In this issue:
- View from the Chair
- Club Spotlight – Southland
- U23 Performance Camp
- Junior Development Camp
- 2020 Council Positions
GM’s forword
The last month has been a busy one for Orienteering New Zealand. The National Council, many of national committee conveners and key office holders met to discuss your feedback and to set the goals for the next year. Pete talks more about this in his report below.
In the last two weeks the U23 High Performance Camp and the Junior Development have been hosted by Counties Manukau Orienteering Club. Together over one hundred participants took part in these camps which was a feat in itself.
Recently Wellington has circulated information for the 2020 National Championships. Details are still being finalised, but the ONZ Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place during the Championships – more information will follow in the January/February edition of the E-Club Newsletter.
With the AGM looming, this issue of Compass Point includes information about the two National Council positions which become vacated in April. I encourage anyone who is interested to apply. Details are at the bottom of the newsletter.
I encourage everyone to read the Club Spotlight article on Southland Orienteering Club including one of the original maps!
Have a safe and enjoyable holiday season.
Kind regards
Christo Peters
gm@orienteering.org.nz
View from the Chair
With less than a week to Xmas this marks the final compass point for the year, and as such I’d like to say a huge thanks to the many people that support ONZ and the sport of Orienteering; Council colleagues, ONZ staff, and the Volunteers for the various committees and roles. ONZ runs very much on the goodwill and efforts of many people, and without that we would not be able to do many of the things we do. I would also like to thank all the members of the orienteering community who have engaged with ONZ and myself over recent months – your input and feedback have been hugely valuable, and have allowed us to identify improvements. Personally, I have really enjoyed connecting with many people.
December has seen a few things come together which will be important for the year ahead. Firstly, the Council undertook a 2 day planning session in early December with the output being a draft business plan for 2020. I know the topic of business planning is something that can be yawn-inducing for many people, especially those of us who would rather be out there running or competing in events. However for ONZ it’s a critical activity because it is through business planning that we can prioritise things, set objectives and allocate resources which align with what people think is important. And when I say “people”, I don’t mean Council and the GM sitting behind closed doors deciding these things in isolation. “People” in this instance refers to everyone involved in ONZ activities (ONZ role holders and committee members), and in fact all membership was invited to contribute to this through the member survey that went out prior to the planning session. Consequently we had a really good two days which included a session with ONZ role holders and committee reps, as well as spending a lot of time looking at the insights and information that came out of the members survey. What we have come up with then is a draft plan for 2020 which we believe is well informed by the membership and people who are close to the work that ONZ does, and this plan will be sent to clubs in the next week, with a view to getting any feedback back from clubs by the end of January. Once the plan is finalised following feedback, the Council will work through a budgeting process, aligning budget to priorities, and then that plan and budget will guide ONZ’s activities for the year ahead. Christo will post this plan on the ONZ website after Xmas, and it will include a summary of the member survey results as well which are a very worth while read. In the new year this information will be circulated through both Compass Point and the club e-newsletter.
The second area of work that we can report on is the outcome from the Major Events Proposal which went out for consultation in October. Member feedback in general supported the proposal, with just a few tweaks and minor changes made based on feedback from clubs. We think the proposed approach will address many of the issues around major event allocation and management, and will give clubs a much longer planning time extending out several years once the new system is implemented. We know having this sorted is seen as incredibly important by many people, and we look forward to working with clubs to get the process underway in early 2020 – Christo will share the details on this and how it will happen early in the new year.
In the last Compass Point we flagged that two council positions will become vacant at the next AGM, and encouraged people to consider getting involved. I have had conversations with a small number of people since then on this, so it is pleasing to see some interest. We have important work to do with ONZ in the coming year or two, especially as we work towards addressing some of the issues and opportunities identified in the member survey. Consequently we would love to see people put themselves forward who have skill sets or attributes that could bring value to the Council environment, who can problem solve, be objective, and bring a strategic mindset. Christo has information on the application at the end of this newsletter, please get in touch if you want to find out more.
So that wraps up things for 2019, and I hope you all get to have an enjoyable and relaxing break. Have an awesome Xmas and I look forward to catching up with many of you in 2020!
Pete Swanson
027 302 4863
onz-chair@orienteering.org.nz
Club Spotlight
Above: Straight from the SOC archives: Sandy Point map used at an early event on 26.4.80: This event was held using a new ‘oncer’ map; it was run off on a Banda machine and, therefore, although it had 5 colours, the points were not very accurate and a map case was essential (one shower of rain and you’d have had a blank sheet of paper!)
Southland Orienteering Club
In January 1980 Dunedin Orienteering Club (DOC) organised the South Island Champs at Sandy Point, near Invercargill, using a new map, drawn up at their own expense. Such was the enthusiasm from locals at this event, in February a public meeting was advertised; Ken Dowling from DOC addressed it on the pros and cons of starting up an orienteering club; a committee was formed and so the Southern Overlanders Orienteering (SOLO) Club was born.
Subs were set at $9 per family; entry fees $1 and the first event the following month at Sandy Point (where else, with only one map?) was ‘a huge success’ with over eighty competitors spread over the 4 courses. DOC’s monthly newsletter, commented ‘First timers SOLOs recently put on an event which outclassed in every way any event that DOC has ever put on. The planners read the BOF and colour coded course guidelines for detail. A superb result. First time lucky perhaps? Why not try their event on 4th May and see for yourself?’
Monthly events followed fast and furiously with varying amounts of support; 500 Sandy Point maps were purchased from DOC at 18c each; ICC Parks and Reserves co-operated by giving permission to hold events for the rest of the year (no maps, H & S forms and 16-page individual application forms to be submitted back then); learner planners and controllers leapt out of the woodwork, offering a wide variety of events – classic, motala, line, score, map memory, courses for the disabled.
Sixteen areas were mapped in the first 10 years; the Club ran major events, mid week training runs around the city, pot luck tea and film evenings, cheese roll making fundraisers (no registered kitchens or H & S requirements, of course), training weekends and pre-event training sessions. Helen Carmen introduced sales of pendants, ear rings, ‘O’ bags, T shirts and sweat shirts. With the absence of internet shopping, sewing bees were held to make control flags.
They were KEEN! OY (Orienteer of the Year) scoring was introduced and people traveled – often to DOC events, Australia, North Island, Northern Hemisphere, many representing NZ – on one occasion 4 camper-van loads traveled in Tasmania combining orienteering with holidays. How times have changed!
It’s pleasing to see, though, that after the various ups and downs, which all clubs experience, SOC’s present event participation is once more mirroring those halcyon days of the ‘80s. Despite the tightening of council and government rules, plus the change in farming practice and the felling of forests, which has resulted in the loss of 12 good maps, we have mapped new, interesting areas. Although some folk are not as active as they were, names from the ‘80s still linger on– good testimony to a sport well enjoyed and well supported
Next year, 2020, SOC celebrates 40 years of orienteering in Southland. The format is in the planning stage and, like all good orienteering events, this takes time! Email us on southlandorienteeringclub@gmail.com if you’re interested to joining us. Despite the 21stC challenges which we are all caught up in, SOC is in good heart. Thank you DOC, for the initial kick start and on-going support
Written by Sally Duston
U23 High Performance Camp
Thirty-three participants, three coaches and three helpers descended on Clarks Beach for the annual Orienteering New Zealand U23 HIgh Performance Camp.
The camp begun with ONZ High Performance Director outlining the rationale for the camp, emphasising the big step required to go from successful junior orienteering in New Zealand/Australia to international competition at JWOC/WUOC/WOC. Of the participants, thirteen attended for first high performance camp and it is especially important for these athletes to understand the expectations.
Over the week participants were put through their paces by Malcolm, ONZ Coaching Director Jean Cory-Wright and fellow coach Lizzie Ingham. Activities included:
- route choice exercises in Waiuku South,
- mass start relay intervals,
- route choice discussion, analysis using international examples
- GPS tracking exercises, 3000m time trial at Pukekohe Stadium,
- sprint training at Wesley College where they were joined by aura Ramstein (Austria) and Phillip von Arx (Switzerland).
- discussion of sprint orienteering techniques and differences between sprint maps in NZL/AUS (campus style) and Europe (town centres).
- mass start exercises with butterfly loops for splitting. (training for head-to-head racing in a complex area)
- discussion of the days exercises (including tracking) followed by a talk by Laura
- Laura & Philip sharing experiences orienteering/coaching in Austria and Switzerland, Lizzie sharing expereinces of living and training in Norway.
- Intervals on Kelland Road without use of compasses in the complex sand-dune terrain.
- education on Drugs and Drug Testing in sport
- psychology presentation
- verbalization exercise on Waiuku North.
- camp champs on Waiuku North.
- camp sprint champs on Pukekohe High School.
Having the camp in Auckland was a challenge as all the coaches were not familiar with the area. Special thanks must be afforded to the help provided by Counties Manukau Orienteering Club, especially Val Robinson, but also John Robinson and Ross Brighouse. The camp would not have been possible without their assistance.
For the first time GPS tracking was used as a training aid, mainly thanks to the work done by Lizzie Ingham, in not only in obtaining the trackers but also in setting them up each night and analysing the results each evening, was a great success.
This was the first time that Lizzie Ingham has helped coach at an under 23 camp and her experience, expertise and general manner, was a huge factor in its success. Thank you also to Jean Cory-Wright and Gene Beveridge for helping with the driving and for the help given for a few days.
by Laura Ramstein and Phillip von Arx.
Junior Development Camp
Following the U23 Camp, a number of participants stayed on to coach at the Junior Development Camp. Under the the tuition of Jean Cory-Wright, the coaching team had two days to hone their skills before eighty juniors descended on Wesley College.
With such a huge influx of attendees needing to be fed, watered and instructed for five days, preparations had been going on behind the scenes for months. Camp Leader was Kirsty Halliday. She ran the camp with precision, recognising birthdays, ensuring airport pick-ups and drop-offs for the forty-plus different arrivals and departures and scheduling every activity outside coaching for the entire camp. In all twelve clubs were represented.
One of the amazing things about the junior camp is the leadership of the U23 coaches. Every year they choose a new theme – Santa figured highly this year but so did other Christmas figures like the Grinch. The majority of the coaching team had been through the Junior Development Camp system five or so years ago so it was their time to give back.
Like the U23 Camp, participants enjoyed a cast range of activities during daylight hours as well as tutorial sessions in the evenings where they were able to view videos from some of the world’s top orienteers that had been recorded especially for their camp.
Initial feedback from the camp has been overwhelmingly positive. ONZ would like to thank Counties Manukau Club, Camp Manager Kirsty, our wonderful coaches and parent helpers for making this event the success it was.
As the saying goes, a picture speaks a thousand words …so here are some pics taken by Robbie from CMOC:
2020 ONZ Council Nominations
The 2020 ONZ Annual General Meeting will see the retirement Jane Harding and Lynn McBain as part of ONZ’s constitutional rotation policy. This means that there will be two vacancies needing filling on the National Council this year.
Applications for these positions will open shorty. Applications forms will be downloadable from the ONZ website in the next couple of days. Below is the time frame and process for appointing new Council Members:
2020 Council Election Process
21 December 2019 ONZ Council Vacancy – Applications Open
- Applications (not nominations) may be received from any current financial member of an ONZ Club.
- Clubs are not required to endorse any application.
28 February 2020 Applications Close
Applicants information forwarded to Clubs and posted on the ONZ website
6 March 2020 Vote Opens
- We will use the online survey tool SurveyMonkey.
- An email will be sent to each Club Secretary with the link to the voting form.
- Only 1 vote per Club (weighted according to Club Membership Numbers)
- The successful candidate will be first past the post
3 April 2020 Vote Closes
We welcome your feedback at any time.
Our mailing address is:
gm@orienteering.org.nz
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