It was the Norwegians, Latvians and New Zealanders who first braved the cold, wet and blustery conditions to begin their JWOC preparation amongst the slippery granite of Kahli’s Rocks. Most of the juniors had a ‘map walk’ which allows them to slowly get used to the new terrain and get an idea of how it is mapped. Heavy clouds which brought intermittent showers occasionally parted to allow some sunshine through bringing slight relief to the low temperatures of approx 6°C.

The Australian team, which assembled in Orange overnight, did not visit Kahli’s Rocks instead resting for the morning and conserving energy for the afternoon’s speed session around the Orange campus of Charles Sturt University.

Soon after their arrival the team received their new Trimtex uniforms. Predominantly yellow, the new uniforms are not only comfortable, they provide the team with a real identity that not only lifts team spirit but also allows spectators to easily recognise the stars they will be cheering. Along with the uniforms they also accepted some of their sponsors’ products last night including Skins compression garments — which are already being put to good use, and High 5 energy gels, recovery bars and isotonic drink supplements.

With the final teams arriving over the next couple of days the JWOC atmosphere is building with the teams not allowing the weather to hinder their preparations. Australia will be one of a host of teams visiting Gumble Creek tomorrow for some more granite familiarisation.