News Down Under

[mharky]

http://www.orienteering.asn.au/news/?ItemID=1757

[EddieH]

Wow that is very promising.

[Rockaldo]

Yeah brilliant work!

[Lard]

I think this thread is too positive!

The results mean nothing, there was no-one there and the athletes will do "average" at JWOC.

Come on Gross, agree with me.

Lard
Looking forward to supporting the team through a great experience in Australia

[graeme]

I'll beat Gross to it. But there was someone there, M55 Geoff Peck running 1 min/km slower than our boys' 10min/km. Remember WOC in that sort of granite terrain meant 6mins/km...

It doesn't do anyone any favours telling them they're international standard athletes when they aren't. All that means is disillusionment in the big bad world of M21 when Jase's big bad lardy belly is still ahead of you.

I'll write this here, rather than another thread, because Duncan and Doug are smart enough to already know what a long way they have to go. What I find impressive is that they're out there already, preparing themselves properly for the big race, rather than swanning around on holiday or hoping to perform well first time out in the granite..

So here's a prediction for you Jason. Although this JWOC team is pretty average, and much less talented than last year's, they're going to do better.

[Kitch]

that could be the most disingenuous statement I've seen on nopesport

in what way "much less talented" ?

[graeme]

In what sense disingenuous?

I believe in natural talent, like you have more natural athletic ability than I do, and that even if I had trained as hard as you (and it wasn't far short) I'd never have had all those fell running records.

And I mean in the long term, injury and enthusiasm permitting, last year's team will end up with more British Champions and WOC selections than this year's lot (OK, so Doug and Duncan are in both and I'm really talking about the extremely talented Scott and Oleg here).

[funnyrunner]

Duncans result looks pretty good to me (if he hadn't mispunched). The result is far better than Thomas Reynolds for example who has raced quite a lot in aus and beaten a lot of aussies recently on home turf.

Good to see they can actually handle the technical terrain after such a running race in the JWOC trial.

Pretty good result for a first(?) go in that terrain.

[HOCOLITE]

I've followed Duncan for many years- And never got near him T'd say it would be wrong to say a lack of talent. There are some in the squad with a lot of potential and there are also some very consistent performers. These people are crucial to a team.

[Gnitworp]

But there was someone there, M60 Geoff Peck running 1 min/km slower than our boys' 10min/km.

Don't exaggerate, he's M55; still quick though.

[fell]

went training with Douglas and duncan on some semi relevant terrain about a week ago; it was their first time in granite and they both did pretty impressively; Duncan kept a good pace.
(me and Douglas pulled out early. It was snowing)

I think the main thing to consider here is a complete difference in technical style.

http://www.act.orienteering.asn.au/news/?ItemID=1728
results from a moderate difficulty course in easy terrain.

maybe they were saving themselves for the fun run the next day (Duncan pulled a 32min 10km)


[edit] have looked at the QLD results. I think Olly Mitchell needs to be congratualted by that result- its only 4 months? since he was ran over by a truck (shattering his pelvis) whilst training.

[King Penguin]

In what sense disingenuous?

... and I'm really talking about the extremely talented Scott and Oleg here).

In the boys, 3 of this year's 6 went last year and 2 of the others were reserves.
In the girls, 3 of this year's 4 went last year.
So apart from replacements for Oleg and Scott there's not a lot of difference.

[FromTheGrassyKnoll]

http://www.orienteering.asn.au/news/?ItemID=1757

Quite a cool site that one.

"Orienteering: A Challenging Adventure Running Based Sport"

and

"Why do people orienteer?"

I think I can see the SLOW banner if I look closely too.

[rob f]

I think that its wrong to critise them, but wrong to openly praise them so much as the site does. At the end of the day, i doubt the position matters to the lads, more their speed and their navigation, as well as familiarising themselves to the terrain. The competition that will really be competing in JWOC hasn't arrived yet, but this experience will help them.

[ruth]

...lets just let the races do the talking.

GOOD LUCK to all of them flying out tomorrow morning, and doug and coombes already there.