All set for 2019 MetrO League finals
- Last Updated: Wednesday, 18 September 2019 14:30
The Sydney MetrO League wraps up for 2019 on Sunday with the finals on WHO's newish Mulgoa map on Sunday.
Mulgoa was unveiled in 2016. Its steep slopes and low visibility made for slow times, and should prove a good test.
Seven of the nine clubs are in finals and this year we will present the perpetual shields and team, medals immediately once results are finalised.
KNOX (Divn 5), Big Foot (Divn 4) and Bennelong (Divn 3) are all unbeaten and aiming to complete the perfect season. Big Foot already have the Frank Assenza Trophy for Division 1 wrapped up, while SHOO-IKO and Garingal Frill Necks will battle for Divn 2 supremacy.
In the race for the individual medals, the leaders in Divisions 1-3 have a 10-point lead over their closest rivals and hence only need to finish on Sunday to win.
Ewan Shingler (BF) has a 10-point lead over Toby Wilson (GO) in Division 1. In Division 2, former JWOC rep Melissa Thomas (BN, sans baby Ryan) is in the same boat - Michael Ridley-Smith (GO) is second by 10. In Division 3 it's Heath Wallace (KNOX) over Gordon Wilson (BN).
In Division 4, Shiona Will (IK) has a 1-point margin over Terry Bluett (BN) but word has reached our ear that she may not be there on Sunday, while in Division 5, Alex Smith (KNOX) has an 8-point buffer over BF youngster Oliver McFarlane.
Anyone not in a team is welcome to come and do Enter-on-Day. This is the final club event in NSW before Oceania.
Ali G makes junior AUS relay team for Oceania
- Last Updated: Thursday, 12 September 2019 19:03
Congratulations to Big Foot's Alastair George on being named in the Australian junior relay team for the AUS-NZ Challenge at the Oceania champs later this month.
Alastair, pictured left, has represented Australia at the junior world champs the past two years and has been an outstanding young orienteer for some time now.
Congratulations also to these ONSW members on their selection in the AUS relay teams for Oceania:
Women: Serena Doyle (Uringa, W18), Tracy Marsh (Big Foot, W40), Barbara Hill (Garingal, W50), Jenny Enderby (Newcastle, W50), Cath Chalmers (BF, W50), Paula Shingler (BF, W55), Debbie Davey (Waggaroos, W60), Hilary Wood (Central Coast, W60), Jenny Hawkins (Northern Tablelands, W70)
Men: Damien Enderby (NC, M40), Shane Doyle (UR, M50), Jock Davis (BF, M50), Michael Warlters (UR, M50), Rob Vincent (NC, M60), Eoin Rothery (BF, M60), Steve Flick (Bennelong, M70).
As you can see, the 50-55 age group relay teams are all NSW orienteers.
Also, event organisers have added a 55+AS short relay age class. Now that entries have closed, anyone who has pre-entered and wishes to change to this new class is asked to contact the selectors - Hilary Wood or Jock Davis.
Mowbray, KNOX crowned champion NSW schools
- Last Updated: Tuesday, 10 September 2019 15:33
Icy winds couldn't deter more than 250 keen orienteers from attending the NSW schools champs in the Southern Highlands at the weekend.
Feels like temps were below zero as fierce gales buffeted all and sundry, causing blackouts and felling many trees.
Saturday's double-header Sprints were held at Oxley College and Tudor House schools, while Sunday's Middle Distance was on a new bush map at Welby that featured an intricate track network and some rock.
Sunday's results counted for the trophies and in the wash-up these went to Mowbray (public) and Knox Grammar (secondary) who brought a strong contingent.
Both days were State Leagues in conjunction and the big upset we noted was Jo Parr knocking over Big Foot clubmate Paula Shingler in both W55A events. Congrats also to Paul Sweeney (WHO) on a breakthrough win in M45AS.
A big thanks to SHOO and IKO for a great weekend in testing conditions, especially the setters and controllers who were out on course for hours.
Our final State League for 2019 will be the NSW Sprint Champs at Sydney Uni on Sunday November 10. We will hold the annual ONSW award presentations immediately after.
All the results have been linked on our State League page. OY scores have been updated here. Participants are asked to fill in the very brief Course Setter Surveys online here for each event.
Goldseekers hit 25 years
- Last Updated: Monday, 09 September 2019 12:48
Our Orange-based Goldseekers have celebrated 25 years with a social run and party at Lake Canobolas, where it all began.
The club formed in May 1994 following a course on orienteering run by Jean and Basil Baldwin at the local Community College. (They started orienteering in South Australia in the early days after coming from the UK, then Basil - pictured here - got a new position at Orange Ag College.)
Lake Canobolas was the first area to be mapped, followed by Gosling Creek. These were the venues for the first Goldseekers events in September and October 1994. Their first bush map was Rocky Falls in the Mullion Range.
In November 1994, they organised a Spring Classic 2-day event at Lake Canobolas and Rocky Falls. 70 Sydney people and 30 locals came to the first Spring Classic. They were also asked to organise orienteering for the Eight Day Games in November 1994 and have done this each year.
1996 was a big year as the national Easter 3-Day Carnival was held in Orange with around 800 people attending. Macquarie Woods, Ophir Diggings, Lookout Rock (Mullion State Forest) and Khalis Rocks were mapped for this event. Goldseekers provided breakfasts at $3 per head for the 400 campers at Canobolas High School!
The summer evening events were started in 1999 and continue to be very popular attracting up to 100 people to the parks and streets of Orange during daylight saving time.
The club has produced over 30 maps of areas near Orange, forest, parkland, suburbs and schools.
Key achievements by club members include Matt Parton representing Australia in the Junior World Championships. Rob and Bridget Bennett representing NSW in interstate school challenges and Jean and Basil Baldwin representing Australia in senior classes in Australia v New Zealand challenges.
"Goldseekers are an important part of NSW orienteering - not only do they have the biggest membership away from the large metropolitan areas, but they are custodian of some of our best terrain ranging from intricate sandstone outcrops, complex granite, runnable open spur gully and also the gold mining of Hill End," said ONSW president Greg Barbour.
"Great terrain has attracted a number of major carnivals and several Australian championships have been held locally. We'll see this again at Easter next year around Molong and the NSW champs at Eugowra.
"We believe Basil is nearing his own milestone and we congratulate Basil and Jean on the way they have nurtured Goldseekers for a quarter century."
You can read the full birthday article here.
