2005 Archive

Daylesford in Victoria will be the centre of the Australian orienteering world this coming weekend (27-29 may), when the final selection races for the Australian team to compete in the World Orienteering Championships (WOC) in Aichi, Japan, 8 – 14 August, will be held. The New Zealanders will be represented by their WOC team, selected after trials earlier this month near Hamilton, and this contest will give both the Kiwis and the Australians some indication of how they will fare in Japan. Although we have nothing inAustralia to compare with Japanese terrain, the Daylesford terrain will at least be comparable in steepness.

Australian selectors Ian Prosser (chair), Nicki Taws, and Jenny Lawford will select the team on the basis of results from the first round of selection trials at the Easter 3-day event at Jindabyne, together with past form in major international races and Australian championship races. Australians living and competing in Europe willconsidered on the basis of their performances in major European races, and are eligible for selection.

There will be three races, sprint (Friday) 2.4 Km (men) and  2.0 Km (women), long distance (Saturday) 16.79 Km, climb 1180m/9.88 Km, climb 715m, and middle distance (Sunday) 6.1 Km / 4.8 Km. Course setters are Rob Plowright (sprint and long distance, and course setter for the sprint race at WOC in Japan), and Andy Hogg and Natalie Smith (middle distance).

One notable absence from the trials is Tom Quayle. Tom has withdrawn his nomination due to ongoing injury; he has decided to focus on rehabilitation this year aiming to be back to his best for WOC2006.

Selectors will announce the team on this website on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 1.

Results of each of the selection races at Daylesford will be posted on the website as soon as possible after each race. Entry lists and start times for the weekend can be seen via links in the High Performance section of the website.

Daylesford in Victoria will be the centre of the Australasian orienteering world this coming weekend (27-29 may), when the Australia New Zealand challenge will be held. The challenge will also feature the final selection races for the Australian team to compete in the World Orienteering Championships (WOC) in Aichi, Japan, 8 – 14 August. The New Zealanders will be represented by their WOC team, selected after trials earlier this month near Hamilton. The Australian Bushrangers team is:

Women – Tracy Bluett, Susanne Casanova, Grace Elson, Clare Hawthorne, Orla Murray, Mace Neve. Reserve 1: Kathryn Ewels, Reserve 2: Ilka Barr

Men – Bruce Arthur, Gareth Candy, Julian Dent, Ben Rattray, Kerrin Rattray, Robbie Preston. Reserve 1: Ian Meyer, Reserve 2: Peter Preston

Australian selectors Ian Prosser (chair), Nicki Taws, and Jenny Lawford will select the team on the basis of results from these selection races and the first round of selection trials at the Easter 3-day event at Jindabyne,together with past form in major international races and Australian championship races. Australians living and competing in Europe will considered on the basis of their performances in major European races, and are eligible for selection.

There will be three races, sprint (Friday) 2.4 Km (men) and  2.0 Km (women), long distance (Saturday) 16.79 Km, climb 1180m/9.88 Km, climb 715m, and middle distance (Sunday) 6.1 Km / 4.8 Km. Course setters are Rob Plowright (sprint and long distance, and course setter for the sprint race at WOC in Japan), and Andy Hogg and Natalie Smith (middle distance). Having Rob Plowright setting courses for our trials is also a bonus as it should ensure that the team will have some idea of what to expect in Japan.

Contenders for the WOC team with good results from Easter are previous WOC representatives Grant Bluett, David Shepherd, Natasha Key, Jo Allison, Hanny Allston, and Tracy Bluett. Overseas-based Australians with good credentials are Troy de Haas (Finland), David Brickhill-Jones (Norway), Rob Walter (Sweden), and Allison Jones (Sweden). Others with good recent form are Grace Elson, Susanne Casanova, Danielle Winslow, and Clare Hawthorne. Among the men, Julian Dent, Robbie Preston, Ben Rattray, Eric Morris, and Gareth Candy cannot be discounted. One notable absence from the trials is Tom Quayle. Tom has withdrawn his nomination due to ongoing injury; he has decided to focus on rehabilitation this year, aiming to be back to his best for WOC2006.

The terrain has been chosen to be as Japan-like as possible and course setters have been instructed accordingly. Japan will be steep, hot and detailed gully-spur. Although Australian forest differs from that ofJapan, their gully-spur is not the same type as ours, and the weather in Daylesford will be closer to freezing than hot, the courses will at least be comparably steep.

Selectors will announce the team on this website on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 1.

Results of each of the selection races at Daylesford will be posted on the website as soon as possible after each race.

Split times from the National League and public races at Umuna on Saturday 7th May, and at Julimar on Sunday 8th May are now available on SplitsBrowser.

Umuna Middle Distance and enter on the day splits.

Umuna Sprint splits.

Julimar Long Distance and Badge Event Splits.

Tracy Bluett travelled to Perth for this weekend’s NOL series, spending her first nights apart from her 18 month old daughter Tiia. But the sacrifice brought rewards when she won the Mother’s Day long distance race this morning. Bluett, who missed out on last year’s WOC team, now seems to have returned to her best form, beating Jo Allison by about a minute and is now second in the National League points table. Clare Hawthorne finished off a good weekend – she was a further 5 minutes behind in third place. Grace Elson, whose consistency has been a feature of the 2005 season, cemented her claim for a WOC spot, finishing fifth behind Anna Sheldon, and is now 4th in the overall standings.

In the men’s race Grant Bluett may have wrapped up the NOL title this weekend – he has won the last 5 races including this morning’s victory. He beat Eric Morris (second) and Dave Shepherd (third). Shepherd needed a win to keep his hopes of the National League title alive, and led the field until a mistake at the 16th control cost him dearly. Local Western Nomad CraigDufty finished off a solid weekend at home – he placed 6th in a quality field.

In the team competition, the Canberra Cockatoos look unassailable in their quest for another title. Victoria failed to capitalise on the non-attendance of NSW star Julian Dent; they made ground on the NSW Stingers yesterday, drawing level on overall points, but dropped behind again today as NSW took out the women’s race, and clinched second in the men’s.

National League 2005 So Far…

The National League now moves to its midwinter hiatus. Many of Australia’s best senior and junior elites will head to Europe for the season, followed by the World Championships in Japan. The NOL resumes in Tasmania in September, as part of the Australian Championships Carnival.

Standings after 10 Rounds are as follows:

Teams

1. Canberra Cockatoos 150
2. NSW Stingers 127
3. Victorian Nuggets 123
4. Queensland Cyclones 86
5. Southern Arrows 76
6. Western Nomads 69
7. Tassie Foresters 50

Men

1. G Bluett ACT 234
2. D Shepherd ACT 199
3. J Dent NSW 178
4. R Preston NSW 165
5. E Morris NSW 163

Women

1. J Allison ACT 225
2. T Bluett NSW 204
3. H Allston TAS 175
4. G Elson TAS 165
5. S Casanova SA 146

Grant Bluett extended his lead in the National Orienteering League today with victories in both races in the “Call of the West” series. In the morning middle distance race Bluett had a narrow victory over his Canberra Cockatoo rival David Shepherd. Ben Rattray (Southern Arrows) had a breakthrough performance, coming in third place – his best result for the year so far.

In the afternoon forest sprint race Bluett again prevailed.
This time Danish international (and Victorian Nugget) Rune Olsen produced his best performance since moving to Melbourne, coming in second, with Eric Morris (NSW Stingers) third. Ben Rattray maintained his morning form, and finished in fourth place.

In the Women’s middle distance race Natasha Key (Victorian Nuggets) showed a sparkling return to form after a somewhat disappointing Easter (by her standards). She won by 54 seconds from NSW Stinger Tracy Bluett, and consistent Canberra Cockatoo Jo Allison in third place.

Other notable performances included Anna Sheldon (Qld Cyclones – 4th).
The afternoon’s sprint race produced one of the tightest results in this year’s National League – and a change at the top compared to the morning’s race.
Reigning Australian long distance Champion Clare Hawthorne (Victorian Nuggets) won by 4 seconds to fellow Victorian Kathryn Ewels and Canberra Cockatoo Jo Allison, who tied for second place.

The standout result of the day was Victorian junior Jasmine Neve who placed 6th in the middle distance and 4th in the sprint. She leaves directly from Perth for the Junior World Championships in Switzerland, and will travel with high hopes for good results there.

The terrain was lightning fast granite. Clearing and grazing on the area meant that running was unusually easy for WA, but the complex granite increased the technical difficulty.
The National League shifts to the Chittering Valley tomorrow where runners will face the difficult prospect of a physically demanding long distance race in spur-gully terrain.

After 9 rounds, the Canberra Cockatoos have extended their lead in the total pointscore competition. The Victorian Nuggets have made up ground on the NSW Stingers – they are now equal second on 112 points. Of the remaining States, WA Nomads have been unable to take advantage of their local knowledge, and are in 6th place behind the Queensland Cyclones (4th), with the Southern Arrows in 5th. The Tasmanian Foresters had limited representation in WA, with only Grace Elson and Danielle Winslow making the trip west, and remain in 7th place.

Tasmanian David Brickhill-Jones became the first Australian to achieve a top-three placing in an Orienteering World Cup race outside of Australia when he finished second in the 3,500 metre Sprint Distance race in Battersea Park, London, UK on Monday.

Brickhill-Jones, shown here punching the spectator control, was fastest through the first 15 of 26 controls (check points) by three seconds but faded slightly to finish 18 seconds adrift of Switzerland’s Daniel Hubman.

Tasmanian David Brickhill-Jones became the first Australian to achieve a top-three
placing in an Foot Orienteering World Cup race outside of Australia when he finished
second in the 3,500 metre Sprint Distance race in Battersea Park, London, UK on
Monday.

Brickhill-Jones was fastest through the first 15 of 26 controls (check points) by
three seconds but faded slightly to finish 18 seconds adrift of Switzerland’s Daniel
Hubman.

David Shepherd (ACT) has moved into second place after his big win in the Australian Middle Distance Championships, with the highest ranking score (1385) ever seen in a domestic ranking race. Julian Dent (NSW) also moved into the top 5 for the first time after a string of top class performances this year. Danish orienteer Rune Olsen (VIC) 10th and Craig Dufty 11th (WA) have also climbed the list after some great results in recent NOL races.
In the women’s list, Tracy Bluett (NSW) has moved into 4th place. Her win in the Australian Middle Distance Championships was her best ranking score since returning to competition following the birt of daughter Tiia. Anna Danielsson’s (ACT) win in the ASC Galaxy Sprint has moved her to a personal best ranking of 16th, and top performances from Jasmine Neve (VIC) has seen her move into the top 20 for the first time.

David Shepherd (ACT) has moved into second place after his big win in the Australian Middle Distance Championships, with the highest ranking score (1385) ever seen in a domestic ranking race. Julian Dent (NSW) also moved into the top 5 for the first time after a string of top class performances this year. Danish orienteer Rune Olsen (VIC) 10th and Craig Dufty 11th (WA) have also climbed the list after some great results in recent NOL races.
In the women’s list, Tracy Bluett (NSW) has moved into 4th place. Her win in the Australian Middle Distance Championships was her best ranking score since returning to competition following the birt of daughter Tiia. Anna Danielsson’s (ACT) win in the ASC Galaxy Sprint has moved her to a personal best ranking of 16th, and top performances from Jasmine Neve (VIC) has seen her move into the top 20 for the first time.

David Shepherd (ACT) has moved into second place after his big win in the Australian Middle Distance Championships, with the highest ranking score (1385) ever seen in a domestic ranking race. Julian Dent (NSW) also moved into the top 5 for the first time after a string of top class performances this year. Danish orienteer Rune Olsen (Vic) 10th and Craig Dufty 11th (WA) have also climbed the list after some great results in the recent National Orienteering League races.
In the women’s list, Tracy Bluett (NSW) has moved into 4th place. Her win in the Australian Middle Distance Championships was her best ranking score since returning to competition after the birth of daughter Tiia. Anna Danielsson’s (ACT) win in the ASC Galaxy Sprint has moved her to a personal best ranking of 16th, while top performances from Jasmine Neve (Vic) has seen her move into the top 20 for the first time.