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MetrO League #2 event at Picnic Point Sunday 4 May

The next MetrO League club challenge event is being organized by IKO and will be held on the Yerambah Lagoon map at Picnic Point on 4 May. We need a good turn out to have enough club members to help on the day as well as field the required teams. Team standings after MetrO League#1 at Centennial Park are: Div 2 and Div 3 – a win each. Div 4 and 5 – a loss each. Congratulations to Joel Mion for coming 1^st in Div 3 and Artem Karavaev 4^th in Div 4, to Caleb Curby for 2^nd place in Very Easy and those new to Metro League who put in some credible performances.

Starts are from 10am – 10.30am for Metro League competitors. Pre-enter in Eventor and choose a division on the drop-down box. Moderate (Divn 4-6) or Hard (Divn 1-3). Once you have entered it’s up to you if you want to be in a team or not on the day. You can compete individually if you don’t want to run in a team. Let James Stuart, our Metro League team captain jistuart@bigpond.com, know if you want to run in a team and/or if you need advice on which Division you would feel comfortable running in. You need to pre-enter before midnight on Saturday 3 May. For details see https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/21602

Limited enter on the day courses will be available between 9.30-10am and 10.30-11.30am.

BYO water – there is none available at the event.

THERE ARE NO TOILETS at the event. Allow extra time to visit toilet facilities before you arrive. Closest toilets: from M5 turnoff, head south along Henry Lawson Drive to Monash Reserve (open Sun 8am-6pm) or Lambeth Reserve (open daylight hrs). Approaching from the east toilets can be found in the Georges River National Park off Henry Lawson Drive (open daylight hrs). Toilets also available at Fitzpatrick Park, Carinya Rd (off Henry Lawson Dr) follow signage to Fitzpatrick Park.

Parking will be in surrounding residential streets. Please be mindful when parking outside homes, keeping all residential driveways and accesses clear.

Autumn Orienteering activities

The beginning of Autumn heralds the start of the Metro League and the State League events.

Metro League events are run on a Sunday morning every 4 to 6 weeks during April to August. They are held in urban bushland around the greater Sydney area giving you the opportunity for some cross country navigation. Each team has 5 members and competes against a team from another club. You run individually and earn points for the team. The fastest runner out of the two clubs gains 10 points for their team, second fastest 9 points and so on. The team with the highest points wins the round. There are 6 divisions with 3-4 teams competing in each division. Illawarra Kareelah Orienteers combine forces with Southern Highlands Orienteers to form teams in most of the Divisions.

Division 6 is for juniors or those transitioning to bush orienteering. Division 4 & 5 courses are graded moderate and Divisions 1-3 more technical and longer courses are rated hard. Division 1 is usually run by elite/experienced orienteers. The winning time is set for 30-45 minutes depending on the division, and most people are finished within an hour.

The first Metro League event for 2025 will be held in Centennial Park, on Sunday 13 April starting at 10am – be there by 9.30am. You need to pre-enter via Eventor before midnight on Saturday 12 April. This event is set in open parkland rather than bushland and is a good one for newcomers to try out to see how it all works. For details see https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/21604.

We need more people to run for the club and would love to have our newer members onboard. Just pre-enter in Eventor and choose a division on the drop-down box. Once you have entered it’s up to you if you want to be in a team or not on the day. You can compete individually if you don’t want to run in a team. Let James Stuart, our Metro League team captain jistuart@bigpond.com, know if you want to run in a team and/or if you need advice on which Division you would feel comfortable running in. As a guide Division 6 is for novices and also ok for kids with adult supervision, following tracks. At the other end of the scale Division 1 is the hardest – for elites and experienced orienteers.

The second Metro League event for the year is being run by our club, Illawarra Kareelah Orienteers, and is at Picnic Point on 4 May.

State League events

The 2025 State League (SL) season has started. These events are run in the forest and generally held some distance outside of Metropolitan Sydney. The courses are more technical than local or Metro League events. To reduce distances that competitors are required to travel, SL events are generally held on both days of a weekend and competitors stay overnight. The next SL events will be held near the Central Coast on the weekend of 10/11 May followed by the Kings Birthday weekend (KBIII) three day event in the Bathurst area. This is a popular event that attracts a lot of competitors including IKO members. See the coming events page for list of events coming up.

To assist club members develop the skills to orienteer in the forest the club will be conducting a bush orienteering training day later in the year. If you are interested in attending email IKOrienteers@gmail.com.

Illawarra Map Running Summer Series event # 2 – Sunday 16th Feb at Windang

Following the success of the first Illawarra Map Running (IMR) Summer Series event for 2025 at Shellcove last Sunday we are looking forward to this weekend’s event at Windang. Keith Jay set a high standard with his courses at Shellcove – the different route choices posing a challenge to the runners. The weather was kind, the rain held off, and we were able to enjoy not only the orienteering but the post event sausage sizzle under a sunny sky. It was pleasing to see so many families and individuals prepared to try orienteering for the first time and we hope to see them again this Sunday at Lake Illawarra.

The venue for IMR Summer Series #2 is Pelican Park, Shellharbour Road, Lake Illawarra. There is street parking (off Reddall Parade). Starts are from 10am – 11am. Course closes at 12pm. For details go to https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/21573
Newcomers are welcome and club members will be available to help you on your way. There will be a free sausage sizzle for competitors after their run.

NEWCOMERS who take part in 3 out of the 4 listed IMR Summer series 2025 events will have the chance to win a free 12-month membership with the Illawarra Kareelah Orienteering Club. Conditions apply: offer available to newcomers only (not applicable to previous membership holders).

Start the New Year with a score event at Surry Hills

The first IKO event for 2025 will be held on Wednesday the 8^th of January on the brand new Surry Hills map. Starts are from 4.30 to 6.45pm. The event is part of the Sydney Summer Series and we are in for a zinger of a course navigating the many intricate streets and laneways of Surry Hills. Those living in the Sutherland and Illawarra areas can travel in comfort by train to Central Station – the assembly area at Coronation Hall (Community Tennis Centre), Prince Alfred Park, is a 5 min easy walk from the Devonshire & Chalmers St exit to the Station. See the information bulletin and course setter notes for details. Pre-entries via Eventor are encouraged though enter on the day will be available.

As well as the usual 45min Score event there will be a Mini course for the littlies set within Prince Alfred Park that does not cross any roads or carpark areas.

ILLAWARRA MAP RUNNING SPRING SERIES 2024

The Illawarra Map Running Spring Series 2024 starts on 19 October and runs to 9 November.

The events are held on Saturday mornings with starts from 10am to11am. See dates and locations below. At the end of the event there will the be a free sausage sizzle. Novices and regular orienteers are all welcome to join in these fun events. Long (6Km), Medium (4Km) and Short (2KM) line courses will be offered and members will be around on the day to help any newcomers. Pre-entries via Eventor are encouraged (see links below) otherwise just turn up and enter on the day.

Sat 19 Oct Shellharbour – Dawes Park, Junction Rd, Barrack Point https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/20724

Sat 26 Oct Gwynneville – Wiseman Park https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/20725

Sat 2 Nov Croom Sports Complex, Albion Park https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/20726

Sat 9 Nov Unanderra – Charcoal Park, cnr Princes Highway & Factory Rd https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/20727