3ROC News 15th February 2017

Well, the same committee were returned to serve you for another year at last Friday’s 3ROC Annual General Meeting: Emma McAuley (Hon. Treasurer), Ger Butler, John McCullough (Hon. Manager), Lindie Naughton and Nadya Dunne. A small crowd showed up for the meeting but we got the business done: reports on last year’s activities and finances, committee elections, constitutional amendments and the presentation of more than €1200 worth of support grants to 3ROC members who represented Ireland at international level last year – Aidan McCullough, Colm Moran, Eoin McCullough, Clodagh Moran, Eoin Riordan, Clíona McCullough and John McCullough. Well done everyone!

The meeting was followed on Saturday night by the final Dublin by Night event at Larch Hill, which attracted a good crowd despite the bad weather, although no 3ROC runners for some reason! Sunday then saw the first Leinster League event of the year, at Djouce, where Clodagh Moran took second on the Green course, Clara Kilper third on Light Green and Lindie Naughton second on the Red course.

All eyes turn north this week, as Lagan Valley organise three days of urban and sprint orienteering around the city of Armagh. Lots of international names on the start lists, including Yannick Michiels from Belgium and all the top UK sprint specialists, Will Gardner, Jonny Crickmore, Graham Gristwood and Murray Strain, with runners like Tim Robertson from New Zealand and Øystein Kraal Østerbø from Norway adding to the international flavour. The weekend kicks off with the Armagh 5 K road race on Thursday evening, which has attracted a number of the top orienteers, and continues with a night sprint on Friday, a pair of sprint races on Saturday with Qualification and Final, and an urban race on Sunday. Entries are closed for all of these except for Sunday’s urban race, but all in all it looks like a great weekend’s urban racing. All the home sprint talent will be out in force as well, with the CNOC trio of O’Boyles – Kevin, Niamh and Caoimhe – likely to feature prominently. On the 3ROC front we will be focusing on World University Team members Colm Moran and Eoin McCullough, and with our Clodagh Moran taking on Eadaoin McCavana (GEN) and Elin Martanova (CZE) in the W18 competition.

Back to Ulster the following weekend for Fingal’s Leinster League event at Virginia, Co. Cavan on Sunday 26th February – more details of that next week … and yes, we know that Cavan is in Ulster and it’s a Leinster League event, but the organising club is in Leinster so we’ll take it!

In the meantime, remember to renew your annual 3ROC membership, or if you’d like to join the club for the first time or rejoin after a gap a few years, you can do it easily on-line at Fabian 4  here.

See you in the forest, and remember to like our 3ROC Facebook page here and check it often.