The Sydney Summer Series 2010-11

Reports by the Engine

For those who don’t know, Sydney Summer Series is a series of 26 Wednesday afternoon orienteering events around the northern half of Sydney. You are given a detailed A4 map of the area and can study it for as long as you like. There are 30 control points marked on the map worth 10, 20 and 30 points each. You also get descriptions of where the control is, like “North-East fence corner” or “path intersection”, and a scorecard where you write down the letter code of each of the controls you visit. You have only 45 minutes to visit as many controls as your body can and are docked 10 points for every minute you are late back, so you have to plan your route carefully. The Orienteering Association of NSW have an excellent website at www.sydneysummerseries.com.au.

Orienteering seems to be a sport people fall in love with. It has shown me a lot of Sydney I otherwise would not have seen, and gives me the motivation I need to run that little bit faster, I’ve only missed a handful of events over the past few years. I highly recommend giving it a go. It’s a great chance to sharpen up your navigation skills without venturing too far from civilisation.

The Sydney Summer Series 2010-11

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