Storm Not Over Yet, 2 Jun 05
And PAPO's Sara Wallen, just back from her native Sweden, will also take the start at the weekend. This gives Storm the ability to score close to 40 points in each of the two events. Can MacNut average 60 to get ahead? Even Magic which has a record 11 runners entered will play a part by soaking up some of the available points...

Stop Press! Smith to the Rescue, 26 May 05
Just to hand, advice from leading woman Rachel Smith that she's moving to Auckland and will compete in the final at Queens Birthday. This should ensure that she wins the womens individual, but more importantly it gives Southerly Storm a fighting chance in the teams.

Storm Fades, 25 May 05
What's most significant about the entry list for the final of the 2005 Orienteering Superseries is who isn't there. With only a single entrant at Queens Birthday, Southerly Storm - winners for the last two years - is not going to be able to defend its 37-point margin. And Rachel Smith's slender lead over Tania Robinson is at risk. More...

Forne Wins; Women Fight to the End, 9 May 05
Once on the map at the weekend's three selection trial races Chris Forne didn't overlook a thing; no matter what happens at Queens Birthday he'll win the 2005 Orienteering Superseries. Rachel Smith's sprint let her down but she nevertheless outscored Tania Robinson to confirm a slender lead. The final round will be crucial for the women, for the two third placings, and could even (should anything prevent Karl Dravitzki running) affect the mens runner-up! More...

Top Man Overlooks Trial, 3 May 05
NZ's top male hope for the Japan World Champs Chris Forne overlooked a vital step - making an entry for the selection trials next weekend. The top rogainer, NZ ski-orienteering champion and leader of the Orienteering Superseries has had a busy April, winning the Canterbury Champs and planning a SI Challenge (a superseries event) the next day. A late entry has been accepted. Entries...

Back-Markers Make a Bid, 24 Apr 05, story added 9 May
While the Canterbury events didn't alter the top two positions, Sara Wallen moved up from 7th to 3rd and Neil Kerrison from 6th to 3rd this weekend. And Aaron Prince leapt a whopping ten places to a single point behind Kerrison. As expected, Bivouac passed MacNut and takes a 41-point lead. in the teams. More...

Lead Tipped to Change on Saturday, 20 Apr 05
If orienteering was like a huge adventure race with the teams running together and we were in a helicopter over the self-sown pines of Acheron, sometime on Saturday we would be able to see... (More)

Thanks to Superseries Supporters, 30 Mar 05
Thanks to Silva, Casio, Sportvogl, Wild Sports and the MAPsport Shop nearly $1500 was raised at Easter for superseries travel. MAPsport's Michael Wood handed over a giant cheque to series leaders Tania Robinson and Chris Forne at the award ceremony.

Storm Clouds Threaten, 28 Mar 05, updated 29 Mar
Bivouac Southerly Storm closed to within 9 points of leader MacNut Northerners in three Superseries races at the NZ Champs in Hawkes Bay. Tania Robinson and Rachel Smith are still neck and neck. Chris Forne appeared to extend his lead over Karl Dravitzki, but its a different story if the worst results are discounted. Mark Lawson and Claire Paterson have emerged as leaders of the chasing packs, but with margins too small for comfort. More...

World Champion to Run Nationals, 15 Mar 05
Yvette Baker has applied for a late entry to the long and middle distance NZ championships. As Yvette Hague, she won the 1999 Middle Distance World Championships in Scotland. Baker has just moved to Wellington, and will make a considerable difference to Central Magic's fortunes.

Big Entry for Nationals, 14 Mar 05
Entries in Round 3 of the Superseries, the 3 individual races of the national championships, are well up on last year: over one third more women, and 22% more men. In the mainly kiwi field there's a Czech couple, two Irish orienteers, a Frenchwoman, a couple of Swedes - and two of NZ's top multi-sporters, Chris Morrissey and George Christison. Prospects...

Suppliers Support Super Series, 9 Mar 05
Orienteering Equipment suppliers and retailer MAPsport Shop have combined again to raise funds for Superseries travel. Silva (compasses and more), Casio (memory watches), Sportvogl (o-suits) and Wild Sports Equipment (orienteering equipment) have provided product which the MAPsport Shop will sell at the Easter national championships. The full proceeds will go to travel assistance for national squad members. Travel assistance has dramatically increased attendance at SS events, a 5% increase in 2004 coming on top of a 52% increase the year before.

Waioneke Spreads the Field, 15 Jan 05
Event 5 of the Orienteering Superseries was a relook at the challenging Waioneke map first used for the Oceania Champs on Thursday. The closely-planted pine trees, steep slopes and patches of intricate contours on the hilltops took their toll again, and only the best emerged without large time penalties. More...

Ozzie Men, Kiwi Women at Stillwater, 8 Jan 05
Australian men dominated in soggy conditions today, but the kiwi women were on top in a Middle Distance event at Stillwater today which was a World Ranking event as well as event 4 of the Superseries. This was in spite of winner Dave Shepherd starting 40sec late. More...

Jorgensen Retires Hurt, 7 Jan 05, updated 9 Jan
2004 winner Carsten Jorgensen retired from the sprint race today after running into a sign on the Carrington university campus. Australia's Troy de Haas and just-returned Rachel Smith won the races. More...

Updated Oceania Entry Lists, 29 Dec 04
A closer look at the entry lists, including the hitherto unpublished sprint entries, shows who is running which days.

Jorgensen and Smith Return for Round 2, 19 Dec 04
Rachel Smith and Carsten Jorgensen return from Scandinavia for the Oceania Carnival in January, Smith for good but the Dane for only three months. The presence of last year's second woman and top man will raise the stakes in the 2005 Superseries, as will the strong Australian presence and a dozen other Scandinavians. The reinforcements will enable last-placed Bivouac Southerly Storm to challenge MacNut Northerners for the team competition. Prospects...

Thrilling Opener at Aramiro, 21 Nov 04
Karl Dravitzki and Tania Robinson won the long races on Saturday to take the early lead in the 2005 Superseries. Today Robinson teamed with Darren Ashmore and Mark Lawson to win the first Superseries Relay for MacNut Northerners. But Dravitzki put in a fine 3rd-leg run to haul Central Magic above the second MacNut team and into second. MacNut leads Magic 109 to 87, with previously dominant Bivouac Southerly Storm on 45. Results...

Oceania Sprint Added, 10 Nov 04
A sprint race in the grounds of Unitec's Carrington campus in Auckland has been added to the Oceania Carnival in January, and will be a Superseries event. The race will be on Friday 7 Jan, with non-elite classes starting from 11:00 and elites at 1:00.

Raiders Re-Badged, 29 Oct 04
Central Raiders are no more - they will now be known as "Central Magic". The team covering the North Island south of Taupo has adopted a new name and has set up a team website with news about individual members and its relay teams for the first round in the new series. Check it out.

2005 Superseries Takes Shape, 23 Sep 04
The 2005 Orienteering Superseries will kick off on 20 Nov (04) at Aramiro near Hamilton, and next day will be the very first Superseries Relay. This man-woman-man team event will emphasise the inter-regional aspect of the series, so far dominated by Bivouac Southerly Storm. So will the new identity for the former Northern Knights, now known as the "MacNut Northerners" with their own team website. Maybe the Central team will also acquire a sponsor and become known as the "Corporate Raiders"!! Check out the programme.

Marquita Ahead in Final Race, 8 June 04
Marquita Gelderman, set a 107-point tally to chase by the departing Rachel Smith, made it in the final race of the superseries on Sunday. With Carsten Jorgensen and Chris Forne already secure in the mens competition, attention there shifted to the third slot, where Neil Kerrison narrowly held off a dual threat from Karl Dravitzki and Mark Lawson. More...

Carsten Clinches; Storm Secure; Women Wait, 13 Apr 04
Carsten Jorgensen has done what he couldn't quite manage last year; he has clinched the Superseries Mens title, with two events to go. Bivouac Southerly Storm already secure for the team competition made sure of it over Easter. But Rachel Smith who finally got into the lead after Friday's sprint, only has a 10-point lead over Marquita Gelderman. She heads to Sweden in a week's time. More...

Baby for Jenni and Carsten, 26 Mar 04
Third-placed woman Jenni Adams has revealed some great news - she is pregnant! With the baby due in August and the couple heading overseas after Easter the baby may be born in Denmark. Best wishes from all Superseries Supporters!

SuperSeriesSupporters Help Again, 23 Mar 04
The MAPsport Shop and its major suppliers are again supporting the Land Travel fund at the Easter Nationals. Jalas has provided shoes, Casio has put up watches and Silva will offer compasses, to be sold by the MAPsport Shop with full proceeds going to the national squad. Along with NZ Community Trust which provides air and ferry fares, this will ensure that travel is not a barrier to Superseries participation. Check out the prospects for Easter.

Leading Team Adopts New Name, 4 Mar 04
Leading team Southerly Storm has adopted a new name, with the completion of sponsorship arrangements. The team will now be known as "Bivouac Southerly Storm", after the outdoor equipment retailers. Bivouac has outfitted the team in uniform o-suits, shown here in this shot of Penny Kane. The team is also leading the way in developing support from its South Island clubs, by producing a bulletin designed to go in club newsletters.

Smith Move Gives Gelderman a Target, 19 Feb 04
Up till now it seemed that nothing could stop Rachel Smith's climb through the field towards a third straight Superseries title. But the Christchurch environmental graduate has decided to spend the (northern) summer in Sweden, and leaves a week after Easter. Depending on the Easter results, this may set Marquita Gelderman a target which could be a real cliffhanger! Third-placed Jenni Adams is also going to Europe after the nationals, so its going to be one or the other...

Clean Sweep by Smith and Jorgensen, 13 Jan 04
With McLeod off on honeymoon there was nothing that could stop Carsten Jorgensen from dominating the remainder of the the third round of the Orienteering Superseries in Southland last weekend. Rachel Smith continued her winning form which includes the last five events in a row! These two, and the Southerly Storm to which they both belong, are now in an extremely strong position to withstand the competition at Easter and Queens Birthday. More...

McLeod Almost Beats Jorgensen, 5 Jan 04
Bruce McLeod of Queesnstown returning from retirement missed by only 10 seconds from winning event 5 of the Orienteering Superseries in hot and dry conditions at Naseby at he weekend. Carsten Jorgensen won to retain his position at the top of the table while Rachel Smith's win gets her within 2 points of second place. More... The next event is at Waikaia on Saturday 10 Jan.

New Threats to Leaders, 19 Dec 03
NZ Classic-distance champion Penny Kane will take the start in round three, and will upset Rachel Smith's chase of leader Marquita Gelderman. Bruce McLeod has come out of retirement for the Naseby event; in 2002 he won the national classic, the middle-distance, and was in the winning relay team! Southerly Storm will race ahead by at least 100 points, while the Raiders may be able to hang on to second in front of the Knights. More...

Forne and Smith Challenge Leaders, 25 Nov 03
Carsten Jorgensen and Marquita Gelderman still lead the Superseries after Round 2 in Otago, but Chris Forne and Rachel Smith are posting a challenge. Forne notched up another win against the formidable Dane, and Smith took both days in her first appearance this series. The order of the teams has been turned upside down with Southerly Storm moving from bottom to top. More...

Dark Horse may Show its Nose, 15 Nov 03
With titleholder Rachel Smith making a start in the Superseries, and her current membership of Wellington OC, Central Raiders could get its nose in front after Saturday's South Island Champs. Carsten Jorgensen is tipped to win the mens and the arrival of Chris Forne for the Sunday race might take Southerly Storm into a lead which it needs. More...

Favourites Lead but New Stars Rise, 10 Nov 03
As predicted, Carsten Jorgensen and Marquita Gelderman have taken the early lead in the 2004 Superseries following the Wellington Championships at Smedley Station in Central Hawkes Bay. But in testing races which criss-crossed the deep native-bushed gorges, Stu Barr, Claire Paterson and Chris Forne produced the standout performances of the weekend. More...

Leppin Race Prizes, 6 Nov 03
Leading Sports Nutrition company Leppin has joined us as a sponsor and will provide product prizes for the winner of each race. Director Matt Tuck is well-known to orienteers, and his wide-selling magazine "NZ Endurance Sport" has and will continue to cover the Superseries.

Who Will Lead the Charge? 1 Nov 03
Any one of three women could take the lead at the first round of the 2004 Superseries in Hawkes Bay next weekend, but we're picking Marquita Gelderman from Helensville. In contrast Carsten Jorgensen is the clear favourite in the mens competition, but there are five other men who could lead the rest. Check out the prospects section.

NZ Community Trust Renews its Support, 31 Oct 03
NZOF is extremely pleased to announce that the NZ Community Trust has made another substantial grant to help national squad members travel to the events. With five rounds in the current series, two of them in the south of the South Island, competing in the lot will be an expensive undertaking for a student or recent graduate with a student loan. The grant for air and interisland ferry travel will overcome a major obstacle, and will increase fields and intensify competition.

Brand New 2004 Series, 23 Oct 03
The Orienteering Superseries now moves to a spring-thru-autumn format, with the first round at the Wellington Championship on 8/9 November. There will be four further rounds in the 2004 series: Otago on 22/23 November, Otago/Southland 3-11 January, Manawatu 9-12 April (Easter and the NZ Championships), and Auckland 5-7 June. Keep your browser pointed to this website for the latest news about NZ's top orienteers - "The O Blacks"!

Its Final: Smith and Jessop, 2 Jun 03
Rob Jessop (Auckland) and Rachel Smith (Christchurch) won the Orienteering Superseries at the weekend, Smith for the second time in a row. And the Southerly Storm extended its lead over Northern Knights to win the inaugural teams competition. As well as the handsome trophies, the winners received merino thermal tops by Icebreaker. More....

Last-Minute News, 29 May 03
Even though he has the series won, mens Leader Rob Jessop will run the final round after all, his entry had gone astray. But contrary to rumour, Tania Robinson definitely won't run, so Rachel Smith looks safe at the top of the womens table. But Darren Ashmore has withdrawn, that opens up the third mens slot to Mark Lawson, Chris Forne and Jason Markham. Rebecca Smith and Natalie Rouse will also not appear. With this in mind, reread the prospects, the entrants and the results so far.

Winners Firm Up, 23 May 03
Neither of the leading men have entered the final round of the Orienteering Superseries at QB Weekend, which will leave Rob Jessop with a two-point win over Carsten Jorgensen; while Rachel Smith and Penny Kane (who will race) are almost certain to take the top two womens placings. However there is plenty of competition in the next echelon, in a Wairarapa weekend which includes two new forms of orienteering plus the first ever trial of a new format for pairs. More....

Course Cock-up Causes Chaos, 28 Apr 03
A misplaced control on the final day of the Anzac 4-day event, whose overall result was to have counted as Superseries #7, has swapped the placings for the two leading men, previously only one point apart. The womens course was affected too, but the series positions are not so finely balanced. And the Southerly Storm continues to lead the team competition. More....

Dane Leads Superseries by Single Point, 25 Apr 03
Carsten Jorgenson has taken the lead in the orienteering Superseries, with a 4-minute win yesterday in steep pine forest at Stillwater, on Auckland's east coast. The Danish star has 67 points, one more than Auckland's Rob Jessop, who finished second yesterday. Womens leader Rachel Smith (Chch) finished second to Tania Robinson (Auckland) but retains a comfortable 12-point lead over Penny Kane (Dunedin). More....

Two Races in One Day, 20 Apr 03
Rob Jessop increased his lead in the Orienteering Superseries today after a decisive win in the NZ short-distance championship in Woodhill Forest this morning Meanwhile Dane Carsten Jorgensen scored his first victory of the Easter week in the sprint-distance championship at Three Kings in suburban Auckland.
Penny Kane edged ahead of Rachel Smith after the morning race, but the flu-affected runner did not start in the afternoon, putting Smith in the lead once more. More....

Tough Round Three, 19 Apr 03
Round three of the Superseries today discovered the tough; 50% of the men
didn't complete the 14km, 600m course, and the womens course (9km, 400m) was won in 50% over the target time. As a result Auckland's Rob Jessop overhauls Jason Markham for the lead, and Penny Kane (Dunedin) draws level with Rachel Smith. more....

Prospects going into Easter, 14 Apr 03
We think that Tania Robinson will have her work cut out to beat Rachel Smith; Carsten Jorgensen must be the favourite for the men; his closest competitor will be Jason Markham; but there are 6 or 7 others who will threaten for top kiwi. Check out the updated prospects section.

Carsten Shows his Class, 6 Apr 03
Danish star Carsten Jorgensen showed his class by winning the second event in the orienteering superseries run today at Lake Tekapo. The world-ranked No. 9 was one of the course planners for the first event, so didn't appear in yesterday's results. Today he beat Auckland's Rob Jessop and Saturday's winner Jason Markham by five minutes.

In the womens race Rachel Smith (Chch) moved further into the lead with another win, Penny Kane (Dun) scored another second four minutes behind, and Jenni Adams (Chch), the other course planner from Saturday was third. Southerly Storm takes a predictable lead in the teams competition, but is likely to face a determined charge from the Northern Knights in the next round near Auckland, during the Easter-Anzac week. The Central Raiders which covers the southern North Island is unlikely to be able to mount a credible challenge.

The result table has now been updated.

Jason Stamps his Mark, 5 Apr 03
Jason Markham put his stamp on the first round of the Orienteering Superseries at Craigmore near Timaru today with a huge win of 24 minutes in the mens competition. On any normal day Rachel Smith's 8-min win in the womens race would have been regarded as pretty convincing, but with a good mens field of 14 Markham's run is unbelievable. Early reports from Fairlie where the organisers are staying indicates that very few had a clean run through the two areas of massive boulders, which were mapped at a larger scale because of their complexity.

Markham and Smith are in the process of moving to Wellington but are still competing for PAPO. Placegetters were Jamie Stewart (Dun) and James Bradshaw (Wgtn); and Penny Kane (Dun) and Lara Prince (Chch). This gives Southerly Storm a head start in the teams competition, appropriate enough since rain which started during the event has intensified ahead of tomorrow's race at Tekapo.

Silva, Sportvogl and Casio become SuperSeriesSupporters, 29 Mar 03, updated 1 Apr
Orienteering equipment suppliers Silva (Sweden), Sportvogl (Germany) and Casio have become sponsors of the SuperSeries. They will provide product which will be sold by retailer the MAPsport Shop, to create a land travel fund which will supplement the NZ Community Trust airfare support. Silva is the biggest-selling orienteering compass in NZ, but they also make gaiters, visors, sweatbands, headlamps, map magnifiers, route measurers and more; Sportvogl makes orienteering suits, and Casio those split-time watches that every top orienteer wears.

Testing Series Start among Craigmore Boulders, 26 Mar 03
The start of the 2003 Superseries on 5 April will involve some testing navigation in a hitherto-unused part of the Craigmore map. A maze of huge boulders, some the size of a house has been mapped specially for the event. A solid entry of 17 men and 9 women will be competing led by (our picks) Mark Lawson, Carsten Jorgensen, Rachel Smith and Penny Kane. More...

Major Support from NZ Community Trust, 24 Feb 03
NZOF is extremely pleased to announce a substantial grant from the NZ Community Trust, which will help national squad members travel to the events. Although the athletes still face considerable personal costs, the grant for air and interisland ferry travel will overcome a major obstacle, and will increase fields and intensify competition. The NZ Community Trust distributes profits from gaming machines, with over three quarters going to amateur sport.

Preliminary Athlete Info Loaded, 16 Feb 03
Brief details including photos of most of the expected contestants in the 2003 Orienteering Superseries have been loaded. Some of it is conjecture at this stage, and we await the "real oil" which has been promised from the athletes.

2003 Superseries Announced, 9 Feb 03
NZOF has appointed Michael Wood of MAPsport Services to run the 2003 Superseries. Following a review of the inaugural 2002 series, there will be a 3-round series between April and June 2003, before moving to a spring-thru-autumn basis. Full details are elsewhere o this website.