Category Archives: Event Reports

Merry Christmas!

A perfect afternoon for our last event of the year

We couldn’t have asked for a better afternoon for our last event of the year which started from the scenic Minnamurra Headland. Before and after their runs competitors could sit and enjoy the sweeping views over Jones Beach and Kiama Downs.  Thanks to Keith for setting the courses. It was a shame we had some technical hitches on the day, but most of us weren’t too worried.

It was great to see the number of kids turn up and give the mini course a go.  Philip W. took the honours for the Long Course, and Salme was quickest around the short course.

Thanks to Keith and Margaret for hosting a lovely Christmas buffet, and to everyone who came along to make the night enjoyable.

Merry Christmas !

See you at the Xmas 5 Days or in February at Summergong.

 

SL 10 & 11 – the WRAP

Salme shows us how its done at UOW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can hear the collective sighs of relief all around now that SL 10 and 11 are over.  Sleepless nights and early mornings were all part of the experience for the organisers and course setters. Great organisation by Keith, David and Kev, and great course setting by Natalya, Vicki and Simon.  There were some lessons learned with some people saying the State League courses were too easy at Cataract, while the easy courses could perhaps have been a little easier.  On Sunday Simon thought his sprint courses were maybe a little long, but it was such a great venue and everyone enjoyed the day that I don’t think anyone noticed!

On Saturday at Cataract we hosted 126 competitors in the State League event (including 8 EODs) and 121 children in the Schools Champs.

On Sunday we had 138 competitors in State League (including 15 EODs) and 113 children in the School Champs.

There were more than 70 different schools represented in the Schools Championships. Greenwich Public School took the honour of Champion primary school, while a continuing strong presence saw Knox Grammar once again take out Champion secondary school.

Channel 9 News turned up to the University around midday on Sunday to interview Ian Jessup and three of the children. All the kids spoke very well about the weekend and what they like about orienteering – what a great experience for them all!  Ian, our media guru, did a much better job than any of us could at selling the sport. If you live in the Illawarra be sure to keep an eye out tonight at 6pm on Channel 9.

Ian Jessup explains the sport of orienteering to Channel 9 cameraman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were lots of positive comments about the new Wollongong Uni map, and the vibe in the grassy glade where we all assembled was very happy and relaxed.  Easy access to coffee and good food was a definite bonus!

For photos from the weekend see our new Photo Gallery page where you will find an edited down version of those already posted to Facebook.

Ken did a great job of keeping the starters under control

Australian 3 Days in Wagga Wagga

Lots of colour in Murraguldrie State Forest on Day 2 of the carnival

A great time was had by all at the Australian 3 Days orienteering carnival at Wagga Wagga.  A strong contingent of IKO club members were in attendance, both competing and helping the Waggaroos to run the event.  Wagga turned on its best winter weather with sunny 18 degree days making running in the forest quite enjoyable (even for those of us who don’t run!).

Day 1 was on the picturesque property of Connorton where an uphill finish chute provided great spectator views for the arena on the adjacent hillside.  At Murraguldrie State Forest on Day 2 there were plenty of boulders and some very long legs to be navigated. A very convivial dinner at the Riverina Hotel brought us all together on Sunday night before one last sprint around the University campus in the morning.

15 club members competed at the event in which scores are accumulated over the three days. Congratulations to Salme for being overall winner in the W45AS.  Special mention also to Chris Wilmott for collecting the Silva award for Services to Australian Orienteering for his significant contribution to mapping.

Thanks to everyone that helped out over the weekend with packing, unpacking, and helping out in the administration and finish tents.

There are plenty of photo albums on ONSW Facebook.  See the gallery below for some photos of our club members in action (thanks to Ian and Clare Jessop) and some other photos taken by Dayle.

Australian 3 Days 2017

 

 

South Coast Schools Gala 2017

Our fifth annual South Coast primary schools gala day was another successful promotion. The day was held on Wednesday 17 May at the Croom Sports Complex at Albion Park.

Four primary schools from the South Coast attended the day with 75 students from years 5 and 6 and their teachers.  It was good to see Nowra Public make a return appearance this year while Flinders Public, St Georges Basin Public and Aurora Steiner School attended for the first time.

For most of the students reading a map was a new experience. The students practiced their navigation with individual courses through the bushland and open fields surrounding the stadium.  The day finished with the students competing in a relay  with 25 teams of three.  Excitement levels were high, from the mass start until the last runner finished.

The Croom Sports Complex offers excellent conditions for beginners with a natural, lightly wooded bush area with a track network and plenty of open area that is used for training and competition for a variety of sports.

Placegetters received a personal invitation to the NSW Schools Championships to be held on August 19-20 in the Illawarra.

Special thanks to Kevin Curby for once again organising the day and being our contact point with the schools. Lyn Malgrom offered her expert guidance and coaching to the students throughout the day and Keith Jay set the courses.  Ron Pallas provided his usual invaluable assistance in the IT department and Salme Fuller, Rob Spry and Garry Stewart are thanked for their invaluable assistance on the day.

Mike Driscoll from the Illawarra Mercury has once again shown his support for the sport by publishing a story online which you can find HERE.

 

Summergong 4 concludes

The final round of Summergong 4 featured two international runners, who must have heard of Keith’s course setting abilities.  Welcome to Kirsti from Finland and Eshell from Israel.  The weather was surprisingly fine, despite the gloomy forecast.

Today’s event saw a dead heat for 1st place, with both Simon and Philip finishing on 570 points, after penalties.  Aidan from GO came in third having collected the maximum 600 points, but lost 50 points in late penalties.  Cooper sprinted around the 1km short course in just over 9 minutes, after competing in the 45 minute score course with dad.  Results have been posted onto Eventor and can be found HERE.

Congratulations to the series winner Linda (UR) with 309 points.  Linda competed in all 4 events.  Second and third were Simon (IKO) and Philip (IKO) who both missed an event when they were course setters.  The series point score can be viewed here – Summergong point score – after 4 events

In the short course, well done to Beatrix for having the highest score.  Special mention to the Ryan family who competed in all four events.

Thanks to all the IKO members who helped out during the series.  The next IKO event will be held at Sutherland on Saturday afternoon 11 March 2017 – details on Eventor.