To talk about Clare Durand is to
talk about resilience. It’s in Lancaster, in the desert north of
Los Angeles, in the United States, that we’re going to find her.
Clare studied Geography and Computer Science, worked for the
government making military maps, worked on movies and television as
an assistant director and taught Mathematics. She’s now directing
local musical theatre productions, is an active volunteer with the
Girl Scouts and is writing a series of children’s spy novels.
Enough? It seems not. She’s also building a small business,
organizing local orienteering races and training. In the midst of
this whole bustle, Clare doesn’t neglect her own preparation, as
she’s one of the most prominent and committed North American Trail
Orienteers.
How did Orienteering came to your
life? Why Orienteering and why not Gymnastics, for example?
C. D. - As a child, I was a
competitive swimmer. But I stopped swimming at the age of 15 to have
more free time. I did a single trail-based orienteering event during
college with a colleague but didn't pursue it. A few years later, I
had moved to the East Coast and attended a beginner's event that I
read about in the newspaper and was hooked. I've always really
enjoyed maps, navigation, and hiking, so it's no doubt this was the
sport for me.
Do you remember when you first did
TrailO? Was it love at first sight?
C. D. - I first did TrailO at a
demonstration event in Wyoming, around 2000. I did very well. This
was exciting to me, because I am not a naturally talented runner,
which makes it more difficult for me to have high placings in Foot
Orienteering. But TrailO was something I could really excel in.
What do you see in TrailO that makes
it so special?
C. D. - What makes TrailO
special is it's availability to people of all mobility challenges and
it's purity as a map reading challenge. But I think it does make it
difficult to get people practicing TrailO. Most outdoor enthusiasts
want to be more active, and I'm sure it must be difficult for someone
who cannot enter the terrain to understand the map in the same way
that those of us who also do FootO can.
We are used to see you representing
the US team in the World Trail Orienteering Championships. How do you
assess your results so far? Would you expect something better?
C. D. - I've been disappointed
to not have some higher placings, especially in PreO. I have had a
few really excellent single day performances, but have not
accomplished this for two days in a row when it counts. I've been
encouraged by my continued improvement in TempO. Last year I came
close to making the final, which is a big jump from being near the
bottom of the standings in Italy. It's hard to keep up with the
amount of TrailO that goes on in Europe. My competitors are getting
much more practice. I also have never won the U.S. Championships in
TrailO. That's a big target for me.
What is the most difficult part of
being Trail orienteer in the United States?
C. D. - Lack of events and
training opportunities. The U.S. is a very large place with very few
Trail Orienteers. I'm the only serious Trail Orienteer within a three
hour drive, so there is no one to help me train near home. Any local
events are put on by me, but since I am also putting on most of the
local Foot Orienteering, it leaves little time for TrailO. Similar
conditions exist for most of our team members.
Please, complete the sentence: For
having a strong TrailO team, the United States would...
C. D. - (…) Commit to having
many more TrailO events throughout the country and have Trail
Orienteering training camps. Our team is not attracting new people.
We need to attract more new orienteers and especially figure out how
to bring Trail Orienteering to the Paralympic population who might be
interested in our sport.
You were the course setter of the
2017 US TrailO Championships, recently said held in Camp Sherman,
California. Are you happy with your work and with the overall event?
C. D. - I was very happy with
the course. The competitors had high praise and really enjoyed it. I
did have to throw out one control, but this was fine, since I agreed
with the complaint once I looked at the situation. I wish we had a
better turnout. Less than 20 people competed in the Trail
Orienteering events. The last time I set the U.S. Champs (2009), we
had over 50 people compete. So this shows how Trail Orienteering is
on the decline in the U.S.
What are your goals for the season?
C. D. - I am hoping to go to
Lithuania, but am having difficulty fitting it in my budget, so I'm
still working on that. A trip from California to Europe is very
expensive. If I can go, my goals would be to have two excellent PreO
days, possibly reaching the awards level, and to make the TempO
final.
Would you like to share your biggest
dream with us?
C. D. - I have many big dreams
related to my different pursuits. I dream that orienteering would
become popular enough in the U.S. that we would have events every
weekend in every city. In TrailO my biggest dream would be to achieve
the gold medal in PreO at the World Champs.
Is there anything you'd like to add?
C. D. - I think that it is
difficult to attract people to TrailO because orienteering is an
inherently active sport and TrailO is not. I sometimes wonder if we
should develop some sort of Paralympic wheelchair sprint event to
bring more athleticism to the Paralympic format.
Joaquim Margarido
