Keeping in Contact (e-Bulletin 16 February 2020)

You will start at The Cenotaph and your course will then head over the new Remembrance Bridge to the Lower Domain. Can you imagine a better end of the day?

Bring along a friend or family member. If it is their first event, it's FREE.

Plus, we've now introduced a WALKERS class. So, from start to finish, there's absolutely no expectation for you to run. Simply stroll along, enjoy the stunning view and find the controls.

Location: Waverly Park (which is the hill behind Bellerive). Park somewhere in Mercedes Place or in the streets nearby. We will start on the entrance to the Park at Mercedes Place. -42.867712, 147.377349

Time: come and join at 4:30 or 6pm

Training: We will Focus on compass bearings.

There will be a course without tracks and in some part just windows of the map around the control circle (~3km). And one course with a full map where the main focus is on compass bearings as well (~2km).

Let Kilian know you're coming, what map you'd like and, at what time! kilian.lilje@gmail.com

The first of the Hobart Sunday Series will be held on 23 February at Gorringes Beach, west of Sandford. If you can, please pre-enter by Wednesday 19 February! This helps the organisers, but you can just turn up on the day if you can't commit early.

As that morning is also the occasion for the "Run the Bridge" from Bellerive to Hobart, we have decided to put starts for the Orienteering back to an 11am - 1pm time frame.  This will allow for the keen athletes to compete in both the Run and the Orienteering, and also allow those coming to the Eastern Shore to avoid the inevitable road closures and reduced bridge traffic.

Please be sure to read the Event Information carefully (it will be up on the website soon) for the Assembly location. With Terry and Dane Cavanagh as course setters, this will be one classy event.

Book your accommodation now for a great weekend of events at Coles Bay. On Saturday 28 March there will be a Night-O in the Coles Bay township, and on Sunday 29 March we will have OST3 on the famous Coles Bay map.  

(These events replace the previously advertised events OST 3&4 at Devonport).

It was wonderful to see so many people enjoying the challenging courses that Niko and Eddie Stoner provided for us at Lambert Park. The full results are available here.

Luca Groves burned up the course to win the Boys Primary by over 5 minutes. In contrast, Georgia Leicester just edged out Bess Bignell by 8 seconds in the Girls Primary division. Liana Stubbs beat Ella Hood by nearly 2 minutes in the Girls Short, but the Boys Short was much closer, with Toby Fleming beating Owen Mulcahy by 8 seconds. And let’s not forget the 12 volunteers who made it possible.

This long weekend in March sees the traditional opening of the 2020 Tasmanian orienteering season with 3 events brought to you by EVOC. You can find out the nitty gritty and enter here.

You will need to enter by Sunday 1 March!

Here are the events on offer:

Saturday 7 March - "Mystery Event" (start @ 2pm and the course setter is Paul Pacque)

Sunday 8 March - Long distance (OST 1) (start from 9:30am on courses brought to you by Joe Dickinson)

Monday 9 March - Middle distance (OST 2) (start from 9:30am thanks to course setter Christine Brown)

All the events are on the Golden Fleece maps, which you can check out on the Australian Orienteering Championships 2020 website.

If you’ve entered the first two OST events for the year, you’ll have noticed that fees have increased (e.g. from $10 to $16 for an adult member). Fees were last increased more than six years ago.

Last year the Orienteering Tasmania Board decided to keep membership fees and local event fees the same, but increase fees for OST events. Many of these events haven’t been breaking even, after accounting for organiser travel costs, OA levies, map printing, and medals for Championship events. We think the new fees are good value for quality bush events, and they are still cheaper than all other states (e.g. Victoria, NSW, and ACT charge $25, $28 and $30 respectively for their Long Distance Championships).

Just a note to tell you know about camping at Canobolas Scout Camp for Easter and the NSW Champs. Here's an email from Helen O’Callaghan:

Expressions of interest are invited for the positions of Sporting Schools Coordinator and Community Outreach Coordinator for 2020. These positions are responsible for delivering our beginner orienteering programmes into schools. Please email development@tasorienteering.asn.au for more information.

To do so you need to be a member of the Tassie Foresters team. Membership can be renewed in Eventor for those who were members last year, or you can apply to be a member this year.

The 1st round of NOL, the Melbourne Sprint Weekend is less than 4 weeks away, with entries closing in less than 2 weeks. The organisers would like to remind all those who enter M/W21E & 20Es who also wish to be part of the MSW World Ranking Event that they need to send their IOF ID to msw2020@vicorienteering.asn.au including their name, grade and IOF ID.  (M/W20E course will be the same as 21E - so for WRE purposes will be included in 21E results for IOF Eventor).

When entering, you MUST put Tas Foresters as your Club, not your local Club, if you want your points to count for the NOL team score.

You will need to wear a Foresters top (either singlet or o-top) at all NOL events when you are representing Tasmania. If you don't have one, you need to arrange to buy one before you compete (prices are subsidised by OT). 

The Tasmanian NOL manager this year is Brodie Nankervis. Brodie can help you to organise accommodation and transport and will coordinate athletes on the gorund at each NOL race. 

For further information or to purchase an o-top, please contact Clare Hawthorne at performance@tasorienteering.asn.au.

The Annual General Meeting of Orienteering Tasmania (OT) will be held on Saturday 7th March 2020.

The venue is the Bayside Inn, St Helens. Please go to their Conference Room at 4.45pm for a 5.00pm sharp start.

The meeting will take approximately 45 minutes and afterwards we hope you stay on for drinks, a meal and socialising! A good selection of counter meals is available that can be ordered as soon as the meeting has finished.

You can take part in the World Masters Orienteering Championships being held there in about 6 months time. You can find out all the nitty gritty here: https://www.wmoc2020.sk/