Association News

The first of our Sydney schools champs (Sydney West) is on Wed May 29 at Fred Caterson Reserve, Castle Hill. Anyone who can assist on the day (coaching, marshalling, starting etc) is asked to get in with Ian Jessup at marketing@onsw.asn.au It's best if you can be there by 9am or soon after. Thanks again to our mighty legion of volunteers who help promote our sport!

Event #2 of the Cunning Running Series for 2013, at Kings Langley on Saturday 11 May drew 37 entries with over 46 participants.  Glenn Horrocks showed new and experienced a clean pair of heels to take maximum points and his series score to 200. James McQuillan and Mark Mueller are the only two to match perfect scores with him in either race this series, and with 3 events still to go they both have a chance of catching him (4 events to count).  Currently No2 in the points score is Ian Miller with 132pts.

This year there is also a team event for the club which accumulates the most points over the series. Host team Western and Hills team is going to have to watch the performance of a very strong Garingal contingent if they want to win the new title.

The results for both events can be seen on the Western and Hills website:  http://westernhills.nsw.orienteering.asn.au/

Next event: 15 June Mark Leece Reserve, Endeavour Avenue, St Clair, Penrith.  Starts from 2.30-3.30pm

Barbara Hill of Garingal and a team of local coaches took time out from the busy winter orienteering schedule to run a training session for juniors and their families at South Turramurra on Sunday 12 May. 

Reliable orienteering by Briohny Seaman and Alex Davey guided the WaggaRoos to a solid victory over Albury in the second of the Interclub Challenge events last Sunday.

Conducted on a small area near Ettamogah the terrain generally had good visibility but long grass made the going difficult. Courses consisted of little loops and included a lynch control in which participants had to find the same feature but approach it from a different direction.

Forty one students participated in the 2013 Riverina Schools Orienteering Championships conducted by Wagga Roos and The Riverina School Sports Association at Willans Hill on Tuesday 7 May. 

Star of the day was Uranquinty Public School student Lachlan Billett.

OA High Performance Operations Manager and NSW Head Coach Nick Dent showed the rest of the field how it was done this weekend at the ACT Championships in Canberra.  There were no gaps in his game with comfortable wins in the Sprint, the Middle Distance and the Long Distance.  His main competition in his age category came from fellow runners from NSW with the State also posting 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the Sprint, 2nd, 4th and 5th in the Middle and 2nd, 3rd and 5th in the Long. 

Nick and the men in M60A weren't the only ones with great results for NSW. Scott Simson (M40A) took home a 1st in the Sprint, as did Daniel Hill (M16A), Barbara Hill (W45A), Gayle Quantock (W50A), Robyn Pallas (W60A), Jean Baldwin (W70A), Maureen Ogilvie (W80A),Eoin Rothery (M21A), Teena Leonard (WOpenB), and Lachlan Coady (M/W10 Novice).  There was similar success in the Middle and the Long as the NSW team showed their versatility across all the disciplines on what was a heavy race card weekend. 

Robbie Preston will have been delighted with his Middle Distance win in M21E as these races, as well as being NOL Round 3, were also selection races for the World Championship team who will head to Finland later this year.  The team decisions are still waiting on race results of trials for Australian runners  in Europe, who include Julian Dent of NSW. If he is running half as well as his father in his age category, we shall look for great things from him this year.

State League 3 at Wattle Ridge at the weekend was favoured with glorious weather of cool temperatures and bright sunshine.  Most competitors had taken advantage of the proximity to Sydney to travel on the day, with some of the Summer Series competitors try their first bush event.  The NSW Junior Squad was out in force, with their friends from ACT who had been training with them in Canberra during the vacation.  The event was perfectly placed for the juniors to develop their bush skills in what is known to be a challenging area of complex rock and sometimes thick vegetation.  The event saw an innovative approach to the longest Hard courses, with multiple butterfly loops keeping the sense of urgency maintained throughout the race.  

Many of the courses proved more than the challenge expected, however, with Long courses becoming somewhat Ultra Long due to some course length estimation errors and vegetation thicker than expected.  Finish times in all classes blew out so that even course winners were coming back in around the 100 minute mark, with a significant number of runners well over that.  Not all had problems however - Peter De Lissa, bush newby from the Summer Series, had a great run in the Moderate class tackling his first proper bush event in a little over 48 minutes to come second to Daniel Smith.

ASADA Anti-doping online courses -  modification to requirements. Following the Lance Armstrong  revelations last year and the various drugs in sport in Australia revelations  this year, the ASC and ASADA mandated that elite athletes in all sports should  complete online education courses on the ASADA website http://www.asada.gov.au. It is also a funding agreement requirement of OA by the ASC. An update on who must do  these courses, and who else it is strongly recommended do the courses, is as  follows. 1) Due to IT problems with the ASADA website  the due date for completion of online courses is now May 10th.       If you  are having IT related problems or with logging on etc please forward your  queries to the ASADA Education Officer, Chris Butler - chris.butler@asada.gov.au 2) While  it is desirable for all NOL and National Series participants to be  educated through the online courses it is now only mandatory for: a)  all Australian elite team members - WOC, JWOC, World Games, World Cup,  Bushrangers, Australian University team; Oceania W/M20 and elite teams, plus  b) all National squad members - elite, junior, MTBO or their  equivalents. c) all national team coaches and managers. The intent is to  have all regular participants in NOL / NS races at elite or M/W20 level complete  the courses, especially as anyone who participates in these races can potentially be subject to drug testing. However, we do not wish to discourage participants who are older  or relatively inexperienced from being able to race the occasional NOL / NS  event. As an encouragement, there will be several Silva prizes awarded by random draw to NOL  / NS participants who do complete the courses but are NOT required to do  so. This report by Blair Trewin, President of Orienteering Australia originally appeared on the website of Orienteering Australia

Canberra has certainly turned on some fantastic weather for the group of juniors training in Canberra this week.  The NSW training squad have been treated to some cool nights but glorious days, and have had the wonderful opportunity to be involved in a variety of training activities, both technical and physical, and have gained tremendous insight from some of our finest orienteers, Rob Walter, Shannon Jones and Lizzie Ingham (yes we'll claim her!!)  

Karen Blatchford sends an update of the training the squad have been undertaking supported by international elites.

The ARA has submitted to the IRF a proposal to conduct the World Rogaining Championship in 2016. The previous World Championship in Australia was the Warrumbingles, NSW in 2006; the last time the World Championship came to the southern hemisphere was New Zealand in 2010. The event is planned for July 2016 in Central Australia near Alice Spings. Terrain promises to be typical Australian: semi-arid, rocky and technical, with complex gully systems. Read the ARA's proposal here (http://rogaine.asn.au/images/pdf/ara%20proposal%20to%20conduct%202016%20wrc.pdf) (3.6MB).

Orienteering NSW regrets to advise members that Maggie Jones will be stepping down from the Communications Officer role in the near future.  Whilst the decision to step down by Maggie has not been an easy one, recently taking on a full-time position plus juggling numerous volunteer roles has made life just too busy to also continue with the part-time Communications role. 

Maggie has been in the role for two years and, over this time, has made an outstanding contribution to orienteering.  As it was a new position, Maggie has developed the Communications role from scratch. She has been busy writing articles for the website and the Australian Orienteer magazine and has also been instrumental in establishing the weekly E-Bulletin plus Orienteering NSW's Facebook and Twitter presence.  Her broad awareness of developments within NSW, across Australia and internationally has given us all a greater insight into what is happening in orienteering.  The ONSW Board would like to publicly congratulate Maggie on the outstanding work that she has done.  Always cheerful and helpful, Maggie's 'can do' attitude has been greatly appreciated and has been a major part of the growth that orienteering has achieved in recent years.

Orienteering NSW Communications Officer - appointment of replacement

With the resignation of Maggie, there is now an opportunity for another person to join the Orienteering NSW team and help orienteering in NSW continue to develop.  The ONSW Board would like to appoint a new part-time Communications Officer.  The position is the equivalent of one day (8 hours work) per week with some flexibility in timing and work location.  It is a paid position. 

Applicants who are keen to write articles and disseminate information to members and newcomers plus further develop Orienteering NSW's social media presence are encouraged to apply.  

Whilst Maggie has very generously offered to continue on in the role whilst a replacement is found, ONSW is keen to make an appointment asap.  Training and a managed transition with Maggie is available.  It is expected that the initial appointment will be made until the end of calendar 2013.  After this time, an ongoing role is likely however the precise job description may vary depending upon the development of the Orienteering NSW strategic plan that is happening over the remainder of 2013.

Interested applicants, should please contact the ONSW Promotions Director, Barbara Hill (promotions@onsw.asn.au, 0418 270 476) for further information. A position description is available.

The Uringa hosted competition on Sunday 21 April was eventful and not just because there were well over 200 orienteers who turned out on a gloriously sunny morning (following a day of downpours) for round 2 of the MetrO League and round 1 of the Sydney Junior League.

If round 1 at Mitchell Park was physically challenging, then Callan Park provided an altogether different test as experienced runners made basic errors and our good hosts from 2012 club of the year Uringa were beset by technical gremlins.

18 women descended on Belanglo Hut last weekend to improve their skills in orienteering. They came from Dubbo, Orange, Canberra, Sydney and Central Coast. Under the expert guidance of NSW head coach Nick Dent the group participated in a series of training exercises in Belanglo State Forest on Saturday. Sunday  morning all took part in a star relay and then drove to Soapy Flat to put their new skills to use thanks to SHOOs local event. The weather was kinder this year with bright sunshine and warm temperatures.  This was a great weekend for making new friends, learning new skills and getting some quality practice in the bush with challenging exercises set by Nick.

The weekend was a big hit.  One participant said ' I had thought about orienteering for years, and last winter I did some midweek lunchtime courses which I enjoyed. I did not do any over the summer as times clashed with other commitments so I was hesitating about re-starting as I didn't have any confidence and was loathe to ask for help (again).  Now I have got the bug to get going again thanks to your weekend help.  And having the opportunity to be 'shadowed' as a real event was particularly useful to practice some of the lessons.'

If you missed out this time, watch the calendar in 2014 - the girls will be back!

Sydney turned on a beautiful morning for our April Space Racing at Sydney Olympic Park and we were delighted to host families from the far galaxies of Orange and Newcastle.  All up 40 entries (plus many more siblings, parents and grandparents) – many of them first-timers – enjoyed their adventure race around Bicentennial Park and even managed to show up some of our regular junior club members.

Newcomer Ben Davison was fastest to get all 20 controls, in 32.09. Did he borrow Buzz Lightyear’s jet pack? A great run by Ben, and closely followed by the Chan children from the WHO club. Madelynne and Stephanie finished in 33.07, just ahead of brother Cameron in 33.49.

The Clarke-Randazzo kids from our Goldseekers club (Orange) were the last starters, having already battled traffic hassles in the Blue Mountains, and scored 180 points – but were back 12 minutes early ! Lunch at a friend’s at nearby Newington beckoned, then the trip home to Orange.

Likewise, Jack and Tom Thelander – who live at Curl Curl and saw our Space Race event there in January and wondered what all the fuss was about – made the trek from the northern beaches to score 180 and were back 10 minutes early. They could have got the lot ! Never mind, they had fun and showed great promise, as did all the kids.

And it appears we may have entertained our youngest Space Racer. Brian Tsang, 5 this year, went around with his dad Samuel (from our Bennelong Northside club) and reeled in 90 points. High five !

While some kids treat it as a race, others are happy to make it a leisurely stroll taking in the scenery. That’s another great way to enjoy it, and the Papageorgiou clan were so enamoured by Space Racing they were on course for nearly an hour. That’s dedication for you.

Our first starters right on 10am were 7 coaches from the Active After-School Communities Program (AASC) attending an upskill course so that they can deliver 7-week programs in orienteering to after-school care groups. They had only 30 minutes to do as much as they could and Ben Train showed his fitness and acumen by scoring 190 in just over 24 minutes. Well done Ben and all the coaches.

A huge thank you again to all our volunteer helpers on the day. We cannot function without you.

Our next Space Racing expedition is on July 2 at Fred Caterson Reserve at Castle Hill. This is a fantastic area with lots of bush tracks and the chance to take shortcuts through the bush if you like to be a bit more adventurous. And we may set an attendance record as we already have two vacation care groups booked in and a third one possibly coming too. We may hit the 150 mark !

Let the countdown to liftoff begin !

The NSW Stingers are looking for funding from the Thermoskin Sports Fund - please support our elite team by visiting the Thermoskin facebook page, 'Like' and then vote.  Follow this link: https://www.socialhouseapps.com/facebook/fb064thermoskin_voting/redirect.php

The Sydney Junior Orienteering League kicks off for 2013 on Sunday 21 April at Callan Park.  All juniors (members and non-members) are invited to participate.  To be part of the action, just turn up and enter on the day at the event.  The 2013 series will comprise 11 events on Sunday mornings between April and September.  Beginners and experienced orienteers aged from 8 to 20 are welcome.  Juniors are encouraged to arrive to register from 9am for starts from 9.30am.  Free introductory coaching will be available to help newcomers get underway.  A coaching morning is also planned for 12 May for juniors (with free coaching for mums on this special day!) to build skills for the season.

More information on the League.

Contact: Barbara Hill 0418 270 476 or promotions@onsw.asn.au

The annual women's training camp is being held this weekend, and there will be plenty of reasons to come along and learn.  NSW Head Coach Nick Dent has been preparing plenty of exercises to cater for both novice and experienced orienteers.   Good company, great terrain, and an opportunity to focus on your orienteering skills means this is a weekend not to miss!  Read more here 

Don MacIntyre set some interesting courses that provided participants with a good introduction to the sport. Starting from near the Museum on Baden Powell Dr courses looped around the water storage reservoir and along the main ridgeline.

Edward and Oliver Gunter had little trouble on their first orienteering venture finding the fences, watercourses and power poles to record a very good 16:13 on the 1600m Short Course, galloping along at 10 mins/km.

NSW had a massive team of 21 Stingers travel to Victoria to compete in the Easter 3 Day Carnival. Events for the Elites comprised a Sprint Prologue at La Trobe University Bendigo, a middle distance event in complex goldmining terrain of "Yorkshire Hill", a gruelling long distance event at Mt Alexander and finally a reverse chasing start relay distance event in the fast, open terrain of Kangaroo Flat, "Crusoe" map.  The Men’s 21 Elite competition was fierce the entire weekend, and 13 of the 46 competitors were wearing NSW blue. Click here for the full report 

Want to see our Stingers in action?  See The Stingers Movie from the Prologue here

 

Nicola Blatchford (Newcastle) and Michele Dawson (Garingal) have both been selected for the Australian team to compete at JWOC 2013 in the Czech Republic.  This will be Michele's second trip to Europe to compete in this competition, and she is hoping to improve on last year's solid opening performance. Nicola will be on the team for the first time, having missed out due to injury last year.  It is a tremendous achievement to have two young elites from NSW on the JWOC team and is testament to their hard work and the support of their managers and coaches.