Sunday 11 November 2012

Season Ends with NAOC's

I am finally able to give everyone an update about my experience at the NAOC’s after being busy with school and my short track speed skating. It has almost been a month since the NAOC’s that were held in the Delaware Water Gap, PA. The NAOC’s was a great event to attend, great competition, great atmosphere and good organization. I was happy with my races considering the lack of orienteering I did since the COC’s in August. The middle was held on some awesome terrain that I really enjoyed, my result was almost awesome as well but made a poor route choice decision and paid for it really bad. The long was a very physically tough race; I did not have the speed at all and combined with small mistakes here and there made for a mediocre result. The sprint was fast and furious and I am the most happy with this race despite learning a new lesson, if you know you’re at the right control don’t bother checking the code because if you compare it to the wrong code you will lose over 1 minute and lose what could have been a medal for sure and possibly a gold. The relay was a great opportunity to practice a relay race since there are not many opportunities to race them. It was great fun until I could not find one of my controls, it turned out after running by it a few times within meters it was on the ground and that’s why I could not find it. Embarrassing for me and unfortunate for the organizers, questionable that the men’s results even got posted! It is really is too bad that it happened that way but it did. Overall the NAOC’s was a jammed packed weekend of great orienteering, great maps and tons of friendly Canada/USA competition.


Middle finish in the pooring rain.
Long finish.
Train on,
Damian

Thursday 18 October 2012

NAOC’s

After orienteering on and off since the COC’s in August I decided to go to the Delaware Water Gap, PA for the NAOC’s. Immediately following the COC’s I began my short track speed skating  season and did not originally plan on going to the NAOC’s, so have done a minimal amount of orienteering and running since the COC’s. I am still in great shape from all the speed skating training and I’m not worried about being physically fit enough to do very well or about the technical side of things as every race and training session up until now has prepared me for the NAOC’s.  Not the ideal situation but I know I can do well if I stick to the basics and do exactly what I did at COC’s this year and the results will follow.  I even got the buzz cut to try and shave those extra seconds off my time! Time to fight for the hardware and bring the BK Cup back to Canada where it belongs!

Thursday-Model Event – heading out now, should be awesome!!
Friday- Middle
Saturday- Long
Sunday- Sprint (AM) Relay (PM)

For all the info and results: http://naoc2012.org/
Train On,
Damian

Monday 27 August 2012

WCOC’s/COC’s 2012

Two weekends ago the Western Canadian Orienteering Championships were held in the Calgary, AB area. I took the WCOC’s more as a warm up for the COC’s which was more important to me as I had specific goals set.

WCOC Middle
The WCOC Middle was held on the Elbow Bluffs map West of Calgary on Saturday August 11 in the am while the sprint was held in the pm at Fish Creek in Calgary’s south. The middle started out very well for me and then I lost control losing just over 3 minutes at control #7. I ended up finishing 5/16 overall and 4/11 Westerners, just two seconds back of 3rd place.

 WCOC Sprint
The sprint later that evening didn’t start out well at all, I was shaky from the start bobbling almost every control and not finding any kind of flow. I finished way down 10/14 overall and 6/10 Westerners.

WCOC Long
The Long was held on Sunday at Rumsey which I know very well for spring orienteering but it turned out to be a whole new challenge in the summer. I should also say that the middle and the long were suppose to be help on a brand new map but permission fell through. The long grass and warm temperatures made the long very tough. The race started out well for me but the early long leg gave me some troubles, I lost contact and it a terrain type where every open hill and copse looks the same it is almost impossible to relocate so I bailed to the spectator control which was not that bad except I ended up running way around when you could have gone perfectly straight. This zapped a lot of energy from me early and I struggled to keep my pace up for the rest of the course. It was not a terrible race for finishing 5/10 overall and 5/10 Westerners.

WCOC Long Finish.
WCOC Relay
The relay was held in Edmonton at Kinsmen Park on Monday. I was on the MB team with my brother Darius running first, myself second and Steven Graupner running third in the 0-2 point team category. My brother came back in first place and I maintained that position after the second leg. Steven had some stiff competition on the 3rd leg with Graeme on his heels and finished just behind him for second overall and first in the 0-2 point category.

Relay Champs! Darius Konotopetz, Damian Konotopetz, Steven Graupner.
HPP Fundraiser Knock-out Sprint
On Thursday August 16 there was a fun HPP Fundraiser Knock-out Sprint at the Alberta Legislature Gardens located in Edmonton. It was held on a 1:2000 map, 4 short races, first 2 individual starts were combined to rank the runner and see who makes the semi-finals and the last 2 were knock-out mass starts. I ended up qualifying for the semi-finals in 2nd place; I won my semi-final heat securing a spot in the final and ended up winning the final.

Last weekend the Canadian Orienteering Championships wrapped up at Jackpine just west of Edmonton, AB. All three races were held on the newly mapped area.

COC Sprint
The Sprint was held on Friday August 17th and was also a WRE. It was simple the plan was to go for the gold. The map consisted of open pasture land with tall grass which made seeing the subtle contour details hard. I had a good race but ended up finishing with the silver medal, 2 seconds behind Eric Kemp. Placed 2/19 overall and 2/17 Canadians. A controversial race to say the least, I will leave it at that.


COC Middle
Saturday August 18th was the Middle also on the Jackpine map. Started out strong with simple field running legs with the controls just in the forest. I then blew up at control #7. I tried to push after this knowing that it was very unlikely for a medal but that was tough to do and I don't think I was trying as hard as if I was having a good race but I was trying to think I was. It didn’t go so well after this with continued bobbles and once in the green rectangle of death (a rectangle of the map that was green, marshy and not very fun to run through) it all fell apart, I could not make sense of anything and I was just trying to get to the finish. Placed 18/21 overall and 16/19 Canadians, ouch.

COC Long
Sunday August 19th was the COC Long and also a WRE. The course took the competitors from one corner of the Jackpine map to the other. It was warmer than the other days, 26C and probably more noticeable in the long distance. One of my best long distance races ever. The plan was to start out slower than usual in order to pace well so I have more in the last 20 minutes. Started out a bit shaky to #1 but didn't panic and figured out I was one hill south, 30 sec lost but no big deal, I was taking it slow anyways. I also planned to take safe routes around the forest in the open as much as possible because the forest was thick and generally had slow running speeds. I took the safe route around in the open to #2, it was really tough not to run too fast here but I knew I needed to ease off in order to finish strong. I caught Jon T just before #3 and after what happened yesterday in the middle when I saw him out there I knew I had to ignore him and it worked, he almost pulled me off to the left on the short leg to #4 but I kept my head up and stayed on my bearing. Knew the next loop from #6-#12 would be very important if I wanted a medal. Tried to take it safe and easy the whole way through these controls. I got carried off attacking #6 and figured out I was heading down the parallel re entrant right for #7 so I went to #7 first just to be sure and then back to #6. I went around again in the open to #9. Passed Graeme R going to #13, slow to #16 weaved across the stream twice not seeing it on the map; I was too unsure on this leg but made it work. I was leading from #15-#18. Started to feel tired going to # 18 and sure enough exited #18 in the wrong direction and by the time I noticed it was too late so I had to continue, probably cost me 1:00 or a bit more? This was the longest let from #18 to #19, going straight threw the green rectangle of death (a rectangle of the map that was green, marshy and not very fun to run through)and after yesterdays experience in the middle in the green rectangle of death I knew I was going to run all the way around. Tried to keep my running speed up on this leg but was having a bit of trouble as the fatigue was setting in..that’s for sure. Even from #19-#20 I stayed out of the rectangle of death as much as possible. At #20 I had the feeling I was within the top 3 and I was only 0:43 behind Will C and I knew I just had to have a clean last loop and I would be in the medals. I maybe should have gone to the trail to #22 instead of straight through, the grass seemed really long here and the tired legs didn't help slogging through it. Just tried to keep moving to #23, the legs were starting to cramp a little. Little hook attacking #24. I knew if I got #25 clean I would have a medal, so I took it slow but I don't think I could have done it much faster because I was dying. From #25 to #26 I knew I had to give it everything, it was very similar to a leg in the sprint so I knew what to expect, again the grass was destroying me, I was so tired I avoided the climb and went to the right. Went hard to the finish from #26 to #27 and finish, heard Nevin (the announcer) say it was going to be very close between myself and Will C for the #1 spot as I was approaching the last control, didn’t hear the beep at the last control because it was actually quite loud in the arena so hesitated and re punched and then hammered it in to the finish to try and beat Will C only to find out I was in 3rd place and 3:18 behind Will C, what, thanks Nevin for the false hope, haha. Could really feel the cramps in the finish shute. Really happy with the bronze medal, really challenging course both physically and mentally, really happy with my navigation, could have won with an almost perfect race as I defiantly lost 3 minutes throughout the course. The winning times were a little long, no need for the extra loop at the end, paced well for a 90 min winning time so I did die a bit in the last 20 minutes on the final loop. Placed 3/22 overall and 3/18 Canadians.

 
Actually post race Middle but I'm sure I looked worse after the Long.

Silver- Sprint, Bronze- Long.
Next up on the race schedule for me is the North American Orienteering Championships on October 18th-21st which are being held in the Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania, USA. Hopefully I can transfer my good results from the COC’s to the NAOC’s and show those Americans who’s boss. Go Canada Go!
 
Train on,
Damian

Friday 20 July 2012

Swiss 5 Days

Today I ran the elite course for the last stage of the Swiss 5 Days on the long distance final terrain JORAT 10. It was a tough course which was 13.8 km with 310m of climb. There are a lot of paths, roads and trails on this map which called for a lot of trail running which often didn’t take you in a straight line so I ended up running 18.93 km according to my gps. I made very few mistakes and am really happy with my race; I just lacked some speed and endurance. My foot has been acting up again which was a bit of a pain but I could deal with it. The WOC relay should be exciting tomorrow to wrap up WOC 2012!
Today's map

Train on,
Damian

Wednesday 18 July 2012

WOC Middle Qualification

I would have done this sooner but the internet at the accommodation the team is staying at has been terrible lately. The middle didn’t go as planned with too many mistakes; I estimate I lost 6.5 minutes. It was tough to find the controls in the dark green because the visibility was limited to about 3 meters. It’s nice to be the top Canadian after being selected last for the team behind all the other guys and proving once again that I can perform to a certain degree at the major competitions. Some highlights were being 10th on two splits, 2nd on one split and 1st on one split! Also I did improve by one place from last year’s 30th place in the long distance at WOC in France. The relay team has been decided and I am not a part of the team as I expected back at the beginning of June. I was expecting there to be a selection race like last year for the relay team so that the guys on the team can prove they deserve to be a part of the team in this Swiss terrain because not all the guys raced each other head to head which seems to make the decision a little controversial. I ended up racing the 3rd stage of the Swiss 5 days on the day of the middle final because it was free. I did some training on the model map for the relay today (haha) instead of the 4th stage because it was a long distance race and I was feeling a bit tired so decided it was not a great idea to race again. I will take a rest day tomorrow and race the final stage on Friday.

Crashing into the 13th control


My route from the Middle Qualification
(open in new tab to view)


Stage 3 of the Swiss 5 Day's

Relay model map

                                                        Finishing hard on the long uphill finish shute        Photo: Adrian Zissos


                                                                                       Last few meters                          Photo: Adrian Zissos


Train on,
Damian

Sunday 15 July 2012

WOC Middle Qualification Tomorrow

Yesterday between the sprint qualification and final I ran on the LA PALUD middle qualification model map. The map was very run able in sections and slow in others where it was green or rocky. The quality of the map wasn't great because there were some old logging trails that were not on the map and thought there should be some more clearings as well. The vegetation was also not that great in places but I’m sure the actual map will be perfect. Easy/rest day today and then the big race tomorrow afternoon. I have a start within the last block so I will be starting later which can be quite good with some fast runners near the end and a bit of tracking but it also can be bad if I get drawn to start last! Hopefully I can qualify for the final tomorrow but it will be extremely tough. My training partner Patrick Goeres had a fantastic result in the sprint final yesterday and finished in 36th place for a new PB result in the sprint at WOC!! Way to go Patrick!!

Middle Qualification Model from Yesterday

Patrick Goeres Cruising in the Sprint Qualification

Patrick flying in the Sprint Final
                                                                 Patrick giving it everything in the finish                       Photo Adrian Zissos

The "MEGASTAR" after a new PB in the Sprint Final 36th!!!

Train on,
Damian

Thursday 12 July 2012

Middle Final Model

Today I ran on the middle final model map where the Swiss selection race was also held. There are many spots where the running can be quite slow due to the rocky terrain but there are also sections that are rocket fast. About half of the map is more technical than the other half which was basically a series of big hills. Also I found that not all the trails were mapped but there were enough out there that you could make good use out of them. The middle qualification seems to be on simpler terrain that looks like it will have faster running in the woods because of less rocky ground.  I will take a rest day tomorrow and run on the middle qualification model map Saturday and have an easy training Sunday before the middle qualification on Monday. My foot is almost feeling 100% now but I slightly rolled my ankle today on some rocks but it should be fine by Saturday.
Today's map

Train on,
Damian

Wednesday 11 July 2012

More Middle Preparation

Today I went to run on the LES PRALIES map which is very close to the Switzerland/France border. The terrain today was more technical than the other days but the ground was rockier with a lot of old logged areas which made the running slow in places. Some more open cattle fields and some very nice run able white forest in certain sections. The middle qualification is suppose to be more like the fist training I did on the MONT BALLY map which was faster running and more open with some green sections. I also found this map to be the most enjoyable so it is a good thing the middle qualification will be similar to this. I will be the running part of the men’s middle course from the Swiss WOC selection races tomorrow which will be a nice test at race pace!


Today's map

Train on,
Damian

Tuesday 10 July 2012

WOC Training

Did another middle training at GRAND JORAT 10 today. It was thicker than yesterdays training but there were more trails. I tried to use the trails as much as possible because there much faster than the woods and you can feel confident in exactly where you are. There were lots of stinging nettles which sucked.  I had a few hooks here and there but nothing major. I am feeling technically strong which is a confidence boost but I wasn’t running quite at race pace.  I will have to try a training session at race pace or at least part of a training to make sure the technique is still there at a slightly higher pace.

Today's map

Train on,
Damian

Monday 9 July 2012

WOC Preparation

Today was the first training I have done in Switzerland in preparation for the World Champs which start next week. The team did a nice middle training on the Mont Bally map. I was expecting the terrain to be different from last year but strangely it was similar. The ground was rocky and moss covered but not as much as in France but of course it was not as technical. Went at a pace just below race pace and it was fine but found that I could get within 10 meters and then hesitate before getting the control because the visibility is not perfect in places. Feeling pretty good in this terrain and hopefully will be fully comfortable by the end of the week. Special shout out to Emily Kemp who won BRONZE today in the JWOC Long Distance in Kosice Slovakia!!!! I feel really proud to be Canadian right now. Way to go Emily on winning North America's first ever medal at JWOC!! Hopefully more to follow internationally for Canada in the future!!
Today's map

Train on,
Damian

Friday 6 July 2012

WUOC Relay

Today was far from great for the Canadian relay team. Will, Robbie and I had far from great runs, each with at least one major mistake. It was very tricky out there today. I was pretty tired today from the week of racing and my foot was feeling it too. I had a great start to my race but was trying to push too hard and blew up. I could navigate fine to the control circle but had a hard time finding the control today. WUOC is now over and I am heading over to Lausanne Switzerland tomorrow night to prepare for WOC and my middle distance race and possibly the relay if all goes according to the plan in the middle.

Relay Map Leg 3

Mens Mass Start

Train on,
Damian

Thursday 5 July 2012

WUOC Middle Distance

I chose to start early to beat the heat and was the 8th starter and the temperature was cooler (around 23C) than starting later which was nice. I lost 1 minute on #2 and 15sec on #3 but the second to last control #18 was killer where I lost 4 minutes. My plan was to be aggressive and hope to have a perfect race. I thought there is no point in running controlled and place between 60-70 but rather push my limits to have a great result. I was having a very good race up until #17 where I think it got to my head a little bit. I thought to myself I’ve done it and that’s when disaster strikes! Did not end up going far enough and after thinking I was close (and I was) I ran around and then decided to go to #19 and then go back which worked out great but I should have just done it sooner and I would have limited the damage to probably 2 minutes not 4! I am still happy with my performance despite the mistakes. Tomorrow is the relay and I will be anchoring Canada 1 team. Will C. will be starting and Robbie A. will run second.

Middle Distance map


37th Place

Train on,
Damian

Wednesday 4 July 2012

WUOC Sprint

The sprint this afternoon was in the city of Alicante starting on the top of the Castillo de Santa Barbara. The course was tough with 135m of climb but there was also a lot of fast downhill running too. Another warm day 28C but it was not that bad for a sprint. I made a few bad mistakes and ended up in 79th place which is far from ideal. Lots of narrow streets and stair cases made it very tricky. Middle distance tomorrow, I start at 8:44am, better get to bed… One more chance for a decent race!

Punching the last control

Sprint map




Train on,
Damian

Tuesday 3 July 2012

WUOC Long Distance

The 27C heat combined with 9.8km and 690m climb made today’s long distance the toughest race I have ever competed in. The race was far from perfect for me but I have already tried to forget about it and focus on recovering for the sprint tomorrow. The insane amount of climb combined with the blazing Spanish sun drained my brain and legs very early on and my legs felt like lead by the 4th control which was disastrous for me. This made the last 2/3 of the course very tough. There were some good route choice options and I think I chose the best ones but did not see one wide route choice on a long leg on a trail that avoided a lot of climb which would have been a lot quicker and less demanding! I truly think I could have had a much better race if I had an early start time near 8:30am when it was only 20C. I think the starts should have been from 12:00pm onwards so everyone would have had the same heat and sun conditions and early runners would not have had an advantage over the later ones. Looking forward to the sprint tomorrow and hoping for a much better run!


Long Distance Map
Open in new tab if you want to be able to zoom in


78th Place (side # is wrong), I guess I have to take it...

Train on,
Damian

Monday 2 July 2012

WUOC Model Event


The WUOC model event was right next to the Mediterranean Sea on the Caravasi map. It was warm again but not as warm as yesterday only 25C. Some of the terrain was similar to the Carcross Desert map in the Yukon which apparently is not relevant for any of the races but the steep re-entrants, cliffs and scrubby vegetation will be very relevant. The footing was very uneven again and I expect there to be some sprained ankles throughout the week. The team went for a swim in the Mediterranean Sea afterward to cool down which was refreshing. The opening ceremony is tonight at 7:30 pm which will parade through the streets of a suburb of Alicante. The long distance (9.85km 690m) is tomorrow and the first start is actually at 8:30am, I ended up being in the late start block so I won’t be racing until around noon which will be a major disadvantage with the heat and the sun! Hopefully I can crack the top fifty with a clean run. Stay tuned…


Model event map

Myself after the model with the Mediterranean Sea.

Train on,
Damian

Sunday 1 July 2012

WUOC Preparation




Today part of the Canadian team decided to race an Alicante Provincial League race on EL MOLI just outside Santa Polo which happened to be adjacent to the Middle and Relay map that will be used for WUOC. My navigation was pretty good today with 3, 1 minute bobbles that can be fixed easily with a bit more concentration. Since I arrived yesterday I am still a bit tired and with the long distance in 2 days I decided to take it easy out there and not run super fast and mostly walk the hills. I am not use to the heat here in Spain; it was 34C (at 11:00am) and roasting in the sun since there are not may spots with tall enough trees to get out of the sun. Since it was just a local meet there was no water on the course which sucked because you could have used some by #1! The terrain is very rocky and uneven with lots of small cliffs and scrubby vegetation. The run ability is fairly good but you have to pay close attention not to roll your ankle on the uneven rocky ground. Hopefully it cools down before the long distance on Tuesday which is very unlikely. It should be a bit cooler in the morning because starts are from 8:30am onwards; hopefully I get an early start! Tomorrow is the official model event at carabasi. Stay tuned for daily news.

Map from today 6.6km 285m

 Myself after the race


Train on,
Damian

Thursday 28 June 2012

Europe Bound for WUOC and WOC!

Tomorrow I leave for Alicante, Spain to compete in WUOC and then I have a week off before WOC starts in Lausanne, Switzerland. It should be a jammed pack two weeks of orienteering at its best! The maps in Spain look like nothing I have ever run on before so it should be interesting and challenging. The WOC maps look awesome but they are typical Swiss terrain and similar to some maps in Canada so it won’t be as big as a shock as the maps in Spain. Hopefully I am use to the heat because it should be roasting in Spain and probably Switzerland too! First WUOC race is the long distance on July 3rd, stay tuned...

Train on,
Damian

Wednesday 6 June 2012

WOC 2012 Lausanne, Switzerland

Its offical I made the Canadian WOC team and will be running the middle distance in Lausanne! Check out all the details- http://teamcanadaorienteering.blogspot.ca/. Depending on how I perform in the middle distance I hope to get the opportunity to run the relay this year. Only 40 day until my big race.

Barebones Long Distance/Canadian Team Trials Photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/79705841@N04/7305226402/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Train on,
Damian

Tuesday 29 May 2012

Team Trials/Barebones

This past weekend was the second set of races in order to qualify for the WOC team. Barebones was held in Canmore with the sprint and long distance races on the intricate ski trails at the Canmore Nordic Centre and the middle distance on the Mt. Laurie map that has some very complex areas. Simply was not a good weekend for me. The first race was the sprint on Saturday which was going very well but blew a control and was out of the race. Unfortunately I ran into a tree on a trail, I glanced down at the map and the trail turned and I hit the tree at full speed, scrapped up my leg, hand and shoulder. The long was the same day in the afternoon, I decided to run in despite being pretty sore from the sprint and my foot contusion was acting up again which made running painful. Didn't have a great race, too many small mistakes throughout the course and a lot of climb on a sore body didn't help my situation either. The middle on Sunday was tricky and I made a few bad mistakes early, combined with being injured was not fun so I decided to take a DNF which made the end to the weekend even more frustrating.  This spring I have done the most orienteering ever prior to the major spring races and have had some of my worst races ever which is very frustrating. Being injured and not feeling 100% probably has affected my results but regardless it is very annoying and I know I can't do anything about it. The WOC team will be announced June 3rd.

Getting some ice on my shoulder after the sprint.


Train on,
Damian

Thursday 24 May 2012

Sage Stomp/ Team Trials #1

Sage Stomp was last weekend and was the first series of races that I chose to do to qualify for the World Champs in Switzerland this July. The races were definitely tough as too was the competition. I did not have my best races and have a foot contusion injury which did not help my situation. I had some very good splits but could not hold it together for a complete race which was disappointing to say the least. I hope to improve my performances at this weekend’s Barebones races and make the podium in all three races. The competition looks to have more depth than last weekend so it will be tough to finish in the top three and secure a solid spot on the team.


M21 E Middle Distance


Train on,
Damian

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Great Training But Fighting To Stay Injury Free

Nice session with Patrick out at Bow Valley today in the 28C heat! The leader had the map that was blank except for around the control circle and the follower had the whole map just in case. Really good exercise for distance judgement, bearings, and not worrying about reading every little detail. This was the 2009 Barebones M21E middle course. Injured mysely about a week ago which ended up to be a forefoot contusion, bad timing with trials coming up on the next two weekends. Hope i'm good to go by then even though my foot was sore after this today!


 Time: 36:09 going fairly easy


Train on,
Damian

Thursday 26 April 2012

Competition Season is Under Way

Over the past week FWOC has hosted the Prairie Opener near Rumsey, AB on Sunday April 22 which was the first forest event of the season but really the forest part was lacking with the open rolling hills on the SL Ranch map. The navigation looks a lot easier than it really is and I found that out pretty quick on my way to the first control. Also the Wednesday night series started up at Prince's Island Park last night, which is a fast urban sprint map near downtown Calgary. Next up are Team trials for WOC in Switzerland which are going to be held on back to back weekends at Sage Stomp XXVII (May 19-20) on the McQueen Lake map near Kamloops, BC and Barebones in Canmore , AB (May 25-27). The Sprint and Long are going to be held on the Canmore Nordic Centre map and the Middle will be on the scenic Mt Laurie map. Should be a great two weekends packed with competition.

To view maps in a more zoomed in view, right click image and open in new tab or window.

Time- 77:43

 
Time- 20:49

Train on,
Damian

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Sunday 1 April 2012

Back to the Orienteering Grind


This weekend was my first time orienteering this season with two back to back training sessions on Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday was a slow, sloppy, and sluggish Middle distance training at Elbow Bluffs near Bragg Creek, AB just outside of Calgary. Patrick Goeres and I ran the 2007 team trials Middle distance course. Very vague in places, made some mistakes but also had some good legs. Took it really easy and didn't push at all. Just tried to use the compass and try to read as much as I could.  It was tough/slow going through some deep snow in places. Flags would have made it much easier and nicer.
Sunday Patrick and I went out to Bow Valley map to run the 2011 M 17-20 Barebones Long distance course up to #14 only missed the last 3 controls because we wanted to keep it around 60 minutes. Patrick started and we alternated leading each control which made it easier when deciding where the control should be. Hooked some controls but also had some solid ones too, felt way better than yesterday since I was back into the right mindset for orienteering. Amazing map and terrain for some top notch orienteering training. There was some knee high snow drifts in places but not much snow at all. I think almost all the orienteering cobwebs are gone now, I hope. Here are the two training maps.


Train on,
Damian

Wednesday 7 March 2012

Canada’s Elites

Elite orienteering in Canada is growing each year and becoming more and more competitive.  As more athletes are becoming elite orienteer’s in Canada, competition to make the World Championship team is becoming harder and harder to make each year.  In past years there has been limited interest in competing at the World Championships for Canada because of a lack of elite athletes.  Currently there are many elite orienteer’s competing to make a spot on the team, which lets us know how far Orienteering Canada has come over the years.  This year will probably be the toughest year of all time to make the team.  With winter winding down, the competition season is on the horizon.  Most of the selection races for the team will be held in May.  Many elite orienteers from across Canada will be competing for a spot on the WOC team to represent Canada in Lausanne, Switzerland in the month of July.  These races will be the test for most to see if their winter training has paid off and will decide the course of their season.  As orienteering grows within Canada, so does the elite competition.  Looking forward to a great racing season and competing against start lists loaded with top notch orienteers.


           Maybe orienteering will be this popular in Canada one day!                   


Train on,
Damian

Saturday 28 January 2012

IOF: WOC in the Future Project Dead

The IOF has decided to keep the current WOC program the same.  I personally beleive that the program was fine the way it was with the acception that they could also add in a mixed relay and possibly a knockout sprint which would be pretty cool. Read more about the decision at http://news.worldofo.com/2012/01/22/iof-woc-in-the-future-project-dead/

Train on,
Damian

Saturday 7 January 2012

Canada’s High Performance Program Fundraiser, Whitehorse, Yukon, July 20, 2011

This past summer during the Canadian and Western Canadian Orienteering Championships in the Yukon a fundraiser for Canada’s high performance program was held.  Eric Kemp and other HPP members helped out to create a two person mass start sprint relay fundraiser.  People could bid on current and former national team members who were up for auction to create a two person relay team.  A total of $4751 was raised for Canada’s High Performance Program.   Steven Graupner (fellow club member of Coureurs de Bois, Winnipeg, MB) bid on me and won me.  We formed the winning team of the HPP mass start sprint relay!  Read more at http://www.yukon-news.com/sports/23998/.

Tom Patrick/Yukon News
Winnipeg’s Damian Konotopetz leaves a control.

 
Train on,
Damian