Volunteer organizer of groundbreaking North American Orienteering Championships earns stripes in competition as well

By Anil Jhalli

Sport volunteers don’t often get medals for their efforts, but it makes it much more likely when the volunteer also happens to be one of the top competitors in the sport.

That was the case for Jeff Teutsch, one of the lead organizers for Ottawa Orienteering at the Oct. 10-13 North American Orienteering Championships and also a silver medalist in the men’s middle distance race.

“The whole weekend, the whole experience was definitely a roller coaster ride for me,” reflects Teutsch, whose mother, Anne, served as meet director for the races held in Carp and Arnprior. “Even though I didn’t get enough prep time in for the races, I kept it together and walked away with a medal at least in one of the races.”

While Teutsch felt his overall performance throughout the event could have been better, his podium result was rewarding nonetheless considering all the non-athletic prep work that went into the event.

“It was hard to find that balance, because there was so much to get done, especially in the weeks leading up it,” recounts the 25-year-old Merivale High School and Carleton University grad. “I thought about trying to get someone else to step in and take over, but I had already done so much work and didn’t feel there was time to explain to someone how to do things.”

Hosting the competition for the first time since its inception in 1973 was an enormous undertaking the local club. Around 600 athletes from 11 countries took part in the event, which featured age-group and recreational classes alongside the elite competition.

Ottawa Orienteering’s Robbie Anderson earned the best local result, finishing as the top North American in the men’s long distance race to qualify for the 2015 World Championships in Scotland.

The 2014 event marked the first time the International Orienteering Federation sent a representative and officially sanctioned the North American Championships, which attracted a number of entrants from Europe, where sport enjoys its greatest following.

The Ottawa club has become recognized as a leader in promoting the sport on this side of the pond, with members occupying a good chunk of national team positions and some making noise on the global scene, including past World Junior Championships medalist Emily Kemp, who’s now based in France.

Teutsch plans on moving to Europe himself – location still to be determined – in the near future to further his studies in the business world and to witness first-hand the orienteering craze.

But he’s also committed to ensuring Ottawa Orienteering sees continued growth and sustainability before opening the next chapter of his life.

“We are a volunteer organization and I am really happy with what we have done,” Teutsch underlines. “We have lots of quality members who are working hard and want to continue growing. That’s what we all want. And if we can work together, introduce some new programs to some of the younger ages and get them interested, we can really strengthen this organization.”