Junior Points East

Having been reminded that the deadline for Points East is approaching I thought I ought to write a few words! As with the last issue there hasn't been much happening in the junior world but I assure you that with selection races and things coming up the next period will be anything but quiet. Unfortunately, due to having been diagnosed with glandular fever, I cannot guarantee to be taking part in the busiest part of the year. However, I will, of course, attend events anyway, purely as part of my duty as a reporter for this newsletter!

Last issue I reported on Suzy Robertson's selection as part of the English team at Interland 2000. Without my even having to ask she came up with the following article - thanks Suzy - people like you make my life so much easier!

As you may or may not have known I was selected to represent England in the annual Interland competition. So on the weekend of 20th and 21st February while everyone else was no doubt having a sleep-in (it was the first weekend of half term) I was up (if not awake) at a quarter past six. The previous evening I had spent travelling to Sevenoaks near London with my fellow East Anglian team-mates Edmund Kelleher(NOR) and Helen Gardner(WAOC) and had spent the night at a friend of Helen's. We met the coach at twenty past seven and joined the rest of team who had had to be up even earlier than us (we were the last pick-up point). All the juniors took up the seats at the back of the coach and spent the entire journey playing cards, connect 4 (don't ask) and talking. We finally arrived in Belgium at a Center Parcs type place where the competition was based and took part in the training event. Two controls on the training course were in the wrong place (other people agreed with me it wasn't just me copying them down wrongly). I then spent about five minutes standing in this marsh wondering where on earth I was only to realise that the blue had been overprinted on the yellow to make green. I thought training events were meant to build up your confidence!

In the evening we had a very nice meal though I couldn't tell you what it was as everything was in Flemish. Then we all went off to the youth hostel where we going to stay and had an introductory meeting where we were all issued with our England O-tops. After a night spent socialising and another early start I found myself at the Start. By this point I was very nervous as this was, like for Edmund, my first time representing England and I wanted to have a good run. I became increasingly nervous as the first English W18 picked up her map to discover that the control circles had not been numbered or joined up. This problem soon resolved itself and I was off, thankfully with a properly marked map. The first half of the course went well and I felt very at home because Belgium is as flat as East Anglia. Then I met "the hill" that Abi Weeds (who had previously run on the area) had warned us about. It was an old slag heap and the steepest hill I have ever come across. I ran up the first part but then like many other people had to give up and walk (it was a steep hill and I was planning ahead at the same time). The rest of the course went well with only a few minor mistakes but by the time I was climbing up yet another giant hill I thought I hadn't done that well as I had taken over an hour on the 5.6km course. However I was relieved to discover that everyone else had been doing slow minutes per km and delighted to discover that I had come third overall. England won the competition beating North West Germany, the Flemish speaking and French speaking Belgian teams (yes for some reason they were separate) and Holland. Edmund won his course and Helen came fifth so East Anglia did very well.

The journey back was brilliant because we had used Emit punching and so could compare splits and after we had exhausted all the best possible route choices we took to doing more intellectual things like playing cards and hangman. I had a great time, everyone was really nice (except the bus driver who was very grumpy) and I got a chance to meet with orienteers of all ages, not something you often have a chance to do.

Suzy Robertson (SOS)

My other piece of news and a request to all juniors and people who work with juniors within East Anglia is that Andrew Kelly, the English Development Officer, has approached me with regards to Route Choice 5 - the National junior newsletter. He has requested that the East Anglian Junior Squad take responsibility for a few pages in the next issue and do a feature on "grass roots" orienteering in our region. So I require news and photos (especially photos!) from all you juniors out there - what's your club getting up to with regards coaching you? what's the local schools' league like? what's good and bad about junior orienteering in East Anglia? I will be co-ordinating the effort but I certainly don't plan on writing the pages myself as it's supposed to reflect East Anglian orienteering and I am slightly Essex biased! Andrew also asked me to get someone to come up with an idea for a puzzle (with a rough orienteering theme) that could be included. I don't have that good an imagination so I'm offering an edible prize to the best puzzle you can come up with - those that don't make national publication can get published in Points East.

EAST ANGLIAN SUCCESS AT MIDLANDS CHAMPIONSHIPS

M10 2nd Philip Humphries (WAOC)
M14 CHAMPION Edmund Kelleher (NOR)
M16 CHAMPION Chris Sellens (SOS)
M18 CHAMPION Neil Northrop (WAOC)
W18 CHAMPION Leonie Brown (WAOC)

JK 2000: HOT OFF THE PRESS! HELEN GARDNER WINS W14 AGAIN

INDIVIDUAL

M12 4th Simon Gardner (WAOC)
W14 WINNER Helen Gardner (WAOC)

RELAYS

M48- 6th WAOC
W48- 7th SOS

Well done, all our juniors. Hope I have not missed anyone out who should have been in (ed.)