Standford Lake College alumnus in action at World Orienteering Championships
Brian Gardner, an alumnus of Stanford Lake College class of 2022 was selected with three others, Carl Holmes, Michael Crone, and Sarah Wimberley to represent South Africa at the World Orienteering Championships recently.
The Championships took place in Flims Laax, Switzerland in July 2023. Gardner is the current South African Orienteering Champion in the long-distance category. The World Championships drew teams from 44 countries around the world.
“The teams from specifically Scandinavia and host country Switzerland showed they were top professionals in a class of their own, in tackling the very tough and technical challenges of the difficult terrain of the Alps. “Our team came away having learnt many valuable lessons.
Also read: Roumen Farms to face Instant Lawn in league
“I was proud and privileged to be chosen to represent South Africa and it was the experience of a lifetime,” says Gardner. According to the South African Orienteering Federation, orienteering is a sport that combines both a physical and a mental element.
The basic idea in orienteering is to proceed from the course start to finish by visiting several control points in numerical order with the help of a map and compass. To choose the best possible route, orienteers look at the features of the terrain. The winner is the person who completes the course in the fastest time.
