2009 JWOC Home Page

PRIMIERO, Italy - Shippensburg University men's cross country sophomore Greg Ahlswede completed a grueling six-day stretch of competition at the 2009 Junior World Orienteering Championships last week in which the United States squad earned one its best all-around finishes at the annual competition.

Ahlswede, who entered the world championships as the No. 1 ranked junior orienteering competitor in the United States, competed in four events during the competition, earning his best finish on the course that was considered the most competitive: mid-distance.

Last Friday, Ahlswede was the highest American finisher on the mid-distance course and the third-highest North American finisher after earning 46th place in the 'B' group final. To attain this honor, Ahlswede on Thursday had to traverse through the rather difficult all-terrain course to qualify in the 'B' group — a territory infrequently reached by United States competitors.

Before the mid-distance competition, Ahlswede had already completed two other courses. Last Monday, Ahlswede was the third-highest American finisher (119th place) on the sprint course (2,000-3,000 kilometers) while on Tuesday he finished the long course in 130th place after completing the trek in 2 hours, 8 minutes and 35 seconds amidst a severe thunderstorm that drenched the Italian countryside.

The final event, a team relay competition, was held on Saturday. Ahlswede led the United States 'B' team but got lost in a crowd near the second control point due to a huge mass of people. While the group was out of the running for the victory, the team still managed to finish the course to improve upon the disqualification earned at last year's championships.

"It is difficult to go there and not be the best, but I know that what I am doing is helping to advance the sport in this country," Ahlswede said from Italy. "It helps to know that with my experience, I can help younger generations to success in future junior world championship events."

The United States Orienteering Federation completed an evaluation of the 2009 team after the competition and compared the group to teams from previous seasons. According to Ahlswede, this year was one of the best all-around finishes in program history. A point of comparison can be drawn from the fact that the lowest finisher at this year's competition (134th place) fared better than the top competitor from 2008 (146th place).

Orienteering, a recognized Olympic sport since 1977, requires endurance, decision-making, navigation and a lot of patience. The most popular form of the sport is foot orienteering, the same style at which Ahlswede competed for the world championships. The basic premise involves the competitors having to navigate through the ultimate cross country courses — typically a multi-terrain, unprepared travel range with multiple forests and hills.

Competitors must run through the course with a compass and map to navigate as they travel. There is no set path to reach the end of the course, but the competitor with the highest balance of navigation and endurance is usually the one rewarded at the finish line. The only requirement is that the competitors have their control cards punched in the proper order at each of the various control points placed along the course.

For more information on the 2009 Junior World Orienteering Championships, visit the official Web page of the event at http://www.jwoc2009.it/.