Map Memory Training

The squad finished this year's training off with a tough map memory session at Musgrave Park, all planned by Billy. We started with some star exercises during which you had to look at a small map showing a single control, work out a route, memorise that route and then run to the control and back.

Following this each junior had to complete three courses that required them to remember the legs as they went round the course. This was made even more difficult in that the control markers were small bits of paper and not the usual orienteering flag. This meant you had to really work hard to find the control site and not the flag. If you were a few meters away you would likely not see the control marker.

Next Junior Training Event

The next junior training event will be held at Musgrave Park on the 30 Nov and will concentrate on map memory skills. We will meet at 1.30 pm. Be sure not to miss out.

NI Champs

The NI Champs and a training session took place over the weekend 4/5 Oct. The champs races were held at Castle Saunderson with the assembly area at the Scout Centre in Cavan.  This is a great location with a mix of open land, runnable forest and more difficult close forest terrain. The LVO team had a great showing securing some excellent results with the awards being presented by WOC Silver Medallist Scott Fraser.

The races were followed by a session of sprint training and then, after dinner in the Scout Centre, an inspiring talk on achieving goals and performance excellence from Scott. Day two was a session in Florence Court, planned by Scott, in which we practiced techniques in the thicker forest terrain before completing a middle distance race.

Junior Inter Regional Championships Roundup

Over the weekend 27/28 Sep 14 a team of 11 NI juniors travelled to take part in the Junior Inter Regional Championships in Cumbria, England. Two adults, Alan Elwood and Steph Pruzina, accompanied the team. One member of the LVO squad, Rachel Collins, was unable to attend due to breaking her arm the night before departure. She was greatly missed, as she has been a stalwart of the LVO Junior Development Squad and is a talented athlete.  It also meant there was no NI female relay team, although the remaining females got to run in an ad hoc team.

The team met up at the ferry on Friday evening and travelled down to Finsthwaite where we stayed in a church hall.  The floor was a bit hard for some of us, who had thin roll mats, but luckily Steph had a blow up mattress and Alan a camp cot so they were fine. This was only but fair, as they had been forced to endure horrendous singing for nearly 5 hours on the trip down!  The next day, Saturday, got off to a bright start. After a brisk forest walk the team headed to the venue at Graythwaite Hall for the first races. This was very technical and physically demanding terrain with a mix of hill, open forest, thicker forest, marsh and crags. It was also a warm and sunny day making the running thirsty work. The team found it tough going on these races but to the credit of individuals the majority completed their courses with top placed finisher being Paul Pruzina who came 13^th in his race.

The second day saw us move to an area of open and complex sand dunes, known as Roanhead, to take part in the relay races. The weather was overcast but warm making it ideal for racing and watching alike.  Each relay team had a M/W16 who ran first followed by a M/W 14 and then finally a M/W18. The girls formed an ad hoc team with a girl from West Midlands who was also called Rachel and who had also broken her arm a while back and still had the support on. Spooky!! Once more it was tough racing for many of our team as they coped with the complex and confusing mapping of the dunes. Our top boys team of James Millar, Andrew Elwood and Paul Pruzina did very well coming a respectable 9^th out of 34 teams. Thankfully for Alan’s nerves the drive back was much quieter as everyone fell asleep for much of the journey. 

The NI JIRCs team included:

·      Paul Pruzina

·      Eoghan Knight

·      Andrew Elwood

·      Peter Reed

·      Conor McGuinness

·      Peter Meehan

·      Peter McClure

·      Gill Stephens

·      Frazer Howe

·      James Millar

·      Sophie Pruzina

JIRCs Team Members Get Practicing

Some members of the NI JIRCs team, Rachel, Peter and Andrew, along with Luke, took part in some training at Lady Dixon in preparation for the competition in the Lake District in England. This was a final opportunity to hone all the skills and techniques that we have been practicing all year prior to the tough races to come. Each junior was shadowed by a coach and had to be able to visualise the control sites, select the right technique for locating the site, work out the quickest route and have the precision to be able to pinpoint each control site on the ground as there were no kites in use. A testing training session in which everyone did very well (even the adults!!)

Junior Inter Regional Champs

The NI team of 12 for the JIRCs has been selected and will depart for the Lake District on the 26 Sep to take part on the 2 days of competition. Day one is a tricky corse in the technical terrain of forest, mountain side and crags near Ulverston. Day two will be no easier with races occurring in the sand dunes near Barrow on Furness. It is promising to be an adventure with nights spent on the floors of school and church halls thrown in. More information will follow plus a round up after the event.

EYOC 2014

A big congrats to the local juniors that took part in the European Youth Orienteering Championships in Macedonia in Jun representing Ireland. The results can be found at the link.  A great effort by Paul P, James M, Fazer H and Peter M in putting in some solid performances across all the days.