Space Racing has blasted off on a new frontier after a successful foray into Castle Hill Showground during the July school holidays.
With poor weather forecast, and this being the farthest venture west with Space Racing, the team were unsure how many participants would come along. so it was rather pleasing to report that 31 hardy souls turned up to take on the new sprint map of WHO, our club of the year for 2011.
The course, set by NSW junior Daniel Hill, had to be substantially curtailed due to council closing the underpass beneath Showground Road in the NW corner of the map that leads into Fred Caterson Reserve. With that in mind, the time limit was cut from the usual 45 minutes to 30. That was no barrier to the seasoned crop of talented juniors who flew around the (in parts boggy) course at warp speed.
Garingal's Aidan Dawson pushed the G forces to the limit with a time of 10m12s for the 20 controls. Lawrence Jones (Uringa) WOULD/COULD/SHOULD have been second in a time of 11m48s but somehow forgot to visit one control - the perils of score courses and SI!
The Currie family (GO) snared three of the top 5 places.
Lawrence and Georgia Jones, along with mum Maggie (ONSW Communications Officer) and Duncan Currie then went out again to run the course in control order from 1-20. Less than five minutes separated the four of them, but none could match Aidan who ran the course again in reverse order (20-1) in 27m39s.
Most pleasing though, was the appearance of two families who took part at Sydney Olympic Park the week before and were so captured by our sport that they simply had to get another O fix ! And another two families saw our notice in the Hills News and dragged the kids away from the electronic gadgets for some real life adventure.
As always, our Space Racing missions would not function as smoothly without the many volunteers who help out - thanks to everyone who gave of their time at both events.
We are back at Sydney Olympic Park on Friday October 5. Dates and venues for the Xmas school holidays have not yet been set.
Thanks to Ian Jessup for this report
