Orienteering News 7th March 2018
Well, it’s worth repeating how lucky we were with the snow, that we didn’t have any orienteering planned in Leinster last weekend, and that the Leinster Championships the week before took place in near-perfect conditions! Looking forward, the annual Junior fitness test/time trial in the Phoenix Park is on this Saturday, where juniors (and some ex-juniors) from all over the country come to test their O-shoes and their fitness on a demanding 1.2 km lap in the Furry Glen. The youngest do 1 lap and the oldest do 4 laps of tough course, muddy and slippery underfoot in places, with a stream-crossing and three significant hills, replicating real-life orienteering competition terrain. They don’t need a map as there are tapes out on the route and three SI stations to both confirm that they followed the route and record their lap and leg times. Juniors will assemble at 11.00 to familiarise themselves with the route and see what the underfoot conditions are like, with the first start at 12.00.
After this, they plan to have a talk from Swedish Elite Josefine Klintberg before going on courses in the Park, the M/W18’s getting practice with using 1:15,000 scale maps, with courses planned by Josh O’Sullivan-Hourihan. Looks like we’ll have to record the rugby (Ireland v Scotland kicks off at 2.15).
While on the subject of Juniors, you know that the 3ROC O-suits are available at reduced rates for juniors, and finally – entries for the Leinster Schools Championships at Djouce Woods on 21st March close on Thursday 8th March.
Sunday was expected to have the Irish Student Championships at the Munster League event at Muckross, Killarney, but a clash with the postponed Intervarsity Cross-Country Championships means that the Orienteering Champs have been put back to GEN’s Brockagh league event on 8th April, though the Muckross event is still going ahead.
Before that, of course, we have the CNOC league event at Oughaval, Stradbally, Co. Laois, on 25th March followed closely by the Jan Kjellstrom O-Festival (“the JK”) in Stafford and Cannock Chase at Easter. The usual 3ROC group are travelling to the JK, which is an important selection race for international teams, and has attracted an entry of more than 2500 for the four days: sprint, middle, long and relay.
Last week’s reference to the St Patrick’s Festival treasure hunt in Dublin may have been premature as there is still no mention of it on the festival website, so you’ll have to do your own!
Irish Championships entries are now open here. They should be great competitions, a sprint at Sligo Institute of Technology, individual events on the complex open moorland near Lough Eske in Donegal and a relay on the strip sand dunes of Finner Camp near Bundoran, all on the May Bank Holiday weekend, May 4-7.
Shamrock O-Ringen entries are also open, for the first weekend in June: See details here.
Reminder time: for 3ROC members – remember to contact the club if you are in line for a support grant from 3ROC if you were selected to represent Ireland in 2017. The cheques will be presented at the AGM in April.
Reminder time again – annual subscriptions are now due. You can pay online at Fabian4.co.uk here: 