3ROC Orienteering News 26th September 2018

Clarabeg last Sunday

We hope you all enjoyed your runs at sunny Clarabeg last Sunday for Leinster League 8. Despite the weather forecast in the days leading up to th event, a big change meant we had near perfect conditions for the competition. It was great to see people from Ulster and Munster coming as well as the locals, as it was most people’s last chance at a forest race in “real” O-terrain before the Veteran (this weekend) and Junior (the following weekend) Home Internationals. We even had runners from Latvia, visiting Ireland for the weekend.

CNOC’s Ruairi Short, back from Sweden, won the Brown course with clubmate Colm Hill second and WATO’s Neil Dobbs third, while Bishopstown M16 Liam Cotter won the Blue, with Niamh Corbett (CorkO) second and Kathryn Barr (UCDO) third. There was some discussion afterwards on the IOA Forum, sparked off by 3ROC’s Pat Flanagan, about events having suitably challenging courses for older competitors. You can read it here.

The results and Routegadget courses for the event are here. If you haven’t put in your route yet, please take a minute to do it either from GPS or with a mouse. So far none of the routes have run down the out of bounds track on the south east edge of the forest, but we know that some competitors took this illegal option. What part of the sign “OUT OF BOUNDS TO ORIENTEERS” on the gate at the top of the track did they not understand? Or did the purple XXXXX‘s marking a forbidden route on the map not ring any alarm bells? Disregarding these kinds of restrictions can cause access difficulties for future events.

Thanks to all the 3ROC helpers on the day and before: Organiser Kevin O’Kelly, Controller John Riordan, Planner John McCullough, control putter-outers and taker-inners; registration; data entry; parking; start; refreshments and all the other things that are necessary to make an event happen, not forgetting Pat Healy for the new LIDAR map.

This Sunday we have a choice in Leinster – the twin urban sprint in Carlow being run by Waterford Orienteers, or the final Fingal Scatter event at Malahide Castle. More details on the IOA Fixtures page here. More Malahide details here. More Carlow details here. All these sound like fun, but you can’t manage all three!

VHI Individual, Saturday

VHI Relay, Clydach, Sunday

Good luck to the VHI team travelling to Wales this weekend, with two 3ROC representatives, Mary O’Connell and John McCullough. The two areas being used are complex open ground with lots of contour detail and old quarries and mine-workings in south Wales: Pwll Du and Clydach Terrace, both areas which will be familiar to previous Home International teams. Good luck also to the Northern Ireland team travelling to the BOF Junior Inter-Regional Championships this weekend. For Celtic language scholars, Pwll Du = Black Pool, like our own “Dubh Linn”.

Last Monday saw the launch of 3ROC founding member Seán Rothery‘s latest book, “Here Come the Mountainy Men“, a memoir of his growing up on the slopes of Three Rock Mountain and his teenage and student years. The title came from a comment made by one of his teachers at Synge Street CBS when he and his brother arrived down from the hills into the city to their new school. Seán, now an M90, received the IOA’s “Spirit of Orienteering” award this year.  His book is published by Liffey Press at about €16. For anyone who lives, or grew up in, the Sandyford area, it makes interesting reading, particularly combined with Peter Pearson’s book “Between the Mountains and the Sea” and David Rowe’s book of drawings of buildings in that area.

Diary date: Friday 9th November – 3ROC course planning and event organisation workshop, Ballinteer St John’s GAA Club. More later …

Club gear: 3ROC O-suits, running jackets, hats etc are all available from Lindie Naughton, and we have SI cards for sale at  special price for members too. Join 3ROC here, it’s just a click away.

Event reminders

Northern Ireland Championships, Saturday 13th October, Pomeroy Forest, Co. Tyrone (North West OC). Entries on Fabian4. Details here. Entries close on 7th October.

Munster Championships, Blue Pool, Muckross, Co. Kerry, Sunday 21st October (Kerry Orienteers). Details now on IOA Forum here.

Connacht Championships, Woodville, Birr, Co. Offaly, Sunday 28th October (Western Eagles). Entries on Fabian 4. Details here.

The next 3ROC events are Phoenix Park on 14th October and Christmas Score event on Three Rock on 26th December.

Our neighbours in GEN are also running a League event on Three Rock on 7th October.

Don’t forget the 3ROC Facebook page for more news and information.

See you in the forest!