NSW takes out four big OA trophies
- Last Updated: Tuesday, 03 October 2017 21:36
A wonderful Australian championships carnival finished on a high note on Sunday with NSW claiming three major national trophies.
The ONSW organising team of Barbara Junghans, Andrew Lumsden, Ron Pallas and Rob Vincent drew high praise for 10 days of sustained excellence including some awesome new gold mining maps of Hill End.
At the final presentation on Sunday, NSW retained the OA Shield (based on results in the Australian Long Champs) and Xanthorrhoea Trophy (based on results in the Relays), and Newcastle (pictured) took out the Australian Champion Club trophy (based on results in the Australian Long Champs).
James Lithgow set great relay courses, using the flattest part of the Tambaroora map to create an initial spur-gully loop then a very tricky gold mining loop into the finish.
Capping off a great weekend, the NSW junior men's elite relay team of Toby Wilson, Alastair George and Duncan Currie (pictured left) won M20E to clinch the National League title.
NSW teams recorded seven relay wins, six second placings and six third placings.
Jenny Hawkins, a member of Northern Tablelands and Bushflyers (ACT), finished runner up in the prestigious Silva Medal. This is based on placings in the Australian Championships (Sprint, Medium and Long), and the Australian 3-Days Championships (each day considered as a separate event).
The carnival website has been updated with links to results, splits and Routegadget for each day plus the daily photo albums which are now on Smugmug.
We were delighted to see TV crews at five of the seven events. Our media page has links to all the coverage from the carnival - please note the TV news clips are on the networks' Facebook pages.
Hill End Long champs a true test
- Last Updated: Saturday, 30 September 2017 22:41
NSW claimed two major trophies as the cream of Oceania orienteers rose to the top in the Australian Long Champs on Saturday.
Our Newcastle club had a huge day, winning six age classes to take out the Champion Club Award for 2017. And NSW easily retained the OA Shield for champion state.
Evergreen Victorian Natasha Key took out the senior women's elite and son Aston the junior men's elite, while Kiwi Katie Cory-Wright won W20E and South Australian Simon Uppill triumphed in the blue-ribbon M21E.
Setter Peter Annetts sent runners out through some more intricate gold mining terrain, then across some occasionally steep spur-gully, then back through some more gullies, gulches and trenches before a fast flat finish affording spectators a great view.
NSW winners (there were 15, from seven clubs) were:
W10A Aoife Rothery (BF), W12A Erika Enderby (NC), W21A Nikolett Halmai (GO), W40A Tracy Marsh (BF), W45A Jenny Enderby (NC), W45AS Alexa Troedson (BF), W70A Jean Baldwin (GS), W JuniorB Serena Doyle (UR), WOpenB Cassandra Thompson (NC).
M12A Jamie Woolford (BB), M35A Stephen Craig (NC), M35AS Shane Jenkins (NC), M40A Damien Enderby (NC), M55AS Dale Wallace (WP), Open Easy William Nolan (UR).
The carnival finishes on Sunday with the Australian Relay champs, also at Hill End.
Click on the blue links for Long results, Facebook photos, Routegadget and WinSplits.
Alvin, Ewan named in all-Australian Schools team
- Last Updated: Saturday, 30 September 2017 19:51
Newcastle's Alvin Craig and Big Foot's Ewan Shingler have capped a tremendous week by being named in the all-Australian schools orienteering team for 2017.
Alvin, still only in Year 7, had a first and two seconds in the Long, Sprint and Relay respectively. Ewan (far left in the picture) earned his first green-and-gold selection after finishing third in the sprint and teaming with Alvin for second place in the relay.
ACT retained the shield for champion state, while New Zealand retained the trophy for trans-Tasman supremacy against the Australian states.
ACT's dominance of the three days of competition was reflected with seven students gaining all-Australian honours out of 16 places.
Congratulations to these orienteers selected:
Senior Boys: Patrick Miller (ACT), Tristan Miller (ACT), Noah Poland (ACT), Aston Key (Victoria)
Senior Girls: Tara Melhuish (ACT), Meredith Norman (SA), Rachel Allen (Tasmania), Ellie de Jong (Queensland)
Junior Boys: Alvin Craig (NSW), Ewan Shingler (NSW), Andrew Kerr (ACT), Ryan Gray (Queensland)
Junior Girls: Zoe Melhuish (ACT), Ella Cuthbert (ACT), Joanna George (SA), Mikayla Cooper (Tasmania)
Following the presentations, guest speaker and dual Paralympian Michael Milton gave a fascinating and thought-provoking address about coping with and triumphing over adversity.
There was also a special presentation to School Sport Australia representative Rohan Hyslop, St Stanislaus College grounds manager Brad, and Joanna Parr and Airdrie Long who were in charge of looking after the 160 schools team members and staff for the whole week. A big thank you also from all of us.
Qld pips NSW junior boys for relay gold
- Last Updated: Thursday, 28 September 2017 22:20
The relays showcase everything great about the Australian schools orienteering championships - beautiful scenery, our best young talent, the thrill of a mass start, hopefully a sprint finish, and great camaraderie between the competing states.
At Macquarie Woods on Thursday we had all of those in spades... and it was Queensland who claimed the glory as Ryan Gray outstrode NSW youngster Alvin Craig in the last 50m of climb to win the junior boys section.
Navigation was straightforward but the four courses were physically very tough - and both boys were totally spent upon crossing the line.
The old adage about a picture speaking a thousand words certainly rang true.
As our photo on the left shows, neither boy could move for several minutes after the frantic haul up and across the last hill through the finish chute as a crowd of hundreds roared them home.
In the other three divisions New Zealand were victorious and ACT second, thereby claiming the mantle of champion Australian state in senior boys and girls along with junior girls (pictured below).
WIN TV were once again on hand to record the event. You can see their report (filmed prior to the end of the relays) on their Facebook page here.
In the public mass start races that followed, these NSW orienteers gained top three places:
1st: Tony Woolford (BB) Men C, Cassandra Thompson (NC) Women E, Wendy McConaghy (GO) Women G, Jamie Woolford (BB) Men H, Alton Freeman (BF) Open Very Easy
2nd: Malcolm Roberts (NC) Men D, Seth Sweeney (WH) Men G, Oliver Freeman (BF) Men H, Carolyn Matthews (NC) Women C, Robyn Pallas (CC) Women D, Wendy McConaghy (GO) Women G, Ben McConaghy (GO) Open Very Easy
3rd: Mark Freeman (BF) Men C, Paula Shingler (BF) Women C, Tim McConaghy (GO) Open Easy
Overall results from the Bathurst 3-Days can be found here.
Friday is a well earned rest day before we go back to Hill End for the Australian Long Champs on Saturday.
