Training Log Archive: Gswede

I strongly dislike the practice of exchanging US uniforms with the current design. It is okay when we have a new team uniform and you'd like to exchange the old one. But when many around the world have our shirt, it takes away most of the meaning from earning your spot on the US team, at least in my opinion.

Case in point:


That is a photo of a middle-aged Spanish orienteer wearing our uniform in a training session in Spain. I know this person and he is a good man, but that's not the point. The point is that the value of earning a US jersey is lost because there is such an obsession with exchanging jerseys. This is true when both orienteers in other countries wear our current uniform and Americans who have never been on a US team wear the jersey anyway.

There are times when I go to a national event in the US and it feels like half the participants are wearing the current US team jersey. I would personally like to see much more respect for our uniform and what it means. By all means, reach out to other countries' teams and try to make friends, but preserve the value of our team. Trade old jerseys or the affinity wear.

Checked out one of the Aston Mountain courses. Hiding the location until I've received all the submissions for the course contest.

As expected, it is rugged. Rocky ground, blueberry, steep slopes. Really tough terrain.