Hansueli Steinmann

WOC 2003: Hansueli Steinmann is the master of the terrain and the courses

"A good orienteering course includes a loop"

He was elite runner, assistant coach and head coach of the Swiss Orienteering Federation SOLV, but he also acted as course director and course setter: With that background, the 39-year old Hansueli Steinmann, the technical director of the WOC organization, is experienced and challenged at the same time.

"I like to give something to orienteers that they have fun with!" replies Hansueli Steinmann after being asked about the motivation for his work within the WOC organization. As if there were anything that he would have to return to the orienteers... With his yearlong engagements on various levels, the compensation for the time of the elite competitions as runner happened a long time ago. "The challenge, however, to take over an intriguing task does appeal to me very much."
Surprising terrain chambers

When the time will come for looking back to the WOC in Switzerland in fall of 2003, Steinmann would be particularly happy to get one specific reply: "The organization of fair competitions is paramount to me." One would be able to discuss about whether the absolute maximum of the orienteering-technical skills had been demanded. "The competitions are going to show a representative mix of the eastern types of terrain of Switzerland." When being asked to comment on the supposedly less demanding abilities with respect to map reading at the WOC in Switzerland, the civil engineer graduated from ETH has a clear opinion: An orienteering course becomes demanding whenever the technical requirements are in constant flow. Equally high difficulties are easier to master than many changes." It is exactly this aspect that might be well adoptable to the Swiss WOC areas. "What's more," says Steinmann, "a good orienteering course includes a loop. Many changes of the direction are the A and O! The runners will be surprised from the many different terrain chambers and the constantly changing vegetation in all of the WOC areas," Steinmann, who has already spent many hours in all the WOC areas, points out.

Course tests in summer 2002

Within the next few weeks the kickoff for the first mappings of all WOC areas is going to happen. The maps should be available by the end of 2001. Already, there exist first concepts for the courses. After the refinement and an overhaul in the year 2002 all the courses are going to be tested in summer 2002 by selected runners, and are adjusted afterwards where needed.

Hansueli Steinmann will do whatever it takes to guarantee fair competitions. With his additional education as a security engineer in the domain of job safety and a high level of experience on the job as well as in orienteering, the family father from Stäfa has also developed a sense for a safe technical schedule of the WOC courses: A large part of all possible foreseeable incidents and accidents have to be taken care of already in advance by means of technical and organizational measures, e.g. mapped alternate areas including courses, second timing etc. "Anything else can only be fixed in a short-term time frame and with experienced people."

A step forward with new forms of orienteering

Hansueli Steinmann is open towards the new forms of orienteering at world championships that are in discussion. "We shall not rigidly insist on the good old times in order to get better publicity. The WOC is the right platform where we can come up with new forms of competition that are more appealing to the spectators. However, the classic way of the orienteering competition shall certainly be kept alive as an element of hobby sport."

As hobby runner he also is going to be more active after the WOC. His four children, aged between three months and six years, will be, partly at least, ready for the first tries with map and compass together with dad.

Lukas Jenzer

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Posted: 2003-02-12 18:51:59