Orienteering Federation of South Africa

Author Archive: Richard

SA Astronomical Observatory

Sunday 04 December is our final Spring Series event and the final race of the year.  Located next to what was The River Club, the SA Astronomical Observatory will set you twisting and turning amongst the buildings and gardens of the observatory.  There are even rumours of a maze to further challenge your navigation.

And whether you are in the hunt for a top-3 log position or not, be sure to stay for the Spring Series prize giving where I’m told some lucky-dip prizes await.

SA Astronomical Observatory Orienteering | Entry Ninja – the best outdoor, fitness and sporting event entries in your area.

Orienteering Schools League 2023

We invite schools in Gauteng to join the 2023 Orienteering Schools League (OSL). Read the full details on the working of the league in OSL 2023 Document Oct 2022. Top performers at the league have a chance of representing South Africa at the Junior World Championships in Romania in July 2023.

The calendar for the 2023 Orienteering Schools League.

Monday 23 January: Training event at Bryanston High School
Monday 30 January: OSL#1 Krugersdorp High
Monday 6 February: OSL#2 Randpark High
Monday 13 February: OSL# Golden Harvest
Monday 20 February: OSL#4 Heronbridge College
Monday 27 February: OSL#5 St John’s College
Monday 6 March: OSL Final Kloofendal Nature Reserve

The league is run by experienced orienteers from ROC and RACO.

2022 Silva Award

The South African Orienteering Federation has awarded the 2022 Silva Trophy to Warnell Engelbrecht.

Warnell Engelbrecht at the Long-O at Modderfontein

Motivation for Silva Award 2022 – Rand Orienteering Club

Over the last year, Warnell has been highly active in spreading orienteering in South Africa to new regions of the country, primarily in provinces with no existing orienteering clubs. He has actively been promoting the sport he loves to various communities and schools in smaller towns and rural areas around the country, as well as a few larger centres. He has made extensive use of the SAOF’s toolbox kit of training exercises to encourage children in map reading and navigation and has further developed it where necessary. What makes his dedication to orienteering so remarkable is that he is still relatively inexperienced at a competitive level in the sport, and has never been a member of an affiliated SAOF club as he hails from Concordia near Springbok in the Northern Cape and has only been involved in orienteering over the last handful of years.

The list of areas he has promoted orienteering in the last year through various courses is extensive and the below list is almost certainly not complete.

Gauteng : Tembisa in Midrand and Garstfontein, Pretoria

KwaZulu Natal: Verulam, Durban and Waterloo, Umhlanga (in conjunction with members of the Polokwane Orienteering Club)

Northern Cape: Namaqualand region, Upington and Alexander Bay

ROC believes that Warnell is truly worthy of the Silva Award.

Western Cape Orienteering Festival

Event Info. It’s less than a week until entries close for this year’s Western Cape Orienteering Festival – the highlight of our calendar – so be sure to get your entries in asap.  All the details are below, as well as links to our Entry Ninja pages and Event Bulletin 3.  Entries close strictly on Sunday 24 April.

Also why not take the opportunity to make a weekend of it by booking some accommodation nearby.  We have arranged simple accommodation on the doorstep of Eden Forest at the Christian Brothers Center.  We plan to have an informal braai on the Sunday evening, so make sure you book your space as accommodation is limited.

Meet the new WITSOC orienteering committee

Email: witsorienteering@gmail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wits_orienteering_club/ 

Tik-tok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZSekS46nx/ 

Chairperson – Sibulele Prusente 

Year of Study: 1st Year

Field of Study: Accounting Sciences 

What drew you to Orienteering?

I honestly just wanted to try a new sport and whilst looking at club descriptions, Orienteering stood out for me as it incorporated things, I liked
such as adventure, walking, and interacting with people.

What do you hope to help WITSOC achieve in 2022?

To get the Club better known around campus.

Have more members.

Get a bigger participation rate from members

Vice Chairperson – Nobuhle Khulu 

Year of Study: 1st Year

Field of Study: Biological Sciences

What drew you to Orienteering?

It was niche the sport and it
looked like so much fun – challenging sometimes but fun.

What do you hope to help Witsoc achieve in 2022?

More socializing. Most people
join clubs to make friends and socialise. This would boost member participation
and turnouts at practice.

Team building exercises to
increase the competitive spirit

Increase social media presence
on platforms, mostly geared at attracting first years.

Secretary – Nthabiseng Mabetlela 

Year of Study: 3rd Year 

Field of Study: Computer Science 

What drew you to Orienteering?

For someone who lacked a sense
of direction, I asked myself a similar question before clicking on the
“Confirm” button when I signed up online. Why Orienteering? In my mind, the
sport seemed like a crossover between the Amazing Race and Dora the Explorer –
quite unique. It’s such a great way of getting lost fit and making new friends.

What do you hope to help Witsoc achieve in 2022?

Revamping the club’s brand
image but keeping the essence of Orienteering at the core.

Introducing capacity building
to the club members; using the sport to as a confidence booster and instilling
patience, confidence, and initiation (among other things).

Introducing the spirit of
purpose-driven passion within the committee and the club.

Treasurer – Charity Hlengani 

Year of Study: 1st Year 

Field of Study: Biological Sciences 

What drew you to Orienteering?

I did not even know that there
was such thing as Orienteering when I first got to Wits, so as soon I heard of it, I thought of trying it out and I fell in love with it straight away. It is a very fun sport especially for people like me who enjoy being outdoors and admire nature.

What do you hope to help Witsoc achieve in 2022?

To have more members, get people to know about our sport and go to as many events as we can.

Events and Development Leads – Nhlanhla Nkumane 

Year of Study: 2nd Year

Field of Study: Education

What drew you to Orienteering?

It is a sport of navigation; it will then help my navigation skills and it is fun; the  exploration of nature.

What do you hope to help Witsoc achieve in 2022?

Get more recognition from the public as a sport

Increase Witsoc members.

Make the events we host [run] smoothly.

Events and Development Leads – Dawn Moema

Year of Study: 2nd Year

Field of Study: Education 

What drew you to Orienteering?

Orienteering is all about exploring and I love exploring. It is more interesting because it has to do with maps and moving from one spot to the other. I also love challenges and orienteering is something that gives me that.

What do you hope to help Witsoc achieve in 2022?

Getting more students to join the club.

Attending more events and having a higher participation rate 

Social Media Officer – Yonela Zatshikila 

Year of Study: 1st Year

Field of Study: Biomedical Engineering

What drew you to Orienteering?

Socializing with other people

What do you hope to help Witsoc achieve in 2022?

I’d like to help Witsoc to become a competitive sport and for the club to be recognized.

Our visitor from Namaqualand

Warnell Engelbrecht is our Orienteering Evangelist in the Northern Cape. As he was in Johannesburg last weekend, he was able to join us at the Modderfontein event. He enjoyed it greatly despite falling and hurting his knee, and losing a shoe in the mud!

Warnell has orienteering maps in the Springbok area including a farm and several schools. Before Covid-19 he worked with the kids at the schools, teaching the basics using activities from “O-in-a-Box”. Unfortunately the schools and the municipalities are not allowing orienteering at the moment due to the risks of Covid-19. It is a pity as orienteering is conducted outdoors with social distancing and is one of the best sports in these times.
Hopefully next year will be better!

Gauteng Bush Logs

The first bush logs are now out. Sarah Wimberley is leading the Women’s log from her mother Tania and Margaret Archibald. Nicholas Mulder is way ahead on the Men’s log with four perfect scores. His nearest challengers are upcoming star Matthew Venter-Clelland and old warhorse with a gammy knee Paul Wimberley. Click on the events tab to see the full lists.

Orienteering Starting Again!

See the events tab for details. Gauteng starting with a Scatter Run on Sunday 15th August at B’Sorah and Cape Town with Saturday 18th September at !Khwa Ttu.