2015 NSW Schools champions crowned
- Last Updated: Monday, 17 August 2015 15:32
A wonderful weekend in western Sydney decided our schools champions for 2015 and saw our regular State League competitors back in action.
154 students turned out for a Saturday sprint double and Sunday bush event.
This year we offered a free map walk and Enter-on-Day courses to parents while their children were competing. We are delighted to report that 19 parents took up the map walk offer, with Neville Fathers and Carol Jacobson as coaches, and eight of them went back to the start and did an Easy course. It was great to see parents and children comparing notes afterwards.
Our 2015 champions (based on Sunday's results) are:
Primary schools - Mawarra PS
Secondary - KNOX Grammar
Region - Sydney North
On Saturday morning Robert Bradley gave us a fast, flat sprint around UWS Hawkesbury that made great use of the many small 'light grey' segments. This was an excellent introduction to sprints given what was to follow in the afternoon. At UWS Kingswood, Michele Dawson upped the ante with some very tricky legs on a terrific new map by fellow former JWOC rep Josh Blatchford. This was international-standard sprint O and capped off a great day in glorious sunshine.
On Sunday Kevin Williams set demanding Middle Distance courses on the Knapsack Lagoon map at Glenbrook. The intricate track network and many rockfaces put a premium on maintaining map contact, and there were quite a few students overshooting controls as a result.
All those novice students who completed Moderate or Easy courses can be very proud of their efforts.
We offer a very large thank you to the WHO club, the NSW Stingers, event organiser Ted Mulherin and schools champs convenor Lyn Malmgron for their tireless work to put on such a great triple header. Likewise all the people who helped the novice students before, during and after their courses - and those who reassured the odd nervous parent!
Click on the blue links for results from Saturday and Sunday, and the splits from Sunday. Don't forget to check out the photo albums on our Facebook page. Orienteers may download these for personal use or to put in their school newsletter.
Our last State League weekend is in the Southern Highlands on September 19 (Appin) and September 20 (Belanglo). Entries close on September 6.
Next year's NSW Schools Championships will be held in the Bankstown area on August 28-29.
Start lists, final info posted for NSW Schools Champs
- Last Updated: Wednesday, 12 August 2015 08:23
We have now posted on Eventor the final event information and start lists for this weekend's NSW Schools Championships and State League 10 & 11, to be held in western Sydney.
All competitors for the Saturday sprint races (at UWS Hawkesbury and UWS Werrington) are reminded to be aware of the out-of-bounds symbols/areas on sprint maps.
We are particularly excited at the volume of requests by parents to be taken on a map walk, or to participate in an Enter-on-Day course, so that they can understand the skills their children will be employing during the races.
The weather forecast is good, with temps from 5-20C and a possible light shower each day.
Fundraiser added to Aus champs carnival
- Last Updated: Tuesday, 11 August 2015 09:59
Australian championship organisers have added a fundraising event to this year's carnival in aid of JWOC team member Hannah Goddard who is about to enter a very tough 12 months.
Tasmanian Hannah, who ran for Australia in Norway last month, has just been diagnosed with sarcoma cancer growth at the base of her spine. She'll be having surgery and chemo for the majority of the next year and will have to move to Melbourne.
To assist the Goddard family there will be a sprint event at the Mount Helen Campus in Ballarat on the afternoon of Monday September 28, following the Australian Schools Sprint event that morning.
JWOC manager Karen Blatchford from our Newcastle club has kindly put the fundraiser together at short notice. For more details, see the flyer.
We encourage anyone attending the carnival to participate for Hannah.
And we also remind you that entries for the Aus champs close on August 31.
Record turnout, great new talent at Sydney North schools champs
- Last Updated: Tuesday, 04 August 2015 21:59
Our regional schools championships wrapped up at St Ives Showground on Monday with a record 199 entries and many new schools enjoying a shimmering winter's day for the Sydney North champs.
It was wonderful to see entries for the first time from Terrigal Primary, Beaumont Road PS (one placegetter), Wakehurst PS, Mosman High (three placegetters), Davidson High (one placegetter) and North Sydney Girls.
Riverside Girls HS retained their trophy for champion high school, as did West Pymble in the primary schools section.
In just five years these champs have grown from 20 entries to nudging 200. The vast majority of these are novices but show some great skills thanks to the introductory coaching they receive before heading out on their courses.
At the pointy end, Garingal members and regular orienteers Kaj Bollerup, Clare Jessup and Tom Kennedy took out three of the moderate courses which took competitors into the bush several times.
Check out the photo album on Facebook, and the results.
A huge thank you must go to Barbara Hill, the organiser on behalf of ONSW, and Andrew Mitchell from North Sydney Boys HS who co-ordinates the entries. We could not run these days without the fantastic pool of volunteer coaches and helpers who ensure the students get a positive introduction to our sport.
In 2015 our total attendance at schools champs/gala days i set to match last year's record of just over 2,000.
Next up are the NSW schools champs in western Sydney on August 15-16. The Saturday consist of two sprint races around school campuses, and Sunday is a middle distance event in the bush near the freeway. ENTRIES CLOSE ON WEDNESDAY AUGUST 5.
