IKO Magnetrons bring home the prize in Division 3 of MetrO League finals

Metroleague final

Division 3 team members David Green (individual medal winner with 41 points) and Simon Louis (close runner up, 40 points) with Vicki Wilmot, Division 5 team member after the race at Nurragingy

CONGRATULATIONS to IKO Magnetrons team members Alexander Karanov, Natalya Filipova, David Green, Richard Lane and Simon Louis for their outstanding efforts in winning the final of the 3rd Division of the MetrO league competition on Sunday 23rd August at Nurragingy in western Sydney. The team had a resounding win against arch rivals Uringa – Central Coast – 34 point to 21 points. Four IKO runners were in the top 5 of the Division 3 runners. Congratulations also go to all those runners who participated as members of the Division 3 team throughout the five race series. The team won all six races.

Further congratulations go to David Green who tied for the Metroleague individual medal in Division 3 with 41 points and to Simon Louis for an outstanding performance by getting the maximum 40 points on only 4 runs. Simon is our newest member who only started orienteering this year.

Unfortunately the IKO Lyrebirds had another loss in the 5th Division despite Salme Fuller yet again being the fastest runner in the Division on the day and being pipped for the Division 5 individual medal by two points.

The MetrO League is an annual inter-club competition for greater Sydney metropolitan clubs. The series runs from March through until August/September with events conducted on one Sunday morning per month. Entrants run individually but earn points for their team based on their relative time. It’s great fun as clubs compete head-to-head and members of all ages earn points for their club. Further information on the MetrO League, including the final results, is available from http://onsw.asn.au/events/metro-league.

by Margaret Duguid

South Coast Schools Championships

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.

Illawarra Mercury June 2015

Welcome to our new club members

A warm welcome to our newest club member Simon Louis after being declared the outright winner of the SummerGong 2015 event series and securing a senior club membership as 1st prize.  Simon together with partner Danielle and young daughters Beatrix and Guinevere join us from Russell Vale, Wollongong.  Simon has also made an impressive debut in the Metroleague comp, running for us in Division 5 at Western Sydney Parklands on 26 April 2015 gaining maximum points for IKN and also taking out the fastest time in Division 5 for the 3.7km course. A great start for Simon and we look forward to seeing more of Simon and his family at future orienteering events.

The club would also like to welcome club members Matt Ryan and his family from Gerringong and Kim Scobie from Thirroul.

SummerGong 2015 Results

The SummerGong Series for 2015 has been run and won.

CONGRATULATIONS to new-comer Simon Louis for blitzing the field with a near perfect score of 387 points. Simon won both the Windang and Shellharbour events and placed second at the other two events.

Next on the leader board were experienced orienteers John Le Carpentier from SHOO in 2nd place and Dick Ogilvie from Uringa in 3rd place. All three place-getters completed the whole series proving that persistence and participation wins the game.

The highest ranked club member was Jim Wilson in 8th place (onya Jim!) who also competed in all four events. Followed by Kevin Curby and James Stuart.

A big thank you to all club members who organised the events and helped out on the day with equipment and collecting controls.

Results from all events are posted here along with the overall point score for the series. How did you finish up on the leader board?

SummerGong 1 at Windang
Summergong 2 at Stanwell Park
SummerGong 3 at Wollongong
SummerGong 4 at Shellharbour

Summergong 2015 final pointscore

 

Have fun with SummerGong 2015

Orienteers new and old are invited to join the Illawarra Kareelah Orienteering Club for the annual SummerGong Series. This will be the second year for the event, which aims to introduce new-comers in the Illawarra to the sport of orienteering.

Orienteering is suitable for runners and walkers, both young and old. You can participate as an individual or go as a family or group of friends. Orienteering provides the challenge of navigating your way around a course using a map to find marked flags or ‘controls’ . If you can read a street map then you will be able to successfully find your way around the course without any special equipment. All you need is a pair of joggers, comfortable outdoor clothing and a desire to try a fun new activity.

This year’s series has been designed to make use of the Illawarra’s scenic beaches and coastline with the first event kicking off at Lake Entrance on Saturday February 14. Other events will be held on Saturday afternoons at Stanwell Park, Wollongong and Shellharbour.

See links below for further information.

Promotion SummerGong 2015

Summergong Series General information 2015