Latest ONSW News
Our Newcastle club leads the way in mountain bike orienteering (MTBO) and their annual BOSS starts up again on Sunday at Killingworth South.
Newcomers and 'casuals' do a 75-minute score course, while those riders seeking a tougher challenge do a line course then a score course, all within the 75-minute time frame.
You can start any time between 8-9am - map board and SI timing sticks can be hired on the day. Pre-entry not required - just rock up on the day... but allow time for a briefing and gear prep.
Full BOSS details are in the series flyer here. Parking for event 1 is on Killingworth Road next to the big sub station.
Beginners will get instruction from our friendly Newcastle organisers.
Remember - this year one of the BOSS newcomers (Tim Doman) was so good he was picked for Australia to ride at the world champs! Could this be you in 2020?
And a reminder of closing date deadlines for looming interstate MTBO events:
* Sun Oct 13 Australian champs (in Victoria from Oct 25-27)
* Mon Oct 14 ACT champs (in Canberra from Oct 18-20)
Newcastle's Stephen Craig has won OA's prestigious Silva Medal for best-performed orienteer in their age class in Australia in 2019.
Points are awarded in the Australian Championships (Sprint, Middle and Long), Easter (each day is considered a separate event) and the Oceania Championships (Sprint, Middle and Long) for Elite and A classes in M/W16 and above.
Your best 6 events counts towards this award, with points as follows: 1st – 4; 2nd – 3; 3rd – 2 and 1 for finishing, 1 point if there are fewer than 4 starters.
Stephen ran in M35 and finished on the maximum of 24 points with Victorians Bruce Arthur and Jenny Bourne as well as South Australian Robin Uppill, and prevailed in a countback based on average winning margins.
Oceania also signalled the end of the National Orienteering League for 2019.
Congratulations also go to Big Foot's Alastair George who finished second in the junior men's elite comp where NSW was runner-up to ACT.
Our highest-placed athletes in the other NOL divisions were: Anna Fitzgerald (Goldseekers) 8th in senior women, Toby Wilson (Garingal) 8th in senior men and Iida Lehtonen (GO) 9th in junior women.
Alastair George (Big Foot) has broken through after numerous second placings at Oceania 2019 to win the junior men's elite Middle Distance race in Beechworth and wrap up the carnival on a high note.
Alastair - who finished runner-up in the Oceania Sprint, Australian Long, Oceania Relay and Oceania Long champs - blitzed the 4.7km course in 33m31s, a good two minutes clear of great rival Patrick Miller from the ACT. Garingal's Duncan Currie was eighth.
Ellen Currie (GO) was the best placed in the junior women in 16th, Toby Wilson (GO) finished 13th in senior men, and Alastair's sister Rebecca was 12th in the senior women.
The new map was on the edge of town.
Congratulations to our other Oceania Middle champs:
Alton Freeman (Big Foot, M10); Erika Enderby (Newcastle, W14); Emile Altmann (NC, M35AS); Rob Bradley (WHO, M45AS); Greg Barbour (BB, M55); Paula Shingler (BF, W55); Garry Stewart (SHOO, M55AS); Rob Vincent (NC, M60); John le Carpentier (SH, M75); Juha Lehtonen (Garingal, M Open B).
All up, NSW had 15 second placings and 11 thirds on the day.
Thanks to OACT, ONSW and OV for a brilliant carnival of eight challenging events in nine days. Pictured here is Waggaroos stalwart Alex Davey who does a lot of bush mapping in the Riverina.
Our next big bush carnival is the Xmas 5-Days at Armidale from December 27-31. The web page will be updated in the coming weeks.
The Lehtonens are a Finnish family settled in Sydney and enjoying Australia's great outdoor lifestyle. The kids are proving to be pretty handy orienteers, too!
Oldest daughter Iida helped the NSW Schools team win the Australian schools champs in Wagga last week fr the first time since 2002 - and made the Honour Team for the second year running. That was for two first placings and a third for the Carbines.
On Saturday, her sister Lilja (Garingal) won the W12 age class at the Oceania Long champs at Eldorado in Victoria. She then went out and shadowed little brother Eino around the M/W10N novice course (pictured).
Lilja was one of seven NSW orienteers to win at Kangaroo Crossing, the other being: Jenny Enderby (Newcastle, W50); Tony Woolford (Bush n Beach, M55); Gayle Quantock (NC, W55); Rob Vincent (NC, M60); Ben McConaghy (GO, M Junior B); and Wendy McConaghy (GO, W Open B).
In the elite divisions, Alastair George (BF) was again second in the junior men's (M20E), with Duncan Currie (GO) sixth. Ellen Currie (GO) was the best placed in the junior women in 18th, Toby Wilson (GO) finished 14th in senior men, and local Briohny Seaman (Waggaroos) was 14th in the senior women.
All up, NSW orienteers had 13 second placings and 10 thirds on the day.
Thanks to setter Warren Key for tough courses on an awesome Kangaroo Crossing map.
Results are here, Winsplits here and Tony Hill's photo album here. In the bottom pic are Saffron Sweeney (WHO) and Cameron Will (IK) crossing the minor watercourse near the finish.
Those people who competed midweek in Wagga can see the final standings in the Riverina Run here.
On Sunday the carnival wraps up with the Oceania Middle Champs on a new map in Beechworth.
