Silva Medal 2011
The Silva medal for 2011 has been won by Geoff Lawford (M55 - AO.A).  Geoff also won this award last year and in 1993.  He joins Maureen Ogilvie (1990, 2002, 2007) with three wins.  However, notwithstanding Geoff's wonderful performance, he trails Alex Tarr (1976, 1977, 1987, 2008) on 4 wins and the magnificent Ian Hassall (1987, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005) on 10 wins.  The Lawford/Bourne family have taken a recent stranglehold on the Silva Medal. Jenny won in 2009.  This year the family featured prominently:  Geoff won, and Jenny and Belinda tied for second with Robin Uphill. Families who have had two members as winners of this award in the past were: Tarr (Alex, Kathryn); Anderson/Enderby (Frank, Jenny).  The Saw family has had three family members win this award (Peter, Andrew, Kathy).
This year, the Silva Medal is based on points for participating and placing in the following events: Australian 3-Day (each day considered as a separate event); Australian Sprint, Middle and Long Distance Championships; and the Oceania Sprint, Middle and Long Distance Championships. Each orienteer who completes six of these events in M/W16 and above is eligible for the Silva Medal.  The maximum points available is 24.
OA Statistician, Darryl Erbacher, interviews Geoff Lawford, 2011 Silva Medal winner:
Darryl: Congratulations Geoff.
Geoff: Thanks.
D: A great performance, Geoff, 6 wins and 2 seconds from 8 starts, not to mention the distraction of setting for the Oceania Sprint.  Last year you said you tried to keep fit and race well.  Is it really that simple?
G: It is nice to win the Silva Medal, though of course again I know there are others who would be worthy winners who run down or are unable to attend all races. In principle it is as simple as keeping fit and racing well, but there is more detail. I still train both physically and mentally, for instance with long runs, hill runs, cross training (mostly on a bike), and technical training (on exercises that perhaps one or other family member organises). I enjoy these exercises so they are not difficult or tedious to do. Though of course my speed isn’t what it used to be and I have more aches and pains. Some family members would probably say that my clarity of thought has deteriorated too and that I never had speed anyway.
D: The Lawford/Bourne grip on the Medal is tightening. Jenny in 2009, you in 2010 and this year and Jenny and Belinda came in second.  Do the family members feed off each other?
G: I’d like to think that we encourage and support all family members regardless of their field of endeavour. Given that I have never headed another family it is hard to judge how different we are and whether we feed off each other. Consciously I don’t think we do, but as a minimum there are logistical advantages when many family members have the same recreation. As a parent of children with potential it is difficult to know when to advise or when to retire and let destiny take its course. I find it exciting that Belinda and Ian are better at some aspects of the sport than I was at their age and I try not to harp on where I think they’re tardy.
D: Speaking for a number of we older orienteers, I am amazed at your control of injuries.  How do you keep so well?
G: I have been lucky with injuries - I don’t know why. I have no major and few minor traumas and I hope that is how it stays. I cycle to ease the pounding of running and find bush-running/orienteering seems to ease any injury niggles. I eat reasonably well, don’t drink, don’t smoke, get plenty of sleep, don’t take physical risks (barely alive really). But perhaps ultimately it is just my parents I can thank.
D: There were some interesting performances at Yackandandah.  Did you have a different range of techniques for your fine win in this event?
G: I thought the course setter and mapper were generous with their advice. Like most people I took that advice but I think the difficulty is in the execution. It is hard to slow down, to walk, to stop and to check the map again when the race is on, the clock is ticking and other runners are passing. Maybe I was better disciplined at this than others. Or maybe the complexity of the terrain suited my orienteering strengths. I was happy with the result and know I felt relieved at the end because I hadn’t been so successful earlier in the week.
D:  Some readers will wonder how you did so well over a wide variety of terrains.  Do all good orienteers cope no matter what they come up against?
G: Good orienteers come in many colours. Speed, strength, map-reading, composure under pressure are all important skills. We each have a different skill-mix and races vary in the degree to which each skill is important. So the winner tends to vary a lot. I like to think that all winners are good orienteers, if only for a day. But maybe not all winners are able to succeed equally well in all terrains or races. As I mentioned last year, my strongest skill is my navigation and this tends to lead to consistency regardless of the terrain.
D:  Thanks for the advice, Geoff, and congratulations again.
1	M55	Geoff Lawford	AO.A	24
2	W17-20	Belinda Lawford	AO.A	23
2	W45/W50	Jenny Bourne	AO.A	23
2	W55	Robin Uphill	OH.S	23
5	M70/M75	Clive Pope	UG.Q	22
5	W75	Maureen Ogilvie	UR.N	22
5	M16	Ashley Nankervis	EV.T	22
5	W50	Anthea Feaver	LO.W	22
9	M50	Bernard Walker	WR.T	21
9	W45	Su Yan Tay	UG.Q	21
11	M21	Grant Bluett	AO.A	20
12	M65	Ross Barr	GO.N	20