Orienteering NSW

Coming Events

map	Wed 6 Nov 4:30 pm 2024/25 Sydney Summer Series #5 - Lindfield Primula Oval, Lindfield.

map	Wed 6 Nov 5:00 pm Newcastle Summer Street Series #4 - Blackalls Park Blackalls Park

map	Thu 7 Nov 5:00 pm Summer series #1 Robina Park (between Robina & Cynthia Crescents)

map	Fri 8 Nov 5:30 pm Goldseekers Park #2 - Gosling Creek Gosling Creek

map	Sat 9 Nov 9:30 am SOS 4 - St Leonards Gore Hill Oval, 209 Pacific Highway, St Leonards. Meet by the oval car park and playground.

map	Sat 9 Nov 10:00 am Illawarra Map Running Series - Spring #4 Unanderra Lindsay Maynes Park, cnr Princes Highway & Factory Rd, Unanderra

map	Sun 10 Nov 9:00 am Central Coast Summer Series 1 - Shelly Beach Naomi Honey Reserve, Shelly Beach Rd, Shelly Beach

map	Sun 10 Nov 4:00 pm River and Bay Series #3 - Canterbury The Gallops, Tasker park, Phillips Avenue Canterbury

map	Mon 11 Nov 7:30 pm Learn to Orienteer coaching information session

map	Wed 13 Nov 4:30 pm 2024/25 Sydney Summer Series #6 - Camperdown Memorial Rest Park, Camperdown.

NSW claimed two major trophies as the cream of Oceania orienteers rose to the top in the Australian Long Champs on Saturday.

Our Newcastle club had a huge day, winning six age classes to take out the Champion Club Award for 2017. And NSW easily retained the OA Shield for champion state.

Evergreen Victorian Natasha Key took out the senior women's elite and son Aston the junior men's elite, while Kiwi Katie Cory-Wright won W20E and South Australian Simon Uppill triumphed in the blue-ribbon M21E.

Setter Peter Annetts sent runners out through some more intricate gold mining terrain, then across some occasionally steep spur-gully, then back through some more gullies, gulches and trenches before a fast flat finish affording spectators a great view.

NSW winners (there were 15, from seven clubs) were:

W10A Aoife Rothery (BF), W12A Erika Enderby (NC), W21A Nikolett Halmai (GO), W40A Tracy Marsh (BF), W45A Jenny Enderby (NC), W45AS Alexa Troedson (BF), W70A Jean Baldwin (GS), W JuniorB Serena Doyle (UR), WOpenB Cassandra Thompson (NC).

M12A Jamie Woolford (BB), M35A Stephen Craig (NC), M35AS Shane Jenkins (NC), M40A Damien Enderby (NC), M55AS Dale Wallace (WP), Open Easy William Nolan (UR).

The carnival finishes on Sunday with the Australian Relay champs, also at Hill End.

Click on the blue links for Long results, Facebook photos, Routegadget and WinSplits.

Newcastle's Alvin Craig and Big Foot's Ewan Shingler have capped a tremendous week by being named in the all-Australian schools orienteering team for 2017.

Alvin, still only in Year 7, had a first and two seconds in the Long, Sprint and Relay respectively. Ewan (far left in the picture) earned his first green-and-gold selection after finishing third in the sprint and teaming with Alvin for second place in the relay.

ACT retained the shield for champion state, while New Zealand retained the trophy for trans-Tasman supremacy against the Australian states.

ACT's dominance of the three days of competition was reflected with seven students gaining all-Australian honours out of 16 places.

Congratulations to these orienteers selected:

Senior Boys: Patrick Miller (ACT), Tristan Miller (ACT), Noah Poland (ACT), Aston Key (Victoria)

Senior Girls: Tara Melhuish (ACT), Meredith Norman (SA), Rachel Allen (Tasmania), Ellie de Jong (Queensland)

Junior Boys: Alvin Craig (NSW), Ewan Shingler (NSW), Andrew Kerr (ACT), Ryan Gray (Queensland)

Junior Girls: Zoe Melhuish (ACT), Ella Cuthbert (ACT), Joanna George (SA), Mikayla Cooper (Tasmania)

Following the presentations, guest speaker and dual Paralympian Michael Milton gave a fascinating and thought-provoking address about coping with and triumphing over adversity.

There was also a special presentation to School Sport Australia representative Rohan Hyslop, St Stanislaus College grounds manager Brad, and Joanna Parr and Airdrie Long who were in charge of looking after the 160 schools team members and staff for the whole week. A big thank you also from all of us.

The relays showcase everything great about the Australian schools orienteering championships - beautiful scenery, our best young talent, the thrill of a mass start, hopefully a sprint finish, and great camaraderie between the competing states.

At Macquarie Woods on Thursday we had all of those in spades... and it was Queensland who claimed the glory as Ryan Gray outstrode NSW youngster Alvin Craig in the last 50m of climb to win the junior boys section.

Navigation was straightforward but the four courses were physically very tough - and both boys were totally spent upon crossing the line.

The old adage about a picture speaking a thousand words certainly rang true.

As our photo on the left shows, neither boy could move for several minutes after the frantic haul up and across the last hill through the finish chute as a crowd of hundreds roared them home.

In the other three divisions New Zealand were victorious and ACT second, thereby claiming the mantle of champion Australian state in senior boys and girls along with junior girls (pictured below).

WIN TV were once again on hand to record the event. You can see their report (filmed prior to the end of the relays) on their Facebook page here.

In the public mass start races that followed, these NSW orienteers gained top three places:

1st: Tony Woolford (BB) Men C, Cassandra Thompson (NC) Women E, Wendy McConaghy (GO) Women G, Jamie Woolford (BB) Men H, Alton Freeman (BF) Open Very Easy

2nd: Malcolm Roberts (NC) Men D, Seth Sweeney (WH) Men G, Oliver Freeman (BF) Men H, Carolyn Matthews (NC) Women C, Robyn Pallas (CC) Women D, Wendy McConaghy (GO) Women G, Ben McConaghy (GO) Open Very Easy

3rd: Mark Freeman (BF) Men C, Paula Shingler (BF) Women C, Tim McConaghy (GO) Open Easy

Overall results from the Bathurst 3-Days can be found here.

Friday is a well earned rest day before we go back to Hill End for the Australian Long Champs on Saturday.

NSW junior boys starred at the Australian Schools Sprint Champs on Wednesday as the senior boys blew it with two mispunches.

Year 7 student Alvin Craig (Newcastle) was second overall and first Australian, covering the 2.8km course at All Saints College Bathurst in 12m24s. Ewan Shingler (Big Foot, pictured) was almost a minute further back in third overall and second Australian in a fantastic result for the 'Carbines'.

Curiously, of all the schools starters, 11 boys mispunched and only three girls. New Zealand took out both boys divisions while the Melhuish sisters (ACT) won the girls classes.

But their older counterparts Alastair George (BF) and Duncan Currie (Garingal) were left ruing some crucial inattention as they recorded the dreaded 'mp'. That left Wagggaroos' Lachlan Billett as the leading NSW senior boy in 11th place overall and seventh fastest Australian.

Claire Burgess (NC) was again the best of the senior girls in 15th place, while Nea Shingler (BF, on debut) was our best in the junior girl in 16th place.

In the public races that preceded the schools, these ONSW runners finished in the top three:

1st: Tony Woolford (BB) Men C, Oliver Freeman (BF) Men H, Paula Shingler (BF) Women C, Airdrie Long (GO) Women D, Cassandra Thompson (NC) Women E, Wendy McConaghy (GO) Women G, Ben McConaghy (GO) Open Very Easy

2nd: Mark Freeman (BF) Men C, Ross Barr (GO) Men D, Seth Sweeney (WH) Men G, Oliver Freeman (BF) Men H, Saacha Donaldson (BF) Women D

3rd: Andy Simpson (BF) Men C, Carolyn Matthews (NC) Women C, Jane Boland (UR) Women G.

Lastly, we had the pleasure of showing Prime TV Central West sports reporter Tom Corrigan (second from left, in red shirt) and his cameraman James how to orienteer. They filmed as they went around the EOD Easy course, and the report featured on the Wednesday night news.