News

September 2022 News

Published Sun 18 Sep 2022

Gene’s Message

Kia ora all. With COVID having minimal impact on sports organisations from now on it looks like the 2022 orienteering season will be completed with very few missed events. I’m taking a moment to look back and be thankful that we got in so much this year, it was not a given. I’m also considering all the workers at our events, often hidden behind the scenes. These people enable our sport and should also not be taken for granted so let’s take a moment to acknowledge them next time we are at rego or download.

Today's Interclub Relay Event

Thanks to everyone who came and ran for North West at today’s interclub relays - we hope you enjoyed the event. Sadly, with a clean sweep across every grade, Auckland Club took home the trophy. Special thanks too to Controller Allan Janes, Planner Cameron de L’Isle, Control Placer Andrew de L’Isle & Coordinator Lisa Mead who were the chief organisers and to everyone else who helped make the event happen.

Newsletter Contents

Event Calendar
Next NWOC Event
Major Events
ONZ Junior Camp + U23 camp - links to sign up
Member News
- Reflections on WUOC - Heidi Stolberger
- Reflections on JWOC - Cameron Bonar
- AKSS Rogaine Champs - Oliver Day
- World Adventure Racing Champs
Member Profiles - Trudy Ringrose and Lesa Lomas
New Members

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.

A couple of different events coming up are:

Lactic Turkey P3/P6 adventure race on 6 November. This is an introductory adventure race for those keen for a new challenge. Details here

For mountain bike enthusiasts, the NZMTBO champs will be held in Rotorua and Tokoroa on 19 & 20 November. Details here Please contact Rob Garden on 021597070 to learn more about this event and the intricacies of MTBO.

Next NWOC Event

Sunday 16 October; North West Club Champs as part of AOS12
Auckland Orienteering Club will host this event to be held on the Mushroom Road map in Woodhill Forest. This event will be pre-entry - details will be advised.
Note: ALL members are encouraged to enter the Club Champs - please don’t be deterred by the word champs; this is an allcomers event!

Major Events

Labour Weekend; Tūāraki North Regional Champs 2022 - hosted by North West
Saturday 22 October to Monday 24 October
Three days of classic Woodhill Forest terrain. Maps include the northern reaches of the 2017 World Masters final Hedley Dunes map and the 2021 NZ Champs Karaka Swamp map. Much of the terrain has only been used once. Maps are being updated now. This opportunity to spend three days on beautiful maps and join in the fun of being the host club is not to be missed!
While the event name includes the term Champs - the event is not just for want-to-be champions! There are courses to suit orienteers at all levels. A special invite to our new members to come and experience the fun of a multi day orienteering carnival.
For those new to orienteering and wondering which grade to enter, orange level courses are available as M/W21B or M/W40B and are very suitable for novices.

Everyone who enters before 22 September goes in the draw to win of 3 packs of Graze NZ Good Snacks thanks to our event sponsor Graze NZ who are generously gifting us a selection of their products for our event.
Be in to win and enter now here
Event website here

ONZ Junior & U23 Camp venues and dates

This year's U23 and Junior Camps will be based at Houghton's Bush Camp in Muriwai on the following dates:
U23 Camp - Wednesday 7 to Tuesday 13 December 2022
Junior Camp - Wednesday 14 to Sunday 18 December 2022
For Junior Camp, limited numbers are able to attend - sign up now using the link below. Note - registration closes on 30 September.
2022 Junior Camp Sign-up Link

Member News

World University Orienteering Champs - report from Heidi Stolberger
A few weeks ago a couple of North West club members, Liam Stolberger and me (Heidi Stolberger), travelled to Biel/Bienne Switzerland to compete in the World University Orienteering Champs as part of the New Zealand contingent.

For many of the team this was their first time competing at this high a level in Europe and was a great learning experience for everyone. We began with some pre-event training in the Eastern part of the country on some of the training maps for WOC 2023 in Flims. While these were not particularly relevant to WUOC terrain, there was still some really tough, technical rock detailing to test our navigation and get us hyped for the possibility of running in the area again in 2023.

The final days leading up to the event saw us travel to the North Western side where the competition would be taking place and meant some more relevant terrain to train on. From the 15th of August we moved into the event accommodation at the Swiss University Sports Facility in Magglingen, a town sitting at the top of the hill overlooking the area of Biel where all the teams stayed for the duration of the competition.

The week had a packed schedule, starting out with the sprint in the streets of Biel, followed by the gruelling long distance in the forest of Gondiswil, the sprint relay in Langenthal, middle on the technical slopes of Corcelles and then back to Gondiswil for the relay. With only four people in each grade being able to run each race, it meant the three girls had a particularly hard week running all the races.

The sprint was not overly technical and instead had more focus on speed, however it did include a nice final loop through the old town. The long and relay were run on the same map, an extensive track network weaving through the thick green undergrowth. Another fast course while on the tracks, but easy to have errors as you pushed through dense green patches trying to hold a bearing or coming off tracks at the wrong points. The sprint relay was another classic cobblestoned European town, this time with more route choice and more pressure as the teams raced head to head with one another. The remaining forest event was much steeper, with a more technical mix of vegetation types and rock detailing. This was definitely my favourite terrain and map although the results may not show it.

While the results may not have been as high as many were hoping for or expecting, I think everyone in the team came away from it having learnt a thing or two about just how hard the level of competition is in Europe, the strength that is required to push through the terrain, or just a new motivation to set goals and aim high.

For a more in depth discussion on some of the particular skills and barriers some of us faced head along to Navchat where I chat with Club President Gene Beveridge about our experiences.
Results:
Sprint - Heidi: 73rd
Long - Liam: 66th, Heidi: 67th
Middle - Liam: 74th, Heidi: 73rd

Heidi (L) & Liam (R) at WUOC 2022

World Junior Orienteering Champs - report from Cameron Bonar
From the 26th of June to the 1st of August, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to compete overseas in the under 20’s Junior World Orienteering Champs (JWOC). When I started orienteering JWOC quickly became a goal of mine, after looking up to so many top athletes before me and with the recent covid issues putting a hold on international competitions for the last 2 years. I was so grateful/excited to be able to compete in my final year of being a junior.
I wasn’t sure what to expect going to JWOC, I knew the competition would be fierce and the terrain would be different to anything I had ran on before. The training week tried to best prepare us for what was to come, however, I don’t think anyone was able to fully climatised to running in the 35-40 degree heat. The forest was so different to that of NZ that I was used too, the bush was dry with so many big rock features. The sprint maps were especially cool as we got to run on cobble roads, through small intricate towns that were built hundreds of years ago.
As the competition came closer everyone became more tense, focused on doing well in the days to come. Thus, we were all heartbroken to hear the news about the forest fires in Portugal, and subsequently the postponement of all forest races (4/5 races). Luckily, the best was made of a bad situation and in turn we got to compete in the first ever JWOC sprint relay. The JWOC organisers did an exceptional job in organising this last minute and my gratitude goes out to them.
Overall JWOC was a life changing experience, many friendships were formed, and lots was learnt. I couldn’t have asked to do it with any better of a team, and I’m grateful to have been able to compete alongside lifelong friends.
After JWOC we were lucky enough to also be able to compete in the infamous Oringen. This 20,000-person 5-day competition couldn't have made for a better end to the trip. From an orienteering aspect this terrain felt somewhat close to home, with the open forest and intricate 2.5m contours (Thanks Woodhill). The first 4 races though were fast and full of mistakes. Thus, on the last day during the chasing start I was ecstatic to have walked away on a high note coming 4th in the race. This is an event I’ll never forget, camping with thousands of Swedes and joining them for an Iconic shower or 2, it couldn’t have been any better.
At first this goal seemed like a distant dream, but thanks to the help of all those around me this dream became achievable and eventually became a reality. I’d like to say a special thanks to NWOC as they have been there with me from the beginning, helping out technically, physically and financially throughout my entire journey.

Cameron Bonar at JWOC 2022

Oliver Day - Results from Auckland Secondary Schools Rogaine Champs & NZ Secondary Schools Championships, 2022
Congratulations to North West member, Oliver Day who as a student at Westlake Boys High School has had the following results recently:
- 2nd in the Teams Relay Event for the Intermediate Boys Grade at the NZSS Champs
- 3rd in the Intermediate division for the AKSS Rogaine Championships

Oliver on left

World Adventure Racing Champs
North West member Stu Lynch and fellow orienteers Nathan Fa'avae and Chris Forne are competing now in the Adventure Racing World Champs in Paraguay.
Read more about this World Championship Winning Team and the challenges they will face here
Event details are here
Follow the progress of all of the teams on the live race tracking platform here

2022 Team Avaya: Stu Lynch, Simone Maier, Nathan Fa’avae & Chris Forne

Note to all Members re Results
While we scan results of most events for news of North West members we invite members to advise us of results too. Please email details and photos to northwestorienteering@gmail.com

New Member Profiles

Trudy Ringrose

I’ve been having a great time learning the art of orienteering this winter. I’d been loitering at the odd rogaine event for the last 5 years dragging family and friends along but never took the step to becoming a club member until this year. It is such a welcoming club with everyone so happy to help me improve, I know I should have joined earlier.

It was Rob and Marquita that I first met during lockdown adventure race training and they invited me to join the club. Disappointed that our adventure race events had been cancelled I organised a replacement day for my team, and put it out in facebook world to see if any competition was also keen. We had a group of real orienteers turn up and show us how it was done!

Since then I’ve been attending any NWOC event and training day that I can get to and learning from anyone willing to share from their experiences. Some days go better than others and I’m still learning not to be distracted by others out on course. But I am improving my map reading and fitness and always looking forward to the next event.

Lesa Lomas

I decided to give Orienteering a go as I love being able to go off-trail, to places I’ve never been and to challenge myself both mentally and physically. Not knowing too many like- minded people, I decided to join North West and I’m so glad I did. Everyone I’ve met over the past couple of months has been super supportive, inclusive, and incredibly generous with their time and experience. The training days are simply fantastic, and I look forward to them as much as the events! If orienteering wasn’t already one of the greatest sports ever, the club certainly makes it so!