On the eve of the 2010 Junior World Orienteering Championships, the New Zealand team is fit and full of confidence.
With the best possible buildup and the best possible coaching, the team is eagerly anticipating the first race of the Championships week – the Sprint - to be held at Aalborg University on Monday 5 July.
Nineteen year old Toby Scott, who shocked the Australasian elites with his build-up performances (and wins) in two trans-Tasman races recently, feels the team is exceptionally strong this year.
"I reckon Jourdan (Harvey) has a good shot at the Sprint where he has the extra speed" he estimated, "and Matt Ogden always produces something special over the middle distance".
"We are really looking forward to competition week", said Matt Ogden after the final training races - "we're getting used to the Danish terrain now and feeling pretty confident".
With former World Relay Champion Carsten Joergensen (Denmark, now resident in Christchurch) heading the coaching team of Ross Morrison and Jenni Adams, the twelve strong junior team has picked up valuable local knowledge in the last few days of fine-tuning.
"We will definitely be orienteering to the best of our abilities" promised Ogden.
The first race, the Sprint is scheduled for 10am (8pm NZ time) Monday 5 July at Aalborg, followed by the Long distance on Tuesday 6 July, a distance favoured by Toby Scott.
"The Long is definitely my favourite" Scott noted "and I'm feeling a lot stronger this time compared with the Worlds in Italy last year".
Also in scintillating form after strong performances at the 2009 Junior Champs is Rotorua's Angela Simpson, who also a trans-Tasman Test Match races recently and was leading the Silva National Series at elite level.
With so many of the team in top form and confident with navigating through the Danish urban and forest maps, many in New Zealand are predicting top 20 results or better.
"It's the most exciting thing that's happened in New Zealand orienteering for years" enthused former NZ coach Rob Garden.
"They'll do well in the Danish sandhills" promised team coach Ross Morrison, who raced for Danish club OK Pan Århus in 2009 (and winning the Danish Sprint race series). "The Woodhill Forest training they've done is as close to Denmark as you can get without being there".
The Junior World Orienteering Championships week concludes with a Middle distance qualifier and final (8 and 9 July), and a Relay on Saturday the 10th.
