Georgia Whitla won the Auckland Champs middle distance last Saturday, but it would have been a hollow victory. The joy of orienteering comes from performance not results, and dropping 7 1/2 minutes to win an elite middle distance is not the performance to tickle a self-respecting elites fancy. She was hardly the only one plunging the depths of Woodhill forest though last weekend.
Auckland Orienteering Club put on three events over the two day weekend, with the Woodhill Middle followed by a Sprint at Farm Cove on the Saturday and a long distance at Woodhill on the Sunday. Everything was much as you expect, and much like many of us have experienced many times. The organisation was friendly and efficient. The maps were good (except the "maze" area which should not be used for serious orienteering), the courses were good (except the sprint distance which needed to use the detail more and provide spectator appeal) and the weather was pleasant. Entirely unremarkable and prodigiously unmemorable. I'm struggling for images and words to bring up in my head to describe.
The Auckland clubs are at risk of losing access to parts, if not all, of Woodhill forest. This is an opportunity, not a calamity. Give us some new experiences please, you live in a beautiful part of the country.
One athlete that is always remarkable though is the irrepressible Chris Forne. How a man who has barely run since his injury in the World Games can complete with the race sharpened Nick Hann and the maestro Matt Ogden on his own terrain is beyond me, but he did winning the middle before losing only in a very close and high level race to Ogden in the long. These three were a long way ahead of the other elites in their split times, brutal navigational efficiency and speed through the terrain. Tane Cambridge and Tim Robertson held on to their boot straps but the others were left eating their dust.
The stand out result in the womens grade was Laura Robertson win in the long distance. One early mistake, but otherwise very consistent, and well clear of Greta Knarston and Penny Kane.
In the junior elite men it was good to see Matt Goodall register a couple of wins in the forest, and Tommy Hayes take out the sprint. Devon Beckman was close every time and Callum Herries was leading both the sprint and long for significant periods before just not finishing it off. The junior elite women was dominated again by Alice Tilley, who has been proving hard to beat recently. Kayla Fairbairn was the next most consistent but only made second in the sprint with Sonia Hollands and Rebecca Gray having a good run each. Lauren Holmes wasn't far off the pace either, just looking for the next level of improvement to get her right up with the others. Good racing.
Auckland Orienteering Club put on three events over the two day weekend, with the Woodhill Middle followed by a Sprint at Farm Cove on the Saturday and a long distance at Woodhill on the Sunday. Everything was much as you expect, and much like many of us have experienced many times. The organisation was friendly and efficient. The maps were good (except the "maze" area which should not be used for serious orienteering), the courses were good (except the sprint distance which needed to use the detail more and provide spectator appeal) and the weather was pleasant. Entirely unremarkable and prodigiously unmemorable. I'm struggling for images and words to bring up in my head to describe.
The Auckland clubs are at risk of losing access to parts, if not all, of Woodhill forest. This is an opportunity, not a calamity. Give us some new experiences please, you live in a beautiful part of the country.
One athlete that is always remarkable though is the irrepressible Chris Forne. How a man who has barely run since his injury in the World Games can complete with the race sharpened Nick Hann and the maestro Matt Ogden on his own terrain is beyond me, but he did winning the middle before losing only in a very close and high level race to Ogden in the long. These three were a long way ahead of the other elites in their split times, brutal navigational efficiency and speed through the terrain. Tane Cambridge and Tim Robertson held on to their boot straps but the others were left eating their dust.
The stand out result in the womens grade was Laura Robertson win in the long distance. One early mistake, but otherwise very consistent, and well clear of Greta Knarston and Penny Kane.
In the junior elite men it was good to see Matt Goodall register a couple of wins in the forest, and Tommy Hayes take out the sprint. Devon Beckman was close every time and Callum Herries was leading both the sprint and long for significant periods before just not finishing it off. The junior elite women was dominated again by Alice Tilley, who has been proving hard to beat recently. Kayla Fairbairn was the next most consistent but only made second in the sprint with Sonia Hollands and Rebecca Gray having a good run each. Lauren Holmes wasn't far off the pace either, just looking for the next level of improvement to get her right up with the others. Good racing.
7 comments:
Get ready for TONIC2014, 3 days of action pack orienteering in new amazing, insane, beautiful greenery that is Riverhead Forest.
Mapped by the prolific Hannbeatable, this 3day will arouse, emote and even excite the most farm-softened Orienteer.
Sprint, chasing start middle and a REAL long distance this 3day will reinvigorate the quality and purity that has been lacking of late.
Watch this space.
When is TONIC planned for Matt?
Can I come?
Awesome.
Dazza, the goss was a pre-nationals date, perhaps early March. It would be awesome to have another quality event on the calender this time of year to join STB.
I agree with all of what you've said here Jamie.
Regarding elite competition in NZ, I think we as NZ elites all need to strive for better performances: more consistent navigation, less tolerance for mistakes and hesitations. We don't have the extremely competitive top level of orienteering in NZ that is present over in Europe, but we should try to recreate it, so that we have many at the very top level, not just one or two. Easier said than done, of course... but I for one will continue to work on improving my performance by not just accepting a win or a good result. It's too easy to get complacent... Instead I imagine what time Simone or Tove would have done on one of these courses? That is what we should be comparing ourselves to... and should be learning from our mistakes/improving our weaknesses so we can get closer to that top level.
I also think we need more maps up in Auckland, particularly my club... I actually don't know any good potential areas off the top of my head but I'm sure there must be some! It should definitely be a priority for us... other clubs seem to be doing a lot better in this regard.
TONIC sounds amazing though Matt! Count me in :)
Awesome mentality Imogene. Give it heaps!
Sorry Jamie, I have to call you out on your casual dismissal of access to Woodhill.
I like a new map as much as the next orienteer but, regardless of whether or not we manage to open new areas, losing access to Woodhill would definitely be a calamity.
I understand what you're saying about new experiences, but please lets not be flippant about a significant threat to the sport in Auckland. The value of the Woodhill terrain/maps should be self-evident, certainly for our clubs but arguably to the sport nationally. We are taking this very seriously and a number of people are committing a load of energy to addressing it.
Meanwhile (and on this point I can't speak for AOC or CMOC) within NWOC you'll be pleased to hear we have people working to develop new areas. You will note that NWOC has produced a handful of new maps in recent years - we're trying to make it just part of what we do. You'll also note that AOC held their Sprint event on a new map.
I was genuinely disappointed to miss the Auckland Champs though. Sounds like I missed a golden opportunity to beat you ;)
Post a Comment