Mapping a road to victory

The Orienteering Schools League North has been in existence for more than 10 years. The league is aimed at pupils from Grade 7 to Grade 12. Orienteering has its roots in the forests of Scandinavia, where orienteering events were held at the end of the 19th century as part of military training. Orienteering was subsequently formalised, and the sport as defined by the International Orienteering Federation, was introduced in South Africa in 1981.

Orienteering is a sport in which the competitor, aided only by a map and compass, locates a number of features termed ‘controls’, marked in the terrain and on the map. Participants compete against the clock.

The league’s events are structured on a classic orienteering format where controls must be visited in a pre-set order. The winner is the person that completes the course correctly in the fastest time.

This year the league will participate in seven organised events, including a training event and the finals.

The training event was held at Bryanston High School and was well attended by new and regular participants in the schools league. The first league event was attended by 200 pupils. While some pupils made their way around the course slowly, still adapting and learning, others put their acquired skills to good use and set a fast pace up front.

The second league event was held at HeronBridge College and a total of 202 pupils participated on a more complex course.

The third event was held at Summit College and pupils navigated through a mixture of buildings and open veld with many controls hidden in the long grass.

There are only two events left before the big final which will take place at Kloofendal Nature Reserve. The top contenders for the Schools Trophy include St Davids, Fourways High and Helpmekaar Kollege.

Details: 083 474 9463; karenchambers@wol.co.za; www.orienteering.co.za; www.facebook.com/OSchoolsLeague

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