Dear Eureka Orienteers,
I hope all is well back in sunny Australia. It has been getting warmer here and I have actually been wearing shorts today which is wonderful!
As you know I spent last week in Molndal at what I discovered was actually the IK Uven clubhouse. It was a very nice clubhouse with a sauna (as most seem to have) and it was also located on a fairly challenging map which was good for some practice jogs.
We spent Thursday doing some challenging Middle Distance training on a map called Jonsered Norr. There are many cliffs here, and if they are marked on the map you would be very hard pressed to get up or down them, which makes route choice very important. On Friday we ran a sprint training race.
Saturday was spent sightseeing in Göteborgstad (Gothenburg City Centre), where we went to the Museum and learnt all about the Vikings and such.
On Sunday the Australian Team moved into the JWOC accomodation. We are staying on a military medical base which is on the coast, next to a town (or suburb) called Saltholmen. There are some wonderful views from the top of the hill and the area has also been mapped which is good for some practice running! The Australians are staying in the best accomodation which is nice, we are on the same level as Denmark and we share a building with the Swiss and I think the Canadians?
Yesterday was the first day of competition; the sprint. A day of drama! Laurina Neumann left behind her electro-chipped number and was unable to start, Leon Keely snapped his compass early on in the course but luckily still finished. It was very exciting and a new experience with the silent start and the gate which opens to start your time running. There were not so many people around as in the sprint at Dubbo Zoo, which I was grateful for as I am easily distracted!
Unfortunately, I did not have a very good run, losing 1 min 30 on one control and a few seconds on others, putting me in 95th. However many of us had steady runs, with Bridget getting 49th, Belinda 57th and Rachel 71st. In the boys, Lauchlan Dow had a fairly good run, putting him I think in the 50s.
A Danish girl called Emma Klingenberg, who is only 16, was the winner of the women’s competition, while Stephan Kodeda from Czech Republic took out the mens.
Last night was the opening ceremony, which was held at Liseberg, one of the largest amusement parks in Europe. We were all allowed free entry and rides which was wonderful! The ceremony was short but interesting, incorporating a performance from a Gothenberg band, who’s lead guitarist won the JWOC long distance in 1987.
Today we will make our way to the model event.
I hope I find you all well and I will keep writing!
Aislinn Prendergast