The Fredericton Foxes reigned supreme at the 1996 Falcon Cup held this year in Fundy National Park in New Brunswick, on the east coast of Canada. Five teams competed for the accolade, which the Fredericton Foxes won handily with a total of 29 points. The Falcons placed a distant second with 27 points followed by Fundy with 18 points and Nova Scotia with 12 points. Sweden finished a dismal last place with just 4 points.
Stag Starborn, spokesperson for the Fredericton Foxes Orienteering Club, was forthright in his team's triumph, "This event has finally proven Fredericton to be the international powerhouse of orienteering that we've long known it to be," he stated emphatically.
Regarding the competition at this year's event, he said, "We were surprised at the showing which the Falcons mustered, considering that they lack depth and are such an aging club. But the last place finish of Team Sweden finally reveals the bloated reputation which the Swedes still somehow enjoy in this sport." Starborn attributed his team's success to a rigid year-round training program, and resisting the temptation to "sit around drinking gin and playing chess on your back deck all summer, like many other so-called orienteering competitors".
Success does not come without sacrifice.