A Big Summer for New Zealand High Performance Orienteering

They say the "night before the night before" is crucial in gathering good sleep before a targeted race. Well in broader terms it is the summer before that is crucial to a European orienteering season. New Zealand's comparative advantage in World Orienteering is our beautiful summer months, ideal for training, while the competition on the other side of the world is shivering in darkness. With huge opportunities next year in World Champs and JWOC, not to mention a World Cup in Australia just around the corner - this summer we are going to make count.

"Somewhere in the World someone is training when you are not.

 When you race him, he will win"

Two new initiatives have recently been confirmed by the NZOF. The first a short, sharp and intensely competitive super-series, the second a High Performance Camp for both National Squad and Development Squad members. These join the already announced Junior Camp as a complete package of summer high performance activities.

2013 Super Series

The 2013 Super Series will be hotly contested at both elite and junior elite level over three closely spaced stages dovetailing with major events: Auckland Champs, Wellington Champs and Canterbury Champs. In an exciting new development for 2013 there will be a compulsory Super Series final on the technically devastating Rotoiti Maps on the 7th of December. This event will not only be classic distance it will also be a chasing start to determine the series champions.

The 2013 Super Series will be managed by Michael Croxford. For further and ongoing information, and to talk it up, visit the Super Series facebok page: 

2013 High Performance Camp

The 2013 High Performance Camp will immediately follow the Super Series final  (9th - 13th December) and will be held in the Canterbury High Country among the superb cluster of maps that has over time been created by the Peninsula and Plains Orienteering Club. The first joint National and Development Squad Camp for many years, this Camp will be a huge occasion for the High Performance Community.

The camp will be based at Mt Cheesemans snowline lodge. An inspirational setting for an important gathering as we work our way towards future success.

The Chief Organiser of the 2013 High Performance Camp is Development Squad Coach Sarah Gray. Watch this blog for further information. 

The camp aims to be inclusive of those dedicated to high performance orienteering in New Zealand, the community must be more than just the athletes! So if you are interested in coaching, you are a parent, you are interested in supporting your super series team, you have been a long term guru or fan or you have come late to the sport and want a chance to learn with the best, get in touch and we will see what we can do. Initial questions can come to Jamie Stewart 0226293621.