Beechworth 2012 elite training camp

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.

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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.

Australian Elite squad training camp- internationals welcome

Orienteering Australia is holding an Elite Squad training camp being held from Jan 2-9 based at Beechworth, Victoria. This period is a popular time for European visitors to Australia so if any international orienteers are interested in attending they can contact the organiser below.

For this camp the new “Rowdy Flat” map (used for the Oceania Middle Distance Championships) and the very old “Kangaroo Crossing” area will be amongst the maps utilised. To do so the organisers have been given special permission by Orienteering Victoria, as these areas are being used in September 2012 for Victorian Championship middle and long distance events.

Thus there will be an embargo on both maps mentioned above, which will take place from January 10th 2012. This gives any orienteer the chance to run on these areas until that date.

Additionally, other orienteers are invited to participate at the January camp, especially keen juniors.

For more information on this please contact Rob Preston – rob_preston AT hotmail.com

Sprint the Bay

Also, in February, after the Sprint the Bay carnival (4-6th) in NZ there will be a senior squad training camp from Feb 7-12th. Other keen orienteers, juniors or seniors are also invited to participate in this. For more details contact tour leader Jim Russell - jymbo@dodo.com.au

Event details at www.sprintthebay.org