Latest ONSW News
Some of the best NSW juniors will be running hard this weekend as the Coalfields Classic includes the first selection races for the 2012 NSW Schools Team. The team will compete in the Australian All Schools Orienteering Championships in Tasmania during the September school holidays.
If juniors are interested in nominating for the team, it’s not too late, but you had better be quick! Entry on the day is available for this weekend’s events and selectors have generously extended the deadline for nominations to 13 May. Full selection criteria for the squad is available here. Late nominations for the NSW 2012 Schools Team should be emailed to Karen Blatchford (
In other junior news, Waggaroos hosted the Riverina Schools Orienteering Championships this week. By all reports the day was outstanding with 60 young local orienteers competing. The support of the Riverina School Sport Unit was very much appreciated. In Sydney, the Junior League started last Sunday at UWS Kingswood. Times for all competitors are available here and the Junior League point score from the day is available here. The ONSW Development Team has also been kept busy this week with 180 Mosman High students in the midst of a three week orienteering program. Thanks to the support of Sydney Harbour Federation Trust the students were able to explore the historic defence buildings and magnificent harbour views at Georges Heights. Active After-school Communities programs are also running in Sydney, the Hunter Valley and Illawarra this term and are keeping our wonderful coaches busy providing excellent orienteering experiences for primary schoolers.
The Coalfields Classic got underway in Newcastle today. The Sprint event was conducted at Newcastle University and the Middle Distance event at Pelaw Main. Both events were part of the National Orienteering League and were also selection races for the Australian team that will contest this year's World Orienteering Championships.
RouteGadget and Splitalyzer analysis are available here.
Sprint results are available here.
The Classic continues tomorrow with the Long Distance event in the Werakata National Park at Kitchener where the elites will be challenged by an 18km course.
More news to come.....
The best of Australian orienteering were ready for battle in the WOC selection races at the Coalfields Classic this weekend. Starting with a Sprint event around Newcastle University it was Matthew Crane who took the lead ahead of Simon Uppill and Toby Scott in the Men's 21E. In W21E Rachel Effeney was on great form taking 1st place over a minute ahead of Grace Crane and nearly 2 minutes ahead of New Zealand international Lizzie Ingham. The JWOC team were racing with some fine performances from the younger elites with ACT's Oli Poland not far off the senior elite pace, Tasmanian Brodie Nankervis and NSW Alex Massey tucked in closely behind. Nicola Blatchford has clearly recovered from her recent injury problems taking third just behind Lilian 
Burrell and Heather Muir.
But the Sprint and the weekend weren't just about elites. With all three weekend races also nominated as NSW State Leagues nearly 200 club athletes were also out to try their luck on the Newcastle maps. The high quality of the mapping allowed planner Karen Blatchford to set some really challenging courses. High control concentration and multiple changes of direction on an area where route choice really made a difference to times meant that those who got it right were within seconds of their rivals, and those who got it wrong found their results tumbling down the Sprint Results. Michael Burton of Big Foot Orienteers won a very competitive M40A class and Malcolm Roberts (Newcastle Orienteers) had an impressive win in the M50A. Bruce Meder (Garingal) was nearly over 2 minutes quicker than second placed Rob Preston in M60A; by contrast the margin in the W40A was 1 second between Barbara Hill, also Garingal, and Nicole Haigh, Newcastle.
For most competitors less than 30 minutes running time out of their legs meant that they were still fresh and ready for the afternoon's Middle Distance event at Pelaw Main. The site of an old colliery, Pelaw Main was mainly flat with intricate path detail requiring fast accurate running. Matthew Crane and Simon Uppill again took the top two spots for M21E but it was a real contest for the next five places which were only separated by 37 seconds. Lizzie Ingham, Vanessa Round and Aislinn Prendergast were the top three in W21E, the first NSW 
elite girl, Catherine Murphy of Uringa Orienteers a little off the pace down in 12th. Local orienteers Scott Simson, Glenn Burgess and Graham Fowler of Newcastle Orienteers will have been pleased with their 1st places in M40A, M50A and M70A respectively. Nicole Haigh (W21A), Gayle Quantock (W50A), Toy Martin (W65A) also took top spots for Newcastle. Middle Distance Results.
Sunday's Long Distance race at Kitchener was also the World Ranking Event. With a steep ridge to the south of the map and undulating eucalypt crisscrossed with an extensive creek and trail networks for the rest, both physical and mental stamina were required. With the longest courses checking in at 18.1km competitors will have been glad of the cool, dry running conditions. The best Elites results for NSW were in the junior ranks with Alex Massey and Kasimir Gregory posting 4th and 5th in the M17-20E and Michele Dawson 2nd in W17-20E. Rob Preston and Tracey Marsh were NSW best in the 21E races scoring top ten finishes with a 7th and 8th place respectively. Runners who managed the trifecta this weekend were Matthew Crane M21E, Ewan Shingler M10A, Duncan Currie M12A, Daniel Hill M16A, Daniel Orr M21AS, Barry Hanlon M75A, Karen Wallace OpenC, Sophie Jones W10A, Felicity Barker-Smith W18A, Barbara Hill W40A, Luke Robertson EOD Moderate Long Distance Results
These races were the first opportunity this season for the NSW Wildfires to get together for some fun as well as some serious racing. With a 'club' tent for meeting up with their friends, and brand new racing shirts the Wildfires were easy to spot. Wildfires leader Salme Fuller put on a string course and then ran a series of games for the under 12's after their races.
'It was great to see them all getting together, really engaging with the games and having fun,' said Salme. Salme has a fantastic repertoire of orienteering games and the children were treated to some of her favorites including Jump the Creek, Orienteering Soccer, Orienteering Bullrush and Compass Parachute. The Wildfires will get together again at the Queens Birthday 3 Days in Armidale.
Thanks to Russell Rigby for the event photographs. Photo gallery
Forty-two students participated in the Riverina Region Schools Orienteering Championships conducted co-jointly by WaggaRoos, Orienteering NSW and the Department of Education and Training. Expert coaches were on hand to provide preliminary instruction to participating students. Basic skills in map reading and navigating in the bush were explained by taking students on short map walk. This was followed by individual age-races and a relay.
Commencing from the Music Bowl courses utilised the tracks and bushy areas around the Botanic Gardens. Students had to find various depressions, exercise stations, watercourses and rock-faces. The area near the Music Bowl was sufficiently open to provide spectators with some good vision of participants approaching latter controls. Given this was the first time most students had attempted orienteering, all did remarkably well.
The Boys and Girls 12-14 year age-group individual races were conducted over 2.5km that led students in a large loop towards Baden Powell Drive and back. The Boys section was hotly contested with just a couple of minutes separating the first five places. Stewart Braden from Wagga High was fastest in 30:45. Lachlan Billett, a primary school student from Uranquinty Public School, upstaged many of his secondary school competitor’s by just holding off William Standley (Wagga High) for second place.
The Girls 12-14 year age-race was considerably more sedate with most enjoying a leisurely stroll rather than racing seriously. Amy Cottee (TRAC) won by a considerable margin with Wagga High School sisters Monique and Jessica Canty filling the minor placings.
The 15+ year age group was contested over 3.0 km that involved 15 controls and included a tough climb to the top of the ridge. The Boys race was again a fiercely contested affair between Derek Boyd (TRAC) and Jonothan Bewick (Wagga High). Derek eventually prevailed by a mere 
46 seconds. Sam Dunnett (TRAC) finished third about 5 minutes off the pace.
The Girls 15+ age-race was a trifecta for Wagga High . Bethany Miller finished first, Ellie Heydon, second and Penny MacIntosh a creditable third.
The relay race was conducted by teams of three over 1km legs. A mass start created a flurry of activity and most played follow the leader until one of the group realised the leader was going the wrong way. The Wagga High team of Adam White, Kieran Gregory and Jonothan Bewick sorted themselves out of the melee quickest and won the day.
Results. Riverina Region Schools orienteering Championships. M12-14. Stewart Braden (Wagga High) 3045; Lachlan Billett (Uranquinty Public) 31:33; William Standley (WH) 31:47. Girls 12-14. Amy Cottee (TRAC) 70:05; Monique Canty (WH) 87:32; Jessica Canty (WH) 88:27. Boys 15+. Derek Boyd (TRAC) 40:23; Jonothan Bewick (WH)41:09; Sam Dunnett (TRAC) 46:21. Girls 15+. Bethany Miller (WH) 87:09; Ellie Heydon (WH) 88:10; Penny MacIntosh (WH) 90:17. Relay. Wagga High (Adam White, Kieran Gregory, Jonothan Bewick).
The next WaggaRoos event will be at Livingstone Forest at 10am on Sunday 20 May.
Thanks to John Oliver for this report and Helen Jessup for the photographs
