Welcome to Orienteering NSW

Goanna beckons goat racing guys and gals

Last Updated: Tuesday, 01 August 2017 17:23

Entries have reopened for Garingal's innovative Goanna 'goat race', which this year will again be held on the fiendish Clay Pan map at Beacon Hill on Sydney's northen beaches.

The event is on Sunday August 6, with a mass start at 10am for the 3 moderate courses. Please note we will be testing the new touchless-contact SI Air sticks on the DraGOn course. Stick hire will be free in place of your normal SI stick.

Goat races are a wacky form of line orienteering in which:
* there is a mass start
* following is allowed (this is usually a no-no)
* you may skip a control (yippee!)
* there are forked controls (you go to 'a' or 'b')
* in the boxed section you visit the controls in any order 

There are 3 course lengths (GeckO 3.5km, DraGOn 5km and GOanna 7km), with the standard varying from easy to moderate to hard depending on where you are on the course.

Have a look at a previous Goanna to see what you are confronted with.

Tactics have to be made up on the run - which control will you skip?, which fork will you take?, and in which order will you do 'the box'? The first two Goannas generated a lot of discussion about strategy, and great enthusiasm for the format. A 'fun' run in its own right.

Entries close on Fri Aug 4. The Very Easy and Easy courses are Enter-on-Day and will have a start window of 10.15-11am.

Warm reflections from Atte

Last Updated: Wednesday, 26 July 2017 12:44

We have just heard from our inaugural overseas scholar, Atte Lahtinen, who is back in Finland after completing his six-month tenure in NSW.

Atte hosted Garingal's Toby Wilson during his preparations for the recent junior world championships in Finland.

With time now to reflect on his stay in Australia, Atte writes:

"I had dreamt about a position like this for years and then it turned out this program existed in Australia! I waited for a year until the moment was right, and sent an application.”

”When I called a scholar meeting at Aus Champs, I had no idea what it would lead to: hiking, canyoning, beach, BBQ, and even places to stay at."

”The scholarship with ONSW required more travelling than with other states, but living 6-7 weeks in both Orange and Coffs Harbour made me see there's more to Australia than just the capitals. My initial plan was to spend 7 months in Australia but I loved it so much I extended my stay by 1.5 months! I got to stay with many very different but all warmly welcoming families, and so got to truly experience the culture the way one should.

"Being the first one to come to NSW wasn't always easy, but I'm leaving with only positive feelings. It really doesn't matter if you're not an elite runner; I have never been one yet I had a lot to give (and learn) and had a blast!

"I was new to mapping when I arrived, but have now completed 20+ maps. The best part of it all was not - as you may think - travelling to NZ, Tasmania, or Victoria... but doing things with the juniors! I will never forget my first week in Australia, as I got to know some awesome people and had fun with the young talent.”

"Back in Finland I gave back by hosting some individuals and helping them with JWOC preparation.”

We wish Atte all the best and hope to see him on a course somewhere soon.

Steep going at Manly Dam Metro

Last Updated: Tuesday, 25 July 2017 16:17

Finals spots are still up for grabs in most divisions after a tough round 4 of our Sydney Metro League at Manly Dam.

Many participants expected some intricate map work in the rock platforms near the start at Allambie Heights Oval. However, they didn’t feature as much and setter Rachel Povah had most courses stick to the main tracks with only small deviations off to the controls.

It is a difficult area to set courses in, as it is scattered with cliffs and mostly dark green, limiting options for route choice. Having said that, this time we went all the way down to the dam (into a section previously only used for the Sydney Summer Series)... and all the way back up again!

The steep terrain and rocky trails made for slow going, but the scenery and weather were superb.

One of the drawbacks of setting in such an environment, and a great learning curve for newcomers, is that courses are often much longer than the stated 'red line' distance. The Division 3 course, for instance, was 3.7km as the crow flies - but 5.5km actual (so 50% longer, and with 150m of climb!). A great workout, nonetheless.

Back to the nitty gritty of jockeying for positions.

Division 1 looks to be a race between the hybrid WHO Evers and Big Foot. If WHO win next round at St Ives they'll be champs, otherwise the last round at Boggabilla will decide the title - possibly on 'goal difference'.

In Division 2 we could end up with 5 teams on 6 points. If Big Foot and UR-CC win at St Ives then they'll contest the final.

In Division 3, in-form KNOX need to beat top-placed Bennelong to have a chance in what's looming as a three-way tussle with SHOO-IKO.

It's the same in Division 4 where Garingal's two teams and Bennelong are fighting it out. And in Division 5, the two SHOO-IKO teams are hoping one of them can edge ahead of UR-CC to take on WHO in the final.

Thanks to Bennelong for a lovely day out and to the local scouts for the use of their hall.

The ML web page has been updated with points tables, individual points tables, whiteboard scores and Winsplits.

2017 NSW Schools Team announced

Last Updated: Thursday, 20 July 2017 13:21

Seven new faces from Newcastle, Coffs Harbour and Sydney are in the 2017 NSW Schools team (the Carbines) for the Australian championships in Bathurst and Hill End in late September.