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Get Up To Speed: Orienteering Skills Videos - Part Two

Get Up To Speed: Orienteering Skills Videos produced by South London Orienteers

Four new films released during February 2019.

Sport England awarded South London Orienteers a grant towards the cost of a project to help orienteers develop the orienteering skills needed for more technical courses.

As part of this project, South London Orienteers have produced an Introductory video and an accompanying series of eight videos 'Get Up To Speed' showing different techniques used in orienteering. The videos are presented by different athletes from the GB Orienteering team and filmed in different locations. The aim of the series is to help juniors deal with more technically demanding courses, but these films can also be used to show beginners how to get started in orienteering.

The 5-minute videos are designed to be downloaded to phones or tablets.

To start the series there is a short Introductory Video and that is followed by

  • Charlotte Ward introduces ‘How to Orientate the Map’.
  • Hector Haines covers the topic of ‘Using the Compass’
  • Megan Carter-Davis teaches the use of ‘Attack Points’
  • Charlotte Watson presents the use of ‘Aiming Off’
  • Chris Smithard explains ‘Large Contour Features’.
  • Alice Leake looks at ‘Route Choice’.
  • Kris Jones explains ‘Intricate Contours’.
  • Ralph Street highlights ‘Simplification’.

We hope clubs and associations will be able to use the videos at their own coaching events and other development initiatives.

A quick recap:  Watch the first six films released in January 2019 below.

GB Athlete Photos above (left to right):  Graham Gristwood, Charlotte Ward, Hector Haines, Megan Carter-Davies, Charlotte Watson.

Film 1:  'Start Orienteering':  Introductory video presented by Graham Gristwood – watch the film here.

Film 2:  'Setting the Map' with Charlotte Ward – watch the film here.

Film 3:  'Using the Compass' with Hector Haines – watch the film here.

Film 4:  'Attack Points' with Megan Carter-Davies – watch the film here.

Film 5:  'Aiming Off' with Charlotte Watson – watch film here.

Watch the four new films released during February 2019 on the links below:

Film 6:
Large Contour Features || Chris Smithard
|| Think Fast, Run Hard, Go Orienteering

British team member Chris Smithard runs us through large contour features and how they can be used as handrails to find controls faster.

Chris first competed for GB at the 2015 World Championships. He studied engineering at Sheffield University and now lives, works and trains in Stirling. He runs for Forth Valley Orienteers and for OK Pan Kristianstad (Sweden).

Large Contour Features with Chris Smithard – watch the film here.

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Film 7:  
Route Choice || Alice Leake

|| Think Fast, Run Hard, Go Orienteering

Team GB athlete Alice Leake demonstrates several types of route choice and explains how to play to your strengths when choosing routes.

Alice came eighth in the 2018 World Champs Sprint Final in Riga, Latvia. She has been in the GB senior squad in 2015, competing in the sprint discipline at every World Championship since then. She enjoys the fast running and rapid decision-making needed in sprint orienteering. Alice works full time in Charity development, having gained a 1st class degree in Business and Accounting from the University of Edinburgh.

Route Choice with Alice Leake - watch the film here.

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Chris Smithard
Alice Leake

Film 8: 
Intricate Contours || Kris Jones
|| Think Fast, Run Hard, Go Orienteering

British athlete Kris Jones demonstrates how to identify complicated contours in intricate terrain. He shows several ways of simplifying the contour detail so that you can get to the control faster.

Kris competes at orienteering, track and cross country races; he won bronze in the 2018 European Orienteering Championships, was part of the silver medal winning team at the recent European Cross-Country Championships, and was also 2018 Scottish Cross Country Champion. Kris now lives and works in Dundee where he recently completed his PhD which focused on golf biomechanics.

Intricate Contours with Kris Jones - watch the film here.
 

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Film 9:  
Simplification || Ralph Street
|| Think Fast, Run Hard, Go Orienteering

British athlete Ralph Street demonstrates ways of simplifying complex legs. He shows that by removing the detail from the map, you're able to concentrate on running fast to the control.

Ralph started orienteering with South London Orienteers. He moved to Sweden after university and joined Södertälje-Nykvarn Orienteering (SNO). With them, he won Tiomila in 2016, and Night Hawk in 2013. He is now living in Oslo working in IT Support, and a member of Bækkelagets SK.  At each of the last four World Championships, Ralph has had a podium place (top six)  in a GB relay team.

Simplification with Ralph Street - watch the film here.

Kris Jones

This project was supported by Sport England.

British Orienteering would like to take this opportunity to thank Sport England, South London Orienteers, the GB athletes involved and all members of the filming and editing crew.

For more information, please contact South London Orienteers, Sarah Brown: sarah@slow.org.uk

Useful links:

British Orienteering: https://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/

Sport England: https://www.sportengland.org/

SLOW: http://slow.org.uk/

On the Red Line: https://www.ontheredline.org.uk/

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