With March nearly upon us, the SOW and W6 now fading in memory, the orienteering season really starts to pick-up pace. For many the immediate focus turns to trials for JWOC and WOC, with the primary selection races for JWOC taking place next weekend in Hawkes Bay. Having had a sneak preview, Derek Morrison has certainly set some challenging courses on Smedley Station, one of the longest lasting orienteering maps in New Zealand (first used, I think in 1984, but never tiring). Fuller details of the National Squad camps, to take place prior to, and leading into, the Anzac Weekend 3-day event are also included below. Finally there is a remit which will be voted on at the ONZ AGM regarding the “athlete contribution fee” for WOC, JWOC, and Australian Schools teams. Information on this is provided below so that those with strong feelings can make these known to their clubs.

Malcolm Ingham

(mandg.ingham@xtra.co.nz)

National Coaching Coordinator

I am pleased to announce that ONZ Council has approved the appointment of Jean Cory-Wright as National Coaching Coordinator. Jean brings more years’ experience to the role, the primary focus of which is to ensure and extend a uniform standard of coaching throughout New Zealand orienteering. This will be targeted not just at the elite level, but also at development further down the junior ranks.

JWOC Selection Events – March 5/6

Saturday 5 March: Middle Distance

Map:    Smedley Station 1:10000, 5m contour interval

Directions: From the North (or Napier airport) take Highway 50 to Smedley Road, and turn right.  If you reach Tikokino, turn back , you will have gone about a kilometre too far. From the South follow Highway 50 to Tikokino, then look for Smedley Road which will be on the left approximately one kilometre past Tikokino. The road takes you to Smedley Station HQ, from here follow farm tracks to the event centre. The event will be signposted from the intersection of SH50 & Smedley Road.

From Highway 50 it is 13km, approx. 15-20 mins. Smedley Road is unsealed from about halfway and narrow and windy so please take extreme care. The start of Smedley Road is 46km from Hastings. Allow a total of 1 hour travelling from Hastings to the Event centres and an additional 15 mins from Napier.

Parking: Allow 10 minutes from Smedley Station HQ to a small parking area, further parking is 500 m further on adjacent to the finish. There are 3 steep ascents/descents and if wet parking may be at HQ. There is no mobile phone coverage at the event centre.

Start:   Adjacent to parking.

Start times: To be allocated, 2 minute start interval, first start 1.30 pm.

Course lengths/climb:

Men:                3.25 km, 250 m climb, 17 controls

Women:           3.03 km, 210 m climb, 13 controls

Terrain: Gully spur farmland with scattered totara, denser around some of the gullies. Streambeds are often surrounded by some impassable cliffs and native trees of variable runnability. Full body clothing is recommended due to the presence of ongaonga and bush lawyer.

Sunday 6 March: Long Distance

 Map:    Smedley Station 1:15000, 5m contour interval

Directions: As for Saturday to Smedley Station HQ.

Parking: Allow 5 minutes from Smedley Station HQ to parking area. There is no mobile phone coverage at the event centre.

Start:   There is a 20-25 minute walk to the start.

Start times: To be allocated, 3 minute start interval, first start 10.00 am.

Course lengths/climb:

Men:                8.25 km, 450 m climb, 20 controls

Women:           6.60 km, 350 m climb, 14 controls

Terrain: Gully spur farmland with scattered totara, denser around some of the gullies. Streambeds are often surrounded by some impassable cliffs and native trees of variable runnability. Full body clothing is recommended due to the presence of ongaonga and bush lawyer.

2016 SuperSeries

The first two races of the 2016 SuperSeries were run as part of the Waitangi Weekend Sprints. With the M/W20 grades running on the same courses as the elite grades all the juniors scored points in both Senior and Junior competitions. Comfortable leaders in the Senior classes after these first two races are Tim Robertson and Dani Goodall, although Tim was helped by Nick Hann, who won at Whitireia, being the mapper for Raumati and unable to run. While Penny Kane, after a close second to Dani at Whitireia did not feature at Raumati either. In the Junior classes Tommy Hayes leads in M20 with Dani, of course, heading W20. The next races in the SuperSeries are all three individual events at the ONZ Championships at Easter, with the relay also counting in the teams competition.

Top 10 positions in both Senior and Junior competitions are as follows.

M21E				Whitireia	Raumati	Total
1	Tim	Robertson	OHV	80	100	180
2	Tommy	Hayes	A	50	60	110
3	Nick	Hann	W	100		100
4	Ed	Cory-Wright	PAPO	60	31	91
5	Alistair	Richardson	PAPO	45	45	90
6	Matt	Goodall	CM	37	50	87
7	Devon	Beckman	HB		80	80
8	Shamus	Morrison	W	40	35	75
9	Gene	Beveridge	NW	27	40	67
10	Max	Griffiths	NW	35	29	64

 

W21E				Whitireia	Raumati	Total
1	Danielle	Goodall	CM	100	80	180
2	Imogene	Scott	N	50	100	150
3	Kayla	Fairbairn	NW	45	60	105
3	Becky	Gray	NW	60	45	105
5	Penny	Kane	W	80		80
6	Sarah	O’Sullivan	W	40	37	77
6	Alice	Tilley	NW	37	40	77
8	Tessa	Ramsden	RK	31	35	66
9	Katie	Cory-Wright	P	33	31	64
10	Heidi	Stolberger	NW	28	33	61

 

M20				Whitireia	Raumati	Total
1	Tommy	Hayes	A	80	100	180
2	Ed	Cory-Wright	PAPO	100	50	150
3	Matt	Goodall	CM	60	80	140
4	Stefan	Przychodzko	OHV	31	60	91
5	Max	Griffiths	NW	50	40	90
6	Ryan	Williams	A	35	45	80
7	Stephen	Harding	PAPO	45	33	78
8	David	Rawnsley	HB	37	35	72
9	James	Crosby	A	40	31	71
10	Matthew	Turner	W	24	37	61

 

W20				Whitireia	Raumati	Total
1	Danielle	Goodall	CM	100	100	200
2	Kayla	Fairbairn	NW	80	80	160
3	Alice	Tilley	NW	60	60	120
4	Katie	Cory-Wright	PAPO	45	45	90
5	Heidi	Stolberger	NW	37	50	87
6	Ellie	Molloy	W	40	33	73
7	Lara	Molloy	W	25	40	65
8	Kate	Salmon	NW	35	29	64
9	Anna	Parsons	A	33	30	63
10	Anna	Crosby	A	30	31	61
10	Sassafraz	Marshall-Johnson	T	26	35	61

 

National Senior and Under 23 Squads Camp

The draft programme for the camp is as follows:

Sat 16 April     – meet in Wellington in late morning 16 April

• sprint training on Whitireia and Tawa College
• accommodation on Saturday night either at a local backpackers or spread around WOC/OHV members)

Sun 17 April

• am either a WOC event at Missing Link (steep, clean pine forest) or further sprint training (Vic Uni)
• pm travel to Masterton, accommodation at either Chanel Court Motel or Mawley Park Motor Camp

Mon 18 –Thurs 21 April

• training around the Wairarapa including Halcione (slump terrain), Hapua (slump terrain and native forest), Ngatahwhai (clean pine), Te Wharau (pine mixed runnability), and possibly further Masterton sprint maps

Fri 22 April

• travel to Palmerston North, possible sprint session
• group accommodation to be arranged

Sat 23 – Mon 25 April

• Anzac Weekend 3 day event

Funding has been applied for through ONZ to keep the cost as low as possible. If there is sufficient need a minivan will be booked to take people from Wellington on Sun 17 April and back to Wellington on the 25 April. A registration form will be sent out to all National Senior and Under-23 squad members shortly.

ONZ AGM Remit on Athlete Contribution Fee

Since the athlete contribution fee policy for WOC, JWOC and Schools teams to Australia was announced late in 2015 there has been considerable discussion as to the implications and need for this policy. Issues that have been raised include

• does this fee cover both training and competition weeks at events at JWOC and WOC?
• should there be such a one-size-fits-all approach, or should allowance be made for athletes who choose, for example, to arrive relatively late at JWOC/WOC and not use the full training week?
• what are the data that these fees are based on and how are they decided?
• should actual costs happen to come in at less than the fee will a refund be made to athletes?
• is there any allowance for the fact that the additional cost of say, a team of 9 rather than a team of 8 at WOC, is marginal and much less than the extra fee?

As a result of these, and other, questions, North West and Wellington Orienteering Clubs have submitted the following remit the ONZ AGM to be held in St Arnaud onSaturday 26 March.

That in the introduction of an athlete contribution “fee” for athletes competing at the World Orienteering Championships (WOC), the Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC), the Southern Cross Challenge, and Australia-New Zealand Schools Test Matches it be reaffirmed that

(1) for WOC and JWOC, Orienteering New Zealand will continue to pay all entry and accreditation fees for athletes and officials;

(2) when an athlete contribution “fee” for one of the above events is announced the anticipated budget for the event is made publically available on the ONZ website;

(3) within 2 months of the event the full accounts for the event are made publically available on the ONZ website;

(4) should the actual cost per athlete be less than the athlete contribution “fee” then refunds of the difference will be made in timely fashion.

Voting at the ONZ AGM is on a club basis where each club has a set number of votes depending on its membership. However, anyone is able to attend and speak. As the introduction of this fee has potentially significant implications for all HP athletes, if you feel strongly about this issue, either way, you should make representations to your club committee and attend the AGM if you wish to make your views known.

Pics from W6