Orienteerers faced a technical map with a higher than usual number of control points at the middle distance segment of the 2013 Yukon Orienteering Championships on Wednesday.
Over 40 athletes navigated around the War Eagle map that’s crowded with boulders a few kilometres down Fish Lake Road on the edge of Pumphouse Lake.
“It was difficult. This map has lots of boulders on it and it’s really technical,” said Whitehorse’s Trevor Bray. “I made a few mistakes here and there, but overall it was pretty good.”
Bray placed second on the 2.8-kilometre expert course behind Forest Pearson. It was the second time in a row Bray finished behind the former national team member, also placing behind Pearson in the sprint distance championships.
Bray is one of four Yukoners on the seven-person national team that will compete at the Junior World Orienteering Championships at the start of next month.
Also competing on Wednesday were Kendra Murray and Jennifer MacKeigan, two others bound for the world championships.
Murray was the top female on the expert course and MacKeigan was the third.
“You always want to do well at home,” said Bray, 18. “It’s just a good confidence booster if you have a good race before leaving. You don’t want to go over there feeling like you haven’t trained. You want to go in really confident and ready for the competition.”
Next month will be Murray’s third world championship, MacKeigan’s first and Bray’s second. Bray is eligible to compete at two more before aging out.
“It’s a little nerve-wracking,” said Bray. “The first time it’s all about the experience, getting used to the international scene ... This year it’s a little bit more about the results and trying to improve on last year.”
Also competing for Canada at the world championships is Whitehorse’s Pia Blake, who will join her teammates in the Czech Republic at the start of July.
Murray placed 65th out of 140 competitors in the women’s sprint event at last year’s world championships for the best finish by three Yukoners at the event.
Ottawa’s Emily Kemp won Canada its first-ever medal at the championships last year, taking bronze in the long distance race. It was just the third medal ever won by a North American at the world championships.
“It was a really good feeling, that we can do it, we’re not just some county that has lousy orienteerers,” said Bray.
The final segment of the Yukon championships - the long distance - will take place next Wednesday in the Chadburn Lake area. The local national junior team members will miss the final championship because of a training camp before the start of the world championships.
Results
Novice (1.3 km)
1st Savanah Cash - 16:09
2nd Kate/Mira Mason/Sharon MacCoubrey - 18:27
3rd Kate Tobler/Robin Sharples - 31:19
4th Muara Glenn/Elvira Knaack - 41:42
5th Finn/Georgi Pearson - 45:44
6th Stian/Brent Langbakk - 45:52
Intermediate (1.4 km)
1st Katherine Sheepway - 17:15
2nd Darcy Olesen - 24:16
3rd Lara Melnik - 25:12
4th Brooke & Pat Tobler - 28:04
5th Kate/Mira Mason/Sharon MacCoubrey - 33:05
6th Deb Kiemele - 38:03
7th Sidney Maddison - 39:04
8th Ev Pasichnyk - 40:15
9th Wendy Nixon - 41:24
10th Aileen McCorkell - 50:14
11th Barb Phillips - 50:18
12th Katie & James Scorgie - 50:53
13th Pamela Brown/Dave Hambly - 52:24
14th Danielle Heon - 60:63
15th Steven Traynor - MP
16th Holly Jones - n/a
Advanced (2.1 km)
1st Caelen McLean - 31:30
2nd Bruce McLean - 42:27
3rd Violet van Hees - 53:32
4th Jim Hawkings - 57:20
5th Grant Abbott - 66:27
6th Nicole Hulstein - 70:16
7th Craig Brooks - 95:40
8th Nesta Leduc - 95:52
9th Hilary Wilkinson - n/a
Expert (2.8 km)
1st Forest Pearson - 26:11
2nd Trevor Bray - 31:17
3rd Lee Hawkings - 33:28
4th Afan Jones - 33:38
5th Kendra Murray - 33:44
6th Gerry Wilomitzer - 35:32
7th Philippa McNeil - 39:23
8th Jennifer MacKeigan - 39:46
9th Bob Sagar - 68:48
10th Ryan Kell - 77:18
11th Darren Holcombe - 82:51
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com