ORIENTEERING CANADA Published by the Canadian Orienteering Federation Box 62052. Convent Glen P.O. Orleans, Ontario, K1C 7H8 E-MAIL [email protected] Tel: (613) 830-1147 FAX: (613) 830-0456 OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE CANADIAN ORIENTEERING FEDERATION Vol. 28 No. 3 FALL 1999 ISSN 0227-6658 CONTENTS MODERN TECHNOLOGIES AND Front Cover 1 ORIENTEERING Land Permission 1 Modem Technologies 1 Wide spread use of computers and modern technologies AGM - Board Activity 2 have greatly affected every area of the workplace, home Richest Prize in Sight 3 life, recreation and lifestyles. Many time consuming manual Promotion - Newspapers, Radio, Internet 4 tasks have been converted to computers: e.g. administration, Electronic punching of course 5-6 meet organization and map production. Canadian Championships Registration Forms 7-10 Orienteering Marathon - a developing discipline 11 Modern technologies have also had a great impact in Internet and email 12 Elite News 13-14 orienteering. Most federations and clubs developed web Yukon News 14 sites that provide information on membership, meet Sale Items 15 schedules, results, contact names, telephone numbers, email COF and Association Contacts 16 addresses and other items. A prime example of computer technology in orienteering is the OCAD (0-map Computer Assisted Drawing) program, developed by Hans Steinegger (Switzerland). The first LAND PERMISSION version of OCAD, released in 1990, was quickly accepted by 0-mappers and within a few years the majority of 0- A Landowner Permission Guide is being prepared to assist maps were OCAD prepared. clubs and association in negotiations with land owners, property managers, park and conservation authorities in A recent innovation is electronic punching. Although current obtaining permission to conduct orienteering activities on their equipment costs are too high for most Canadian clubs to properties. The 'Guide' will replace the Land Use and consider it is likely that this new technology will replace the Access booklet published by COF in 1988. familiar pin punches and control cards during the next decade. Ross Burnett will prepare the 'Guide' for publication in Spring 2000. Ross would like to include letters from land The 10F magazine - Orienteering World No. 2, 1999 - owners complimenting clubs/associations for their adherence included several articles on use of modern technologies in to agreed upon regulations when conducting orienteering orienteering: electronic punching; e-mail and interne; activities on the property. orienteering on television. Three of these are re-printed in this issue and preview possible future changes in the way the COF, associations, clubs, organize events and Correspondence, literature and other supporting communicate with members. documentation should be sent to: Unfortunately, no one has yet developed computer Ross Burnett, technology to reduce lengthy travel distances to competition 190 Rainbow Road, venues or convert local park areas into enjoyable technical Whitehorse, Yukon, Y I A 5E3 terrain within 15 minutes drive from home. 1999 ANNUAL MEETING NOTES I. SHORT DISTANCE GUIDELINES Geraint Edmunds Alberta Developed by Geraint Edmunds and published in Catherine Hagen British Columbia Orienteering Canada, Spring 1999, Vol 28 No. l were Dick James Nova Scotia accepted in principle and will be implemented in COC Ray St Laurent New Brunswick 2000. Suggestions for revisions are to be submitted by Annette Van Tyghem Ontario event organisers. Directors' Areas of Responsibilities. 2. COC 2000 The event will be in Fundy Park. D Heron reported that National Teams Catherine Hagen new aerial photography and base map had been prepared Officials Certification Annette Van Tyghem of the existing area plus an additional area. Bryan Chubb Promotion Geraint Edmunds was contracted to make the map. Technical Standards Dick James Technology Development Ray St Laurent 3. COC 2001 The 1998 AGM requested the COF board solicit applications to host COC 2001. An application submitted BOARD ACTIVITY by the Manitoba Orienteering Association to host COC 2001 was approved. The event is scheduled for Thanks Giving weekend - October 6-8. The major focus for the board during the next year will be development of a Work Plan with a number of Short and 4. COC 2002 Long term Goals established for each area of responsibility. COC 2002 is part of a series of major events that includes Goals will be attainable, challenging and measurable with the Canadian, North American and Asia Pacific target completion dates. championships. Events Schedule: Directors will establish committees to develop a 'work plan' for their area of responsibility for review by the board at a July 6 - 7COC Classic Calgary Region Spring meeting and presented at the 2000 AGM. The Plan July 9 - 10APOC Classic & Relay Drumheller will be updated annually to reflect AGM decisions. July 12C0C Short Edmonton Region July 13 - 14NAOC Edmonton Region The Plan will provide continuity and direction to the COF board and committees. Goals may be permanent in nature - 5. BOARD MEETINGS - TELECONFERENCE annual review of standards and competition rules, or a `special project' - Landowner Guide for assistance in Teleconference meetings to be held in Spring and obtaining permission for orienteering activities. Fall. Items addressed will include: 6. BOARD ELECTIONS Technology Electronic punching Treasurer: Officials Certification review of practical Sheldon Friesen (Manitoba) was re-elected for requirements for each level another 2 year term. Technical Standards review of course structure and winning times Directors: (2 to be elected). Ray St Laurent (New Brunswick) and Annette Van National Teams national team fund travel Tyghem (Ontario) were re-elected for additional 2 equalization study year terms. Members interested in working on a committee can Board of Directors: contact the COF office or the board member responsible. Addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses are President Colin Kirk Financial Sheldon Friesen on the back cover of the magazine. 0 ' -°"""kTt! Tr-141Fr I WWI r°2777*-7 RICHEST PRIZE IN SIGHT Sue Harvey, 10F President (Orienteering World No. 2, 1999) The important thing was, as a viewer, that you felt the tension Technology development has affected most sports at some as you saw the athlete racing through the forest or while stage. In athletics we hear that a particular track is "fast" or you waited for him to appear at the control. "slow". We have false starts recorded electronically instead of manually, and tracking cameras to provide close views of You experienced the disappointment and frustration as he every stage of the action. missed the control because you could see on the map what he was doing, and the clock meanwhile ticked up the All sports enjoy better equipment and all athletes now have seconds. You could feel the excitement our ancestors must all kinds of technology to assist training. have experienced as they hunted down their prey in the forests of old. In orienteering technology has revolutionised several aspects already: for the organiser electronic punching has removed This is the fascination of orienteering, when you take part the chore of checking control cards and calculating results; yourself. We still need to add close-ups of the runners, and while the athlete and trainer take advantage of knowing split terrain modelling to make it more understandable for the times, less specialist, but when technology can enable the viewer to participate in the story of the competition as it proceeds, Despite these advances, perhaps for orienteering the biggest then orienteering will provide some fantastic viewing. technological revolution is yet to come, and it will be in portrayal of the competition on television. I say "competition" Such development is not so far away now. Technology on purpose. development is about to offer our sport the richest prize. It is the development of the competition - how the competitors progress against one another, and their emotions as this unfolds STAFF CHANGE IN ALBERTA - that is of interest to viewers and enthusiast, not merely ASSOCIATION OFFICE who won. Executive Director, Dan Leggo, resigned after only 11 Tennis was a relatively boring game to watch on TV until months and enrolled in university to continue his education. the use of a combination of several camera angles plus close- Former Technical Director, Barbara Johnson, is filling the ups of the competitors faces, enabled us to follow exactly position on a part-time basis until a permanent replacement what was happening and how the players felt as the game is hired. Barbara worked for the AOA for several years progressed. before leaving to pursue a teaching career. Now two months ago, for the first time in my life, I had the AOA MEMBERS COMPETE IN 2000 experience of getting excited as I watched orienteering on WORLD MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS TV. The occasion? A promotional video prepared by the WOO 2001 organisers. Several Edmonton Overlanders and Foothills Wanderers members will welcome in the new Millennium in New The video followed the progress of three runners, starting Zealand while attending 2000 World Masters with them punching at one control and then alternating clips Championships, December 28, 1999 -January 12, 2000 of each in the forest with shots of the map showing how Edmonton Overlanders - Geraint and Marilyn Edmunds, each was progressing along his chosen route. Mary Lou Hogg, Don Scott; Foothills Wanderers - James Baker, Charlotte MacNaughton, Richard Obreiter, Adrian Significantly, it was transposed out of real time so that it was Zissos. Geraint and Marilyn are making an extended trip and will as if all three were running simultaneously, so that as each be away for two months. reached the end of the leg his elapsed time flashed up as he punched. 0 ORIENTEERING FEATURED IN NEWSPAPERS, RADIO AND INTERNET Newspapers enthused to include orienteering in two programs in October, The first, the day after the call, was on the English network a) Montreal Gazette, Saturday, Sept. 4. and based upon information obtained from the COF office.