Parys children for the first time taking part in World Orienteering Day

Wednesday 11 May was World Orienteering Day and was also celebrated in Parys.
Orienteering is a navigation sport where participants have to locate checkpoints indicated on a map of an area. Although a highly competitive sport, completed with World Championship events and inclusion in the World Games, most competitors enjoy orienteering for the fun and mental challenge of choosing efficient routes from one checkpoint to the next.
Once at the checkpoint, which is marked by an orange-and-white flag, participants must use the attached punch to mark their punch cards, which proves that they were at the location.
The first event was held at Parys Primary School where the LO (physical education) classes for the day were diverted to the field. Each child was handed a map and were tasked with locating 10 of the 15 available checkpoints placed on the school property.
“The children loved it,” says Checkpoint Challenge organiser Lisa de Speville. “I was really impressed with how hard the children ran and most returned asking if they could go out again to locate the remaining five.”
154 Children in grades 3 and 6 had the opportunity to run around their school, looking for flags.
“Many children asked when I’d be back and whether they could do this every Friday. I definitely have a night event in mind for summer, which I’m sure they’ll thoroughly enjoy,” she says.
De Speville has been involved with the Orienteering Schools League in Johannesburg for more than 10 years. In addition to coaching and planning, she wrote a school programme “O in a Box” for the South African Orienteering Federation (SAOF), which is free to download from their website (www.orienteering.co.za).
From the school, de Speville headed to the Likkewaan Canoe Club to present a paddling version of the sport.
Three courses, ranging from 1.5 to 5.5 kilometres were set out, with flags hung on branches overhanging the Vaal River. Participants had to visit the checkpoint locations in consecutive number order to complete the course. Thirty one paddlers, from 7 years old to adults, gave this a try.
They all returned smiling.
“Chasing checkpoints adds another dimension to paddle training, which is usually fairly routine. Racing from one checkpoint to the next is excellent fun. You just have to concentrate on not ‘driving’ your kayak into the bank or getting caught on branches,” she laughs.
De Speville has submitted numbers, genders and ages of participants to the World Orienteering Day website, adding our Parys participants to the global total. This year they aim to reach a total of 250 000 participants, from 79 countries, once the final numbers are in.
Although there are regular orienteering events in Johannesburg almost every second weekend, they’re not that convenient for Parys locals to access. But, with de Speville now living in Parys, you can be sure that she has plans to bring more orienteering adventures to our town.
For more information on the sport of orienteering, please visit www.orienteering.co.za.