Latest ONSW News
Our Newcastle club is truly spoilt for quality bush maps, and they rolled out another beauty for State Leaue 8 at Quorrobolong on Saturday.
The smallish Barraba Lane map had much fast open running, with a few steep watercourses thrown in to mix it up. And a smattering of tracks. A classic Middle Distance location and one that will see a lot of use in the years to come.
Georgina Macken (Central Coast) had a great win in W21A, while Gayle Shepherd (Uringa, pictured) crushed her W45AS opponents by eight and a half minutes - as well as taking out the 'chocolate leg' among rivals.
In M20A, Thomas Gordon (KNOX) pipped Alastair George (Big Foot) for a breakthrough win, while visiting Israeli Itay Manor (Uringa) edged out NSW Junior Squad coach Rob Bennett (Newcastle) in a closely contested M21A.
On Sunday it was a Long Distance event at Wallaroo State Forest on 'Rocky Ridges', a hybrid of two previous maps that offered some longer track running or more direct compass navigation, often to small point features such as tree root mounds or small rockfaces.
Nicola Blatchford (Newcastle) roared back to form in W21A, while Hunter Schools champs organiser Colin Bailey triumphed in a very close M45AS class. There were multiple victories in the Shingler (BF), Doyle (UR), Woolford (Bush n Beach), Enderby, Rigby and Craig (NC) families.
Our State League web page has links to all the weekend results, Attackpoint splits (by course) and Routegadget.
We also ask all participants to please fill out the very brief Course Setter of the Year survey for each day - this will provide important feeback for setters and controllers, as well as helping decide one of our prestigous annual awards.
A big thank you to Newcastle for a woinderful weekend, and a reminder that the next SL outing is in conjunction with the NSW schools champs in Wollongong on August 19-20. School students are to enter via Trybooking; everyone else via Eventor.
NSW's sole representative at the junior world championships in Finland has had a baptism of fire in the Middle Distance qualifying.
Garingal's Toby Wilson - making his JWOC debut - finished 44th in men's heat 2 on Monday evening our time, meaning he'll be in the C final on Tuesday.
Eight of the Australians are in the B finals and 4 in the C finals.
The event website has an excellent live stream and GPS tracking so you can follow the athletes.
There has been a changing of the guard in the Sydney Turkey Trot, with Big Foot junior Alastair George ending Garingal gun Glenn Horrocks' long winning streak in the iconic annual multi-map event.
It appears Glenn, who had 9 wins in a row (including two deadheats) recorded an mp.
Hosts WHO used the combined maps of Darks Common and Knapsack Gully at the foot of the mountains to set courses pretty much all in the bush for the three courses.
Alastair has been in red-hot form this year and must be a strong chance to make the Australian JWOC team in the very near future.
He won the 20km men's Long event in 1:45:18 (averaging just over 5 mins per km!), 40 seconds ahead of WHO's Andrew Hill, and three minutes quicker than Big Foot's Bart Vonhoff.
Al's sister Rebecca was second in the women's Medium course (12km).
Juniors performed well in other divisions, with Garingal's Duncan Currie winning the men's Medium course in 1:09:13 ahead off Big Foot junior Ewan Shingler and Garingal's Peter Fozo.
Georgia Jones from Uringa took out the women's Short (8km) while primary schooler Nick Stanley was third in the men's Short.
Term 2 finished in a frenzy of flag finding this week with championships or gala days in the Hunter, Southern Highlands and Sydney West secondary schools regions.
Thursday at Fred Caterson Reserve in Castle Hill rounded off a hectic three straight days for our team of volunteer coaches, setters and SI gurus. Debutants The Ponds High School easily won the Sydney West trophy under sunny skies.
This was the first time we have held a separate secondary day in Sydney West, and the 71 students were very keen to come back next year.
Wednesday in Mittagong was mild with regular bursts of sunlight and none of Sydney's cold rain as eight schools gathered on the shores of Lake Alexandra. Numbers were encouragingly well up on last year's inaugural event, with 162 entries.
As well as a number of younger runners competing in an easy course, Chevalier College (the 2016 winners) were knocked for six by newcomers Hurlstone Agricultural High School who took out podium places in all classes - resulting in their elevation to champions on debut.
Elderslie High School, Wollondilly Anglican College and Macarthur Anglican School were also represented in the placings.
A big welcome to Mt Annan High School, Lumeah High School and the local Home-School group who experienced real orienteering competition and had a wonderful day.
And on Tuesday at Pelaw Main, the annual Hunter schools champs drew 80-odd students for a complex track network. Regular orienteering kids and rookies alike were all smiles.
Thanks to all the Newcastle, SHOO, WHO and other ONSW people who helped with these days - and especially the hard-working teachers who make them possible.
