Orienteering Australia has migrated its event calendars across to Google calendars. You can check them out on all the event pages of this site now. The migration is aimed to improve participant and organiser usability.
We have also created a few short video clips to help you use the calendars to full effect (well actually we don’t explain some of the tricky things you could do, but that’s for you to explore). If you don’t use Google calendars, we cover that too.
Tips for participants using the Google calendar:
Tips for organisers wanting to add or update events on the Google calendar:
And finally, for the administrators…
Dent, Jones big winners at National League weekend
Julian Dent and Shannon Jones had the main successes of the National League weekend in New South Wales, each winning two out of three races. Dent won the sprint at Macquarie University and the middle at Wattle Ridge, before suffering his first loss of the season in the long distance at Belanglo, beaten into third place by Grant Bluett and Dave Shepherd. Jones had good wins in the sprint and long events, with Vanessa Round emerging triumphant in the middle distance.
Belinda Lawford won all three junior races, while the junior men’s results were spread around with wins to Oscar Phillips (sprint), Lachlan Dow (middle) and Ian Lawford (long).
Full results have been delayed due to SI problems. Placings are also available through the National League standings. Routegadget for the middle distance is also available.
This weekend is often considered the most tense on the elite calendar, the weekends SILVA National Orienteering League including the major selection races for the Australian World Orienteering Championships team. If the pressure of this was not enough by itself, there is also an Australian – New Zealand Test match, the local Bushrangers taking on the Pinestars for trans-Tasman bragging rights.
Races begin on Saturday morning around the fast and furious campus grounds of Macquarie University in Sydney. A quick trip south along the highway and competitors will race from 2pm on the highly technical and challenging Wattle Ridge map near Hill Top in the Southern Highlands. If that hasn’t tired them out then on Sunday morning competitors face a long distance race (10km for women’s elite, 15km for the men) in the physically tough terrain around Belanglo.
Stay tuned for a tense weekend of racing in which competitors hoping to make it to the World Championships in Norway in August have their last chance to show their worth. If you need a reminder of this year’s form runners, then have a quick peek at the video report from the final day of the Easter twenty10 carnival below.
Benefits of bush orienteering for children & older people
This research is something orienteering clubs can use in promoting bush orienteering to children.
At the other end of the age scale, the Life Matters program on ABC Radio National has looked at brain health and reducing the risk of dementia in older Australians. Both brain exercise and physical exercise are very important for brain health as we get older, with orienteering an excellent sport for combining the two. Hear more athttp://www.abc.net.au/rn/lifematters/stories/2010/2884859.htm
Job vacancy: Manager, Coaching and Officiating Development
Orienteering Australia is seeking an experienced orienteer with demonstrated administration, organisation and liaison skills to fill the position of Manager, Coaching and Officiating Development. The main duties of the position are administering the accreditation and re-accreditation of coaches and controllers with the Australian Sports Commission, liaising with the ASC and OA on curriculum development and other ASC requirements, organising Level 2 and Level 3 coaching courses, and convening and providing the secretariat for the OA Coaching Committee.
The position is part-time, approximately 40 hours per month on an ongoing basis.
Expressions of interest are requested by 16 May by email to the Executive Officer at orienteering@netspeed.com.au A detailed list of duties, responsibilities and conditions of employment are available by emailing this address or ringing John Harding on 0427 107 033.
The Australian Boomerangs team has kept the orienteering public up to date with news and photos for the 2009 season through the team blog. Julian Dent is currently in Sweden competing and training can and has been writing some interesting reports.
Sweden’s famous 10 man relay takes place over 1-2 May, running throughout Saturday night. Julian is competing for Swedish club Malungs OK, a club popular with Australians with Grant Bluett, Rob Walter and Simon Uppill all club members.
You’ll be able to watch all the action from here with live Web TV available for $10. From previous years experience this coverage is as good as live orienteering can get.
Rob Vincent and Adrian Jackson major award winners
NSW orienteer Rob Vincent (pictured) was the recipient of the Silva Award for Services to Orienteering at the OA annual presentation of awards and double World MTBO Championship gold medallist Adrian Jackson from Victoria was 2009 Athlete of the Year.
Rob Vincent
QLD’s Eric Andrews received the David Hogg Award for Services to Event Management, Tasmania’s Jessica Fuller-Smith was the Silva Award winner for Services to Coaching, Jenny Bourne was Silva Orienteer of the Year, and the Bushflyers Club in the ACT was the Australian champion club at the Easter carnival.
Rob Vincent, a long time stalwart of Newcastle Orienteering Club, was National Controller for the 2007 World Junior Championships and the 2009 World Masters Orienteering Championships and overall Controller for the 2004 Australian Championships Carnival, the 2007 Australian Championships Carnival and the 2008 Australian 3 Days in NSW.
Eric Andrews has been involved in orienteering for more than 30 years, as a competitor, administrator, selector, technical director, event organiser and mapper. He has been event coordinator of several of Australia’s largest orienteering carnivals.
Jessica Fuller-Smith did an outstanding job as coach of the Tasmanian schools team in 2008 and 2009 to receive the Silva Award for Services to Coaching.
WMOC W55 champion Jenny Bourne was the Silva Orienteer of the Year, derived from points awarded in national and state championships in 2009 in the M16 and W16 and older age groups.
The Bushflyers club in the ACT for the first time won the Australian champion club trophy, based on points in the the first two days of the Easter 3 Days.
The top ten clubs were Bushflyers ACT 43, Esk Valley Tasmania 34, Australopers Tasmania 32, Red Roos ACT 31, Big Foot NSW 31, Garingal NSW 31, Ugly Gully QLD 30, Enoggeroos QLD 27, Newcastle NSW 23, Wellington Ranges Tasmania 23.
Kathryn Ewels featured in International O-Zine online mag
The first issue of the International Orienteering Federations O-Zine has been published. It includes a feature on Victoria’s Kathryn Ewels, following her 5th place in the WOC Sprint last year. There is also an article on Australian’s men and the teams expectations leading into 2010 WOC in Norway.
