Meeting each other

Shortly after the team was announced, Alex headed for Knysna to take part in the many events held during the Oyster Festival and he is currently in CT on a course. Francois is in Pretoria, Christo is in Bloem and I'm in Joburg. So, as yet, the Team www.AR.co.za members have not yet all met each other, although we do communicate on email.

The exciting news is that I'll meet Francois on Saturday morning at the Springbok Vasbyt, which is held from the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria and I'll see Christo in early August when I'm in Bloem.

We have got a team event diary where we've logged the events that we want to do over the coming months - as indidivuals and pairs or team. Some events we'll be at the same event but taking part as individuals. Between the four of us there is a lot on the go.

Aside from this my 'team management' principle is simple: each team member knows his/her strengths and we know the training we need to do in preparation for regular events and ADAC. I leave everyone to it. I'm away for much of August and as it is still cold, we'll only start our full paddling focus at the beginning of September. Then we'll see each other a lot more - especially me, Alex and Francois, with some fun events and stuff with Christo on weekends.

So, for now we're ticking over and keeping in regular contact with each other.

South African team selected for Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge 2009

Through an unusual selection process, a South African team has been chosen to compete in the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge in December 2009. Alex Pope, Christo Viljoen and Francois Jooste will race with Lisa de Speville as Team www.AR.co.za in the 3rd edition of this six day, staged adventure race.

www.AR.co.za, South Africa’s adventure racing website, is an Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority Award recipient. The website’s owner and editor, Lisa de Speville, invites wanna-be team members throughout South Africa to submit an application form; the team is selected from these entries. “It’s an unorthodox method that worked really well last year,” Lisa explains. “Just sending in an entry tells me that the person has carefully considered their application in light of the training and preparation involved and their obligations to the team should they be chosen. Their answers to simple questions are more telling than their sporting experiences.”

Of the 31 applicants, seven were women. “Last year we went to ADAC with a two-guys-two- girls combination and I was leaning very much in favour of this mix again,” says Lisa. Her final decision was made after analysing the possible matches in terms of gender, age, experience, personality, skills and location. “There were many ideal applicants; the difficulty was in achieving a good team combination. I found it much more challenging to choose my team mates this year,” she adds.

This Team www.AR.co.za is youthful. Alex Pope (21, Jo’burg) is a university student. He has been orienteering “since I can remember” and in recent years added adventure races to his calendar. Francois Jooste (20, Pretoria) is also a university student. He did his first 65km adventure race and 24hr mountain bike relay event at 14. “Both of these guys are ahead of their years,” Lisa says. The third guy is Christo Viljoen (32, Bloemfontein). Christo is an all-round multi-sporter with numerous multi-day adventure races and multisport events under his belt. Lisa (33, Jo’burg) is the team’s captain; she has 10 years of adventure racing and ultra distance, staged and mountain running as her background, including ADAC 2008.

“Alex is the one I know the best – from orienteerring,” Lisa says. Christo and Lisa have encountered each other at races, mostly in passing, over the years. “My clearest recollection is of doing most of the trekking section at the winter edition of Wartrail, in mid-2007, with him,” she says. Lisa spoke to Francois on the phone for the first time two days ago. “The guys don’t know each other at all. But with the guidance I received from other racers, I think that I’ve chosen well and that we’ve got compatible and complementary personalities and strengths.”

The team members will meet each other within the next few weeks and with five months to prepare, they’ll be ready for the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge in December.

Follow Team www.AR.co.za’s training and preparations on teamwwwarcoza.blogspot.com and read more about the event at www.abudhabi-adventure.com.

ENDS

Team decision made

When I got down to my Top 4 I was in a predicament because I really wanted all 4. But, only 3 can go.

Official announcement to follow.

Choosing the new team

It is much harder this time around to choose the new Team www.AR.co.za for the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge in December. I've got 31 applicants and most of them are really good athletes with a mix of experience. There are also a good many that I don't know personally - so I'm going on gut feel.

I should have my decision made by Wednesday, 1 July 2009.

New Team www.AR.co.za to ADAC '09

I am delighted to announce that www.AR.co.za has been invited to send another team to the 3rd edition of the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge, held 4-9 December 2009. I will again select three team members from our South African adventure racing community to join me on this awesome adventure.

This invitation, which includes the entry fee and four return tickets to Abu Dhabi, is made possible by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority's Awards scheme. ADTA aims to make it possible for ambitious racers, who have never raced overseas before, to pursue their racing career internationally.

To apply for a position on Team www.AR.co.za, please complete this ENTRY FORM (Word doc) and return it to me by noon on Monday, 1 June 2009. You can email your completed form to lisa@ar.co.za

Note: right-click on the Entry form link and select 'Save Target As...". Blogger has a weird glitch with these things. Alternatively refresh the page that loads in your browser. And, if all else fails, the direct link for the form is www.ar.co.za/abudhabi09.doc

Please note the following:

• Our entry fee and flights are covered by the event
• You will be required to pay for the following: team clothing, equipment you will need (we will borrow where possible), race food (snacks & two meals), accommodation for a night before and after the race (this is the major expense), food before and after the race. This will cost R6000-R8000 (see my posting on Race Costs from ADAC 2008)
• Other pre-race expenses may include paddle coaching, entry and bits to participate in two local pre-ADAC events, travel to Joburg (if you live outside of Joburg; twice prior to ADAC) for the team to be together.

In terms of what I'm looking for in my team mates:

• Although the standard team composition is 3 guys and 1 girl, I raced as 2-2 last year and loved it. I am keen to race in the same format so that another female racer has this opportunity to race overseas. Girls, please apply; you will be considered even though I fulfill the mandatory female quota.
• I don't mind if you don't have a lot of experience, but you must have completed at least one event of 24hrs. I'd prefer this race to be in adventure racing, but if you've done ultradistance running, biking or paddling, these count a lot too.
• You must be self-motivated in that you have and are prepared to put work into organising and leading your own teams. While this race is fun, it is not a holiday. This is an exceptional opportunity that will give you that next step in your adventure racing experience. Ideally you should have ambitions of forming your own team for international participation in the next few years.
• This is not your adventure racing swan-song, but the springboard to many more years of racing; each with increasing competitiveness.
• You don't have to be a navigator, but you must have an interest in navigation and willingness to learn. You won't be expected to navigate at ADAC, but it is a skill that you'll carry into the teams you create in the future.
• I expect you to train on your own, putting in effort on improving your skills across all disciplines from when the team is announced until we leave. You will need to complete a training log, but I'm not going to watch over you nor crack whips. I just expect you to keep up your side of the deal.
• If you haven't got much paddling experience, this is not a barrier to your eligibility. I will expect you to be paddling 2-3 times a week from September until we depart. And all team members will attend 2-4 paddle coaching sessions to improve efficiency and technique. Paddling is a BIG portion of this race.
• We may have inline skating (to be confirmed).
• If you have ambitions of winning this race, then this team is not for you. We will go out there and give it our best. Where we place is were we place. As I was there last year, I do hope that we'll improve our previous result.

From my side, I'm taking a chance on you. I'm passing on this opportunity to race overseas, with most of your expenses covered. Team www.AR.co.za is different to any other in that the members have not necessarily ever raced together and they may not have much experience and we may only be all together twice before the race. And you surely know how difficult it is to race with people you know in a one-day race - nevermind racing overseas in a 6-day race with comparative strangers. All I expect from you is your commitment to training and the team and that you'll go into this adventure with an open heart and open mind and give your best.

If you're still keen after reading all of this, please download the entry form, fill it in and send to me. I plan to announce the team by the end of June 2009 so that we can get preparations underway early.

Lisa