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Asha Steer has capped off her week at the Junior World Orienteering Championships in Finland with a fantastic run in the Women’s Relay. As one of the top three Aussie women, Asha earned her place as anchor leg in the Relays, where she had her best run of the week – the only Australian woman to go under 40 minutes.

Overall this has been Asha’s best JWOC so far with big improvements over all distances.  Australia finished a very creditable 15th overall out of 38 competing nations, and Asha’s contribution to that was significant, with consistent midfield finishes.  We look forward to giving Asha a big welcome home.

MelbushO is on next Sunday, and the venue is Plenty South.  Part of Plenty Gorge Park, this map features a great mix of open forest, clear grassy slopes, and an intricate network of small tracks that require close attention. There are rivers to cross and hills to climb, and kangaroos to spot.  All this in the northeast suburbs of Melbourne, just a few minutes north of the ring road.  Enter the park via the gate at the west end of Collendina Crescent in Bundoora (Melway 10 F10). Note: there are no toilets at this venue.

Enter on the day at Registration between 9.30 and 11.30am – $10 for adults, $5 for juniors (u21).  Choose any of four courses – Long Hard (6.1 km), Short Hard (4.3 km), Moderate (3.8 lm), or Easy (2.9 km) – something for everyone to enjoy and challenge themselves with.  Your entry fee includes a colour map, electronic timing device, coaching, and refreshments.  We are planning to have a coaching session with Mikkel afterwards, so if you’d like to pick up some tips and improve your navigation, please feel free to join in.  Enquiries: voa@iinet.net.au

Asha Steer has headed to Finland and is in pre-JWOC training with the rest of the Aussie junior team.  JWOC takes place in Tampere, starting on July 9.  Follow the action as Asha competes in the Sprint, Middle, Long, and Relay races.

Sarah Davies and Amber Louw have been selected in the Victorian Secondary Schools team – Sarah in Senior Girls, and Amber in Junior Girls.  They will head to Bathurst in September to compete in the Australian Schools Orienteering Champs, in Sprint, Long and Relay races.

Best of luck to all!

How Well do You Know Your StreetO?

• Who was the most recent winner of the MEFTY? Debbie Dodd
•  Who was the first female Millennium Club member to become a Legend? Jenny Sheahan
•  Name 5 Melbourne streetO maps with the word LAKE in their name?

Edwardes Lake, Coburg Lake, Rowville Lakes, Mill Park Lakes, Lillydale Lake, Newport Lakes, Cherry Lake, Valley Lakes

• What are the following maps now called?

Nunawading – Bellbird Dell; Mt Waverley – Valley Reserve; Swagmans Gully – Glenfern Run; Ringwood Wilds – Mullum Mullum; More Uphill and Less Donvale – Park Orchards

•  Where were the first Park and Street Championships held and who was the course setter? Warralong, Vic Sedunary
•  For which map did Kristian Ruuska win CSOTY 2016? Waterford Valley
•  What suburb are the following maps in? …

Kingsclere – Noble Park; MitchelHill – Notting Hill/Oakleigh East; Whites Corner – Doncaster; Boulder Dash – Northcote; Quambee Quandary – Ringwood North; Koolunga – Ferntree Gully; Strathaird – Narre Warren; Ted’s Territory – Footscray; Rifle Range – Williamstown

•  Where is the Vortex of Doom? Lum Road, Wheelers Hill
•  Name the three scoring formats currently used in Melbourne Park and Street events – Scatter, Score, Target/37s
•  What is the correct length for a D course at a Wednesday Summer Series event? 4.0-4.5 km

The achievements of DROC members were recognised and awarded at the Orienteering Victoria AGM.  Lanita Steer won the Junior Rockhopper award for the 5th year in a row – the most of any junior in OV history.

Ray Howe received the Orienteering Victoria Services Award, in recognition of his huge contribution to Park and Street Orienteering, including The Millennium Club, Park and Street Championships, and participation statistics.  Ray has continued to come up with ways to add value to Orienteering.

Debbie and Ian Dodd became the second and third DROC members to be given Life Membership of Orienteering Victoria (the first being Wally Cavill).  This honour has only been given to 18 previous OV members. “We were both surprised and delighted” they said on receiving their Life Member certificates.

State Series as you’ve never seen it before!  Yarra Valley Grammar School was the venue for two fantastic sprint races. Stage 1 was a traditional sprint in the complex buildings and sloped gardens; Stage 2 saw competitors paired up for a head to head race with butterfly loops and pivot controls.  The action was fast and furious; the spectating from the top deck was brilliant, and there was plenty going on at half time to keep the atmosphere buzzing.

Stage 1 Results     Stage 1 Winsplits

Stage 2 Results     Stage 2 Splits

Overall Results

Check our Gallery for Photos

Thanks to Dandenong Ranges Orienteering Club, and in particular:

• Sarah Davies – Course Setter Stage 1
• Peter Hobbs – Course Setter Stage 2
• Tim Hatley (BKV) – Event Advisor
• Ian Davies – Field Coordinator
• Debbie Dodd – Event Director
• Ian Dodd and Jim Russell – Timing Systems and Results Coordinators
• Fredrik Johansson – Mapper

and the Team – Registration, Start, Finish, Entertainment etc

Congratulations to the five DROC juniors who competed at the Victorian Secondary Schools Championships, which doubled as a selection race for the Victorian Schools Team which will compete at the Australian Champs in NSW in September.  Three of our juniors were competing at secondary level for the first time, stepping up to a much harder standard of navigation.

We had fantastic results:

Sarah Davies – 1st, Girls 16A

James Love – 1st, Boys 13A

Angus Hall – 2nd, Boys 13A

Luca Bogdanovits – 6th, Girls 13A

Arika Bogdanovits – 5th, Girls 15A

Well done to all, and best of luck with team selection. The team will be announced after the June long weekend.

Below: James (left) and Angus placed 1st and 2nd

DROC is delighted to present the first Victorian Sprint Double State Series!  Race 1 is a traditional Sprint, using complex campus terrain with a mixture of buildings, gardens, corridors, paths and man made features.  Race 2 will offer a different format with an opportunity for head to head racing, which will be highly exciting for competitors and spectators alike!  Your times from both races will be added to produce your final result.

Race 1 starts are at 1 min intervals, between 10am and 11.30am, with course closure at 12 noon.  Race 2 starts are from 1pm.

Map:  Yarra Valley Grammar School (2017), mapped by Fredrik Johanson.  Scale: 1:3000, full colour ISSOM, A4 on Pretex waterproof paper.

Course Planners: Sarah Davies, Peter Hobbs.  Event Advisor: Tim Hatley

Arena:  The Start and Finish are at the Sports Pavilion, which provides toilets, water, shelter, and fantastic spectating from the upper deck.  Competitors are encouraged to bring lunch and enjoy the atmosphere.  Live results will be displayed on large screens (thanks Jim!).  Official results and splits will be published online immediately after courses close.

Directions:  Enter the Yarra Valley Grammar School campus from the Sports Centre gate on Plymouth Road. Note, this is the eastern of the two vehicle access points on Plymouth Road. Park in the Sports Centre car park, then follow tapes across the sports fields to the Sports Pavilion. Do not enter the school from Kalinda Road, or park in any other car parks.

Some areas of the sports fields may be out of bounds. Please respect out of bounds tapes and signs.  The School has banned all access to the forest area east of the Sports Centre car park.  Entry into this area will jeopardise future use of the School for orienteering.

Entry:  Online entries close on Wednesday May 17, at 11.59pm.  Go to the Eventor calendar.  There are two Sprint races listed on May 21.  Entry into either Race 1 or Race 2 will automatically put you into the other race, ie no need to select both races.  You will pay a single entry fee of $16 for adult OV members and $8 for junior OV members.  Non members will pay an additional $10/$5.

Select from the normal range of State Series classes.  These have been combined onto four courses as follows.  State Series points will be allocated by class.

After selecting your class, choose a payment option and complete your entry. Note: there is no discount for competing in only one race.  Please notify organisers in advance or on the day, if you are unable to compete in both races.

Entry on the day will be available on selected courses only, subject to map availability.  EOD fees are $20 adults, $10 juniors, with a $10/$5 surcharge for non OV members.  Newcomers may enter at Member rates.

Schools Selection – this event is a Schools Team selection race.  Aspiring team members are asked to enter the following classes:  Senior Boys – OVM2; Senior Girls – OVM3; Junior Boys – OVM6; Junior Girls – OVW6.

Further details, including course lengths and terrain details will be posted on Eventor and OV website in the week prior to the event.

Questions?  Email debbiedodd@iinet.net.au, or call 0409 135 020.

A number of club members have just returned from Auckland, where we competed in the Oceania Regional Championships, followed by the World Masters Games.  It was two weeks of highly intense competition in urban Auckland, Rotorua, and the incredibly complicated sand dune terrain of Woodhill Forest – check out the maps on the Oceania and WMOC websites and you’ll see what I mean – most notable were the Oceania Middle Distance, the World Masters Sprint Qualifier, and any of the 3 World Masters Long Distance races, where the contour detail has to be seen to be believed.

We had a wonderful time and some great performances, including podium finishes by Asha and Lanita Steer at Oceania. Asha was third in the Sprint, and part of the winning Junior Elite Womens relay team, cleaning up the highly fancied NZ team and sealing selection for JWOC.  Lanita claimed her first Senior medal with third place in the W21E Relays – a brilliant effort by both.

Simon Rouse also had a great week in M40 (we will forgive him for competing under the Kiwi banner) – 5^th in the Oceania Sprint, 4^th in the Oceania Long, 5^th in the Oceania Middle, 10^th in the WMOC Sprint, and 17^th in the Long!  Peter Dalwood, competing in the huge M70 age class, also had a fantastic week. He was 15^th in the Oceania Sprint and the Middle Earth Sprint, then claimed a place in the WMOC Sprint A final, where he finished 23^rd of 78.  Peter Hobbs claimed 5^th in the Oceania Long in M35; while I was very happy with a 4^th, and first Australian, in W55AS at the Oceania Long.  Simply surviving 11 tough races was an achievement!

It was a warm day for hill climbing, but the views were worth the effort.  We got close up to some large rocks, and saw kangaroos as well.  Young and old alike all enjoyed spending time in the beautiful forest, navigating their way around the courses set for us by Ian Davies.  The DROC crew were on hand to ensure everything went smoothly, and it was fantastic to see so many club members come along, including many of our juniors. We also sold lots of JWOC Jam!

Ian Dodd was 6th on course 1, one of a handful of runners to complete a tough physical course in under 50 minutes. Also well up the list was Andras Bogdanovits, our next MelbushO course setter.  Janine Steer and Graham Wallis were top 10 finishers on course 2, as was up and coming junior James Love.  Course 3 saw Martin Steer a comfortable winner, with a strong second from Eric Louw.  Our juniors did themselves proud on Course 4, with Daniel Kaman in second, Amber Louw in 5th, Luca, Heni and Arika all in the top half of the field, and Sammy Love also doing really well in only her second event.

Thanks to all who came along to help out, and to support the club.  Our next big event is the Sprint Double on Sunday May 21 at Yarra Valley Grammar School in Ringwood. Stay tuned!