Major Downs orientation
STRONG CONTINGENT KEY TO QLD TEAM’S CHANCES
ORIENTEERING: If Queensland claim an Australian Schools Orienteering title they will have the Darling Downs to thank for the win.
More than half of the state team are Downs athletes with 11 of the 20-strong squad part of the Range Runners Orienteering Club.
For Cassy Reinbott the 2023 championships is the third time she is representing her state.
“I was named in a (Queensland) honorary team in 2020 and I was selected for the Queensland team last year but the championships were called off because of Covid,” she said.
“I’m really excited about these championships.
“I’m looking forward to competing against the best girls from around Australia and meeting new people.”
The 10-day championships will be a hotly contested event with Australia’s best athletes lining up against each other as well as two invitational teams from New Zealand.
This year the championships will be held in the heart of Victorian gold rush country with athletes competing in 10 events over 10 days.
RROC member Lachlan Moore is still relatively new to the sport but his dedication and passion has helped him rapidly rise through the ranks.
“I’m really looking forward to competing,” he said.
“It’s going to be challenging because there are a number of athletes who have made the Australian team already this year and two teams from New Zealand as well.
“I really love the sport because it’s never the same.
“You might run the same map but it’s a completely different event.
“I also love the fact you get to meet some great people and visit some wonderful place – places you’d drive past and think that’s very beautiful and then you get to run there.”
RROC has been a key part of Queensland’s success in recent years with club president Felicity Crosato paying tribute to her athletes and a prominent school figure.
“They (RROC members) are all very passionate and committed,” she said.
“I have to credit Wayne Beetson as well though.
“During his time as the head of Darling Downs School Sport he made sure orienteering was always well supported.
“In 2009 Queensland School Sport decided not to support orienteering but Wayne kept that support locally and that’s a huge part of why we have been so successful for many years.”