Juniors Race at Stormont

Our juniors took part in some cones and compass exercises before competing in a race at Stormont, Belfast.  Well done every one it was a tough race with a lot of fences to contend with!!

Ben finds an other use for the control!!

Cones and Map Setting Exercise

The Stormont Course

Training at Stormont

There will be basic map setting training available for juniors on Saturday at Stormont. This will include compass use so bring one along.  It will take place for 45 minutes prior to the start, so from 1045 to 1130. You can join in during that period when you like and the exercise will take 10 - 15 minutes to complete at the most.

Advanced Compass and Pacing Work - Barnett's Park

Our juniors took part in a training session at Barnett's Park with the aim of practicing compass and pacing skills in low visibility. Alison had developed a great 'mist course' in which all the detail had been removed from the map (as if in the mist) with only the detail inside the control circle visible.

This was tough training and really demonstrated the need to set an accurate bearing and know how far you had gone. It didn't help when you came across a large thicket in the way and had to work your way around and still keep on the right line. Speed, in this case, was not everything.

Everyone did very well and soon got the hand of things, with lots of useful lessons being taken on board. As many mistakes are made moving from the attack point to the control over the last 50 - 100 m good compass and pacing skills are very important even when the mist is not down. It wasn't only the juniors that had a go. Some adults took advantage of the chance to practice - not always successfully!

Irish Squad Success

Congratulations to those LVO members selected for the Irish Squad.

JWOC (in Bulgaria in July) 
Jack Millar Mark Stephens

EYOC (in Macedonia in June)
Frazer Howe (LVO)Paul Pruzina (LVO)
James Millar (LVO)

Good luck everyone!!

Irish Orienteering Championship

Round Tower at Glendalough Monastery

Well done everyone who took part in the Irish Orienteering Championships in Wicklow. The sprint race took part on Friday eventing in Maynooth and the Middle and Classic distance races took place near Glendalough.

The conditions on day 2 and 3 where extremely challenging to say the least. The visibility on the top of the mountain at the start was so poor you could hardly see the cars from the assembly tent less than 100 m away. It made for interesting orienteering on the open mountainside with visibility reduced to 30 m on day 2.

The view from the finish on day 2

Well done to the following LVO juniors who secured places on the championships. The results are out but here is a summary:

Frazer H: 2nd Sprints, 1st Middle Distance & Classic Distance

Paul P: 2nd Middle Distance & 2nd Classic Distance

James M: 3rd Middle Distance, 2nd Classic Distance

Rachel C: 3rd Middle Distance, 2nd Classic Distance

Andrew E: 2nd Classic Distance

Jill S: 2nd Classic Distance

Well done to everyone else who took part. Getting round was a challenge in itself.