Latest ONSW News
It's not very often that Sydney puts on a mountain bike orienteering (MTBO) event as there aren't many places with suitable terrain.
So come on down to St Ives Showground this Sunday morning for a taste of MTBO in the BOSS - Bike Orienteering Summer Series.
You may start any time between 8-9am and have 75 minutes to get as many controls as you can. You are allowed 3 minutes planning time. For more info, see the flyer.
Fantastic locations led to excellent attendances over the weekend as orienteers enjoyed cooler weather for a change.
Big Foot's sprint event at Sydney Olympic Park on Sunday drew a series-record 125 runners, keen for another taste of the venue that hosted the 2009 World Masters Games Sprint final. Garingal junior Aidan Dawson was fastest in 14:41, a good half a minute clear of Newcastle's world championship rep Josh Blatchford. Lots of controls in the tricky Heritage Precinct, and many out-of-bounds garden beds, made for intricate navigation in what is otherwise a flat, fast area. Great setting!
SHOO's Summer Sats series has steadily attracted new families from the Macarthur region to our sport with its mix of 30-minute score courses and short line courses for younger kids. Their evening Camden Riverside run saw a record 40 entries, with some coming from the eastern suburbs, northern beaches and city. Lachlan Brooks (SH) and Maggie Mackay (UR) took out the easy course while local couple Angus and Ruth Shedden won the score course categories. The maps are on the SHOO Facebook page.
On Sunday morning, Central Coast hosted at the much-loved newish map of Pretty Beach, this time with an extension to the west taking in some elevated bush tracks. A season-high 33 runners enjoyed the waterfront run, sans surf club and beach for the first time, going past the new abode of newlywed Garingal couple Tom Joss and Claire Winnick. Newcastle pair Justin Stafford and Ruth Gilbert won the day.
CC's last Sunday morning summer series event is this weekend at Lake Haven.
NSW orienteers were among the spoils at the Oceania championships and Hobart Shorts earlier this month. Representatives from ten NSW clubs took home medals, with an impressive six clubs boasting series winners.
The biennial Oceania champs were held in conjunction with the opening round of the 2015 IOF World Cup and as such attracted about 100 European elites and around 900 competitors all up.
Michael Burton (Big Foot), James Lithgow (Garingal) and Nicola Blatchford (Newcastle) took out both series. Well done!
Our overall placegetters were:
1st: M50A Michael Burton (BF), M60A James Lithgow (GO), W10A Erika Enderby (NC), W20A Nicola Blatchford (NC), W21A Phoebe Dent (CC), W35A Anna Fitzgerald (GS), W40A Tracy Marsh (BF, pictured), W80A Maureen Ogilvie (UR).
2nd: MOpenB Dean Gingell (GO), M10A Oliver Freeman (BF - Big Foot had 5 boys in this class!), M20A Aidan Dawson (GO), M40A Matt Sherlock (BF), WOpenB Steph Sherlock (BF), W50A Karen Blatchford (NC),
3rd: M21AS Jose Zapata (CC), M55+AS Rob Spry (SH), M75A John Hodsdon (SH), W21AS Margaret Peel (NC), W45AS Barb Dawson (GO), W55+AS Julie Mann (IK), W60A Lyn Dabbs (WH), W65A Val Hodsdon (SH).
Immediately following that, Hobart hosted their annual 6-event sprint program offering a wide range of terrains (campus, bush, sand dunes, urban). NSW overall placegetters were:
1st: M50 Michael Burton (BF), M60+ James Lithgow (GO), w17-20 Nicola Blatchford (NC)
2nd: M16 Duncan Currie (GO)
3rd: M60+ Gordon Wilson (BN), W60+ Julias Prudhoe (CC)
Hi everyone - we hope you had a relaxing break with family or friends or both.
Many of us have enjoyed one or two fantastic carnivals over the holiday period - the Xmas 5-Days which was held in Sydney for the first time, then the Oceania Champs and opening World Cup round in Tasmania.
Both carnivals were professionally run on superb maps in great scenery and made a big impression on the visiting European elites escaping the cruel northern winter.
Pretty much all our clubs are back into the swing of things, and with the calendar ticking over into 2015 it means it's time to renew your membership - or join if you like what you have seen so far.
Membership forms are in the middle of the summer booklet and on the membership page, or you can register via Eventor. And don't forget to follow us on Facebook.
We have some exciting weekends still to come before we hit the winter bush season:
(1) O'Shea 2-Days Feb 21-22: this is a 3-race event for pairs on the Central Coast. This year all three runs are close together in the Gwandalan area at the southern end of beautiful Lake Macquarie. See the flyer for details. The highlights of this weekend are undoubtedly the loud and lairy costumes worn by many participants, and the spearmint leaf cakes traditionally awarded as prizes (see pic, left).
(2) Sydney Sprint Weekend Mar 7-8: NSW is hosting the opening round of the National League with three races: at Sydney Uni and on new maps at Botany and UNSW. See the web page for details.
(3) Women's Coaching Weekend Mar 14-15: this very popular weekend caters for women of all ages and abilities in a fun-filled environment in the Southern Highlands. Stay tuned for details.
(4) MTBO Mar 21-22: for mountain bike enthusiasts, NSW is also hosting the opening round of the MTBO NOL in the Newcastle area. This will double as the NSW champs in this discipline and the Australian selection trials for the world champs in the Czech Republic in July.
In a great initiative to get more people into MTBO, the organisers on the Saturday are offering free introductory coaching and free entry to the beginner event. See the web page for details.
