The South Island Secondary Schools Orienteering Champs was held in Nelson this year over the weekend of 8-9 July. Tyler McCavitt and Nicholas Freeman competed for Shirley Boys' High School in the Sprint Relay at Tahunanui, the Sprint Champs at Founders Park and the Long Course Champs at Moturoa/Rabbit Island.

Sunny Nelson didn't quite live up to its reputation for the start of the South Island Secondary School Champs. The Sprint relay and Sprint champs were wet and slippery but the competition was fierce. The weather dried out for Sunday’s Long Course competition with some great runs on the somewhat tricky sand dunes in the pine forest.

Results:

Urban Sprint Relay:

Intermediate mixed team: 2nd Nicholas Freeman, Oscar Burns (Rotorua Lakes High School) & Louis Van Keulen (Governors Bay School)

Senior mixed team – Tyler McCavitt, Lochy Shand (Motueka High School) and Max Groer (Cashmere)

Sprint Championships:

Nicholas Freeman 1st Junior Boys

Tyler McCavitt – Senior Boys

Long Course Championships:

Nicholas Freeman 2nd Junior Boys

Tyler McCavitt – 2nd Senior Boys

Following the South Island Schools Orienteering Championships the team moved to Blenheim for the NZ Secondary Schools Rogaine Champs on Tuesday 11th July. This was held on the Aschworth – Brancott Farms, an absolutely stunning area with a big sky and some even bigger hills. It was a beautiful day to be out running a 3 hour Rogaine and the Shirley Boys teams ran extremely well to finish with some excellent results.

Shirley Boys' High School (Tyler McCavitt & Daniel Vickers) – 4th Senior Boys.

Green Eggs & Swamp (Nicholas Freeman & Oscar Burns (Rotorua Lakes High School)) – 5th in public race (this result would have got 4th in Junior Boys and 17th overall)

NZ Schools Orienteering Champs was next, from 13-15 July in and around Blenheim.

Long Course Championships was held on the Bastion map, a farm west of SH1 just south of Blenheim. It was very rough, steep and muddy terrain with some added tricky pine forest areas to navigate as well.

Results:

Nicholas Freeman – 3rd Junior Boyss

Tyler McCavitt – 6th Senior Boys

Daniel Vickers – 7th Senior Boys

Jacob Knoef – 9th Senior Boys

The Sprint Championships event took place in the Blenheim town centre. A fantastic map through the buildings, alleyways, empty car parks and riverside walkways in the CBD.

Results:

Nicholas Freeman – 5th Junior Boys

Jacob Knoef – 5th Senior Boys

Daniel Vickers – 6th Senior Boys

Tyler McCavitt – Senior Boys

The Relay Championship rounded off the event out at Wither Hills Mtb Park. It was a stunning day, a tricky map in the trees with lots of intersecting tracks and some very exciting racing.

Results:

Daniel Vickers, Tyler McCavitt, Jacob Knoef – 1st in Senior Boys category

Nicholas Freeman, Oscar Burns (Rotorua Lakes High School), Thomas Zinzan (Cashmere) – time would have secured 2nd in Intermediate Boys category.

A fantastic week of orienteering and rogaining with incredible efforts by all involved.