Sprint orienteering in Vancouver – Canada
February 19, 2009 by Thomas Nipen
Vancouver Sprint Orienteering Training Camp 2009
Last weekend the Greater Vancouver Orienteering Club hosted its 4th annual sprint orienteering training camp. This year we were fortunate enough to have over 40 out-of-town orienteers. Participants came from across the continent, with a large number from both the Canadian and US national teams.
The training camp combines a number of conventional sprint races (of which 4 were part of the North American Sprint Series), with some special sprint-relevant exercises. These exercises stem both from the need to practice special sprint skills and from restrictions caused by the location of the terrain. The first type is called orienteering-intervals, or “otervals” for short. Otervals allow you to run faster thereby forcing you to read the map faster than you would during a race. Each oterval was around 500m in length and the break between each was about 2 minutes. To help participants push the pace, several orienteers were started at the same time with slightly different courses. The group gathers again before the start of the subsequent interval. We chose to put this exercise in the centre of downtown Vancouver, amidst skyscrapers and busy roads. Each oterval stayed within a city block thereby avoiding crossing any busy roads. The area could normally not be used for orienteering, but is excellent for this type of training.
Large version Downtown Vancouver
Another exercise was aimed at practicing the start of a sprint race. As there are not very many sprint races in the season, perfecting the start of a race can be difficult. Participants received a package of 11 small map segments stapled together. Each map had a start, possibly a control or two, and a finish. The goal was to quickly adjust to the new setting and run controlled out of the start. At the end of each segment was a start triangle indicating where the next segment started. This new start triangle was located near the edge of the current map so that when the participant flipped to the next map a brand new start scenario would appear. Effectively the orienteer had 11 chances of perfecting the start procedure.
Lastly we did an exercise focused on flow and concentration. A special 1:2,000 scale map was made of a small, yet detailed area. The controls were closely spaced and often on similar features. The goal of the exercise was to be smooth in and out of the control, and not to be distracted by other runners or controls. This exercise can be useful in small areas that would otherwise not be used for orienteering.
Experiences training in Vancouver
After the training camp, I asked Øystein Sørensen about his experiences living and training in Vancouver for the last 6 months. Øystein is an experienced orienteer from Norway who won the JWOC relay in 2005 together with Magne Dæhli and Olav Lundanes.
Thomas Nipen - How has training been different for you living in Vancouver compared to at home?
Øystein Sørensen - There has definitely been a greater focus on sprint orienteering here; you have an enormous amount of sprint orienteering maps in Vancouver. You compensate for the lack of regular forest maps by doing more sprints. It has been good for me, because I have had very little sprint training prior to coming here.
T N - Do you find that your race strategy changes when you run sprint orienteering as opposed to regular orienteering?
Ø S – Not really. My strategy has always been to find the first control in a safe way and continue and not think about the running so much. As long as you have control of where you are going, the running comes automatically.
T N - What skills do you feel you have worked on while being here?
Ø S – I have usually had some troubles with route choices on sprint maps, as well as dealing with tricky sprint features such as stairs, corners, and walls.
I also asked Louise Oram, a Canadian national team member living in Vancouver, about her experiences being an orienteer in Canada. Louise has participated three times at the World Orienteering Championships, qualifying for a sprint and a long distance final.
Thomas Nipen – Given that there are many sprint opportunities here in Vancouver, do you focus mainly on sprint?
Louise Oram – Sprint isn’t my only focus as I enjoy the other distances as well. But from a training point of view, out of necessity, I train a lot on forest sprint maps with the hope that some of the skills gained there transfer to other distances.
T N – The orienteering opportunities in Vancouver are much sparser than, for example, in Europe. What can you do to compensate for this?
L O – I also regularly travel to other parts of the country to partake in larger events, and less formal training weekends on maps I otherwise seldom run on. I also travel early to Europe to spend some extra time before the big competitions to brush up on my orienteering skills.
More information and maps about the Vancouver Sprint Orienteering Camp 2009? Check sprint.whyjustrun.ca.
More photos available at orienteering.smugmug.com.
