Orienteering Canada Announces Pre-selection of Athletes for World Orienteering Championships

Orienteering Canada is delighted to announce that Emily Kemp and Louise Oram have been pre-selected to represent Canada at the World Orienteering Championships, to be held in Trentino, Italy from July 5th to 12th, 2014. Kemp and Oram will both run in the middle and long distance races.

This year significant changes to the format of the World Orienteering Championships (WOC) have eliminated qualification races for the middle and long distance events.  The number of start slots per nation is determined based on results for the previous two WOC years. Canada’s women have 2 start slots for the middle and long distance races. Kemp and Oram will take both of these slots.

“With the reduced number of starting slots this year, I’m honoured to be pre-selected for both the middle and long races”, said Louise Oram. “It will be interesting to see how the removal of qualification races impacts my races. Less time in the terrain could be negative, but fewer important racing ahead of time to make me nervous and tire out my body and brain could be positive”.

“Both Louise and Emily have trained hard, and this shows in their previous results”, said Alison Price, chairperson of the High Performance Committee. “We’re very excited to have two such outstanding athletes representing Canada on the world stage.”

Selection for the rest of Team Canada will take place at the Alpe Adria Cup, to be held from June 13-19, 2014 in Trentino, Italy.

You can follow the progress of Team Canada on this blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter @OrienteeringCAN.

Please join us in congratulating Louise and Emily!

JWOC ~ Sprinting!

If there's one event that's a whole pile of fun in old European cities, it's the sprint. Trying to navigate little passageways, stairs, crazy dead-ends, and multiple levels at top speed will keep even the best orienteers on their toes! Today's sprint did not disappoint!

Adam after the finish!

The courses started in a park area, then climbed up in the old town with legs up and down lots of stairs and terraces on the steep slope of the old fortifications.

This is the men's course ~ check out 11 to 12. You need to know your sprint symbols to help with this one!

On the men's side, Adam Woods had the best result of the day, 3mins 37secs back from the winner in 130th place. Training on all those sprint maps in Vancouver has obviously been paying off (Sprint Camp in February, everyone!!) Alex did a great job in 139th; Trevor was 147th, and Robbie finished in 160th.

Alex in the finish chute.

On the women's side, Kendra ran a solid race to finish 3mins 10 secs back from the winner in 88th place. Pia was in 113th, and Jen finished in 135th.

Kendra looking very strong in the finish chute.

Here's what the athletes, coach, and team leader had to say about the race:

"Stairs are friend, not your enemy! --Jen

Jen at the finish, happy with her race!

"I was glad to have started early and avoided running in the rain shower. The cobble stones seemed quite treacherous when wet. I was trying for a war of 18:12 re-enactment but the Americans weren't accommodating." --Adam (Ethan Childs and Will Hubsch both beat Adam....)

Robbie sprinting to the finish.

"Too many map details, I need glasses" --Robbie

"Our team raced hard without too many mistakes, but we need more training in urban European type sprint-Orienteering, and the results shows how fast the best orienteers really are." -- Coach Brian

"We need more medieval cities in Canada to hone our sprint skills" -- Team Leader Stefan

Trevor running so fast, the camera couldn't catch him in focus!

Team Canada's results:
Place   Name      Time    Time behind winner
 88       Kendra    17:43      3:10   
113      Pia           18:44      4:11
135     Jen            21:01     6:28

130      Adam      18:12      3:37
139      Alex         18:48      4:13
147      Trevor     19:15      4:40
160      Robbie    21:26      6:51

Pia punching the spectator control

You can view the full results, splits, maps, and GPS tracks for the women at http://www.jwoc2013.cz/  The GPS tracks are always fun to play with - you can select which runners you want to see, do a mass start to see which routes were faster, and so on. 

Team meeting for the relay tomorrow.

Tomorrow  (Saturday) is the last race of JWOC, the relay. At JWOC, participation is the focus for the races. This means that, unlike the World Orienteering Championships (WOC), countries can enter multiple teams, and mixed gender or mixed country teams are allowed (but are not eligible for medals). Our Team Canada athletes will run as follows:

Women
Leg 1: Kendra
Leg 2: Pia
Leg 3: Jen

Men
Leg 1: Adam
Leg 2: Trevor
Leg 3: Alex

Robbie is running leg 3 with Rafael Miguel (Portugal) and Niall McCarthey (Ireland). All teams should have GPS tracking, so make sure you tuned in for the women's race at 4am EDT (that's 1am PDT), and the men start at 6am EDT (or 3am PDT).

JWOC ~ More Long & Middle Training!

I'm told this is a well known technique for helping with all that hill climbing....

This morning (Friday), Team Canada went back to the Long training area and did the second half of the course in a hilly, hilly terrain. The leg 9-10 route alternatives were discussed at length over lunch (see map below - which way would you go? Leave your answer in the comment section!)

Robbie looking strong!

In the afternoon, the Team headed on over to the second middle training map, Chvalecsky Les, and run a short course. The end of the course went through a very rocky area with giant boulders and cliffs. Very tricky!

The tunnel under a railway led to the middle terrain!

Lots of rocky detail!

Everyone had a good day of training. The long training was an opportunity to practice good route choice analysis and learning, while the middle terrain was a reminder of how careful you have to be among all the details on the map!

Trevor Bray!

Back at the hotel in Hradec Kralove, the JWOC event centre is now open, with flags and posters all over the hotel lobby! The Team picked up their accreditation badges and bags of information. 

The next two days will be mostly rest before the first race on Monday. Tomorrow will start with a short sprint practice in the morning, and then some sightseeing.

Stay tuned to the Team Canada blog for all the behind-the-scenes action, as our Canadian athletes count down to the first race on Monday - the long distance! You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter. You can catch all the JWOC action on their website, and also on Facebook.

JWOC ~ Team arrives in Hradec Kralove

Team Canada after a short jog through the city

The Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) start this weekend in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. All the Team Canada athletes and support crew arrived by Tuesday evening, ready for a week of preparation training and acclimatization.

Our athletes this year are a mix of first-time and seasoned JWOC athletes. Our athletes this year are Adam Woods, Trevor Bray, Alex Bergstrom, Robbie Graham, Pia Blake, Kendra Murray, and Jennifer MacKeigan.

Injuries have plagued the junior team this year. Molly Kemp was offered a spot on the team, but she declined due to ongoing injury. National Junior HPP Coach, Brent Langbakk is currently injured, and was unable to accompany the team to Europe. Brian Graham stepped up last minute to fill the coaching role ~ thanks Brian! Brent and Molly, get well soon. We hope to see you both in Europe next year!


Today, Wednesday, the team went out for a short jog around the city to shake out their traveling legs. This afternoon, the team did some training on the model map for the relay. With them was guest member Remi Baudot from St.Etienne in France (pictured in blue below).

The training was in a flat area with lots of trails, ditches and vegetation features. When asked what she took away from this training, Pia said, "We have to learn what is mapped as distinct trees in the middle of a green area. It was usually large oak trees in otherwise coniferous forest."

Adam found it to be a challenge with the shades of green and vegetation boundaries, but had lots of fun. The forest was wet, and ditches filled with water after several days of rain. The team is hoping for drier weather in the coming days.

Here the team is ready for training. What do you think of the new Team Canada outfits??

A snippet from the model training map

Stay tuned to the Team Canada blog for all the behind-the-scenes action, as our Canadian athletes prepare for competition next week! You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter. You can catch all the JWOC action on their website, and also on Facebook.

Go Canada Go!

Orienteering Canada Announces the 2013 Rising Star Awards

Orienteering Canada’s High Performance Committee (HPC) is pleased to announce the 2013 Rising Star Award recipients. The Rising Star Award is an annual award designed to support Canada’s most promising young orienteers in their quest for top international results. The nominees are assessed on past results, future potential, and contribution to the orienteering community, as well as financial need.  
Our female Rising Star for 2013 is Emily Kemp. Originally from Ottawa, Kemp has been living and training with the French Elite Orienteering Squad, Le Pole, in St. Etienne, France for the past 2 years.  Kemp had a breakthrough season in 2012, culminating in a bronze medal in the long distance race at the Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC); Canada’s first ever medal at JWOC! Kemp is the current Canadian Champion in the long and sprint disciplines. As well as being tirelessly available for media interviews after her bronze medal win, Kemp has also inspired up and coming Canadian orienteers by participating in Skype training sessions and volunteering at the annual Sass Peepre Camp, a camp for 10-20 year old orienteers from across Canada.

When asked what this award means to her, Kemp said, “I am extremely grateful to win this award since it will be a ginormous financial aid for running the world cups and world champs this year. A humongous thank you to the HPP (Canada’s High Performance Program) for helping me and other athletes take orienteering in Canada to the next level!”

Our male Rising Star for 2013 is Serghei Logvin. Logvin had notable results at the North American Orienteering Championships in 2012, including achieving silver in the long distance race, and running the anchor leg for the winning Canadian relay team. Logvin has been very active with the Adventure Running Kids (ARK) program in Hamilton, ON, inspiring up and coming junior athletes. Logvin is currently training in Europe with the specific goal of improving his orienteering.

"Spending quality development time in Europe is a very important piece in the puzzle for me towards reaching my potential”, said Logvin. “The Rising Stars Award will make it a lot easier, both short, and long term. I really appreciate the support, and know that my best results are still yet to come! Thank you!"

You can follow Emily and Serghei through the 2013 orienteering season:
Emily Kemp Athlete Profile

Serghei Logvin Athlete Profile
Orienteering Canada Facebook Page
Orienteering Canada Twitter Feed

Please join us in congratulating Serghei and Emily!

Canada Cup Update ~ Lots to report with 5 races to go!

With 5 races to go, it's still anyone's guess as to who will win the Canada Cup Elite Series.... here are the latest standings after the 3 Canada Cup races held in conjunction with the BC Orienteering Championships.

In the women's standings, the 2011 Canada Cup Elite Series champion Louise Oram is back on top after winning the sprint, middle, and long races at the BC Champs. Carol Ross ran some excellent races to boost her in to second place, with Pam James holding on to third. Kerstin Burnett, Emily Kemp, and Molly Kemp are not far behind, which means all could change in these last few races...

In the men's category, Adam Woods won his first Canada Cup race in the middle distance on Whistler Mountain. Adam ran a confident race, commenting afterwards that his race was "excellent", and he enjoyed the challenge of the open, rocky terrain. In terms of standings, Graeme Rennie and Brian May both ran excellent races to close the gap to leader Will Critchley and second place Eric Kemp, but Will and Eric are still far enough ahead it's unlikely either Graeme or Brian can take over the lead in these last few events.

Since this was the BC Champs, the Greater Vancouver Orienteering Club (GVOC) amassed a good amount of points to have a comfortable cushion over Ottawa Orienteering Club (OOC). However, with all 3 sprint, middle, and long distance races at the Ontario Champs next weekend being designated Canada Cup races, OOC does have the opportunity to make up the difference. Can GVOC hang on to the "Best Club in Canada" crown for a second year??

The final Canada Cup races for 2012 are:
October 6-7: Ontario Orienteering Champs - sprint, middle, long
October 14: New Brunswick Champs - long
October 28: Blue Nose Classic, Nova Scotia

It's still anyone's Cup to win... stay tuned!

Canada Cup Elite Series ~ Another Update!

Well we warned you last week that this Elite Series would go right down to the wire, and we weren't wrong! Forget what you read last week ~ it's all change at the top of the standings! For those of you who aren't aware, the Canadian Orienteering Championships were held this past weekend in Edmonton, AB. That meant there were 3 more races to run hard and score some good points.

In the women's standings, Pam James has taken the lead with 108 points, with Carol Ross moving up in to second place with 95 points. Emily Kemp is right behind Carol with 94 points, with her sister Molly trailing in fourth place with 83 points.

Top 5 women scorers at the COC's:
5. Jennifer MacKeigan (YOA) ~ 30 points
4. Kendra Murray (YOA) ~ 40 points
3. Pam James (OANS) ~ 53 points
2. Carol Ross (ONB) ~ 70 points
1. Emily Kemp (OOC) ~ 86 points

On the men's side, Will Critchley has taken the lead from Eric Kemp by only 1 point! Will and Eric have pulled away from the rest of the pack now; Eric has a 72 point lead over third place Graeme Rennie of North Vancouver.

Top 5 men scorers at the COC's:
5. Brian May ~ 49 points
4. Damian Konotopetz ~ 53 points
3. Eric Kemp ~ 61 points
1. Mike Smith ~ 80 points
1. Will Critchley ~ 80 points

In the club standings, Ottawa OC have taken over GVOC, and now lead with 495 points over 431. Can GVOC come back to clinch the club crown once again?! Here is the full list of standings to date.

There are only 5 Canada Cups left to go ~ BC Championships Sprint, the Ontario Championships, and the New Brunswick Long distance. Looks like it'll be a nail biter to the last race!

WUOC Sprint & looking forward to the middle!

Today (Wednesday) was the WUOC sprint race. This was a very cool race in an amazing area ~ the course itself started at the entrance to the castle and then descended into the old town: a maze of tight cobblestone streets and staircases, often three or four stories high! 

Damian's map for the sprint.

Will, Damian, Robbie, Jeff, and Louise ran the sprint today. Here's what they had to say:

Will: "I was very disappointed with the result today. Its tough to feel confident or have success in terrain like this since we never get a chance to train in it. Major mistakes on 1 and 2 crushed my hopes early, and I spent much of the rest trying to make up for it. I was somewhat satisfied with my speed on the longer easier legs, but I couldn't push the pace because it was so technical. My performance needs to be significantly better come WOC."

Robbie (in reference to the extreme technical challenges): "There was really only two spots on the course where you really needed to be fast." 

Damian: "Everything came so fast at 1:4000"

Damian punching the 'go' control

In terms of results, Will Critchley was 59th, just beating 60th place Robbie 7 seconds! Damian came in in 79th place, and Jeff finished in 84th place. Louise had a good race, finishing in 36th place. The Swiss men dominated the podium, with the Czech and Swiss runners leading the women's leader board. You can view the full men's and women's results, along with men's and women's splits. 

Tomorrow (Thursday) is the middle distance. It's expected to be another hot day; between 21 and 30 degrees! Here is the list of Team Canada runners and their start times (in Spanish time) in brackets: Damian (8:44am), Eric (9:26am), Jeff (10:20am), Robbie (11:26am), and Louise (10:29am). 

Model map for the middle distance.

Louise's comment on the model map is "the green blobs that are generally not used as features since they are not distinct enough.", and she also commented how hot it is climbing out of the ravines. It'll be another challenging race! You can view live results list here, or tune in to the blog tomorrow for more race updates!

Applications for 2012 High Performance Program Athlete & Volunteer Positions Now Open!

The High Performance Committee (HPC) is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the Canadian High Performance Program. We are now accepting applications for athletes, as well as technical and non-technical volunteer positions.

ATHLETES

The 2012 version of the COF’s Athletes’ handbook is now on-line at www.orienteering.ca/team-canada/high-performance.

The Athletes’ Handbook outlines the process to become an athlete member of the COF’s High Performance Program in 2012. This HPP is designed to support Canada’s current and up-and-coming elite orienteers. Canadian athletes who are competitive in the 21-34 or 17-20 categories are eligible to become members of the HPP.

The Athletes’ Handbook also outlines the selection process for the 2012 Junior World Orienteering Championships, World Orienteering Championships, World University Orienteering Championships and World Cup races. The handbook also includes information and the application for the 2012 Rising Stars awards.

There were 29 HPP members in 2011. How many will there be in 2012? The application deadline is December 31, 2011!

VOLUNTEERS

Over the last few seasons, the High Performance Program (HPP) has made some big strides as a result of the hard work of the athletes and initiatives by the High Performance Committee. The success of our initiatives have not only contributed to a better racing and training environment for Canada’s best orienteers, but have also created an enhanced vibrancy in the entire Canadian orienteering community, and in particularly has given younger athletes a growing number of role models and reasons to be excited about the sport.

As the HPP continues to look forward, one of the most important steps is to provide better support for our national athletes at major international competitions, and therefore we are looking to fill following roles.

· Team Coach for World University Orienteering Championships

· Administration Team Positions

For full job description and application details, please click here! Volunteers are considered members of the HPP!

ABOUT THE HIGH PERFORMANCE COMMITTEE

The HPP is administered by the COF’s High Performance Committee. The HPC consists of a variety of Canadian orienteers from coast to coast, who are dedicated to enhancing and expanding elite orienteering in Canada. The HPC works throughout the year on various projects aimed at strengthening resources and support for our elite orienteers during the training season, providing sufficient support at international events, and promoting elite orienteering within the Canadian orienteering community and beyond. Some examples of HPC achievements for 2011 are the fundraising events (such as the HPP relay at the 2011 COC's), the Canada Cup Elite Series, and arena organization at major events.

Canada’s High Performance Program
Talent + Dedication + Support → Performance = Growth