Career Highlights

• 8th in the WOC in Czech Republic Qualification; never had a real highlight in the Final!
• Multiple Canadian Championships

2011 Highlights

• Canadian Champs Sprint 1st
• Western Canadians Middle 1st

When and how did you get involved with orienteering?
17 at a local meet in Winnipeg. I was getting into some adventure races and wanted to improve my navigation.
What do you love most about orienteering?
The unique combination of physical and mental endurance.
What is your favourite orienteering discipline, and why?
Long and Sprint. Long lets you settle in and enjoy the race and strong winter training is rewarded. Sprint for the high level of precision and on-the-edge racing that a top performance requires.
Which orienteering event is always on your calendar?
Barebones! Outstanding races and atmosphere.
Do you have an orienteering idol? If so, who and why?
No one person but I take a lot of inspiration from many people in a variety of sports and pursuits. The skills that took somebody to the top of their field are transferable to any activity.
What was the highlight of your 2011 season?
Canadian Champs in Whitehorse.
What are your 2012 orienteering goals?
100% focused on WOC. Top 10 in the Sprint. I might focus on the Long as well but haven’t decided yet.
What races are on your 2012 calendar?
Anything that prepares me for WOC 2012.
What is your favourite international orienteering location?
The US has some amazing places – the Pacific Northwest, deserts in Arizona or somewhere in New England.
When you’re not orienteering, where can we find you?
Playing in the Rockies!

How long ago did you start orienteering? 19 years ago

How many WOC’s have you been to? 97 – Norway, 99 – Scotland, 01 – Finland, 03 – Switzerland, 04 – Sweden, 05 – Japan, 06 – Denmark, 07 – Ukraine, 08 – Czech Republic, o9 – Hungary

Continue reading Athlete Profile: Mike Smith >

Career Highlights

• 2005 Canadian Orienteering Championships short silver (first COC medal)
• Making my first World Orienteering Championship team in 2005 on the third try
• 2007 Canadian Orienteering Championships sprint gold
• First in 2007 Sprint Series Final
• Victory at the 2007 Hudson Highlander (2007 was a good year)

2011 Highlights

• 3rd (2nd North American resident) at the US Ultralong Champs
• 5th at the COC sprint, 5th (third NA resident) at the US Sprint Champs
• A single A meet race victory – the middle distance at the Buffalo A meet.

When and how did you get involved with orienteering?
Not counting a couple of times in high school gym which, along with Hal Higdon’s “The Electronic Olympics”, got me interested, in the spring of 1990 when I first showed up at a OOC event on the Nepean Sportsplex map.
What do you love most about orienteering?
The evergreen challenge of balancing physical effort and efficient navigation.
What is your favourite orienteering discipline, and why?
Middle, for the sheer enjoyment of doing orienteering that’s as technical as possible (whether I manage to rise to the challenge or not).
Which orienteering event is always on your calendar?
Is this a trick question? Canadian Orienteering Championships!
Do you have an orienteering idol? If so, who and why?
If I do, it’s Thierry Georgiou – it would be hard not to be impressed by what he’s achieved and the dedication it took to achieve it.
What was the highlight of your 2011 season?
Returning to the Yukon for COCs.
What are your 2012 orienteering goals?
Most importantly, performing well at COCs and NAOCs.
What races are on your 2012 calendar?
All the US A meets east of the Mississippi from March through May, the Billygoat, the Ottawa O Fest, COCs, NAOCs. WOC?
What is your favourite international orienteering location?
For an otherworldly O experience (unless you live somewhere similar), everyone ought to orienteer at Anza-Borrego.
When you’re not orienteering, where can we find you?
Hopefully downtown – usually DC for assorted culture, sometimes Silver Spring for the American Film Institute. Or out training. Sadly, at work might be a better bet other than evenings. Please don’t try to find me in the middle of the night, even if it is easier when I’m virtually certain to be in bed.

Career Highlights

• Making the World Championships team every year is always the biggest highlight.

2011 Highlights

• 38th in the Sprint,World Orienteering Championships, Savoie, France
• 2nd, Middle, Canadian Orienteering Championships
• 1st, Sprint & Middle, Western Canadian Championships

When and how did you get involved with orienteering?
Started at a competitive level at 24.
What do you love most about orienteering?
I appreciate that it is a sport where you absolutely need to hammer. And though you don’t have to be smart, you just need to be clever.
What is your favourite orienteering discipline, and why?
Love it or hate it, sprinting is what is going to make orienteering relevant in today’s sporting climate, and I absolutely love to be a part of it. It is the ultimate display of the sport’s creativity of being spectacular, difficult, and FAST. One only needs to look at the example of the great skier Petter Northug, he makes skiing awesome because he kicks ass when EVERYONE is watching. Orienteering needs some of that, and sprinting is that event, and I want to be that guy.
Which orienteering event is always on your calendar?
London City Race
Do you have an orienteering idol? If so, who and why?
I want to be just like Murray Strain. Chilled out, liked by everyone, ludicrously fit, will throw down anywhere, anytime, just because he loves doing it. Awesome.
What was the highlight of your 2011 season?
Highlight of 2011 was probably the Westerns long distance in the Yukon. It was a vague legitimization of navigation skills in the forest. I was also pleased that I was able to make some solid mistakes, and still win by 4 minutes. It really solidified the confidence I had in my fitness in anticipation of worlds three weeks later, and that went modestly well.
What are your 2012 orienteering goals?
Having made a WOC final means that getting there again is a bare minimum. I think top 30 is 100% achievable with some more speed and efficiency. I would also like to become a real orienteer and make the final in something other than sprint.
What races are on your 2012 calendar?
Everything I can afford to go to. Here, Europe, Asia, the Arctic, Space, you name it. A trip to more Park World Tour events would be great.  I would like to do Hong Kong races next Christmas followed by the New Zealand World Cups. Big goal for 2013 will be World Games in Colombia.
What is your favourite international orienteering location?
Sweden is nice, Norway is nice. China was crazy, which is why I quite enjoyed it.
When you’re not orienteering, where can we find you?
I exist to sleep, eat, train, work, train, and then waste time in front of my computer doing nothing productive. I am open to a hobby suggestion.

Career Highlights

• North American Orienteering Championships 2010 – 1st middle
• North American Orienteering Championships 2010 – 1st long distances
• World Orienteering Championships 2010 – 28th middle distance
• 30 mile trail run (knee knacker 2011) – 1st woman overall

2011 Highlights

• Canadian Championships: 1st Long
• Canadian Championships: 1st Middle
• World Championships: 36th Middle
• World Championships: 37th Sprint

When and how did you get involved with orienteering?
Started orienteering around 12 years old when my parents took our family to a local orienteering event.
What do you love most about orienteering?
The problem solving aspect, and that the fastest runner will not necessarily be the winner.
What is your favourite orienteering discipline, and why?
Toss up between middle since it is usually the most technical, and long because I like running long distances.
Which orienteering event is always on your calendar?
Vancouver Sprint Camp
Do you have an orienteering idol? If so, who and why?
Not anyone particularly specific
What was the highlight of your 2011 season?
The beautiful terrain in the Yukon
What are your 2012 orienteering goals?
Do better than I have previously
What races are on your 2012 calendar?
WOC, NAOC’s
What is your favourite international orienteering location?
Karst in Slovenia
When you’re not orienteering, where can we find you?
At school, running on trails in Pacific Spirit Park or preferably the North Shore.