Eureka Challenge - Route Chice and Technical Orienteering
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Three events in 2 days formed the first round of the National Orienteering League for 2010. A full report of the NL events can be found at http://www.orienteering.asn.au/news/?ItemID=5413.
Ben Rattray finishing the first relay leg
A long distance loop race at Chewton Diggings on Saturday 6th March combined technical orienteering in the complex gold mining terrain and longer route choice legs across the open spur gully areas. The best Southern Arrow results were Simon Uppill second in the men's event and Vanessa Round third in Womens.
The long course for non-NL competitors had sections in common with the NL women's course. On the map below Legs from the start to control 5 were common and included 2 long route choice legs. Victorian forest is fast running, so if you can cope with the hills, not deviatng too far from the straight line can still be the fastest route.
Simon starts the final relay leg after handover from Susanne
Sunday's NL event started with a Sprint format in the complex gold mining terrain of Bryce's Flat. The format was more akin to Middle Distance, and almost all competitors made some errors or were slowed by the rocky mullock heaps, diggings and green areas in the creeks. Vanessa Round won the women's race whilst Simon Uppil was fourth in the mens. Other age groups then competed on the same courses before a two person NOL relay on the steeper map areas of the Blow Hole (first loop) and more diggings of Bryce's Flat. The SA team of Susanne Casanova and Simon Uppill was third, with Vanessa Round and Ben Rattray seventh.
Route Choice Examples
Chewton Diggings
Robin Uppill's Route - Course A
Leg Start to 1
- Section A to B was along tracks, cutting across the hill from the intersection before B was an option
- Section C- D was also along a track
- Alternative was to take a route more to the left after leaving the start and avoid some of the climb by coming on to the track closer to D
Leg 2 - 3
- Section E-F-G was along tracks
- The green route from E to F would have been better as the forest was fast and open
The Blow Hole
First and second leg of the NL two person relay
Leg Start to 1
Options here were to take a cross country route to the left, with more climb and creek crossings, or to take the route to the right which may have been further but was almost all along tracks (including creek crossings). Note that the tracks are hidden by the dashed line in the second half of the route shown, other than where it cuts from the track on the top of the ridge across the slope to a lower minor track. This track continues until it cross the marshy area of the second creek crossing, before the climb up to the control.
The trick is to be able to see this route from the start as it takes you north of the control.
Simon Uppill and others on this leg took this route.
|