Today we meet not one, but ten international competitors taking part in FIN5 in Salla. Grant, Rob, Tom, Shannon, Max, Linus, Alma, Zaf, Banjo and Rui all have Australian roots, although Tom and Linus now live in Sweden.
Australia isn’t quite the opposite side of the world from Finland—but it’s close. And according to the group, the orienteering couldn’t be more different. “Here you have soft ground. In Australia, most of it is hard. Here you have pine forests, we have eucalyptus. And here you have reindeer… we have lots of kangaroos!” they laugh. “They’re a bit like reindeer though, they usually run away from people.”
The terrain creates a completely different style of orienteering. “In Australia you can often run much faster because there’s very little undergrowth,” Grant explains. “We have dark green forest, plenty of rocks, and dry terrain. Basically, we have everything—but we don’t have this.”
Shannon is quick to add another major difference. “We definitely don’t have this many marshes! Once, when we organised an event with a marsh on the map, we actually had to take photos of marshes to show people what they looked like.”
The idea of travelling to Lapland began last year, when the group decided to experience FIN5 in what they affectionately call “that crazy little spot above the Arctic Circle.”
The trip has certainly been worth it. “It’s awesome!” The Australians are competing across a wide range of classes, from D12 all the way to H50, and several have been enjoying excellent results. After three stages, Shannon (D45AL) and Linus (H16) are both leading their respective classes.
The youngest member of the group, Rui, is competing in D12.“It’s challenging for her, but she’s doing really well,” Shannon says. “In Australia we don’t have the RR or TR classes, so I entered her in the regular competition. Now that I’ve seen what the TR class is like, it probably would have suited her better.” Despite the challenge, Rui has been finding every control and, most importantly, enjoying the experience.
Before heading back home, the group has one more message for the international orienteering community: “We’re organising the Oceania Orienteering Championships from 26 September to 4 October, and we’d love to invite everyone to come to Australia and experience our kind of orienteering!”
