Roman Ciobanu: "My main goal for 2017 is the WOC Sprint"

A few days ago, it was possible to see Roman Ciobanu shining brightly, on the one hand for being nominated for The Orienteering Achievement of 2016 and on the other hand for achieving the final third place in the poll. With this subject as the starting point of this interview, we try to know the athlete a little better, as well as the person.

How did you feel, getting the 3rd place in The Orienteering Achievement of 2016 and receiving the acknowledgement of the whole Orienteering community?

Roman Ciobanu (R. C.) - It was a big surprise for me to be nominated and an even bigger surprise to reach the final 3rd place. It’s a wonderful pleasure and it represents the appreciation of my effort and results.

How important is it from a personal point of view?

R. C. - To be known in the world is quite important, not just for me but also for my country. When I talk to people abroad, not everybody knows that Moldova exists or where it is, but now I believe that more people know that we exist and also that Orienteering exists in Moldova. Besides that, it gave me an extra motivation to train harder and to keep on going with my career.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

R. C. - Probably from my achievements. They're my main motivation, giving me the power for my trainings and for setting new goals. And simply because I love the great feeling after a good training or race. I also have many friends in Orienteering and it gives me the possibility to travel a lot and to meet new people.

Looking back on the season, how do you evaluate your performances and achievements?

R. C. - I've set two goals for the season. The first one was to finish my first marathon, which, unfortunately, I missed, giving up at the 28th km. The second one was to win the Sprint at the South East European Orienteering Championships, a competition that involved Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and Montenegro, which took place in Macedonia, in September. Here I was able to achieve my goal, reaching a two-second win over the strong Ivan Sirakov, from Bulgaria. It was Moldova's first gold ever in this competition.

In the beginning of the season I didn’t have any plans to go to the World University Orienteering Championships in Hungary, but I made an agreement with a friend of mine, from Russia, that if she qualified for the Russian team I would also go to Hungary. In May she qualified and I had two months to prepare myself. There, I got the 9th place in the Sprint, which was my best result ever, and I was very surprised because the Spring period had been very hard, with some results being worse than I expected, both in Orienteering and Athletics. Also, in the Summer, I wasn't at my best physically. Before the WUOC I had had just one international Sprint start (Sochi, Russia, in March). All my preparation was made in my home city, Chisinau, where we have just 5 or 6 Sprint maps, all of them not very technically demanding.

What was the best course you ran in 2016?

R. C. - Definitely the WUOC Sprint. It was a very interesting and technical race. I didn’t do it mistake-free , losing some 10 seconds at one control, going a little bit in the wrong way and another 10 seconds on a bad route choice. I also felt a great pleasure running the 1st leg at WUOC's Relay, in a team with two Canadians. I finished my leg on the 8th position, only 25 seconds behind the leader, having lost contact with him on the last control in the forest, following a small hesitation.

What one or two things do you currently do in your training that are keys to your success?

R. C. - Because we don’t have many Sprint maps in my country and I didn’t have the possibility to travel to many competitions abroad, my main trainings are in the Stadium, while running on high speed and reading maps from other countries at the same time (thank you Mikhail Vinogradov for teaching me this on your website). I also do many trainings with virtual fences and walls on the map.

What does it mean to be an orienteer in Moldova?

R. C. - Orienteering in Moldova is just a hobby. We don’t have support from our Government and we don't have sponsors either. So, we need to work to have money to go somewhere to competitions. We have some good runners but unfortunately we don’t have the possibility to enter many competitions and to show the world the best we can do. Sergiu Fala usually gets the podium at competitions in countries near Moldova. Also the three Fomiciov brothers, two of whom reached the final A at JWOC Middle. We also have many good Juniors, but most of them don’t see a big motivation in training hard to achieve good results.

Are you already looking forward to the next season? What will be the main steps in your preparation during the winter?

R. C. - After my WUOC results, the best Romanian club, Universitatea Craiova, offered me a place in it. Financially, it will be easier to prepare for the next season. The goals I've set for the Winter period are to improve my running speed and reach a new PB on 3.000 meters, which is now of 8:51. In March I will go to MOC Training Camp and Championships in Italy, where I’ll try to improve my Orienteering technique. I'll also attend the Danish Spring (thanks to worldofo.com and Ana Grib, who won this prize and transferred it to me).

Have you ever considered joining a Scandinavian club?

R. C. - Actually, I've been thinking about trying to join a Scandinavian club and maybe moving there. It would be a dream come true. [Hopefully, there's someone reading this Interview in Sweden, Finland, Norway or Denmark...]

What would be your ultimate achievement in 2017?

R. C. - My main goal for 2017 is the WOC Sprint where I hope to qualify to the Final and there, run a fast and mistake-free race.

Last but not least, I would ask you to say something about yourself.

R. C. - I’m 25 years old and I was born and live in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. I finished my University studies in Finances as major-accounting and I’m learning programming. I work as a financial operator from morning until 3 p.m. and after that it's training time.

I started practising Athletics at the age of 7. At the Junior level, I reached the podium in almost every national race and I got some good international results for my country. At the Senior level, my results remained almost the same and I reached the National gold for three times (twice in the 10.000 metres, in 2011 and 2013, and once in the 3.000 metres Steeplechase, this year) and was on a podium for many times.

The first touch with orienteering was in 2005, but I got lost in the forest. From 2005 to 2011 I took part in a few competitions, but I used to run safely, not leaving the paths, and I didn’t know what contours or vegetation meant or how to use a compass. In 2011, thanks to my friend Ana Grib, I met my coach Ivahnenco Serghei. I consider that as my starting point in Orienteering. I've been getting good results in Sprint since then and I was National Champion seven times [three times in Sprint (in 2014, 2015 and 2016), twice in the Sprint Relay (2014 and 2015), once in the Ultra Long Distance (2013) and once in the Long Distance (2015)].

At an international level, I took part in WOC twice: 2013 Finland and 2015 Scotland, but unfortunately without good results, because of injuries, health problems and no experience on nordic terrain. In the South East European Orienteering Championships, I was 5th in the Sprint, 3rd in the Middle Distance and 2nd in the Long Distance, in 2011, in the M20 class. In the Elite, I reached five medals: Three in the Sprint (bronze in 2014, silver in 2015 and gold in 2016) and two bronze medals in the Relay (2013 and 2014).

Do you have a saying or motto that you live your life by?

R. C. - “If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse”, Jim Rohn.

[Photo: Roman Ciobanu / facebook.com/roma.ciobanu.1/]

Joaquim Margarido

  

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Merry Christmas to all the Portuguese Orienteering Blog's followers hoping 2017 brings you and your Loved ones all you wish for!

Joaquim Margarido

Two or three things I know about it...

1. The Calendar of the 3rd edition of the Portugal City Race was announced yesterday. The 2017 Portugal City Race will conquer new cities and will have a set of 13 stages, starting on 5th February, in Esposende, and ending on 1st November, in Sesimbra. The cities of Esposende, Santo Tirso, Vila Real, Tondela and Sesimbra made its debut in the Circuit, in which we can notice the return of Penafiel. Barcelos and Viseu leave the Circuit in 2017 and the cities of Braga, Vila do Conde, Leiria, Águeda, Figueira da Foz, Porto and Aveiro remain. In total, it will count for the Rankings the seven best results out of the thirteen possible. The 2016 Portugal City race consisted on nine stages and counted almost four thousand participants. All information at http://www.cityrace.pt/.

2. Following the election to the Board of Directors of the Spanish Orienteering Federation, celebrated on 10th December, José Enrique Barcia is the FEDO's new Chairman. Cristina del Campo (1st Vice-President), Mercedes Jiménez (2nd Vice President), Raúl Ferra (Technical Director), Marta Armisén (Women and Sport Project), María Isabel Fajardo (Economic Director) and Jesús de Miguel Rey (General Secretary) are the remaining members. Promoting the General Assembly and ensuring its executive functions is the first and foremost goal of Barcia. Resources optimization and transparency are also key words of the new paradigm. Among the priorities, one can found the creation of the General Direction of Marketing and Communication, strengthening and betting on MTB Orienteering as a growth factor of the Sport and also the creation of the Spanish Ski Orienteering Championships (two stages). To the new Board of Directors and its Chairman, the Portuguese Orienteering Blog wishes the greatest achievements and a long and successful campaign.

3. If you like “cool” events and you're a fan of PreO you are not going to miss the coolest PreO event ever. The 4th annual Aurora Borealis PreO Event will take place on January 6th 2017, with the Event Centre located in the Vuosaari Golf course main building, Helsinki, Finland. The course will have 22 – 26 controls to the Elite (12 – 15 controls to the Elite B) and 2.000 meters length, set by Ari Tertsunen on a completely new map with his signature. The winner gets the great “Aurora Borealis PreO Challenge Cup” for the period of one year (get it your own after three victories). The winners so far are Aleksei Laisev (2014), Pinja Mäkinen (2015) and Anna Jakobson (2016). In the case of extreme weather conditions, the Event shall be cancelled only if the temperature falls below - 40 degrees celsius. However, “cancellation is very unlikely, as last year we had only - 26 degrees”, the organizers assure. Please find all the the information at http://www.trailo.fi/?x118281=343966.

4. The first trailer for the Austrian MTBO Days 2017 is online. Enjoy!

Joaquim Margarido

Keith Dawson: “Life is not a dress rehearsal”

Keith Dawson. The name may sound unfamiliar to most readers, but everyone in the MTB Orienteering family knows him. Keith's enthusiasm and expertise make him a reference, both inside and outside the forest. To meet this true Master of the Masters, we dive deep into the MTB orienteering world, in a fascinating and enriching journey.

You've been participating in most of the MTB Orienteering events in the last seasons and we could see you attending 14 out of 15 World Masters Series stages this year. At the age of 58, where do you find the motivation to keep on competing so regularly?

Keith Dawson (K. D.) - I have learnt through some very tough times in Life that Life is not a dress rehearsal! “If in doubt do it - you will always regret more what you don't do than what you do”! These are two of my Life memes, true whether you're setting up businesses in the “Wild East” in Ukraine and Cuba or competing/organising in MTBO! I have had two major knee constructions in the last four years and missed the TransRockies 6 day race, with my son, this summer through a shoulder injury - so absence makes the heart grow hungrier! That is motivation enough but meeting the great MTBO community and searching for that elusive “Perfect Run” are important too. In 42 years of FootO I only managed it twice and never in MTBO - not yet!

Is this passion for bikes and MTBO a recent story?

K. D. - I constantly thank my two teachers, Dave and Mike, who introduced me to Orienteering back in 1975! I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like without this treasure of friends, landscapes, races and travel that Orienteering has gifted me. I took up MTB in 1995 after a succession of FootO ankle injuries and have been fortunate to travel the world. Andes, New Zealand and Costa Rica the highlights. My first ever MTBO was the World Masters near Gdansk in 2010 and from the first race I was hooked!

What do you see in MTBO that makes it so special?

K. D. - The blend of speed, problem solving and technical riding is unique. The return of speed would be an exciting aspect for Masters FootO competitors if they tried it! Particularly those with “bad” knees! The MTBO community is also very special and quite unlike that in most sports. Solving the problems, at speed, set by our hard working planners and mappers in new landscapes at speed is a legal “high”.

What kind of “family” is the MTBO one?

K. D. - As I say a uniquely friendly and inclusive one and of course global! There is also the good aspect of hard but friendly competition whether in Elite or Masters. I have had a unique opportunity this year with my 63 MTBO races in 15 countries to savour this delight to the full! Riders such as Jean-Charles Lalevee, Wolf Eberle and Charlie Somers-Cocks give all of us, Masters, something to admire and aspire too!

We all appreciate your enthusiasm and dedication in keeping us well-informed about the MTBO events, sharing maps, results and pictures, sometimes even before the official releases. How big is your concern about the communication subject?

K. D. - Thank you! Communication is important in any aspect of Life and I've been pleased with the positive feedback. This helps to bring our community closer together. Even if you couldn't attend the race you can ask that great old question “Which way would I have gone?” Fix your map board to the turbo this winter! We need more communication, not less!

Talking about the MTBO in general, are we going in the right way?

K. D. - I would say we are generally heading in the right direction. Sandor [Talas] has ably guided us within the IOF framework and with HJ [Hans-Jørgen Kvåle] now as an IOF marketing manager the sport is moving forward with more events and rising standards.

There are a few areas I would comment on: MTBO should be a race not an “eye test”. The use of the correct scale, especially for Masters, is critical for full enjoyment. If in doubt use the larger scale option - we all know how to fold if necessary :). Some otherwise excellent races have been rather spoilt by use of the wrong scale. Masters expend a lot of income when they come to races both within our MTBO community and beyond, their needs need to be catered for too. I have also seen situations where not breaking a circle or covering a vital path have spoilt an otherwise great course. I would implore planners to consider these issues more carefully going forward.

We need to increase the number of women in our Sport and a “buddy” system could help. If all women brought a “buddy” along to an event and guided them this would increase numbers and quality of competition. It is a wonderful Sport! I think we also need to be slightly more inclusive with older age group classes and recognise that a five year age increase post 60 is different to post 50 and even more marked post 70. The last thing we need to do is to discourage older competitors, they are an inspiration to us all and also do a lot of organising! We can't afford to lose them.

Finally I would say that, in the light of recent independent press and also official reports, together with IOF Olympic aspirations, we need to increase our monitoring and out of competition testing of prohibited substances. Glib denial is not the way forward. All houses need to be put in order. We must show that we are, and will remain, a prohibited substance free Sport which is fair for ALL high level competitors. Not least we need to safeguard the long term health and freedom of these same competitors.

When I read “World Masters Series”, your name immediately comes to my mind. How close is your relation with the WMS?

K. D. - Whilst it is true the initial concept was mine, Sandor has been highly supportive and WMS now belongs to the whole Masters MTBO community. Tamas Janko has been brilliant putting in a great deal of dedication to calculate the results, often under pressure, as in Lithuania. I have been delighted with the positive feedback and constructive comment and the rising standards it has undoubtedly engendered. My class M55 is almost as competitive as Elite! We have two good sponsors in Continental Farmers and Havana Energy who help produce the rather nice medals! Now in its third year I believe it will go from strength to strength with Masters Relays again in France and the new M/W35+ class to bridge the gap from Elite and avoid competitors leaving the sport at that point. It's great that organisers are now competing to have their events included in WMS. The format would be easily applicable to Ski-O and even Foot-O.”

How did you see the WMS along the season?

K. D. - It was disappointing that more competitors did not race in Cappadocia in the first races, as all who did agreed it was indeed very special. The series went well, with both rising numbers and standards. The five year age classes have been very popular, especially in 60+. Many of the medals went down to “the wire” in Lithuania and so did many “mini competitions” between individuals within the classes. The WMS is a Marathon not a Sprint and a good season long strategy is crucial as well as within races. One mispunch or mechanical can lose a lot of points and places if the season strategy is not optimised. Organisers have realised hosting a WMS race increases numbers, so now in its third year, organisers are competing to be included and several offers for 2018 are already in, as well as a very exciting 2017 in prospect. July will be an MTBO Festival with races in Pilsen, Vienna and culminating in a season “finale” in Orleans. This has encouraged more racers from south of the equator to compete. The aim of the WMS was to increase standards for Masters competition, help development in outlying countries and to increase the Fun! I think it has been successful on all counts thus far.

In the meanwhile, the World Masters Series 2017 has already started (!). Apart the earthquake, would you like to share your thoughts about the event in New Zealand?

K. D. - Yes, despite the difficulties caused by the quake, numbers and standards of competition were high and all aspects of world class standard. The area used for the North Island Champs the week before the WMS races, “Marquita's Garden” is my all time favourite MTBO area. The WMS/NZ races near Rotorua were outstanding and the Sprint race was particularly high quality. I really hope NZ can host the World Championships in due course. So much great riding, a wonderful country and such a welcome! I hope more NZ and Australian competitors will head North for our exciting summer this year.

You were a privileged spectator of the MTBO Elite season and I would ask you to highlight some of the strongest moments in 2016?

K. D. - At the risk of (wrongly) being accused of bias I would choose Emily Benham's Two World Champs Golds in Portugal and her exciting World Cup win. This edges other excellent performances, as it has sadly been achieved without National Federation support or within a squad, but solely by individual determination and motivation, with a little help from HJ of course :) A great example to the whole Orienteering Family, not just MTBO. In the Masters I would select Jean-Charles Lalevee's triumph in the WMS this year in a very competitive class and after a disappointing injury robbed him last season. True Gallic Grit!

Contrary to the last season, we didn't have either MTBO courses or MTBO achievements suggested or nominated for the World of O's polls this year. So, I'm going to ask you to pick up the best course and the best achievement of the MTBO season.

K. D. - Yes, that lack of nominations was disappointing. This is a very difficult task with so many worthy candidates! I will allow myself three - Sprint, Middle and Long. So many great courses. So for a purely personal view: The Sprint was the NZ/WMS race in Rotorua, a fantastic mix of three terrain types including a tricky university campus with covered walkways. The Middle from Cappodocia in March, a privilege to race amongst the complex rock pillars and caves of a UNESCO World Heritage Site! Although the “Ironworks” race was a close second, illustrating the wide variety of terrain we enjoy! The Long from Portugal, again with a mixture of terrains and with the temperature a truly Long tough Challenge. Special mention too to the Middle in Lithuania with putting a capital O in MTBO for the quality of map and course planning. I'm very much looking forward to Vilnius!

How is it going to be the winter season? How hard it will be staying away from the bikes and the events' atmosphere for so long?

K. D. - A great trip to NZ with 6 fine races helps! Thankfully my great physio Dagmar, two great Drs in Ireland and lots of physio exercises mean I can avoid a planned major shoulder operation this winter, and I can plan for M60 in 2018! The prospect of so many great races and a new season of WMS in 2017 will keep the winter “blues” at bay! Fortunately the biking trails in Vienna, Scotland and Ireland, where I split my time, are never too snowbound, so I can get my regular “fix” on the bike. I do miss FootO though :(

What are you goals for 2017?

K. D. - To continue to play my small part in building the success of WMS and Masters MTBO in general and also to play my role in the MTBO Commission, where I have recently been appointed. Oh and maybe push for a Masters Relay medal for GB again in France :) and “to fill each hour with sixty minutes well run!”

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

K. D. - Just to wish ALL the MTBO Community a Happy Festive Season and everything they wish for themselves and their loved ones in 2017. Remember, “Life is not a dress rehearsal.”

Joaquim Margarido

The World Games 2017: The list of qualified nations and athletes is already known

40 men and 40 women will compete in the Sprint and Middle Distance of the 8th edition of The World Games. 17 national teams are qualified to compete in the Sprint Relay.

The International Orienteering Federation has announced last Friday the list of qualified nations and athletes for The World Games in Wroclaw, Poland, from 25th to 27th July 2017. Poland, as host country, qualifies two male and two female athletes. The results achieved at the 2016 World Orienteering Championships mean that another thirteen countries will join the list, with two male athletes and two female athletes each. Such is the case of Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.

Canada and New Zealand have two spots each, both in Men and Women, for being the best nation from the North American and Oceania regions at WOC 2016. The last qualifying spots are personal spots for reigning World Champions, Asian Regional Champions, South American Regional Champions and the highest ranked individual athletes from non-qualified nations in the IOF World Rankings and Sprint World Rankings as of 1st November 2016. Names like Maja Alm, Denmark, Tove Alexandersson and Jerker Lysell, Sweden, Matthias Kyburz, Switzerland, will join Elmira Moldasheva, Kazakhstan, Yuta Tanikawa, Japan, Inga Dambe, Latvia or Sidnaldo Farias de Sousa, Brazil at the starting line.

Reactions

Franciely de Siqueira Chiles is another qualified athlete and expressed this way her satisfaction: “Yes, I received the invitation to participate and I'm very happy. This is the result of a lot of effort and dedication. I still had the chance to participate four years ago in Cali, but that was my first year in the Elite and I didn't have the same experience as I have today. It was amazing to see all the best in the World gathered the same event and I to be part of it was a huge opportunity and an inspiration for me. The World Games 2017 are another great opportunity and my goal is to represent Brazil the best way, seeking to learn and get some good results.”

Unlike Franciely, the Spanish Andreu Blanés Reig will make his debut in Wroclaw at The World Games. He also shared with the Portuguese Orienteering Blog some of his thoughts: “Well, it's a very good opportunity. I've never run in The World Games and I'm very excited to be able to experience it for the first time. Also for the Spanish Orienteering, because it's the first time that a Spanish athlete will participate. My goal is the same as in every World Cup stage, i.e. make a good Games and try to be as close as I can to the first athletes.”

Pieces of the Games' History

With the organization of the Olympic Games in 1896, the International Olympic Committee became the governing body for international sport. When the international sports federations expanded, the International Federations felt the need to establish a dialogue with the Olympic leaders and in 1967 founded the "General Assembly of International Sports Federations", which in 1976 was transformed into the "General Association of International Sports Federations - GAISF, the formal organization with Statutes and headquarters in Monaco.

The Olympic Federations within GAISF used the GAISF meetings to coordinate their position regarding the International Olympic Committee. The non-Olympic federations also came together to discuss their specific sport issues. One of the ultimate objectives of almost all of these federations was to become an Olympic Federation and to obtain, through participation in the Olympic program, publicity, fame and honor for their sport. When it became evident that the growth of the Olympic Games was limited, the sports from this NOF group understood that there were only minimal opportunities to be selected for participation in the Olympic Program. The non-Olympic federations nonetheless wanted publicity and fame for their sports, so they decided to form their own showcase event which was named World Games. In May 1979 the steering group announced in a letter to the International Federations that they had found a venue in the United States of America: the City of Santa Clara.

With 1745 athletes representing 58 countries distributed by 15 Sports officials (plus one Invitational Sport, the Water Polo), the first edition in 1981, in Santa Clara, the USA, was first and foremost a pioneer event, testing the concept. With less participants but more Sports (20 + 1), London hosted the second edition of the Games, in 1985. Karlsruhe followed in 1989, The Hague in 1993 - here with the two thousand participants' barrier to be broke (2264 athletes from 72 countries) - and Lahti in 1997.

Orienteering enters the Games

The first edition of The World Games in the new millennium has a special meaning for Orienteering, marking the debut of the Sport. It was one of the 22 official Sports of the Games organized in Akita, Japan, whose edition had a record number of 150,000 spectators. The Australian Grant Bluett, the Norwegian Hanne Staff and the Norwegian team (Birgitte Husebye, Bjornar Valstad, Hanne Staff and Tore Sandvik) were the outstanding names of this inaugural presence, as they snatched the gold in Men and Women individual competitions and in the Mixed Relay, respectively. Duisburg, in 2005, welcomed Orienteering once more as one of the 27 official Sports of the Games, with the French Thierry Gueorgiou, the Swiss Simone Niggli-Luder and the Swiss team (Daniel Hubmann, Lea Müller, Matthias Merz and Simone Niggli-Luder) getting the gold.

In Kaohsiung in 2009, Orienteering strengthened its position in The World Games by reaching one more day (read “one more stage”) in the program. The Russian Andrey Khramov and the Finn Minna Kauppi won the Sprint, the Swiss Daniel Hubmann and the Australian Hanny Allston got the gold in the Middle and Russia - with Andrey Khramov, Dmitry Tsvetkov, Galina Vinogradova and Yulia Novikova - was the Sprint Mixed Relay's winner. In 2013, The World Games made its first incursion to South America. The event took place in Cali, Colombia, and was marked by really impressive numbers: 2982 athletes representing 103 countries, 26 Official Sports and 5 Invitational Sports, 915 Media representatives and, last but not least, 550,000 spectators. On the competitive plan, the Orienteering program kept the same format and the great figure of the Games was Matthias Kyburz, winner of the Sprint, Middle Distance and, along with Daniel Hubmann, Sara Luescher and Judith Wyder, the Mixed Sprint Relay. The Women victories in the individual competitions were the Swede Annika Billstam and the Finn Minna Kauppi, in the Sprint and Middle Distance, respectively.

Joaquim Margarido