In the Interclub Orienteering Challenge points are awarded to participants for participating and completing their course and to the placegetters in each course. The points earned by placegetters are weighted in favour of the longer and harder navigation courses.

The event was conducted in the northern part of the Livingstone National Park and State Conservation Reserve where the broad steep hills are prickly scrub are unforgiving when navigational errors are made. Time was easily lost if route choice was not carefully made.

There was an excellent turnout with almost 50 people including several family groups participating. Waggaroos started the day 44 points in arrears and despite some good performances could not completely wipe of the deficit.

On the 5.7 km Hard course although Matt Flower (A) finished second behind ACTs John Scown and scored valuable bonus points for the Albury club, Waggaroos Stuart Young and Tadeusz Davenport were just seconds behind and by finishing ahead of crack Albury trio Raf Freire, Leigh Privett and Rob Simmonds helped Waggaroos take a slight 3 point lead.

Then Waggaroos junior Jack Janetzki and veteran Alex Davey finished first and second respectively on the 4.5 km Hard course ahead of several Albury orienteers to increase the Waggaroos lead to 7.

Albury reduced the deficit when Emma and Indiana Flower won the 3.5 km Moderate course but a succession of Waggaroos finishing before the next Albury orienteer ensured Wagga won this course and slipped out to a 15 point lead.

This was extended on 1.8 km Easy course where Wagga were unchallenged by Albury.

At the end of the day Waggaroos won the event 63:32 but Albury won the series 376:363 in what was the closest competition for a number of years.

The next local event will be conducted at Rawling's Park on Sunday 15 September starting at 10 am from the eastern end of Angel St, Lake Albert. Newcomers are welcome.

Results:

·        AWOC President Peter Mousley advises that there were 61 participants in total - many children - making it one of the bigger Interclub events ever.

There were some fine performances by Waggaroos:

·         Deb and Alex Davey completed the quinella in the Short Red; and Jack Janetzki came 4th .... and we still lost that course!

·         Stuart Young did very well in the Long Hard course.

·         Great to see that Nick Mousley (AWV) and Tom Janetzki (WRN) teamed up and ran together on the Orange course. Apparently Peter Mousley had suggested to Nick last year that he should run with one of the other kids to help get confidence on a harder course. So yesterday he teamed up with Tom and they came second! It is what Tom needs too - a bit of confidence in the forest. As Peter said: From their course time they should have been doing it long ago!  (I have agreed with Peter to give each 3 bonus points each rather than splitting the points between them - they deserve the points for their effort and although it makes no difference to the relative points tally, we had better not lose by less than 1.5 points after the next race).

·         Julie, Jarrah and Eltan came second on the Easy course.

• Lovely to see that Nicola Smith made the trip with her family; and for Road Runner Nicola Wunderlich and her two children to pop along to what I think was their first event even if it was a rather slow wander.

From all accounts Jack Janetzki did a great job organising his first bush event.

The 1.9 km Easy course was a close affair with Waggaroos 12yo Tom Janetzki winning by a mere 54 seconds from his 12yo Albury counterpart Nick Mousley.

Alburys Josh Roy did very well to win the 3.o km Moderate course but with Dale Clegg and Wes Campbell filling the minor places Waggaroos just sneaked ahead to win that course.

A rather innocuous depression on the two long courses was not as innocuous as it appeared and several participants lost time there; Waggaroos fared worse allowing Albury to do better in the two Hard courses.

Despite Alex Davey comfortably winning the 3.6 km Hard course and scoring valuable bonus points, Albury had Liz Wood and Hugh Cameron came in ahead of the next Waggaroos participants and the course was tied.

Albury dominated the 4.8 km Hard course with Leigh Privett, Matt Flower and Peter Mousley filling the first three places before Waggaroos Stuart Young and Briohny Seaman finished.

On the day Albury had a nice 10 point win 47:37 and after 6 events lead 269:260. There are two events to go, with the next being at Tabletop, just north of Albury, on 4th August.

Wolfram full results:

Kelly Munyard tried orienteering for the first time and did well enough to win her course at the Waggaroos orienteering event at Pomingalarna Park last Sunday. Kelly participated on the Easy navigation course which allowed participants to follow various linear features such as paths and watercourses. With numerous bike tracks in the area the main challenge was ensuring the correct one was followed. Kelly’s winning time was almost 10 minutes ahead of the Hatherly family who finished second. Kath Oliver finished third.

The 3.3 km Moderate navigation course did enable linear features to be followed but also provided options for cutting across country to pick up major catching features that led into the target feature. Target features included a number of the earth walls and earth mounds that populate the hillsides so the challenge was in keeping track of which earth wall you were following or crossing. Iona Judd, Melissa Comrey and Lauren Edmonson teamed up together to tackle this course and enjoyed a leisurely wander through the forest.

The 3.7 km and 5.1 km Hard navigation courses looped and zig-zagged across the hillsides in a way that made strict following of linear features difficult. Participants had to move from one set of linear features to a second or third in order to find the target features. On these courses the target features included many point features such as small patches of rocky ground, or isolated pits, and knolls.

On the 3.7 km Hard course Waggaroos John Oliver held on to win from ACT’s Ann Scown with Alex Redhead finishing third.

The 5.1 km Hard course was dominated by ACT orienteers. Grant McDonald won comfortably ahead of John Scown and Mary McDonald. Waggaroos Phil Roy was off the pace but did well to finish fourth.

Next Sunday the Interclub Challenge Series against Albury resumes with event 5 at 9 Mile Hill commencing at 10 am. Drive to Gerogery along the Olympic Way and turn right at the Gerogery Hotel into Main St towards Jindera. 9 Mile Hill is about 18 km along this road on the left.

Results:

Seven year-old Ryder Seaman won the Easy course; his father, Trent, won the Moderate course; his mother, Briohny, won the long Hard course; and his grandmother, Deb Davey, won the short Hard course to guide Waggaroos to a 52:38 victory for the day and consolidate the overall lead in the Interclub Orienteering Challenge.

The first part of the 1400 m Easy Course involved a nice downhill section along a well formed track, then led participants along a small path before a long uphill climb across semi-open farmland along a watercourse. Ryder Seaman coped admirably winning by almost 10 minutes and gain handicap honours for the day.  There was a good tussle for second place with the Hatherly family group just gaining the ascendancy over Kath Oliver by a mere 9 seconds. Six year old Jarrah Mestan finished fourth. Because there were no Albury representatives on this course Waggaroos amassed a valuable 14 points.

The 2.8 km Moderate Course alternated between the farmland and woodland that had numerous discrete rock features. As well as testing navigational ability across the hills it also involved a couple of steep climbs that tested physical abilities as well. Trent Seaman did an excellent job for Waggaroos winning the course finishing almost five minutes ahead of Josh Roy, Albury’s first orienteer to finish. ACT’s Ann Scown finished in third place. Waggaroos Dale Clegg and Wes Campbell then held off Albury’s John Trevivian to ensure Waggaroos won the Moderate course 14:7.

The hard courses took participants into some complex rock terrain and across numerous steep hills. Participants had to be careful not to get too far off their line because relocating proved to be difficult and invariably required another steep climb. One control site in particular proved to be the undoing of several orienteers possibly because of its location half way up a hillside and with many of the nearby attack features appearing to be similar enough to cause confusion. It was those who found this control site quickly who did well.

On the 3.5 km Hard Course Waggaroos Deb Davey found it quickly and had a very comfortable victory, winning by almost 11 minutes. In the context of the Interclub Challenge points this course was a much more even affair. Rick Armstrong finished second to score valuable points for Albury. John Oliver (W) then managed to finish third ahead of Albury’s Liz Wood and grab the remaining bonus points and give Waggaroos a slight advantage. This was enhanced when Shani Rajasekera (W) finished and the remaining three Albury orienteers failed to finish giving Waggaroos a 14:11 win on this course.

Albury did have some success on the 4.9 m Hard Course. Waggaroos Briohny Seaman had a strong win but then four Albury participants finished before Waggaroos Tadeusz Davenport and Lachlan Campbell to give Albury a 20:10 points win on this course.

On the day though Waggaroos prevailed with a 52:38 point win and at the half way point Waggaroos lead the series 187:174.

Event 5 in the Interclub Orienteering Challenge will be conducted on Sunday 7 July at 9 mile Hill near Albury.

The next local event will be on Sunday 30 June at Pomingalarna Park commencing at 10 am. The start will be at the western entrance to Pomingalarna Park about 500 m west of Kapooka Rd (San Isadore turnoff).

The lovely sunny morning attracted a number of family groups many of whom were attempting orienteering for the first time.

Starting from the south west end of Willan's Hill off Mimosa St, the 1900 m Easy navigation course enabled participants to make use of the numerous track and paths in the area although one leg required following a long earth wall through the scrub.Times were quite close and competitive despite many newcomers. Phoebe and Simon Matthews were quickest around finishing just over a minute ahead of Jarrah Mestan and Julie Gooding. Freya Matthews was not far off the pace and finished well in third place. The Farquhar males, Duncan and Alexander, finished just ahead of the Farquhar females, Emily & Ella.

Following their successful completion of the Easy course the Simon, Freya and Phoebe Matthews then teamed up to attempt the 2.2 km Moderate navigation course. Laura and Suzy Shelton did similarly.

Although the distance is only slightly longer than the Easy course the Moderate course challenges participants with options for cutting across country through the scrub whereas the Easy course is more constrained to obvious track and path options. On Willan's Hill there are numerous earth walls that are relatively easy to follow particularly when the forest floor is as open as currently.

Both groups coped very well with the step up in navigation and the Matthews family added to their Easy course successes recording the quickest time on the Moderate course.

Alex Davey had a convincing win on the 3.8 km Hard navigation course. Both Hard navigation courses included a number of control sites north of Baden Powell Dr that involved some steep uphill and downhill climbs. Alex finished well ahead of newcomer Stuart McDougall with Bob Moore managing to grab third place ahead of Dale Clegg.

On the 5.4 km Hard course Briohny Seaman finished a strong 12 minutes ahead of John Oliver.

Results:

Waggaroos orienteers won three of the four courses to secure a good win in event 3 of the Interclub Orienteering Challenge against Albury last Sunday. In the Interclub Challenge points are awarded to participants for participation, successful completion of their chosen course, and to placegetters on each course.

Event 3 was conducted at Walbundrie in lightly wooded terrain across three low hills covered with various rock features.

Deb Davey led the Waggaroos charge on the 4.6 km Hard navigation course with a narrow 31 second victory over Albury’s Leigh Privett. Alex Davey was a further minute behind in third place but well ahead of the next three orienteers who were all from Albury. This enabled Waggaroos to win on this course by the narrowest of margins 14:13.

Junior orienteer Jack Janetzki was the only Waggaroo on the 3.5 km Hard navigation course but led the field home with a convincing 18 minute win over Albury’s Emma Flower. The points he earned were valuable even though by weight of numbers Albury won this class 15:7.

The reverse happened on the 3.2 km Moderate navigation course where Emma Joyce was the only Albury participant and won the course. She was closely followed by Waggaroos Dale Clegg, Bob Moore and Wes Campbell and weight of numbers meant Waggaroos won this course 11:6.

Only two participated on the 1.5 km Easy course, both Waggaroos. Tom Janetzki won comfortably from Pauline Moore. The 9 points earned on this course gave Waggaroos a 41:35 victory for the day.

After three events Albury lead by the narrowest of margins 136:135 ensuring some fascinating competition in future rounds.

The next Waggaroos local event is on 2nd June on Willan's Hill, starting in Mimosa Drive, near the intersection of Erica Street, starts from 10 am to 12 noon.

Walbundrie results:

The open area and short courses at the Victory Memorial Gardens resulted in some fast times on Mother's Day. 

Mother of two Briohny Seaman slipped around the 1500 m “Mothers & Others Course” in a quick 12.04 finishing 2½ minutes ahead of husband Trent. Alex Davey was third.

Fresh from her second places in the individual and relay races at the Schools Orienteering Day, Freya Matthews backed up to win the 600 m “Mothers Meander” course with sister Phoebe. Ryder and Logan Seaman came second.

Sixty eight children participated in the 2019 Riverina Schools Orienteering Day conducted on Willan's Hill last Thursday.  Primary and secondary schools from Cootamundra, Ladysmith, Wagga Wagga, Yanco, Henty and Walla Walla were represented. Many were experiencing orienteering for the first time.

The day commenced with a 500 m Map Walk in which all participants were provided with some basic information about how the different features such as tracks, earth walls, watercourses, individual trees were represented by symbols on the map and about how to navigate. This was followed by the individual races and then a relay.

Cootamundra Public School dominated the 1.0 km Boys 10-11 class. Alex Brown competed very well to win by just over a minute from school mate Austin Franklin. Cootamundra also dominated the 1.3 km Boys 12-13 age-class in which Oscar Philp managed to hold off a fast finishing Riley Hartshorn for a 52 second victory.

In the 1.0km Girls 10-12 age-group Ladysmith Public School dominated. Zoe Willis absolutely blitzed the field winning by almost 11 minutes and finishing in half the time taken by runner up Indiana Cole. Charlotte Priest recorded an equally impressive time winning the 1.0 km G12-13 class. She finished 2½ minutes ahead of TRAC’s Freya Matthews with Wagga High School’s Layla Byrnes in third place.

It was much closer in the 1.3 km G14-15 age-class. Wagga High School managed a trifecta with Emily Livio just holding off school mates Sophie Ramage and Mackenzie Williams.

Logan Butler ( Wagga High School) won the 1.6 km B14-15 age-class in good style from Henry Cook (Mater Dei Catholic College) and Harry Bunt (Yanco Agricultural High School).

The 1.6 km G16+ class saw the tightest margin of the day. Jo McDougall (Wagga High School) just held off school mate Lily Stein by a narrow 20 seconds. Dekota Jones (Wagga High School) came third but was just a mere 17 seconds further back and Hayley Hutchinson was just 10 seconds in arrears in fourth place.

The B16+ class was also a tight competition. Jack Janetzki (St Pauls College, Walla Walla) eventually prevailed by just 42 seconds over Wagga High School’s Cameron McDougall . Kobe Priest (Mater Dei) finished third but was 9 minutes off the hot pace set by the leaders.

The relay proved to be a hotly contested affair although the prevalence of control flags in the area confused some and a number of teams mispunched. Wagga High School Team 1 ( Jack Hutchinson, Willis Gray, and Cameron McDougall) had a narrow 9 second victory from a composite team of (Freya Matthews, TRAC; Tom Janetzki, Lutheran Primary, Henty; and Jack Janetzki, St Pauls, Walla). The all-girl Wagga High School Team 2 ( Dekota Jones, Lily Stein, and Maycy Scott) surprised many of the boys teams with a very good third place just 3 minutes off the pace. Yanco Agricultural High School finished fourth.