still insanely long those first couple of weeks). We were scared to touch anything that wasn’t ours, or to spend time talking to anyone for more than a few minutes. But we had maps in our hands, it was a glorious summer evening, and it was wonderful.

We’re now well into our Summer program (as I write this). We have 8 different series up and running successfully; despite all the limits and constraints, our participation numbers are approaching normal.

Everyone is expert at QR code check-in now. Things are gradually getting back to normal. It’s not the same as it was ….. but when you look at the rest of the world, we are so incredibly lucky.

As you read this, the first vaccinations should be happening, we should be looking forward to Easter and beyond, perhaps we’ll be starting to think about overseas travel next year, and the memory of 2020 should be starting to fade. But if things go backwards, it’s reassuring to know that there’s a bunch of MapLink courses that I didn’t get around to doing last time ………

22 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 23

RADIO

RadiO CorOna BRUCE PATERSON (ARDF)

So what if?

I

t was the beginning of the first lockdown in Victoria - April 2020. How can we keep some sort of COVID-safe RadiO activities going? Something like MapLink for RadiO events.

One attempt was made by Ewen to do a long distance direction finding activity entirely from home, with a single strong transmitter. Winner was whoever guessed the closest to the actual location.

Previously I’d made a set of mini VHF Sprint RadiO transmitters. Traditional Bush RadiO (ARDF) has 5 transmitters taking turns transmitting for 1 minute each, spread over a typical Bush-O map, so a full cycle takes 5 minutes. Sprint RadiO, however, is more suited to a smaller area with smaller, lower powered transmitters with cycles of only 12sec each, forming a much quicker 1 minute full cycle. These transmitters had a new facility to be set to turn on at a future date, so they could be deployed a day or two before the actual event, without depleting their batteries beforehand.

I wondered, what if I could modify the software, so that instead of turning on only on a preset future date, they could instead turn on every day at a preset time, run for a few hours, and then turn off ready for the next day?

The lockdown rules then changed again, and with travel not recommended for sporting activities, even that sort of self-serve event wasn’t possible, but during lockdown I took the opportunity to add the every day ability to the code. Just put a * in instead of a date!

Off and Running!

Next was Geoff Hudson’s event at Wattle Park which also ran for a couple of weeks. This was properly uploaded to MapRun as a normal event (but again with a purple map).

Kristian Ruuska’s Yarran Dheran event had to be cut a bit short as Melbourne entered deeper distance restrictions in the second lockdown, delaying a proposed schedule of new events which members were keen to set. However, the new try-whenever format was working well, and some of these events have had some of the highest turnouts we’ve seen at RadiO events. We also got to the bottom of a software bug, where some of the transmitters were running for 6 rather

ARDF Training Activity – Deakin University

Trial Event It turned out appropriate to test the idea after the first lockdown. The test event was held along Gardiners Creek near Deakin Uni. MapRunF was used for control punching, just like for ParkStreet-O, with a 15m range set around the actual transmitter location. This also allowed the little transmitter to be well hidden, as it was going to be out in public for up to 2 or 3 weeks.

The first event used the MapRun TestSites facility, which worked fine, but did mean MapRun didn’t record the results, so I had to rely on honesty feedback. The other complication was we had to try to obscure the transmitter locations on the MapRun map screen. A completely purple map, other than just around the Start triangle, imperfectly hid the controls, but was better than nothing, and we also asked competitors not to use the map screen – just use the printed map.

Competitors could turn up and self-start any time within the 3-hour window, but leaving enough time to find them all before they turned off at 7pm. The Deakin event was declared a success, and it looked like MapRun was going to work well for this style of RadiO Sprint event.

24 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

Five Transmitters set up and ready to deploy and a sniffer.

than 3 hours, and Kristian figured out a clever workaround.

The bug was then fixed during the 2nd lockdown. Tests during lockdown showed that the transmitters should be able to run for over 3 weeks at 4 hours a day, which was very encouraging.

Dandenong Creek. This event ran from Dec 13, 2020 till well into 2021, but alas a couple of transmitters had stopped by the time Mark tried the event in the final days, which was well into the 4th week. This may be the longest RadiO event we’ve ever run.

Post Lockdown

MapRunV6

Keen to try out the fixed software, my next post-lockdown Ashwood South event did end up running for just over 3 weeks. One of the transmitters was besieged by both ants and earwigs, but kept bravely transmitting. On opening up after pickup, the ‘waterproof’ box was filled with little ants.

Again, competitors seemed to like turning up whichever day suited them.

We’re excited to see, based on various feedbacks to Peter Effeney, VK4FNE, that the upcoming V6 release of MapRun will optionally allow control circles to be turned off on the map screen, so this will improve the MapRun utility for this style of Sprint event. No more blocks-of-purple maps!

MapRun could even be used to easily score a traditional full sized ARDF event.

Jack Bramham then set a fun event in Vermont South in a new (long grassy!) area around the Motocross track and

ARDF Training Activity – Wattle Park

Start location for Vermont South event.

MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 25

ROB’S SPOT

Rob Simson Memorial Seat Launched FROM AN ARTICLE BY CHRIS SPRIGGS & GEOFF PECK PUBLISHED IN THE OQ E-BULLETIN

Queensland’s Mid Week Orienteering Group launch the Rob Simson memorial seat.

Q

ueensland’s Mid Week Orienteering Group had a very special event on Thursday 22 October last year combining the Mid Week Championships and the “launch” of a beautiful new seat now erected in Toohey Forest commemorating the life of Rob Simson. Rob was the former president of Toohey Forest Orienteering Club and Toohey Forest Protection Society. Sixty people attended the event, just about double normal for the informal day events held on every Thursday in and around Brisbane from March to November.

Mapper Geoff Peck drew the special map and set three classic bush courses. Lunch was provided and unfortunately the rain set in just as we were enjoying it. It was noted that Rob’s events on Thursdays often attracted the rain! Novelty prizes were presented

by Jim Bowling and Geoff gave a short talk on the orienteering life and times of Rob Simson.

Rob’s Seat, which overlooks Rob’s favourite spot in the forest, is in a most delightful and peaceful spot and it was used for the start, finish and assembly area for this special event. The seat was paid for by the Brisbane City Council in recognition of Rob’s valiant efforts to preserve the forest. The seat was organised by Geoff and the plaque by Scott Simson.

Above: Rob Simson rests during a bush walk.

Left: A seat with a view.

26 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

Rob's spot

1:7500 5m contours

part of Toohey Forest

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With acknowedgement to previous versions by Rob Simson In memoriam: Rob Simson 1936 - 2018 Base material ..... ...... .........

Survey .... ....

LIDAR, GPS

...... ...... Geoff Peck 2020

Cartography ......................... Geoff Peck 2020 1.5

190 m

2020

Drawn ......OCAD 2018, ISOM 2017 symbol set root stock the "Patriarch" termite mound

Contours are for navigating, vegetation is for route choice version: 21 Oct 2020 MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 27

ROB’S SPOT

One interest of Rob’s was the identification of species of trees and all courses visited the tree Rob called The Patriarch (control #6 on the map), probably the largest and oldest tree in Toohey Forest, which attracted a special symbol in the map legend! (Bottom right on the map). The council rangers still remember Rob berating them for conducting fuel reduction burns based on funding cycles which usually were almost exactly the wrong time to burn most plants!

An annual event is planned on this map in fond memory of Rob Simson.

Geoff Peck added: What really impressed me is that the local council rangers (who Rob dealt with for years for the Toohey Forest Protection Society and TF Orienteering club) were totally supportive of the idea and not only that, they went to great efforts to use a lovely piece of wood for the seat (as opposed to the usual metal or cheap wood alternatives) and allowed the seat to be positioned well away from any paths, on top of the rocky lookout which was Rob’s favourite spot in the forest ..… that took quite an effort drilling into the rock etc : )

Control #6 on the course was a massive tree. It used to be the tallest tree in the forest until zapped by lightning, which removed a few metres from the top. It was known as “The Patriarch” which I’d like to think reminds us all of Rob’s similar “standing” in the Orienteering community here : )

Rob Simson 28 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

SPORTING SCHOOLS

Young Mappers Shine in the transition to “Covid Normal” WORDS BY BRODIE NANKERVIS, OV SCHOOLS OFFICER

2

020 was a year like no other and with Schools Orienteering taking a hiatus for most of the year it made a swift (if not overwhelming) return in Term 4. Many schools who had secured Sporting Schools funding were very keen to use it, while other schools were looking to offer their students an interesting and exciting experience to end what could be summed up as a bit of a dull year!

However, with the slowly easing restrictions in Victoria and strict school policies, the need for an innovative approach through remote mapping and teacher delivered, coach supported programs was required. This approach allowed OV to service remote schools where we did not have mappers or coaches on the ground. But without keen young mappers and coaches, who were quick to adjust to a new way of doing things, this would not have been possible.

Whilst juggling her own return to school, Sophie Taverna well and truly stepped up to the plate, creating three new school maps in just under four weeks. Two of these maps were made 100% remotely, requiring some creativity to provide the schools with a fantastic product. Sophie liaised closely with teachers at these schools and used school videos, aerial photography and even school evacuation plans to bring together some impressive maps.

Black Hill Primary School; mapped by Sophie Taverna; Coaching Support from Brodie Nankervis

Black Hill Primary School Orienteering Map

Scale 1:800 0

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Legend Earth bank Open area Scattered trees Forest Sandy ground tree Tree, large small Paved area Dirt track Steps Fence Crossable Uncrossable Building Covered areas Man made feature High traffic area Cairn Gardens Rock Wall Taverna Dec 2020 Sophie by Fieldwork & cartography MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 29

SPORTING SCHOOLS

Sophie’s attention to detail was complimented on and appreciated by school teachers, in one instance creating two different maps when she noticed that in a school video the shade sails were down, whilst in the aerial photographs they were up! Another school was so impressed by their map that they plan to use it as their new school evacuation map! Sophie most enjoyed making the map of Black Hill Primary School, shown on page 29, with Sophie commenting, “It was interesting to try and interpret what I saw and use that to create a map that is legible for students and teachers to use and understand.”

Mini-challenge: Can you figure out where on the Black Hill PS map this picture was taken?

St Mary’s School; mapped by Sophie Taverna; Coach Brodie Nankervis

30 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

Hazelwood North Primary School; mapped by Aston Key; Coaching Rob Preston

The great work Sophie and others pioneered in Term 4, 2020 paves the way for remote delivery of Orienteering programs into the future, helping OV support Orienteering programs across our entire State and spreading the Orienteering word far and wide! Thanks to all of those who contributed to School Orienteering in 2020. Looking forward to working with you all and others in 2021

MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 31

NUTRITION

NSWIS Nutrition Tips

3. You are eating more than you think Particularly if your goal is weight loss.

A lot of health foods are great for the nutrient density they contain but some health foods, and those touted as ‘health foods’, like raw snacks and coconut yoghurt may seem like they can do no wrong but they are very energy dense. While they may not be detrimental to overall health, they have a high energy density and if you have a low energy budget it might be maxing out. Similarly, things like juices and smoothies can also be packed with nutrients and antioxidants but can have the energy content of a small meal.

I’m eating healthy but not getting the results I think I should

T

here is nothing more frustrating than committing to a plan for change with drive and determination and then feeling like you’re not getting anywhere.

If you have changed your eating habits and food choices for more vitality, better energy, weight loss or muscle gain and you’re not seeing results, don’t immediately think you aren’t good enough or put yourself down.

Everybody responds differently to food and training and comparing yourself to the results other people have achieved is a quick way to feeling disheartened and confused.

Below are some other areas you might need to explore in assessing your progress and it doesn’t just mean training harder or eating less.

1. Reassess your goal It may be that you’ve set yourself a big goal to achieve and that simply won’t happen straight away. You might use this goal to guide your motivation but track progress with smaller goals along the way. For example, you won’t lose 20kg overnight but if you set the goal to say, not go back for “seconds” at

4. You are not eating enough

dinner for a week, then you can see that you have done that to stay on track and have a more positive experience and sense of achievement.

2. You are not mentally ready We can eat our emotions and negativity around what we put in our body or how we look, feel and view ourselves, can all play a role in the body’s ability to let go. If you’re looking at what you eat through a lens of negativity and not enjoying the lifestyle and your journey it’s unlikely you will reach a positive outcome. If you’re focusing on a goal for the wrong reason and using it as a quick fix or distraction from real issues then it may be that it’s harder to get your behaviours to align with your purpose.

The body needs a certain amount of energy to function healthily. The impact of not eating enough could mean some body systems won’t function effectively and may leave you feeling tired and lethargic or do longer term damage to your health due to low energy availability.

If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s a tricky balance to be in a slight negative energy balance but not a large one consistently. Similarly if you are training to gain muscle mass you need to be eating enough protein and total energy to be in a positive energy balance to lay the foundation for more muscle mass.

5. Clinical inhibitors Not all foods are healthy for all people.

It may be that an intolerance to a food for some reason is causing additional inflammation in the body, or the gut isn’t digesting food effectively. This will impact weight, mood, memory, focus and fatigue in some people. While body composition doesn’t cause a problem there are health issues that impact how good you feel. You might have an imbalance of hormones or nutrient deficiencies that are making systems not work effectively to allow the best health outcomes. It may be worth getting a check-up with your doctor to explore your health and understand your body better to give it what it needs.

There is not one single marker of success. The benefit may be showing up in different ways in your health.

You may not have lost weight but your cholesterol may have gone down. You might not feel stronger, but your energy levels and focus may be so much better during the day. Look for all the different signs of improvement and you will notice other benefits on the way to selfimprovement and getting to where you need to be.

32 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

How athletes can change their diet when injured and why

B

eing an injured athlete is never fun.

Time off can compromise your ability to either maintain or improve training adaptations, or simply inhibit your ability to participate in the sport you love.

When injured it makes sense to go and see the physio, but it’s also important to consider the impact your diet has on your injury and how it may assist your recovery and rehab to fast track your return to sport.

Here’s why it’s worth considering your nutrition if injured, and how to do it:

1. Minimise losses of muscle mass Regular protein intake 4-6 times per day has been proven to assist in preserving muscle tissue. Maintaining muscle mass is beneficial to keep as much strength as possible so returning to training can be supported and there won’t be as much catching up to return to where you were.

Protein foods include animal products such as: • Chicken • Red meat • Fish • Eggs • Dairy products Or plant based products such as: • Tofu/tempeh • Lentils • Legumes A meal or snack including one of these sources should typically occur about every 3-4 hours with lower activity levels.

2. Maximise repair and regeneration of damaged tissue Beyond your muscles, it’s important that your tendons, ligaments, or bones are adequately healed to prevent further damage, re-injury or new injuries.

In addition to maintaining muscle mass, the proteins listed above can also assist with the rebuilding of collagen.

Foods high in vitamin C also support this process so consuming foods such as red capsicum, citrus, strawberries, broccoli, acai, guava, and brussel sprouts will help. Collagen is the main structural protein found in your body’s connective tissue.

A diet high in plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, spices and herbs can contribute many chemical compounds that naturally reduce inflammation to help with healing. Also Omega-3 fatty acids predominantly found in oily fish such as: • Salmon • Tuna • Rainbow trout • Bream • Sardines • Kingfish

3. Minimise physique changes that may impact performance When you are injured, training volume or intensity may be changed, meaning there won’t be as much of a high energy demand as in full training. As training is reduced the body should naturally adjust your hunger hormones ghrelin and leptin to drop your appetite.

However, appetite can sometimes take time to adjust so eating the same way as you do in full training can lead to a positive energy balance which may not be desired. Tailoring your total energy intake from your macronutrients, proteins, carbohydrates and fats can support a stable weight and recovery.

Injuries come in all unique forms and can be acute or chronic due to overuse.

They can also vary from soft tissue to nerve or bone. For this reason, individualised nutrition can have a huge impact and dynamic nature throughout all stages of recovery. The collaboration between physio, athlete and dietitian is also crucial to support this process.

MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 33

TRAINING

Physiological care for young athletes NSW INSTITUTE OF SPORT PHOTOS: TOM DE JONGH

D

uring adolescence many physiological changes occur.

Here are some considerations that may help minimise injury risk and help appropriately prepare young athletes for the demands of their sport.

Sports specialisation Early sports specialisation (greater than eight months per year in a single sport) does not guarantee success at the highest level of sports competition.

In fact, for most sports, young athletes who specialise early may be at an increased risk of injury and burnout.

To avoid this, young athletes are encouraged to: •P articipate in multiple sports at levels that match their ability and interests. This helps to enhance their neuromuscular development and athletic capacity which are protective against injury.

34 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

•S pecialise after reaching puberty.

Youth athletes who do this have been found to perform more consistently, have fewer injuries, and participate in sport for longer.

•N ot participate in more hours of organized sport per week than their age in years.

•B e monitored close for injury or burnout if participating in specialised sport for more than 16 hours per week.

growth and change that youth athletes are at a greater risk of injury.

Participating in extensive high intensity sports training may also alter growth rates in adolescents. If a young athlete does suffer an injury, it is encouraged to get them reviewed by a specialised sports and exercise doctor or physiotherapist.

How to optimize opportunities for young athletes and avoid injury risk

Biological development of youth athletes

•U nstructured play is a great way to improve motor skill development.

Sports performance can be affected by a range of physical and physiological variables and can improve as athletes grow and mature. However, this is not a linear process and some young athletes may grow quicker and faster than their peers. It is during these periods of

•M ultisport participation can help to develop diverse motor skills which can help with improving performance outcomes later in life but also reducing injury risk.

•P eriodised strength and conditioning should include a component of integrated neuromuscular training

(strength building exercises) and specific (motor control exercises).

This type of training will enhance both health and skill related fitness and prepare young athletes for the demands of sport competition. Young athletes who participate in specialised sport for more than 16 hours per week should plan periods of isolated and focused strength and motor control exercises to help reduce injury factors.

•B iological development needs to be considered when designing exercise programs for youth.

These recommendations can help decrease a young athlete’s risk of injury and enhance the chance of achieving and sustaining an enjoyable high level of sport performance.

Australian WOC, JWOC and MTBO teams are outfitted by

MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 35

MTBO

MTBO in Russia M

oscow, with its millions of people is not a good place for a healthy life but is excellent for the virus. But life is going on here. Despite our sports school being closed we meet with children in the park nearby and make some training exercises. Also some competitions are organized.

At the end of November we had the 6-days Russian MTBO Championships in Crimea. The COVID situation is not so bad in that region. Ruslan Gritsan (Russia’s outstanding elite MTBO’er) was the map and course maker. The mountain terrain was rather tough.

Ruslan Gritsan has an incredible record in MTBO. He has competed in all 17 World MTBO Championships since the first in France in 2002.

In those championships he has won 7 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze medals.

The years are not slowing him either as he won the Long Distance gold medal at the most recent World Championships in Denmark in 2019 at the age of 41!

Added to his World Championship medal haul is 8 European MTBO Championship and 6 World Cup medals.

Natalia Morosanova (a Russian coach)

Ruslan Gritsan with a corridor MTBO course.

Ruslan on his way to the gold medal in Denmark 2019.

Photo: Rainer Burman – fotoburmann.at

36 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

MTBO Origins C

ontinuing our quest for the origins of MTBO, documents show that the Swedish Orienteering Federation seems likely to be the first national federation to have actively promoted Cycle Orienteering – as early as in the year 1942.

In the September 2020 magazine we published an article about Bike Orienteering, highlighting the historical find that it actually first took place in Austria in 1893 – 4 years before the first recorded Foot O event. Prior to this find, we said, the first known Bike Orienteering was in Hungary in 1954.

Now we know that a project to develop Cycle Orienteering was organised with quite significant resources in Sweden in 1942, with around 5,000 participants across the whole of the country in the designated week: 31st May to 7th June.

Attractive posters were produced to attract participants, and a special instruction booklet for organisers was published with rules and advice about course lengths, numbers of controls and safety features. District Leaders for the project were appointed in all of the Swedish federation’s 23 Districts, and Controllers oversaw the standards being set. A special brass badge was designed

Cycle Orienteering in Sweden, 1942.

and 10,000 of them produced, for distribution to those who successfully passed a test of cycle-orienteering skills. This involved completing the course and then answering some questions – wrong answers incurred a small time penalty.

Poster ‘bubbles’: Woman: “I believe at least that North lies in that direction” Man: “What should I believe – you, the sun or my compass?”

The historical book extract shown here gives an indication of the nature and scope of the project.

Thanks to Bernt O. Myrvold for this important update on the history of orienteering on two wheels.

Even racing cyclists got involved – treating it as a fun finish to a hard season (see photo).

ACT Sprint MTBO Championships, November 2020. PhotosByTom.com.au MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 37

MTBO

BOSS is Booming with Families T

he Newcastle club’s Bike Orienteering Summer Series (BOSS) has been getting terrific numbers at recent events. The event at Killingworth in January attracted 115 competitiors and amongst those were a number of family groups. The number of family teams participating in the BOSS series has been growing over the last couple of seasons as it is a great way for the family to participate in MTBO in a safe and enjoyable manner. We need to encourage juniors to participate to grow the sport and this is hopefully a positive way.

The club has developed a special family team promotion. The concept goes like this: Mum or Dad, or both, may tackle the course as an individual then follow up with the whole family to complete an additional course. The Family entry fee is just $15.00.

Newcastle is also blessed with a number of good bike riding map areas that are not too far away from town.

For individuals, the BOSS series offers a 75 minute “All Score” course, or a combined “Line & Score” course, where you start with a line course and then use the remaining time to get the best Score you can.

More than one way to bring the whole family along!

Victoria’s Bike-O 75 series

T

he Bike-O 75 series kicked off at Woodlands Historic Park, situated near the now quiet Melbourne airport, also with a good turnout of riders. This was the first MTBO event held in Melbourne for nearly a year! Two weeks later, the next event at Lysterfield had to be postponed until March due to another COVID lockdown.

Events in the series are 75 minute score course only. They are held on Saturday evenings starting at 6pm.

38 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

Ready to start Mum?

Family groups are all the go at the BOSS events.

MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 39

IOF NEWS

Happy New Year from the IOF

Other IOF News

A

•T he Russian anti-doping organization RUSADA has been suspended for two years effective December 17, 2020.

During the period until December 16, 2022 Russia may not apply for or be awarded a World Championships event.

Russian athletes participating at IOF World Championship events would compete as neutral athletes, i.e. they could not compete in Russian Federation uniforms nor would the Russian national anthem be played at awards ceremonies.

The regulations would only be in place for World Championships in senior elite classes, i.e. they would not impact age-category championships (EYOC, JWOC, Masters events). It would only impact World Championships, where athletes would not be allowed to compete for Russia.

simple orange and white marker can awaken so many feelings.

Sometimes frustration, but also the excitement of the challenge, and especially the joy and exuberance of finding one exactly where you expected it!

We applaud the resilience and creativity of the global orienteering community in keeping Orienteering alive and well in 2020 with appropriate social distancing and respect for the pandemic.

We look forward to a 2021 where we hopefully can once again share the challenge of finding those elusive flags, together.

Happy New Year!!

World Masters Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships 2021– 2024

•A n U23 class in the World Cup and an U23 Championships, for the disciplines MTBO and SkiO, would be introduced beginning from the 2022 season with a team size quota of two U23 athletes per Federation. This would be for a trial period of 4 years, and the decision would then be evaluated against the goals set forth. Each member Federation would receive an additional quota of two U23 athletes for the World Cup. • I OF Council approved the proposal from the Environment and Sustainability Commission (ESC) for the IOF to join the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) “Race to Zero” campaign. The proposal entails that the IOF organisation, i.e. Council, Office and Commissions structure commits to a carbon reduction plan to reduce emissions by 45% by 2030 and to attain carbon neutrality by the year 2040.

T

he World Masters Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships 2021 (WMMTBOC) which were scheduled to be held in Slovenia May 13-16 have been cancelled due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the cancellation of the event, the IOF Council at its meeting on Friday January 15th made a number of decisions regarding the organisation of WMMTBOC. The WMMTBOC 2021 will move to Portugal and be organised together with the MTBO World Cup round there on October 8-10, 2021. The Event Centre is located in the town of Abrantes.

The cancellation of the World Masters Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships in Slovenia is unfortunate but the right decision. The holding of an event solely for masters categories in May is simply too early relative to the progression of the pandemic, according to IOF CEO Tom Hollowell. With vaccination programs rolling out across the world we are very hopeful that we can offer our masters MTBO athletes a safe and successful event in Portugal in October. We would like to commend both organisers for their willingness to find solutions in these difficult times.

Advertise your event

The preparations for the 2021 event will not be lost as Slovenia has been appointed the organiser of the WMMTBOC 2023. The event will be held in Slovenj Gradec some time in May 2023, with exact dates to be confirmed.

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

Denmark had applied for the WMMTBOC 2023 and have been offered and accepted the appointment for the WMMTBOC 2024 event instead. The event is to be held in Viborg with dates to be confirmed.

Send artwork to The Editor: mikehubbert@ozemail.com.au

The WMMTBOC 2022 was previously appointed to Bulgaria to be held on September 15-20, 2022 in and around Targovishte.

This event remains unchanged in the calendar.

40 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

LETTERS

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.

From Don Young (OWA)

I

n the September 2020 Magazine there was an article about Swedish orienteer Per-- Olaf (Peo) Bengtsson – 87 years young.

In 1975, in the very early days of Orienteering in WA, Peo and fellow Swedish orienteer Roland Offrell were brought to Australia to visit State Associations to assist them with acquiring the skills of mapping, course setting and competing.

During their visit to Perth OAWA held an event at the Gleneagle Pine plantation. After the event Leith and Don Young’s younger daughter Erica, then nine years old, asked Peo if she could interview him, for a school project, using a tape recorder. He agreed and the dialogue went something like this: Erica: Mr Bengtsson what type of trees grow in Sweden?

Since 1975 Erica went on to become the first West Australian to gain a place in the Australian one day orienteering championship – 3rd in age class W18A at the 1984 event at Mt Clear ACT; and with her elder sister Alix (W19), won the 1984 Australian 3 Day Championships in the W17 class at Easter in Tasmania..

After graduating from UWA with BSc Honours in Plant Biochemistry in 1988 she was invited to join a research team at the University of Uppsala in Sweden. Significantly that university was the alma mater of Carl Linnaeus. She was there for three years, competing occasionally in Orienteering events for local club IF Thor and on occasions meeting up with Mr Bengtsson.

Alix, who lives in Norway, also meets up occasionally with Peo at big Orienteering events in Scandinavia.

At 88yo I do not compete any more but follow with great interest – and pride – the orienteering performances of my Norwegian grandchildren Lars (20) and Pia (17), which have been limited to Norway this last year. Pia (17) won the 2020 Norwegian D17-18 Sprint, Middle Distance and Long Distance championships and was second in the Ultra Long Distance event. She was first in the Norwegian Cup series.

Lars (19) won the Norwegian H19-20 Sprint championship and was third in the Norwegian Cup series.

Don 88 years Young

Peo : Birch trees.

Erica: What do you think of the Swedish Royal family?

Peo : Not much.

Many years later, in 2002, on his way to Victoria to check out accommodation for the forthcoming World Masters Orienteering Championships, Peo, accompanied by two other Swedish orienteers, stopped over in Perth for a few days. On Peo’s request I took them up into the Darling Range and they had a walk over one of our best maps.

From Marina Iskhakova (ACT)

T

hank you for the excellent Australian Orienteer issues in 2020 in spite many events were cancelled. It kept us alive:) !

Cheers, Marina Iskhakova (Red Roos, ACT)

On the way back to Perth we stopped in Mundaring and I shouted them a cup of espresso coffee. When we were about to leave Peo said “It is not only your maps which have improved since I was here last”.

Don Young (Bibbulmun - 1st Convenor).

Lars at training with Norge Senior squad June 2020.

WMMTBOC - Marina Iskhakova.

Pia Young Vik, centre Norwegian D17-18 champion.

MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 41

OA NEWS

Orienteering Australia membership statistics

W

ith the commencement of a new year it’s time to tabulate membership statistics for the preceding year(s). These numbers are provided by the Orienteering Australia office.

OA announces new High Performance Administrator

O

rienteering Australia is pleased to announce the appointment of Fredrik Johansson as the incoming High Performance Administrator. Fredrik brings to the role a vast amount of knowledge and experience, and more than a little Swedish influence.

Fredrik Johansson.

Photo: Susan Guinane

Fredrik, originally from Sweden, moved to Australia 10 years ago and has been a member of Melbourne Forest Racers since 2012.

Fredrik started orienteering as an 8-year old in 1980 and went to a local Orienteering sports high school from 16 to 18 years of age. He competed in many of the large Orienteering relays in Scandinavia with his Swedish club (Savedalens AIK) during his senior years, including twice running in teams with a top 40 finish at Jukola.

Before migrating to Australia Fredrik was the responsible coach for his Swedish club’s training for numerous years, and was coach for the senior women’s team for several years.

With Fredrik’s appointment, Orienteering Australia would like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing HP Administrator, Ian Prosser. Ian has supported OA’s HP program since 2016, and OA is indebted to him for his support and invaluable contribution in setting up a solid foundation for Fredrik to build on.

VICTORINOX AWARD This issue’s Victorinox Award goes to Sophie Taverna (CHOC–VIC) for her sterling work in map-making and course-setting at local schools.

Sophie will receive a Victorinox Handyman which includes 24 tools and features – retail value $139.

42 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

HANDYMAN For stockist call 1800 808 971 MAKERS OF THE ORIGINAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE | ESTABLISHED 1884

SPOT the DIFFERENCE

Time to brush up on your Bush-O map reading skills. Here is a very complex granite map which we’ve enlarged to 1:5,000 to make it easier (??) for you to read. MAP 1 is essentially an enlarged portion of the original map. MAP 2 contains 25 changes. Some of the changes will be easy to find and some will not.

CAN YOU FIND ALL 25 ???

MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 43

O-SPY

Musical orienteer

O-SPY With everyone in self isolation, hermits have become irrelevant Orienteers are unique

R

ecently in New Zealand, Wellington hosted the nationals in the Manawatū. It was fantastic to have our national event take place despite a year full of uncertainty. This was the thirtyseventh National championships I have attended across fifteen different sports, and my first for Orienteering.

Over the last thirty years, I’ve been to national championships from Whangarei to Queenstown. Until last weekend, I had never been to a national event where people have not had to be reminded to remove their rubbish, dispose of it properly or to take rubbish home. When we left the forest areas it was free of any rubbish and there was no sign that an event had taken place. No reminders were necessary – wouldn’t it be great if all Kiwis cared this much?

After the Middle Distance event I left my jacket next to one of the tents at the end of the day. I was not concerned about leaving it behind. I had confidence it would be waiting at the event centre the following day -– and it was. Unlike other events, it didn’t cross my mind that someone might have walked off with it. These things may seem small and insignificant, but I feel it says a lot about orienteers and the general nature of people in our sport.

Christo Peters (ONZ General Manager)

New Sport for Olympics confirmed

W

hile there are serious doubts emerging about whether the 2021 Tokyo Olympics will go ahead, a new sport has been confirmed for the Paris Olympics 2024.

44 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

A still image from Pat Jaffe’s official video of Eldorado.

O

ne of the things we like about the Orienteering community is that many of them have other talents. Some of you will know that Pat Jaffe (patjaffe.com), WOC representative and OV e-bulletin editor, is also a well credentialed jazz pianist. He has already launched his debut album - Eldorado - which includes a tribute to the late Hannah Goddard, a track that recently won a composition prize. Pat’s stunning debut release Eldorado sits somewhere at the midpoint between jazz and chamber music.

Recorded in Reykjavík, the album features the stellar Icelandic chamber ensemble, Siggi String Quartet.

Pat was the recipient of the 2020 Allan Zavod Performers’ Award, has recorded with the Monash Art Ensemble and the Jonathan Cooper Quintet, and recently has been working on a collaboration with Academy Award winning singer-songwriter Markéta Irglová. The album cover features stunning photography by Krystal Neumann.

No – it’s not Orienteering.

It’s Breakdancing.

Paris Games chief Tony Estanguet said: “The inclusion of Breakdancing at the Olympics may be surprising but organizers were drawn to the sport’s potential to attract a younger fan base and grow the Olympic audience in the internet age. It’s a sport that is widely watched on all digital platforms, widely consumed by young people. It’s very impressive technically and physically, what these athletes manage to do, and that’s why we were attracted to this sport. The feedback has been very good.”

2016, when skateboarding, surfing and sport climbing were added to the program for Tokyo 2020 along with baseball, softball and karate. “With the many options that young people have, we cannot expect anymore that they will come automatically to us.”

The inclusion of these sports is a testament to how extreme sports — which had previously been seen by some as pursuits for rebels and thrill seekers — have been moving toward the mainstream spotlight for the past several decades.

Breakdancing was one of four new sports to win a spot at the Games in Paris — alongside surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing — after the International Olympic Committee ratified their inclusion earlier last year.

Surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing were scheduled to make their Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which have been moved to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We want to take sport to the youth,” IOC President Thomas Bach said in

Pat at WOC in 2019.

Breakdancer

Christmas “donut” orienteering in the West

O

rienteering WA has an annual Christmas tradition of a “map with a twist”.

Most often this has been organised by Noel Schoknecht, who is famous (or is that notorious?) for his imaginative distortions of the map. This year his idea, quite appropriately, was inspired by COVID. After Victoria controlled its outbreak in spectacular style, the story line was about “donut days”. This gave birth to the donut map, with six concentric rings all rotated by different degrees with only the central one, including the Start, oriented to north. In his briefing Noel said, “The organiser accepts no responsibility for map accuracy, control placement, or your enjoyment, but Merry Christmas to all orienteers anyway.”

There was a time limit of one hour to visit as many controls as possible.

How quickly can you decide the best route to reach them all? from OWA e-bulletin

Christmas 2020 Master map.

face a crucial decade for ensuring the future of our planet,” said Dr Paul Smith, a researcher on the study and secretary general of conservation charity Botanic Gardens International in Kew. UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has said he is aiming to plant 30,000 hectares (300 sq km) of new forest a year across the UK by the end of this parliament. And, an Africanled movement to plant a 5,000-mile (8,048km) forest wall to fight the climate crisis is set to become the largest living structure on Earth, three times the size of the Great Barrier Reef.

However, planting trees is highly complex, with no universal easy solution. “If you plant the wrong trees in the wrong place you could be doing more harm than good,” said lead researcher Dr Kate Hardwick of RGB Kew. All too often natural forests teeming with plants, animals and fungi are replaced by commercial plantations with row upon row of timber trees, which will be harvested after a few decades, she told BBC News. “What we’re trying to do is to encourage people, wherever possible, to try and recreate forests which are similar to the natural forests and which provide multiple benefits to people, the environment and to nature as well as capturing carbon.” from BBC News

And lastly …….

AO Christmas 2020 Donut map.

Eye Test

Forests

I

T

remember going into the opticians near home about 10 years ago. They weren’t as advanced and technical back then as they are today. The optician sat me at a chair and said to have a look in this big machine and to tell him what I could see?

I told him “I can see closed pubs, face masks, shortages of toilet paper and a Chinese bloke eating a dead bat”!

Well done he said, “You don’t need glasses, you’ve got 2020 vision”.

magazine Editor, Mike Hubbert, is fast approaching 5,000 events chalked up since his first in 1969 (with 4986 at March 1st and 67,400 controls located). He reckons that COVID “stole” about 135 events so he could have been well past the 5,000 mark by now.

ree planting is a brilliant solution to tackle climate change and protect biodiversity, but the wrong tree in the wrong place can do more harm than good, say experts at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK. Forests are essential to life on Earth. They provide a home to three-quarters of the world’s plants and animals, soak up carbon dioxide, and provide food, fuels and medicines. But they’re fast disappearing; an area about the size of Denmark of pristine tropical forest is lost every year.

“Planting the right trees in the right place must be a top priority for all nations as we MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 45

EVENTS

COVID cancellations Well …….. “We’re not out of the woods yet” is probably an apt description for a sport that began as a forest activity.

T

he most recent major carnival to go was the Xmas 5 Days planned for the NSW Southern Highlands with some 350 entrants looking forward to their release from COVID hibernation.

Prior to that was the 2020 Australian Orienteering Championships Carnival in Tasmania, now postponed to late September 2021 when (hopefully) we may all be able to travel outside our “bubbles”.

And the 2021 Oceania Carnival in New Zealand was postponed to become Oceania 2022. In urban racing, the 2021 Melbourne City Race weekend has been pushed back to April 17/18.

NOL Round 4 at Broulee Dunes

O

n the weekend of May 15 & 16, Broulee Dunes on the NSW south coast will host NOL Round 4 as well as NSW and ACT State League events. Courses for all orienteers will be offered – see Eventor for details.

Saturday will see a Sprint at St Peter’s Anglican College, Broulee, in the morning followed by a Middle Distance (with chasing start for NOL competitors) at Broulee Dunes in the afternoon. Map Scale is 1:7500 with 2.5m contours.

46 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2021

On the international scene, the 2021 World Masters Games in Japan, including Orienteering, was postponed to May 2022, and replaced by a WMOC event in Hungary in early August 2021. Whether that will go ahead remains to be seen. While WOC in Czech Republic, JWOC in Turkey, WMTBOC & JWMTBOC in Finland, Swiss O Week, O-Ringen, the 2021 Scottish 6 Days, and the California O Festival are probably in the same position. And the 2021 WMMTBOC scheduled for May in Slovenia has been moved to Portugal in October.

On Sunday at Broulee Dunes there will be a 3-person Relay for NOL competitors and another Middle Distance for other orienteers.

Broulee Dunes is a new map of a venue never previously used for orienteering. The map is typical south coast sand dune terrain which hugs the beach between Broulee and the Moruya airport. The vegetation is relatively slow and thick in places, but fast and open in others. The dunes get smaller and less distinct the further you are from the beach. There are a few tracks and a large creek running through the map.

A recent bushfire has burnt through a section of the map, resulting in better visibility and faster running.

Why come for the weekend? A new sand dune map; 3 events; NOL, NSW SL and ACT SL courses; very scenic; have a beach holiday at the same time :)

Top Events 2021

2022 April 2-5 Easter April 10-11

AUS 3 Days Carnival, Orange, NSW NSW “2020” Championships Eugowra, NSW New Zealand MTBO Championships Central Otago, South Island Melbourne City Race Park Prologue

Jan 2022 (TBC) Australia Day weekend Easter

April 18

Melbourne City Race Port Melbourne

June 17-19

May 15-16

Vic MTBO Championships Maryborough, VIC

June 10-18

WMTBOC & JWMTBOC Kuortane, Finland www.wmtboc2021.com Arctic Circle Jukola Relays Rovaniemi, Finland Sprint & Forest WOC Doksy, Czech Republic

April 17-21

April 17

2021

May 13-29

June 26-30

15-16 May 2021 MARYBOROUGH & DUNOLLY

June 19-20 July 2-9

July 2-11 July 11-16 July 17-24

July 18-24 Aug 1-7

O-Ringen Uppsala, Sweden Scottish 6-Days, Fort William, Lochaber California O Festival San Francisco & Sierra Nevada

August 7-13

WMOC 2021 Velence, Hungary

Sept 3-5

City of London Race UK QLD MTBO Championships

Sept 17-19

Sept 25Oct 3 Sept 28-30

Australian MTBO Champs Kuri Kuri, NSW, ausmtbochamps.com AUS Championships Launceston & St Helens,Tasmania www.aoc2021.tasorienteering.asn.au AUS Schools Championships Bicheno & St Helens,Tasmania

Sept 28-30

Turbo Chook 3 Days Bicheno & St Helens,Tasmania

Oct 8-10

World Masters MTBO Champs Abrantes, Portugal

Oct 15-17

ACT MTBO Championships

Dec 10-12

Asia City Race Bangkok, Thailand Asia City Race Hong Kong

Dec 17-19

July 9-16 July 11-16 July 15-20

Canadian Rockies Orienteering Festival, Alberta & British Columbia JWOC 2021 Turkey 2021 Swiss O Week Arosa, Switzerland

Aug 2-15

Sept 11-12

July 7-17

Sept 24 Oct 2 Sept 15-20

Oceania 2022 New Zealand High-O Dinner Plain AUS 3 Days Carnival, Queensland WMOC & World Masters Games near Kobe, Kansai Prefecture, Japan www.wmg2021.jp/en/ 2022 Jukola Relays Mynämäki, SW Finland Sprint WOC 2022 Denmark (near Velje, Jutland) woc2022.dk 2022 World Games Birmingham, Alabama, USA www.theworldgames2021.com/ WMOC 2022 Vieste (Gargano, Puglia) Italy JWOC 2022 Aguiar da Beira, Portugal WMTBOC & JWMTBOC Sweden AUS Championships Kyneton, Victoria World Masters MTBO Champs Targovishte, Bulgaria

2023 Easter

AUS 3 Days Carnival, ACT May 13-16 World Masters MTBO Champs Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia July 2-9 JWOC 2023 Romania July 11-16 Forest WOC 2023 Flims, Switzerland August 11-18 WMOC 2023 Slovakia August 18-27 WMTBOC & JWMTBOC Czech Republic September AUS Championships Western Australia 2024 Easter

AUS 3 Days Carnival,

June 28-30

World Masters MTBO Champs Viborg, Denmark JWOC 2023 Romania WMTBOC & JWMTBOC Bulgaria Oceania & AUS Champs Carnival Armidale, NSW

July 2-9 Sept 9-16 Dates TBA

Advertise your event A colour 6 x 9 cm event ad for just $50 Send artwork to The Editor: mikehubbert@ozemail.com.au MARCH 2021 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 47

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