Our first Checkpoint Challenge Schools League event took place this past Monday at Jeppe High School for Boys. We welcomed 66 participants from Jeppe Boys, Jeppe Girls and Leicester Road School. (more…)
Our 2015 Urban Series brings together a variety of urban environments for a series of 10 events (more…)
The 2015 National Selection documents have been released by the SAOF.
The documents contain information for high performance athletes for the year ahead and beyond. They cover information:
Please note that interested athletes need to apply for membership of the Senior and Junior squads in 2015. Only members of one of the SAOF squads can represent the SAOF at world-class competitions and make use of the various training and other benefits provided by the squad. The details and the application form can be found in the documents : https://www.orienteering.co.za/high-performance/hp-policies/
Potential youth squad members do not need to apply with this form, as the selectors will do a direct selection from eligibile orienteers around the country for this squad.
Please note that the cut-off date for application for the Senior and Junior squad is 15 January 2015.
A new Orienteering Schools League (OSL), coordinated by the South African Orienteering Federation (SAOF), is planned for the Kensington – Bedfordview – Edenvale area and neighbouring suburbs for the first term of 2015.
Orienteering is a walking and running sport of map-based navigation; it’s somewhat like treasure hunting where the map indicates the location of the ‘treasure’.
Local schools are invited to participate in the League (or even a few of the four events).
Schools are also invited to host events if their school property is a reasonable size; this will involve an SAOF orienteer coming to the school to make an orienteering-specific map of the property. This map is made available to the school for their own orienteering activities.
Suggested dates for the 2015 Orienteering Schools League are:
Additional information is available on the Orienteering Schools League page on the Orienteering website (www.orienteering.co.za). Also visit the page “What is O?” for information and two short videos on the sport of orienteering.
OSL – EAST is coordinated by Lisa de Speville. She has 15 years of orienteering and adventure racing experience, both as a participant, navigator and coach. She is a qualified British Orienteering Federation Level 2 Coach.
Please see this notice of an orienteering teacher workshop scheduled for Monday, 1 December 2014 at Jeppe Boys (14h00 to 16h30). Lisa is also available to make school visits.
with regards,
Lisa de Speville
Project Manager: School Orienteering (SAOF)
o4schools@orienteering.co.za | Mobile: 082 936-2509
President’s ReportThe President of the International Orienteering Federation, Mr. Brian Porteous, is fond of saying that Orienteering is the best kept secret in the sporting world. This is also true in South Africa. It is time to let the secret out.
Smalls sports like Orienteering face many challenges, not only in South Africa, but the world over. In today’s busy world, people are faced with a barrage of options to soak up their free time. Even if we ignore the increasingly sedentary populace and focus on those who are physically active, the battle for people’s time is intense. With the rising popularity of trail running, obstacle course races and the like, it is clear that there is a substantial community out there that Orienteering is not reaching.
It is worth contemplating what these activities and events are getting right. We can learn from them and emulate their successes. We can protest that the technical nature of Orienteering, which makes it difficult for newcomers to have a positive first experience. However, there are solutions. Take AR club’s Summer Series format from early in 2014. Other such innovative formats are adopted by Orienteering clubs the world over. They might not be ‘hard-core’ Orienteering, but they are forms of the sport that are easy to host, fun for experienced orienteers and more easily accessible to newcomers. We can marvel at the publicity that these other sports manage to generate. That too can be emulated. Take the success of the GOC clubs’ Urban Series, which resulted in a 25% increase in participation.
Whilst there is much we can learn and improve upon, we must also remember our strengths. First and foremost is that we are all members of clubs. As such we are a community of volunteers who give of our time and passion for the sport that we love. Second, we are an official sport, recognised and supported by the Department of Sport and Recreation. This comes with funding, which means that we can strive to make our sport accessible and affordable.
Our community has experienced a number of losses this year, and I want to highlight Ruedi Siegenthaler, in particular. He was a great example of what it means to be part of a community such as ours. He always had time to listen to others and to lend a helping hand. He always had time to guide and encourage. A community founded on passion and these principles is sure to be strong and resilient.
There are always challenges that will face us. But there are reasons to be optimistic. Let us build our community, work together and embrace the challenges that await us. With this common cause I am confident that Orienteering in South Africa will successfully navigate to a brighter future.
Garry Morrison
President SAOF
September 2014
Follow this link to read the SAOF’s 2013/14 Annual Report.
What a fantastic weekend of Orienteering at 2014 SA Champs based at Hilton College, KZN!
The SAOF would like to thank local club DOC and RACO for putting on a superb weekend of orienteering. The fun-filled weekend was supplemented by a wonderful social braai, and culminated in an exciting club relay champs around the college itself.
One particularly pleasing aspect was that we had participants from all eight of our active clubs, which are located in four provinces. The event also attracted a number of locals new to the sport and we hope that they will continue to support orienteering events in the province.
Congratulations to all participants, medallists and newly-crowned SA champions. We hope to see you all again soon. Remember – the 2015 Gauteng Orienteering championships will be returning to Hilton College sometime in June. Keep a lookout for details on the 2015 calendar.
The chief instigator and champion map-maker of Polokwane Orienteering Club, Ephraim Chuene, was the very popular winner of this year’s Silva Award
The award is made for meritorious contribution to the SA Orienteering cause and Ephraim has excelled in helping to establish his club in the northern territory, in addition to becoming a serious map- maker. Keep up the excellent work Ephraim !
Mountain Bike Orienteering (MTB O) is really taking off with a number of events on the 2014 calendar. Competition is hot and success is more often determined by cunning navigation rather than speed and technical ability. 
Six of the nine 2014 Urban Series events have been completed and only three remain. (more…)
