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September2009 THORNY PREDICAMENT ON THE HILLSIDE AT DOORNPOORT
The map - now extended to cover the 'other side of the dreaded koppie' - was well used by the five courses that threaded their way through thick thorn bush, amongst a miriad ruins - left behind by the ancestral herders of centuries gone by - and a touch of open and runnable veld. Being a cattle farm, there were bound to be hundreds of 'land mines' (product of the cattle) to negotiate. Though no trouble for Tom Scott, the mens winner on the Green course, although showing his displeasure by suitably 'adjusting' the name of the map !!!
Overall winner and first lady of this course was RACO's Jessica Hemer, obviously using her new found O' skills obtained abroad, to good effect. First lady on the Light Green course was WITSOC's Olivia Bamford - who should be starting to eye a progression to the slighy more technical Green category shortly. The Team of the Avengers were first on this course - especially designed to facilitate the step from simple Orienteering to the more technical classes. Yet another RACO (little) lady, Sarah Wimberley, took the honours on the Orange junior type course. Stephanie Courtnage (RACO) took some huge strides to take a fine win for the ladies on the longish 7,5 km Blue course - but she was disappointed her maiden overall win in this category was 'stolen' from her by Pat de Klerk [Ag, I'm sorry Steph - ED].
As happens on many occasions, a control may be slightly displaced, leading to some competitor frustration - this happened on the Brown and Green courses, although the error was not corrected during the race, which would have only complicated matters. End result that the finishing positions announced for these two courses were 'unofficial' as we went to print here. Just to mention though - Tania Wimberley (RACO) topped the table, being the only lady brave enough to take on the long Brown course and against the leading male competitors in Gauteng. Nicholas Mulder (ROC) came in the winner for the men. The official results will be published later in the week. Never one to make an issue of things - 'General' Glen Terry (PENOC) just set up his table and got on with 'high tea' ! Swears he baked that cake himself. He has a good way of looking at things - note the ensignia on the shirt !
Once again the SOAP KIDZ - all 30 of them - joined us for some great fun in the veld and a touch of fresh air and sunshine. We are really privileged to be a part of the wonderful organisation run by Karen - thanks for giving us the opportunity. Lastly, a very big and sincere thank you to the Doornpoort Farm land-owner, David Hill. We truly appreciate the freedom you give us to take over your property every now and then. See you all at the Mountain Marathon at Klipriversberg in two weeks time !
TESTING TERRAIN - NORMALLY USED FOR MILITARY VEHICLES !
The results were out as I write this - thanks Ian Bratt and your band of Rand Orienteering Club (ROC) helpers - but they still need to be scored and verified before we publish them in RESULTS later in the week. See you in two weeks time for another great Orienteering event - this time out the other side of Pretoria on the Doornpoort Farm. Our 'hosts' Francois van der Colff and Willem van Hoepen guarantee you some excellent courses in a great environment. See you all soon.
August 2009 CHRISTIE MEETS FATHER CHRISTMAS IN THE FORESTS AT HEDIANGA EVENT !
Willem van Hoepen won the Light Green course at Hedianga last Sunday, but made no bones about the challenge that Christie Courtnage put up to finish third and first lady - behind the newcomer team of the Howells [welcome Howells ! - ED]. Christie vowed that this was Willem's last time that he'd beat her, so he'd better make the best of it ! [Sorry Willem, I just couldn't resist the caption for the photo - ED]. The 'stretched for numbers' WITSOC team laid on some really challenging courses - on a hillside strewn with boulders, rocks and more rocks - and although the distances seemed short, there was no underestimating the technicality of the area, used to good effect by planners Alex Pope and Dylan Hemer. Thanks guys. The Raban family acquitted themselves well, with Philip making a welcome return to finish third on the 3,24km Blue course, behind winner Ian Bratt (ROC) and second place finisher Richard Lund. While the 'old man' has been consistently swapping places with Albert (the fox) Epprecht in the Green category. Albert took the honours this time - but was unavailable for the photo-shoot and missed his chance to make the front page of our website ! So, we got the Raban boys to pose instead !
For the ladies, it was Zoe Brentano who took the first prize on the Blue course, with Chantel Helm (WITSOC) scoring her first win running the 2,35km Green course. Micaela Venter was the winner - also her first ever methinks - while competing unaided in the Orange (1,28) category for young Orienteers. Well done Micaela. Up at the 'sharp' end of the event and all competing along a 4,26km but pretty tricky route of the Brown course, we had Jeremy Green (ARC) win for the men in a time of 43:13, while first lady home in a time of 1:34:00, was Sarah Pope of ROC. Second and third spots were filled by more AR Club members - Garry Morrison and Kobus van Zyl respectively. First RACO member in this race was Glynn de Klerk, who dived into eight overall….
It was a very chilly morning - with the mercury barely creeping above 7 degrees celcius and this possibly made many people stay at home in bed - but the real die-hards (54 cards issued) were treated to some good technical experiences. However, the faster you ran, the warmer you became - so we grabbed the opportunity to capture Salome van Hoepen making for the finish line (see story in Short Legs).
Now just to keep your appetite up - we have two great colour coded events coming up at Gerotek (16 August) and then RACO's next offer at Doornpoort on 30 August, all in preparation for the big one in Sabie (the SA Champs) - where we have something special in store….just beware the Ghosts of Klipkraal !!!!!!
Full results from Hedianga should be available shortly in RESULTS, while details for the forthcoming races are now available in EVENTS. See you all at the next event !
DOUBLE CHEEZY SPECIAL FOR SEMI-URBAN LONG O CHAMPIONSHIPS
Paul has to be thanked for all his hard work - done almost single handedly, because his Controller Bradley Lund only returned from Italy a few days before; and with wife Tania now over in Taiwan for the World Games - setting out some challenging courses. This event, now with Championship status, had age group categories vying for eighteen titles. Our most senior competitors, Charles Lautenbach (ROC) and Hugh Lund had a great tussle for the M70 honours - with Hugh (right) 'just pipping' Charles by a mere 17 minutes on their 3,8 km course !!!.
Competition in the other mens categories was furious with Richard Lund (right) just edging out Derek Brentano by a scant 3 seconds in the M50 race, leaving Tom Scott to pick up the pieces in third and making it a one-two-three for RACO.
Glen Terry (ROC) took M60 honours ahead of our Charles Raban, having a good run in front of Albert Epprecht. These two only 8 seconds apart after an hour out on the 5,6km course. Garry Morrison (ARC) got the better of the M40 chasers, leaving Piers Pirow (2nd) and Glynn de Klerk (3rd) in his wake on the longish 12,4km course. Kim Raban (right) won the W21B race, brother Philip the M21B and Stephanie Courtnage took the W20 title.
Other winners were: Joshua de Klerk (M12), Chris de Klerk (M16), Nicholas de Klerk (M20) - not all related by the way ! - Alison Curtis (W45), Heidi Muller (W35) and then a declared first dual-place in the W12 for Christie Courtnage and Heather Wimberley. You wonder why no mention of the elite classes M21 and W21 ? ….. silent protest from me [yes, ME - ED] as our two premier course winners did not stay for the prize-giving to collect their magnificent trophies !!! Oh all right then - Susan Sloan (ARC) was the ladies winner of the 12,4km course, ahead of Jessica Hemer. Jeremy Green (ARC) took honours on the 18,6km course ahead of Stijn Lanen (ARC). Such a pity when all efforts of a prize-giving are watered down by prize-winners not being present !!! There were some lighter moments out on the courses too: Albert arrived at a control and was searching for the punch. He found the string - sans punch - and just as he was starting to search the river bank for the errant punch, realised it was a T-Bar control (where the punch is part of the control ) !. Then Richard Lund took all of 11 minutes to get to the first control, which was virtually in sight of the Start and all of 100 metres away. Problem is he was so intent on greeting the gate guard, that he ran past and was well on his way to control number 2, when he realised that the first control was actually on the gate he had passed ! The full results are available now in RESULTS (thank you Richard !). Once again we thank all our members who came out on a chilly - but later warm - morning to assist with all the jobs necessary to make a successful and well run event. [Paul, with all the tasks he had on the day, forgot to make mention of all the willing helpers at prize-giving, but was quick to call me later and ask that they get some recognition ! - ED]. And finally, thank you Catering Gals, the breakfast was excellent. We missed you !!!
SA's BEST AT TAIPEI GAMES - FINAL ROUND-UP
JWOC ROUNDUP - NO MAJOR MISTAKES BY OUR JUNIOR TEAM IN ITALY !
In the Sprint Event for ladies, our Stephanie Courtnage, in the kind of fast terrain to which she is most suited, topped the SA team results finishing 18 seconds ahead of team-mate Salome van Hoepen. These two homed in on 82nd and 83rd places respectively. Given that the winner was four years older, with several more years of international competition, our girls excelled. The rest of the SA girls all completed the 2,5km course without exception, leaving several other countries in their wake. Our one and only guy on the team, Bradley Lund, acquitted himself well in the Mens Sprint of 3,1km, finishing only 5 minutes behind the much older winner from Switzerland. Brad also finishing ahead of no less that 27 runners including many who were disqualified. The Long distance events were a whole new ball-game, with most of the fields of runners way off the winning times. Bradley can be proud of his 135th place on the demanding 9,5km course - beating 15 other competitors, some from very respected Orienteering nations. Even more runners were left in the dust - with 18 disqualifications in this race !. Sarah Pope got into her full stride on the Long 5,7km Course for ladies, taking 100th place in a field of 122. Jessica Lund running in only one place adrift and 31 seconds behind Sarah. Zoe Brentano overcame her slow showing (by her standards) in the Sprint, by finishing 3rd South African. Interesting how our girls all finished in 'pairs' - adjacent placings for Sarah/Jessica L; Zoe/Jess Hemer; and Salome/Stephanie. The Middle distance races, after a rest day, saw Sarah and Salome in a battle for 22nd place in a field of 59 runners, with the former taking it a mere 2 seconds ahead of Salome. The 2,8 km / 90m course saw the rest of our girls finish ahead of several nations. Bradley had a great run into 22nd out of a field of 50 finishers on the 2,8km / 100 m climb junior mens course. In the Relays and final race of the Championships, Brad joined forces with two Germans and their "unofficial" team ran in an excellent time, which would have placed them 30th out of 51 teams. They were nevertheless the first non regulation team home. The girls had mixed success, with our fastest, Salome, Sarah and Jess L being disqualified for missing a single control. The SA 2nd stringers, Zoe, Jess H and Stephanie successfully completed their run into 33rd spot. All in all - a good showing by our youngsters, given the level at which the South Africans are accustomed to here back home. But each year we improve. Many thanks to their 'on board' coach Nicholas Mulder and Managers Heidi and Richard Lund. Well done to you all.
July 2009 PIERS WINS MAIDEN BOTTLE OF WINE AT FREEZING COLD MTB O' EVENT
The WITSOC team organised three courses which took competitors around the park, and if you were on the Medium or Long courses, out up the Northcliff hill and down into Emmarentia and the Dam - finishing again at Alberts. Pity the day dawned with temperatures just hovering over freezing point (at my 9:30 start, the mercury was just climbing to 5 degrees !) - which quite obviously kept many competitors from getting out of a warm bed. The rest of the 35 brave souls thoroughly enjoyed the morning. Dyed in the wool Orienteers showed their prowess and claimed some good positions - demonstrating that this form of cycling needs a bit more than power legs !. Craig Ogilvie (ROC) had a good ride into third spot on the Long course of 17km, which translated into 21km on the road. Another Orienteer, Pat de Klerk claimed third spot on the Medium (actual distance 14km) course, while Michael Crone (WITSOC) was first cyclist in the Short course category (winner was Ken Robinson, who took on the challenge to beat the cyclists, on foot !). Our Joshua de Klerk pedalled in second.
If you are considering entering the next race in the series (4 October at Hennops Valley), be sure you've purchased one of these rotating Map Boards - an essential piece of equipment for this variation of the sport ! Mail Pat at www.racorienteers.co.za or phone him on 073 200 1969. [Nothing like a spot of advertising hey ! - ED]
TAKE A TUMBLE ON THE COLD, ROCKY HILLSIDE AT BUSHTRAILS
The going was really tough on the hillside, with several competitors taking some big falls. However, all but Susan Sloan (ARC) - who took an almighty fall, but continued to the halfway mark - made it to the end. Rough underfoot conditions made even more difficult by the ever present rocks hiding in the longish grass, were only relieved by some short stretches of runnability then the final 'slog' to the finish. One very welcome feature of the planning, were the mass of controls (eg. The Blue course had 27 controls), although this did lead to an absence of route choice on many legs. Well done to Eugene Botha and his Adventure Racing Club assistants on the day. For the ladies, it was Tania Wimberley, braving the tough conditions (but necessary on the eve of her departure to the World Games in two weeks time - see article elsewhere on this page) to take a fine win on the Brown course and Lisa de Speville wrapping up a victory running the Blue category. Steve Kench (ROC) won the Green Course, with Albert Epprecht in second spot. First lady on this course was Chantel Helm (ARC). There was a dead-heat for third position on the Brown course, with Nico Van Hoepen and Piers Pirow recording identical times after over one and a half hours out in the veld. Garry Morrison was credited with second place behing Paul. Roger Blane - now surely fully recovered from knee surgery - spoilt the 'kids party' by winning the Light Green (3,3km) race from Joshua de Klerk and Christie Courtnage in 4th place. Adi de Klerk - with a bit of help from dad - won the Orange (2,2km) course.
Nice to see some of our 'missing in action' members turn out - we trust they are all recovered, not 'missing' or lost anymore - and we see more of you at forthcoming events. And oh, by the way….Rog you are definitely up to Green next event !!! Thanks go to Liz and Billy of the Bushtrails veld school - for the use of their facilities. The veld school runs holiday camps for kids, many of which we saw having a real fun time on Sunday. So, ever wonder what to do with your 'bored' off-spring during school holidays ?.
GAUTENG CHAMPIONSHIPS RUN SMOOTH AT TWO GREAT NEW VENUES
RACO put up a good showing claiming no fewer than 19 titles over the two days, and stars of the 'show' were our flying youngsters, Christie Courtnage (W12) and Joshua de Klerk (M12) leading the way in both events. Joshua making a mockery of the course planner's winning time estimations ! Also able to show off back to back wins were Paul Wimberley, really troubling the M40 brigade, Alison Curtis the double W45 champion, Michele Barrows taking the W35 title both days and Kim Raban hauling in two W21B wins. Most impressive performance of the weekend actually came from Sarah Pope (ROC), peaking just in time for the World Champs in Italy. She took the W20 titles on both days, and even beating the 'more experienced' [who said old ? - ED] men on the same length courses.
Making a welcome return to the Classic Course podium was Michele Botha (ARC), at last back to top form. She was joined by Cape runner Martin Kleynhans (PENOC) who surprised the 'locals' in a faultless display of fast Orienteering.
Medium Course winners, not already mentioned, were:
Classic Course Winners, not already mentioned, were: The official a more detailed results will be posted in EVENTS shortly. While the Hennops venue for the Medium Courses was good for navigational skills, the sharp and abundant pelindaba rocks hiding in the long grass, made for some tough going underfoot. By contrast - and thanks to the burning of the grass about two weeks ago - the new Protea Ridge venue, was mostly very runnable and a pleasure. Both maps were faultless. We say a big thank you to all the people involved from the Adventure Racing Club (ARC) and Rand Athletic Club (ROC) for a truly enjoyable weekend of top class Orienteering. MOON O' PROVES 'ANTI-FREEZE' MUST BE ADDED TO LIST OF STIMULANTS !
Quick to reach 'home' and a warm cup of soup were this bunch, close to the log fire that had been provided by our hosts - of the wonderful and really enjoyable, Moon O' event - Michele and David. Many thanks to the two of you for a pleasant evening - and truly magic opportunity to see some of the nocturnal animals at close range. Kim and Charles were literally 'scared awake' by a lioness, who took a lunge for 'supper' just the other side of the viewing glass in their enclosure ! Some decided to stay out and study the animals a bit longer …. I went out twice on the course because it was so enjoyable and low and behold, found Anthony telling Jess all about the crocs in the crocodile enclosure, in my successive runs!!! [only pulling your socks guys ! - ED] They did eventually make it back to the finish though !!!
Our 'Kitchen Gals' did a marvelous job of keeping us fed as usual - but the best part was the 'anti-freeze' to keep the blood from solidifying in the cold. We must have tanked about six bottles of 'OB's' amongst the twenty five or so adult RACO'ites. Having a 'knertsie' between runs, gave Gary and I a certain advantage - running the 2 point something km distance in 17:27 (second time round running on memory). For the record, Dylan trounced us all by officially finishing in a time of 17:53, with Bradley second 19:23 and third place going to our skull scarer, Nico weighing in with a 23:00. Now guess who were the last to leave the party as usual ?…..yeh, but we had to collect controls and make sure we'd used up all the 'anti-feeze' !!!!
June 2009 FROM FYNBOS TO MINEDUMPS ! First timer Carla Petersen (left) and Ursula Wong (already completed several events to date) found all the controls in the right places and thoroughly enjoyed their morning.
The medium length courses saw some very respectable times posted, with Jeremy Green (ARC) quite clearly in a class of his own, 'whacking' the opposition in the top, brown event. Over 7 minutes in arrears, saw Alex Pope (WITSOC) picking up the pieces, with Martin Kleynhans (PENOC) in third spot. First lady in on the brown course - which also attracted most of the Junior Squad ladies - was Tania Wimberley (RACO), leaving Sarah Pope (ROC) and Jessica Lund (RACO) in her wake. South Africa's hopes in the Junior World Championships rest on the shoulders of one of our most experienced bunch of juniors thus far - and the squad were presenbted with their Protea Colours at the event on Sunday. Only one missing from the auspicious moment was Bradley Lund !
Back to mine-dump racing ….. RACO's David Pilling spoilt the points for his older rivals on the Blue course, beating team-mate Richard Lund by just under 6 minutes. The AR Club's Michele Botha was first lady and very respectably, in third place overall. Trevor Pope (ROC) claimed a win ahead of Peter Hemer (RACO) and Ryno Griessel in the race for the Green Course honours. Suffering the effects of the dreaded flu, and 'cooling her heels', RACO's Jess Hemer managed to finish ahead of the lady pack on this course (7th overall). Newcomers, Jan and Jason, had a great run into first place in the Light Green category, then promptly went out again to do some 'damage', although non-competitively, on the Green course. They will certainly be watched in the future !. Kim Raban was the first lady (pipping even her dad, Charles, to the post), with club-mate Christie Courtnage, second lady in this event. Heather Wimberley continued her (very) junior form by taking the win on the Orange course. Official Results will be posted in RESULTS shortly.
WHY JOIN A CLUB ?
We also asked what people would like to get out of a club and that, which was maybe not provided already. Here is what they thought:
Come on, there must be more you people out there can think of ! Responses to pat@racorienteers.co.za SA JUNIOR TEAM IMPRESS IN CAPE FORESTS
Bradley Lund upstaged almost the entire M21 brigade, by taking third place behind winner Nicholas Mulder (ROC) and second place runner Jeremy Green (ARC) in the Short Course event on Saturday. Then Sarah Pope (ROC) scorched around the W20 course, in a running speed that would have put her in the top half of the mens open short course finishers !. Jessica Lund caught the senior ladies off-guard and claimed the short course title over the more fancied competitors; while Salome van Hoepen, biding her time, claimed her podium top spot on the Sunday in the Classic distance W20 race. A really wonderful weekend of forest racing for a relatively small field of Orienteers mainly from the Cape and Gauteng, was well hosted by the Peninsular Orienteering Club and stalwarts such as Ruedi Siegenthaler (Planner), Albert van der Merwe (Controller) and their small band of very enthusiastic assistants. Thank you all for some challenging, but very enjoyable courses and your hospitality. If you haven't tried forest O' yet, you don't know what you're missing ! So it wasn't all smooth sailing over the pine-needles, Ruedi and Albert managed to find some real 'mean' rocky routes for the competitors on the longer courses on Sunday. There were many a story about 'parallel features', 'misinterpretation of contours', 'botched route choices', 'hidden flags in pits'…..we could go on and on !. But in the end everyone had a fantastic weekend. The Wimberly clan accounted for five Western Cape Championship titles amongst the three of them. For the record, double titles (winners in both the short and long or classic events) went to : Nicholas Mulder of ROC (M21); PENOC's Roark Robinson (M16); Paul Wimberley (M40); Ian Bratt also of ROC (M50); Peter King of PENOC (M60); Neville Stocks of PENOC (M70) - and for the ladies, Heather Wimberley (W12); Laura Troost of PENOC (W16); Lindy Croxford of PENOC (W45); and Sheila Terry another PENOC member (W65). Official results should be available in RESULTS shortly. BIGGEST TURNOUT OF ENTRIES IN DECADES AT PELINDABA !
Who would have said it was winter - or at least after we had put the controls out in the crisp morning air - with beautiful sunshine, fresh air and lots and lots of new Orienteers, some of them out for the first time. We really trust you enjoyed your venture into the only true, family, sport for life in South Africa (watch me take some flak for that statement - but, hey, you see the worry in my eye ?!!! - ED). Although the courses were pretty heavy going, everyone made it back safely to the finish - with this group of "survivors" still managing to smile about it all.
First you must understand the Planner and Controller's points of view - this was a Colour Coded Classic category event - meaning somewhere in between your 'mild' Medium Course classification and the 'big daddy' of courses, National Championships. So, it was always going to be a shock to the system - having not run this class since about September last year. And sure enough, the courses we designed had a few of you really digging deep. Okay so the terrain played a big role in the relatively slow times - but that certainly didn't bother Nicholas Mulder (ROC) on the long, 8,1km / 250m climb, Brown course - winning, in a better than target-time of 72 minutes, over 17 minutes ahead of nearest rival, Paul Wimberley (RACO). Third was Garry Morrison (ARC). Winning only his second ever Blue (6,3km / 175m climb) course was Richard Lund, also of the RACO club.
Only two ladies finished the Brown course and it was Tania Wimberley who edged out Lisa de Speville for the top honours. All the SA Junior World Champs girls went out onto the Blue course, with mixed success. Winner here was RACO's Salome van Hoepen finishing a very respectable 6th overall to boot. Taking her 'maiden' solo win on the Orange course, was our young Heather Wimberley. Although everyone who completed these courses could be considered to be winners, we must mention the other real flyers on the day: Ropafadzo Chiradza (1st Light Green); Peter Hemer (1st Green) and Robyn John (1st lady Light Green). Well done to all of you. Full and detailed results for Pelindaba will be available in RESULTS in the next day or so. After we had heard all the 'war stories' and 'if only'…stuff' - it was time to just sit around and enjoy the rest of the morning in some great company. Here the Tan clan (plus a couple of friends) relax on the lawns in front of the Preller House (national monument) restaurant.
Without club helpers, events would not be possble - so a big thank you goes out to all the many volunteers on the day - thanks mucho !!! And while we're about it, thank you to Hein Hechter and his hard working family and staff of the Preller Restaurant. Now - back to you newcomers……hope to see you all in two weeks time in the 'far East' for the Boksburg Medium Course event (details will be available in EVENTS shortly). May 2009 FOUR LEGS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE ORDER OF THE DAY !
Scene of the last Gauteng Championships, the venue is well suited to the slightly shorter of the colour-coded series of races and all the courses traversed the veld, not so rocky hillside and some very confusing and steeply inclined, 4 x 4 'dongas'. The weather was perfect for running too - although it did get more breezy later, chasing away many who would normally have stayed for prize-giving. Back to his winning ways, Nicholas Mulder (ROC) managed to stay ahead - by a mere 22 seconds - of Jeremy Green (ARC) on the Brown course. Third home was Dylan Hemer (WITSOC), with Paul Wimberley the first RACO member in. As mentioned, Salome 'screamed' home [see Short Legs - ED] as the first lady. She was followed in by RACO team-mates, Jessica Hemer and Zoe Brentano. Ian Bratt (ROC) simply out-performed the field on the Blue course, with Michael Crone (WITSOC) the only one to come within striking distance - although an error early on put paid to his first win at this level. Gavin Venter ran in third. Albert Eprrecht was also back to form in the race for Green course honours, with Jeff Norris hot on his heels. First Lady in on this course was Liz Mulder (ROC). Joshua was a happy winner of the Light Green class, and Sven and Ethan Vosse took the win while running the Orange course. The full results will be available in RESULTS shortly. Never to miss an opportunity, the youngsters managed to fit in a quick game of cricket - Orienteering IPL if you like !!!
WILDEBEES RUN FASTEST O' LEGS AT STIRRUP GLEN !
Nice T-shirt !!! With the usual five courses on offer - competitors had some good choices, and not a complaint was heard from anyone. Especially the winners : Jeremy Green (AR) had the beating of Alex Pope (WITSOC) and our Paul Wimberley on the tough brown course - with Tania Wimberley the first lady in 10th place overall in the same race. The second most difficult course - blue - was no problem for David Pilling (RACO), beating Ian Bratt (ROC) and Pat de Klerk (RACO) by a long shot [someone please tell Dave that the Blue course is for sick or near to the end old 'war horses' !! - mind you he was recovering from flu ! - ED]. First lady on the blue was our Zoe Brentano, also not taking up the challenge on the brown course. Good move early in the season - bank some valuable points ! Winner of the Light Green event was Ropafadzo Chiradza, a little nervous around the horses on the delightful farm !
He was followed in by Chris de Klerk (ARC) and Joshua de Klerk (RACO). First lady, and in 5th place overall, was Kim Raban. First timer Orienteer, Ruan Swanepoel, went out onto the Green Course and spoilt the party for the regulars ! Especially well done, since he had finished the 50km Loskop Dam Ultra Marathon on Saturday ! Then to cap it all, he went out AGAIN, on the Blue course ! Watch this man ! RACO's Albert Epprecht was a very credible second, while Stephanie Courtnage, also of RACO, rounded out the top three positions. The full results are available in RESULTS. We were host once again to the SOAP Kidz, and after a quick bit of instruction these boys from under-privileged areas, were raring to go. They blasted off into the veld in four groups - and surprised everyone by leading home the competitors in the Orange (novice) event.
The 'Crazy Boys' came home first, ahead of Ursula Wong and another SOAP team of 'The Tiger Boys'. Karen and Theo, we admire your ongoing efforts with children less fortunate than ourselves - and feel honoured that we are able to assist on occasions like this. Colour coded courses means a whole lot of different work tasks - not just more hard work for a start, doing the planning and setting out controls, but also the added drudge of having to collect the controls afterwards !. So, while we thank the organisers and all the helpers on the day - we especially thank those that remain afterwards, to trek back out there in the blistering, midday sun to find those elusive little kites once again !. Thanks everyone. Right, the season has begun - see you all again in two weeks time at Hennops River Resort, for round number 2. The Event Details should be available in EVENTS shortly. SHORT COURSE SERIES ENDS IN CLOSE FINISH
Its been a hectic few months, and going into the last round, it could have been any one of 6 men up for the Championship win and at least three ladies who could have pulled it off. In the end neither of our Log victors were winners on the day - however, thanks to their final race positions, it ended happily in their favour. Salome van Hoepen trounced the opposition by over a minute on the 3,5km ladies course, with Sarah Pope (ROC) second ahead of Tania. A fast recovering Stephanie Courtnage ran in 4th, with RACO team-mate Zoe Brentano 5th. Michele Barrow had a great run into 6th place overall. Winner of the mens 4,1km event was Nathan Thompson (ARC), who was ahead of Alex Pope (WITSOC) by a mere 8 seconds. Garry Morrison (ARC) cemented his position as the leading Veteran for the year and came in a very credible 3rd, ahead of Jeremy , Dylan Hemer (WITSOC) and Glynn de Klerk (RACO). Special mention goes to our own JP Sissing, beating a number of the more experienced Orienteers in the field and taking 13 spot. The Novice race was an opportunity for our youngsters - several of them from the Young Orienteers Challenge initiative - to showcase their skills. And little Phumi Shongwe surprised even herself by leading the field home.
Other youngsters to shine were Sarah Wimberley and Adi de Kerk, taking 3rd and 4th respectively. Craig Ogilvie (ROC) managed to map the campus in a very short time and open up a fresh new venue for O' on the other side of the 'boerewors' curtain. The organising club (ROC) are thanked for a great morning in the sunshine [even the chocolates took some strain again at prize-giving ! - ED] The full results will be out shortly and the official Log positions will be available in RESULTS soon. Thanks for competing in the Series all of you others out there - but it doesn't end here…. see you in 2 weeks time at Stirrup Glen !
April 2009 A (SMELLY) RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT …. BUT GREAT RACING ! First time planner, Jenny Saunders, laid on some fast, tricky and interesting courses through the numerous buildings and grounds at the Heron Bridge College over the weekend. What a great environment in which to go to school - many thanks to the college for their permission to use this excellent venue.
That's Jenny, flanked by two of the teachers from Heron Bridge - sorry didn't get your names, as I was being "harrassed" by the event Controller, Paul Wimberley, at the time…..[come to think of it…I didn't get your phone numbers either - damn !!! - ED] Making really smart work of the Novices Course, Christie Courtnage - who did it with her eyes closed I believe ! - finished over 6 minutes of her nearest rival, and fellow RACO club-mate, Meilan Tan. Jessica Lund got the better of all the ladies on the Womens Course, while Dylan Hemer (WITSOC) claimed top dog of the day in the Mens Category. That's Christie with her eyes still tightly shut…
We enticed a big turnout for this the penultimate race in the 2009 Short Course Series, with everyone enjoying the last heat of Summer, before we head into the Colour Coded, Cross-Country stuff (more about this later). While the official Results will be published shortly, for the record, Series contenders in the mens racing, Alex Pope (WITSOC) and Garry Morrison (ARC) finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. First RACO home was Nico van Hoepen, with young 'JP' Sissing in a credible 10th place. The Ladies category is heading for a big RACO showdown next week, with Salome van Hoepen's second place at Heron Bridge, Cindy van Zyl's (ARC) third, and other leading contender, Tania Wimberley, down in fourth this week. Without helpers and a great team spirit, RACO events would not be possible - just take our 'front desk' ladies…..many thanks to Anne (that's Jenny's mom), Zoe and Alison, this week.
One sad thing about the environment we live in these days……lovely running along the banks of the river…..but as one Orienteer put it, "nothing like the pungent aroma of sewerage on a fresh morning run !" Yup, and this is Sandton ! Nearly washed my face under this one…disturbing sign of the times.
That was it for another Sunday morning - see you all at the Tshwane University of Technology next weekend (the event details are available in EVENTS ).
REGULAR ORIENTEERS TOPS AT ZOO FINAL - EMIT CONFUSES FAVOURITES Another very successful year of the RACO School's League has just come to an end - with the five week series ending at the Joburg Zoo. Series organiser, Peter Hemer offers his parting shots on the performances of the various individual runners.
The last schools event for 2009 was held at the Zoo on Monday 9th March and a first for many runners was to be the use of emit !. The zoo were very accommodating and loaned us a Golf cart for driving around and setting up the course, which made the process far more bearable. We had a great team with Bronwyn driving, myself find the correct emit blocks and Garry Morrison running out and doing the placing. We had the courses all up and ready to run an hour before the planned start. Richard and Garry then went out and ran the two boys courses to get a test time and also to check the courses. Both times were not beaten !. [Hey, secret training Richard & Garry !!! - ED] 68 runners in all were invited to run the champs (20 in each senior category and 14 in each Junior Category). The chief starter (Phillip Raban) sent runners off at 1m 30 sec intervals, whilst the assistant (Zoe Brentano) kept manual times and runners names. Once we had a fair split between schools the race started about 15:15. All went smoothly but it soon became apparent that the afternoon would take longer than expected when the first runner home was Jessica Davies who started almost 10 minutes after the first starters. Once she was back finishers started coming in slowly but surely. A walk onto the course saw quite a few runners studying maps, checking surroundings, running, stopping , back tracking - sure we all know the feeling. I abandoned my idea of taking pictures and came back to watch the finishers. The closest race of the day was the senior girls where the next runner in was Jess Lund a mere 4 secs quicker. Next in was Sarah Pope 40 sec quicker and the last starter Jess Hemer, came in a minute 10 quicker. Many of the favourites in the other age groups made mistakes so the final positions had many new faces compared to the final league placing.
Junior Boys :
Junior Girls :
Senior Boys :
Senior Girls : Sarah actually finished 2nd in 20:23 but was a "guest runner" as had not run the qualifying league. Also missing was Stephanie Courtnage recovering after having won the league.
March 2009 ORIENTEERING RUN BY VOLUNTEERS - SHORT SERIES OVER HALFWAY
Another quality RACO event in the series - thanks to Glynn and Gary de Klerk - attracted a field of 78 cards (that translates to about 90 competitors) on a morning that dawned almost Winter-like. But the coolness soon evaporated and the courses and competition was as hot as ever ! Only five seconds split the two first male competitors, with Alex Pope beating WITSOC team-mate, Dylan Hemer, on the 3,2 km course. Garry Morrison (ARC) rescued some points in third to keep himself in the Title hunt, while our Bradley Lund - really 'bothering' the SA Senior Squad Members now - finished a credible fourth. It was a different story in the ladies race, with RACO's Salome van Hoepen crushing the strong field by over 2 minutes. Sarah Pope (ROC) followed ahead of Susan Sloane for the AR Club. Angela and Nick Glover were victorious on the 2km Novice course - taking home a nice bottle of wine for Sunday lunch ! Interestingly, a comparison between the fastest and last competitors on each of the courses, shows a huge time difference - 53 minutes (men) and 48 minutes (women) - which just goes to show, Orienteering is for all abilities, be-it walker or sprint racer. In the end we ALL get to enjoy it ! All the official Results are available in RESULTS now.
RACO CLUB NIGHT - LET THEM EAT PIZZA ! The RACO faithful turned up for the second social event of the year - a pizza evening at our favourite haunt, Fratelli's near the club ! Derek looks as though he got the free meal - or was it the free round of drinks (note the glassware) or were those the Philip's "dead soldiers" ?
Then there was the serious side of the table……
Nevertheless, a great time was had by all. A fine way of enjoying some good RACO company. Make sure you don't miss the next "event" - details of which Gary (our social convenor) will make available soon. SHORT COURSE EVENT GETS TOUGHER - ONLY TWO RACES TO GO
While the planner, Trevor Pope (ROC) did admit to an error or two out on the courses -which played a part in some disqualifications and some below par performances - everyone still enjoyed the great morning out in the sweaty heat of Pretoria (some only after they had regained their sense of humour !). The courses took in the open park areas as well as the complex set of paths on the rough and rocky hillside. Another good turnout in a lovely setting. The full results will be available later in the week - but for the record, the Novice race was won by Christie Courtnage; the ladies event by Tania Wimberley and the mens category by Jeremy Green. Other good performances by RACO's Nico van Hoepen (4th man) and Salome van Hoepen (3rd lady). Only two more events to go - see you all at Heron Bridge College on 29 March.
DELTA "LONG" SPRINT SUITS THE FAST AND FIT
The Ladies race turned out to be a RACO benefit once again, but this time the positions changing somewhat. The top lady competitors, vying for the Short Course Title were Tania Wimberley (1st) two minutes in front of Stephanie Courtnage, with third place taken by Salome van Hoepen. Nearly half way into the short season and a pattern is emerging. Watch the next couple of races. With the previous race winners - from the AR club - fully involved with organising this event, it was up to the rest of the hotshots to make their move on the points table. Bradley Lund did well to finish second to Alex, while Paul Wimberley (4th) and Nico van Hoepen (5th) were unable to catch Nicholas Mulder (ROC) for that last podium place. The Novice race was won by Richard Lievort. A 2 hour Score event was added to the morning of Orienteering and many of the Sprinters, stayed to endure yet another long hike around the open spaces. While some planned their routes, others were content to stand and grin before the start - maybe their last chance of smiling for the day (the heat was picking up !). Jessica Hemer and Anthony Stott were intent on getting all the controls.
Although the results were not officially known by the time we went to print - it is believed that at least three competitors, Nico van Hoepen, Alex and Nicholas managed to tag all the controls in under the time limit. Official Results of the Delta dual event [and hopefully last week's St David's event results too from Richard (please) - ED] should be available in RESULTS shortly !
SPRINT-WISE BAFFLES YOUTH AT ST DAVID's COLLEGE EVENT
The Ladies race was won by Salome van Hoepen, who was followed pretty closely by Stephanie Courtnage, with Jessica Lund in third place. The three younger RACO competitors managed to get the better of 2008 champion and fellow club-mate, Tania Wimberley - but she will be back….just watch it ladies !!! A glitch in control placement - where a control was switched temporarily during the event - confused several competitors, which most likely influenced some of the times in the end. Thankfully, all the affected competitors sportingly agreed to let the results stand. It would have been a shame to "waste" an otherwise fine event. These things happen sometimes !. Thanks to those runners who did not lodge a formal protest. As usual we had the YOC youngsters out on their course as well, with many of the school's boys also joining in the Novice event. No wonder then that the first three positions were taken by the guys with a spot of "local knowledge" !. Well done to Shawn Patterson (1st), Anthony Hodson (2nd) and Grant Webster (3rd) - finishing within 42 seconds of one another. The full and official results will be out shortly - but don't forget the "double-header" next week at Delta Park. A sprint event starting at 7:30, will be followed by an optional 2 hour Score event - always great fun. See you all there on Sunday.
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But our RACO speedsters weren't too far behind… Salome van Hoepen coming out as the lady winner in the Brown category….. Brian Courtnage taking up the challenge and running into 9th overall on the Brown course, which is really meant for the much younger competitors …. Pat de Klerk and Richard Lund the first RACO's in 2nd and 3rd spots respectively on the Blue course, and then Jessica Lund 4th overall and first lady on the Blue course. Peter Hemer had anexcellent day in the veld to claim a win in the 3,92km Green stakes, with first lady and 4th overall, Zoe Brentano. More RACO success for Shaun Patterson in the 2,75km Light Green race, with Kim Raban first lady a second overall in this category. Kirsty Green (ARC) won the Orange Course - with daughter on her back in a back-pack - AND just to balance it all out, soon to be born baby in "her pouch" up front. We told you Orienteering was a family sport !
By the time you read this, our National Team that competed at the World Games in Taipei this past weekend, will be well on their way back home again. Tania, Nicholas and team manager Ian Bratt, have had a great time showcasing their talents against some of the most competitive Orienteering nations around the globe. Both Tania and Nick have had good runs - not without the odd error here and there (just checking their split times on the International site bears testament) - finishing every event leaving a few countries in their wake. In the Sprints, Tania scored a 31st position, 6 minutes behind winner Finland, while Nick took 34th spot, 4 minutes in arrears of Russia. Both South Africans managed 31st positions in the Middle distance events, trailing winners - Switzerland and Australia by just on ten minutes each. Surprisingly there were once again several disqualifications - demonstrating our athletes cunning for technical detail. Well done to you both !. To view the final results in more detail, go to 
