ONSW Coaching Director Jamie Kennedy

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Last Updated: Thursday, 21 October 2021 09:56

Meet your Board member.

This is the fourth in a weekly series where we introduce you to the people entrusted to run our sport in NSW.

Coaching Director Jamie Kennedy (Garingal). Joined the Board 2020.

Is it comforting to know that our current coaching director got lost on an Easy course the first time he went orienteering?

Yes – because it got him hooked on our sport!

It was 2007 and Jamie Kennedy’s wife was looking online for fun runs. She came across a Garingal club event near them at Hunters Hill.

Along with sons Alex (then 9) and Tom (then 6), they found themselves instantly hooked.

“The Garingal members helping at the event really welcomed us and contributed to the experience. A few years later I found the map and wondered how I could get lost on such an easy course,” recalls Jamie.

There followed the standard procession: summer series, MetrO League, State League and national events as their skill levels and passion grew.

Jamie has been president of Garingal and is in his second stint as club captain (organising 8 teams for each round from about 80 interested GO members).

He and Tania ran the registration tent for the 2017 Australian Championships at Bathurst/Hill End. He has set, organised and controlled events and is a Level 1 controller. 

A step up to Board level seemed a logical next move, representing NSW’s largest club where he can contribute to our sport in a different way.

Jamie has coached junior rugby and soccer and helped organise a tour to NZ for Alex’s rugby team in 2012. 

While Jamie narrowly missed out on being picked for NSW in CHS Rugby in Year 12, he lists his career highlight as winning a NSW Sprint championship.

“It was a bit of a ‘Bradbury’,” he said sheepishly of his win in M50A in 2016.

“Thanks to injuries, DNFs etc I didn’t exactly beat the who’s who of that year’s class, but I won both legs of the double-header and got myself a cloth patch. Before we had to leave for lockdowns, that patch was stuck on my wall at work.”