O-Ringen Magazine, nr 1 2024

» Arena ROSENFORS
STAGE 1 LONG DISTANCE
Monday July 22 nd 2024
STAGE 2 MIDDLE DISTANCE
Tuesday July 23 rd 2024
» Arena ROSENFORS
The arena for stages 1 and 2 is on the edge of the small industrial community
of Rosenfors. The village formed when Rosenfors AB was founded
in 1802 and today it is a modern foundry with proud roots. The arena is
also on the edge of the large and fertile Abyslätten plain and is normally
used to grow potatoes. The fine, sandy soil gives plentiful harvests and
you might think it will mean fast running for this stage. On the other side
of the road, however, awaits a completely different type of terrain.
STAGE 1
LONG DISTANCE
STAGE 2
MIDDLE DISTANCE
On Stage 1, the hills come almost immediately. First
gently, but the further into the map you run, the more
challenging they become. You’ll need to cross both large
and small marshes, with lush vegetation and there are
some craggy and rocky areas. It will be a tough start to
the week for many runners..
The terrain varies between fast and more technical areas and, for
elite runners, there will be a real sense of wilderness furthest out
in the forest. A small John Bauer-style lake almost takes you into a
fairytale when you look down at it from one of the hills.
Beautiful, mature pine forest with good visibility, though thick
bilberry and lingonberry undergrowth will take its toll. There is a
very limited path and track network, giving a great orienteering
experience in beautiful Småland nature.
Interview with course setter Marie Svalbring
What can competitors expect from Stage 1? What’s special?
– Stage 1 uses a large area, with a variety of terrain and runnability.
There is also lots of variation between steeper and flatter areas. The
southern part, where the easier courses go, has some paths and
tracks. The northern part of the map has more of a wilderness feel.
Beautiful hilltops alternate with idyllic marshes and tough, craggy
areas. All runners will will get to choose routes through these
lovely forests and each course has its own character,” says Marie
Svalbring, one of the course setters for Stage 1.
What is the most challenging aspect of this terrain?
– The terrain is varied, which means you have to adapt your orienteering
technique as you go. There are many features to use but
the courses are still technically challenging. Some areas are tough
to run on as there is a lot of wonderful bilberry vegetation in the
forest, continues Marie.
What’s your advice for orienteering well
here and what should competitors be practising?
– The open terrain on Stage 1 means that you will be able to see
other competitors a lot of the time. However, there’s not much
chance that they’re going to the same control as you, as there are so
many controls in the area. So, success here will come from being
focused on your own orienteering, being able to change pace and
checking your control codes. Stage 1 won’t be an easy start to your
O-Ringen week, concludes Marie.
Stage 2 uses the same arena as Stage 1 but offers more
technical terrain, perfect for middle distance. Just about
all of this stage will take place on a large hill, which is
itself covered by smaller hills and steep in parts. There
are many boulders and crags, with tricky, detailed areas.
As with Stage 1, runnability varies from good to limited.
You’ll have to take care and avoid losing contact with the map.
Re-entrants, small ravines, marshes and crags come one after the
other and there will be many controls close together. This stage also
offers great views for anyone happy to pause for a few seconds. Some
of the hilltops have fantastic views across Emådalen and the home
stadium of the Dackarna speedway team, which is just a stone’s
throw away.
Interview with course setter Joakim Karmetun
What can competitors expect from Stage 2? What’s special?
– Stage 2 takes place on a large hill, which is mostly very runnable.
The area has almost no felled or developed areas and is almost
exclusively steep, forested terrain with many boulders and crags.
There aren’t many paths in the area and most courses will actually
be in terrain with no paths. This means that you can enjoy the
beautiful, open forest, which mostly has great visibility, says Joakim
Karmetun, course setter for Stage 2.
What is the most challenging aspect of this terrain?
– Apart from the physical challenges offered by a hilly area with
bilberry undergrowth, there are many orienteering challenges. For
example, this is a rocky and craggy area. This means there is always
a feature to use but, on the other hand, it’s easy to make parallel
errors,” says Joakim.
What’s your advice for orienteering well
here and what should competitors be practising?
– The open terrain on Stage 1 means that you will be able to see
other competitors for much of the time. However, there’s not much
chance that they’re going to the same control as you, as there are so
many controls in the area.
So, success here will come from being focused on your own orienteering,”
says Joakim. “If you want to come really well prepared, train
to run up and down hills. If you do that and also train to orienteer
in detailed hillside areas, you’ve given yourself the best chance of
success on Stage 2, he finishes.
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