Saturday 4 April: OA Committee meetings, Jamestown Community School, Ayr St, Jamestown (also known as the Wilkins Highway), at the junction with Humphris Terrace. Parking available in school car parks off Ayr St in the front of the school.
The first 2015 MTBO National League event takes place this coming weekend March 21-22 with 3 individual events being conducted just west of Newcastle, NSW. The long distance event on Saturday afternoon is based at Holmsville and the sprint utilises the same assembly area on Sunday morning. Then participants move to Pelaw Main for the afternoon’s middle distance event.
Courses have been set by Greg Bacon & Malcolm Roberts and Scott Simson is the controller. While the Newcastle orienteering club has a strong representation, there are also riders making the journey from WA, Qld, SA, VIC & ACT.
For the elites and M20’s these races double up as the selection trials for the World Championships being held in the Czech Republic in August. Angus Robinson is the benchmark for M20 having placed 10th at JWOC last year but Tim Jackson (VIC) has done equally as well domestically in the past. Then there is exciting new talents in Jack Allison (SA), Nick Cherry (VIC) and Fergus Mackie (NSW), all of whom are renowned mountain bikers but with little navigational experience. Their chances of upsetting the top duo are probably best in the long race.
The elite men has a large field led by previous WOC team members Chris Firman (QLD) and Ricky Thackray (WA). It won’t be a surprise to see Ori Gudes (WA), the wily veteran Greg Barbour (NSW) or locals Steve Todkill and Patrick Gunnarrson vie for places on the podium.
Carolyn Jackson (VIC) winner of 7 gold medals at the World Masters maintains favouritism in elite women. The NSW trio of Cath Chalmers, Jennifer Enderby and Marina Iskhakova, as well as WA’s Natasha Sparg are likely to be fighting for the minor placings.
The areas are relatively flat but with detailed track networks. Fire trails tend to have moderate ridability due to ruts, waterholes and fallen logs. The single tracks are described as tight and twisty. There will be lots of controls to be found over the weekend as illustrated by the men’s elite long distance being 26 kilometres in length, with 26 controls and 270 metres climb.
The Queensland Cyclones (Yasi) were successful in the Sprint Relay held at Sydney University. The two favored teams were the Canberra Cockatoos (Gang Gangs) team of Jo Allison, Ian Lawford, Lachlan Dow and Lizzie Ingham and the Cyclone Yasi team of Rachel Effeney, Mark Gregson, Tim Effeney and Anna Sheldon.
Leg 1 Mass Start
Rachel Effeney was the fastest on leg 1 (11:07) to be 1:08 in front of Victorian Nuggets team (Aislinn Prendergast) and Gang Gangs in 3rd 5 seconds further back. Mark Gregson had a very good run on Leg 2 to maintain a strong lead (39 seconds) from Ian Lawford, who moved the Gang Gangs into second place. Unfortunately for the Gang Gangs Lachlan Dow missed three controls and this meant that the Cyclone Yasi team (Tim Effeney) were still in the lead after the 3rd leg by over a minute. The NSW Stingers after a strong 3rd leg from Alex Massey were 2 seconds in front of the Victorian Nuggets. On leg 4 Anna Sheldon ran well enough for Cyclone Yasi team to maintain a comfortable lead. Catherine Murphy ran very strongly on the 4th leg for the NSW Stingers and after a small error from Laurina Neumann before the spectator control was a comfortable second place with the Victorian Nuggets finishing in third place.
Bruce Arthur leading Matt Parton (Leg 3)
The Sprint Qualification was held on a new map next to Botany Bay and featured a small area of sand dunes as well as some open parkland with many man made features. The courses started in the sand dunes so there was a need to slow down and pick up the small details. Each NOL class had two heats with the 5 fastest from each heat qualifying for the A final on Sunday morning.
The M21E heat A was very close with only 24 seconds between 1st and 5th. The winner was Max Neve in 12:40. Other qualifiers were Brodie Nankervis, Bryan Keely, Oscar McNulty and Andrew Barratt. Simon Uppill who would have been a favourite to make the A final missed out on qualifying by 14 seconds. In Heat B Lachlan Dow was the winner in 13:26, other qualifiers were Ian Lawford, Matt Crane, Matt Parton and Mark Gregson.
Oscar McNulty- Sprint Qualification
In W21E the two favorites Rachel Effeney and Lizzie Ingham both missed a control in the sand dunes and so were out of Sundays A final. The winner of Heat A was Krystal Neumann (14:50). Other qualifiers were Heather Muir, Belinda Lawford, Lisa Grant and Tracey Marsh. The winner of Heat B was Jo Allison (14:50). Other qualifiers were Laurina Neumann, Malin Anderson, Aislinn Prendergast and Michele Dawson.
In the M20E class Matt Doyle was a clear winner in Heat A in 13:14. Other qualifiers were Toby Wilson, Stephen Melhuish, Aidan Dawson and Will Kennedy. In Heat B the winner in a much slower time was Ashley Nankervis (15:30) with other qualifiers being Daniel Hill, Jarrah Day, Oliver Mill and Nicholas Collins.
In W20E there were only 8 starters so all runners made the final. The winners of the Heats were Nicola Blatchford and Olivia Sprod.
The NOL Sprint Final was held at the University of New South Wales. A new map which provided the athletes with a very intensive sprint course on the complex campus. A real test of urban sprint orienteering technique. The A finals were held consecutively so all the orienteers who had earlier competed in the NSW Sprint Championships could spectate each of the finals. The first final was the W20E and this resulted in a close victory to Nicola Blatchford (NSW Stinger) from Tara Melhuish 7 seconds back in second place with Alison Burrill in third place.
The M20E was expected to be a win for Matt Doyle but Aidan Dawson set a clear best time of 17:03 and with Matt being the last starter we were expecting a close challenge. However, at the radio control it was clear that Aidan’s time was going to be good enough for him to take the win. Matt was second in 17:49 with Stephen Melhuish in 3rd place. Aidan was the early leader in the race but Will Kennedy had a very fast middle section and was in the led until he lost nearly 2 minutes on control 15. This enabled Aidan to regain the lead and he ran strongly for the rest of the course.
M20E- Matt Doyle 2nd, Aidan Dawson 1st, Stephen Melhuish 3rd.
In the W21E A final the interest was not only in who would be the winner but whether anyone in the A final could get close to the time set in the B final by Lizzie Ingham (14:16) and Rachel Effeney (14:20). Krystal Neumann was in the lead for the whole course and was the winner in a time of 15:20, second was Malin Anderson and third was Jo Allison.
W21E- Malin Anderson 2nd, Krystal Neumann 1st, Jo Allison 3rd.
The M21E A final was a close race, only one minute separating the top 7 runners. Oscar McNulty started fast and continued with good speed for the whole course to be the leader for all but one control in a time of 15:42. Ian Lawford had a slow start but finished strongly to run a close second- 10 seconds down on Oscar. Matt Crane was third. Simon Uppill who just missed qualifying had the fifth fastest time on the course.
M21E- Matt Crane 3rd, Oscar McNulty 1st, Ian Lawford 2nd.
Australian Three Days Standard Entries are closing soon – Sunday March 1st.
This Three Day event (3rd to 6th April) begins with an urban event in Jamestown, followed by three bush events in mallee areas east of Jamestown and northeast of Hallett.
The courses planners have been very busy over the last few months finalising the courses, this is nearing completion. The Jamestown event begins with the elite races, after which other orienteers can enter in the Public Prologue covering the same courses plus a shorter course. You can put three family members together to enter the Family Teams event (results are both overall and on handicap based on ages). The map covers the Jamestown school (photos below) and adjacent areas of this rural township.
The three following days are all in mallee terrain, with the details and styles of course setting varying each day. Day 1, set by Simon Uppill on the southern part of Bri-Glen, northern Merridee and an extension to the west, has Middle Distance format course setting through the complex creek systems of this area. Day 2 set by Phil Hazell on Tundarri (new area) and northern Bri-Glen varies in style through creek systems on the eastern flatter parts of the map to more traditional long distance courses setting on the typical mallee spur gully terrain to the west. Paul Hoopmann has set the Day 3 courses on the new Mulga Valley map, where subtle topography dissected by steeper creek systems offers a third style of courses.
All the course planners have included spectator legs on the longer courses, so whilst you are not out running on your courses, you can watch other orienteers on their courses from the Assembly areas.
Orienteering Australia National Squads have been selected by the High Performance coaches. Athletes who have applied to be part of the squad structure have been assessed on their performances during 2014 and including the World Cup events in Tasmania. This has given the selectors benchmarks of achievement for each athlete which have been used to place athletes into the squad that is at their level of performance. Membership of the Targeted Talented Athlete Squad is by invitation only, based on performance analysis from major national events in 2014
The squads are:
Elite High Performance Squad (EHPS)
High Performance Squad (HPS)
National Development Squad (NDS)
Australian Junior Development Squad (AJDS)
Targeted Talented Athlete Squad (TTAS)
As a member of an OA National Squad each athlete must:
Create a Profile on the Orienteering Australia Athlete Management Platform (AMP). New squad members will receive an invitation to be a member of the AMP. This profile is to include- age, phone, email address, postal address, coaches name and contact, IOF ID, link to training log, athlete biography, photo.
Maintain an Athlete Log– contact with squad coach
Complete Race Analysis (under Evaluations) for all major events
Prepare an Event Schedule for 2015
Complete a Wellness Test at least once a month and log any illness or injury
Regularly log on to AMP to check documents as all communication with athletes will be via AMP.
Congratulations to all the listed athletes on becoming a member of one of the OA National Squads for 2015. The HP Coaches look forward to working with you all to further develop your orienteering and helping you to achieve your orienteering goals.
The Australian MTBO selection trials for the World Championships (WOC & JWOC) in the Czech Republic in August will be held on March 21-22 in Newcastle, with 3 races (middle, sprint and long). This event is also Round 1 of the National Series, with later rounds being held in Queensland & Victoria. Early entry can be obtained up until the 8th of March.
In addition to the races there will also be a mountain bike skills course held on the Saturday. This will be run by Bike and Fitness and is free and open to all competitors. There will also be an introduction to mountain bike orienteering at the end of this course, as well as free entry to the recreation class on the Sunday afternoon for all those not entered in the state or national series of MTBO, making it a great opportunity to try the sport. If interested in the course or recreational class please contact Greg Bacon on 0401889688 (SMS name and contact number) or email gbacon1@bigpond.com
The long distance held on the final day of the 2015 Orienteering World Cup in Tasmania saw the Australian team finish its campaign strongly. Julian Dent, 13th, (1:29.22) and Hanny Allston, 10th, (1:23.57), the best of the Australians, had world class performances in the steep granite terrain west of St Helens, to post the best Australian team results of the carnival races. Both athletes were the leading Oceania Competitors and have secured a place in the long final at the World Orienteering Championships in Scotland as the 2015 Oceania Champions. Simon Uppill and Lachlan Dow, the next best Australians, ran strong races to place 23rd, and 32nd over a tough course which saw an early 3.8km leg with challenging route choice. In the Women’s race, Vanessa Round and Laurina Neumann placed 21st (1:32:34) and 22nd (1:33.44). Laurina Neumann’s run, her best performance at this level, is a strong step up into world class results and a performance that her recent races have been suggesting was possible. These were great team results after a disappointing middle distance race, two days previously in Coles Bay.
With these achievements from Julian Dent (NSW) and Hanny Allson (TAS), Australia secures another place in both the Men’s and Women’s long race at the 2015 World Orienteering Championships. With 3 male and female spots now available for Australians in the long, this opens the door for our athletes later in the year. A training camp at the end of May in the sand dune terrain of New Zealand will be ideal preparation for the Scottish terrain.
The Middle, 8th January
Lachlan Dow, Vanessa Round
The team bounced back with strong performances on the last day in the long after a tough middle distance on the 8th January in Coles Bay which saw half the field lose time; either on a challenging second leg, or later in the course after the arena run through. Hanny Allston 18th (42.12), the best Australian, lost time early and was closely followed by Laurina Neumann, 21st (43.00) and Vanessa Round 22nd (43.13).
Graham Hammond’s Middle Distance video:
In the men’s race, Rob Preston 22nd (39.50) was the best of the Australians and very closely followed by Simon Uphill 23rd (39.51) with Julian Dent 27th (41.30). The New Zealand pair of Matt Ogden, 13th (36.00) and Lizzie Ingham 12th (37.33) took the Oceania titles and World Orienteering qualification spots – much to the delight of the parochial New Zealand supporters.
The Sprint, 2nd January
Hanny Allston, Simon Uppill
Earlier in the carnival, the sprint final in Launceston on the 2nd of January, saw the Australian team start their campaign strongly taking out the men’s and women’s Sprint Oceania titles with top twenty results. Rachel Effeney (QLD) and Julian Dent (NSW) are the 2015 Oceania Sprint Champions with both Simon Uppill (SA) and Hanny Allston (TAS) on the Oceania podium in third Place.
In the World Cup sprint, Rachel Effeney was the best placed Australian at 14th (17.32). In the men’s race, Julian Dent placed 18th. Hanny Allston was our other top 20 result at 20th. Simon Uppill a close 21st. Lachlan Dow (ACT) and Jasmine Neve (VIC) challenged for the Oceania Sprint Podium and placed 25th and 22nd in the World Cup placings respectively.
Graham Hammond’s video of the sprint qualification at Cataract Gorge, Launceston:
15 Australians made the cut to run in the World Cup sprint final on home soil. Matt Doyle at 18yrs of age, was our youngest competitor and came a credible 36th (18.02) in a world class field. Brodie Nankervis (TAS) in his first year as a senior, also performed strongly to place just ahead of Matt Doyle by one second in 35th place (18.02). Ian Lawford in his second year as a senior placed 33rd (17.49). Our women had a strong presence in the final; Kathryn Preston 31st (19.45) returning to racing only months after the birth of her first child, Krystal Neumann 32nd (19.59), Belinda Lawford 34th (20.15), Aislinn Prendergast 36th and Heather Muir 39th.
The Orienteering Australia consultation meeting with state association representatives on the $80,000 ASC grant to implement Sporting Schools orienteering will be held at 5pm on Saturday 10 January in the St Helens Training Centre (St Helens High School), Groom St, St Helens, 100m from the junction with Circassian St. The meeting is expected to be about 1 hour.
Sporting Schools is a $100 million Australian government initiative targetting the 8,000 primary schools in Australia and a sample of 80 high schools and is due to commence in July 2015. The ASC website for this is http://sportingschools.gov.au/
Implementing this for orienteering will require a considerable increase in the numbers of Level 0 and Level 1 accredited coaches willing to run 3 to 8 week orienteering programs in primary schools, a large increase in the numbers of schools mapped (and schools with existing maps updated), national and state online resources, a State Sporting Schools coordinator in each state and territory, and a state Sporting Schools implementation plan. Orienteering Australia wishes to encourage experienced junior orienteers aged 18 and over and any other orienteers older than this who might be seeking some part-time remuneration to contact your state association to express an interest in becoming an accredited Sporting Schools orienteering coach or otherwise contribute to the mapping and administrative effort needed to implement orienteering in the Sporting Schools program. Further information is also available from John Harding at Orienteering Australia.
Australian World Cup Orienteering team take out men’s and women’s Sprint Oceania titles with top twenty results in World Cup races in Tasmania. Rachel Effeney (QLD) and Julian Dent (NSW) are the 2015 Oceania Sprint Champions with both Simon Uppill (SA) and Hanny Allston (TAS) on the Oceania podium in third Place.
In the World Cup, Rachel Effeney was the best placed Australian at 14th (17.32). In the men’s race, Julian Dent placed 18th. Hanny Allston was our other top 20 result at 20th. Simon Uppill a close 21st. Tasmania hosts the first of four IOF World Cup rounds for 2015. The middle distance races are at Coles Bay on Thursday 8th and the long distance races at St Helens next Saturday 10th. The Australian team will be keen to build on these results and take full advantage of home forest terrain on Thursday and Saturday. Lachlan Dow (ACT) and Jasmine Neve (VIC) challenged for the Oceania Sprint Podium and placed 25th and 22nd in the World Cup placings respectively.
Tove Alexandersson (SWE) and Swiss Matthias Kyburz enjoyed strong wins in the sprint races.
Alexandersson blitzed the 3.75km women’s course at the Uni of Tasmania campus in 14:58, more than a minute clear of world sprint champion Judith Wyder (16:00) and her Swiss team-mate Sara Luescher (16:13).
Kyburz (15:06) was a comfortable 33-second victor over compatriot Daniel Hubmann (15:39) around the men’s 4.35km course. Hubmann recovered from a slow start but could not catch his team-mate. Swede Gustav Bergman was third in 15:45. World sprint champion Soren Bobach of Denmark made a horror start and could only manage 14th in 16:36.
15 Australians made the cut to run in the World Cup final on home soil. Matt Doyle at 18yrs of age, was our youngest competitor and came a credible 36th (18.02) in a world class field. Brodie Nankervis (TAS) in his first year as a senior, also performed strongly to place just ahead of Matt Doyle by one second in 35th place (18.02). Ian Lawford in his second year as a senior placed 33rd (17.49). Our women had a strong presence in the final; Kathryn Preston 31st (19.45), Krystal Neumann 32nd (19.59), Belinda Lawford 34th (20.15), Aislinn Prendergast 36th and Heather Muir 39th.
For a full overview of the the Australian Orienteering Team, their events and profiles with previous achievements see : World Cup Round 1 Tasmania – Australian team athlete profiles. These profiles will be updated with the athletes results throughout the carnival.
Lance Read / Ian Jessop
Aussie World Cup Team Performs Strongly in first Race of World Cup
The Australia team started its 2015 World Cup campaign with a solid opening performance. 9 Women and 7 Men made the cut to reach the top 40, and will run the sprint final to be held at Launceston tomorrow the 3rd of January.
The team achieved 5 top ten results in the two heats, with 16 athletes qualifying for the final. This shapes up for a very interesting World Cup Sprint race. First startes are at 9.30 at Launceston University.
Ian Lawford 9th
Lachlan Dow 10th
Hanny Allston 6th
Jasmine Neve 8th
Rachel Effeny 9th
Strong performances from our younger men see Matt Doyle 18yrs and Brodie Nankervis 21yrs make the final in 18th and 19th place respectively. Great results for the future of Australian orienteering. Heather Muir, as one of our youngest women, also makes the final in 17th place. Our remaining male finalists are; Bryan Keely having a strong race to place 12 and the experienced pair of Julian Dent and Simon Uppill; 11th and 14th. The remaining women to qualify are Laurina Neumann 16th, Krystal Neumann, 17th and Kathry Preston Ewels 18th.
