Summer orienteering in the Gong

Illawarra Kareelah Orienteers are inviting anyone who is interested in having a go at orienteering to attend their SummerGong Series which begins on Saturday February 15^th.

Designed for both newcomers and experienced orienteers, the four-week series will see competitors using their navigational skills to visit as many check points as possible in a 45 minute time-frame. The competitor with the highest score wins the event. Although speed can help you win, running is optional and many people enjoy orienteering at a walking pace.

Club President Kevin Curby says anyone who can read a street directory is capable of orienteering.

“Beginners are always welcome at our events, and there are always club members on hand to provide some basic coaching. You can go by yourself or as part of a group. Orienteering is a great way to explore parts of the Illawarra that you never knew existed.”

The first event will be held at Stuart Park in Wollongong, with subsequent events at Thirroul, Shell Cove and Shellharbour Village. Each of the courses will cover parks and local streets, so a compass is not necessary.

Details of all events can be found on the Coming Events page and on the ONSW Eventor website.

A sunny afternoon at Dolls Point

Sunday 1 December 2013 OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Illawarra Kareelah held their Southern Summer Series event under sunny skies on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Dolls Point, on the shores of Botany Bay. The launch of the new map Bado-Berong Creek attracted 42 entrants, six of whom were new to the sport. It was an honour indeed to have Ross Barr attend our event. He is the man who introduced the Summer Series to Sydney 22 years ago.

The map is a delight to run, and although it seems straightforward, many reported some tricky parts that required full attention and careful map reading, especially around the canals.

For those who missed the event, you will have to wait until November 2014 before you can enjoy its delights.

See the Event Results page for results by score and by class.

Kevin Curby

Volunteers needed for Easter 2014

What are you doing for Easter next year?

The Easter 2014 carnival is being organised by Orienteering NSW on maps in the Lithgow and Rylstone area. Rob Vincent, Ron Pallas and Nick Dent have been appointed by the ONSW Board as Event Directors and have been planning for this event for the last two years. We are anticipating that up to 800 orienteers will participate in this major carnival which offers seven events in nine days over the Easter holidays and the following Anzac Day long weekend.

The Event Directors need teams of volunteers to help with the running of the events on each of the four days of the Easter events. As this event is a NSW event and all the benefits that occur as a result of these events will be for all orienteers, we are asking both clubs and individuals to consider offering to help as part of one of the teams. By volunteering you will be rostered on to help at certain times during the events BUT you will still be able to compete (in fact we want you to compete).

Teams required: Start, Finish (IT), Parking, Logistics (arena setup and move), Presentations, Registration, Control collection, Meetings Co-ordinator, Information tent

We already have some volunteers however, many more will be required to enable these events to proceed smoothly. You can volunteer by emailing Nick Dent and indicate the team that you or your club (with names) would like to help with – nickdent7@gmail.com

Get ready for South Sydney Summer Series

The expanded South Sydney Summer Series will kick off on Sunday 27 October at Maroubra. Now into its third year, the series draws on the popularity of the original Sydney Summer Series (now the North Sydney Summer Series) to encourage orienteers to discover some of the parks and streets south of the harbour. The nine event series is being jointly organised by Uringa, Garingal, Bigfoot and Illawarra Kareelah with IKO hosting two events at Scarborough Park and Sandringham.

Events are being organised on a weekend (rather than the traditional after work timezone) as this better suited the organising clubs, and will hopefully attract greater numbers of participants. Starts will be available between 4 – 6 pm.

All events will use the short 45 minute score format where competitors race against the clock to collect as many points as possible within the time frame. Penalty points are deducted for every minute late back so planning and time management is just as important as good navigation! A short line course of 2-2.5km will also be available to introduce families with young children to orienteering.

The Sydney Summer Series are ideal events for newcomers to orienteering as they are all held within streets and parks. Generally no compass is required and experienced orienteers are always available to help with map reading and navigation. So why not come along and join the fun.

For a full list of events see:

http://onsw.asn.au/events/summer-series/summer-series-south

Metroleague Final at Cataract

Sunday 1^st September 2013

P1040603

On a beautiful first day of spring, the orienteering fraternity descended on Cataract Scout Camp for the MetroLeague Finals and a less formal enter-on-the-day event. Unfortunately, a few days before the event, our course setter, Chris Wilmott, was hospitalised, but is thankfully recovering quite well. However, it meant that Kevin had a rather hectic Saturday, checking and setting out last minute controls. But on Sunday the weather was magnificent, a team of helpers arrived bright and early and the event ran pretty smoothly. The terrain at the scout camp is fairly open with lots of paths which allows for fast running but it also has some steep rocky areas which require skilful map-reading.

MetroLeague results

Div 1: Big Foot (a fifth straight win)
Div 2: Bennelong Northside (over a previously unbeaten Uringa-Central Coast)
Div 3: SHOO
Div 4: Big Foot (the largest winning margin)
Div 5: Garingal Legless (a very young team, obviously headed for better things)

IKON had very creditable 3^rd places in both Div 3 and Div 4, and congratulations to Salme Fuller for her individual medal in Div 4. We also congratulate Doug Jay for his individual medal in Div 3 (though running for SHOO, he has obvious connections to IKON).

Enter-on-the-day results

Very Easy:                            Holly Roberts   11.48
Easy:                                     Tom Kennedy   19.32
Moderate (Div 5):              Cohen Wisniewski       54.29
Moderate/Hard (Div 4):     Val Hodsdon       51.34
Hard (Div 2) :                        Tony Hill           41.56

Details of all competitors’ results can be found on eventor in the ONSW website eventor.orienteering.asn.au/events/show/339

Thanks again to all those who gave up their father’s day morning to help out – Kevin and Dave who were everywhere, particularly on the crucial finish computer; Richard and James the parking perfectionists; Helen, Jim, Jeff and Vicki who were never overwhelmed by rushes to register; Greg who singlehandedly controlled the start; Salme and Peter doing a wonderful job writing results; and a particular thanks to Helen and Julie doing the lone job of gate-keeper. Lastly to the ones who were still around at the end and helped to bring in controls and leave the site as we found it – thanks Alexander and Natasha, and maybe Dasha will get a new ring for Christmas to replace the one that now lives at Cataract.

Eunice Wilson