The SILVA Stingers team of Rob Preston (OA High Performance Manager, NCN) and Richard Mountstephens (BFN) have finished 3^rd in the 2008 KEEN Alps to Ocean Adventure Race. Starting the race in great fashion, they won the Prologue around Falls Creek in 2hrs48mins.

The 2^nd stage took competitors from Falls Creek, over Mt Bogong (Victoria’s highest peak) and down to Mount Beauty by mountain bike. The SILVA Stingers were 3^rd on this stage in 9hrs28mins, finishing behind Adventuresportnz, and OrionHealth Mixed.

This set the standard for the rest  of the race with the ultralong 3^rd stage also being won by AdventuresportNZ, OrionHealth Mixed 2^nd, and SILVA Stingers 3^rd.

This 28hr stage from Falls Creek to Omeo included a crux paddle down the very rocky Mitta Mitta river, and a 10-15hr trek with extremely tough navigation.

The final stage saw competitors start with Orienteering around Buchan caves with a bit of interesting caving thrown in. Then a 50km mtb ride followed by a 20km kayak to finish at Lakes Entrance. Though the race was promoted as being downhill all the way (Alps to Ocean) it was certainly a tough course with few team finishing the whole race.

The overall were:

1^st– AdventuresportNZ which consisted of NZ Orienteer and World AR and Rogaining Champion Chris Forne, and Gordon Walker
2^nd– OrionHealth.com Mixed- Stu Lynch (NZ MTBO representative) and Anna Berthleson
3^rd– SILVA Stingers

Other Australian Orienteers competing were:

10^th place John Toomey and Jen Graham-Taylor (John and Jen) from WA
12^th place Danielle Winslow (4TC/elsidee.com)
15^th place Cath Copeland and Thor Egerton (Sut Map)

The ‘Poland or Bust’ Ballarat weekend is nearly here. 
Those Australian uniforms are getting itchy to be distributed.
The travel agents are waiting for your outlandish schedules that include Warsaw.  Best avoid British Airways and Heathrow me thinks.

Well done to tasmanian Matt Hope who won a tassie 24 hr event as a solo last weekend.
Though a guy called Sid Taberlay did beat him for fastest lap.

New talent for MTBO WOC 2028 came to light last Saturday.
Congratulations to Belinda Allison (silver medallist 2004) and Jase McCrae for the early arrival (by 6 weeks) of their twin girls, Abby and Zoe.
Delivery was quick and all are well.   Questionable how well that Jase will run in the canberra marathon this weekend though!  Research shows that women run better after childbirth but I dont think that it holds true for fathers.

Lift needed:  Seb Dunne from Sydney is looking for a lift from Mel airport from 8.45am Friday.  Anyone else arriving at that time, or any Victorians passing thru then please contact him on sebastien_dunne@hotmail.com

Welcome Stranger Holiday Park 
Corner of Walter and Scott Pde, 3km East of PO. (On Melbourne side, very soon after you hit suburbia.
Turn R (north) under bridge opposite Ballarat East HS.)  03 53327722  / 1800622777
Beds will be made up with linen.  Generally there will be 4 people per 6 berth cabin.
Cooking facilities are provided in the cabins.  There are also heaps of local eateries.
Mini-golf, sw pool and tennis on site.
Cabin allocations for those staying in cabins booked through me will be at the office, as will be my cabin number, and coaching plan day to day.
My Contact
I will leave Adelaide for Ballarat on Tues am via the Grampians.
Home ph no before then is 08 83370522
Wed night onwards (a borrowed mobile) – 0431 822 812.  Staying at Welcome Stranger.

Training
Training will be offered on both Thursday and Friday, with 3 / 4 different courses out on both Canadian Forest (rideable from Caravan Pk) and Creswick (15-20 mins car drive away).  There will be tapes out on the courses.   Canadian is the more detailed of the two maps.
You may choose which map to do when, although i will try to coordinate group activities for those who wish.  Car pooling is possible.
People are arriving at different times.  I will leave maps (or their location)at the caravan park office.
Thursday – 9.30am meet at Caravan park for those already there or arriving for the day’s training.

Weather.
Ballarat is having a nice autumn at the moment, and like most of Vic it hasnt had a lot of rain.  However, keep an eye on the weather bureau and come prepared for anything.  One year I did an O event one weekend in March and it was 35 degrees, and the very next weekend i did a triathlon and it was 0 degrees when we started!  So bring arm and leg warmers and a light thermal if wet weather threatens.

Bike packing
Remember not to pack loose items in a cardboard box with your bike.  Put a named bag in there with tool kit items etc and tie to bike.
Protect vital bike organs with foam or rubber.   Ask someone if you dont know how to pack a bike or else you might be up all night.
The NZOF website had some instructions last time i looked.

Course lengths etc  (more details should be available on VOA website)
LONG course
M21                     Course 1 36.5km Climb 490m    17 Controls
W21/ M17-20     Course 2 28.5km Climb 355m    13 Controls
Course   W17-20 Course 3 24km Climb 265m    13 Controls

BRING MTBOList.pdf
ACCOMODATION   any others / changes – let me know asap
        F   S     Alex Randall
F   S     Damian Welbourne
S      Peter Markworth
W T  F  S       Oscar + Dad
F  S      Seb Dunne
T  F  S      Marquita, Alison, Rob (NZ)
W  T F  S      Kay
W T  F  S       Sus Casanova
T  F  S       Thor & Jon
F   S       Melanie Simpson
T F  S       Jenn G-T
F  S       Peta Whitford   Any others / changes – let me know asap
Matt Hope?

Congratulations to EVOC for winning the inaugural
Orienteering Australia Development Award

Their award is credit to the great development work they do around their local area, Launceston, Tasmania.

The Esk Valley Orienteering Club Inc. (EVOC), based in Launceston, Tasmania, was established in 1975, and has been a highly active club since then.

The club has a proud history in the sport that is evident both through strong performances by its members of all ages in competition, and through a high involvement in administration.  A significant number of EVOCers have been involved with the major national and international events hosted by Orienteering Tasmania; have held senior positions in Orienteering Tasmania and Orienteering Australia; held and hold positions with the IOF and have acted as managers and coaches to Australian WOC and JWOC teams.  Currently the club has one Level 3 Coach, and a number of Level 2 and Level 1 coaches, and has one IOF Senior Event Adviser, one IOF Event Adviser, three Level 3 Controllers and several Level 2 and Level 1 Controllers.

The club has a membership of around 60, but attracts a much wider participant support.

During 2007 EVOC conducted 37 orienteering events with a total of 3,352 entrants:

10 Twilight events                                                                                  655
13 Sunday events (local/state, etc.)                                                      976
3  MTBO events                                                                                      68
3  special (requested) events                                                                 104
1 Seniors Week activity                                                                           20
7 Launceston State Primary Schools Sports Association events       1529

Total:    37 events                                                                              3352

The club meets regularly for business meetings, and has several social functions (BBQs, games nights, etc.) each year, including the annual award presentations dinner.

Club Officials for 2008:

Executive Committee:

President:                          John Brammall
Vice President:                  Ian Brown
Secretary:                         Jan Mitchell & Carol Phillips
Treasurer:                         Paul Pacqué                                                                             

Other office bearers:

Coaching:                          Debbie Gale
Equipment:                        Ron Briggs & Peter Hoban
Events:                              Christine Brown
Junior representative:       Juniors to be invited to put forward a nomination.
Mapping:                           Christine Brown
Projects:                            John Brammall
Publicity:                     Valerie Brammall & Lynn Carswel

Our development projects

In 2007, EVOC was involved with two specific development projects:

1. The mapping and setting up of a permanent DIY orienteering course in a local park including a children’s maze.

Aim:  to produce a permanent public orienteering course in a popular park that will offer the public a quality DIY experience of orienteering.

2. The furthering of a continuing project with the Launceston State School Sports Association to include orienteering for one term a year as an optional primary school sport.

Aim: to provide primary aged children from Grades 5 and 6 with an enjoyable, “quality” orienteering experience

Details are contained in the following:

Esk Valley application (PDF – 1.07 Mb)

EVOC Development Projects (PDF – 1.23 Mb)

Following the announcement of the JWOC team at the conclusion of the Easter 3 Day at Dubbo NSW appeals against their non-selection were lodged by Jessica Davis (TAS) and Heather Harding (ACT). The Selection Appeals Committee has now completed consideration of all submissions provided by both appellants and other stakeholders. The Board of Orienteering Australia will now consider the report of the Selection Appeals Committee to determine a suitable course of action.  The Selection Appeals Committee upheld the appeal of Jessica Davis and dismissed the appeal of Heather Harding. A summary report from the Selection Appeals Committee is to be found in the attached document.

Mike Dowling
Director, High Performance
Orienteering Australia

Selection appeal report

ONLY 31 DAYS TO GO TO TRIALS!
That may have sent you racing for the bike, to do an extra session!
Remember the first rule of training principles – specificity.
For MTBO, and at this time, that should mean – MAPS, dirt riding, speed.
Program how often you are going to ride on a map / ride reading any old map. Armchair look at maps in this next month.
Get out in the dirt and practise your skills.  Do some speed sessions to get ready for the shorter courses – these can be done on the mountain bike or roadie.

THINGS TO DO:
1) Nomination Process
All athletes who wish to be considered for selection in the Australian team for WOC / JWOC MTBO 2008 are required to submit an Expression of Interest, which should include all contact details (eg name, address, email, phone etc) to the Chair of Selectors by cob APRIL 2^nd

Peta Whitford   Chair of Selectors   voa@netspace.net.au   0428 358 588

2) Enter Trials

Saturday, 19th April 2008
Race 1 = Long-Distance           Venue Newstead.   1:20,000, 5m contours;
Terrain Spur gully terrain with some gold mining. Generally fast riding.
Winning Times   M21 E 90-110 minutes    W21E 80-90 minutes            M-20E 80-90 minutes      W-20E 60-70 minutes
Fees Senior $25, Junior $20                                                          Start Times from 11.00 am

Sunday, 20 April 2008
Race 2 = Middle-Distance      Venue “Nerrina Scenic Reserve.    1:10 000, 5m contours
Terrain Goldmining terrain with complex network of tracks and paths.
Winning Times     M21E 50 -60 minutes     W21E 40-50 minutes          M-20E 50-60 minutes     W-20E 40-50 minutes
Fees Senior $17, Junior $15                                                          Start Times from 9.30am

Race 3 = Sprint Distance        Venue “Nerrina Scenic Reserve.”   1:7 500 with 5m contours
Terrain Goldmining terrain with complex network of tracks & paths.
Winning Times:All classes: = 20-30 minutes
Fees Senior $13, Junior $10                                                      Start Times from 1.30 am
Entry Fees Long-Distance Middle + Short Distance
Seniors (M21E, W21E) $55.00 TOTAL        Juniors (M-20E, W-20E) $45.00          SportIdent Hire $6.00 (if you dont have your own)

Two ways to pay

1. By Direct Debit to Eureka Orienteers, BSB 063556 A/C 10055562

+ put your Name and MTBO Round 1 in the reference field or we will not know it is your money. Then email or mail the form, including Reference Receipt No, and Date Paid.

OR 2. Please mail the completed form and a cheque (payable to “Eureka Orienteers”) to
National Series Round 1 Secretary
Blake Gordon
835 York Street
Ballarat 3350 eurekao@netconnect.com.au                  h (03) 5331 -7937

Entry Deadline: postmarked on or before 10th April                 Final event bulletins will be posted onwww.orienteering.asn.au and www.vicmtbo.com two weeks before the event.

3) Confirm April training and accommodation details. 

If this is not correct let me know, and if others want accommodation they need to let me know by ????

WOC Event winning times                   I haven’t seen JWOC winning times in print, but they should be similiar, but less

Men                 Women          on the long I’m guessing.

Sprint      20-30 mins        20-30
Middle     50-60               40-50           Relevance to your training & racing???
Relay      50-60               40-50            Need train and race hard over the shorter times as well as the long one.
Long      100-120             120-140        Specifically do xc / mtbo / road races / time trials over these times for race simulation.

Making quick decisions in the sprint and map reading at speed is really testing you navigationally and physchologically and needs practice, even if it is only around suburbia

-100km Karri challenge in WA – jenn Graham-Taylor excelleded in this placing 3rd female overall and 31 st out of over 200 riders.  She said that the girl who came 2nd, Sally Newmarch said that “I used to row a bit.”  A former SAussie, sally came 4th at two Olympics and won a gold at the Worlds.  Sarah Dunnage competed also but had puncture problems.

– Mt Devils “Sunny Corner” 6 hr  Darvo and Simpfendorfer won this with 980 pts ahead of other squad members Anthony Darr and Damian Welbourne on 943 points, while Stu Adams was in the 3rd placed team.   Single speeders Marcel Van Schie and Hamish Mackie were in teams that placed 9th and 11th.
– Oceania Mt Bike XC Champs  Adrian Jackson was hot footing it over in Kiwi-land and looked to have a good race finishing a close 9th (6th Aussie) in a high quality field.
– Vic tr weekend – hot, hot, hot – dry, dry, dry   St George’s lake, Creswick, Rodoni. Castlemaine and the 2 Maryborough maps were used.  Sus lost more blood and earned some more scars Sat am but carried on and even had time to record 2 high places (4th & 5th) in the NOL foot o races.  Peter Markworth displayed that his recent accident hadnt slowed him down, but a dodgy tyre caused numerous punctures.
Heath Jamieson was “fresh” from a week long camp climbing at Arapiles, and showed a decent turn of speed too.
Dave Clark enjoyed the complexity challenge compared to SA maps and kept speedy Alex honest.  Tony Clark helped with shadowing and ribbon placing and Morgan did extremely well on the Castlemaine exercise.

Damian Welbourne (NSW) and son Alex Massey who did really well together at a recent pairs event.
His pre-trials training includes riding in MOAB – poor guy.

Only 39.9 in Adelaide today, and should be cooler tomorrow at just 39.  I went for a walk tonight at dusk and it was still 38!  Saw no-one outside which is very unusual as I live right next to the River Torrens, where everyone walks.  Everyone is hibernating.  Though not necessarily with their aircons on now, as several houses have burnt down due to overworked aircons catching alight!   And the “River Torrens” near my place is just a couple of stinky pools.   At the manmade adjacent water catchment dam, which has shrunk to a 5m by 5m hole, the numerous ducks have to queue up to go for a paddle.

Here is a comment that I made to Blair Trewin, our orienteering bureau of meterology expert.
“I’d think that a weather connoisseur like yourself should be on site commentating about record happenings, not merely observing from sunny Melbourne or cool Canberra!  Especially on our hot nights.    SA is not just beating the record but smashing it, both in terms of consecutive days and in temperatures being mostly nearer 40 than 35.    Feels it bit like the end of the earth as we know it over here.
And im working in a school (for the very first time) that doesnt have a hot weather early departure policy!”

And his reply.  “This is a seriously off-the-scale event…..”

Interval Training – a session that you might find useful is outlined below.
Warm up, then 4 x 2 mins intervals at 90%, then 7 x 1 min intervals at 92%, then 7 x 30 sec intervals at 95%.
This means do 2 min intervals at 90% of max heart rate (or perceived effort) with cadence about 90rpm.  After each interval ride quietly until heart rate recovers to 70% then repeat.

Coming event
5/6th April – XTERRA weekend Hepburn Springs, VIC –     Events include:
1) MTB 46km, 2) Xterra tri (1km swim, 30km mtb, 11 km trail run) 3) Mini 400/10/4) and 4) Trail runs of 4 / 11km.

The SILVA National Orienteering League continued on Sunday with a long distance mass start multi loop race for elites.

For some runners, the biggest navigational challenge of the day was finding the event, with one car load of runners arriving at 10:01am and just missing the start.

Once the race began, it was clear that packs would be split into groups.  There were 3 combinations on the first half of each lap, and another 3 combinations after a common control on the second half of each lap (with everyone running the same last 4 controls).

The Men’s elite had 14.4km, and when the leaders came together for the last common loop, it was David Shepherd who was ahead.  He went on to win, ahead of Simon Uppill and Grant Bluett.  But it was the Southern Arrows’ runners Reuben Smith and Kerrin Rattray who finished 4th and 5th to win the teams race ahead of Canberra Cockatoos.

At the half way point of the season, the Cockatoos still lead the standings on 74 points ahead of the Southern Arrows on 68 and NSW Stingers on 48.

The Cockatoos gained maximum points in the women’s race though, with Jo Allison winning convincingly.  Susanne Casanova had a great day coming second ahead of Kathryn Ewels.

Again the Cockatoos lead on 74 points ahead of Victoria Nuggets 67 and Southern Arrows 47.

The SILVA National Orienteering League takes a short break now with rounds 10–12 in Tasmania in May.

Results and Splits* now available.

[*there is a known bug in the splits file and the organisers will fix it as soon as possible]

The Silva National Orienteering League moved to Radford College this afternoon, with a mixed sprint relay providing head-to-head racing, and a chaotic brand of entertainment for the spectators.

Each mixed team had to complete four legs, with most teams opting to send out their women on the first and third legs. Each leg took 8–9 minutes, with the total winning time of just under 36 minutes.

The first leg saw Kathryn Ewels (Vic1) returning first, ahead of Jasmine Neve (Vic2) with a chasing pack of Allison Jones (ACT2), Shannon Jones (ACT3) and Vanessa Round (SA1) — all within 10 seconds.

With such tight margins, all were feeling the pressure, including Dave Shepherd (ACT1) who made ground on the pack but failed to punch a control. Instead, Matt Parton (NSW1) took the lead with second fastest time of the day on the men’s course. Grant Bluett (ACT3), Bruce Arthur (Vic1) and Chris Naunton (Vic2)  were close behind.

The third leg saw Jo Allison (ACT1, unaware that her team had mispunched) assume control, with Tracy Bluett (NSW1) in official first place. After that, there were four Victorian teams, perfectly positioned to take team points for the day.

Unfortunately for the Victorians, Jasmine Neve (Vic2) missed the final control of the third leg, and Bruce Arthur (Vic1) missed a control on the final leg. Instead, Matt Parton (NSW1) took the honours, and Simon Uppill (SA2) stormed through the field with the fastest time of the day for second place. After that Rob Walter (ACT2) and Grant Bluett (ACT3)  finished in close succession, ensuring that the Cockatoos took the team points for the day.

In the end, 6 teams out of 22 mispunched — a testament to the pressure of a sprint relay. All in all, this was one of the most exciting races of the Silva National Orienteering League, and looks like it will become a permanent fixture on the national calendar.

Results and splits now available.

Shannon Jones and Sophie Barker dead-heated for first in this morning’s ASC Galaxy sprint event at the University of Canberra. Jones had a narrow lead for most of the race, but small time losses at the end of each of the two main loops kept her from outright victory.

It was the first National League victory for both, as the multiple levels of the campus brought some more fancied contenders unstuck. Rachel Effeney repeated her impressive sprint result from Dubbo to place third outright, two seconds behind the leading pair.

Dave Shepherd, seemingly unaffected by the broken thumb that forced him out of the last day of Easter, opened up a narrow lead on Simon Uppill over the first few controls, and held it to the end with a margin of 12 seconds. Rob Walter completed the placings.

Nick Andrewartha was the lead junior male ahead of Bryan Keely, reversing the Easter sprint result, whilst there was once again a Queensland trifecta in W17-20E, with Bridget Anderson and Krystal Neumann completing the placings behind Effeney.

Results and splits now available. Results and splits from the public race also available.

The final stage of the 2008 Australian 3-day Championships produced some dramatic finishes in the elite classes. The Chasing start saw many competitors close together and fighting for the overall win. The 3-days consisted of rounds 3-7 of the SILVA National Orienteering League, and also the selection races for the Australian team for the Junior World Orienteering Championships in Sweden in July.

Women’s 21 Elite– Allison Jones started first, but was closely followed by Jo Allison, Susanne Casanova, Vanessa Round and Kathryn Ewels all within 3mins. A fast start by Ewels saw her catch the Arrows Casanova and Round at the 1^st control. By the spectator control it was just Ewels and Allison left in the lead pack. Ewels was too strong in the finish and claimed her first Easter title by 18secs from Allison. Round, in her first year in senior elites, finished 3^rd.

Men’s 21 Elite– Southern Arrow pair Simon Uppill and Kerrin Rattray, and Cockatoo David Shepherd all started within 1min at the head of the men’s field. The group were all together until Shepherd fell and dislocated his thumb, forcing his retirement. Uppill was too fast into the last control and also claimed his first title by 13secs from Rattray. Grant Bluett, started the day in 5^th, but passed Rob Preston with a better route to #7 and held on to 3^rd place (surprisingly his best result since Easter 2006!).

Women’s 20 Elite– Qld Juniors have dominated this class recently, and today was no exception. Laurina Neumann was first starter closely followed by Bridget Anderson, with Krystal Neuman about 10mins behind. Neumann was first through the spectator control but the two leaders came together soon after in the very technical 2^nd half. Anderson managed to shake Neumann near the finish to win by 27seconds. Rachel Effeney overtook Krystal Neumann to finish in 3rd.

Men’s  20 Elite– Victoria’s Bryan Keely and Qld’s Oliver Mitchell were first starters in the Men’s Junior Elite. They were still together at the spectator control, but Keely, known as a very strong runner, was able to outrun Mitchell for his first major title. Tasmania’s Nick Andrewartha was 3rd place another 5mins back.

The overall results can be found here.  Splits from today’s race here.
The JWOC team is:

Bridget Anderson (QLD)
Rachel Effeney (QLD)
Belinda Lawford (ACT)
Krystal Neumann (QLD)
Laurina Neumann (QLD)
Aislinn Prendergast (VIC)
1st Reserve-Jess Davis (TAS)
Nick Andrewartha (TAS)
Lachlan Dow (ACT)
Bryan Keely (VIC)
Leon Keely (VIC)
Oliver Mitchell (QLD)
Oscar Phillips (TAS)
1st Reserve- Geoff Stacey (ACT)

Bridget Anderson took out Saturday’s W17-20E stage of the Australian 3-Days near Dubbo. She took the lead on the long fourth leg and then held it to the end in a consistent run, 1.39 ahead of her fellow Queenslander Laurina Neumann. Rachel Effeney completed a Queensland trifecta in third place, and retains a narrow overall lead after winning Friday’s prologue, three seconds ahead of Neumann with Anderson less than a minute behind in third.

The other three elite classes were declared no-races because control stands for later days of the event were out in close proximity to identically-numbered controls from today, causing significant time loss to some competitors.

For other classes it was the first day of three. The closest race of the day was in W60, where only 11 seconds covered the first three: Jean O’Neill, Val Hodsdon and Ruth Goddard.

Results

Splits