2005 Archive

The Canberra Cockatoos limited the damage in today’s National League round, managing to keep all but three points of their lead over the Victorian Nuggets, which is now down to 18 with three rounds to go. Victoria have consolidated second place over the NSW Stingers and now lead them by four points.

The individual results were dominated by two World Championship team members, Grant Bluett and Hanny Allston. Both were well below par at Pittwater on Sunday, but returned to form with comfortable victories over the middle distance at Sandstone Valleys. Bluett was two minutes ahead of Ben Rattray (pictured, right) and Rob Preston, while Allston was even further ahead, four minutes up. Julia Davies achieved her best National League result with second, whilst Tracy Bluett was third. The results make it more likely that the two issues in doubt – Jo Allison’s lead over Tracy Bluett for the title and Dave Shepherd’s second over Rob Preston – will be resolved in favour of the incumbents; both Bluett and Preston still have a chance but will need two top-two results at least.

Erin Post secured the junior women’s title with a comfortable win, whilst her nearest challenger in the League, Ainsley Cavanagh, finished seventh. Kellie Whitfield made it a one-two for the Western Australians, who consolidated their lead in the team competition, whilst Lizzie Ingham completed the placings. Louis Elson took advantage of home ground to win the boys’ event from Simon Uppill, whilst Ryan Smyth made it a trifecta for the JWOC team.

NOL Orienteering Results Sept 2005

Queensland look in a strong position to win the Australian Schools Championships for the first time since 1991, taking a four-point lead into Wednesday’s relays. They performed consistently across the board, coming in the first three in all four age groups.

New Zealand dominated the Southern Cross Junior Challenge and are all but certain to take it out for the third successive year. In the last two years it has only been close because their senior boys have been weak; this year their senior boys are as strong as every other age group. Queensland, in the junior girls, were the only state to take a point off them.

New Zealand went one-two in two of the individual events. Scott McDonald took out the junior boys ahead of Toby Scott, whilst Lizzie Ingham led Kate Rea by just under a minute in the senior girls. Heather Harding and Lachlan Dow, both of the ACT, were the leading Australians.

The other two classes both changed hands late. Rob Fell, an early starter, led the senior boys for most of the day, and saw off all but one challenger. That last challenger, James Sheldon, snatched the lead at the last possible moment, 50 seconds ahead, whilst Simon Jager also came in late to give the New Zealanders third place. New Zealand looked like they might take out a third age group for most of the day through Rachel Goodwin in the junior girls, but Krystal Neumann came in late to give the Queenslanders a second win, with Claire Darvodelsky completing the placings.

Points after individual: Qld 24, NSW 20, ACT 19, Vic 17, Tas 17, SA 9, WA 6.
Southern Cross Junior Challenge: NZ 31, Qld 25, ACT 19, Vic 17, Tas 17, SA 9, WA 6.

NSW Stingers’ Rob Preston and Canberra Cockatoos’ Anna Danielsson took out today’s National League Round 11, at the Tasmanian Long Distance Championships on the sand dunes of Pittwater. Although they took individual honours, the best team on the day was the Victorian Nuggets, who moved into second place overall and whittled the Canberra Cockatoos’ lead to 21 points with four rounds remaining.

Preston was two minutes ahead in a closely contested mens’ race, with five minutes covering the top eight. The battle for second was especially close, with Ben Rattray finishing just two seconds ahead of Bruce Arthur, a season-best performances for both. The biggest surprise was the performance of Grant Bluett, who had to settle for sixth after two significant errors.

The pre-race womens’ favourite, Hanny Allston, was also unplaced (she was fifth after a late five-minute error). Danielle Winslow, on home ground, looked the winner for much of the day, but in the end she was squeezed out by Danielsson, who has moved to Australia this year. Her National League form has been patchy – she has only been in the top six twice, but both were wins. Tracy Bluett completed the placings.

In the junior division, the most impressive performance was that of Ainsley Cavanagh, who was six minutes clear in a field containing two other members of the national team (as well as both reserves). Zebedy Hallett was second and Heather Harding third. Timo Sild, son of Estonian WOC medallist Sixten, made an impressive Australian debut with a three-minute win. Nick Andrewartha also impressed in his first year in this division, and Louis Elson’s third place gave Tasmania two placegetters.

In the individual standings, Rob Preston has moved into third, which he maintain, although others still have a mathematical chance. Preston has an outside chance of displacing the injured Dave Shepherd from second spot, but Grant Bluett is too far ahead to be challenged. The only significant move amongst the women was that Hanny Allston has lost her last chance of overtaking Jo Allison; Tracy Bluett could still do so, but she would need to run very well for the rest of the week. Amongst the juniors, David Meyer remains in control. Simon Uppill missed an opportunity to close the gap when he mispunched, an event of similar rarity to a Swans AFL premiership, and the junior women’s division looks to be a race in two: Erin Post still leads Ainsley Cavanagh by 25 points, but Cavanagh is in excellent form and cannot be counted out.

NSW Stingers’ Rob Preston and Canberra Cockatoos’ Anna Danielsson took out today’s National League Round 11, at the Tasmanian Long Distance Championships on the sand dunes of Pittwater. Although they took individual honours, the best team on the day was the Victorian Nuggets, who moved into second place overall and whittled the Canberra Cockatoos’ lead to 21 points with four rounds remaining.

Preston was two minutes ahead in a closely contested mens’ race, with five minutes covering the top eight. The battle for second was especially close, with Ben Rattray finishing just two seconds ahead of Bruce Arthur, a season-best performances for both. The biggest surprise was the performance of Grant Bluett, who had to settle for sixth after two significant errors.

The pre-race womens’ favourite, Hanny Allston, was also unplaced (she was fifth after a late five-minute error). Danielle Winslow, on home ground, looked the winner for much of the day, but in the end she was squeezed out by Danielsson, who has moved to Australia this year. Her National League form has been patchy – she has only been in the top six twice, but both were wins. Tracy Bluett completed the placings.

In the junior division, the most impressive performance was that of Ainsley Cavanagh, who was six minutes clear in a field containing two other members of the national team (as well as both reserves). Zebedy Hallett was second and Heather Harding third. Timo Sild, son of Estonian WOC medallist Sixten, made an impressive Australian debut with a three-minute win. Nick Andrewartha also impressed in his first year in this division, and Louis Elson’s third place gave Tasmania two placegetters.

In the individual standings, Rob Preston has moved into third, which he maintain, although others still have a mathematical chance. Preston has an outside chance of displacing the injured Dave Shepherd from second spot, but Grant Bluett is too far ahead to be challenged. The only significant move amongst the women was that Hanny Allston has lost her last chance of overtaking Jo Allison; Tracy Bluett could still do so, but she would need to run very well for the rest of the week. Amongst the juniors, David Meyer remains in control. Simon Uppill missed an opportunity to close the gap when he mispunched, an event of similar rarity to a Swans AFL premiership, and the junior women’s division looks to be a race in two: Erin Post still leads Ainsley Cavanagh by 25 points, but Cavanagh is in excellent form and cannot be counted out.

The IOF has decided to include ‘MicrO’ as part fo the Middle Distance race at next year’s WOC. Below is some info that might help elites to understand what MicrO is. OA HP is currently endeavouring to have some MicrO races organised next year as part of NOL.

Here is a Grant Bluett translation of what Bjorna Valstad wrote about Micro-O on his web site http://www.staff-valstad.com/

The question I’ve asked myself is, “what is the difference between micro and regular orienteering?” Looking at the maps from the middle distance champs shows the course in three loops, one of them is micro. You have to race a course on a map. The course includes a certain number of controls. You had to visit the controls in the right order and punch at the right controls. Do you recognize the idea? What is the main difference between micro and a “regular” O’ race? Seen from this point of view, isn’t micro just a short O’ course on a large scale map. That isn’t something new. What is new with micro? 1. We are forced to adapt to a different scale during the middle of the race. 2. We have to actually orienteer all the way to the feature and not just run to the circle and look for the marker. Both of these things mean that the orienteer is stressed and it increases the demands on orienteering technique. It is tough. Micro…is demanding. I have no doubt that the concept favors the best orienteers. The legs are short and that puts a huge demand on map reading and concentration. A second’s lapse or running at the wrong speed can cause significant time loss. Forget about the name micro. It is orienteering and so the name should remain “orienteering.”…

The IOF has decided to include ‘MicrO’ as part fo the Middle Distance race at next year’s WOC. Below is some info that might help elites to understand what MicrO is. OA HP is currently endeavouring to have some MicrO races organised next year as part of NOL.

Here is a Grant Bluett translation of what Bjorna Valstad wrote about Micro-O on his web site http://www.staff-valstad.com/

The question I’ve asked myself is, “what is the difference between micro and regular orienteering?” Looking at the maps from the middle distance champs shows the course in three loops, one of them is micro. You have to race a course on a map. The course includes a certain number of controls. You had to visit the controls in the right order and punch at the right controls. Do you recognize the idea? What is the main difference between micro and a “regular” O’ race? Seen from this point of view, isn’t micro just a short O’ course on a large scale map. That isn’t something new. What is new with micro? 1. We are forced to adapt to a different scale during the middle of the race. 2. We have to actually orienteer all the way to the feature and not just run to the circle and look for the marker. Both of these things mean that the orienteer is stressed and it increases the demands on orienteering technique. It is tough. Micro…is demanding. I have no doubt that the concept favors the best orienteers. The legs are short and that puts a huge demand on map reading and concentration. A second’s lapse or running at the wrong speed can cause significant time loss. Forget about the name micro. It is orienteering and so the name should remain “orienteering.”…

Jo Allison from the Canberra Cockatoos and Eric Morris from the NSW Stingers dominated the ACT Championships as Orienteering was welcomed back to the Captains Flat area for the first time in several years. Competitors were challenged by classic spur-gully terrain, course setters Ann and John Scown made great use of the map, setting difficult route-choices on long legs and making good use of steeper contour detail and flatter vague areas.

In a very strong but small women’s field Jo Allison was challenged early on by fellow World Championship representative Tracy Bluett; but a two minute mistake at the third control by Tracy gave Jo a clear lead which was never challenged. Nicki Taws finished third with yet another solid performance. After a tough international campaign Jo has decided not to travel to Tasmania for the National Championships, although her performance at the ACT Championships, fastest for nine out of twelve legs, suggests she would have been hard to beat.

In the men’s race Eric Morris, Rob Preston and Kerrin Rattray swapped the lead for the early part of the course before Eric Morris asserted his dominance, putting a minute into the field on each of the two long legs, and then increasing his lead all the way to the finish. Rob Preston finished second with Kerrin Rattray, continuing his great long distance form, a close third. Although local World Championship representatives Grant Bluett and Dave Shepherd were absent, Eric Morris’s performance here and at NSW long distance championships suggests he will be one of the favourites to win the National Championships in Tasmania, before he flys out to Italy for the World Cup Final.

All eyes will now be focused on next weekends National League Race, the Tasmanian long distance championships on Pittwater Dunes, as a final form guide for the National Championships. A race report will be posted here so make sure to log in.

2005 ACT Championships – Results

2005 ACT Championships – Splits

It was a day for firsts at the Victorian long distance championships, with Danielle Winslow and Blair Trewin both claiming their first wins in the event at elite level. Trewin’s win, in particular, was the kind of drought breaker that the professional meteorologist can usually only dream about. Not since 1987 has he been able to proudly hold aloft the badge of ‘Victorian Champion’ when, as a canny Canberra M16, he took the race from a bunch of lanky locals.

When questioned about his form going into the race, Trewin deflected suspicion with his customary ‘there or thereabouts’ demur, an answer that students of the Trewin vernacular immediately translated as ‘in the bag’.

Course setters Rob Lewis and Michael Magasanik made the most of the Barambogie North map, with long route choice legs and tricky direction changes providing plenty of opportunity for runners to come unstuck. Trewin’s technical skills didn’t desert him, however, and in his 14th attempt at the M21E title, he was able to claim victory by less that a minute over last year’s champion Bruce Arthur. In third place, an injured Rune Olsen did well to complete the tough 14.1km course, while South Australian junior Lachlan Hallet also ran strongly to take fourth place. Caught by Trewin half way around the course, Hallet kept pace through the middle section before tiring in the final loop.

In the women’s race, Danielle Winslow claimed her second state title in as many weeks. A technically difficult start to the course saw her drop time early on, and while she was disappointed with her navigation, her fitness was able to get her over the line ahead of last year’s champion Emma Prime. Third place went to former top junior Kirsten Fairfax, who this year has been making a quiet comeback to competition at the elite level.

It’s been a good late season for Winslow, whose early 2005 form was uncharacteristically inconsistent. Now, with the NSW and Victorian Championships under her belt, increased confidence and a little local knowledge, she will be the athlete to watch at her home championships in Tasmania in two weeks time.

2005 Victorian Orienteering Championships

Needing to drastically reduce its annual expenditure following severe cuts in government funding, Orienteering Australia has just completed a thorough review of its activities in order to establish new priorities for funding.
The state associations and interested orienteers prepared and shared input papers, which were subsequently addressed by a meeting involving one orienteering administrator from each state. The process has resulted in a series of recommendations to the OA Board and Council about the future activities of Orienteering Australia.
The following is summary of the key areas identified in the input papers and the major recommendations from the meeting.
What is ‘Development’?
The role of the Director Development should be to direct a range of facilitation strategies which aid the states to share and exchange information about the role of media, sponsorship, marketing and promotion in the enhancement of participation.
Services for which OA should Pay rather than Seek to use Volunteers
Two contracts, each for approximately $20 000, should be let, for an executive officer and a head coach, with possibly one person occupying both positions.
The Conduct of the Council
No changes should be made to the composition or election of the Board or to the conduct of the Annual General Meeting and the Annual Conference, but whether the Council consists of two or one representative per state should receive further consideration.
The Management of Committees
The management of the committees should be improved, particularly in relation to the flow of communications between meetings.
The Australian Orienteer
The compulsory subscriptions to The Australian Orienteer by the state members should be increased to offset the loss of the ASC funding and there is a possible need for the magazine to adjust editorial practice to match budgetary constraints.
Participation by Australia within the International Orienteering Federation
Although OA should seek to be represented on committees of the IOF, expenditure should be restricted to being represented at the biennial Congress [this recommendation to be implemented after Hugh Cameron’s current term as a Member of the IOF Council ends].
The Priorities within High Performance
The Australian aspects of the program should be retained in their present form.
The international aspects of the program should be retained, but with a slightly reduced total expenditure
The selection of the WOC team should be retained at a maximum of six males and six females, with the selectors continuing to stringently apply the selection criteria relating to benchmark performances.
The OA should retain its commitment to increasing the funding of MTBO activities, with the Board and the MTBO Committee working towards an agreed strategy based on parity of participation.
Sources of Income
The states should pay a small levy on each event they conduct, ie a new levy on all non-National fixture events.
The online systems of the website should be enhanced in order to provide improved data that will assist in devising new strategies to increase participation and hence income.