See you at Belanglo

Entries have now closed for this weekend’s State League event at Belanglo Forest (Sunday 8 July).  Start times are now available on Eventor.  We have 157 entries, and several courses will be available to enter on the day.

The weather is looking a bit wintry so bring your warm clothes and raincoat.

Several days have been spent in the forest updating the mapping and the vegetation runnability.  Some hazard burns have been conducted recently in the forest which has improved visibility and runnability in these areas.  However you may end up with charcoal on your clothes so light colours are not advisable.  As always, eye protection and full body cover is recommended.

NSW Forests have erected signs concerning Threatened plants species – these areas are marked on the map as out-of-bounds. Please respect the forest and keep out of these areas.

Hope you all have a great day!

Sun shines on the Gala Day

It was a brilliant day of sunshine for the 2018 South Coast Schools Gala Day at Croom Reserve. All of the 63 students that attended appeared to enjoy the day and feedback from staff was that it was well conducted.

Three schools participated this year: Flinders Public School and Aurora Steiner School (Bowral) have both participated before, and Saint John the Evangelist High School (Nowra) attended for the first time.  This makes a total of fifteen schools that have participated in the event over the six years since it began.

Thanks go to:

Kevin for contacting the schools and getting participants organised, Garry for technology assistance, Keith for course setting and putting out controls, Lyn for managing the children and keeping things running smoothly, Chippy for collecting controls at the end of the day, and Neville and Simone for helping out and getting things done is a very calm way.

Results are on Eventor.

Thanks to Lyn for the following photos which really highlight the kids enjoyment of the day.

 

South Coast Schools Gala 2018

Its only six weeks until the annual South Coast Schools Gala day which will be held at Croom Reserve, Albion Park on 23 May 2018.  This year the day coincides with World Orienteering Day so students have the opportunity to be part of a global celebration of orienteering.  The competition is open to all school students in years 5 to 11 from the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and South Coast.

Students will participate in age-based individual races before joining together for a fun relay race in the afternoon.  Primary school students will be challenging themselves over distances of 2-2.5 km while high school students will complete courses of 3.5-4 km.

Entries for the gala day close on 11 May.  An information sheet on the format of the day and entry instructions can be downloaded HERE.

Students wishing to practice for the event are invited to participate in two local orienteering events at Warilla (Saturday 28 April) and Gerringong (Saturday 19 May).  Further details on these events is provided HERE, or see the Coming Events page of the website.

Windang #Take 2

Good news!

The delights of Warilla Beach and Windang are back on the calendar again after dismal weather forced Keith to abandon the last event of our SummerGong Series.  So come along on Saturday 28 April from 2:30-3:30pm and enjoy beautiful Lake Illawarra and the coastline.

Our next local event is this Saturday at Sans Souci with starts from 3-4pm. Long, Medium & Short courses will be on offer and a mini course (600m) within the park for the littlies. Sue has proposed dinner at the Sans Souci Sailing Club on Sanoni Drive for anyone wishing to stay on. All newcomers welcome to join us.
Details: https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/5487

 

Sizzling SummerGong

SummerGong 3 at Balgownie

SummerGong wrapped up its third week of competition today with some sizzling temperatures to add to the challenge.  Thankfully Simon had chosen a beautiful old fig tree as the starting point which provided ample shade for the post-run recovery.

In Week 2 it was a strong southerly sea breeze (more like cyclonic wind) that provided the environmental challenge (that, and the hunt for a parking spot around the very busy Bulli Beach).

In Week 1 everyone enjoyed exploring the Wollongong Botanic Gardens and the laid-back old -fashioned question and answer format was a novel change, not to mention the honesty system for recording your start and finish time.

30 plus people attended the first two events, with a few new faces turning up, and the free kids courses proving popular.  Today there were 21 people who came to check out the streets and reserves of Balgownie and Fairy Meadow.

For more photos of the events see our FaceBook page (photos courtesy of Salme).

Summergong concludes next week at Windang – who will take out the series?  Our own weather guru Simon is looking a strong contender in the Long course, or will it be dark horse Matt Ryan from Gerringong?  In the medium course its Kev Curby and John Hodgson who currently lead the score board. In the short course the enthusiastic Sheddon brothers are in the lead having competed in every week so far. Other enthusiastic juniors who have become regulars at IKO events are Keith’s grandchildren Cooper and Flynn.

SummerGong 1 at Wollongong Botanic Gardens