IKO recently hosted its third annual orienteering day for primary school students on Wednesday 20 May. The first two of these events was called a Gala Day, but the name was changed this year to “Schools Championships” to be consistent with similar events in other regions.
The event was attended by 51 primary school students from the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions. The majority of the students came from Mt Keira Demonstration School, while other students came from Sussex Inlet and Scarborough Public Schools. As for previous years the event made use of the facilities and extensive parklands at Croom Reserve in Albion Park.
The day started with a briefing of students on the structure of the day and what was expected from them – it was quite a shock for many when they were told they would be competing alone on the course within the next hour or so. Their faces couldn’t hide their feelings of trepidation. So, with the help of about six volunteers, they were given a map each and guided through the bush at Croom, all the time being instructed on map reading. This was quite challenging for both students and coaches as most of the students had no previous knowledge of orienteering.
After a short break, the individual challenge started with students doing a course from 1.4 km up to 1.8 km through the bush and open parkland. They all returned, happy to take their slat to the result board and quite excitedly compare their performance against others.
Relays followed lunch, with three runners in each team. The parents from Scarborough Public formed a team of their own and joined in, to end up fourth. It was great to see the students cheering their mates in to the tag and finish. Finally, the presentation of awards in the stadium. The students had a really busy and enjoyable day and the teachers are keen to return for our schools event next year.
The final results from the day are listed here.
The Illawarra Mercury covered the story in their Junior Sport section.
