Latest ONSW News
Our Saturday morning series resumes this weekend for Term 4 at Kuring-gai Wildflower Gardens.
Run by our partner organisation Bold Horizons, the SOS is open to all budding and experienced orienteers: everyone is welcome to participate.
Events are conducted for six weeks, each school term. All events are on Sydney’s north shore in well bounded areas and with no roads - making them ideal events for all ages.
The 2016-17 SOS calendar is being finalised, so keep an eye out on Eventor and the ONSW and BH websites for details.
Like bees to a honeypot the citizens of Crestwood buzzed their way around the Western Sydney Summer Series on Sunday in record numbers.
Garingal legend David Stitt's courses attracted 81 entries but, when you add in family members and groups, the attendance was about 120.
The free MINI course (now on offer at the Wednesday SSS as well) had 20 entries and about 40 participants - a tremendous result and ensuring even greater visibility with kids running this way and that.
Over at Sandringham on the southern tip of Botany Bay, the Southern SSS began under cool skies with around 50 entries. We note Mike Free (GO) ran at both - a great effort and much petrol expended literally and physically!
And Newcastle's last bush event for the season attracted 110 people (including 25 from Sydney clubs) to a new map that sadly may have permision withdrawn due to imminent council development.
Summer orienteering is here!
We had a massive 123 participants for Space Racing at Bicentennial Park on a warm spring Thursday, and another 40-50 parents and carers.
Groups from Edmund Rice College, the Girls and Boys Brigade, and Life Without Barriers ventured to Sydney Olympic Park for their first orienteering outing and accounted for almost half the attendees.
Garingal junior Clare Jessup and her buddy Giselle Dreyer sped around the 3km score course in just over 24 minutes, while Big Foot's NSW junior rep Ewan Shingler was fastest on the 5km line course (doing 1-20 in order) in 31m5s.
Looking for a vacation care activity or something to keep the kids entertained during the next school holidays - come and try Space Racing!
Daylight saving is here, the formal bush season has finished, which means... it's time for the annual summer series to start.
That's when we turn our attention to navigating our way through some of the most scenic parks, reserves and foreshores that our clubs have mapped. Many newcomers are amazed at the views on offer and the areas they discover through our summer series.
As an example, a map from a previous event is here. The maps usually cover an area of 2km x 1km. The fastest runners will often cover 9-10km in 45 minutes, while the more social may do 2-4km.
It's up to you how competitive or social you are.
On Wednesday, Newcastle have their traditional warm-up event, at Kahibah. See their series flyer for full details. You only get two minutes of planning time, so make full use of it. Newcastle even offer a pram-walking category (see bottom pic)!
At the same time at McMahons Point, Sydneysiders will number around 200 for the first event in the Sydney Summer Series. You get unlimited planning time (see picture, left, for a family hard at work). This serves a wonderful social purpose as much as maximising your score. This summer, as a promotional tool, we are offering a free, short, off-road course for children at each event.
On Sunday morning the Western SSS in the Hills District gets underway at Crestwood, while the Southern SSS kicks off that afternoon at Sandringham.
Beginners will get coaching at the events. We hope to see you there.
