Gene Beveridge
Profiled April 2015
It was not difficult to choose Gene Beveridge as the first candidate for these series of profiles.
Gene has been a member of NWOC essentially all his life and slowly progressed through the grades by competing at club and school level. Gene went to Massey High School and built up an orienteering team around the remainder of a team from primary school. The success grew and ultimately saw the team dominate at senior level.
After choosing to pursue orienteering instead of road cycling at the end of high school, Gene set his sights on JWOC and travelled to Europe to compete in 2010 and 2011. He was less active due to injuries in 2012 and 2013 but returned to good form in 2014 with a 2nd and 3rd at NZ Champs and a 23rd and a 31st at the World University Orienteering Champs. He is a constant presence at the sharp end of elite competition – 3rd in Nationals Sprint on Friday!
Gene has taken a strong interest in coaching over the past 2 years, and has been instrumental in sustaining the success of AOTC, which has become an orienteering development hot-house. In recognition of his abilities and commitment, Gene has been chosen to coach the JWOC team in Norway this year.
Further afield, Gene would like to spend more time competing at the top level in Europe and is looking into moving to Sweden to make this possible.
As well as his own training and performance goals, Gene is always giving back to the sport in a number of different ways and North West is very fortunate to have him as such an active Club member. He is club coach and is proactive in new coaching initiatives across all levels. He sits on the club committee, has spent considerable time developing new guidelines for Course Setters (see later in the newsletter for link and information), and has worked with Selwyn Palmer from Auckland Orienteering Club to overhaul the digital storage, maintenance and management of our maps. Like coaching, this is work with long-term benefits for the club, and so we’d like to say: “Thank you, Gene!”
Gene was asked the following questions:
Number of years orienteering?
23 years (since I was born).
How were you introduced to orienteering?
Family.
Key orienteering achievements to date?
Most proud of my 23rd in the long distance at WUOC in 2014.
Current orienteering project or goal?
Coach of the JWOC team and aiming to make the WOC team.
Favourite map and why?
Olberget (Mohed, Sweden). This map varies from slow going labyrinths of biggest boulders I’ve ever run though to fast but technical slopes of seemingly unnatural contour detail. I trained on it once in 2011.
Map you have yet to experience but aspire to orienteer on?
The maps in Annecy, France used for WOC in 2011.
Orienteering hero?
Matt Ogden.
Day job?
Engineer for Fisher & Paykel Healthcare.
Other interests?
Cycling.
For more information on Gene visit his worldofo profile, or his personal site.
Next >
