Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Reduced FAMILY RATE of €10!

Please note that a special family rate of only €10 per family will apply to all BOC January orienteering events to encourage families to return to orienteering and participate in healthy activities, etc.

Click here for results of BOC Cork County League (Nov/Dec)

Sunday 2nd January 2011
CURRABINNY WOOD, off Carrigaline/Ringaskiddy road (W 791 621) 10 am to 1 pm Map Scale 1: 5 000 Cork Winter Brass Monkey League 1 & Family Day
Planner: SC

BLUE COURSE: 7.4 km, 435 m, 33 c (Two maps)
GREEN COURSE: 6.6 km, 410 m, 31 c (Two maps)
RED COURSE: 4.4 km, 280 m, 26 c
ORANGE COURSE: 3.8 km, 150 m, 13 c
YELLOW COURSE: 2.5 km, 110 m, 9 c

2012 IOC awarded to BOC: volunteers needed

The 2012 Irish Orienteering Championships have been awarded to BOC.

Saturday 5th May 2012 Middle Distance event in Co. Tipperary
Sunday 6th May 2012 Classic (Long) Distance in Dingle sanddunes
Monday 7th May 2012 Club Relays in Dingle sanddunes (or Curraghchase Forest Park in Co. Limerick)

We now need to establish three teams, one for each day (you may volunteer for one or two or all three teams).

For each of the days we need:
Mappers & assistant mappers (including GPS mapping of open moorlands), entries secretary for pre-entries, registration, course planner, event controller, event organisor, prizes & prizegiving, drinks station, map collection, accommodation, land usage permission, electronic punching system (SI) operators, controls out, controls collection, parking officials, pre-starts and starts, finish, results, relay starts, relay changeovers, Event PRO, sponsorship getters, equipment officer, signposting, liaison with local commumities, entries on the day (N/C), erection of stiles, marshals, general helpers, etc, etc, etc.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Route to Christmas - WorldofO


Jan Kocbach at World of O (http://www.worldofo.com/) is doing his "Route to Christmas" series again this year.

It is like an Advent Calendar of orienteering puzzles. Every day he uploads a snippet of a map from an Elite course from a recent race, and you must decide the route you would take between 2 controls. Then you can see the routes that some of the Elite runners took in that race. There is no analysis of the best route choice for each leg, but there is a comment section for people to discuss it amongst themselves. It also gives people a chance to see what sort of maps/routes are used for bigger events and for Elite courses. Hope you find it fun!
For your daily installment click here


Attention all Young Orienteers!

Are you aged between 19 and 23?? If so, then read below :)

Training Stay in Norway!!

Last year, Damien Renard, a French elite-runner, (ran World Championship in Tondheim/Norway earlier this year ) who lives in Kongsberg, took the initiative to start a project - with the purpose to invite young, foreign orienteers to stay in Kongsberg to learn how to manage Norwegian terrain and orienteering technique.
Kongsberg orienteering club want to continue this project in 2011. If you want to respond to this invitation, please do so before 15th of December. If you have any questions, you can contact: Jörg Luchsinger, luchs.kart@ebnett.no

In 2010 many orienteers from various countries were interested in joining Kongsberg Orienteering Lag (KOL) for a period, but those who got the opportunity were Julia Gross and Severin Howald from Switzerland, Ivan Sirakov from Bulgaria and Laura Vike from Latvia.
In addition to individual races and training camps in Scandinavia in early Spring, they also ran Tio-mila and Jukola for Kongsberg. We hope and believe that they had a good time in Kongsberg. Three of them will continue the relation to KOL in 2011, while Severin Howald is joining his brother in Tampereen Pyrintö, a big club in Finland.

Kongsberg orienteering club has decided to once again invite another 1-3 young foreign runners between the age of 19 to 23 years, to join the club and its activities in 2011, with a programme more or less like 2010.

In Kongsberg you will live with an orienteering family, without any costs for you. You have to pay your own travel-expenses to and from Norway/Kongsberg, and also some expenses connected to some of the activities (same terms as the other KOL-runners participating).

ABOUT KONGSBERG O-LAG
KOL is one of the most active clubs in Norway. Last year the club was 25 years old, but orienteering in Kongsberg has a much longer history, see http://kolhistorien.no

The youth group 12-16 years has about 30 members, juniors/young seniors 17- 25 years are about 15 members, where about 10 women and men are in the category “young elite runners”. Our best runner is 18 year old Ingjerd Myhre who has taken many national titles already, and is member of the Norwegian Junior national team. We also have some very talented 15/16 year old boys, who became juniors next year.

Numerous elder juniors and elite runners are studying in other places in Norway, far away from Kongsberg. Only 5 -6 of them are living in Kongsberg. That means that they meet most often at big competitions and training camps in addition to vacations. This is a challenging situation, but:
through well organised travel-arrangements and high quality training camps both in Norway and abroad, a fundament of long term friendship and a policy in the club saying that extra costs for joining KOL-recommended activities compared to traveling from Kongsberg are refunded
all of these have made it natural for a majority to continue the membership in KOL.

Besides, the opportunity to be inspired by foreign runners and exchanging friendships, orienteering experiences and skills with them, are extras which make the choice even easier.
It is important that new runners get assimilated in our active group ahead of the orienteering season. KOL will organise/participate in two or three training camps this winter and spring, details are not ready yet. You should attend some of these camps, the first one 17–22 March 2011 in Poland.

When the snow has vanished in spring, we have training races and organised trainings for different levels twice a week, Tuesday and Thursday. In addition, there are unlimited possibilities for individual trainings. Kongsberg is the place in Norway with the biggest variety of terrains, with about 200km2 mapped forests within walking or cycling distance from city centre. KOL has invested millions of Norwegian crowns in new maps the last ten years. Also next year we prepare 2 -3 new maps.

KOL had the following international relay results in 2010: Tiomila nr.60, Tvåmila nr.73, Jukola nr.68 and Venla nr.31. These results are not as good as expected, a part of the explanation could be that many KOL-runners were sick this year. They are now back, and with Damien Renard in the team, the ambitions are definitely to climb on the list in 2011.

COMPETITIONS IN KONGSBERG
In 1978, the World Championships were held in Kongsberg. Every year at Whitsun KOL organise a 3-Day’s Event with 1000 to 1500 participants. The income from these competitions is funding all our activities.

ABOUT KONGSBERG
Kongsberg has about 25.000 inhabitants and is a technological center in Norway. Some companies are world leading in subsea technology, military technology (cruise missiles), marine technology (monitoring harbors and oceans), jet engines, gasworks, car parts, information technology etc. Kongsberg is ca. 800km2 large and is placed ca 90km southwest of Oslo on the eastern edge of the Hardangervidda.

More information about KOL you will find at our web site: www.kolweb.no (Aktivitetska-
lender ,Juniorblog)

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED!
If you want to respond on this invitation, please do that before 15th of December. If you have any questions, you can contact: Jörg Luchsinger, luchs.kart@ebnett.no

On behalf of Kongsberg O-Lag
Jörg Luchsinger

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

WRE Utiel Spain‏ March 2011


My name is José Barberá and I am the contact person for WRE Utiel and official training camp. We have a lot possibilities for training the days before and the days after the competition UTIEL 2011.

I have some recommendations one for the week before the competition and recommendations for the week after the competition. It will depends on the days you will decide be here in Spain.

OFFICIAL TRAINING CAMP:
OPTION A: (40 €) per person (3 days)
- 2 sessions per day with sportident results every session (official trainings), all with flag control. days (9,10,11)of March

TRAINING CAMP AFTER COMPETITION:
OPTION B: (26 €) per person (3 days)
- 2 sessions per day. One session with sportident results and flag controls, and the other session the controls marked only with tapes and without sportident (11,14,15th) of March

OTHER TRAINING POSSIBILITIES:
Also the days 5,6,7 th of March your team can train in the same region (90 km to Utiel area) 40 km North from Valencia, (middle, sprint, mountain bike orienteering) also with sportident.
(OPTION B)

Accommodation Possibilities: villa near from Lliria for 10 persons (club) for days 5, 6, 7 th. 18 €/ per person day without breakfast, 21 €/ per person day with breakfast. We can offer another options for accommodation please ask us.

The day 8th. of March (free day) Visit Valencia. "Las Fallas" The main city festival (fireworks, fireart) and have a look around the city. We have orienteering city maps for your visits/trainings.

We can also recommend training at Alicante for the days 16,17 and 18 of March (180 km south Utiel and 180 km south Valencia) where JWOC 2002 was and where the WUOC 2012 will be. Guardamar, Cape Santa Pola, El Molar. All maps near from the beach!!

Also: Costa Calida WRE 19 and 20 of March.

We have 2 cabin/cottage for you; one with 24 persons and other with 40 persons at the Utiel competition area. Both with heating system and kitchen, you will need sleeping bags. No bedlinen available.

12 € per person and day without breakfast
15 € per person and day with breakfast

The competition days at UTIEL 2011 is compulsory. Bed and Breakfast for everyone.
The main international airports are: Valencia-Manises (60 km. to Utiel), Alicante-El Altet (180 km to Utiel), Madrid-Barajas (280 km.) connection by train (AVE) Madrid-Utiel 1h.20 min.
Best Regards,
José Barberá.

INTERNATIONAL ORIENTEERING TROPHY “CIUDAD DE UTIEL” Vth ORIENTEERING PRIZE “COMUNITAT VALENCIANA”
INFO: www.orientacionutiel.es

BE A PART OF ONE TO THE BEST COMPETITIONS ORGANIZED IN SPAIN!

ON MARCH 12TH 2011: LONG DISTANCE RACE VALID FOR THE INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT “WORLD RANKING EVENTS” – Prize for the first five athletes.
5TH ORIENTEERING PRIZE “COMUNITAT VALENCIANA” – Prize for the first 3 athletes
ON MARCH 13TH 2011: HALF DISTANCE RACEVALID FOR THE INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT “WORLD RANKING EVENTS” – Prize for the first five athletes.
5TH ORIENTEERING PRIZE “COMUNITAT VALENCIANA” – Prize for the first 3 athletes
Training race “Model Event”
Training areas
Cultural activities

GET TO KNOW AND ENJOY ALL THAT OUR REGION CAN OFFER – ITS NATURAL BEAUTY – ITS FOOD AND WINES, ITS CULTURALHERITAGE AND THE HOSPITALITY OF ITS PEOPLE. ¨WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU!

info@orien​tacionutiel​.es

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Next Munster League Event Sunday

Sunday 7th November will see a return to the Mahon Falls area of the Comeragh mountains. Courses will be relatively short to allow for the terrain. Whistles and cagoules may be required if weather is bad. Earliest start time will be 11 a.m

Brown course: 7.1 km, 200 metres climb
Blue course 6.1km, 160 metres
Green course 5.0km, 140 metres
Light Green course 4.3 km, 130 metres
Red/Orange course 3.2km, 100 metres
Yellow course 2.6.km, 70 metres

There will be a river crossing on the longer courses and a small climb along the road to the start for all courses to reduce the amount of climb on the courses overall.

The current Munster League table after 7 events can be seen here. Remember it is the best 5 out of 9 to score, with 2 events remaining.

Anybody bringing a group should indicate to WATO beforehand to ensure enough maps are provided.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Fast Track Instructor Training Course

BECOME AN ADVENTURE SPORTS INSTRUCTOR IN 20 WEEKS

Setanta Adventure Training have put a new course together called the "Fast Track Instructor Training Course". All the details are on their website at www.adventuretraining.ie, below is an outline of the course.

For those who wish to become an adventure sports instructor, getting the opportunity to learn and gathering the knowledge skills, the training and experience is a slow and frustrating process. Until now!

Now there’s a way to cut down the learning time, speed up the process and fast track your instructor training. During our intensive and exciting “Fast Track Instructor Training Course” you will receive National Governing Body Award training in kayaking, hill walking, rock climbing and adventure sports first aid.

Course Content
Mountain Skills Training - Mountaineering Ireland
Mountain Skills Assessment - Mountaineering Ireland
Mountain Leader Training - Mountaineering Ireland
Single Pitch Award Training - Mountaineering Ireland
Kayaking Instructor Training Level 2 - Canoeing Ireland
Rescue & Emergency Care Level 3 - REC Scotland

The course is 20 weeks long. Setanta Adventure Training intends to run 2 separate courses to meet the needs of perspective students. See Course Options below for start dates.

Price: €2100

Course Option 1
Weeks Dates Cost
20- 22nd November 2010 to 22nd April 2011
XMAS holidays: 20th December 2010 to 3rd January 2011 (inclusive)
€2,100

Course Option 2
20 28th February 2011 to 15th July 2011
€2,100

Orienteering Intervarsity Training Weekend 2010

Hi everyone!

In a few weeks time DUO will be hosting the College's Training Weekendon 20/21st November. The committee have already started getting preparations underway and hopefully it's all set up to be a memorable one!

Everyone will meet on Bull Island, in the Southern Carpark in time for training to begin at 12 noon, on Saturday 20th. A full day's training on these technical sanddunes will be planned from beginner to advanced. Please bring lunch with you as it will be late before we can head into town for food.

We'll all head out to a local pub (likely to be MacTurcaills) for a night of banterous fun with students from all around the country. The next day everyone will travel out to compete in the nearbyLeinster League event at the Vale of Clara. Here we can put our newly-learned skills to the test. This is a great opportunity to socialise with fellow student orienteers from around the country, so please do come along. It'll be a bitta craic. This once in a year-time opportunity costs just €10 each to cover expenses, so please reply if you're interested in coming along as we need to gage numbers in order to prepare maps.

Put the date in your diary!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Charity Event This Sunday

Message from IOA blog:
Escape from the Jazz this Sunday morning (Oct. 24th) and head to DoneraileForest Park (R603076) for the Fifth Annual Cliona Callanan Memorial Orienteering Event. Cliona was an accomplished junior orienteer and a member of BOC, CorkO & the Irish Junior Orienteering Team.
Why not come along with a picnic for a nice family day out in this historicsetting in over 300 acres of wonderful parkland.
All proceeds are in aid of the Cork Children's Leukaemia Association. Your support will be greatly appreciated.
There will be a choice of four courses on the day ranging from 9.5km to 2.1km, so suitable options for all the family.
Start times are between 10a.m. and 1p.m.
A newly revised map has been produced and SI punching will be used on the day

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Controllers Course

Message from IOA:

A one-day Controllers course is being held on Saturday 16 October at KilcoranLodge, near Cahir on the old Cork road.
It is being taken by Rogier Vanaken whotook a similar course in 2007. He has competed for Belgium at several WorldChampionship events, and now acts as their senior team Coach. He was appointedas an IOF Event Advisor in 1991 and has acted in that capacity at many IOFevents since then.

The course is designed for those who wish to become IOA Certified Event Controllers, and for those who wish to update their controlling skills andknowledge. It will cover all aspects of controlling, and practical exerciseswill take place in the neighbouring Glengarra Wood.

The subsidised cost of thecourse is E25, that includes the cost of lunch, light breakfast etc. The Lodge is offering an overnight rate of E55 should anyone wish to stay on the Friday orSaturday evenings. CorkO are staging an event in Glengarra Wood on the Sunday.

To book a place, you should send a cheque for E25 to Aine Joyce, IrishOrienteering Association, 2nd Floor, 13 Upper Baggot Street, Dublin 4, or you can e-mail her at osec@orienteering.ie
The course is limited to 20 participantsand places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Just to give forward notice, a Planning Workshop will be held on Saturday 4
December and details will be issued shortly.

Harold White
Controller of Technical Standards

Connacht Orienteering Championships 2010

Connacht Orienteering Championships 2010

General Information

Organisers: Galway Orienteers "The Western Eagles"
Date: Sunday 28th November 2010
Venue: Portumna Forest Park. OS Sheet 15 Galway-Offaly Grid Reference M 840 037
The event will be signposted from Portumna

Start Times: Start times will be from 11am to 1pm.
Map: The map scale is 1:10,000 with 2.5 metre contours.
Resurveyed in 2005 by Padraig Higgins, Revised 2010

Terrain: The area is mixed forest and park with a good network of roads, paths and tracks.
Classes: M/W10, 12,14,16,18,20,35,40,45,50,55,60,65,70 & 21L/S/N (Novice)
Organisers reserve the right to amalgamate classes where there are an insufficient number of entries.

Entries: Entries to Frank Ryan, St. Mary’s, Old Ballinfoyle, Galway
Early Fees: up to Fri 5th November 2010 Adults €12 (£10.00), Juniors (M/W 18-), Students €6 (£5.00) and M/W65+ €8(£6.68), Family €30 (£25.00)
Late Fees: up to Fri 19th November 2010 Adults €15 (£12.50), Juniors (M/W 18-), Students €7.50 (£6.25) and M/W65+ €10.0 (£8.35), Family €37.50 (£31.25)
Payment of Fees: Please note entries will not be accepted unless accompanied by entry fees or proof of payment to bank account. See details below
Cheques to be made payable to Galway Orienteers “The Western Eagles”
Competitors from Northern Ireland or UK may send sterling cheques as a guarantee
and pay in sterling or euros on arrival and get their cheque back

Bank Payments:
Account: Galway Orienteers “The Western Eagles”, C/O Frank Ryan, St. Mary’s, Ballinfoyle, Galway, Ireland.
Account Number: 28095-071.
Bank Name: Allied Irish Banks, Lynch’s Castle, Galway, Ireland.
IBAN: IE86 AIBK 9370 9628 0950 71
(BIC: AIBKIE2D)
Bank National Sort Code 93-70-96

Start List: Start list will be published on O groups
Electronic Punching: Remember to include your SI number on the entry form. SI cards can be hired at €2(£1.67) each and picked up at registration. Lost cards will be charged at €30 (£25.00) each.

Course Class Length Climb Controls
1 M21L 11.5k 70m 26
2 W21L, M35 8.9k 50m 19
3 M20, M40, M45 7.9k 30m 19
4 W20, W35, M18, M21S, M50 7.6k 30m 18
5 M55, M60, W40, W45 7.0k 25m 16
6 M16, W18 6.2k 30m 12
7 M65, M70, W21S, W50, W55 6.1k 20m 14
8 W60, W65 4.0k 15m 11
9 M14, W16, M21N 3.6k 10m 12
10 W14, W21N 3.4k 10m 11
11 M12, W12 3.0k 10m 8
12 M10, W10 2.4k 5m 7
13 M75, W70, W75 2.9k 10m 9


Orienteering is an adventure sport. All competitors take part at their own risk

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Istanbul 5-day 2010

Dear fellow orienteers!

IOG (Istanbul Orienteering Group) invites you to “Istanbul 5 daysOrienteering Event” which will be held in Istanbul, Turkey on 2-7November 2010. This is a multiday o-event taking place in two continents (Europe andAsia); in various parks, forests and even in the maze-style streets ofhuge and ancient Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.

On November 6, the day willbe a WRE (World Ranking Event) where many famous and professionalrunners will compete for.

IOG is organizing Istanbul 5 days since 2004 within a joyful-amateurbut hardworking team-spirit. Since the beginning, we are having a highlevel of participation from different countries. Last year, in 2009,1028 competitors from 32 different countries participated to the event and returned back their home (with their words) “I don’t regret asecond ;) Good organization and nice competitions.”

According to aparticipant, Jan Kocbach, “The Grand Bazar orienteering is one of thethings all orienteers should have on their“Must-have-once-in-a-lifetime list”(http://news.worldofo.com/2008/11/03/grand-bazar-orienteering-experience-in-istanbul/)

In our website http://www.ist5days.com/, you can find all the information about the event, accomodation possibilities in the centerof old town, transportation, participation fees and more... Bulletin 2 is already released and Bulletin 3 is on the way coming soon! You can also register online for the event in our website!

We are looking forward to see you in Istanbul and hope you willexperience a wonderful time and orienteering experience in one of theoldest and most beautiful city in the world!For more information : http://www.ist5days.com/

On behalf of Istanbul 5 days Organisation Committee and IOG,
Burç Aksoy
info@ist5days.com

Friday, August 13, 2010

Niamh and Nick come out on Top

Update from Ivan:

The Nick and Niamh fan clubs had plenty to cheer about in Grannasen ski-centre today. Ireland's two Long distance finalists had great runs in front of the thousands of spectators. Niamh came home in a fantastic 34th place in her race. She put all her Trondheim training to the good and ran a clean and strong race. Coming through the arena with a very tough last loop of 1.5km she was in good shape and continued hard right to the end finishing in style to the delight of all her supporters. A large Irish contingency were in Trondheim for the event.

The 9.9km womens race was won by the unstoppable Swiss runner Simone Niggli who captured her 17th World champs gold medal.


Then it was the men's turn. With Nick one of the earlier starters we could follow his progress through the forest with the excellent television and tracking coverage. Nick too had a strong race and performed admirably in what will surely be the first of many World champ finals for him, coming home in 39th position.

The home favorite Olav Lundanes was eventual mens winner, the 23 year olds first gold.

View full results here

David Healy runs in the middle distance final on Saturday and Sunday sees the excitement of the Relays – The Irish relay teams will be announced today – watch this space.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

WOC 2010

Things are really beginning to hot up in the Irish camp at WOC. Sunday saw Nick compete in the Sprint finals to finish a fantastic 41st position. Two other team members missed out on qualifying by the narrowest of margins.

Monday was the turn of David Healy to impress as he qualified comfortably in the Middle Distance.

Tuesday saw the stars shine bright again as all Irish runners pulled out their best performances for the Long Distance qualifiers. Once again, Nick stormed around the course to finish in 14th position, seeing him through to his second final this week. Perhaps the performance of the day came from Niamh O'Boyle who fought hard throughtout the course to make up for missing out on the Sprint Final by a mere 9 seconds, and finished in a remarkable 12th position. Niamh had over a minute to spare. Our second Irish lady also provided us with an amazing run. Ciara Largey ran strong and smoothly throughout the course and was disappointed to miss out by just 16 seconds. A bitter blow to be so close in a long distance discipline. However, 17th is a great result at this level.

Andrew Quin finished in 24th position in his heat, with an impressive time, while David finished in 26th. You can catch a re-play of their routes here.

Don't forget to tune on Saturday to see Dave run in the middle distance final and tomorrow to catch Nick and Niamh battle it out amongst the biggest names in the sport in the long distance.

This has to be the most successful WOC tour Ireland has ever had. The relays should be highly entertaining also - they take place on Sunday

Monday, August 9, 2010

Ireland Success at WOC

Nick once again did BOC and Ireland proud as he stormed through the Sprint Qualification at WOC in an impressive 10th position. He became Ireland's first WOC finalist since Andrew Quin in Denmark 2006. This is an incredible achievement for Nick, who is the youngest member of the WOC team. Both Niamh and Shea missed out on qualification by a matter of seconds, a bitter sweet feeling for both. Had they been drawn in different heats, both the O'Boyle's would have sailed into the final. Nick finished in 41st position in the Sprint Final held a couple of hours after the qualification.

Today see's Rosalind Hussey, David Healy, Neil Dobbs and Andrew Quin take part in the Middle Distance qualifications, with the long distance heats to take place tomorrow. The Irish Elite Team have started this year's WOC with such force that the next few days hold lots of excitement and anticipation for one of the best year's for Irish orienteering at this level.

Follow the team live and keep up-to-date with the action on the team's blog. Nick runs again in tomorrow.

Women’s team
Rosalind Hussey: Sprint, Middle and Relay
Susan Lambe: Sprint
Ciara Largey: Long and Relay
Niamh O’Boyle: Sprint, Long and Relay

Men’s team
Neil Dobbs: Middle
David Healy: Middle and Long
Shane Lynch: Sprint
Seamus O’Boyle: Sprint
Andrew Quin: Middle and Long
Nicolas Simonin: Sprint and Long

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

LUG Relay: Sat 21st Aug 2010

Message from Philip Brennan re Lug Relay this year

Many of you will remember this legendary mountain relay, in the days whenorienteers were happy to run for hours in the open mountains, confident thatthey could navigate successfully whatever the elements threw at them. We hadepic battles between the various clubs - Ajax, Curragh, 3Roc, with some amazingtimes recorded for each leg. It truly is a real mountain race where you arenavigating and route finding continuosly and if the cloud decends, then the funreally starts.

In IMRA we have been trying to revive this race for the past couple of years,albeit with limited success. The number of team entering is small and this yearwe are trying to broaden the appeal of the race and looking to get as many teamsas possible from the orienteering community. I would have thought that given therace's roots, we could raise at least one team from each orienteering club andindeed some of the larger clubs should easily be able to enter two teams, maybeeven more. I would like to appeal to all of you now to get in touch with yourclubmates, running partners and commit to entering this race.

Colm Hill has suggested that we should be able to get up to 20 teams to enterand I would be hoping for around this number.When we look at the success of the Wicklow Way Relay and see how easy it is to get 30 + teams with 8 runners oneach team, surely be to God we can entice 20 teams of 3 people to enter a race which I would consider to be a lot more challenging and rewarding than the WWR.

I realise that the date may clash with other events but unfortunately with somany events taking place it is very difficult to pick a date that suitseveryone. Entries are open now for the Lug Relay. Log onto the Events section of the IMRA website & have a look at the route. Decide upon a leg you would like to run and get a team together. With the super weather we are having at the moment - what better time to get out for a run & recce the route. Teams entering should email me at philip at pmbrennan dot ie. If you cannot get a team together but still want to run let me know and we will try & accomodate you.

Ed: If anyone in BOC is interested in competing and needs teammates, let me know (sharonlucey at gmail dot com) and we will try and get people into teams.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Nordic Tour: Stage Two Standings

Our clubmate Nick remains top of the Irish at the Nordic Tour after two stages. Hubmann takes a good lead after two stages, with a tight battle taking place between Weltzien and Muller for third place, with only a second seperating the pair. A similar dual is taking place between Seamus O'Boyle and David Healy in the Irish camp, with again a mere second between them.

1. Daniel Hubmann 53.46 (total time)
2. Audun Weltzien 55.10
3. Matthias Muller 55.11

59. Nick 66.04
63. Darren 70.26
65. Seamus 73.19
66. David 73.20
67. Ger 78.58

In the women's race, Niamh is putting up a strong and steady show, despite making a last minute decision to run in the second stage, after taking ill earlier in the tour. Niggli appears to be running away with the tour at this stage, but there is still another difficult stage to come.

1. Simone Niggli 51.29
2. Lena Eliasson 54.33
3. Maja Alam 55.33

Hope you all are keeping an eye on the live GPS tracking and web TV.

47. Niamh 69.24

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Nordic Tour Stage Two

Stage 2 Sweden
Stockholm - Gamla Stan, Tuesday 22nd June 2010

Nick came out on top of the Irish again today at the Nordic Tour Stage 2 in Sweden.

1. Matthias Muller 15.32
2. Jerker Lysell 15.33
3. Fabian Hertner 15.41
4. Daniel Hubmann 15.43

58. Nicholas Simonin (BOC) 17.45
64. Gerard Butler (3ROC) 18.38
67. Seamas O'Boyle (CNOC) 19.18
68. David Healy (GEN) 19.33
69. Darren Burke (CorkO) 19.49

Women's Qualification
1. Simone Niggli 14.58
2. Helena Jansson 15.35
3. Marianne Andersen 15.51
4. Lena Eliasson 15.56

44. Niamh O'Boyle (CNOC) 18.02

Unfortunately, non of the Irish team made it as far as the semi-finals but some strong runs were seen.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Update from Nordic Tour

Nicolas reports from Finland on Thursday race.
NORT Stage 1, Tuusula, Finland
"Today's race was in two parts, a middle distance for the first two thirds of the overall distance, followed by a map exchange where we changed to a sprint race for the last third of the course. All the men had early start times so we didn't have to spend too long inside a fenced army compound in quarantine, unlike Niamh, but it was a nice afternoon in Finland. First out was Gerard, followed by Seamus, Dave, Darren and then Nic. The start draw resulted in all the Irish men starting in close proximity to each other.
The actual start was not a pleasant experience as we had to wait on the start line for a minute with mosquitos attacking, with a tv camera pointed at us. There were cameras at a number of controls on the course, with pictures being shown in the finish arena, and a highlights show this evening on Finnish television, with other countries also likely to air the programme.
The middle distance course had one thing in common for most of the Irish lads (and many other nations), people left the 1st control in the wrong direction to 2! Everyone had GPS tracking so if you have time you can view this mistake as it happened and wonder what were they thinking! It was a long leg to 2, followed by two short legs before another long leg where the route choice was left or right of a big hill. After that we ended up in a very wet marsh before starting a butterfly with two loops. After 18 controls we dropped our Middle Map and picked up a Sprint Map, with different scale and different mapping standards to the middle.
The women's course was very similar to the men's course, minus a couple of controls. Niamh was 80% pleased with her race, while David was only 68.2% pleased with his overall race. This change in scale, from 1:10000 to 1:5000, didn't affect any of the Irish to a major degree. But we were surprised to be running across a supermarket car-park in the middle of the course. There was a possible route choice through an underground car-park but don't think we were allowed to do that (one of the women competitors may have done this though).
Overall the Irish team was pleased with how today's experimental format worked. We now have the Sprint Race experiment to look forward to on Tuesday in Stockholm. Over the weekend the team is heading to the Jukola Relay where we will be running for various teams".

Why Every Second Counts

Last weekend saw a change in the orienteering calender with the NIOC being held in June, rather than it's usual place in September/October. This year's event was held in the picturesque Tollymore Forest Park, on the edge of the Mourne Mountains. LVO marketed the event as a social weekend and there were plenty of activities to keep everyone entertained. One section of the campsite in Tollymore was reserved for orienteering and this area was used as the assembly and parking area as well.
A 2.3km walk to the start greeted everyone who were on courses 1-7. All those on the shorter courses started close to the assembly area along a forest road. Those on courses 1-3 went through the second starting area and had then a further 700m with 140m climb to go to their starting punch. The walk to the start brought us up through the park itself and gave us the opportunity to see what the forest had in store for us. I allowed plenty of time for the walk to the start, sensing that the final 700m would be pretty steep.
I wandered to the second starting area, taking my time, trying to take in some water and save my energy. Once I arrived at the second start I was told by Nigel that this was also where the third start was. Confusion. I asked the lady at the start where I should go and was told to wait at the second start for my time to be called and I would then proceed to the third start, and was given 15 minutes to complete this leg of my journey. There was a lot of mulling around the starting area as those on the higher courses questioned why we could not proceed further at our own pace and laughed at our over-estimations as to how long the walk would take. The LVO person with the bug spray at the start become a life saver!
Those starting at the second start (courses 4-7) remained in the forest areas, while those on courses 1-3 started on the open mountain. Once we got to the third start, there were two start punches and two different start kites. This split up the runners once more. Courses 2 and 3 started from a boulder and had only two controls in the open, while the M21L started at a stream and headed further out into the mountainside. This division in the starts made for a very interesting race. First of all, there were fewer people to be seen on the mountainside so there was less 'guiding' into controls and also people were able to concentrate on their own races. Secondly, there was no watching where people went from the starting area from all three starts as the starting kites were well positioned and the viewing limited. It also meant that from the officials point of view, more runners could be started in a smaller time frame, thereby making planning a little easier for the first one or two controls. It did mean that man power was stretched as three starts had to be manned.
The only issue I had was the walk between the starts. I was conscious of the time I had to make this climb and found my energy sapped by the time I started the course. This resulted in the pretty slow first two splits. Another reason I didn't delay too long at the starting area was my 'Susan Paranoia'. It all began two years in Portugal, at POM 2009. Myself and Susan Lambe (LVO) were both running W21L and I found myself starting just minutes in front of Susan at every day's event. Since then, we have come to realise that I will also be out of the starting blocks just before her, meaning that for the whole course, I am counting down the minutes I am losing and expecting to see her gain in on me. Saturday was no different. There was a 6-min gap between us so I knew I couldn't afford to wait around too long at the start. I did suffer the price for this on two occassions. The first was the lack of energy to get to number 1, the second, that I will get to later!
The course was pretty straight forward, which was a bit disappointing. My long voyage to the start was not rewarded with lots of open mountain controls and navigational tests. The first control was straight forward and involved very little route choice. The second control brought with it an incredibly long leg, but again the route choice was limited. From Number 1, you could see it was a case of down of this hill, over the wall and rivers and then straight up the mountain at the other side and the control was at the foot of a crag, a few metres from the top. Route choice involved going either left or right of the hill, or over the top. A large boulder was a useful guiding point into the control. After that, there was a long road run to number 3, bringing us back into the forest. By the time we were at Number 4, we were back along the same routes as those on the second start.
All courses were fast and the main route choices involved quick thinking on which network of paths to follow. However, the glorious sunshine and wonderful scenery made for a lovely run and noone could complain about the courses. I ran an ok race, made a couple of silly mistakes but nothing overly time costing. That was until the end. Susan Paranoia struck again. As it was, what I felt, a runner's course, I expected Susan to catch me at some point once we got back into the forest. I had lost serious pace going to number 2 and felt the time ticking by too quickly. The second last control was nestled in the forest, just beyond the corner of the camping/assembly area. There were tapes around the edge of the field so I followed those around, admittedly taking a slightly longer, indirect route. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of black and red as a blonde head sprinted through the field and into the forest. Susan! I had fallen at the last hurdle. I felt the energy drain from my body and the waft of defeat enter as I knew there was no way I could salvage back time on the last 400m of the course. I spluttered my way through 9 and 10 and gave a pitiful 'run' into the finish. I punched the Finish and accepted defeat to my worthy opponent. Looking around the finish area I wondered how Susan had vanished so fast and tried to calculate how fast she was or how slow I really was at the last few controls.
I headed back to my tent, content with my run and happy that I was able to run after the lack of sleep the night before. The bitter cold and howling wind that had kept me awake the night before being quickly forgotten once day broke and the temperatures rose with the birds. The campsite had hot showers to reward us all and our weary bones after our runs. It was after this reward that I was greeted with the realisation that I had in fact, NOT seen Susan and that all this paranoia had taken its toll on my race!
I wandered to the registration van and waited with others for the results to flash up. TWO SECONDS!! The words came out of my mouth as I heard someone to my right say 'Look, you won by just two seconds!' I had lost to Inga Ausekle-Salaka by two seconds! After much excited chat, I met with my other opponent from Luxembourg. There were only three of us in the race as Ciara Largey, FermO, had decided to run in the M21L to get more distance. A quick review of the splits showed that my valuable seconds had been snatched from me on the run in!! I learned a very valuable lesson this weekend - the race is NEVER over until the Finish is punched!! Never give up no matter who (or who you think) passes you out.
I headed off to Newcastle for a while before the BBQ, accidently missing the prize giving and my one chance to stand on a podium! LVO had one great set up this weekend!! As I run with FermO and BOC, as I have done since my W18 days, I claimed the title of NI Champion, though Inga won the race. Susan finished 18 seconds behind me, meaning that a mere 20 seconds seperated all three women in the 21L - perhaps a first in history of NIOC? The cup may eventually make its way down to Cork, though the result could have been much different, an extra second or two at each control could have changed the results for everyone and let's not forget that Ciara ran M21.
Results:
M21L
Steven Linton NWOC 71:32
Billy Reed LVO 82:46
Patrick Higgins LVO 83:12
Ivan Millar LVO 85:22
W21L
Inga Ausekle-Salaka LUXOC 71:04
Sharon Lucey FERMO 71:06
Susan Lambe LVO 71:24
The BBQ followed soon afterwards where a feast was laid on for a mere £5 per person, including dessert and seconds if one was bold enough to ask! A friendly and social atmosphere emerged from the assembly area and the sun shone high in the sky until the merriment ended. It was then time for those brave enough to tackle the Night Event to psyche themselves up once more. This consisted of courses of approx 2.6-3km in length with different gaffling so that the runners could be mass started. The mass start exited the carpark at 10.20 and the bouncing beams disappeared into the forest. In all, 43 competitors started this event in the twilight with most finishing in darkness. Six course variations of roughly similar length were used with the central portion having the controls arranged in a circle. Competitors joined and left the circle at different controls with every competitor's covering all legs of the circle. An enjoyable head-to-head battle was seen at the finish line as Jack and Eoin ended up racing the same course, meaning that it was impossible for one to shake the other off.
The top three results were:
Jack Millar 23.35
Eoin McCullough 23.38
Igor Stefko 25.39
The weekend also offered TempO, Sprint String Courses, LVO Club Championships Prize giving, Fun Day on Sunday and adult coaching sessions. This was an excellently run event and that is a credit to all those involved in LVO. To host such a variety of events in one weekend is a challenge to any club and LVO meet this with great success. Looking forward to the JK2011 already..........
Full results and RouteGadget can be found here.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Stage 1 Results

Well done to Nick who came out top of the Irish at today's race.

1 Daniel Hubmann 39:53
2 Audun Weltzien 40:03
3 Valentin Novikov 40:28
4 Baptiste Rollier40:33
5 Matthias Müller40:37

65 Nicolas Simonin 48:19
70 Darren Burke 50:37
73 David Healy 53:47
74 Seamus OBoyle 54:01
75 Gerard Butler 1:00:20

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Elite Squad head to Scandi

Six members of the Irish elite orienteering squad are heading for Finland on Thursday (17th June) as the first leg of the 2010 Nordic tour kicks off. This is part of the team's preparation for the World Championships in Trondheim, Norway, in August - the selection races will be in Norway in July. The Irish team of Niamh and Seamus O'Boyle, Gerard Butler, Darren Burke, David Healy and BOC's own Nicolas Simonin start the competition tomorrow.

The Nordic tour consists of three World Cup events held in Finland, Sweden and Norway throughout June. The runners fight in the first 2 competitions not only for prize money and glory, they can also get bonus seconds for the last stage which is a chasing start. They also have to run shoulder to shoulder in the knock-out-sprint in old town of Stockholm.

The programme for the event:

Stage 1: 17th June 2010 Tuusula, Finland Middle distance/sprint, combined
Stage 2: 22ndJune 2010 Stockholm, Sweden Sprint, Qualification and finals
Stage 3: 26th June 2010 Raufoss, Norway Middle distance, chasing start

How the stages are run:

Stage 1: The competition will be organised as a mix between middle distance and sprint. One part of the course will be of middle distance character and rules, while one part will be sprint character. There will be a map change with a change of scale and map standard. Bonus seconds will be given to the six best athletes after middle distance section: First 60 bonus seconds, second 45 sec., third 30 sec., fourth 20 sec., fifth 10 sec., sixth 5 sec. The bonus seconds will count for the overall Tour only.

Stage 2: The competition will consist of a sprint qualification of regular length and style. The 30 best athletes will qualify for the finals, which will be run in heats of 6 athletes/heat in quarter finals, semi finals and Final. All the heats will have mass start without forking with the best athletes advancing to the next round.


Stage 3: The competition will be a chasing start based on the overall results after two stages. The competition will have middle distance character and rules, but the courses will be 10-15 minutes longer than a regular middle distance.


You can follow the team's performances on the Nordic Tour website. There will also be live tracking of the events so you can support your team from afar! We also hope to have regular updates from the team members on the Irish blog. Best of luck to Nick and the team on the Tour and for all the team preparing for WOC.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

NIOC 2010 - Social Weekend

Hi all
Please read the info below on the upcoming NIOC, with a whole host of additional activities to suit all the family.
Location
The event will be based at Tollymore Forest Park, near Newcastle, Co Down. There may be a charge to enter the park.
Officials
Planner - Colin Henderson
Controller - Richard Williamson
Organiser - Wilson McAlister
Entries - Declan McGrellis
Map
Tollymore was originally intended to be used as one of the JK2011 venues and as such as complete resurvey of the area including Meelmore Moutain was commisioned from Stirling Surveys. This newly resurveyed 1:10,000 map will now be used to host NIOC 2010 instead.
Dogs
Dogs are allowed in the assembly area and also on the courses on a lead. Please be responsible for your dog's behaviour. Toilets Toilets are available near the assembly area.
Classes
All BOF classes including B, Short and Long where appropriate. Only standard long courses will be offered for all classes. A single M21s and W21s course will be available for anyone who wants to enter a shorter course. Anyone can enter the M/W21s course irrespective of their actual age. Some colour coded courses (light green, orange, yellow) will be available for entry on the day. It is also possible to pre-enter the colour coded courses. Courses may be amalgamated or withdrawn if there are insufficient numbers. Further details of provisional course lengths now available.
Electronic Punching Sport Ident will be used for the event. Remember to include your SI number on the entry form. SI cards can be hired for £1/adult and 50p/junior and picked up at registration. Start Times Starts will operate from 12:00 to 14:00. Results Results will be posted on this website.
TempO
Alan Gartside will be running a TempO event - similar to that at the IOC at the end of April. A great way to test your map reading skills while against the clock!
Camping
LVO are making a social weekend out of the NI Orienteering Championships and are encouraging people to stay over at the campsite on the Friday and Saturday night. LVO will be subsidising the cost of camping. The cost will be £4/adult/night and free for juniors who are accompanied by an adult. Camping tickets for adults should be pre-booked via the online entry system.
BBQ
LVO will be hosting a BBQ on the Saturday evening. Everyone is welcome to stay for food and socialising. The cost will be £5/adult and £3/junior. BBQ tickets should be pre-booked via the online entry system.
Night Event
There will be a night event on the Saturday evening.
Pacing and Bearing Event:
Part of the entertainment for the weekend will include a Pacing and Bearing Competition.
The idea is that anyone (independent of whether you are taking part in the foot orienteering competition or not) can take part in this challenge over the weekend. The entry fee will be will be £1 / entry and there will be a small prize awarded to the winner as declared on the Sunday afternoon.

Upon payment of your registration fee you will receive a small uniquely identified wooden peg. You will also be told a specific distance and bearing (same for all entrants). The challenge will be to use only a standard compass and your own skill to pace out the given distance and bearing from a fixed location on the campsite. You then place your wooden peg in the ground to mark your estimate. Simple !

The winner will be the owner of the peg closest to the correct location as deemed by the panel of judges on Sunday. The judges decision will be final.

Register from 1pm on Saturday and the winner will be declared at 1pm on Sunday.
Some simple rules:
no GPS devises allowed
no use of orienteering maps allowed
no mapping/sighting compasses allowed
Basically, fair play and good luck to all participants for this bit of additional fun.
Adult Coaching Sessions
Helen will be leading a number of adult coaching sessions on Sunday 20th June. The adult sessions will run from 11am – 1pm and will then be followed at 2pm by the junior fun day events.

The adult sessions will be a series (3 or 4) exercises to practice/learn skills at TD 4 & 5 level (Lt Green/Green +). These are coaching sessions not races, and you take part at your own pace and hopefully develop your skills. If you have a particular skill you would like to practice let Helen know and she will try to include it – no guarantees.
Contact Helen by sending an email to rdonioa@btinternet.com

Friday, April 30, 2010

Summer O-Hols

For those planning summer hols or those looking to take in some international orienteering over the next couple of months, see below:
See earlier post re the Irish 3-day in Donegal. Last day for cheaper entries is today!
International: (Info from Event Websites)
Lakes 5-day:
The North West Orienteering Association invites you to take part in a holiday week of quality orienteering in and around the English Lake District, home of some of the country's most dramatic scenery and finest orienteering areas. The overall competition will incorporate five individual regional events between Sunday 22nd and Friday 27th August 2010, with one rest day. The last day for early entries is also today.
The focus of the event will be the small town of Coniston at the north end of Coniston Water. Camping will be at the Coniston Hall campsite on the lake side and two of the events will be within a cycle ride.
Day 1 - Sunday 22 August 2010 - Swindale North
Situated at the north end of Haweswater - a reservoir supplying water to the city of Manchester - Swindale North is a fast and intricate open fell requiring accurate navigation at all times. The area has hosted a number of major orienteering events in the past.

Day 2 - Monday 23 August 2010 - Tarn Hows South & Guards Wood
This event is within walking distance of the camp site and the centre of Coniston. It consists of two areas of mixed complex woodland. The lake (Coniston Water) is on one side and there are views of The Old Man of Coniston mountain to the south west.

Day 3 - Tuesday 24 August 2010 - Harrop Tarn
Harrop Tarn is an intricate forest with an adjacent complex open fell situated on the west side of Thirlmere - another reservoir supplying water to the city of Manchester. The mapped area of fell includes a new extension which has not previously been used for orienteering. This area is generally highly detailed, with some wetter areas and expanses of mostly runnable heather. Across the reservoir there are views of Helvellyn, one of the highest mountains in the Lake District.

Rest day - Wednesday 25 August 2010
Wednesday is a rest day when you can enjoy the many outdoor and tourist attractions of the Lake District National Park.

Day 4 - Thursday 26 August 2010 - Caw
Caw is an area of very complex open fell, requiring careful navigation at all times. It is situated high above the valley on the Dunnerdale Fells and reaches over 500m at its highest point. The car park is a 9km cycle ride from the camp site.

Day 5 - Friday 27 August 2010 - Helsington Barrows
Helsington Barrows is a fast open limestone area with many rock features. The challenge will be to keep up the concentration whilst running hard.

The White Rose Event
The White Rose Multi Day Orienteering Event in North Yorkshire will directly follow the Lakes 5 event. It is based near Helmsley and will run from the 28th to the 30th August. It is 140km from Helsington Barrows to the White Rose campsite at Baxton’s Strip – 2 hours 25 minutes drive (courtesy of Google maps!). For more information visit the White rose website.
Tyrol 6-day:
There are a number of CorkO, BOC, WatO, AJAX and FIN orienteers heading to all or part of this event.
The hosting clubs Laufklub Kompass Innsbruck (Austria) and Terlaner Orientierungsläufer (Italy) warmly welcome you to the six days of North and South Tyrol 2010, a multiday orienteering competition in the heart of the Alps. The races are held in areas close to the border between Austria and Italy. While the first three stages are held in the South Tyrolean Dolomites (Italy), approximately 30 km from Bolzano/Bozen, the second half will take place in Wipptal valley in Northern Tyrol (Austria), not far from the olympic city of Innsbruck.
Both North and South Tyrol are famous all over the world for their outstanding beauty, where breathtaking mountains tower above the valleys. It is a paradise for every kind of outdoor activities both in summer and winter.
Events:
Saturday 26th JuneOpening and Prologue in Deutschnofen

Sunday 27th JuneStage 1 - Long distance at Karersee

Monday 28th JuneStage 2 - Middle distance at Karersee

Tuesday 29th JuneStage 3 - Long distance in Deutschnofen

Wednesday 30th JuneRest day, training possibilities and sightseeingEvening sprint race in Fulpmes (North Tyrol): Invitation sprint orienteering (PDF)

Thursday 1st JulyRest day, training possibilities and sightseeing

Friday 2nd JulyStage 4 - Long distance

Saturday 3rd July - WRE Stage 5 - Middle distance (valid as Austrian Cup)

Sunday 4th July - WRE Stage 6 - Long distance at Obernbergersee (valid as Austrian long distance Championships).
Baltic Cup 2010

21-24 May 2010

E1 –Friday 21. 05. 2010
E2 –Saturday 22. 05. 2010
E3 –Sunday 23. 05. 2010
E4 –Monday 24. 05. 2010

21-24 May 2010
Two-days, individual, ranking after two stages. 21.05 and 24.05 with classification after every
Wejherowski.

Scottish Champs 2010
Rannoch Forest: for more info see here
Entries for Seniors increase from £13 to £15 on the 1st May.Individual (World Ranking Event) - Saturday 29th MayRelays (Round of the UK Relay League) - Sunday 30th MayOnline Individual entries at oentriesOnline Relay entries at oentries

Trondheim Open
Sprint: Friday 11th of June
Arena Friday: Nissekollen, Nardo
Middle distance: Saturday 12th of June
Arena Saturday: Tømmerholt
Chasing start: Sunday 13th of June
Arena Saturday: Tømmerholt
Event Website. This is a good event in the lead up to WOC 2010
North American Orienteering Champs
Thu July 1 NAOC Model Event Cranbrook, BC
Thu July 1 Thomass Event Kimberley,
July 2 NAOC Middle (WRE) * Cranbrook,
Sat July 3 NAOC Long (WRE) * Cranbrook,
Sun July 4 NAOC Sprint (WRE) * Cranbrook,
July 5 - 6 Junior Training Camp Cranbrook,
July 5 - 6 IOF Event Advisors Clinic Kimberley,
Tue July 6 Sage Sprint Kamloops,
Wed July 7 Sage Middle Kamloops,
Following Week: Whistler Barebones event
Fri July 9 Long ** Whistler, BC
Sat July 10 Sprint ** Whistler, BC
Sun July 11 Middle (WRE) ** Whistler, BC
Mon July 12 Middle Whistler, BC
Tue July 13 Long Vancouver, BC
Wed July 14 Sprint Vancouver, BC
See event website for more info
O-Ringen
O-Ringen is the world's greatest orienteering event. It is held annually, during July, in a different location each year in Sweden. The competition, which started in 1965, was originally called the "5-Days". As the name suggests, it takes place over a five day period, with an individual race on each day.

Wednesday 21st July
O-Ringen town opens
O-Ringen Academy starts
Junior Camp in Knottebo starts
Veteran Camp in Annaboda starts

Friday 23rd July
Training race at Annaboda

Saturday 24th July
Opening ceremony and youth relay
at the city centre of Orebro.

Sunday 25th July
Day 1. Arena – Kilsbergen.
Long distance.

Monday 26th July
Day 2. Arena – Dovra sjoar.
Middle distance.

Tuesday 27th July
Day 3. Arena – Dovra sjoar.
Long distance.
Day 3 – Elite series.
Arena – Stadsparken. Sprint.

Wednesday 28th July
Activity day.

Thursday 29th July
Day 4. Arena – Kagelborg.
Long distance.

Friday 30th July
Day 5. Arena – Orebro University.
Long distance.
This is one event not to be missed!
WOC Tour 2010
Fancy running alongside the greatest orienteers in the world for one week?? 9-14th August
The WOC Tour 2010 is a 5-day public orienteering event organized by WOC 2010. All races will be held in the same terrain as the WOC. Challenging courses will be offered in relatively fast terrain typical for the area. In addition to the races, we will create a fantastic setting around the fight for the WOC medals. On the same days as events 2 and 3, Hovedløpet (Norway’s youth championship for 14-16 year old orienteerers) will be organized. Everybody will have the possibility to be a spectator at these races. Junior athletes will fight for Craft-cup points at events 1 and 3.
WOC 2010 starts with a spectacular Sprint Final in the centre of Trondheim on Sunday 8th August (afternoon). There will be entertainment and a general get together at the Town Square – not to be missed! Also be sure and cheer on your fellow Irish orienteers, who will be battling it out for hot places in the A and B finals. Final team selection is being made soon. Congrats and best of luck to BOC's Nick Simonin who received automatic selection after a fantastic weekend at the Irish Championships last weekend in Derry. (I hope to put up details of the live tracking from WOC closer to the time!)
This is only a sample of upcoming orienteering festivals. If anyone hears of any other events or is heading to any, let us know. Would love to see some reports from international events anyone will be heading to. I (Sharon) will be heading to the Tyrol event so will report back on that. All reports/articles greatly appreciated!!
I hope you will all try out the Norweigan style event in Farran Forest Park on Sunday. This is a map memory type event.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Irish 3-day 2010 Donegal

Organisers: Galway Orienteers “The Western Eagles” (WEGO)

Dates:
Day 1 Sat 5th June Starts 4-6pm
Day 2 Sun 6th June Starts 11am-1pm
Day 3 Mon 7th June Chasing Start 10am

Venue: East of Lough Eske, Co. Donegal Grid Ref. G 985 841 Signposted from N15 about 6k South West of Barnesmore Gap and about 4k from the roundabout East of Donegal Town

Parking:
The assembly area and parking for all three days is the local Community Centre and Sports Pitch across the road. Parking Fees are €5 for weekend. Please have coins and park as directed

Entries: Online entries

Fees Per Day:
Early Fees up to Fri 30th April: Adult (€12) Junior/Student (€6) Families (€30) Over 65 (€10)
Late Fees up to Fri 21st May: Adult (€15) Junior/Student (€7.50) Families (€37.50) Over 65 (€12)


Course Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
1 M21L 5.1k 250m 9.2k 365m 8.2k 370m
2 W21L M35, M20 4.2k 225m 8.5k 300m 7.6k 355m
3 M18, W20 M40/45 W35 3.9k 200m 7.2k 275m 6.3k 305m
4 M16, W18 M21S/50/55 W40/45 3.1k 140m 6.0k 240m 5.5k 280m
5 M60, W50 W55, W21S 2.8k 110m 5.2k 215m 4.9k 230m
6 M65/70/75, W16/60/65/70 2.6k 120m 3.2k 140m 3.5k 155m
7 M14, W14 2.0k 80m 1.9k 75m 2.3k 80m
8 M12, W12, M10, W10 1.9k 70m 1.9k 70m 2.3k 80m

Terrain: Open undulating moorland, with intricate contour detail and few tracks and paths. Ground cover varies from bare rock to low heather. Most of the re-entrants contain marsh with some uncrossable. All rock features are not mapped; the black line symbol without tags will be used for most crags. All rough open land is shown as 20% yellow.

Maps: Scale 1:10,000 with 5 Metre Contours, Size A4
Surveyed 2008 by Pat Healy, Curragh Naas Orienteering Club (CNOC) and Padraig Higgins, Midland Navigators (MNAV)

Start List: Published on O groups

Timing: Sportident electronic punching

Travel and Accommodation Information: here

BOC on Top at Irish Champs

The Irish Orienteering Championships took place at the weekend in Magilligan Strand in Co. Derry. A small number of BOC members travelled up to the three-day event.

Day One, Friday was a tempo and Sprint event around the Coleraine Campus of the University of Ulster. This was a fantastically fast and not to be under estimated event with attention to detail and speed the key to success here. Some upsets were seen in both the M and W 21E with some key performers mis punching. Not a kind mistake as this was to be a selection race for WOC 2010. The men's title was taken by our very own Nicholas Simonin who stormed home in a highly impressive time for the 2.3km course. The women's title was nabbed by LVO's Susan Lambe. Congrats to both on automatic selection for WOC.

Mens sprint:
1st Nicolas Simonin 15:35
2nd Seamus O'Boyle 16:03
3rd Bill Edwards 16:19

Womens sprint:
1st Susan Lambe 18:43
2nd Rosalind Hussey 19:07
3rd Ciara Largey 19:28

Saturday was the Classic Distance Irish Champs with perfect conditions allowing for some great runs on the day. The event was held in Magilligan Strand, where the NIOC and BOC events were held in previous years. The courses were fast and demanded full concentration. The dunes were highly runnable with good visibility, meaning that speed was the key to success once more. Course lengths for some courses were shorter than in previous years meaning the winning times were much faster than the usual 60mins estimate. Once more, Nick stormed home to an impressive victory, proving he was the man to beat at the weekend. CNOC's Niamh O'Boyle also ran an impressive race, finishing 8 mins ahead of her next rival.

1st Nicolas Simonin BOC 71:55
2nd Andrew Quin 3ROC 73:42
3rd Bill Edwards CorkO 75:40

Women's Elite:
1st Niamh O'Boyle CNOC 46:29
2nd Ciara Largey FermO 53:09
3rd Rosalind Hussey FermO 56:00

Other BOC results from the weekend were:
Classic:
4th M12 Zac O'Sullivan-Hourihan
4th M18 Josh O'Sullivan-Hourihan
6th M45L Paul O'Sullivan-Hourihan
7th W21E Sharon Lucey

Full results can be found here for all events. Full Sprint results are currently unavailable. The weekend was incredibly well organised and NWOC and LVO put on a great weekend, turning everyone's attentions to this time next year when JK2011 comes to Northern Ireland.

The next couple of months will have some more big events.
  • Leinster Champs are on in two weeks time in Carlingford, 15th May. Visit here to get yourself entered in the next couple of days.
  • Irish 3-day is on the June Bank Holiday, 5th - 7th June at Tamhan a Fhuile, Loch Eske, Co Donegal. Full details on the event on the WEGO website.
  • Northern Irish Orienteering Championships are this year being held in June, away from its usual spot in September/October. This will be held on 19th June (Sat) by LVO in Tollymore. Keep an eye out on the LVO website for further info on the event.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

IOA AGM 2010

The venue for the 2010 AGM is Limavady Recreation Club, close to Day 2 and Relays of the Irish Orienteering Championships. There will be food available and a bar. The Limavady Recreation Club is a Tennis and Bowling club, there are only 2 showers available but there are large changing rooms we can use. The schedule is;

5.30 pm Food
6.15 pm winners route/route gadget
6.30 pm AGM
7.30 pm IOA Annual Awards
7.40 pm JK 2011 Update
7.45 pm Juniors Quiz

Food will be Irish Stew with Fresh bread rolls and Apple Pie with Fresh Cream for dessert at a cost of stg£6.50 per head.

AGM Agenda:

1. Opening and Welcome
2. Apologies
3. Minutes of 2009 AGM
4. Chairman’s address
5. Officer’s reports
a. Treasurer
b. Mapping Registrar
c. Fixtures Secretary
d. Junior Affairs Officer
e. Orienteering Education
f. Development
g. High Performance
h. Communications
i. Technical
6. Motions (if any)
7. Nominations for election of officers
8. Election of Officers
9. Any other business

Please find all other info here

Thursday, April 8, 2010

JK Successes

BOC's Nicholas Simonin was among the top ten senior orienteers at the JK in Devon this Easter, finishing strongly in 7th place overall in M21E. The best Irish result of the event came from CNOC's Niamh O'Boyle, with a fantastic 4th place overall finish in the W21E.

A good number of BOC members headed to the event and some good results were seen. In the junior categories, Alex Simonin 23rd (M16), Zac O'Sullivan Hourihan 23rd (M12), Josh O'Sullivan-Hourihan 28th (M18) and Christine O'Donovan 12th in the W20.

In the M45 category there were three club mates competing against each other, with Paul O'Sullivan-Hourihan finishing strongly in 61st place ahead of John O'Donovan (85th) and Pat O'Donovan just a few minutes behind (88th). Pat Murphy was 108th in the M50L.

A full set of JK results can be found here. Don't forget next year's JK will be closer to home and is being run by the NIOA, so be sure and note it in your diaries. This is the largest orienteering event in the UK every year and attracts hundreds and hundreds of competitors from all over the UK, Ireland and Europe. Details on the JK 2011 can be found here. Anyone who was at this year's JK and wants to write a short report on the event, please feel free to send it on. Would be interesting to hear how people found the Classic distance on the sand dunes. Maps are available for most courses on Route Gadget. Day 3's map is available here.

And don't forget, last date for cheaper entries for the IOC is Monday!

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Irish Champs 2010

This year's Irish Orienteering Championships will be held on the North Coast with LVO hosting the Sprint Championships at the Coleraine Campus of the University of Ulster on day 1 (19.00 - 20.30) and NWOC hosting the Individual and Relays in an extended Magilligan Dunes on days 2 and 3.

The fast semi-urban campus of day one followed by the intricate dunes of day two, finishing off with a new high runability dune area for day three, should provide a orienteering weekend or varied quality racing.
For the individual champs, most of the courses will be confined to the central complex dune area. Runability varies considerably with fast paths and short grass in the many flat valleys with mixed going in the more intricate dunes and depressions. There are significant areas of sea buckthorn and burnet rose which are marked by a vegetation screen where they present a significant barrier to progress.
Course Classes Approx. Lengths
1 M21E 12.9
2 M21L 10.0
3 M35L 8.8
4 M40L 8.2
5 W21E, M45L 7.4
6 W21L, M20L, M18L, M21S, M50L 6.6
7 M55L, M35S, W35L 5.8
8 M16A, M40S, W40L, M60L 5.4
9 M45S,W45L 4.8
10 W21S, W20L, M20S, M18S, W18L, M50S, W50L, M65L 4.4
11 W35S, M55S, W55L, W40S, W16A, W60L, M60S, W65L, M70 3.7
12 W20S, W18S, W45S, W50S, M65S, W70, M75, M80 3.3
13 W55S, W60S, W65S, W75, W80 2.8
14 W16B,W14A 3.0
15 M14A, M16B, Lt. Green 3.7
16 M14B, W14B, M12A, W12A, Orange 2.5
17 M12B, W12B, M10A, W10A, Yellow 2.3
18 M10B,W10B 1.8
The last date for cheaper entries is April 12th and closing date for all entries is April 19th. Now is also the time to start thinking about relay teams.
Best of luck to all heading to the JK at the weekend!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Children's Officer Workshop

For those who have completed the Code of Ethics Workshop, you may be interested in attending the Children’s Officer course. The next workshop by Cork Sports Partnership is taking place in Ballincollig on 20th – 21st April (6.30pm-9.30pm)

The Club Children's Officer Workshop is a follow on from the 4 hour Basic Awareness course and expands on the material delivered in the Code of Ethics workshop. This information will support the Children’s Officer in the implementation of best practice in the club. It is available to those individuals who have completed the Code of Ethics and Good Practice in Children’s Sport course (at least 4-6 months previously).

If you are interested in taking part in the course please complete the attached form and send it back to us together with a payment of €20 per person. You may also download registration form from our website http://www.corksports.ie/index.cfm/page/children_sofficercourse

In addition please find below list of upcoming code of ethics courses. Additional information and registration forms may be downloaded from our website: http://www.corksports.ie/index.cfm/page/codeofethics2

If you have any questions in relation to the courses please feel free to contact me.

Best regards,
Natalia

Natalia Stróżyna
Office Administrator
Cork Local Sports Partnership Ltd, Yeats House, Barrack Square, Ballincollig, Co. Cork
Tel: 021-4665081 Fax: 021-4665090 web: www.corksports.ie

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Mars Refuel Fund 2010

This may be of interest to some of you:
Applications can be made online at www.marsrefuel.com offering support with anything from equipment costs, to improving training grounds and club houses. The fund is currently accepting applications.

This offer is not just available to team members. The fund will also give support to individuals raising money for charity through sporting activities. The Mars site will be updated regularly with the names of the people and clubs awarded each month. They will also be invited to post comments, pictures and videos of themselves as part of their application.
The fund is open to residents of, and clubs and organisations based in the UK and Republic of Ireland only. Applicants must be 12 years or over and only one application will be accepted per person, club or organisation.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

2010 Orienteering Intervarsity

Hi All,

The 2010 Orienteering Intervarsities Championships will be held on the 28th March in Emo Court, Emo, Co. Laois in conjunction with the Leinster Spring League event. For entry forms please contact here and entries are due by Wednesday 24th March. Entries are €10 per person and payments will be collected at registration on the day.

Directions
Registration will be at the carpark of Emo Court house, see ttp://pininthemap.com/ppa0db27ed180fe00bf. Follow signs from Emo village to Emo court house. Parking will be on the grass (courtesy of the OPW) please follow stewards directions for parking. The main car park is reserved for local users. Toilets and coffee shop facilities will be available.

Source: Laois County Council
Terrain
The coillte forest is 3sq km and the OPW park is 1sq km with the remainder being farmland and is out of bounds. The area is a mixed deciduous/coniferous forest with a good network of roads and tracks. The forest varies from fast run to walk and fight. Forest with bramble is shown solid green on the map. Forest runnable in one direction is shown green with white stripes showing the direction of run. The overall elevation for Emo demesne is 100m. It is generally flat with some gentle inclines. The terrain has several man made depressions and disused quarries. These used for the supply of stone for famine relief schemes. Old oak tree stumps still remain and are marked with a brown X on the map. Large distinctive trees are marked with the green circle on the map. The forest offers good route choice, decision making problems and challenging courses.

Course lengths
Men's A (Brown) 9 km 100m climb, map scale 1:10000 A4
Women's A (Blue) 8.5 km 90m climb, map scale 1:10000 A4
Men's B (Green) 6km 80m climb, map scale 1:10000 A4
Women's B (Light Green) 4.5 50 m climb, map scale 1:10000 A4
Men's/Women's C (Orange) 2.6 km 30m climb, map scale 1:7500 and text control descriptions

Please indicate your course on the entry form.

Start Times
Start times will be available from 11:00 -13:00, please give an indication of your desired start time on the entry form.

Prizes
There will be individual prizes for each of the six categories and a team prize for the winning Men's and Women's team. The Men's and Women's winning team will be taken as the team with the fastest combined time of three runners on the Men's A and Women's A courses.

Other Information
SportIdent Timing will be used, so bring your SI card if you own one and provide the SI number with your entry. SI cards will also be available to rent on the day.
Control Descriptions will be on the map and available at the start.Please show courtesy for other recreational users. Take care when crossing public tarmac roads and watch out for traffic.

The Irish Orienteering Students Association would like to acknowledge Curragh-Naas Orienteering Club for facilitating this event.
Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact. Please forward this email to any interested clubs/persons.

Kind Regards,
Kieran Beausang
IOSA

Monday, March 15, 2010

Achill Mountain Marathon

2010 will see the staging if the inaugural Achill Mountain Marathon. This mountain marathon will provide competitors with unforgettable memories of this fantastic island off the west coast of Ireland.

Achill Island is home to Five Blue Flag beaches, the highest sea cliffs in Europe, the lowest corrie lake in Ireland and some of the most rugged scenery anywhere in Europe. Participants can expect to encounter all this and more when you take part in this prestigious event.

Taking place over the weekend of 1st / 2nd of May 2010 this event will follow a traditional mountain marathon format in which participants (solo or teams of two) navigate their way around a two-day course on Achill Island, albeit with a few twists. The midway camp will be in the same location as the start location therefore removing the need to carry your tent, sleeping bag and food each day. Participants will however be required to carry mandatory kit each day and will be disqualified for failing to do so. At the overnight camp on the Saturday night there will be a marquee with hot food and traditional music.

Although the start location of the event is on Achill Island, the exact location of will be kept secret until a few days before the event date.

A range of courses are available across the weekend. For further details on the event and information on how to enter this event please log onto http://www.26extreme.com/ and click the link for the Achill Mountain Marathon or go to http://www.achillmountainmarathon.com/.

(Please be advised that the entry rate has been reduced to £50 for all entrants or £100 per team, though I am not sure if this is advertised on the website just yet. This was secured through enquiries by the Irish Orienteering Students Association on student entry rates. 26 extreme are the same group that runs the Mourne Marathon. Perhaps people who are interested and are looking to run in the 'Pairs' category could use the BOC email system to shout out for a suitable partner - Ed)

Friday, March 12, 2010

Munster League 3: WATO

Below is the message posted to the Irish orienteering e-groups by Andrew:
Waterford Orienteers will host the next round of the Munster League on Sunday14th March.The venue is Goirtin wood, Kilsheelan. This area was last mapped/surveyed in 1991 so major changes have occured since then. Club members have spent a lot of time since Christmas drawing on to OCAD and updating this map. The wood is the usual mix of runnable and not so runnable coniferous forest with the addition of some excellent swathes of deciduous trees on the northern side. These are marked with orange and white for Open with scattered trees. There areplenty of forestry roads which have been cut up a little by last weekends rally. There are many new extraction rides which may not be marked on the map.
Course lengths and climb will be posted tomorrow. I was ready to have maps printed when I took a final visit to the area yesterday. Coillte are currently felling on the southern edge which affected the Brown course. I am changing the courses to avoid this area.
Full Sport Ident will of course be used.
Start times between 10.30 and 1.
The event will be signposted from Kilsheelan bridge from the main Carrick to Clonmel road. Please notify me in advance if you are planning to bring a group.
Until the next message,
Andrew Cox
Watowaterfordorienteers.blogspot.com

World MTBO Championships

This years world MTBO champs are being held in Montalegre, Portugal from the 9th-18th of July. There are four disciplines decided at the World champs - sprint, middle, long and relay. More information about the event can be found here:http://mtbwoc2010.fpo.pt/
If there are any MTBO competitors out there who would like to be considered for selection to represent Ireland at the World champs in Portugal please get in touch with Ivan Millar: ivanmandymillar at aol.com before the 31st of March.