 SOUTH
AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER
February/March 2002 Newsletter of the Orienteering Association of South Australia, 1 Sturt St. Adelaide.
SPORTident has reared its cute little electronic head in S.A. and many local orienteers are madly learning all about it, along with its quirks and foibles. It will be made to serve us to our advantage. The West Australians have achieved this beautifully and there is no reason why S.A. cannot follow their example and, perhaps, think of even better ways to utilise this equipment. Now, did you all have a pleasant "holiday season"? Lot’s of relaxation and yummy things to eat and drink? Unfortunately, these times do not last forever, no matter how much we contrive to extend their longevity [speaking only from personal experience here]. Time now to contemplate our BAS statements and forget about our GST’s. - What? - Yes, time to start turning in some good Body Activity Statements and kiss goodbye the Good Sinning Times. A bit of running/jogging/walking, a session in the gym, a trundle on your bike, a Summer Series event - it can all build up to an impressive record and your body will love you when you take off on that first winter season course! |
| CONTENTS: | Event Previews
Here and There Coaching Technical NSW Bush Fires 24 hrs in the saddle Post card from Sweden |
CONTRIBUTIONS: John & Jeffa Lyon, Ian Winn, Maarten Nieuwenhoven, Kay Haarsma Robin & Adrian Uppill, Phil & Chris Davill
PHOTOGRAPHS: John Williams
OASA News Annual general meeting for OASAThis is programmed for Sunday march 17 after your run at Belair National Park. As almost all positions have nominations in writing before the event, just come along and keep up with the latest!
2002 budget
This has been approved by Council following the meticulous preparations by our Treasurer, Jennie Bourne. There are some modest increases in some areas to take account of pressures on the budget from the 2002 Australian Champs. Carnival here - the purchase of our Sportident system, the extra funding for the 2002 Year 7 Camp and the possible increases in levies as the World Champs will occur every year from 2003 onwards.
Year 7 camp 2002
Council has approved OASA meeting the financial shortfall in running the Year 7 Camp in 2002 without any Government funding. This annual camp has played such a decisive role in maintaining and even increasing our membership, that we decided that we must continue this major development aspect of our programme. It has caused us to consider how valuable has been the advice of the teachers in our schools [not always orienteers] in identifying students likely to respond to the challenge of our sport. At least 10 families come to mind in both country and city clubs who have become orienteers through this avenue.
Phytopthera Procedures
From May to November, in terrain where the average rainfall exceeds 500m., orienteers will be asked to follow hygiene procedures requested by the National Parks and Wildlife service. This is to reduce the spread of the root mould Phytopthera cinnamoni, which has devastated areas of native bush in W.A. and has now been identified in Para Wirra, Mack Creek, Morialta and, maybe, Belair and elsewhere. Xanthorrhoea [yacca] bushes seem the first to die [and thus wiping out major habitat and food sources for a myriad of creatures and so on up the chain it goes...] - advice on procedures has appeared in previous SAO issues but will be repeated this year.
2002 Programme
The programme has been published as a "temporary" with the final version due soon. Thanks are due to Robin Uppill for finalising the fine detail and to Snap Printing Hilton [Bob Smith] for producing the copies of the "temp" and distributing them at the Hawthorndene Summer Series event.
2001/2002 summer series
This series of events has got off to an excellent start thanks to Frank Tomas and his band of young course setters and organisers. There have been good attendances with overseas visitors and many new people.
Australia/n.z. Challenge 2002 & OFA junior camp
Congratulations to Susanne Casanova[WA], Zoe Radford[TT], Kerrin Rattray[OHOC] and Zebedy Hallett[YA] for gaining selection to represent Australia at the Aus./NZ Challenge to be held in NZ, north of Wellington.
Katie Dose[TT], Miguel Clark[WA] and Lachlan Hallett[YA] were able to accept invitations to the OFA Junior Training Camp in Queensland. They participated with success at the 5 day event which was linked with the camp.
John Lyon. OASA President
SPONSORSHIP----if only.....
For "minor" sports like orienteering it is very hard, even at national level, to get more than "sponsorship in kind" such as tins of Isosport drink powder and subsidized Silva gear for the members of the Australian team.
Once a deal has been negotiated there are 2 sides to the bargain: to do what the sponsors stipulate to advertise their wares and to maximize the amount of money coming into orienteering coffers as a result of any deal. Orienteering Australia (the new name for our federal body) has 2 deals in which we can be actively involved at the moment.
There has been an arrangement for several years now with EIG Ansvar. For every policy which orienteers take out, money comes back to OA. For every household insurance EIG Ansvar pays 15% of the premium as commission ;for every motor insurance, it's 5%. 92 people have earned us nearly $4000--but the feedback from enquiries on whether the rates are competitive vary from state to state. All you can do, next time your insurance falls due, is to phone EIG Ansvar on 1300 650 540 to check it out. (Don't forget to say you're an orienteer).It may just help you and help orienteering. Please remember to give this a try: Qantas withdrew from a similar deal as we didn't earn more than $25,000 in commission!
The other deal is with Thor Travel. Adelaide- based, orienteer-managed (in association with Paddy Pallin).What could be more attractive? Next time you or your friends or the team you're in (like the whole ANZ team last month) plan overseas travel, phone Thor Travel on 8232 3155 and ask them to work out the details for you, whether you're flying off to orienteer or even if you're just travelling for some other reason!
Neither of these cost you anything except a little time and forethought. They may (very marginally)affect the size of the levies OA has to collect from each state.
There is another possibility which does cost you some. But maybe you're in a situation where giving to earn a tax rebate is attractive. You give $x to the Australian Sports Foundation as a tax-deductible gift, specifying that you want that sum to go to your club, the 2002 account, a particular elite or whatever and the whole amount you gave gets passed on. As easy as that----if only.
Jeffa Lyon,
OFA Councillor.
YEAR 7 CAMP, 2002 STYLE
After 11 years of Government funding for the annual Year 7 camps, all sports have been told that the funding has been totally withdrawn.
OASA Council considered that this has been too valuable a training opportunity and recruiting ground to give up without an attempt to run a similar camp without that Government funding. The 2002 Camp will be evaluated before any further decisions are made for the future.
This means:
[1] Numbers will be limited to 20.
[2] The financial contribution for each participant will increase to $150 for the same 4-day camp.
[3] We will be looking for volunteers to help cover all the aspects of the camp for which we have been able to pay in the past.---eg., are you a good cook when it comes to feeding 20 12-13 year olds?
Of course we'd pay for the food!
[4] Would clubs consider sharing the cost of all the maps used and waiving the copyright fee?
[5] Participants from country areas would not get so much travel assistance.
Some things won't change eg the use of a bus, the use of Woodhouse Scout Camp and, hopefully, the payment of 4 days' TRT for a certain teacher to continue to be a coach at the camp!
Please, especially if your family has benefited in the past, see how you can help to make the 2002 Year 7 camp a go-er. Volunteer so that this quite large group of Year 7s who have been looking forward to the camp can gain the same advantages as their predecessors.
Jeffa Lyon
DO YOU HOLD A LICENCE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DRIVE A BUS?
DO YOU POSSESS A LOG BOOK?
If you hold a drivers licence with a classification of LR or higher you can drive a vehicle that is capable of seating more than 12 people. (See the Transport SA web site to check the conversion from old classifications if you have not recently renewed your licence.)
There possibly exists a requirement to maintain a log book while involved in the operation of a bus capable of seating more than 12 people. The proprietor of Ezy-rent recently informed me that several of his buses have been stopped at vehicle checking stations and asked the driver to produce a log book. Those that haven’t had a log book (or one not completed correctly) have received an expiation notice with a steep fine – one was close to $800!
I am reliably informed by some contacts in the Police Department that log books are required by all who are driving a bus capable of seating more than 12 people. This advice has been checked, and confirmed, with Transport SA. This is not quite in line with the legislation (s110A Road Traffic Act) or various publications, including the log book, which refer to commercial buses/bus drivers.
Part of keeping a log book means abiding by set driving hours – details are available from Transport SA. There are also implications for those planning longer trips using volunteer drivers, such as on a trip to Goulburn for Easter for example.
The issue of being required to carry and complete a log book while driving a bus in a voluntary capacity is currently in a grey area of the law.
You may be told by some who are supposedly in the know that you don’t require a log book, others from the same area will say that you need one.
Regardless of the advice you may receive I refer to my opening comments that people driving in a voluntary capacity have been asked to produce log books and fined for not having one. It is the Police Officer or the Road Traffic Inspector that stops you who is the ultimate umpire. Pleading ignorance of the law is usually not accepted as a reasonable excuse.
I strongly recommend that you invest $14 and take out some insurance in the form of a log book, it is a lot better than copping a fine.
Log books can be obtained from Transport SA Customer Service Centres and some Police Stations.
Ian Winn [OHOC]
EVENT PREVIEWS
Energizer
Night ChampionshipsSaturday, April 6th, 7-8pm
Kuitpo Forest
- trophies for the best times on each course,
- magnificent Open course perpetual trophies,
- heaps of spot prizes donated by EVEREADY, to drawn after event
- new area and 1:10 000 map
- help your club to win the Graham Paddick night champs trophy
- socialise after the event (wine and cheese supplied)
- camp overnight at Chookarloo camping area (pay with envelope system at Kuitpo Forest HQ). No dogs, no fires.
NIGHT EVENT COURSES
Course 1 Easy M,W & PAIRS 10 Course 2 Easy M,W & PAIRS 12 Course 3 Easy/Mod M,W & PAIRS 14 M,W & PAIRS 55+ Course 4 Mod M,W & PAIRS 16 M50 W & PAIRS 45-55 Course 5 Mod/Hard M,W & PAIRS 18 M45 W & PAIRS 35-45 Course 6 Mod/Hard W & PAIRS Open M 35-45 Course 7 Hard M Open Stagger out the next morning SUNDAY 7TH APRIL for a
SCORE EVENT and COURSES 1,2 &3
90 and 60 minute score events plus easy to moderate courses 1,2 & 3 in friendly pine and eucalypt forest with plenty of tracks
DIRECTIONS TO THESE EVENTS – Follow signs 2km west of Meadows on Kangarilla to Meadows road (3km south of this junction on Brookman Road ).
To ensure a marked map at your start time, or for enquiries re these events, contact Paul Hoopmann 83814758 franhoop@adam.com.auor Rob Hillyard 83814696 hillyard@senet.com.au
An invitation is extended to all orienteers to join like minded people for trips to the Eureka Challenge and the Easter Carnival.
Eureka Challenge:
OASA is considering hiring a bus to take orienteers to the Eureka Challenge. Possibly leaving late Friday afternoon on 8 March and returning late Sunday evening 10 March.
This is a National O-League event for the Southern Arrows team, while other orienteers are provided with two well run events at OY standard.
Accommodation will be at the Ballarat Harriers Clubrooms.
Previous trips to this event have proved to be excellent training for those considering going to the Easter Carnival.
The bus cost will be about $40 per person – details will be provided later.
Easter Carnival:
OASA is also considering hiring or chartering a bus to travel to Goulburn for the Easter Carnival.
Details for this trip will be finalised once numbers have been determined.
The bus will probably depart Adelaide late on Thursday 28 March and returning early Tuesday 2 April. (Easter does not coincide with school or university holidays this year.)
The cost for a self drive bus will be approximately $100 per person.
Currently a tentative accommodation booking has been made at the Goulburn Campus of Illawarra TAFE for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
The cost will be $27 per night - total - $81.
The accommodation is 34 single rooms with communal ablutions, a fully equipped kitchen with a dining and common room. Goulburn Campus is centrally located, just a five minute walk from the centre of Goulburn.
By the time that you read this, I will have some extra information available!
Contact Ian Winn on 8277 5871 before 11 February, or between 18 and 21 February, if you are interested in travelling in an OASA organised bus to either of these events, or interested in the Goulburn accommodation.
A decision will be made on whether a bus will be going to either event, and whether it is worth using the accommodation at Goulburn shortly after this date.
The Summer O event before Christmas was indeed a lot of fun with the brilliant organisers adding a random lolly dimension to the Scatter O course. [each class could collect a certain number of types of lollies at controls.] Which controls the tooth decay enhancers would be at was unknown. Canny orienteers twigged that they would have to be at controls placed at private addresses and planned their routes accordingly [but the organisers had gambled on a few secluded control sites being reasonably vandal proof too!] Placcy bags were given out at the start to collect the sugary booty in. One competitor was unaware of the bag distribution and missed out. On returning triumphant, she displayed the transmogrified yellow, green and pink goop in her hot little right hand to the horrified finish officials. Hearing about the plastic bags, she was anxious to then offer to shake the chief organiser by the hand. However, he was a trifle suspicious of her sudden affection and far too canny to fall for that one!
The Sunday training sessions have been attended by a motley but keen crew of orienteers, who have enjoyed running in such delightful and spectacular places such as Black Hill, Cleland and the infamous Snake Pit at Largs Bay. Miguel enquired of Coach Bob as to the record time of one lap of the pit. Bob thought it was around 2min 30sec. Miguel then roared around in 2min. 35sec. SA sprinter, Duncan Tippins says he has managed 2min. 10sec. Be that as it may, the money would still be on Miguel in any sandy up hill finish chute.
The Marino Summer Series event saw the introduction of SPORTident to SA. [read the Tech. Report this issue for more info.] The system was used as a timing facility and results compilation only. One M60 managed his course in a mere 15sec. He finished by popping his finger stick back into the start unit and not the finish one, thus "restarting" himself and when yelled at, to use the finish unit, "finished" his "course" shortly after. There’s always one in every crowd - but usually not quite so good looking!
Judging by the cluster of interested onlookers around the SPORTident operator, there is no shortage of orienteers eager to play with the new toy. The more we "play" with it and use it, the better it will be for the 2002 Carnival and winter season generally.
Orienteers were milling around the finish at the Flinders Uni Summer O when a Security car pulled up. A red faced security guard got out, not looking very happy at all. Oh dear, thought a few, what’s happened? The guard asked all and sundry if a hand held radio had been found, perchance? He had put it down on top of a fence post on one of his rounds and had forgotten to pick it back up. He was quite embarrassed but thought that his best chance of retrieval was to "fess up and consult the orienteers. Happily, the Bleckley family came across the radio out on course and brought it back to be reunited with its relieved owner.
THE COACHING PLOT FOR 2002 - THE BALANCE 2001
In 2001 we went part of the way to getting the coaching balance right.
Salt Bush had five trainee coaches in training and four completed most of their assessments in May. From nil coaches to four in one hit - well done Salt Bush !
We also provided training for all levels of orienteers including the elites.
We reformed the three levels of training for the younger orienteers with :
The sub-junior squad.
The junior training group.
The Senior Squad which includes the Southern Arrows.
We also used ‘ contour only ‘ training on 18 Aug 01 which seems to be a very good way to practice the primary orienteering skill of ‘ Relate map to ground’.
2002
So what will we change in 2002 ?
Not much but with SA’s responsibility for the 2002 Australian Championships most of the training and coaching will be earlier in the year with pine forests and Flinders Ranges type terrain being the basis for preparation for the SA and Australian Championships.
We still need to get more coaches into the country and metropolitan areas - some clubs are down to one coach.
Finally, we still need a young orienteer to coordinate the social side
of the house for the Senior Squad which will help retention of our young
orienteers.
TRAINING IN FEBRUARY 2002
Sunday 10 Feb ‘02 - Leg of Mutton
Please note the change in day and date from that given in the OASA Program.
If nothing else it will avoid the SA state election.
Training will be an EASY, a MODERATE and a HARD course plus a ‘ FIRST LEG ‘ exercise.
Signs, contact and start times as per the program.
Sunday 17 Feb 02 - Shepherds Hill
Training will be an EASY and a MODERATE course plus a HARD score event.
I intend to provide a ‘ contour only ‘ option for the hard score event.
Signs, contact and start times per the program.
Fire Bans
February is a bad month for fire bans so, to avoid an unnecessary trip, listen to the radio the morning of training for TOTAL FIRE BANS in the Mt Lofty Ranges Region, before setting off. Although firebans are usually issued the evening before, if forecast conditions rapidly change overnight, they are updated at 7am. in the morning and sent to all radio stations.
They automatically cancel the training.
Level One ( The club level coach )
The General Principles Course The course involves one day of training plus the completion of a workbook ( which takes about 8 hours to complete ).
Metropolitan area - General Principles There will be a one day course run at Kidman Park on Sat 20 Apr 02 and hopefully one or two later in the year.
Country areas - General Principles The SA Coaching Centre will be conducting courses in country areas in 2002. At this stage the location/dates are :
* Port Lincoln
** Friday 5 Apr - Primarily for high school students.
** Saturday 6 Apr - For the rest of trainee coaches.
* Naracoorte 25 or 26 May - date to be confirmed.
* Whyalla Probably June.
Correspondence Courses - General Principles This is the harder way to get coaching accreditation as it takes a lot of self discipline to obtain all the learning followed by paperwork in on time. Courses will be conducted in 2002.
Costs and nominations The cost for the Level One General Principles course is about $77.00 which is a bargain for country coaches so please put your hand up to do the course. OASA will subsidise the cost. Orienteers interested in nominating should contact me on 8263 4784.
Sports Specific - Orienteering Courses This involves :
* Instruction - two sessions ( beginner clinic and novice instruction ).
* Conducting an activity for a group.
* Practical coaching ( ten sessions ).
The easy way is to complete all of the tasks ( less the practical coaching ) in one day. Salt Bush did it last year in conjunction with their May club training weekend.
I will organise Sports Specific - Orienteering courses in the country and metropolitan areas once trainee coaches have completed the General Principles part of their accreditation. Cost - nil.
Level Two ( the state level coach )
General Principles The SA Coaching Centre will be conducting a General Principles course from 18 Feb to 8 Apr 02. It involves 12 evenings
( Monday or Wednesday ) at Kidman Park.
There will also be a correspondence course.
The cost is $198.00 with OASA subsidising part of the cost. Orienteers interested please contact me.
Sports Specific - Orienteering Traditionally this is conducted by OFA in January.
SCHOOLS’ JUNIOR ENCOURAGEMENT AWARDS -
WELL DONE DEB SEMPLE
You may recall Deb Semple’s article in the Oct/Nov 00 SAO which included the idea of an encouragement award for school students who complete a set number of controls.
After a lot of idleness on my behalf we finally got the system to work with Walkerville Primary School having 39 students be awarded a certificate plus a hamburger and a soft drink by the McDonalds Family Restaurant chain in Dec 01. They had all completed 25 controls.
There are also awards for completing 50 and 100 controls.
We plan to extend the scheme to the sub-junior squad and junior training group plus more schools in 2002.
If coaches are interested to include their young orienteers in the scheme please ring me to get log books plus the necessary letter to McDonalds and keep Deb’s idea going.
Adrian Craig - Coaching Coordinator - Tel 8263 4784
SPORTidentTECHNICAL NEWS
Robin and Adrian Uppill
OASA Technical Officers
MAKING SPORTident OUR SLAVE - NOT OUR MASTER
To help us
with learning to use the SPORTident system, I have been able to organise
a “free” loan of a basic SPORTident training set, which will be returned
we our full order arrives.
I have suggested that we go down the WA path of using SPORTident
for START and FINISH at the remaining Summer Series events and then for
normal events this winter, and only then start to use the equipment to
its full potential at a badge event or two . This approach, I believe,
will result in a fairly large number of orienteers becoming familiar is
a “gentle” way - rather than trying to run a “full blown” SPORTident event
early in the learning process.
I have already approached a dozen orienteers to be involved in
using SPORTident in this simplified format events and have yet to receive
a negative response!.
The Western Australian orienteers have produced an excellent manual
to take an organiser through the set up, running and result publication
of minor events with the aim of reducing the overall workload for minor
events.
After a few more trials I will update the manual with a South Australian
perspective .
Chris and myself have already done the first trial run at Tyson
Hillyard’s Marino Summer series event (one week after receiving the equipment).
The programming of the units was very straightforward. Once the
event software was set up it was relatively straightforward to use
and quite powerful.
On the evening things were progressing relatively smoothly until we
ran out of SI cards (there were only 40 in the training set but 70 competitors
turned up).
The consequence of this was the need to learn how to use the manual
timing mode of the software during the event. Of course this meant a delay
in the processing of the results.. Thankfully everyone was understanding
- even intrigued!.
We learnt a few tricks and we look forward to bringing in many more
orienteers, over the coming weeks, to assist in the learning process. The
interest generated by SPORTident’s SA debut indicates there will be no
shortage of willing people!
Phil and Chris Davill.
... now... read on ... and you will know what they did this summer...
On Thursday 27th Dec. I was asked if I wanted to volunteer to help with the New South Wales bushfires, my immediate reaction was yes. I also volunteered 1n 1994 and found the experience quite uplifting. The satisfaction of helping others in need and the appreciation of the local people for our efforts.
40 from the SAMFS and about 160 from the CFS left on a chartered 767 aircraft on Saturday 29th for Sydney. No beer was offered on the plane, the captain was quite upset, but we were even more so, but they were the rules. We touched down in Sydney after 85 minutes – they must have had the plane in top gear. From the airport they bused us to our accommodation at the ‘Novotel’ Homebush Bay next to the Olympic stadium.
After a quick briefing and tasking we were off to the Blue Mountains to our first staging area at Glenbrook Oval, which we commandeered by cutting a chain and removing a gate post – we did not have time for the formalities. Our group was assigned to the night shift (‘A’ group), and was required to work through to 0800 hrs – 28 hrs on the go. We were sent up the Great Western Highway just North of Glenbrook and assisted the NSW Rural Fire Service in backburning from the rear of the houses butting onto the Blue Mountains National Park. I have some affinity with the Park as I walked the ‘Six Foot track’ from Katoomba to Jenolan caves in 1993 and rockclimbed at different times. It seemed a shame that so much area was being destroyed by fire.
My position was that of ‘Strike Team Leader’ for 6 Appliances and was responsible for command and control of my group and to co-ordinate food and equipment for the crews (good practice for the 2002 carnival). There were 5 Strike Teams all crewed by CFS/MFS volunteers and worked in 12-hour shifts, although with travelling time and meals before and after shifts we were lucky to get 4 or 5-hrs sleep.
The firefighting/backburning is quite different to what we are accustomed to in South Australia, we generally surround the fire and extinguish it, but in NSW because of the vast areas of inaccessible bush this is not possible, so backburning is required. With the main 20 km front of the Mt Hall fire coming from the south all the houses in the north of the Blue Mountains National Park were at risk when the fire reached them.
Each Strike Team leapfrogged the other teams as they finished backburning their area, in usually heavily wooded and steep terrain. Most residents were appreciative of our efforts and offered us cups of tea and coffee and sometimes set up roadside barbecues. We worked our way up to Blaxland, Warrimoo, Valley Heights, Springwood and finished at Faulconbridge when ‘C’ group took over. I was truly amazed at Davies Street Springwood when we had to do a particularly difficult backburn with a strong hot wind blowing toward us and adjacent houses but the Rural Fire Service insisted on continuing. I was particularly concerned for the safety of my crews. The control of the burn was something to behold, certainly says a lot for local knowledge. We all came away somewhat wiser.
We spent New Years Eve in Burns Place Springwood – good name eh – the
locals gave us some beer to celebrate, even though we were not supposed
to partake, what the heck. The team had a bit of a laugh at my expense.
The last night one of the locals offered us a cuppa and we accepted, I
noticed a goanna on the porch and I was assured it was tame. I asked if
goannas were territorial, as I thought it would have wandered off, apparently
it was. I noticed it had moved around the porch a few times but I was unconcerned.
Later one of the crew said that after I left the goanna went quite berserk
and ran up his leg and he had difficulty removing it. At the airport I
was asked "think goanna", I had no Idea what that meant, I was later informed
that the ‘goanna’ was a stuffed one and was moved around when I wasn’t
looking – sucked in Marty!!
I am always amazed by the goodwill of the people in time of need. One resident had his house saved by the firefighters and was so appreciative that he organised a barbecue trailer and esky. He followed us to every staging point and cooked up bacon, eggs, and sausages and provided drinks. I asked who paid for all the food and drink and apparently it was all donated. Another incident, which always brings a tear to my eye, is a 6 year old girl offering jatz biscuits to all the firefighters. Jatz biscuits never tasted so good.
I must say the condition of the houses facing the Blue Mountains was generally appalling, trees right up against the houses and under overhanging verandahs a certain recipe for disaster. I am informed that the ‘greenies’ object to hazard reduction practices. We did not have any close encounters with ‘Elvis’ the firefighting helicopter but did see it in the air a few times – quite an awesome machine.
This was an experience of a lifetime, one I will never forget. Even though the crews were almost ‘dead on their feet’ they struggled on without complaint. The camaraderie developed was excellent. We all learnt some valuable lessons in firefighting, teamwork, endurance and human nature.
Maarten Nieuwenhoven [TT]
PS - Maarten is known affectionately by his MFS colleagues as "Alphabet"
- his fine family name having inspired this apparently!
Bicycle SA recently conducted the inaugural South Australian 24 hour mountain bike race. This event will surely become part of the SA cycling folklore. Everyone who took part thoroughly enjoyed themselves and I was proud to be amongst them.
To get good value for money (and a few other reasons) I decided to enter the solo section, rather than join a team of 4 or 6. I had planned to be fit and fast for this event but health and time constraints meant that I arrived at the start line carrying excess kilos. Not a good thing on a hilly course! Pre-race organisation was limited to throwing all my bike clothes; spare clothes; bike tools; camping gear; esky; and every conceivable food and drink item that I might crave over 24 hours into the car. My brother, also a cyclist, thankfully had agreed to the support crew role. Getting the dreaded number 13 race plate wasn't a good omen!
The course, based in the grounds of the Baptist camp at Mylor, was only 4 kilometres long but was far from a ride in the park. To slow riders down the course designers had thrown in heaps of technical stuff and made the course loop around so much that I just about got giddy after only one lap. There were 2 nasty descents and another 2 milder ones; riding through a new path in dense bush; a squeeze between 2 trees; a rock drop-off; a little dipper; 5 wooden ramps over logs and creek crossings; and a stiff uphill single track climb. Coming from a roadie background it was a course from hell.
On the first lap there were probably 10 sections that I walked or took conservatively. I crashed 3 times in the first 3 hours and was figuring that at that rate I would be black and blue all over by the end of 24 hours. The event became an enforced skill development session and I mastered every technical bit by the end of 12 laps. I still chickened out on some sections at various times, especially at night when the ground got slippery.
We were incredibly lucky with the weather, especially for December. Although it was only about 22 degrees it still felt hot in the afternoon. Even in the night I still rode in short sleeves as the hilly course had the advantage of keeping us competitors warm.
My race strategy was to break the event into 3 periods - the afternoon, dark and morning periods. I aimed to clock up the kilometres during the initial daylight period while I was still fresh. I did this well covering some 70 kms in the initial 8 hours before stopping for tea and a refreshing shower.
I had quite looked forward to night riding, as this was another unknown factor for me.
However I found that it wasn't the darkness that was the problem but the dew factor adding to the slipperyness of the course. I was exceedingly happy with my Marwi Elite head mounted light with its 12 watt halogen globe. At just 400 grams (including the compact battery) and with a run time of 2 hours per battery, it performed brilliantly. (Distributed by Basta Australia in Sydney.)
Mastering the big ramp up and down over the log had been the scariest part, but I had done it 19 times in the daylight. However on my 4th lap in the dark I had a nasty fall off the top part and found a finger protruding at right angles from my hand. I yanked it back into somewhere near the right place but it still hurt. It was off to St Andrews Hospital to have my severely dislocated digit reset. "Why were you riding a mountain bike at this hour" was their main concern. "If you must continue riding you'll find that you can't use that hand." What caused my fall? Take your choice from: fate; the jinx of the no 13 plate; the slight angle of the exit ramp; rider ineptitude; or all of the above!
After losing 3 hours I duly hopped back on the bike but found it a tad difficult without being able to use my left hand to change chain rings or put on the back brake. I carried on for 2 hours but then decided to have a snooze and wait for sun-up. During the event at various stages we could claim a bonus lap by doing such things as carrying around an egg or balloon successfully. As I staggered from my tent at dawn I was greeted by the
remarkable sight of 2 guys and a girl riding around naked. Some people will do anything for their team! (The event was advertised as a "dirty weekend!). Have I mentioned that it was somewhat chilly and most officials had several layers of thermals and balaclavas on? Us solo riders maintained our dignity and our clothes.
The camaraderie between all the riders was fantastic. The six of us on the solo beat happily acknowledged our fellow comrades with a nod, a knowing smile or a word or two. The team riders were always encouraging as they sped by. One amusing incident was when a JT Cycles guy politely said "passing on the left" to me. In my tired state I moved the wrong way, and quick as a flash he said, "the other left."
Another team provided light relief by having large red antlers affixed to their helmets for the entire race .
The skills of some of the top riders were enthralling to watch. They jumped many of the bumps and potholes that us mere mortals had to ride over. Andrew Field evidently "took air" at the top of the meanest descent, and did a 90 degree turn on landing at the bottom without seeming to touch his brakes.
The penalty for missing the corner was a dip in the Onkaparinga River.
A rear wheel puncture about 8am meant a 2km walk/jog back to the finish. I borrowed my brother's bike while it got fixed. Another competitor had the misfortune to puncture both tubes at once riding over a rock! I really enjoyed the last lap as I rode each troublesome section happy in the knowledge that it was finally for the last time. I had covered "only" 160 kilometres, but that was a decent effort given the nature of the course.
My body had stood up surprisingly well to the event. My legs only really got tired in the last 2 hours, whereas my arms got sore quite early on from pulling up the hills. My final crash count was five. It's a quandary whether the bike or I is really the master. The very next day, just when I didn't need to see a bike, I had a 9am "spin cycling" session at the gym with students!
Thanks to all the Bicycle SA and other officials for their hard work in organising and running the event.
Kay Haarsma [TT]
BIG email postcard from Brett:
The End of the Radio Control?
Unfortunately most of you, if any, didn’t have the chance to watch the live coverage of this years World Championships in Finland. TV Finland is shown here in Sweden and we received around 8 hours of high quality live coverage. It was not unlike to watching cross country skiing and the only problem for us was that the commentary was in Finish. The much talked about GPS still has some way to go in terms of what it can do but it was certainly not a disappointment.
The quality of the content from an Australian point of view was the best ever. The men’s relay team gave it a real go and with Grant Bluett and Troy de Haas both changing in the equal lead, a medal was not out of the question. However, we couldn’t keep it going through the whole race. Grant also impressed individually even though he was somewhat unhappy with his performances. I am sure that all of the team has learnt a lot from Finland and lets hope that the girls can pull out some equally good results next time around.
On a much smaller scale, my club held the district championships(classic distance) for the Stockholm district a couple of weeks ago. This event you could say is similar to a State Championships in Australia but you can only compete in the district your club belongs to. Stockholm is quite a large district and we had about 1300 people who competed. The elite classes are always very tough and this year was no exception with 90 minute winning times for the men and 70 for the women.
My responsibility this year was putting out some of the controls. There were about 15 of us responsible for this. The afternoon before the event we hung out the flags and fitted the SPORTident units to the control stands. Some of the control stands are built out of wood in the forest while others are of a similar standard to those in S.A. All of the controls were tagged many months before and all of the control stands were already in place.
The morning of the event at around 7am we then received a number of controls to run around and check that the SPORTident units were working and that each control was still in place. Together we covered all of the controls and checked in by 8.30am, 90 minutes before the first start should something be wrong. Each control also has an old fashioned punch as a back-up which we also check and record.
This year for the first time we did away with the normal radio controls which were always good fun to sit at and report back to the finish. This was possible by the use of the SPORTident system where we attached antennas to two of the controls on the elite courses and by erecting a base station at the finish we were able to receive the split times instantly from several kilometres out in the forest. The technique is simple and worked well and allows for resources to be used in other places instead.
Oh, yes, and then at the end of the event there are controls to collect and other things that need to be done.
Best of luck in planning for this years championships!
Swedish Orienteering Federation in Financial Crisis?
The down turn in the share markets have even had long reaching effects into the sport of orienteering in Sweden. SOFT has over the past few years placed savings in the share market which have resulted in very good gains due to the strength of the Stockholm Stock Exchange. However, what goes up must come down and the last six months have been a lot of down(excluding the last couple of weeks). The market value of much of this paper is now in line with the face value and SOFT has become concerned about its financial position. They have indicated that the assets of SOFT must be kept above A$1.7million and therefore have pushed through an increase in start fees for next year. This was approved in the middle of November with the new start fees increasing by around 20 percent. There was considerable debate on this matter to say the least. I would imagine that this will increase start fees for those people wishing to run Swedish 5-days next year in the west of Sweden.
More Facts about Orienteering in Sweden
Q: What is the terrain like for next years Swedish 5-days?
A: Technically next year is one of the easiest areas I have seen with the exception of one of the days. On the other hand, the forest looks very nice and open which certainly makes for enjoyable orienteering.
Q: Is night orienteering big in Sweden?
A: Due to the latitude of Sweden a headlamp is a must and at least two sessions a week require a headlamp. There are many night races including the Swedish Night Champs. However most night races are relay races and the biggest of all these races is 10-mila which starts at 9pm and finishes around 8am. Of the 10 legs at least 7 of them usually require a headlamp. Leg 4 is referred to as "long-night" in 10-mila and is usually a leg between 15 and 17km in length. Night courses are in general just as hard as day courses and the best orienteers have approximately the same kilometre rate whether it is night or day!
Q: Does Sweden have a similar format to that used in Australia where the Australian Champs are held together in a carnival format over the one week?
A: Sweden, like the other Nordic countries has a different set up. In Sweden, you have an action packed week but it is only for M/W 21E,20E and 18E. It is always in September and starts with a classic qualification(4 heats of 40 with the best 10 in each heat through to the final), the classic final on the Sunday, the night champs on the Tuesday night(qualification through district night championships – max.60 starters), short course qualification on the Friday(4 heats of 40 with the best 10 in each heat through to the final), short course final on the Saturday followed up by the Swedish Club Relays on the Sunday which currently has no pre-qualification(ie. all clubs may enter). All qualification starters are accepted based on their ranking.
The sprint championships will be run officially for the first time in 2002 and it is uncertain as to when they will be held. The long championships which mass start races with loops are normally held in the Spring. These courses are often have winning times of 3 hours.
The veterans have a separate Swedish Champs which is held over 3-days and includes classic, short and relay while the sub-juniors have their champs with just two age groups, M/W 15 and 16.There is also a Swedish School Champs.
Q: What other championships are held?
A. There are district championships with all of the above disciplines(without qualification races) and regional championships(three regions within Sweden). Each club then usually has club champs in all of the above disciplines excluding the relay.
Q: Do you ever see any animals in the forest?
A: While training it is not uncommon to see deer and moose. When racing though it is very uncommon as part of the process of organising an event is that you try and drive out as much as the wildlife as possible from the competition area. If you see wildlife while competing you are obliged to report the type of animal and where you saw it at the finish.
Q: Are marshes common on Swedish maps?
A: I cannot recall a map in any of the Nordic countries which I have run on which didn’t consist of at least 5% marsh. Most maps contain at least 10% of marsh terrain.
Q: Which is the biggest relay in the world?
A: In terms of number of teams the answer is Jukola, held in June in Finland every year. The women’s race is over 4 legs during the afternoon while the men’s race is over 7 legs with the start often at midnight. This race is held in different parts of Finland each year and when the race is held in northern Finland there is no need to use a headlamp for any of the legs. The race finishes around 7am.
Some email answers from Brett
q: How successful is the use of Sportident in Sweden, and does it save organisers time and work at minor events?
What are the differences between Sportident and EMIT, and will one take over from the other, or will they both be superseded?
a: Sportident has been very successful, probably more so than EMIT. I have no preference over either of the systems and have found both to be very reliable. In Stockholm Sportident is more common so we all have our own Sportident tags as it is much cheaper. Almost all events require Sportident and in other districts it may be EMIT which is the common standard. The Stockholm district owns a huge amount of control units and clubs hire them when they hold events. We even have our own set of controls both for EMIT and Sportident for training. It is very easy to use for such small scale events when you have maybe a 100 starters or so. Having everything electronic makes things much smoother at events. Most events have the computers at the finish on-line, so that results are updated on to the web straight away. You can sit at home and watch events with commentary! Both systems will live on and I can't see any other system taking over.
q: Is there a simple electronic start and finish system that prints out a result block with name and elapsed time on it, thus saving work at minor events?
a: The common practice here for results at events is printing them onto sheets of A4. You just update the sheet every 10 minutes or whenever you have a large number of competitors who come in.
q: Do you have to be tall, lean and fit to orienteer in Sweden or are all types and body sizes attracted to the sport and still able to excel because the navigational challenge is sufficient to level the field somewhat?
a: The big difference between here and Oz is that you need to be much more technically capable. The orienteering is simply too difficult. You obviously also need to be quick but without having a really good technique you are always going to get caught out sooner or later.
Cheers,
Brett Weihart (Söders SOL – Tyresö, Stockholm)
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Oh dear, 2002 is
a reality. No longer some far away time when the South Australian orienteering
community will become even more serious about preparations for the biggie
- the Aus. Champs. Carnival. It’s here, it’s now. One step at a time though!
