The first elite training camp for 2012 was held around Beechworth in Victoria last week. Sessions were attended by up to 18 people which was a great turn out. The Beechworth region is famous for gold-mining history, a bakery, and plenty of good orienteering terrains. The Christmas 5-days will be held around this region this year from December 27-31 and will be a great lead up for any international orienteers heading down-under for the World Cup races in New Zealand.
Monday evening- Sprint training at Beechworth's Latrobe University Campus.
This was a rerun of the 2003 Australian Sprint Distance Championships (prior to IOSSM)
Tuesday morning- Kangaroo Crossing
Tuesday evening- Beechworth
4 x 1km intervals, run as a variety of chasing starts.
Wednesday morning- Barambogie North
Relay training with 6km course and some splitting. Really nice forest and some good competition.
Wednesday evening- easy cycle for some, running intervals for some, or getting two stitches in your leg puncture if your name is Bridget.
Thursday morning- Barambogie South
Tough session with 4x 1km courses. First leg was a brutal uphill leg to be run at max effort, followed by 6 or 7 downhill diagonal legs and a good break in between each course.
Thursday evening- Beechworth
Short 3km hagaby around the best parts of the local beechworth map.
Friday morning- Warby Ranges
Route choice exercise run in pairs.
Friday evening- Warby Ranges
Relay training exercise
Saturday morning- Rowdy Flat
Started with a map work over the first part of the men's Oceania Middle Distance course.
First course 2.4km, followed by 2.1km chasing start.
Bruce Arthur's GPS route
Saturday afternoon- for some a relaxing afternoon at the Dederang Picnic races, followed by a 1650m foot race around the track. Congrats to Jasmine Neve and Vanessa Round for placing 1st and 2nd in the women's, and Ratsky for 2nd place in the mens race.
It was a great start to 2012 for the squad, and finished off a tough two weeks a training for those who attended the National Altitude training camp at Falls Creek the prior week. The next event on the national squad list is the Sprint the Bay event in New Zealand which is also followed by a training camp.
Thanks to Jim Russell for his help with the camp, and to Albury Wodonga Orienteering Club and VOA for access to the orienteering maps. The Rowdy Flat and Kangaroo Crossing maps are now embargoed until the Victorian Championships later in 2012.
