Emma Waddington's Blog

JWOC was over which meant it was time to relax for a bit. And by a bit I mean about 36 hours. The day after the races were done, a few North Americans and I made our way back to Helsinki and then up north to Kuortane for the 2018 World University Orienteering Champs. Let's just say there was a lot of mouth-open-head-rolling naps going on in the car... Our accommodation in Kuortane was much much nicer than in Kecskemét. We stayed at an Olympic training centre, complete with a lake, all kinds of running trails, a recovery pool centre and a sauna (obviously). We made good use of the lake almost every day, but the problem was that you had to walk about 100m out to get to the deep part of the lake - it was a struggle getting back to shore after a really tough race.  *Ooh lala* I had the pleasure of being Team Canada's flag bearer for the opening ceremonies. The ceremony was nice, and it was the first time where we got to hear the FISU anthem, something we didn't kno...

After an exciting race at the Jukola Relay in Lahti, Finland, (read about it on my Attackpoint log!) I got myself on a plane to Budapest! This would be my first time in Hungary, and I was beyond excited. After a busy and beautiful day in Budapest, I made my way south to the town of Kecskemét... or the "Land of Golden Sand" as (some) of the locals might say. This was the hosting city of the 2018 Junior World Champs, and I was getting there early for a prep week or two. Anton (honorary Canadian) and I met up with a teammate, Michael, and some friends from South Africa for our official-pre-JWOC-training-camp at a cute little AirBnb that we shared. For the next week, our days consisted of lots of training in new terrain, naps, tacos and a TON of ice cream! I was nervous before coming here in terms of what the terrain was going to be like. From what I'd heard from others, it wasn't exactly a walk in the park out there. There were big, scary juniper bushes, and bran...

Hello all and welcome to my blog! I hope this blog brings you more info about my training and racing, but I also hope that it brings you some laughter, some insight, and a good ol' time. Enjoy! Here's a little bit about me: I have been racing as an elite member of the Canadian Orienteering Team for the past 4 years now, but I've been hooked on this sport since I was 8 years old. That's all thanks to my dad, who dragged me out to the first event many years ago. I've raced cross country ever since the days of pink velcro shoes in elementary school, and the occasional track meet too. I am currently studying Kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON. When I'm not studying, I love to hike, cycle, paddle, explore... I could go on and on. The bottom line is: Get me the heck outside! Just don't forget a camera! And of course, a map and a compass :)