School orienteers score debut run success
YOUNG orienteers from secondary school competed in their first national competition.
Students from Whitworth Community High School competed at The British Schools Score Championships and 12-year-old Megan Earnshaw came fourth in the country.
The girls’ team overall came third while the boys’ team overall came sixth.
Year nine Joe Copley, 13, said: “We all took part as individuals, but then all our scores were also put together to give an overall score for our age groups and as a school.
“I did orienteering at my primary school Sharneyford and my school won quite a lot of competitions, so I carried it on at high school.”
The British Schools Score Championships was held at Shipley Country Park, Heanor, Derbyshire, and 16 pupils attended from Whitworth.
They were given a map and had to find as many of the 30 checkpoints or controls as they could in 45 minutes.
If they went over time then they were deducted points.
Year eight Megan, who also runs for school and every year completes the Whitworth Fell Run, said: “I ran round the course the whole time and I managed to get 18 of the 30 checkpoints.
“I was third when I finished, but then someone who took part after me beat me by one so I ended up fourth.”
The school has an orienteering club which is held every Friday and is run by PE teacher Laura Bowater.
There, the students hone their map reading and compass skills and also do practice courses around school.
Joe found 17 checkpoints and was seventh and 13-year-old Ben Chadwick found 16 and was eighth.
Ben said: “The orienteering club at school has been running for two years and it is very popular.
“The tricky checkpoint was number 124 on the map and it was marked as being in a field, but there were a lot of bushes and you couldn’t see over the top of them and as you went further and further in, you could hear a river but couldn’t see it. “I never found it. “As it was on the last bit of the course, I then had to quickly get to the finish to be on time.”
They are now looking forward to the next challenge, but hope it is a bit nearer to home.
The orienteers previously took part in an event for Rossendale High Schools held at Marl Pits in Rawtenstal, which the Whitworth team won.