Profiles - Tasmania

Nicola Woolford

Age

16 on the 30th of September

School

Clarence High School

Club

Wellington Ranges O Club

How long have you been orienteering?

4 1/2 years

What are your goals?

Not to get lost at the Australian Champs week.

Favourite orienteer

Doug Goodwin

Favourite terrain

Really extreme terrain e.g. steep rocky slopes. Anything where you can go flat out and leave the pussyfoots for dead.

Most embarrassing o moment

Wearing my 'o' trousers backwards at the 1996 Australian relays and not realising until I saw photos of the event.

Comment on Nicola from another team member:

Nicola is a cheat" (Is this at O or at cards? - Ed.)

COACH'S COMMENT

Has a solid technique and when she puts it all together she is capable of some outstanding results. Self doubt unfortunately often stands in the way.

Anna Tassell

Age

16

School

St Michael's Collegiate

Club

Australopers

How long have you been orienteering

10 years

What are your goals

To enjoy the ambience of the sport. Spend a year overseas after grade 12 and before university.

Favourite orienteer

Doug Goodwin

Favourite terrain

Really extreme terrain e.g. steep rocky slopes. Anything where you can go flat out and leave the pussyfoots for dead.

Most embarrassing o moment

Impaling my leg with a sharp stick while jumping a log on the way to the 2nd control.

Funniest O moment

Tasmanian Juniors with a shopping trolley in Ballarat (after the Adelaide Crows fans have finished with Ballarat this weekend, this will probably seem like relatively normal behaviour to the locals - Ed.)

COACH'S COMMENT

Brought up with orienteering and a veteran of the Tasmanian Junior Team. Camps or trips without her aren't the same.

Yelena Fairfax

Age

16

School

Launceston Church Grammar School

Club

Wellington Ranges OC

How long have you been orienteering

(Yelena didn't answer this, but I think it's at least 12 years - Ed.)

Favourite terrain

Really extreme terrain e.g. steep rocky slopes. Anything where you can go flat out and leave the pussyfoots for dead.

Comment on Yelena from another team member

"Has the ability to write a 20 page letter to people without saying anything" (What, do you mean there are two of us out there? - Ed.)

COACH'S COMMENT

Practically born into orienteering. If she has the Fairfax thoroughbred genes she is still under achieving and could have a few surprises in store. The artist of the team.

Danielle Winslow

Nick names

Danone, Dobber, friendly

Age

17

School

Hobart College

Club

Australopers

How long have you been orienteering?

9 years

What are your goals?

To go to JWOC. To have the perfect run.

Favourite orienteer

No comment (but he's very cute)

Favourite terrain

Really extreme terrain e.g. steep rocky slopes. Anything where you can go flat out and leave the pussyfoots for dead. (The Tasmanians must be the only people mourning the absence of Corin Forest from this year's programme - Ed.)

Funniest o moment

Hijacking Paul Pacque's car when I was only on my L's, after finishing an exercise at junior training camp and driving a full car of juniors back to where we were staying, making Paul run back.

COACH'S COMMENT

JWOC reserve for the 97 team and a strong contender for next year. Her improvement in fitness has been huge this year. An orienteering maniac.

Patrick Saile

Nick names

Toejam

Age

18 WOOHOO!

School

Rosny College

Club

Wellington Ranges O Club

What are your goals?:

To be able to cheat as well as Nicola Woolford

Favourite orienteer

Doug Goodwin

Favourite terrain

Really extreme terrain e.g. steep rocky slopes. Anything where you can go flat out and leave the pussyfoots for dead.

Most embarrassing o moment

None, I'm too good

COACH'S COMMENT

A solid, strong orienteer. Some more fitness work wouldn't harm him. Very popular with other team members for his car with stereo.

David Brickhill-Jones

Nick names

BJ, Beej

Age

16

School

Launceston Church Grammar School

Club

Esk Valley O club

How long have you been orienteering?

4 years

What are your goals?

To make JWOC

Favourite orienteer

Doug Goodwin (For the uninitiated, Doug is a Tasmanian M70 - Ed.)

Favourite terrain

Really extreme terrain e.g. steep rocky slopes. Anything where you can go flat out and leave the pussyfoots for dead.

Most embarrassing o moment

Too many to remember

Comment on BJ from another team member

"His ability to say the most stupid things like "Do you mind" "I still love her" etc." (Patrick Saile) (ask BJ what they mean)

COACH'S COMMENT

Made the honour team last year in junior boys (much to his own surprise). Consistently finishes close to some of the top veterans and older juniors on course 2 in Tasmania and is dying for a win. A serious future JWOC contender.

Bill Murchison

Nick name

Bus Boy

Age

18

School

The Friends' School

Club

Australopers

How long have you been orienteering?

3 years

What are your goals?

To be a bus driver

Favourite terrain

Really extreme terrain e.g. steep rocky slopes. Anything where you can go flat out and leave the pussyfoots for dead.

Most embarrassing o moment

Missing my start time

Comment on Bill from another team member

"Bill is the Blair of buses" (What has Bill done to deserve this? - Ed.)

COACH'S COMMENT

Until recently Bill's orienteering experience was limited to simple street/park orienteering around Hobart. Has made big improvements at our September training camp.

Jasmine Elson

Nick name

Jazz

Age

15

School

Ogilvie High School

Club

Australopers

How long have you been orienteering?

3 years

What are your goals?

To be world champion

Favourite orienteer

Bert Elson

Favourite terrain

Really extreme terrain e.g. steep rocky slopes. Anything where you can go flat out and leave the pussyfoots for dead.

Most embarrassing o moment

Spent ages crawling through an electric fence that was on to find myself in a paddock full of bulls. I was wearing a red t-shirt and they started to come towards me and I had to try and hurry back through the electric fence. (Now there's an idea to do something about those South Australians... - Ed.)

COACH'S COMMENT

Is very good runner, has a sound technique and is highly motivated but doesn't yet have the same experience as the other girls in the team.

Georgie Statham

Age

14

School

Launceston Church Grammar School

Club

Esk Valley O Club

How long have you been orienteering?

8 years

What are your goals?

To have a good run at the Aus champs

Favourite orienteer

Yvette Hague

Favourite terrain

Really extreme terrain e.g. steep rocky slopes. Anything where you can go flat out and leave the pussyfoots for dead.

Most embarrassing o moment

Getting lost in sight of the finish

COACH'S COMMENT Not just a pretty face but the brains of the team. Twice previously selected in the Honour Team (junior girls). A Brumby in horse terminology she's a strong, steady runner with an excellent technique. A likely JWOC contender in the not too distant future.

Kerrin Gale

Age

15

School

Launceston Church Grammar School

Club

Esk Valley O Club

How long have you been orienteering?

I've been o'ing a long time but I'm still no good

What are your goals?

I'm hoping not to get lost in the Aus Champs

Favourite orienteer

Cassie Trewin

Favourite terrain

Really extreme terrain e.g. steep rocky slopes. Anything where you can go flat out and leave the pussyfoots for dead.

Most embarrassing o moment

My most embarrassing o moment was when Howard gave me a pair of fluro pink tights and everyone said they were cool. I soon figured out they were lying. Also when at the training camp we watched the movie Scream and Cathy and I went to the toilets, we came back and the boys jumped out from behind the trees and we screamed and ran back to the toilets.

Funniest o moment

Funniest moment was when Danielle drove the OT car back to camp at training and made Paul Pacque run and we did donuts.

COACH'S COMMENT

Is capable of a lot more than what she thinks. If she sticks to it she'll surprise us one day. Looks really great in pink tights.

Kellie LeFevre

Club

Esk Valley O Club

Favourite terrain

Really extreme terrain e.g. steep rocky slopes. Anything where you can go flat out and leave the pussyfoots for dead.

COACH'S COMMENT

See Kerrin Gale (except I haven't seen her in pink tights yet)

Ben Robinson

Age

15

School

Hutchins

Club

Wellington Ranges O Club

How long have you been orienteering?

2 years

What are your goals?

To succeed in life

Favourite orienteer

Don't have one

Favourite terrain

Really extreme terrain e.g. steep rocky slopes. Anything where you can go flat out and leave the pussyfoots for dead.

Funniest o moment

Hearing "I'll hold it, you screw it." "no I'll hold it, you screw it." cuming from our coaches room at the Aus Champs carnival while he was in there with his girlfriend.

Comment on Ben from another team member

"Ben knows all"

COACH'S COMMENT

A better runner than BJ but still mastering his orienteering craft.

Mitch LeFevre

Nick names

Little Bhuda

Club

Esk Valley O Club

Favourite terrain

Really extreme terrain e.g. steep rocky slopes. Anything where you can go flat out and leave the pussyfoots for dead.

COACH'S COMMENT:

The quiet achiever and to be watched. Was one of the boundary umpires for the 1997 NTFA senior grand final. (Also almost beat Jim Russell in a park race in May - Ed.)

James Gunn

Club

Esk Valley O Club

Favourite terrain

Really extreme terrain e.g. steep rocky slopes. Anything where you can go flat out and leave the pussyfoots for dead.

COACH'S COMMENT

Very new to orienteering. Raised on a farm he is a "natural" who seems able to find his way in any forest even without a map.

James Potter

School

New Town High

Club

Wellington Ranges O Club

How long have you been orienteering?

4th year

What are your goals?

You don't score goals in orienteering. (Obviously James wasn't at this year's Scottish 6-Day - Ed.)

Favourite terrain Really extreme terrain e.g. steep rocky slopes. Anything where you can go flat out and leave the pussyfoots for dead.

Funniest o moment

Meeting a snake about to attack at Risdon Brook Dam.

COACH'S COMMENT

Another relative newcomer to orienteering. Still finding his way around.

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