2023 Summer Newsletter

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AOA News and Events AOA Facebook AOA Website AOA Instagram Greetings Alberta Orienteers, We hope you are all enjoying a fantastic summer filled with orienteering adventures. The season offers numerous opportunities to explore amazing events and have a blast with your compass and maps.  We'd like to share some event reports with you. In case you missed any of them,  you can still catch up and read all about them. Keep the spirit of orienteering alive and have a nice rest of the summer! Canadians at the Scottish 6 Days.  Kids from age 4 and up to folks in their eighties competed from AB.   Join us!  Alberta Orienteering Championships AOC 2023  Date to be confirmed for late September/October. Hosted by EOOC in Redwater Natural Area near Edmonton. A  fun adventure and free AOA-sponsored BBQ awaits all levels from beginners to elites! Stay tuned for updates and registration details. Don't miss it!  Kids Run Wild Wins Best Children's Outdoor Program 2023 Award We are proud to share that Kids Run Wild has been awarded the prestigious Best Children's Outdoor Pursuits & Fitness Programme 2023 - Western Canada by Acquisition International. This recognition is a testament to the EOOC club's passion and dedication to orienteering. Special thanks to coach Dorothy P, amazing volunteers like Peter G, and all the supporting families. We look forward to seeing the program's positive impact as KRW nurtures children's love for outdoor pursuits and fitness to continue. Missed these events? Read on why it was fun....   Western Canadian Training Camp One of the best training camp locations found! It took place in Cranbrook, BC, in May and was well attended by 50 people. Eager learners from all clubs in Alberta and BC, as well as from Ontario and Montana. We had 5 coaches (Kitty, Marsha, Magali, Finley, and Bogi) and course planners Andree and Eileen from KOC. Also, we had some great help from Magnus J planning some great activities from Norway. Accommodation at the College of the Rockies was excellent; single rooms with a kitchen to share! We heard many requesting to go back there annually.       Unlocking Challenges @ Western Spring Training Camp When I was young, I said to my mom at the dinner table “maybe there’s a challenge inside you need to unlock”.  The details behind why I said this isn’t relevant.  What is relevant is that this statement has become a powerful mantra for me and my family.   There were a good number of challenges I was able to unlock  at the Western Spring Training Camp. I walked away from the camp more confident in my ability to use my compass and more knowledgeable of map contours and symbols. I also unlocked a fear of being on my own in a forest during a route choice activity. Last but not least, I got quite comfortable being lost knowing that “I am not really lost, I am just bewildered” (as they called it at camp). What my mom and I loved most about our time in Cranbrook was feeling a part of a community.  The sport of orienteering feels small until you participate in events, like this camp. There is nothing better than like-minded people coming together to share a passion for something important in their lives. The organizers, coaches, and other participants made us feel welcome and we both walked away with not only new skills, but new friends too. I left the three day camp feeling connected, inspired and more confident than ever that orienteering is my sport.  If you are a teen interest in trying orienteering, come join me for some upcoming events! By Gabriel S, age 14 Missed these events? Read on why it was fun.... Blackfoot Score-O Recap EOOC hosted the Blackfoot Score-O on May 28.  There were three options for time: 1, 3 and 6 hours!  Interestingly the event was held on a new map some of which had not been field checked, so participants had their work cut out for them if they chose to venture there!  Another interesting feature was the combination of regular SI controls and maprun controls (no si, sometimes flags, ribbons or nothing!) Three orienteers braved the 6 hours of cruelling navigation.  Wise participants went after the regular controls in mapped terrain, but some of us more adventurous types (needless to say less-wise?) decided to go for the big score controls in the green terrain with only ribbons or the maprun beep to tell us were at the control!  We found the controls we went after ... as well as more spanworm caterpillars than we care to recall. We had to de-caterpillar after leaving the forest! Thanks to the amazing volunteers who put on this event! by: Marsha F 2023 Run the Wild FWOC's much-loved navigation race returned to the picturesque location of Sandy McNabb after a decade, and it was nothing short of spectacular! Sheep Valley boasts vast, untamed landscapes with rolling hills and a trail system that can either guide you or leave you bewildered, testing your navigation skills to the core. The event featured a Rogaine-style score-O, a trail run component, and some exciting secret bonuses, courtesy of the amazing Run the Wild team. Designed to cater to both beginners and seasoned orienteers, this 6-hour challenge allows you to create a route that perfectly aligns with your skills, fitness, and mood. It's all about having a blast and pushing the boundaries with your team.   Blackfoot map 2023 Western Canadian Orienteering Championships  Thank you to Sage Orienteering for some amazing races!  Participants came off both Middle and Long events feeling they had given it their all and had fun while they did it! Congratulations to all the participants and podium finishers!  Alberta showed off their competitive side, taking the podium in several classes in both events. (Fwoc submitted results listed.) In the Middle event: Andrew (2nd M21E), Ewan (1st Western Canadian M20), Gavan (1st M18), Finley (3rd Western Canadian M35), Tim (3rd M45), Teresa (1st Western Canadian F45), Christin (2nd F65) In the Long event, Robyn (3rd F21E), Gavan (1st M18), Alexandru (1st M10), Finley (2nd Western Canadian M35), Tim (2nd M45), Don B (3rd Western Canadian M65), Izabela ( 2nd Western Canadian F10), Teresa (2nd F45), and Christin (1st F65). FWOC at Westerns   A glimpse of Team Canada Athletes' summer Robyn and Andrew, have been chosen as members of the National Junior Team Canada Program. We are so proud to see these young and skilled FWOC athletes representing Canada at various international events. Their passion for orienteering shines brightly, and we wish them the best of luck in their endeavours. Go Team Canada! Robyn's summer updates Earlier this season I started off with the FWOC spring training camp, and shortly after raced WCOCs. At the end of June, I made a short trip to Eastern Washington for the Spokane 4 Days, where I participated in the Pig War. This weekend was NAOCs in Truckee, California. I had a strong sprint (where unfortunately I mispunched), and consequently had a rough time on the middle and the long, but recovered enough to run a mostly clean 2nd leg for the senior women’s relay team on the last day. Up next is COCs, where I’m looking forward to racing in the senior category, and hopefully end the summer on a high note. Submitted by Robyn A Andrew's summer updates My bigger events started out with WCOCs in the dense and technical forests of Kelowna where I got to experience some of the coolest terrain I have ever run in, as well as the least amount of deadfall I have seen anywhere in North America. Shortly after I headed off for Europe and stopped by the Hungarian Middle Champs on my way to JWOC (Junior World Orienteering Championships) for a little training and to see what these European forests are all about. The races were fun but jet lag and the new terrain prevented me from making it into the A-final so I had to settle for first place in the B-final. Following that I did a bit of traveling around Croatia and then headed over to Romania for JWOC. My results at JWOC weren't great (about middle of the pack), but it was still a great time participating in such a high-level competition as well as talking to people from all over the world. Then after more traveling around, I made my way down to California to meet up with the Canadian team to do a bit of training around Tahoe to acclimatize to the terrain and elevation. Seemingly this paid off as I got gold in all my races in M20E. Additionally, I would have placed second in the M21E sprint since they were on the same course (just 13 seconds away from qualifying for the automatic spot at WOC next year in Edinburgh). Next up I have O-fest and COCs in Quebec in which I will be running up to M21E. Given my recent results at NAOC I am hopeful that I can come home with a medal or two but we'll just have to wait and see. Submitted by Andrew Mc.   New Outreach opportunities Red Deer Community Events Upcoming  5. July 31st - Bower Ponds 6. August date TBD- Barrett Park 7. September 13 - RDP 8. September 27 - Bower Pond 9. October 4- Kin Canyon 10. October 18 - Heritage Ranch Crowsnest Pass Permanent Courses: We set up three permanent orienteering courses at Pass Powderkeg, which you will be able to try on your own time. Strathcona Wilderness Center Permanent Courses: EOOC created some fun courses for Strathcona Wilderness Centre. The maps are ready for download from our website. Courses also can be done with the Map Run App or by picking up a map from customer service, onsite at SWC. The longest challenge is a 24 controls Score O. Events calendar for Alberta Did you know that you can see most of the events planned for 2023 on our webpage Events? We also have a planning calendar you can download for your own planning notes.   Edmonton Club ( EOOC) Club news Calgary Club (FWOC): Upcoming events Outreach: Red Deer events Red Deer  $$$ GRANTS $$$ Great New Provincial Government Grants!   Alberta’s government investing $8 million to help make sports, physical activity and recreation more accessible through the new Every Kid Can Play program.  Every Kid Can Play (EKCP) Program is designed to address affordability and accessibility challenges to sport, physical activity, and recreation (SPAR) programs for Alberta kids and their families. Alberta families can apply for up to $350 per child to offset registration fees, through funds directed to KidSport Alberta. ADDITIONAL for non-profit sport organizations to make sports more affordable.  2 grant application processes with the Government of Alberta, for Provincial-Scope organizations and Community-Level non-profit organizations, funding is available  to reduce costs associated with the delivery, expansion, or enhancement of existing programs. We will work with the clubs to apply for these grants. Our Annual Grants : 1. AOA Grants for Alberta Clubs: The AOA Grants Policy and application form can be found on our website. AOA Grant Policy for Clubs ​​updated 2023​​​​ AOA has three grants available to support the clubs.  To apply contact the AOA office.​ ​​2. Application for AOA Members:  The Leadership Grant will encourage AOA members to attend or present courses, clinics, workshops, training camps events and conferences. The High-Performance Grant supports athletes who are named by Orienteering Canada to Canada's National Teams. It also supports Alberta coaches and team leaders of National Teams. For members, the application deadline is December 1st.  Please download the application form below and send it back to  [email protected] . AOA High-Performance Grant​  application​​ AOA Leadership Grant​ application Just For Fun.... Did you guess? Copyright ©  AOA.  All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Alberta Orienteering Association Box 1576 Cochrane, Alberta T4C 1B5 Canada Do you want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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