Author Archives: Debbie Dodd

Grab your mountain bike and get ready to explore the Dandenong Ranges with a map!  You’ll have 75 minutes to visit as many controls as you can on two wheels, using the tracks and trails in and around Silvan Reservoir and Dandenong Ranges National Park.  What an amazing way to spend the morning – navigating amongst the spectacular tall timbers!

There is no need to pre-enter – just come along ready to ride, with starts between 10.30 and 10.45am.

Important information for competitors – please read this article.

Start and Finish: Eagle Nest Picnic Ground, Eagle Nest Road (off Silvan Road), Dandenong Ranges National Park.

Riders have up to 75 minutes to visit controls on the supplied colour map. You choose which ones to visit and which way to get there and back. Each control is worth 20 points. 10 points penalty per minute for those longer than 75 minutes.

Entries: Enter on the day – register up until 15 minutes before the 10.30am start time. Fees: Adults $10, Juniors $5.

Map boards and Sportident e-sticks:  available for loan.

Find out more

COVID-19 IMPACT ON ORIENTEERING EVENTS – PARTICIPANT GUIDELINES FOR VICTORIAN PARK STREET EVENTS  March 15 2020                                                                                          

Orienteering Australia has shared guidance on conduct of orienteering events with States and clubs. Orienteering Victoria has adopted the competition guidelines below, and we have already posted them on our website and Facebook page.  These guidelines take effect at all Park Street events from Monday March 16 2020, until further notice.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely, and follow guidance provided by OA for safe and responsible conduct of events.  We expect conditions to change quickly, and will be ready to respond and communicate accordingly. We strongly encourage you to visit the OV website regularly (www.vicorienteering.asn.au) for updates.

Victorian Park Street events

Fixtured events will continue as normal unless/until we are advised otherwise, or unless landowners withdraw permission.

However, the Awards Night and BBQ on Wednesday April 1 will not go ahead; instead we will have a short informal prizegiving (series certificates and Championship medallions) immediately following the event.  The dinner planned for Tuesday March 24 will also not proceed.

Guidelines for competitors

You must not come to any Australian orienteering event or activity if you fall into one of the following categories:

• If you are unwell with a cough or fever or other respiratory symptoms. This is particularly so for people who have recently travelled from overseas.
• If you have been a close contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19 until 14 days after having contact with a confirmed case even if they are completely symptom free.
• If you have returned from or transited through a listed higher risk country (currently mainland China, Iran, Italy, South Korea), until 14 days after leaving the country.
• If you are undergoing COVID-19 testing until you have received your results.
• If you have been advised to stay at home by a health professional.

Precautions at Victorian Park Street events

• Follow good hygiene practices, and provide your own hand sanitiser*
• No catering provided or food for sharing with others to be brought. BYO drinks, snacks, cups etc
• No presentations, or results displays at events
• Maps will be placed on a table for competitors to pick up individually, rather than being handed out
• Volunteers on the finish table, and scorers, will wear gloves when handling control cards
• Briefings will be kept to a minimum.  Participants should register quickly and move away from the table while they wait for the start

** It is currently not practicable for event organisers to provide hand sanitiser or other protective measures for individual participants. Volunteers handling multiple control cards will be provided with gloves.

Debbie Dodd; Margi Freemantle

Orienteering Victoria Park Street Committee Co-Chairs

Phew – just finished another fantastic Melbourne Sprint Weekend!  Six races in six days, including a World Ranking Event, the Australian University Sprint Champs, a bush sprint, a sprint relay, and a 4 stage knockout sprint. Hectic is an understatement!  DROC took on the job of Race 4 at La Trobe University, with Ian Dodd as course planner, Debbie Dodd as event director, and a huge crew of enthusiastic club members who ensured everything ran to plan.  The Relay was first, followed by the individual race, and pressure was on to place the controls, build the arena, run the two events, and pack up and hand over to the next team.

Check out Ian’s Race 4 Feature Leg Analysis where he shows the route choice options on his pick for best leg of each course.

Ian and Debbie were also responsible overall for Finish and Results, while Pam King, Ilze Yeates and Peter Dalwood looked after Registration and Information for the three days.  Asha Steer was kept busy handling the Under 25’s competition. Peter Dalwood also made a huge contribution by updating the map for Deakin University.

DROC had a massive contingent of competitors at each race. We had five club members representing Victoria in the Relay – Asha and Lanita Steer, Peter Hobbs, Sarah Davies and Sally Barlow.  We also had good results in the overall standings, with a win to Sally Barlow in Senior Girls, third place to Damian Spencer (M40), 5th place to Helen Walpole (W40), 4th place to Janine Steer (W50),and 4th place to Ilze Yeates (W70).

Overall Results

Head to our Gallery for a bunch of fantastic photos!

The 2020 Park Street Championship were held on Monday 24 February at Mulgrave, with suitably challenging courses set by Judi Herkes.  The flat course made for speed, but also required plenty of thinking and planning. It was great to see so many competitors really lift their game and race hard.

RESULTS

PRIZES – personalized medals will be presented to 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd placegetters in each category, on the Awards Night on Wednesday April 1st.

DROC Results:

GOLD – Sarah Love, Ian Greenwood

SILVER – Michael Dardis, Ian Dodd, Denise Pike, James Love, Ros King, Muriel Neilson, Helen Kerley

BRONZE – Peter Hobbs, Damian Spencer, Peter Dalwood, Debbie Dodd, Christine Palmer

Finalists – Andrew Hester, Matthew Grover, Pam King

Melbourne’s crazy summer weather of extreme heat, sudden deluges, and bushfire smoke, has wreaked havoc on the Monday Summer Series.  The event at Dingley Village was cancelled when the air quality hit the Very Poor mark, and our fantastic new map at Tatterson was swamped by a heavy downpour which saw most people choose to stay home.

Not wanting our course setters’ efforts to go to waste, we’ve fixtured re-runs of both events as part of the 2020 Saturday Series.  Dingley Village will be on April 18; the map was given a complete revamp by Pam, and the course planned meticulously by Joel.  Tatterson is a map thats simply too good to miss, with its huge parkland, tricky streets, chain of lakes and wetlands, and the incredible Tree Maze.  You’ll have another chance to enjoy Peter G’s map and courses, on May 2.

The Monash Mega Sprint was held in heated conditions (fortunately before the storms that hit later!)  An excited crowd queued eagerly for their chance to race indoors and outdoors, on courses planned by Coach In Residence, Fredo.  Confusion reigned right from the start as we plunged inside, to be faced with immediate decisions on classrooms, corridors, stairs, doors, and mezzanines.

After exiting what felt like a washing machine, we were thrown straight into a tumble dryer! Route choices on every leg, and tiny details vital, spread over an extra long distance to keep legs and brain working overtime.  Keeping concentration was key, but very tough in the conditions.  This event was perfect training for the full-on summer of Sprinting that lies ahead, especially for anyone heading to the Melbourne Sprint Weekend in March.

Results

Splits

Tour De France Course Indoor

Tour De France Course Outdoor

Paris-Roubaix Course Indoor

Paris-Roubaix Course Outdoor

Velodrome Course Indoor

Velodrome Course Outdoor

Our thanks to Monash Clayton for their permission, assistance, support and enthusiasm!

Dandenong Ranges Orienteering Club is proud to support the OV Coach In Residence program; all entry fees will be used to support this valuable activity.  Look out for Fredo’s training sessions!

Our club is looking forward to another great year in 2020! We’re putting on plenty of amazing orienteering events right through the year. These include:

• Melbourne Sprint Weekend Race 4 – Sprint Relays and Public Race, La Trobe Bundoora, Sunday March 8
• BikeO 75, Silvan Rode, Sunday March 22
• Saturday Park Series, Abbey Walk (new colour map), May 16
• Eppalock 3 Day Weekend, June 6-8
• MelBushO, Police Paddocks (new map), Sunday July 12
• Saturday Park Series, Jells Park, August 1
• Not Notting Hill EndurO, Saturday August 15
• Sprint Double, RMIT Bundoora, Sunday August 22
• Melbourne City Race, Port Melbourne, Sunday November 29

in addition to our regular program of mid week and Saturday park street events.

Sprint Into Spring is over for another year, and once again, DROC members featured in the winners lists! Jerseys will be presented on Saturday November 30 at Ruffey Lake.

Our 2019 Jersey winners are Sarah Love (Mo Women Green), Damian Spencer (Sally Men Green), Wayne Love (Sally Men Polkadot) and Sammy Love (Sally Women Polkadot).  Asha Steer was 3rd overall on Mo Women, and James Love was third overall on Sally Men.  Congratulations!  Check out our Gallery for more photos.

Wayne and Sammy will swap last year’s Green jerseys for Polkadot

We had a great day out at Kardinia International College at Geelong, venue for the 2019 Victorian Sprint Champs.  Last used in 2016 for the Melbourne Sprint Weekend, everyone was looking forward to testing their sprint skills at this complex campus.  Reading fine detail and keeping map contact were more important than speed, as tiny cut throughs offered the shortest route choices.

Congratulations to our many members who took a place on the podium:

Winners and Victorian Champions: Sarah Davies, Janine Steer, Peter Dalwood

2nd Placegetters: Sammy Love, Helen Walpole, James Love, Martin Steer

3rd Placegetters: Sally Barlow, Asha Steer, Sarah Love, Pamela King, Stuart McWilliam

Check out some great action shots in our Gallery.

Don’t miss the next Sprint Into Spring race at Oxley College in Chirnside Park on Saturday November 16!  Sarah and James have planned the courses, and this small but deceptive campus is sure to challenge you.  The series is getting to the pointy end and those all-important jersey points are up for grabs.  Head to the Sprint Into Spring website for all the details!

Sprint Into Spring 2019