Mosman High Yr 7 students learn to navigate
- Last Updated: Friday, 06 July 2012 15:44
ONSW has conducted a successful 3-week introductory orienteering program for 156 Year 7 Mosman High students. The challenge of hosting so many students in a short space of time (50 mins max including briefing) meant we had to set score courses on Bennelong Northside's Georges Heights sprint map, recently updated by master cartographer Terry Bluett. This area, which has been used the past few years as the pre-Xmas Sydney Summer Series venue, is one of the most spectacular parcels of land in Sydney, offering sweeping views from Manly all the way around to the Opera House. It is a wonderful mix of open area, small pockets of bush, heritage-listed buildings and an assortment of monuments, statues and lightning towers.
In week 1 the students went around in pairs; half the group looking for 15 controls on the western portion of the map, the other half looking for 15 controls on the eastern portion. Due to the need to explain the basics of the map and the tasks required in pin-punching, the students only had about 35 minutes on the course. Six teachers were each assigned a small area on the map to patrol, while PDHPE head teacher Josh Ferguson roved the course watching on impressed as the students and volunteer coaches went about their business.
In week 2 the same pairs did the other half of the course, and with no need for an introduction had about 45 minutes on course.
A few pairs managed to locate all 30 controls across the two weeks which was very encouraging.
For week 3 we used SI cards and a new course of 20 controls. The students had to now go individually, and loved using the electronic technology. While many students were happy to go at their own pace, we were delighted that five students got all 20 controls in the allocated time and a further three got 19 controls.
Feedback from the teachers, and later on from the principal, was fantastic and Mosman HS is looking at having some kind of orienteering experience on its PE calendar each year from now on as a result. The program was conducted by ONSW Marketing Officer Ian Jessup and its success over the 3 days was thanks to the efforts of volunteer coaches Graham Galbraith, Terry Bluett, Robert Spry (all BN), Peter Hopper (IK) and Barbara Hill (GO/ONSW). Terry also manned the SI on day 3.
ONSW hopes to see a large posse of Mosman HS students at the Sydney North schools champs at St Ives on Friday August 3 as a result.
Thanks to Ian Jessup for this report and Carmel Foley for the photographs
Heroes at the Hut!
- Last Updated: Friday, 06 July 2012 15:44
Following on from the work weekend at Belanglo House in April, Peter Howe, handyman extraordinaire, recently spent a couple of very productive days at the Hut to screw down the boards on the front deck of the Fire Room, paint the Bathroom and clean the tiles in the Shower Recess, sand back and paint the Campers Fridge (and also clean out the interior, brave fellow) and install a shelf in the alcove for esky coolers and boxes of food supplies, so that cupboard tops can be used for food preparation.
Dave Lotty, Peter Howe and Kevin Curby were back last Wednesday installing a new stove and replacing broken power points. A new cupboard is to be installed beside the stove for storage of saucepans. As a result of all this work, the Hut is returning to its former glory.
Later this year, when the weather is warmer, we will be looking for volunteers to paint inside and outside the fire room.
Kevin Curby, Special Projects Director and Hut maitre d' would like to extend a big thank you to Peter Howe and Dave Lotty.
Northern Tablelands serve up Queens Birthday 3 Day treat
- Last Updated: Friday, 06 July 2012 15:44
Whilst much of NSW was hunkering down under a deluge, Armidale was enjoying near perfect dry, cool and bright running conditions for the Queen’s Birthday 3 day carnival. Northern Tablelands fielded some of its finest maps for the events, and orienteers who wanted to do well had to bring their best game.
Day 1 was a Sprint Race in Armidale State Forest. Starting later in the afternoon to allow for competitors to make their way from across the State, this event had the fewest runners of the weekend. Those who did compete were treated to really enjoyable courses. Terrain was fast underfoot and fragrant with pine needles. For those who did well this was an opportunity to experience true ‘control flow’ through the checkpoints.
Day 2 and State League #6 at Mount Brown provided probably the most challenging map of the carnival. Eric Andrews, Liz Bourne and their colleagues from Queensland’s Bullecourt Boulder Bounders Orienteering Club worked with the local club to put this event on. A granite strewn hillside with patches of open and not so open, made it important to navigate carefully and stay in touch with the map. Inattention or sloppy technique was punished severely on the harder courses which had few catching features or major handrails in much of the more detailed areas.
NSW Juniors were out in force as Day 2 and 3 have been nominated as selection races for the Schools Team for Tasmania, and they couldn’t have asked for better terrain to test themselves on. Daniel Parton (GS) and Daniel Hill (GO) had a great race, with Daniel Parton getting the edge over the younger boy by only 8 seconds. Georgia Jones (UR) had a winning run in W14A after a disappointing mispunch on Day 1. Future squad members are beginning to appear in the younger age groups with Duncan Currie (GO) running up in M14A for a win, closely followed by Alastair George (BF) Some standout results amongst the other age classes included M65A Ross Barr (GO) who was fastest on the Hard 5 course whipping around in 42:23, and W65A Meredyth Sauer who was beaten to fastest on Hard 7 by W35AS Maria Orr who was only a minute ahead of her. Evening at the Armidale RSL allowed orienteers to chew over courses as well as dinner.
Day 3 at Banalasta was the Long Distance of State League #7. Fast paddock interspersed with forested granite outcroppings in this race which saw M21A running 8.8km on Hard 1 course. This set of courses was incredibly challenging and saw many competitors with times well over the 60 minute winning target, and some who battled their way around the course to times of 2 hours and more. Three days of racing scores were accumulated to set the rankings for the QB3 carnival winners. 
Full results, splits and Routegadget are available on the NTOC website
A Game for Princes!
- Last Updated: Friday, 06 July 2012 15:44
Orienteering became, if not the Sport of Kings, then at least the Game of Princes when Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark took part in the 'Find your Way in Denmark Day' recently and introduced his children to the sport. Orienteering was invented in Sweden by the army, and is much beloved of the Scandinavian countries and is now widespread around the world, with 73 nations members of the International Orienteering Federation. Thousands of people of all ages and levels of fitness take up the challenge every year. So what is this sport all about?
Orienteers navigate across country using a specialist map, making their way as quickly as they can between control points. Reading the map accurately and puzzling out the best route to take is as much the challenge as the physical element of covering the distance of the course. This need for brainwork rather than just physical ability means that people can compete in the sport competitively for many years. In a recent World Masters Championships there were nearly 100 runners over the age of 80! In orienteering there is plenty of room for everyone; it does not matter how young, old or fit you are, as you can run, walk or jog the course and finish at your own pace. As well as the traditional foot orienteering other forms of the sport have proliferated; there is Ski-O, Mountain Bike O, Trail O and even Horse O.
Orienteering courses are set in all sorts of places - from city centres to remote bushland, from urban parks and school playgrounds to farmland. Orienteering clubs bring together groups of people in their local areas, who love the sport. Clubs organise and run the events giving an opportunity for club members to make friends and work together. Events can be simple affairs with a limited number of courses, to race series such as the Sydney Summer Series run in the summer around urban areas, to State level multi-day carnivals with high quality bush maps and course setting available. Newcomers are always welcome. Get in touch with your local club, or just come along to an event. There are always club coaches on hand to help you get started. The full schedule of events can be found on the Events page of this website.
And now you don't even have to wait for an event to try out orienteering. Orienteering NSW in partnership with Centennial Park Sydney, launches their first public permanent course in inner Sydney this weekend. Uringa Orienteers President Linda Sesta has been working hard with the Centennial Park management and the Conservation Volunteers Australia to set up courses which can be used for all levels of orienteers, from absolute beginners to the more experienced. Map and instruction packs will be available from the Centennial Park Visitors Center in July and then off you go!
Photo shows from left to right :Peter Hadfield - Executive Officer of the Centennial Parklands Foundation, Linda Sesta - President, Uringa Orienteers, Paul Prudhoe - President Orienteering NSW, Kim Ellis - Director and Chief Executive of Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust
Michael Ellison - Sydney Region Manager for Conservation Volunteers Australia
