News

July 2023 News

Published Fri 21 Jul 2023

Message from President Gene Beveridge

Kia ora all. July is always an exciting month for orienteering with NZ Secondary School Champs gaining the attention of many domestically and the senior and junior World Champs pulling our attention globally. These races do more than allow us to celebrate the competitive end of the sport, they provide opportunities for coaches, supporters and fans to find their places in our growing NZ and global communities. Those who have competed in those races can now bring their energy and inspiration back to their local schools and club teams. In Auckland we have the competitive end of the club season to channel this energy into and I wish everyone good luck at the upcoming Auckland Forest Series.

Newsletter Contents

2023 Event Calendar
Next NWOC Events
- Upcoming Forest Events
- NWOC Club Champs & Club Lunch
Permanent Orienteering Courses
ONZ Controller's Clinic
Member News
New Members

2023 Event Calendar

All upcoming events in the wider Auckland area are listed on our NWOC website here
New Zealand wide events are on Orienteering New Zealand’s website here
Check the links above for details of events coming soon.

Forest Events to be hosted by North West

North West will host 2 forest events in the next couple of months:

Sunday 20 August - Mushroom Road, Woodhill Forest
Sunday 17 September - Hucks Road/Deviation Road map, Woodhill Forest

All details about these events will be posted on our NWOC website and in future newsletters.

Earn a Voucher for Volunteering

We always need help from members for events - whether that's learning what's involved as a course planner or helping on the day of an event e.g pitch tents, be on registration, direct people to parking, pack up at the end of the day or collect controls - there’s a variety of jobs and something for everyone. And we'll support you! Plus you also get to meet and know Club Members.

Club Members who regularly help with events are given vouchers for reduced entry fees for other North West events. If you can help please contact Club Captain, Rob Garden rgmg@xtra.co.nz or 021597070.

North West Club Champs & Club Lunch

Event on Sunday 13 August on coastal Woodhill

This event, hosted by Auckland Orienteering Club, will double as our 2023 Club Champs.
View this pdf outlining the course you should enter in order to be eligible for the Club Champs in your age category and read the notes below.

For members who are currently competing on orange courses, these equate to M/W 21B courses and this category covers the whole age spectrum from 14 years to 80 years. Please don't think you have to run a red course just because that's your 'proper' age category.
Newer members, we encourage you all to enter the Club Champs. Please don’t be deterred by the word champs - this is an all comers event! This is your chance to run for North West glory. Your place will be compared with other NWOC members in the same age grade to see who takes home the trophies at the end of year prizegiving. Of course, if you do not wish to compete, you just run whatever type of course you wish - there is no pressure!

As part of the Club Champs, North West will provide lunch for those members who participate. Lunch will be Subway sandwiches and sushi plus tea & coffee. Please BYO a thermos with hot water if you have one and your own cup for a drink. Lunch will start around 12.15 - 12.30pm so we suggest you try to time your run to fit in with that timing.

Event details are here. Note that pre-entry for this event via enterO is preferred.
For lunch we will cater for the number of North West members who have pre-entered by Friday 11 August, the closing date for entry.

Looking forward to seeing as many members as possible - come for lunch and chat with others about your course.

Permanent O courses

A recent article in the NZ Herald spotlighted the adventure sport of orienteering and the 5 Auckland Regional Parks that have permanent orienteering courses. An outing to one of these parks makes for a great weekend activity. Read the story here
More info about the permanent courses in on our NWOC website here

ONZ Controllers Clinic

The ONZ Technical Committee will be running a controllers' clinic over the weekend of 14/15 October in the South Auckland area. The course is designed for those wanting to learn about event controlling from club events to A-level. Prior course planning experience is necessary (even if only at club level); the course is not suitable for complete beginners.

ONZ members from any club are welcome. Please contact the ONZ Technical Committee if you are interested in attending.

Email onz-technical-committee@orienteering.org.nz
If you’re interested but unsure it’s for you, please email NWOC at northwestorienteering@gmail.com and someone will contact you to discuss this.

Member News

Update on NWOC Group Accommodation for the Club Nationals in 2024.

As advised in previous newsletters and by email to North West members, we have booked a Lodge in Rotorua for members to stay together while competing in the 2024 National Club Champs to be held over Easter weekend (Friday 29 March to Monday 1 April).
A great response from members means the Lodge is now full. If anyone who has booked is subsequently is unable to come and thus beds become available, we will advise members.

NZ Secondary Schools Champs

At the NZ Secondary Schools Champs held in Blenheim earlier this month, two of our North West Juniors, Tahi Harris & Isaac Stewart were in top form. In the Junior Boys Championship events, in the Long event, Tahi was first and Isaac second then in the Sprint event, it was Isaac first and Tahi second. Congratulations Tahi & Isaac.

Photo; L to R, Nicholas Freeman 3rd, Tahi Harris 1st, Isaac Stewart 2nd in Junior Boys Long.

North West members at WOC 2023

North West President, Gene Beveridge and Life Member, Matt Ogden were part of the New Zealand team competing in the World Champs held in Switzerland earlier this month.

Gene competed in the Long event on a 14km course that started at around 2000m above sea level and included 680m climb - truly a test of athletes' mountain orienteering skills. An early long leg for both men and women was a feature with tough technical controls before a steep descent into the valley and a map change before a physically tough last loop in the forest south of the arena. Gene finished in 36th place. See map here.

Matt competed in the Middle event. All competitors compete first in a Middle Qualification event where the top 15 in each of 3 heats progress to the final. Matt qualified for the final and finished in 40th place. After the event he commented "today was just very demanding - technically and physically. Probably the most "brutal" middle distance I have ever run". See map here

Well done Gene & Matt - for the hours of preparation before the event and for giving it all on the day.

For fascinating analysis of the events, including leg-by-leg comparisons, go here

Club Coaching
Two recent coaching sessions have proved very popular with new members. Both map walks provided an opportunity for members to walk with an experienced North West member and learn more about matching the map to features on the ground and vice versa as well as techniques to use to find controls, using your compass etc. Thanks to all our coaches who gave their time. We hope to organise more sessions soon!