OHS orienteering team showed strong improvement at Woodhill, with top finishes and national success for Xavier White.

The OHS orienteering team competed in the Auckland Secondary Schools Long Distance Championships on Tuesday 12th May, held at Woodhill Forest. The event took place on a challenging course set across dense pine forest and sand dunes.

Although many of the students are still new to orienteering, their commitment to learning and improving is showing in their results. The team continues to build experience with each event, and this was reflected in several strong performances.

Congratulations to Ren Sugahara, who placed 2nd, and Micah Hart, who placed 3rd in the Intermediate Boys Standard grade. Xavier White also performed well, finishing 4th in the Intermediate Boys Championship grade.

Xavier has also had recent success at a national level. Over Easter, he competed in the New Zealand National Orienteering Championships in the Wairarapa, running in the U18 grade. He achieved an outstanding result, winning gold in all three individual races: sprint, middle, and long to become the National Champion in his age group.

The team’s continued progress is encouraging, and their efforts are clearly paying off as they gain confidence and experience in the sport.