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Over 50 Space Racers helped save Earth from attack last Saturday at Elephant Park! This was a record attendance at the third and final Space Race in Orange. This is the first time Space Racing has been held in Orange.
Space racing is park orienteering designed for 8 to 14 year olds. After some initial training all the children were handed a map showing the location of 20 Space Stations. Space Racers visit as many Space Stations as possible within 30 minutes however they need to plan ahead and manage their time carefully. Racers have a limited time to locate as many Stations as possible before returning to Mission Control. A visit to each Station earns points but for every minute that Space Racers are over time, they start losing points. At each Station Space Racers register their personal electronic Space Key which can then be downloaded on return to Mission Control to confirm the Space Stations visited and points earned.
The winner was young Thomas McRae who located all 20 Space Stations and was back before the 30 minutes time limit. His mother Michelle was a wonderful support for Thomas. All parents who attended the Space Races with their children are thanked for their help and encouragement. Many other children found all 20 stations. All earned a reward of Milky Ways and Mars Bars and drinks for helping to protect Earth and awarded certificates for their excellent participation.
Many will now participate in the Summer Orienteering series which begins at 6.00pm this Friday 1 February from the Velodrome in Hill Street.
Uringa had the worst weather of the holiday weekend for their Sprint event at Sydney Park. Heavy rain had left the course waterlogged and muddy, but despite the rain continuing to fall it didn't put off nearly 50 competitors who showed up for a run. Some had the foresight to come in their best wet weather runners - which could of course also double up for the beach! Will Inov-8 take their new shoe inspiration from these rather handy waterproof examples? Probably not, especially as the runners quickly changed their footwear for more traditional O-shoes before they headed for the start box.
It was a real learning experience to navigate between the buildings at UWS Campbelltown at SHOO's most recent Summer Saturday. Narrow paths and a chequerboard of gardens required plenty of planning before the run to make the most of the course set by Stephan Wagner.
Several runners were disappointed when after getting back within the time limit, they discovered they had missed a control. Control 19 right out on the edge of the map, and control 4 square in the middle of the map were easily overlooked and it was difficult to fit them into a planned course flow. Others were puzzled when the sculpture of a rabbit, such a perfect place to put a control, was bereft of an SI box. It was so tempting they ran there anyway. A good example of not trying to second guess the planner but to read the map really carefully.
Patrik Gunnarsson (BF) again showed his speed and cunning to get around the course within time and with maximum points. He was closely followed by Lawrence Jones (UR) who was a victim of Control 4. Steve Cooper (SH) is creeping up the places after a strong run, taking advantage of the new part of the map to catch up some speed. Sheena Robertson (NC) was very pleased with her run and is currently well ahead in the Women's competition. Lyn Malmgron is coming a not-too-close second.
Jai Cooper (SH) again showed his speed and came first with Lachlan Brooks (SH) close behind. Jai was also a big help bringing in controls. After his achievements in running the Easy course on his own, Lachlan wanted more so out he went out on the Score course in far more technical terrain and managed to beat 5 other seasoned orienteers. It will pay to watch both of these boys as their skills develop.
Hannah Davey (SH) is a clear winner in the Girls Easy course and her map reading skills will soon allow her to attempt some parts of the course on her own. Two more events to go before event presentation. Prizes go to best 5 out of 6 results. See the SHOO web site for current placings.
As well as all the skill on show, SHOO running were also sporting their new club shirts. Produced by SIVEN these shirts are unlikely to last any international matches as they will be a target for 'would you like to swap with me' conversations!
Next Saturday 2nd February SHOO's Summer Saturday will be at Picton. This map has been rescaled to allow for even more detail. It should prove a challenge for most runners.
Uringa club members were out in force to cope with the large crowds expected, and delivered, at the recent Sydney Summer Series event on Wednesday. Some 250+ runners of all ages came along, with families, elites and diehards all rubbing shoulders at the start. The map was named 'Snail's Bay' but there was nothing sluggish about winners Andrew Hill and Richard Green who both got 600 points in the allotted 45 minutes. With 54 of the runners getting 500 points or over it was a course for fast thinking and quicker legs.
Wendy Stevenson, who last year scored an amazing 1200 points to win the Veteran Women's category with an unsurpassed 100 point average over 26 events, is this year appearing in the Walker's category due to some injury problems. ONSW Comms predicts that this speedster will be back on sparkling form soon, but in the meantime Michelle Povah of Bennelong is doing a good job of showing Wendy how it is done in the Walking category.