June 2003/July 2003

Oh dear, another late issued magazine. The Editors went AWOL, up north, at a crucial time, bushwalking in the stunning West McDonnells. In the visitors book on the sub summit of Mt. Sonder is a cryptic comment in international symbols translated as "knoll, on top of" - [we are always trying to raise the profile of orienteering among outdoorsy people.]
Before deserting our posts, we enjoyed those two wonderful days orienteering in the mid north at Worlds End and Hallelujah Hills, along with the associated socialising. There are many reasons why we all enjoy orienteering - mental & physical challenge, competition & satisfaction, belonging to a group of fascinating & diverse people - to name a few. The Adelaide Cup weekend satisfied all those - just as a close in event at Mt. Crawford or Kuitpo can - with considerable less wear & tear on the vehicle tyres.
Whatever our reasons for orienteering, sometimes matters put our dedication to the test & we ask ourselves 'is it worth my while?' Usually, it only takes a magic moment out in the forest or on a rocky knoll out bush to answer that with a resounding YES. So, let's just keep those magic moments in mind.

The step from a street park map to a bush map is quite large, and easily underestimated.  If you have attempted what seems a moderate distance and found it takes much longer than you expected, try something shorter next time.  If you completed a short easy course, newcomers are always welcome to try a second course at any event at a discounted price. The event information usually includes information on the difficulty of each course, so decide carefully on your course.  Do this by having a look at the map if possible.  If the map looks steep and has lots of green, try something a little shorter than you might otherwise. 

Also please take note of any safety information provided eg the safety bearing which if you are disoriented, is the recommended direction to take to return.  However as many of our maps have a track network, make use of these if you are lost, and always ask someone if you see others out on a course.  Other orienteers are always prepared to help newcomers or those geographically embarrassed.

If you need help at an event please ask at the registration, there should be designated “Ask Me” helpers to provide general information, and also a Duty Coach to provide orienteering tips. Also at any event there are always people gathered discussing maps of their course, so please join in.

Memberships
South Australia’s overall membership numbers have been relatively stable over the last few years, but this is largely as a result of increases in numbers at the regional clubs in particular Lincoln and Top End due to their hard work in promoting orienteering.  This has offset reduced numbers in some of the city clubs.  I hope the regional clubs are continuing to have success in this area.  Memberships for those rejoining are now well overdue, and so if you know of regulars, who haven’t renewed their memberships as yet, please encourage them to do so.  Remember you need to be members to take advantage of member’s rates at events. 

Memberships of all types (families, individuals, juniors etc) have averaged about 260 over the last few years, representing around 600 individuals.  Memberships to date in 2003 are around 225, comparable with at this time for other years.  However as this includes some new memberships, this means there are probably previous members who have not rejoined.  So to all of you, please encourage those whom you know were members in the past to rejoin your respective clubs.

Orienteering Australia Funding
The funding of our clubs is derived from memberships, event levies and government grants.  At a national level, Orienteering Australia’s (OA) funding is derived from a combination of grants from the Australian Sports Commission, fees derived from the state associations, event levies, and direct payments from the states and members eg for the Australian Orienteer, insurance.  Expenditure by OA is in the areas of supporting part time paid officers (administration, development, coaching, AO editor), annual meetings such as the AO Annual Conference and periodic development conferences, direct costs such as AO printing and insurance, and supporting its association with the IOF. 
However the greatest single item is in the area of elite athlete (or high performance) development, and the ASC funding is essentially tied to this with its level based on the category in which orienteering is placed (by comparison with other sports) and performance at the elite level. 
The high performance program supports participation in world championship competitions (open, junior, MTBO) and World Cup events (open, MTBO), junior and senior squad training camps, National League competition, coaching support and athlete support (although amounts received by individuals is generally quite small).

This detail may or may not be of interest to South Australian orienteers, however it is relevant because some of the money is levied on the states, or on orienteers directly (via event levies at Badge, State Championship and National events). 
OA is currently seeking a greater level of funding from the states in order to fund the increased participation in world championship competitions. 
Prior to last year, Junior WOC was held annually (note that team members pay most of their own costs), and WOC biannually (high level of support for WOC team members).  However in 2002, Australia participated in the first MTBO WOC, in 2004 this will be held in Victoria, and thereafter probably annually. 
From 2003 WOC will also be an annual event (IOF decision opposed by Australia).   Hence OA will be required to support three World Championship events annually instead of the average of 1½ previously. 

To do this they have essentially a static membership base although participation may be increasing, little potential to earn money from sponsorship, and ASC funding as indicated above reflecting the size of orienteering as a sport and elite performances. 
Hence the latter is not likely to increase, but without participation in world championship events, would probably reduce.

As a result OA is asking the states to provide more funding, and as state associations derive their income from memberships and participation (event levies), this will ultimately feed down to more of your membership subscriptions and event fees going to OA. 
 At the recent OA AGM held during the Easter Three Days in Perth, a proposal was submitted that the funding which OA receives from the states (excluding insurance, AO subscriptions, direct event levies to OA) increase from $41,200 in 2003 to $92,550 in 2008. 
Each state share would be based on total memberships, suggesting SA would pay from $6,444 in 2003 to $14,476 in 2008 (15.6% of total). 
An alternative was ultimately passed which would see the amount increase to $70,000 in 2008 (this is probably a bit over $60,000 in 2003 dollar terms). 
However this will be reviewed again at the end of 2004, so I may well be seeking comment from members prior to this. The process of calculation will also be modified to reduce the pro-rata amount for remote associate members of whom SA has the most due to our regional clubs currently being very active. 
This reflects their limited opportunity to participate in main event program activities.  Hence the proportion which SA will pay will also be reduced. 
However to cover this, OASA will have little option but to increase membership fees and event levies each year during this period. 

If derived solely from membership fees, then each membership would have to increase on average by around $16 over the 5 year period (note this would not include other requirements for increases eg insurance, increased AO subscription, OASA receiving a reduced level of grant funding). 
Later this year, membership fees and event levies will be set by OASA council, so if you have preferences for deriving this funding from one or the other or both, then discuss at your club meetings or with your club’s OASA delegates.

State School Team Selection
In March the OASA Council changed the criteria for state school team selection at the bottom end of the age group.  This means that some Year 7 students may now be eligible. Hence so that all students wishing to particpate in upcoming School Selection Trials are aware of this, the criteria is

"Students no longer eligible to run in M/W12 are eligible for selection in the SA School's team."

What this means is that Year 7 students who turn 13 in the year of selection are eligible, those who turn 12 and can still enter M/W12 at Championship and Badge events, are not.

Robin Uppill       OASA President
 
 

On behalf of the fundraising group for the 2003 State Schools Orienteering team I would like to do a summary of what has been raised through the fantastic support of fellow orienteers.
It all started the night before the O’Sullivan Beach AGM where, instead of watching the footy, the Lee kids were being entertained with Mum in the kitchen! They’d go out to have a chat and see what she was doing but quickly dash back into the lounge roaring with laughter ‘Mum’s in the kitchen crying Dad’ – yes those lovely onions you all order with your sausage! Mum would get the check list out on Saturday and Tristan, Marissa and Benjamin would all pitch in with Dad and make sure we had all the gear for the bbq and the food for the next day. Good reliable Hannah Skehan was very thoughtful and made a very ‘eye catching’ sign of a sausage to go on Mum’s hat – alas after 4 BBQ’s and many comments it has been laid to rest under a bush at Parra Wirra (overcooked I think). At O’Sullivan Beach we introduced the Bubble 'n Squeak burger which is now a must have at every event. I think Steve Dose had "his" burger sold 3 or 4 times before he finally got one!
We then moved on to Para Wirra were 156 sausages and 81 burgers were sold on a very hot day with much appreciated help from Jenny, Robert, Rebecca andVern Hembrow who also donated a bag of powerful onions (although I’m not sure whether Vern was helping or hindering as he packed Marissa’s NEW compass away with his…). I had also organised a basket of Easter goodies to be raffled. State junior squad members - Lisa Stoeckel, Tristan and Marissa Lee and Simon Uppill sold the tickets. The basket of goodies was won by a very excited Mrs. Bennett.  Everyone was giving positive feedback and very supportive so I bit the bullet and said yes we’ll do it at Belair as well. What beautiful surroundings, great company, our site saved for us AND under a shady tree – it all made for a very prosperous day. Lee Merchant had rallied around and organised some scrumptious muffins of which mum’s are now getting recipes from the “young ones”. Katie and Robin Dose, Brett and Troy Merchant and Hannah Skehan all brought mouth watering muffins, which were snapped up quickly – not only top junior orienteers but top cooks! Once again I’d done up an Easter raffle with Tristan, Marissa, Lisa and Toby going around teasing orienteers with the chocolate and fluffy bunny – an overjoyed Grandpa John Lyon won it for his ‘little grandchild’.  Our last bbq at Wirra Wirra was to use up the last of the stock which we did with Benjamin helping turn the sausages and onions every 2 seconds until I convinced him I could manage while he went out on his course. On Sunday the 4th May we had a Mothers Day raffle with a platter, chocolates, almond bread, cheese, bottle of Queen Adelaide donated by the Lee family and a beautiful bunch of flowers donated by the Merchant family for the two prizes. After walking around for an hour selling the tickets with everyone buying “the winning ticket” I asked Sue Merchant to draw the winners – Herman Frank the platter, wine etc and Toby Clark the flowers and a fantastic $84 profit!
 Fundraising: Barbeques  $587.00
   Easter Raffles $  84.70
   Muffins  $  50.00
   Mothers Day $  84.15
TOTAL FUNDS RAISED:  $805.85

Without the support of ALL orienteers this would not be possible so THANK YOU.
Any parents or state squad members who would like to help out in any way please contact me by email. 
Lets all pitch in and support our “future orienteers”. 
I am also including the dates of future fundraising events where the “Burgers” will return along with “hash browns” from W.A. so don’t bring your lunch!
On behalf of the 2003 Orienteering State Schools Team and parents,
 

STATE SCHOOLS TEAM FUNDRAISING EVENTS
Sunday 25th May Gumeracha Goldfields WOCTrials  SST Muffins, soft & sports drinks
Sunday 29th June Mark Oliphant Park  Interclub3 YA BBQ and muffins
Sunday 27th July South Para OY8  SST  YA BBQ
Sunday 31st August Belair Nat. Pk.  Interclub5 WA BBQ and muffins
Sunday 7th September Congeratinga  OY 10  OH Fathers Day Raffle

If anybody can help with expenses by donating muffins, sauce, drinks, bread then please email me and let me know, much appreciated.  As we don’t want the same Juniors to be helping all the time you may get a phone call and be asked to help out with a batch of muffins which will be a once a year occurrence to share the work load. 

Venue: 
Carrick Hill. Entrance is via the main gates to Carrick Hill, off Carrick Hill Drive, Springfield (UBD 143 B3).   An entrance fee of $1 per adult will be added to the event fee. Follow the road to the carpark and then walk about 200m (follow signs) to the horse stables which will be used for Registration, start & finish.

Courses: 
Two Sledge Courses of approximately 4km & 6km will be offered. 
The sledge courses will feature ‘designated legs’ which will include a downhill leg, a sprint finish, ‘the ascent’, ‘the peg run’ and special controls and legs to test your orienteering skills. 
A short easy course will also be offered.

Entries: 
  Although enter on the day will be available, pre entries by ringing 
  Adrian Uppill 8278 3017 would be appreciated.

SI Cards: 
Bring your SI card as this event will be using SPORTident for timing and controls.

Lunch: 
Stay for lunch (BYO) and enjoy the grounds and setting of Carrick Hill.

Organising Club: 
Onkaparinga Hills Orienteering Club

SA Schools Champs
It's on Mon.28th. July
but

Entries must be received by 4th. July(The last day of Term 2) 

Entry forms will be at all events from now on.
This event is several weeks earlier than for the last few years and is on the second Monday of term 3.
Cloth Badges will be awarded for the first 3 placegetters in all A and B Classes.
 

WHY SMOKE-FREE?
Reduced Fitness
Smoking can have a big impact on fitness levels. 
Most people associate tobacco smoke with illnesses like cancer, emphysema, heart disease and stroke, but it can also affect the ability of otherwise healthy people to take part in sport. 
Smoking actively or passively can bring on bronchitis and asthma attacks and can lower your level of fitness.
For instance, the carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke is quickly absorbed into the blood stream. 
This reduces the ability of the blood stream to carry oxygen, which is vital in physical activity. 
This means that smokers are generally less fit than non-smokers and derive less benefit from training. 

For more information on smoke-free contact your Community Development Officer at Health Promotion SA on 
(08) 8226 6329 or QuitSA at www.quitsa.org.au

While many non-orienteers and orienteers alike chose to spend their Easter long weekend at home reminiscing with the family, there were others who took the journey by air, road and rail across the Nullarbor Plain to the annual orienteering carnival. 
    Orienteering in Western Australia was incomparable to any other Easter event I have been to by its organisation, weather, terrain, and of course isolation.  Black-boys [Xanthorrhoeas] were king in the huge expanses of first and second growth forests that were on offer in the event, and the denseness of the undergrowth reminded me of the less visited regions of Devil Gully.  It was great to get back to good old South Aussie open forest. 
 The landscape was most interesting though, punctuated by large clusters of boulders and bare rock on steepness varying from mountain-goat country to contours so far apart it was hard to tell the difference between each spur/gully. Many clearings were also present, the Finish for all three days being located in one particularly large one.
 This brings me on to another major point in the event.  Every day, one had a thirty-minute walk in different directions just to get to the start.  This was a great warm-up for the fitter of us but when the humidity is brought up to tropical levels by the previous nights thunderstorms, the water-stops provided were used very heavily.  While the finish and assembly point being in the same place was great for those running the catering and computers, it meant that unless one got up before dawn, parking was limited every day to the side of the road prompting even longer walks to the start triangle. 
This year also featured a “sledge” event for those who like orienteering but are more focused on having a good time than a winning time.
 Despite all its quirks however, the courses were well set, the controls in the right place, and one got a taste of the Western Australian bush. 

Adam Kreminski [WA]
 

Usually families of junior orienteers have been encouraged to support their younger family member in organising, course-setting, and so on, possibly for the first time. This year severl families reponded to th call but, in addition, Jeffa Lyon was able to involve several of our schools who maintain connections with the Associaton most years.
The generosity of staff members together with interested parents ensured that many young orienteers enjoyed their initiation into arranging an orienteering event for others to experience. The Association is indebted to those adults who stepped forward and provided the necessary backup. Thank you very much.

The first event on the Flinders University map area was hosted by Glenunga International H.S. Wallaringa Club and the Kreminski family were at the ready to be asked for assistance and quite a band of students were there to help including Adam Kreminski, Sean Hooper, Heather Browett, Elise Przytula, Andrew Mogridge and Tom Diment. Ms J. Ayling generously attended the day and supervised preparations at the School, while Marian Browett found signage and furniture for the day. Thirty eight people enjoyed the courses, including a number of regulars, for this was the Eureka Challenge Weekend in Victoria and we had no Sunday event.
John Such and Nicolle Such with OHOC club backing provided direct support to Pembroke School students for the Kensington Gardens event. He trialled an organiser's kit which provides useful items, standardised documents, promotional material and contact nos. Again a significant number of students patronised the event for their School, viz. members of the McLeay, Bennett, Klobas and Conolly families, Henry Kurtze, Jeremy Chalke, Andrew Burch, Tim Bubenberg, Adele Langusch and Emily Metcalfe.
Rebecca Hembrow with support from her family and OHOC conducted the Hawthorndene event on behalf of Urrbrae Agricultural H.S. The thought of uphill and down dale did not discourage the eighteen individuals and groups who attended. There was an interesting mixture of regular orienteers who obviously can't bear to miss a chance to navigate on the run and several newcomers attracted by the pre-publicity in the local area and at the School.

In 2003 it will be possible to evaluate the Saturday Afternoon Programme more readily because our organisers have been keeping excellent records on the day. No-one has ever doubted the value for our juniors of trying course-setting, etc. in a less demanding atmosphere, but appropriate appreciation of the efforts put in by our budding event organisers is needed. 
You have just missed the fourth event at Black Hill hosted by the TT Bennett family (more of that next SAO issue) so plan to go to Cox Creek, or Hackney, or Christie Creek early in June August and October. I can guarantee you a very pleasant afternoon's jog/wander.

Jennie Bourne [OHOC] 

MOUNTAIN BIKE UPDATE:

1) On Sept 29th, as part of the Australian Championship Foot O Championships, there will be an Australian versus New Zealand MTBO Challenge, somewhere near Castlemaine or Bendigo. There also may be another MTBO event offered several days beforehand. It is likely that the following 4 age classes will be offered (subject to NZ ratification):  M&W 18 and under; M&W Open; M&W 40-54, and M&W 55+. 
It is anticipated that there will be 4 representatives in each class, except the Open, where 6 will be chosen. 
Selection will be based on any MTBO or bike rogaine results in 2002 and 2003.  Interested SA orienteers should nominate to Kay Haarsma, 76 Mahogany av Highbury 5089 by the end of May, stating events where you have done well. 
Because the sport is relatively new and not many travel interstate to compete as yet, then those who have just competed locally WILL be considered for selection.

2)There are a number of MTBO World Cups for elite competitors being conducted in Europe in 2003. (See the IOF website for the exact dates and locations.)  Orienteering Australia has funding to partially subsidise the costs of sending representatives to these events. Interested orienteers should nominate immediately to Blake Gordon (MTBO selection chair) on 03 533179937, stating which events they wish to attend.

3) On May 17-18, Bicycle SA is conducting its annual 24 mountain bike race.  Don’t stop reading just yet!  It also has a 6 and 12 hour component and offers categories for 2, 4 and 6 person teams in each.  So you could ride a few laps, sit around the campfire and sip your red bull or whatever, have a few hours of zzz’s and then ride some more.  A great way to socialise, watch the insane solos, admire some expensive machines, and check out the skills of the experts. 

Contact Bicycle SA on 82322644 or www.bikesa.asn.au for more details.

Paddy Pallin Bike Adventure 2003

Kay is some what of a dreamer and a schemer; her personal adventures leave us all in awe. This new event of hers though is a winner! 
Apart from it being Mothers Day and competing with the AUMC 24 hour rogaine, good numbers showed up in the rain on Day 1. Mt Crawford and surrounds offer pleasant cycling ,with route choices of flat and easy, or head to the hills for those high points. Orienteers got the jump on the newcomers with quick route choices and riding in some familiar O terrain. (The cyclists however did much better on day 2) Well placed controls made for very enjoyable cycling over 4 hours, we even visited a bakery, a mountain top and chased wild deer. The top mens' team bit off more than they could cycle, opting to go to Williamstown for the 100 pointer, only to lose the lot being 10 mins late! Many hardy souls camped overnight, with Sunday dawning a much brighter day. Most decided to revisit the same controls, although Kay had added/deleted some and changed some values; we all got much better points/km in the 3 hours. 
Congrat too M. Bauman and co in getting results out and the presentaions were on 30 min after the finish.
Thanks Dave Nicolson, at Paddy Pallin ,for great prizes and the choccies to the 'Mums'!
Great event, serious and social cyclists, don't miss this one next year!

Lee Merchant [TJ]

Sat 10th May loomed grey and damp so I made a last minute decision and cancelled my plan to camp overnight at Fromms Farm.
This was to be a team event so I had put in extra effort to prepare my steed and get geared up ( including a big search for my spare tube which I had filed safely somwhere sometime ago). I got yet another lesson in fixing a flat back tyre from Scott (son) and Julianne (daughter-in-law) gave me a pair of her superseded bike knicks, purple with ‘Cannibal’ emblazoned down each thigh. I refused the offer to borrow her new rain jacket (too professional) and settled instead for my mother’s old golf jacket.
Registration was anticipation, checking the competition and lots of chatter. After the briefing we were given 2 coloured maps and 1 black & white. At the start Sue and I were not quite last away and we exchanged pleasantries with a couple of young guys who were undertaking repairs as we sailed down the track.
We spent some time relating to the bevy of maps (and their scale) arranging and re-arranging them on our map boards. By this time we had overshot several tracks (four in fact) that would have taken us to our first checkpoint (30 quarry) but we felt we had ‘scale’ under control now, so promptly selected another first checkpoint.
On the way to 31 we were overtaken by our young friends and then followed them to 34 (northern dam, N side). They overshot very badly and were most impressed with my navigation skills! As I had arrived first at the dam I was able to disturb a mob of fantails bathing, a group of robins on the opposite bank and some little brown bush birds bobbing around. One of the others spotted the control!
The route to 55 was one of the best rides of the day, downhill along several creeks. Uphill is not my best skill but downhill I am fearless (well, sort of). The damp was gone by now and the breeze whistled by as sheep leaped out of our path. We knocked off some more controls smartly deciding to give 30 (quarry) a miss as we sped past. We timed ourselves so well that we arrived at the finish with 5 mins to spare. By now the damp had turned into heavy dripping.
Day 2  -  weatherwise things were looking better. The campers had had a reasonably drip free night with a soft breeze to dry things out a little. We received the same set of maps with some controls and point values changed and decided on a course in the opposite direction to our Day 1 route.
Off we went cruising along the road, chatting away and enjoying the scenery and, yes, you guessed it, overshot the turnoff to our first point! When we finally got there from the other direction 48 (mine shaft fence)  was a good climb. We stuck to the flat for the rest of the course and pedalled accurately through the kilometres notching up our points.
Mt Crawford Forest was lovely to ride through. Yesterday’s damp had not been enough to squelch up the tracks but had settled the dust and accentuated the smell of trees. However we were a bit distracted by this atmosphere and finished up 7 mins late, losing 70 points and once again having to give 30 (quarry) a miss.
Sue Merchant was a great team mate and we both enjoyed the two days riding.  Watch out for us at the next bike adventure!

Helen (Cannibal) Smith [TT] 
 

“What did you do on the weekend?” was the query. “Rode my bike for 12 hours around some rugged NSW bush and slept in a sheep paddock on a one foot square piece of foam,” was my answer. [No wonder my work mates think me a touch insane.] At least I had 550 like minded companions on this Polaris challenge mountain bike orienteering jaunt.
Just getting to this Polaris event was an achievement, as I had to book an airflight not knowing exactly where the event was located. Two weeks before the “Burraga” site was confirmed – some 3 hours from Canberra, in hilly terrain adjoining the Abercrombie River. The map was sent out beforehand enabling those keen and close to pre-drive the tracks and acquire aerial photographs to study. Not exactly a level playing field!

The Friday of the event I spent 3 hours colouring in the tracks, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to read them whilst riding. Then there was another hour or two putting on the 30 grid references, [a tiresome task] and finally laminating the map. Being 130cm x 85cm  in size, the map also served as a useful layer of insulation at the overnight camp, as we only took a hip sized piece of foam to sleep on. Others went more exotic by using bubble wrap as their cushion.
Burraga is a 30 person community with a shop, hall and golf clubhouse that served as the event centre. The locals were tremendous in providing food on Friday night and Sunday afternoon, and in helping out by providing water stations out on the course.
The event site was a sea of tents and bikes, augmented by a toilet semitrailer. The challenge involved a score event with 7 hours riding on day 1 and 5 hours on the second. 

Starts were between 8 & 9:40am with a batch of 30 riders or so going off at 10 min. intervals. The organiser, Huw Kingston, was nicely attired in a ladies green suit, wig and handbag, to see us off. From the start, it was a short ride to receive the control values for the day and the site of the overnight camp. We then plotted these on the map and made up a route choice. Then it was off in search of as many points as possible. These were generally between 10 and 70, but on day 2 there was a “sucker” 100 pointer in an isolated section of the map. My team mate and partner in crime was Liz Wilson, a friend from Canberra.[readers may recall Liz riding away from bushfires with Kay in the previous SAO issue. Ed.]
Our Day 1 route choice was a little optimistic and we had to make adjustments along the way, by eliminating some controls. Our first control in the pine forest was a rude shock as the contours appeared steeper on the ground than the map, and required some pushing of the bikes. Not fun in cleats! Three more controls were bagged and then a short lunch of a banana roll and a snickers bar was had on a scenic knoll (no 37) at the 3 hour mark. We then continued right down south to the 70 pointer on the Abercrombie River, where we immersed our shirts and heads in the river before making the 310m. climb [in 2.3kms] back to the ridge line. 
Then it was a 2 hour bolt across the map to the overnight camp, arriving 2 minutes late and thus losing 2 pts. There was a 30 pointer on the silo near the finish, and interestingly 25 teams forgot to visit this! A number of teams were way late and finished with zero points, as the penalty system was severe after 10 minutes. One team camped out on the course as one person had an injured arm. All in all we visited 7 controls and covered just over 70kms for a total of 240 points. This placed us 5th in the women’s section, but only 30 points down from the leaders. Liz was riding quite a heavy solid frame bike, that was painful to lift over the gates, and push up the steep sections, so our result was quite pleasing. 
A variety of tents were spread across the hillside, which had rather more of a slope than was desirable. The older guys who put up their tent close to us and then snored were not appreciated! The semitrailer toilet truck was again in residence and Huw’s softer nature allowed sales of soft drink and beer. No food though, as all this had to be carried in by competitors. I had contemplated an ingenious way to make a fortune, by filling my Bob trailer with chocolate bars and carting that around, and then selling them for some exorbitant amount.
Afternoon entertainment was provided by watching the novelty “push your partner” hill race, and seeing the concoctions that people came up with for the “bake off” competition.  Then there were the various “granny” outfits that about 30 people were wearing for the theme dressing competition. They had to wear these during the whole event, and certainly some put more effort into their dress than the point collection. The granny with her incontinence nappy and hair rollers was hilarious. 
Dinner was cooked up on the midget MSR stove as we sat watching black thunderclouds rolling in. It rained for about 10 minutes, but then the storm luckily bypassed us. Sleeping arrangements were another source of innovation. These were meant to be waterproof, but the tent flys that were held up in the middle by upturned bikes looked dubious. We brought the full 1.8kg tent and were warm and cosy. Scrimping on clothes etc meant that we wore the same bike clothes on both days and only had our bike shoes to walk around in. Evening wear was tights and a light jacket and beanie.

Day 2 emerged sunny again. We copied down the control values again, as these were mostly different for Day 2, with some also being inactive (worth nothing). The NW corner of the map had a goodly point value and we aimed to grab several nearby controls and head that way. The first was on a knoll, which we had to push or lift our bike through rocks and blackberries to reach and I felt sorry for the half a dozen people that I saw fixing punctures. However. I was soon to feel sorrier for myself, as my derailleur hanger broke off. It was then I realized that I should have been carrying a chain breaker! Two good samaritians in the form of team 158 from Sydney (Christian and Mark) stopped and assisted in removing the derailleur and shortening my chain drastically. The pin from the link chain disappeared down an ant hole, so we had to wait and scab another pin from the next team through. This adjustment gave me a single speed machine using the granny plus one cog! Single speed might be okay on the velodrome, but in the hills it was very restrictive. 
Time had slipped away and we had to settle for a slow crawl home, picking up just four small scoring controls along the way. The bike didn’t particularly like the modification to its gears and frequently slipped into the granny cog and got stuck solid. This necessitated removing the back wheel to realign it, which we did about 10 times. After the second or third time we left the back brakes off, for a quicker repair.
The only place I could really pedal was on the ups. On the flat I held on to Liz’s backpack and got dragged along, and on the downs she gave me a good push or two! Did I mention that I had I had a slow leaking puncture today too and that my front handlebar bag fell off several times! The last control we visited was a plastic “crocodile” located 30m. or so out in a muddy lake. Only one team member had to wade out to this, and one unfortunate soul got “bitten” by glass and was taken to Bathurst hospital for stitches. We arrived back 20mins. early, but with no more controls in a gettable distance. Our Day 2 total was only 43 kms., 6 controls and 100 pts. This was 90 points lower than our aim for the day. Surprisingly enough this maintained our 5th place in the women’s 23 strong field. Then it was back to Canberra to pack a dirty and broken bike and catch the 6.:20am. flight back to Adelaide and straight to work!

Kay Haarsma [TT]

There has been some discussion recently regarding water out on course and should competitors be encouraged to carry their own personal supply. There are many considerations to be taken into account when course setting and the ideas of the course setter may not start off with [1] where can I easily place water on this map and construct the courses utilising these locations? - it may not be just that easy and so the placement of water becomes yet another difficulty for the organiser/course setter. Current regulations deem that you must supply water on course at a control point [see the regulations as stated in the Technical Report in the April/May 2003 magazine pg.18]. The Tech. Officer also offers his personal preferences about carrying water and his reasons why on pg. 17.
I would like to add my 20c worth. My increasing preference for carrying my own water on course is not in the least bit altruistic - although I do feel for the course setter lugging huge, heavy containers of water into remote gullies and returning later to pick up all the foam cups blowing around the bush. 
I would also hate to inadvertently pass on any stray bacteria, virus', cysts, amoeba, protazoa and other sub cellular genetic parasites to other orienteers, if they accidentally confused the white polystyrene foam cup I had used with an unused one.
My reasons are quite the opposite and very, very selfish. The course setter may not place water soon enough for my needs on course, it may be stored in time consuming "to tap" containers and the cups may be irritatingly difficult to separate - "get a life!" I sense you're thinking? It may take all of a mere 15 seconds to pour and take a drink - speaking as one who missed out on a badge at the Broken Hill Australian 3 Days by 4 seconds because I took a fumbling drink at a control, I now prefer to drink on the run [or more likely these days when gasping up hills at a snail's pace] from my own little bottle belt - when I feel like it and when convenient. 
However, the major selfish reason for preferring my own water, is that I do not want to grab a cup from the top of the supposed unused stack of cups and drink from it in ignorance that some fleet footed soul had already used it; and whacked it back on the wrong stack, instead of dropping it on the ground for the retrieval team to clean up later. If I can't guarantee myself bug free at any given time, why should I think the rest of the orienteering population is too?
I have noticed many natty bottle belts at events recently, some single container and some double - I have seen a triple at an interstate event - [what course were they doing!] I decided to check out what the Southern Orienteering Supplies O Shop had for sale and was not disappointed. For the modest sum of $13.75 I now own a Silva 2 X 250ml. bottle belt. It is very comfortable and feels barely there out on course. I felt this outlay was better than the price of a doctor's consult or indeed a ticket out of town, should the epidemic be traced back to me. Another member of the family has purchased a 1X 500ml belt - there are many types of these available from the various outdoor shops [remember Paddy Pallin gives 10% discount to orienteers]. Please consider.
[This has been more than 20c worth - I'm willing to admit that.]

Janet Davill [TJ]

Dear SAO Editors,

Through force of circumstances, we've course-set well in advance of the Simmonds Hill event in June. When we translated our armchair ideas into putting out tapes, we discovered how much had changed. To a certain extent, we could shift controls to where the map reads true but there are going to have to be map corrections. 
We used to have a map at Registration with arrows in to show what changes will affect which course so that people can make any corrections before they take their map to the Start where their mind is on marking the correct positions for their controls rather than reading "peripheral details".  Such details as clear-felled, thinned or burnt pines help route-choice a great deal as do "MTB tracks have proliferated in this area", "blackberries worse here", fence gone, new track, etc. It reminded us that in our course Planning Guidelines (last page of Chapter 4) it says we should both tell runners at Registration and on the Master maps!
Of course there is no way to correct the stocks of pre-OCAD maps still in use except by using "map corrections". Even with maps on OCAD this detail is still needed as changes to the disc are tedious to make before each minor event unless the course-setter is also the OCAD expert (which we are definitely not)
I know we should be adaptable and tolerant at minor events but a Master Map of Corrections in the appropriate places would be helpful.
Jeffa Lyon [TT]
 

Course Setting for Novices – some thoughts:
Newcomers spend considerable time driving to orienteering events but then normally get sent off on a short course 1 or 2 because this is where the navigation is the easiest. I believe that we should encourage newcomers to do 2 courses, so they get more time out in the bush and learn more. To enable this to happen clubs could do 2 things:
Firstly, advertise and allow people to do a second course, utilising their original map for no additional cost, or else just charge the actual map cost (ie $2) if they want a fresh map.  Secondly, plan courses 1 and 2 so they don’t just lap around in the same direction, as doing a second course is then a bit pointless. 
Even if courses are similar but go around in the opposite direction, they will pose some challenge. I appreciate that having people come into controls from opposite directions is considered taboo on the more serious courses, but this shouldn’t prevent this sort of planning at the novice level.
Perhaps a second course should even be free to all competitors, to allow people to maximise their day’s orienteering. Now there’s a challenge and a method for clubs and OASA to give our clients more value for money!
Kay Haarsma [TT]

Our new trainee coaches
Our five young Level One trainee coaches in Adelaide clubs have developed a good network. At the time of writing ( 11 May 03 ) Chris Davill and Tyson Hillyard had completed their ‘ Novice Instruction ‘ task and Susanne Casanova, Troy Merchant and Lachlan Hallett should do the same task at the OASA Training Weekend 31 May/1 Jun 03. After that they have to complete their ten sessions of practical coaching. 
Steven Carter from SB is in the final stages of his Level One Coach accreditation.
Reuben Smith is in the process of completing his Level Two coaching principles course and is due to finish at the end of May. When he does it will give us four Level Two ( state level ) coaches in SA.

Coaching Principles Courses 2003

Level One 
Dates are 9 Aug and 7 Dec 03.
I would especially like some candidates from LI and SE. OASA can heavily ( partly through government funding ) subsidise the travel costs to Adelaide.
OASA will pay most of the course fees.
After completing it there is a requirement to complete the ‘ sports specific - orienteering ‘ phase which I can tailor to your time availability.
Level Two 
Dates of the evening sessions are 27 Oct and 3, 10, 17 and 24 Nov 03.
OASA can pay a major part of the $198 course fee.
After that there is the requirement to complete OA’s ‘ orienteering - sports specific ‘ phase - normally in Jan/Feb.
Contact: 
If you are interested in any of the above courses ring Adrian Craig on 8263 4784.

Duty Coach System Jun. - Aug. '03
The duty coach system has been particularly successful this year with more new and not so new many orienteers asking for help at the start.
International symbols seems to be the most common with assistance in route choice a close second.
We are still not getting enough orienteers to have a debrief at the finish. Please use the facility we are providing and discuss your good points and where you could have improved.

The following events will be supported by the duty coach 
in the Jun - Aug 03 period :

15 June -  Simmonds Hill   27 July -  South Para
22 June -  Narrinyeri Hills     3 Aug. -  Tjukalu
29 June -  Mark Oliphant Park  17 Aug. -  Morgan
   6 July -  Christmas Hill   24 Aug. -  Pewsey Vale
 13 July -  Springfield Sledge  31 Aug. -  Belair

Year 11 Orienteering Camp
I recently assisted a school to conduct a three day Year 11 Orienteering Camp - so we are talking about senior students in this case.
We had some excellent results - one boy with 5 minutes per km at night on his first night ( easy ) course and some other good times on the other courses over the three days.
However we still had the same common problems for a fair few students; namely :

a.  Not orientating the map.
b.  Not thumbing the map.
c.  Not relating map to ground because of not doing ‘ a ‘ and ‘ b’ above.
d.  Non-use or poor use of attack points.
e.  At night - when vision is limited ( a new Moon in this case ) not using atleast two of the  basic ‘ O ‘ skills at anyone time.

It was a good camp with good teachers. On the last day one boy came back from the first of three ( moderate level ) mini-courses totally disillusioned ( with a long time - he had not thumbed the map ). After a debriefing and a further explanation on moderate course techniques he flew around the next two mini-courses. He came back full of confidence and a big grin on his face.
 It makes coaching worthwhile!

Primary Schools
Within the week I had two schools with Year 6s and 7s with two good deputy principals ( Level 0 trained ) with most kids flying around very easy and easy courses - doing the right thing and confident. They :

*  Orientated the map before leaving the start triangle.
*  Thumbed the map.
*  Attached the control card to the wrist with string.
*  Checked the punch imprint on the card before leaving the control and if necessary re- punched in R1, R2 or R3.
The students now have the task of researching the lengths of a cricket pit, a tennis court, a basketball court or a netball court before the next session ( for use in judging distance using the ‘ unit of measure ‘ method ).

 New Permanent Courses at Mt. Crawford

Last year ForestrySA asked me to help with new permanent courses in the Mt Crawford Forest as the then current courses areas were about to be felled.
We decided to use the Blood and Thunder Gully map and base the new courses at the ‘ Chalks Camping Ground ‘ with a scale of 1:10,000.
I went for a new easy course with some contour identification .I had already used it about half a dozen times with no need to modify it. It is on tracks but has many changes of direction so keeping the map orientated is essential. It is ideal for primary schools or secondary schools on their first event for the year.

The moderate course was more of a problem. I have been using a moderate course based on ‘ Chalks ‘ for many year and it is suitable for secondary school students with aiming-off and attack points the key. My minor problem was that Forestry SA keep felling their trees and hence I have recently had to shift three of the six controls.

In April Paul Smith ( ranger from Mt Crawford ) and I in put out survey markers for both courses. They will provide about twenty laminated maps for each of the two courses.
So the last minor problem is the new map of the area - hopefully resolved by the time you read this article - and then you will have a good and effort free venue for easy and moderate courses in Mt Crawford.

Yes, it is that time again when I will outline the most common problems we coaches have found in debriefs and give guidance to assist you.
The First Legs
At Mt Gawler, about 30% of orienteers on moderate and hard courses had problems on the leg. This is quite normal for the first leg. The following are some things to keep in mind:

Pre-event Check :
*  Map scale, contour interval and age.
*  The terrain type.
Pre-start
*  Check north.
*  Relax.
On the first leg
*  Orientate the map.
*  Relate map to ground.
*  See what the mapper has mapped.
*  Check the legend for any unusual symbols.
*  Get used to the map’s scale.
*  Get over the start’s nerves.
*  Confirm your confidence in yourself and your ‘ O ‘ skills.
*  Take it easy - do not try to win the event on the first leg !!
*  Memorise the control’s description and code number.
*  Plan the exit direction for the next leg.
*  Use traffic lights to control the balance between running speed and navigation detail.
*  Re check the control’s code number on entering the circle.

Attack Points
Not again you cry. Well interestingly, a number of very experienced orienteers are now heeding my nagging and saying to themselves ‘ What did Adrian Craig say about attack points ? ‘ When they do the right thing they usually succeed. When they just ‘ vague ‘ off a poor or non-existent attack point there is usually disaster.

A good attack point has the following four characteristics :
*  Obvious.
*  Unique and distinct.
*  Close to the control.
*  Allows easy access to the control site.

Please use these characteristics and not just ‘ vague ‘ hoping to find the control.

Relocation
Recently, there has been an increase in the number of orienteers who could not find a control and have then spent up to half an hour going around in circles blaming everything and everyone from the toilet digger to the mapper ( and ofcourse the course setter ).
Last Wednesday at Gumeracha Goldfields, the course setter (a very experienced orienteer) and I were of the same view that if you do not find the control in a small number of minutes (say five) you should go through the relocation process. 
The process is :
*  STOP.
*  Regain composure.
*  Orientate the map.
*  Do something positive.

A classic example is at Mt Gawler a few years ago. I was distracted by a few orienteers asking me where they were. I then took off an a bearing and pacing through light green (really medium green - thanks TT for saving the planet by saving on the green ink!) .After the appropriate distance on my bearing the ground did not relate to the map. Almost immediately I headed south to a watercourse, moved along it until I found the only rock surrounded waterhole. I knew where I was immediately and then moved to the control. Cost 5 - 10 minutes. The potential cost if I had gone around in circles hoping to find the control was up to an hour.
Nagging ends!

Adrian Craig     Coaching Coordinator
 

TECHNICAL NEWS

Level 1 Controller Accreditation 
As Orienteering Australia has recently completed the syllabus for Level 1 Controller Accreditation, a workshop is planned for later this year in Adelaide. The format and presentation of the controllers workshop is now much more formal as compared to previous workshops and will require guest speakers to address several of the topics covered in the syllabus. 
OASA willconduct this course in Sept./Oct. 2003. The first phase will be conducted by the SA Coaching Centre on 4 Tues. nights [2hrs. each - starting at 7pm.] as part of their Officiating General Principles course and will include the following subjects: [1] Legal responsibilities and risk management, [2] Self reflection, [3] Communication skills, Conflict resolution. Each subject will cost $16 and OASA will pay half that fee.
The 2nd phase will be conducted by OASA, on a half day, in Oct. '03 and will include     [1] Role of the controller, [2] Working with course planners and organisers, [3] Fairness and ethics, [4] Applying the rules, [5] Intergration of skills.

Please let me [Adrian Uppill PH: 8278 3017] know if you are interested in attending the proposed workshop.

Environmental issues
All members are reminded that an Event Application Form must be completed for any orienteering activity on Forestry SA land. This includes training runs and also keep the Ranger informed of your activities such as field checking of control sites. At all times keep out of active logging areas. Also, NPWSA require that Park Rangers vet courses. A master plan showing where controls are located is generally sufficient particularly if discussed in person with the Ranger. 

OASA is forming a sub committee to draft a policy guideline on orienteering for use by Government Officers such as Park Rangers. Although NPWSA have indicated that they plan to draft up a policy document in consultation with OASA, the time line for this to occur is currently a low priority. Accordingly now is a good time for OASA to get some ideas together, draft up a working policy and present this a basis for discussion with NPWSA. The objective of the policy is to provide clarification and consistency at all levels of administration in respect to orienteering in National Parks, forestry land and other public lands. An “Orienteering and Rogaining Policy” has been developed between NPWS of NSW and NSWOA, which Dave Lotty tells me, works reasonably well. Please let me know if you wish to be part of the sub-committee, as we need all the help we can get.

Course Lengths & Winning Times
Course lengths, including the degree of difficulty and climb, need to be planned with the expected winning time in mind, ie expected winning time for each class group is the primary basis for determining course length.  Kilometre rates will be faster in open terrain with only small climbs, and slower in more physically demanding terrain due to steepness, decreased runnability due to thicker vegetation or other obstacles such as rocky areas or fallen timber.
To match course lengths to required winning times, the running rate or speed for the different age categories need to be determined.  This can be from previous results in the area or adjacent similar areas, if available, or in a new area, an experienced orienteer should run some of the planned courses to determine kilometre rates. 
As an indication of course lengths for a typical cross country event, the following table sets out the winning times recommended for 8 class groupings and based on this the likely distance in kilometres for each course.

Course Expected Classes to do each Course Navigation Difficulty Winning Time
(minutes) Climb
% Likely Distance Range - km
1 M-10A, W-10A, M-12B, W-12B Very Easy 20 3 1.5-2.0
2 M-12A, W-12A Easy 25-30 3 2.5-3.0
3 W-14A, B grades Moderate 30 3 2.8-3.4
4 M-14A, B grades Moderate 40 3 3.8-4.4
5 W-16A, W50A, W55A, W60A, W65A, M60A, M65A Hard 40 3-4 3.0-3.6

6 M-16A, M50A, M55A, W-18A, W-20A, W35A, W40A, W45A Hard 50 4 4.8-5.4

7 M-18A, M-20A, M40A, M45A, W21A Hard 60 4 6.6-7.2
8 M21A, M35 Hard 70* 4 8.4-10

Adrian Uppill  OASA Technical Officer

Why OY ...
The OASA Orienteer of the Year competition.
Points are accumulated at a series of events during the orienteering season for an award at the end of the year in various age classes.
CLASSES
 M and W in age groups -16, -18, -20, 21, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75+
COURSES
 * In events designated OY the required course is as per Table 1.
* In Badge and Championship events the required course is 'a long' and 'e' if offered, in the appropriate age class.
 * A competitor may run a course other than that designated provided it is, or is nearer the 21 class.
 eg. An 18 could compete in 20 and a 45 could compete in 35.
A female could compete in a male class.
eg. W18 in a M18
 Any points scored will be added to the your total in your official age class.
You can contest a different age group for the year but you must nominate your preferred class to the OY statistician. A change of class is not reversible and applies only for the season in which the request is made with points awarded from the date of request.
SCORING
 WINNER = 1000 POINTS

 OTHER COMPETITORS = ( WINNERS TIME / COMPETITOR TIME ) X 1000

 INTERSTATE COMPETITORS AND NON-MEMBERS ARE IGNORED IN THE CALCULATIONS.
OASA APPOINTED CONTROLLER AND PERSON/S NOMINATED BY A CLUB AS UNABLE COMPETE OFFICIALLY DUE TO MAPPING, COURSE SETTING, VETTING OR ORGANISING ASSOCIATED WITH THE EVENT WILL BE AWARDED POINTS THAT ARE AN AVERAGE OF THE 2 OY EVENTS HE OR SHE RUNS NEAREST TO THE DATE OF THAT EVENT.
If in the year there are 8 designated OY events, only the points scored in your best 5 are counted.
In some years the number of OY events may vary. (Then 4 of 7, 6 of 9, 6 of 10, 7 of 11, 8 of 12, etc will apply).
For an award the winner should have had a direct competitor in at least 2 OY events during the year or received points in more than half of the designated OY events.
TIES
 When the score of two or more contestants is equal, the events in which all competed will be identified and the contestant with the best results will be declared the winner. If still equal then the result is a tie!
Table 1
COURSE 10  M21
COURSE 9  M20 M35
COURSE 8  W21 M45 M18 M40
COURSE 7  W18 W20 W35 W40 W45 M16 M50 M55
COURSE 6  W16 W50 W55 M60 M65 M70 M75+
COURSE 5  W60 W65 W70 W75+

At OY events where only smaller numbers are expected, the number of hard courses may be reduced to 5 only by amalgamating some of the classes above, eg Classes for Courses 9 and 10, or for Courses 8 and 9

Note -  If an event or course is cancelled it will be regarded as a reduction in the number of OY events for the class/classes affected.

Enquiries:     Phil Stoeckel  Ph:08 8278 1940
 

This is just a little update going into a bit more detail about the orienteering I have been doing in Sweden. So far, not very much! But now it is summer, and the season has officially started, and the snow has melted, if you look at the club calendar, it is full!! There are events every Sunday, most Saturdays (with training when there is not), and most Thursday nights, plus training every Tuesday night, and more often than not there seems to be some activity on a Wednesday. Talk about orienteering!!

SPRING CUP
This was the first big race I have run in Europe, and it will certainly take some getting used to! My actual club in Uppsala did not go, so I was the only runner from OK Linne there, but I managed to organise a lift with some people from another club. According to people in my club, 1400km is too far to travel in a weekend, when there is a closer event but since there were people from Czech Republic, Poland, the UK, Finland, Austria etc. there, this is not such a solid view. To start with, I was surprised at how many people there I did not know. I guess I really should have expected that, but it is kind of strange to rock up to a competition with about 1500 people, and know a grand total of 5 - and two of them I met about 6 hours before, when they picked me up from outside IKEA to give me a lift down to Denmark. I think I am just comfortable with the knowledge that when I go to an orienteering event in Adelaide, I know 80% of the people there by name, and even an Easter or Nationals, there are many, many people I know.
The individual event ran very smoothly, similar to a big event in Australia, except there was a massive construction where the commentary crew sat and could see everything that went on, and everything was said in Danish and in English. And music was played over the loud speaker all the time, mostly top European pop songs in English. They even had a special spring cup song that they played very often, and involved a lot of "spring cup - orienteering wake up - its spring cup" and then verses in Danish and verses in English - it did get a little repetitive!
The relay however, was what I found amazing. The Open men started at 9, then the M/W130+ and mixed age at 9.10, then M/W under 12 and M18 at 9.20 etc, with the last start being open women at 9.50. There was no M/W20 class, so Open was age 17-35, which meant there were even more teams. The mens especially was really impressive to watch. I ran second, so could see the first runner s back. There were cash prizes on offer, about $200 for the first man and first women back, so they were going for it! Through the spectator control, which was three quarters of the way into their course, and it was literally a steady stream of people for about 4 minutes. It was amazing, there was someone punching the control the entire time, and it really looked like follow-the-leader or something! As for me, I started in about 55th  place or something, and yet there was a point in the race where I was running with about 15 people around me, it was amazing. The forest was really open so you could see lots of people running everywhere, and there really were lots of controls out there! There were many different splits on the course, and there were about 12 different combinations of courses, but each team ended up running the same thing, which would be a nightmare to organise! As someone said to me, you probably won't have the opportunity to race against Simone Luder, the best woman in the world, again for a while, as she also ran second (she did start a while before me though) and only beat me by 15 minutes&!

OK LINNE
This is my club that I joined. There is two major clubs in Uppsala, and OK Linne is the one that Kerrin Rattray ran for last year, and it also has its clubhouse much closer to where I live. Yes, a club house a building with 24 hr access to members, with separate change rooms for men and women which include many showers and a sauna always on (and always used by everyone except me the whole small space, hot, sweaty thing doesn't suit me!), and a big hall with tables and chairs used for dinners and talks and activities, with a kitchen attached. The very first training I went to with the club, I was introduced to the other orienteers - "This is Zoe, from Australia. She will run for us this year." - It felt strange being introduced, not as a new member, but as running for us - makes you feel kind of important. Inter club competitions and relays are a lot more important for the clubs here. The club is running in 12 relays this year, and most of them are taken very, very seriously, which is incredible!
There has been training on Tuesday and Thursday all through the winter, though the numbers have been fairly low. The night I went out in minus 18, I decided I would never go again! But now the trainings are getting larger and larger. Summer time started on the weekend, which means the night trainings on Tuesday are now in the light [yay], I had given up on the whole running through the forest in the snow in the dark thing. A typical Tuesday night training seems to be about 40 people doing some sort of technical training (though last night, it was a forest time trial), and this is just one club! Then, as well as that, there is youth training organised, which are kids aged up to about 12 I guess. Last week there were apparently over 50 of them! I don t really know what they did, but there were lots of adults shadowing children and lots of controls on track junctions! It was amazing how many people you see running round with blue and red OK Linne tracksuits on. I have ordered a club tracksuit, so then I won t stick out so much everyone trains in their club uniform!
Anyway, that gives you a little of an idea as to what I am up to. The next big races are the Swedish Long Champs this weekend. There are 139 people running in W20, which is a 12km course! I am going to die & And then there is a massive relay (about 10,000 people, I believe) at the end of April, which I am sure I will have something to say about.
I hope life in Adelaide is going really well for everyone. Do write - I love to hear news! And good luck to those of you heading over to Easter!

Zoe Radford
Sernandersväg 9
Rm 135
Uppsala 75262
SWEDEN
zoe_radford@hotmail.com