SOS goes 3D in 2020
- Last Updated: Wednesday, 05 February 2020 09:51
Our popular Saturday Orienteering Series is going 3D this term to take navigation to a whole new level!
Run by our partner organisation Bold Horizons, the SOS is a big hit with beginners and experienced orienteers alike.
Term 1 starts at Killara High School this Saturday and the long course will have controls on all levels of the buildings. The challenge is to work out how to get from a control on one level of a building to the next control on a different level of another or the same building.
It's mind-boggling fun. See here for an example of a map (Facebook photo).
The following week (Feb 15) the SOS starts up a parallel series in the Macarthur region of south-west Sydney. First up is Mawarra Public School, the multiple champions at our annual Sydney South West Primary Schools champs.
Season tickets are available, and the SOS accepts Active Kids vouchers.
NSW orienteers take second at Sprint the Bay
- Last Updated: Tuesday, 04 February 2020 21:52
ONSW president Greg Barbour and Garingal junior Iida Lehtonen were the best performed of the small NSW contingent at Sprint the Bay at the weekend.
The event, revived after a hiatus of a few years, features six sprints in three days in vastly different terrains in the Hawkes Bay region of New Zealand's north island.
Iida, a member of our victorious NSW schools team in 2019, was just 26 seconds behind local Zara Stewart on aggregate in the senior girls division. Keeping it in the family, Iida's mum Miia was second in the women's Cruiser class for more recreational participants.
Greg, a member of Big Foot, finished just over six minutes behind Jon McComb of Tasmania in M50, while Julia Prudhoe (Central Coast) was third in W60.
Our best in the elites was Alastair George (BF, pictured), who was 14th overall.
The event had the Tour de France as its inspiration, with a yellow singlet to be worn by the stage leaders, a polka dot one for the best hill climbers and green singlet for best sprinters.
Among the locations were a campus, a golf course, a grassy hillside and a town centre.
Clubs chip in for bushfire relief
- Last Updated: Monday, 03 February 2020 15:00
Three of our clubs have recently donated entry fees to charities helping with the bushfire recovery efforts.
A summer of unprecedented heat and fire has devastated much of the east coast of NSW and left huge tracts of forest and farmland a charred wasteland, not to mention the estimated 1 billion animals who perished.
Saacha Donaldson was just one of many orienteering club members who felt moved to help affected communities over the summr holidays.
As such, Big Foot donated $500 from their New Year's Day Sydney Summer Series event to Wildlife Rescue South Coast.
"We are saddened by the fact that a month on we are still experiencing the devastation from these fires," wrote Saacha to WRSC.
"Orienteering is a sport that is deeply connected to the bush, as this is (for most part) our playing field. We are humbled by the work you are doing to care for and preserve all the wonderful wildlife we come across on our runs and we hope this donation helps in your fight."
Garingal followed suit a week later, offering $2,200 from their January 8 SSS event at Warriewood to the Red Cross.
And on Saturday at Camden, SHOO donated their entry fees to the Wollondilly and Wingecarribee Mayoral Relief Funds to keep it local. They also had a collection “can” for WIRES.
ONSW and its members thank these clubs for their generosity and welcomes any further fund-raising efforts.
School is back and so are our regional clubs
- Last Updated: Thursday, 30 January 2020 13:23
Our clubs in Wagga, Orange and Wollongong resume their summer calendars this weekend after a long break for the school holidays.
Always check Eventor or the club website for final details and possible last-minute changes to events.
Goldseekers conduct scatter courses on Friday evenings in Orange, with a start window from 6-6.30pm. This week they are at Elephant Park on National Avenue. In a scatter course you have to visit a set number of controls (eg 20 out of 25) in any order. The fastest time wins.
Waggaroos have moved their summer street series to the cooler timeslot of Sunday mornings, with a start window of 9-10am. It's a score course with a choice of 30 minutes or 45 minutes duration. This week they are at Anderson Oval on Glenfield Road.
Illawarra Kareelah start their Summergong program on Sunday at Thirroul. At each event there will be three line courses on offer (short, medium and long). The start window is 9-10am. This week they are at Thomas Gibson Park in Station Street. You visit the controls in order.
And a reminder that the Central Coast Summer Beach Series finishes this Sunday on a new map at Forresters Beach. This week they are at east end of Crystal Street. The start window is 9.30-11am.
