Christmas Training Camp

Hi!

The holidays are finishing but we continue training. After Christmas Mariana went to a training camp organized by the Portuguese federation in Pataias and Isabel and Joana went to Alter do Chão where they were preparing the next National competition organized by their club.

Here we will describe you the Christmas training camp where Mariana participated.
Realized 26th to 30th December, was oriented by Radek Novotný, the Czech coach.
The athletes were dividing in two groups, the elite and juniors boys and the women and younger boys (where Mariana was including).The trainings just were different in the distance of the courses (the first group had bigger courses).
The trainings (the distances indicated will correspond to the Mariana’s groups, the shortest one) :

Day 26 (Afternoon):
Combined session
1)Line O – in this type of train we had to run precisely according the line in a map and when we having found the control flag we had to draw it on the right position in the map.
2)Treasury Hunt – we went through a marked area in the map and we had to find 7 control flags placed there. We also had to draw its in the map.
3)Sprint (1,5km) – a short butterfly course.
Day 27 (Morning):
Middle qualification and final
1)Qualification(2,5km) - Mariana’s group was divided in two series and 3 athletes passed to the final (Mariana passed) =D.
2)Final (3,6km) – Starting with intervals of 90 sec.

Day 27 (A):
Combined session
1)Memory (1,6km) – we had a normal short course where we should look to the map the less time possible and try memorize the controls.
2)Circulation (2,7km) – the start control was the last of the memory course. In this special map is impossible to see the north of the map and we had to read the map properly and run only on the curves.
3)Sprint (2,4km) – map with a scale of 1:4000 and with a lot of green areas.

Day 28 (M):
1)Start loops – We were in a crossing and there were 4 different starts. We had to do 8 short loops (0,4-0,7 km each) that were distributing for the starts. We began in groups and when we finished one loop we start to another one.


Day 28(A):
1)Butterfly Run (6.1 km) – Based on results from the morning session there was a chasing start. The first one in the finish was the winner.





Day 28 (Night):
1)Night-O (3,4 km) – A simple course done at night.


Day 29 (M):
1)Relocation (6,9km) – we ran in pairs and each athlete had a different map. On the maps there were two sizes of circles: the normal size means control flag, the large circle represent the area where we had to pass the lead to our partner training. The circles were numbered and who had the first large circle had to take the co-runner to there and this athlete had to go to the first normal circle where the first control was. After he had to go to the next large circle and pass the lead to the other runner. Always of this way.

Day 29 (A):
1)Relay along path – teams of 2 runners had just one map and 2 SI-cards. While one athlete was running towards a control the other was jogging on the path to the next sign where he waits for exchange. There he caught the map and went towards the next control while the other runner ran to the next sign to change again. When they came to the last sign on the path they came back continuing doing the same, so each runner visits all the controls.
There were 3 series. First 2 series that began with 1 minute of interval and the final serie was with a chasing start.

Day 30 (M):1)Long distance (7,2Km) – A common competition with individual start where we had a physical course with a lot of options to each control point.

All the nights there was a reunion where we talked about aspects of our trains and about another interesting affairs that just could be talked by a technique like Radek Novotný.

For now, we are at home and we will write you just in the next year!

See you in 2009,

O-laranjitas

10th Ori Jovem

Hello!

First of all we want to say Merry Christmas!

Last three days (20 to 23 December) we went to a training Camp in Ovar, in the centre of Portugal, organized by the Portuguese Federation for children and young people. We arrived to the school, where we were going to stay, Saturday's evening. We came back home Tuesday after a training in the morning and lunch. It was an amazing training camp, in excellent maps, and with a great variety of trainings. The meetings at the night, that where almost classes were really great. We think it's very important to discuss route choices, types of trainning, ideas, etc...its a good way to learn. Trainnings:

Sunday morning

- "Relocalização"- 6,1km

It's a pair trainning, where you have different controls in your map that your collegue. There is map A and map B. You have to take your partner to a control (and he cant see the map) and when you get there he has to realize where he is and take you to a control that both have in the map.

- Memory - 4,8km

After the first 6,1km we had another pair training. Each one had to memorize 6 controls, while the other was counting how much time did you looked at the map, and then during the course, how many times did you need to look again to the map (if you needed to). Mariana and Isabel didn't complete all this training because it was very late and they had to go the restaurant for having lunch.

Sunday afternoon

-Scales - 4,5km

After having lunch we had an excellent training. It was the first time we did it, its called "Scales". You have a different scale for each length but you dont know what it is. In the meeting, we had to try to find out what scale was in each length (1:8200, 1:3500, ...) and what was the length that was 1:10 000. It was very interesting :)

In the end we made a very short formal course, with 1,3km and after the coach told us that we had to draw in a white paper what we remember about the map. It was very nice to do it.

Monday morning

-"Contours"

We had a map only with the contours, with a course of 6,1km and without compass. In the end the feeling was " i think that if i had the all map, i wouldnt make a better time" . When you have a map like this, only with contours, you only look to the important and you don't get distracted with small things.

-"Line training"

...you have a line drawn in the map and you have to stricly follow it and if you see any control that is exactly under the line, you have to punch it and memorize where it was. Of course there were some controls very close to the line but not exactly under it. It was a 2,5km course.

Monday afternoon

-"Simulation"

After having lunch, we had an indoor training. We call it "simulation". You have a map, of a place anywhere in the world, and we made two different exercices. With the first map we had to see if the control was in a high or down part. We had a card (do you remember the old punching system? something like that) and if it was high we had to punch it.In the second exercice we had another different map, but now we had to see if during the lenght (following the red line) you have to go high, or go down, or go high and then down, or go down and then high, or go down, high and down again, or high, down, high. You have 6 different ways, and you have to choose the right one and punch it. The first exercise had 50 controls and the second one 30 controls. We were running while we were making the exercises.

Tuesday morning.

Last day, the Relay day :D

As usual, the last day was the relay day. We started all at the same time, and we had a 4,6km course. Mariana arrived first, and then almost 2 minutes after arrived joana and 5 seconds behind Isabel. It was and excellent way to finish this training camp :)

We came back home, and we celebrate Christmas with our family =D

Mariana is at a trainning Camp organized by the Portuguese Federation for top atlhetes. Joana and Isabel decided not to go because they have a training camp that starts tomorrow, organized by their club, GD4C. We will all come back home on Tuesday :)

If we don't have the chance to update this in 2008..

HAPPY NEW YEAR :D

See you,
O-laranjitas ;)

Last day of school

Hi!

How are you?

Today was the last day of school, FINALLYYYYY. We had the last classes and we also did some different activities.

Isabel had the school cross, where she won, running 2500 meters in 11minutes =D

Mariana had a sportive activity too. In afternoon, she played basketball in a school tournament.

After a school day, Joana and Isabel went together to the cinema :p

Now, it´s time to rest of the school and to dedicate our time to orienteering. Saturday we will begin our first training camp of holidays, the “Orijovem”. We will stay there for 4 days, and after that, and before the second one, we will be with our families celebrating the Christmas.

Soon, we will give you news from the training camp.

Wait for them,

O-laranjitas

School Sport

Hello :)

We can't believe but it's true, we don't have any more tests! However we still have some works to finish, and some oral presentatios to present, we are more relaxed now.

Thursday you will be able to see laranjitas screaming YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES from theirs room's balcony, because it's the end of the 1st term at school :D

Today we decided to talk about School Sport, because the last races from the Portuguese National Cup (National Ranking) were selection competitions for the next World School Orienteering Championships, in Madrid, April 2009. Laranjitas were top3 for the selection team, but for finishing the selection process we have to go to a Trainnig Camp, organized by the Portuguese Federation to check our presence at Madrid. The team will have 5 girls, there is another girl that is almost selected too, but there is a huge fight for the 5th place in the team.

Mariana and Isabel started practising orienteering at school, and thanks to theirs nice teachers and to an excellent relationship between them and the clubs, they are today orienteering runners :).

Every saturday morning, Isabel goes to a training, from School Sport. Five years ago she was a begginer, but today she helps her teacher organizing the trainnigs, and she teachs kids, maybe future champions :p

The three of us have already had the luck of going to a World School Orienteering Championship. Last year, Joana and Isabel went to Scotland, and they were third with theirs school team. Joana was 4th in Long Distance, and 8th in Midle Distance. Isabel was 8th in Long Distance, and 9th in Midle Distance. Mariana has already gone to a WSOC, but in 2006, with her school team, in Slovakia, she was 7th in the Long Distance and she was 9th in Midle Distance.

This season, it's our last chance to go to WSOC, and it is very close from home, Spain :) It's going to be in Madrid, from 13 to 19 April. We hope , (if we are selected, of course) an amazing week full of orienteering, friends and School's Sport atmosphere :)

See you,

O-laranjitas...

P.S. we feel very happy all the times we open this blog and we check the visitors, and every day there is a new coutry :) thanks everyone, we try to make it great.

Weekend

Hello everyone!

After a very tiring week, we enjoyed the weekend for resting a little bit (what's possible, of course xD).
Joana and Isabel were going to have a School Sport training, this morning, close to Santo Tirso, however the weather was TERRIBLE and they had do cancel it :/ (it's going to be next saturday). Mariana was also going to run in a competition organized by her club in Oeiras, however we needed time for recovering from the Iberian Championship.
As you can see, laranjitas are going to have a weekend without orienteering or maps (WEATHER DOESN'T HELPS!), so we have to surrend us to catching features (and books -.-', books, works, oral presentations, baaahhhhh - school! ).

The pictures that you will see are from our summer month in Sweden!! (we miss Swedeennnnn!)

in action !

with Elin :)

our lake :D

Gotemburg !

Sälen

Good weekend for everyone!

o-laranjitas...

Something more from Idanha

Hi! :)

We found out some pictures (by Jorge Dias) from last weekend, 16th Iberian Championship, take a look:



Always together, even in the start line :) (long distance)



Joana taking the lead :D (sprint distance)



Isabel fully focused :P (midle distance)





Mariana before the big victory in midle distance :)

This week we have to study a lot because school is almost finishing (18th December) and we have to do our best in the last tests..we are trainnig slowly because we are recovering from the Iberian Championships and also because our next competition its just on 24/25 January(NAOM - Norte Alentejano O'Meeting by GD4C). In Christmas Holidays we are going to do some trainnig camps, so that we can improve our orienteering skills :)

See you,

O-laranjitas....

O-laranjitas Iberian Champions!

Hello!

How are you ? :)

Last weekend we went to Idanha-a-Nova to run the Iberian Championship with the portuguese team. Mariana and Joana run in W16 and Isabel run in W18. Saturday morning was the midle distance..W16 had 2,6km and W18 3,6km. Mariana took the victory in the morning and won ! Joana was 2nd :) Isabel won too :) the weather was terrible! We couldnt see anything 2 metres in front of us because it was so cloudy...The terrain was good, but the map?! puffff...

After a great lunch in the restaurant we ran the sprint distance at 15.30h . And you can't believe what happened , Joana won to Mariana for just 1 second! It was a very short race for the 16 girls, with just 1,5km. In W18 Isabel won again :)

After the race we were really tired, but happy :) the arena was amazing, the music was nice, and the spanish team is also great :D

We went to the hotel for a looooong shower and then we went dinner, with all runners in the competition. We had a nice dinner, with all our friends and after that was the prize giving cerimony, where we received funny gifts xD ( a traditional instrument from Idanha a Nova)

After a long night and a nice breakfast, Sunday morning, at 9.30, long distance started. W16 had 3km (come on just 3? are you kidding?) and W18 had 5,1km. Joana won again, but just for 15 seconds for the spanish girl, Violeta Feliciano, Mariana was 3rd just 48 seconds behind Joana..Isabel lost 15 minutes in a control (she loved the map so the decided to see it better xD), however she was able to won the long distance too. OH YEAH , she made the 3 distances ;)

After a rainy day again we took a great shower, had lunch with the spanish team and then the prize giving cerimony. The organization gave us the traditional "thing" again! :D It was the last competition in 2008 so it was time to say "Merry Christmas" and "Happy new year" :)

This week is the terrible one at school so we are going to be closed in our rooms studing a lot! We are going to try to keep trainnig, but for now, the important is the last tests week :/ wish us luck!

It was an excellent weekend and we are proud :) Its time to say, YES WE CAN ? :D

Bye bye ,

O laranjitas..

"O-laranjitas" - a new orienteering blog

Hi orienteering world!

Our name is Isabel, Mariana anda Joana and we are three orienteering runners from Portugal. We run against each other since we practice orienteering, however a lot of trips and competitions with the portuguese team made our friendship very strong and actually we're very close. That's why we decided to make this blog, where we will talk about our everyday's life, but obviously, also about our orienteering life :)

Here you'll be able to find information about our orienteering career ( in the right side bar, "Who we are) and also updated news and photographs. There's going to be a summary of the posts, in portuguese, in the right side bar too ("Mensagens em Português").

We hope you like it,

see you ;)

O-laranjitas ...