While other members were busy at the OY at Waitarere or taking on the rogaining world in the Australian outback, Gavin Scott and Nic Gorman showed that OHV can't be beaten, while competing in PAPO's Canterbury Champs. The only two club members taking part in a double-header weekend, Gavin (M60A) and Nic (M21AS) came away with 4 grade wins from 4 starts. The Canterbury Champs proper were held on Saturday in coastal sand-dune forest at Pines Beach just north of Christchurch. While you might expect years of experience in Waitarere and Santoft would have given the OHV members a head start, Canterbury dunes are very different and the completely random mess of hills and depressions created a tough collection. "The hardest terrain I've ever attempted to orienteer in" said Nic after losing close to twenty minutes on two legs in the last third of the course. Thankfully (as M21AS doesn't seem to be as popular in the South Island as in the North) all he had to do to take the win was (eventually) finish, but was surprised to find he was among the quickest (or least slow) to complete course 4. Only rising star Georgia Whitla (who also has a good Hutt Valley pedigree) was well ahead. Meanwhile Gavin had also had his share of problems and was convinced he'd thrown away M60 victory, but actually finished nearly 50 minutes ahead of the second placed local! With a number of DNFs on the day this win shows the value of perseverance. Unfortunately as OHV members both missed out on Canterbury titles (even though Nic is currently -just- living in Canterbury).

The next day's South Island Challenge race at Dalethorpe proved to be the pot of gold at the ends of the rainbow (Gavin may have a photo that would explain this statement). Far less technical terrain (gentle spur-gulley), forest with much greater visibility and runnability, and easier course-setting (maybe a bit too easy, but after Pines Beach nobody was complaining). Gavin overcame a bit of a false start, and with a fast but focussed run (he didn't even recognise his club-mate running alongside for a few hundred metres) shot round course 5 under 40 minutes. None of the other M60s were close, and only a British visitor running M40AS was quicker on the course. Nic again was best in a field of one, but with a much more satisfactory run. However he was no closer to the flying Georgia Whitla, and a few of those super-fit South Island M50s found their heads and legs this time to get their revenge on the A-short upstart.

Written by Nic Gorman and installed 16 October 2006