麻豆社区

The territory鈥檚 world-class trails were showcased during the Western Canadian Orienteering Championships last weekend.

Orienteers from western Canada 鈥� as well as Ontario, the U.S.A., and Europe 鈥� gathered in the Yukon capital for the three-day event, which featured, sprint, middle distance and long courses.

The sport sees competitors race from control to control on courses of varying length, using only a map and compass as a guide.

The event featured two new maps, said Barbara Scheck, a member of the local organizing committee.

The sprint event held in the Takhini neighbourhood Friday night was a new map, as was the long distance event held Saturday at the Gunnar Nilsson and Mickey Lammers Research Forest, north of Whitehorse.

Sunday鈥檚 middle distance event at Long Lake was held based on a revised map.

鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to have new maps,鈥� said Scheck. 鈥淢any of these orienteers have been here before and this kind of levels the playing field.鈥�

Approximately 130 orienteers registered for the event, with half the field coming from Outside, she said.

The 37th annual event 鈥� which determines the best orienteers in the west 鈥� featured rain Friday, then sunny skies for the rest of the weekend.

The championships featured competitors of all ages, from 12 to 85-plus.

Isaac Sherwood, 15, of the Foothills Orienteering club in Calgary said he got hooked on orienteering four years ago.

Later this summer, he will compete in Sweden.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really fun,鈥� he said of the sport that鈥檚 taking him places. 鈥淵ou get to go out and do your own thing. It鈥檚 fun to be outside.鈥�

Sherwood won the 15 to 16 boys middle distance event Sunday after finishing second in the long and third in the sprint.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really nice terrain and really nice maps,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not as much negative topography here (as opposed to Calgary), and different trees. But it鈥檚 pretty similar otherwise.鈥�

Joanne Woods, a member of the Greater Vancouver Orienteering Club, said the Yukon contains plenty of prime orienteering landscape, including 鈥渞unnable forest.鈥�

Participating in the 鈥渕ost competitive category, except for men鈥檚 elite鈥� 鈥� women鈥檚 55 to 64 鈥� Woods earned victory in the sprint event, noting the urban route was familiar thanks to her training in Vancouver.

鈥淭he orienteering here is fantastic,鈥� Woods said. 鈥淭hey always have the best maps.鈥�

鈥淓very course is different and challenging,鈥� added club teammate Karen Lachance, who won each of her events in the two-person women鈥檚 65 to 74 age group. 鈥淵ou have to maintain your mind while running. The person who makes the least mistakes usually wins.鈥�

Meanwhile Scheck, who earned victory in both the middle distance and long events among women 55 to 64, said the national orienteering community is a close-knit one.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 special because you see your friends again,鈥� she said of hosting Westerns. 鈥淚 also love the Yukon, and just sharing it with people.鈥�

The sport remains popular in the territory, an area Scheck referred to as a hotbed for orienteering.

鈥淵ou have to focus,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭he trick is to try and remember technique, and it is a sport where practice pays off.鈥�

She said much thanks is due to the Yukon government鈥檚 Community Development Fund, which put money towards the Yukon Orienteering Association鈥檚 project that saw several new maps laid out last year.

The Yukon has now hosted Westerns six times, with the most recent event held in Whitehorse in 2011.

See Tuesday鈥檚 newspaper for more coverage of this event.