Welcome to Orienteering NSW

Vale Bjorn Blomstedt

Last Updated: Thursday, 07 January 2016 19:45

Bjorn Blomstedt, one of the true characters of orienteering, has passed away at the age of 90.

Bjorn was a founding member of Kareelah Orienteers (now called Illawarra Kareelah Orienteers) and later founded another club, Scrubrunners, centred around the south western part of Sydney.

Bjorn arrived in Australia from Sweden in 1969 with Monica and daughter Cecilia. He was keen to see some of the Swedish features of orienteering events integrated into Australia’s new sport of orienteering, so was instrumental in organising the first Three-Day event in 1974, with Dave Lotty and Ian Hassall.

He will best be remembered for introducing, and with Monica organising, the Budkavle teams event (1975-88), commonly known as Bjorn's Midnight Madness, based on the Tiomila.

This event was a relay of ten people, starting at midnight and finishing in the early hours of daylight. Each team had a message stick (budkavle) on a leather lace around their neck that was passed on to the next team member at the changeover. Bjorn made those message sticks, one still surviving as an award in SHOO.

Happy New Year and welcome to 2016

Last Updated: Monday, 04 January 2016 14:28

We wish all orienteers and their families a safe and happy new year.

There's already lots happening around NSW and plenty of big weekends of orienteering on the horizon.

The Sydney Sprints and SHOO's Summer Sats are underway for 2016 (SHOO have just announced they will now be 45-minute events), while Central Coast's Summer Series resumes this Sunday at Kincumber Mountain.

Further down the track we look forward in particular to:

* Feb 20-21 - the O'Shea 2-Days on the Central Coast (entries are already open)

* Mar 25-28 - the Easter carnival is this year in the ACT (entries are already open)

* Apr 2-3 - the NSW Middle and Long Championships near Braidwood

* Jun 11-13 - the QB III carnival is this year around Coffs Harbour

* Aug 27-28 - the NSW Schools championships at Bankstown

* Sep 24-Oct 2 - the Australian championships in south-east Queensland

Add in the State League, MetrO League and all our club events and we've got the year well and truly covered.

Don't forget to renew your membership, or join one of our friendly clubs.

Experience trumps local knowledge at the Piney MTBO

Last Updated: Saturday, 02 January 2016 13:02

Seven local mountain bikers and teams threw down the challenge to the twentyfour visitng entries in the informal MTBO event at the Armidale Pine Forest (know affectionately in local MTB circles as the Piney) on December 30. However, they were no match for the more experienced of the visitors, who had been honing their navigational skills at Xmas 5 days foot O events in the Armidale area during the preceding few days.

Angus Shedden (Southern Highlands) completed the 20-control scatter course in just 28 minute 58 seconds and narrowly edged out Greg Barbour (Big Foot) by 7 seconds. David Symons was the best of the locals in 34 minutes 10 seconds, combining some local knowledge with previous orienteering experience. He was closely followed by local NEMTB girls Katherine and Isabella Hosking just a further minute or so back.

Several riders attempting the 20-control course evidently lost track of which ones they had visited and ended up with only 18 or 19 controls. Had they completed the course their times would have been very competitive.

The 10-control course was hotly contested, with Ann Scown (ACT) taking the honours in 23 minutes 51 seconds, closely followed by junior members of the Woolford family.

Download full results here.

Merry Christmas 2015

Last Updated: Thursday, 31 December 2015 16:13