Latest ONSW News
Our prioneering Saturday morning series for school students begins its second season this weekend (October 18).
Cherrybrook Technology High School is the venue. Pre-entry is open for weeks 1-3 at the moment and offers discounted rates.
While some schools include the series as part of their Saturday morning sport offering, students are also welcome to attend independently of their school.
Newcomers are encouraged to come along and try out the sport by attending any of the events. You may attend casually and only enter the events that fit in with the family schedule.
Years 5-6 have a mass start at 9am and 45 minutes in which to get to as many of the 20 checkpoints as they can in any order they like. Younger students are welcome if accompanied by an adult. Years 7-12 do a 'line' course, setting off at 1-minute intervals from 9.30am and visiting the controls in a set order.
In week 3 we have something special planned at Callan Park, Rozelle.
Bookings are now open for our annual presentation night which will be held on Saturday November 8 at the Lane Cove Club.
Who will take out the major awards in 2014?
Who will win a wombie (for an embarrassing orienteering moment)?
The evening will run from 6.30-9.30pm, allowing attendees from the closer regional clubs enough time to get home.
See the invitation for more details and how to book.
Our club of the year, Goldseekers, has celebrated 20 lively years of orienteering with a gala day back where it all started - Lake Canobolas.
President Richard Carter reports: "Fine spring weather saw 48 participants and families try old-style park orienteering, where everyone drew courses by hand, on the printed 1994 map, punching and timing by clock as it was done 20 years ago. Competitors then chose either an easy or moderate course, on the current map, using Sportident timing, pre-printed courses and a download at the finish."
"The Easy course was won by Portya Hawke (11m31s) and Moderate Course by Freya Hawkes (20:52), just faster than Bridget Bennett (21m10s) and Steve Nugent (21:47).
"Goldseekers’ first event was at Lake Canobolas on Sunday 20 May 1994. The club was formed after Jean Baldwin ran a Community College Course soon after she arrived in Orange. The course participants, including Fiona Wymer, organised the first events in that year. The Club benefited from Dave Lotty making the Lake Canobolas and Rocky Falls map. Maps of Kahli’s Rocks, Ophir and Oaky Creek in the area also helped the club members enjoy bush orienteering locally. The Club also made six street and park maps in and around Orange."
Each year the club runs a weekly Street and Park Orienteering series in Orange from January to March, a monthly winter Bush series from March to October and support State League events in the region. Since 2007 the Club also runs the Great Volcanic Mountain Challenge each March, attracting over 600 competitors in 2014. In 2013 and 2014 the club also ran Space Racing.
In 2013 Goldseekers were the NSW Club of the year. The yproduces a monthly newsletter, regular local media coverage before and after events, and members have regularly represented NSW and Australia- most notable was Matt Parton who represented Australia at JWOC and Jean and Basil Baldwin (left) who regularly represent Australia in age Class competitions.
Garingal's three-time JWOC rep Michele Dawson has won the junior women's National League (NOL) title following the Australian Long Distance Champs in WA on Saturday.
Michele's fourth place was just enough to hold off Tasmania's Anna Dowling, who finished second behind Victorian Lanita Steer in the 7.8km race at Warranine Brook. Nicola Blatchford (NC) also had a chance to win but her sixth placing meant she remained third overall.
There was more good news for ONSW runners, with Georgia Jones (UR) and Daniel Hill (GO) named in the Australian Schools Honour team - and Callum Davis (BF) and Daniel in the Australian Schools team to compete against New Zealand in Tasmania in January. Georgia is a reserve. Well done to all!
NSW winners on Saturday were Mikayla Enderby (W10A), Ellen Currie (W12A), Cath Chalmers (W45A in a NSW trifecta), Sally Devenish (W45AS), Julia Prudhoe (W55AS), Lyn Dabbs (W60A), Jean Baldwin (W70A), Maureen Ogilvie (W80A), Ewan Shingler (M12A), Josh Blatchford (M21A), Rob Spry (M55AS), Basil Baldwin (M75A), Neil Schafer (M85A) and Katie Wallace (Open Easy).
As a result NSW retained the OA Shield as the top state at the Long Champs.
Our president Greg Barbour reports: "Western Australia dished up another great day: glorious weather and a combination of beautiful yellow and white farmland with a covering of granite detail. Certainly not Australia’s most technical area but an area with something for everyone.
"The young kids had plenty of linear features and an occasional challenge. NSW has enviable strength in W10 so maybe a bright future. The elites had long courses due to the open and not too steep terrain. Results dominated by foreigners, particularly Kiwis... what are they doing?
"But the terrain was really perfect for the older generation with not much green and avoidable hills. Perhaps some of the ankle-breaking rocks would not have been missed. The area was technically easy enough that big errors were rare, making for close competition.
"The key techniques today were to run straight (and as hard as you could); for short legs direction out of control is key. Run to features rather than controls as we had by this stage worked out that Sandgropers 'bury' controls. Use attack points and compass and keep your head up. As for all the rocks... ignore them until the control and only then see them as clumps... use the contours.
"On chatting to Cath Chalmers after the event I heard something fabulous... she had deliberately made a big deal of the event to motivate herself.... get nervous and hopefully get a result...she won.
Results from the Long champs are on Eventor. The carnival wound up with the relays on Sunday. NSW surrendered the Xanthorrhea Trophy to Victoria.
