State League Events 1 & 2

 State Leagues 1 & 2 – A Weekend of Diversity

The State league season kicked off with a 2 totally different maps. With Saturday on the complex-built environment of Macquarie University followed on Sunday with the Eucalypt Forest at Falnash NW of Lithgow.

Saturday SL1 Macquarie University

State League 1 included the NSW Sprint Distance Championship so much was on the line. The fields were large and Uringa had a total of 22 entrants- that is the biggest for a long time. The uni map is complex with lots of nooks and crannies, gardens, stairs and pathways. It is a great venue, a real test. Courses set here can be devastatingly difficult, fortunately the courses were enjoyable and not too hard! 

Grabbing the top spot on the podium were Michael Warlters M60, Catherine Bilmon W40A and Ori Gudes M45AS. Ori won by just 9 seconds- His smile was from “ear to ear”!

One step lower on the podium was Helen Murphy W75A and Istvan Grubits M45AS. Another great story here as Istvan was competing in his first state champs. Fantastic result!

Shane Doyle M55A and Charlotte Bilmon M/W10N were next on the podium.  Not on the podium but close were Harrison Grubits M14A and Serena Doyle W21A in 4th place. Close but not close enough in 5th place Dave Lotty M80A Ian McKenzie M35A and Laurence Bruggeman in W45A. This was Laurence’s first race in the A class- well done.

Must mention a Uringan who had a great run and headed into the complex last loop. Navigated successfully though 10.11.12.13.14.- looked up and in so doing spied the finish -full speed ahead, straight past 15. Lesson learnt.

The run in- whoops!

Helen- 2nd place

Charlotte picking up mum, Catherine's First Place badge

Charlotte

Michael 1st Place

Ori- still grinning in 1st

Catherine

Gayle

Serena

Sunday SL2 Falnash State Forest. 

Well, here we go into the bush on an overcast morning which later changed to a drizzly morning as time wore on.

Falnash is predominantly eucalypt forest with fairly gentle spur gully features. There were several large areas out of bounds due to spraying for weeds. The gentleness of the terrain meant you had to keep two eyes on the compass and another on the terrain!

Only 11 Uringans made the journey up the mountains. 

Ant Nolan M50A made up for a disaster in the sprint to come in 1st. Joining Ant was Dave Lotty 1st in EOD easy. Istvan Grubits doubled up with 2nd in M45AS – well done! Also in 2nd was Maggie Mackay W20A. This class is a tough group of very promising orienteers. Way to go Maggie.

Michael Warlters M60A picked up a 3rd along with Jane Boland W Open B. Jane was only 15 seconds behind 2nd place. (That is a difference of 6 seconds a km difference.)

Mention here for Jim Mackay M60A and Gayle Shepherd W55AS who were in 4th in their class. Also a special mention to Harrison and Mitchell Grubits 6th and 8th in M14A. This is a pretty tough class and this will be their first bush season.

What is next!

05-06 April SL 3/4 Cooma- entries close 30th March

13th April - Metro League 1 Uringa is hosting this event at Centennial Park Entries close 6th April

19-21st April Australian 3 Days Victoria. Entries close  30th March or later 4th April. Bulletin 1 is here.

4th May - Metro League 2 Yeramba Lagoon  Entires Close 26th April

10-11 May SL 5/6 ( Also National Orienteering League Events) Entries close 27th April

                 

 

 

Busy few months ahead!

 

Hi Uringans,
We are moving into a very busy few time!
Along with the usual Saturday events there are a number of State League, Metro League, NSW Championships and Australian Championship events on the horizon.
Information for all of these events is on Eventor.
 
July
20^th -21^st State League Events 10 & 11 in the Cessnock Area.
Entries Close on 15^th July
Preliminary information:
https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Documents/Event/18770/5/Information-flyer
 
28^th Metro League 4 – Beacon Hill see Eventor for details

August
4^th  Metro League 1 – Appin
Entries are open and Close on 3^rd August
 
17-18^th NSW Schools Championships including State Leagues 12,13 – Up Turramurra way
Entries are not open as yet
 
 24^th -25th August  State League 14,15 ACT
 Full details not yet available
 
September
1^st Metro League – Doonside Area.

7^th – 8^th  NSW Middle and Long Distance Championships – Kandos.
This is a big event for Uringa as along with Bennelong we are hosting this event and so will need volunteers to assist with lots of tasks. Volunteers can still run.
The closing date for both events is the 18^th August.
Preliminary Details:
https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Documents/Event/18209/2/Preliminary-Event-Information-NSW-Champs-weekend-7th---8th-Sep-2024
 
NEXT UP Finish off September and welcome in October
The Australian Championship Carnival 27^th September – 6^th October
All up there are 10 events in this carnival based in the Armidale- Uralla area.
Australian Middle Distance, Long Distance, Sprint Distance and Relay Championships. Plus the Australian Schools Sprint, Long and Relay Championships. Plus a midweek 3 day event called the Thunderbolt 3 days.
There is a brand new map being used called "Glenburnie". A sample of the map can be found :  https://aoc2024.com.au/events/
Here you can see the actual control sites to get a feel of the map.
All events are pre-entry closing on 1^st September.
Information is available on the carnival web site:
https://aoc2024.com.au/

Last but not least for those who like to pedal!
NSW Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships 12th and 14th October - Appin way
Saturday 12th you have the Sprint Distance followed by the Middle Distance the same day. The Long Distance is On Monday 14th  Monday Details are available; 
https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Documents/Event/18356/1/Bulletin-1

Sandwiched between the Mountain Bike Champs is the first ever Sydney City Race which is being held on Sunday morning- 13th . Details can be found at 
https://shoutout.wix.com/so/0fOyEp8mA?languageTag=en
There is also a warm up race on Saturday for those not wishing to get on their bike.

 

KB 3 Rylstone - Kandos.

The 2024 KB3 was run on a mix of new and old maps. Day 1 - Rylstone Common was first used in Easter 2014 prepared for the Family Relays and Elite Sprint. Day 2- Dungeree State Forest was first used in 1990 Day 1 of the Easter 3 days. Day 3 Minora Rocks was the newest being used for the NSW Championships last year.

For me it was a real buzz to be back on both Rylstone Common and Dungeree State Forest as they were part of events that I had played a significant part in organising and this was the first time I actually got to run on the maps.

Day 1- Rylstone Common.

This pocket-sized area was quite a challenge as the vegetation had grown somewhat since 2014. Control sites varied from rock to wreckage, ant mounds and gullies.

Linda Sesta W55A had a great run to finish first - the harbinger of a magnificent carnival. Alon Gudes and Dave Lotty were second in M12A and  Open Easy respectively. Ron Pallas picked up a third in M55AS.

4th Place; Ant Nolan M50A, Maggie Mackay W20A, Elodie Warlters M/W10N

5^th Place; Gayle Shepherd W55AS

6^th Place: Jane Boland W Open B. Paul Coleman M Open B – I think this was Paul’s first bush event and certainly first big carnival

8^th Place; Michael Warlters M55A

9^th Place; Ori Gudes M45AS

11^th Place Ian McKenzie M55A

 

Alex Davey leading Linda Sesta towards the finish

Linda's W55A Course 

Alon's M12A Course

Alon in full flight

Day 2 Dungeree State Forest

You could count the number of rock features on one hand so the majority of controls were on ant mounds (ant mounds were very small with the control stands often taller were taller!) and gullies. It is an open area however the mapping of the vegetation was way out of date and caused one or two sessions of technical language when trying to locate the control. The courses featured some long legs which were great fun.

Linda Sesta was again home first in W55A along with Dave Lotty in Open Easy. Ant Nolan, M50A, Gayle Shepherd W55AS picked up 2^nd places. Jonathan Nolan, M18A recovered from a day 1 mp to finish 3^rd in a very competitive class. Not to be outdone by Jono, mum Jane Boland was 3^rd in W Open B

4th Place; Alon Gudes M12A, Ron Pallas M65AS, Maggie Mackay W20A

5^th Place; Ori Gudes M45AS, Paul Coleman M Open B, Elodie Warlters M/W10N

7^th Place; Michael Warlters M55A, Hayley Coleman W Open B – Hayley’s first bush event.

9^th Place; Ian McKenzie M55A

 

Jono heading to the finish

Gayle reliving her run her run

Gayle's W55AS course

Ant's M50A Course

After today's event there was time for some sight seeing. Ganguddy ( Dunns Swamp) was a popular venue. The area was mapped for  Day 2 Easter 1990 and is a mass of amazing pagodas. 

Aldo enjoying the view. 

Linda and Aldo amongst the Pagodas

Vista is amazing. Good place to swim too!

Sunday night at the Globe Hotel.

The Social secretary organised club dinner at the Globe Hotel Rylstone and it was well attended by a crowd of Uringans and a few hangers on. Perhaps the highlight of the night was Sherry receiving for Presidents Cup after a fine win at the Uringa Xmas party. It was good for a catch up. Food was pretty good too!

Sherry receiving her President's Cup

Kent, Sherry and Benjamin at the Globe

Ian McKenzie catching up with long out of the game but returning - Glenn Flack 

Day 3 Minora Rocks

Having run on this map September last year we had a pretty good idea of what was to come. The walk to the start was very much like something out of “Picnic at Hanging Rock” as we ascended up through large rocks. There was a distinct benefit in starting up amongst the clouds as it greatly reduced the climb.

Besides the huge rocks there was all so much dead timber on the ground which made progress slow and I think most competitors ended up either face planting or shoulder rolling or simply ending up on one’s bottom. The courses really tested your fine navigation.

Linda again topped the class in W55A. Ori Gudes M45AS was a “man on a mission” finishing 2^nd . Also in second was Jane Boland in W Open B. Jonathan Nolan M18A was 3^rd in his class. Ron Pallas in M55AS scored another 3^rd along with Dave Lotty in Open Easy. Also in 3rd was Ant Nolan M50A.  It was great to see Benjamin Mo competing in the bush in Men Junior B where he finished 3^rd- Great work Benjamin.

4th Place; Elodie Warlters M/W10N, Maggie Mackay W20A,

5^th Place; Alon Gudes M12A, Paul Coleman M Open B

6^th Place: Jim Mackay M60A

7^th Place; Michael Warlters M55A

8^th Place; Michael Warlters M55A

12^th Place Ian McKenzie M55A

 

On the way up, up, up  to the start

Ori flying towards the finish

Maggie heading home.

Ori's course M45AS

Jane's W Open B course. There were some very challenging legs on this course.

The Podium

Fortunately, the weather was quite pleasant as the presentation of badges were made to place getters for the three days. (I must say the weather was very kind to us for the entire weekend.)

Linda was a run-away winner in W55A having cleaned up every day. Alon came in second in M12A, Joined by Jane in W Open B and Dave in Open Easy. Great to see Maggie placing 3^rd in W20A. Maggie is running up a division to gain more experience and competition. Also 3^rd was Elodie Warlters in M/W10N. A great effort Elodie. Ant Nolan M50A had quite a battle in M50A but came home a very happy 3rd 

4^th Place; Paul Coleman

6^th Place; Ori Gudes M45AS,  Michael Warlters M55A

8^th Place; Ian McKenzie M55A

 

Alon in 2nd Place

Ant celebrating 3rd place 

 

It was indeed a great weekend away. Excellent competition, great comradery within the orienteering community. Garingal did a great job presenting 3 events in 3 days. They were rather let down by the interface between their event software and eventor with results hard to find. A lot of head scratching and gnashing of teeth coming from the tent.

Results can be found:

https://results.ostralia.cc/events/KB3-Consolidated-10June2024/index.html

 

We are headed to the Rylstone- Kandos area again on the 7^th and 8^th of September as we are combining with Bennelong to run the New South Wales Middle and Long Distance Championships.

Ant Nolan is the course setter for the Long Distance Championship.

Book your accommodation early.

 Thanks to Garingal and Tony Hill for the great photos

 

Metro League #2 at St.Peter’s Park - no rain!

Uringa offered the first event of the 2024 Metro League season as #1 by Illawarra-Kareelah was postponed due to flooding (now scheduled for August 4 at Appin). Uringans and others turned up to help out at the event.

St.Peter’s Park in the inner west may seem a very urban venue for a Metro event; course setter Matt Peters excelled in using the topography (over the top or around the hills?), the bush (watch out for those tree roots across the path), the wetlands (including stepping stones) and the intricate path network. A map flip was included for the harder courses.

Challenges included route choice, reading map detail and, of course, controls from different courses nea-rish to one another – checking the control number highly recommended.

The MetrO League is an annual inter-club competition for greater Sydney metropolitan clubs. The series is run from April through until September.  

Entrants run individually but earn points for their team based on their relative time. Here is how it works: teams of five compete against each other. The fastest score of the ten runners earns 10 points and the slowest gets one point. The team with the most points wins the match.

 A full team is an advantage – less experienced orienteers should not be deterred from making their contribution! New team members are always welcome and you don't need to attend every Metro League event - just the ones that suit you. This is a great opportunity for newcomers and beginners to experience orienteering in the bush. 

Eventor makes it easy for pre-entry and Division selection. Uringa’s club captain Shane Doyle does the heavy lifting of finalising teams on the day.

Courses in Division 1-3 are of Hard standard [see side one of map for Division 2 below], Division 4 is Hard/Moderate standard, Division 5 is Moderate standard, and Division 6 is a mix of Easy/Moderate standard [see map for Division 6 below]; a variety of distances is offered. The winning time is set for 30-45 minutes depending on division, and most people are finished within an hour.

The variety of distances and difficulty mean that young, adult, fit and less fit can all find a course that's right for them. 

More info on MetrO League at https://onsw.asn.au/events/metro-league

Photos by Mary Jane Mahony and Matt Peters.

State League 4 with some Forest Highlands Series tossed in

 The Southern Highlands played host to an unusual weekend with a State league on Sunday and a SHOO Highlands Forest Series (HFS) on Saturday. The planned State League for Saturday failed to eventuate so SHOO stepped up with their first HFS event of the season.

Anyone who travels the Hume Highway south would know the Sutton Forest Service Centre well just a smidge further south is Penrose State Forest. rest area which was the assembly for the HFS. Penrose SF is an extremely large area and is always the sight of logging and then planting. It is also home to some great rock features as you head down into the creeks.

It was only a small mob from Uringa present on a very comfortable sunny afternoon.  The courses were well set by Angus Shedden and patches of  bracken fern hid the lay of the land and the odd fallen branch from view.

Dave Lotty was the only Uringan to feature on the podium 3rd in Men Easy. However the fast improving Laurence Bruggerman was 4th in Women Moderate. Also 4th was Maggie McKay in Women Long Hard class. Linda Sesta  was a minute of two behind Maggie in 5th. Ant Nolan was 8th on Men Long Hard and so to was Gayle Shepherd in Women Short Hard. On the same course Melanie Christie was 11th. Similarly placed was Jonathan Nolan on Men Long Hard. Jim Mackay was 13th on the Long Hard course.

After an excellent afternoon's orienteering a few gathered at the Goulburn Workers Club for a beverage or two and an excellent dinner.

The morning saw similar weather greet the orienteers as they headed to Snows Hill which is south east from Tarago. The heavy rain that drenched NSW a few weeks back made its presence felt with a car bogged to the axles when it strayed a few centimetres from the straight and narrow. Orienteers are a resourceful lot with a two rope and some "serious grunt" courtesy of a 4WD extricating the car and the orienteers from their predicament.

Snows Hill has very very few tracks and the area we were in  had none. This makes setting courses for our Easy very easy hard. However Hamish Mackie, course setter from Big Foot, had provided streamers and signs - "You are going the right way YAY" or "No don't go this way" and pivotal moments on their courses- well done. I wish I had had a few of those.

Linda Sesta, W55A and Ron Pallas M65AS were 1st home and very gruntled in their classes. In 3rd in Women Open B was Laurence Bruggerman. This was a fantastic effort. Laurence commented that she had Jane Boland's advice echoing in her head the whole way around. Jane was heard to say she wished she also had listened to her own advice  coming in 6th in Women Open B. Jonathan Nolan was 3rd in M18A. Michael Warlters was 4th home in M55A. Jim Mackay had a great run to finish and excellent  5th in M60A. Ant Nolan had a quotable Barry Crocker (shocker) as he made a dogs breakfast. Dave Lotty was a mp on M65AS.

Check out Grace Crane's run in W21A. It is worth viewing as she navigated around and through the green which was tough going both from a physical and visibility point of view.

https://www.livelox.com/Viewer/2024-NSW-State-League-4-Snow-Hills-ACT-Classic-Series-ACT-L/W21A?classId=737690&tab=player.

The two events on the weekend were part of the selection trials for the NSW Schools Team for the Australian Schools Championship to be held in Armidale this year. Jono and Maggie certainly didn't do their chances for selection any harm.

Spare a thought for Ant and Jane plus Ori who are coaches for the Junior training Camp at Belanglo for the week.  Organised by Helen O'Callaghan it looks like everyone has a very full week of training ahead. Check out the timetable:

https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Documents/Event/18325/1/Camp-Timetable-including-Roster

The next month or so is very quiet with Uringa running a Metro League event at Sydney Park, Alexandria on May 5th. This unfortunately clashes with events at Broulee on the South Coast. Later in may there is a weekend or orienteering at Wee Jasper - east of Gundagai and west of Canberra  on the 18th and 19th. This is a great area and is well worth the longish drive in although you can camp in a beautiful camp ground.

Dinner at Goulburn Workers

Gayle arriving at the control (behind the tree with Stephanie

Jim

Jono

Maggie

Map - Wee Jasper Karst Limestone super fast

Keep in mind the 2024 Australian Championships being held in the Armidale / Uralla area late September, early October- a total of 7 events  over a 9 day period.