Big Foot Prints Issue #81 February 2007 competition and a step up from Summer Philadelphia Times, Philadelphia, PA, Series orienteering in the streets to bush Apr. 23, 1899. orienteering, albeit slightly scratchy bush Anyone who didn©t watch the orienteering. series ªBlizzardº on SBS missed Foot orienteering©s fixture problems can be out on a treat as two teams of ameliorated with a fix of mountain bike hardy hearties, one Norwegian, orienteering (or MTBO as its known). This one British, raced each other Inside year©s MTBO super series provides 7 across Greenland recreating the weekends of orienteering, with the most race to the pole between Sydney Summer Series distant event at Raymond Terrace. The Amundsen and Scott. However that©s not what the Philadelphia Park Orienteering Series season is capped off by the Australian Championships which Big Foot will be Times was banging on about and MTBO season preview staging, so this could be the year when you its not what Big Foot Prints is about. Low emission orienteering get out that penny farthing, strap on a map board and give MTBO a try. No ± the pole we are searching Technology update for is the mysterious ªlightpoleº which has become beloved of Summer Series planners, but whose location is unknown to the On your bike map-maker, the competitors and sometimes even the planner. This summer has been great for Recent summer series controls orienteering around Sydney ± record sighted on ªlightpoleº are not numbers have attended both the only using features not marked Wednesday night Summer Series events on the map, but the control circle and the Monday night sprints. As the is often printed so that its seasons turn, turn this edition of Big impossible to know which side of Foot Prints looks ahead to a hazy shade the street the pole is on. This of winter - traditionally the main part of results in orienteers running up the orienteering season. the middle of the street with their Winter (foot) orienteering in NSW attention firmly focussed on any broadly consists of three levels of events roving power pole, completely ± the State League, the Metro League oblivious to the leopard seal that and the collection of smaller events that is about to attack them from fill up the rest of the calender behind. (including the prestigious Big Foot Sprints). Numbers attending State League events Walter Kelemen about to peddle past fast have been in free-fall for the last few years and will likely decline further this year with no day-time events within two hours of Sydney before September. And talking of winter... To get the best value in foot orienteering ªThere is no project of scientific investigation that Roald Amundsen deciding this year make sure that you sign up for has attracted a wider attention and public interest than the search for the pole. For centuries intrepid whether to go for #15, the a run in the MetrO league, a series of navigators and explorers have engaged upon South Pole ± its a bit out of the well-organised inter-club orienteering voyages of discovery in the north and directly or way. events held within striking distance of indirectly sought the pole. Hundreds of lives have Sydney. While the events are not as been sacrificed in the cause and hundreds of technically demanding as the State expeditions sent out, costing thousands of dollars, League events, they do provide good until we have come to regard the success of the project impossible.º Blisters big foot events With two events this year under our belt, President©s Piece the organisational load isn©t too heavy, Welcome to all our new members. I hope you'll but please volunteer to help out at the enjoy your orienteering with the club. The following: Metroleague series will start in a couple of 22nd April (Sunday), MTBO Super Series 2, months with club teams in the various divisions. Yellowmundee. [Mountain Devils event, but We'll be looking for interest before then. And its on our new map]. there is a short evening Autumn Series starting after the end of daylight savings. It leads up to the April/May, Big Foot Sprints X, St Ives Night Champs at Macquarie Uni. Please don't be afraid to enter any event Showground. Organiser Richard Lauder - on the calendar ± even the ones specifying pre-entry will have some short phone 9591 3095. courses that you can just turn up and run. 24th June (Sunday), MetrO League 3, Lapstone. Organiser Jock Davis ± phone 9989 Many thanks to our outgoing club Secretary Simon George, and 8509. Treasurer, Mark Shingler. They have served the club well over the last few years, so that Big Foot is currently both solvent and organized ! 3-4th November, Australian Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships, Newcastle. Mark has volunteered as World Masters committee treasurer, so he'll be Organiser Paul Darvodelsky ± phone 9402 busy keeping an eye on things there. But it means we now have two 5458. positions to fill at the club's AGM in March. We'd love to hear from anybody prepared to devote a small amount of time to the club's finances email bits or secretarial duties. This winter's calendar is quieter than in previous years. There are many Make sure that you are a member of the people already involved in the Junior World Orienteering Champs and it egroup bigfootorienteers. Most will consume more resources in July. Please let me know if you are important communications are done via intending to travel to Dubbo for this event, and whether you're prepared to email. If you don©t have an email help officiate at any of the races. address or don©t regularly check it, then make sure you someone in the club The club is organizing a training weekend on our best map (is Andy knows and passes messages on to you. Editor going to let that through ?) at Snows Hill south of Goulburn. We'll be camping out and running some fun and instructive exercises on March To join the group send a message to th th xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 17 & 18 . Hope to see you there! Once you are a member, you can post messages to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Our web-site is www.bigfootorienteers.com mapping news 2007 membership renewals Work on two new MTBO maps for the Oz Please send membership renewals to Simon George. If you were a member last MTBO champs in November by hired year then you should have a form to fill in and dispatch, otherwise Simon needs mapping ace Andrew Slattery is complete, to know the address, phone number, email address and name and age of each as is a map of the Western Suburbs member. Mountain Bike area Yellowmundee, which is (mostly) great smooth single track Family (1 or 2 adults and any children living at same address) $55 through open forest. Make sure you get to Senior (born before 1987) $50 the event there in April. Junior (figure it out) $35 The new Rosevilleish map should get its first exposure as you read this. Great work Associate (can©t compete in State League) $30 by Andrew and Debbie to produce yet Simon©s address: another map. 137 Campbell Drive, Wahroonga 2076 What I think about ... Each edition Big Foot Sprints invites a club member about another sport/hobby/pastime that they take part in and asks them to reflect on how it relates to orienteering. This edition we talk to Callum Davis about how his decision to turn his back on materialism has affected him and his family. Callum was aged 7 at the time of the interview, but is believed to have aged in the interim. BFP: Hi Callum, I believe your luggage was left behind when your family flew to WA for the orienteering recently ? Callum: Yep, when we got out of the taxi at the airport, everyone else's bag was there in the boot, except mine. BFP: Were there tears ? Callum: Not from Mum or Dad¼. I would have expected more contrition; if they're going to leave anybody's bags behind, it should be their own¼. BFP: So you were travelling pretty light ? Callum: I was. Luckily I had my faded jeans, my Teddy ªGroffº, and a fleece hoodie, so I was still a pretty cool dude. BFP: But you were going to need a change of clothes quite soon¼. Callum: I marched Mum & Dad off to the ªPumpkin Patchº factory outlet as soon as I could. They were hoping for more say in the matter, but I put them straight pretty quick. Cargo pants is what I wanted, and cargo pants is what I got. You can never have too many pairs of cargo pants ! You should tell that to your readers¼. BFP: Yes, thanks¼ I'm sure they'll be interested. How did the rest of the trip go ? Callum: Pretty well, once my parents understood that my bag was always the first to be loaded into the rental car¼. BFP: Great¼ One last question. You must be worried that your parents might leave other important things behind. Welcome Have you ever seen ªHome Aloneº ???? Chris Jacka, Summer Series Orienteer and adventure racer Callum: No, but sister Kerrin and I are looking out for one has joined Big Foot this year. Chris now joins Jacqui and Joel on the editors hit-list as he attempts to grab a photo of another these days. everyone in the club. OK, you can tell the next bit has been written by a bloke ± no names, no weights: Thor and Vigdis had a baby boy with a very Norwegian name a few months back.