The Rocket
| October, 2001 | Editor: Eoin Dunne | Newsletter No. 33 |
Business as usual!
It's been a long Summer and an even longer Spring since regular orienteering has taken place. However, the fixtures list is now completed and there's a long list of events to keep us going into 2002. As always, the first event was our "Come and try it" in the Phoenix Park which was very successful in attracting people who had never tried orienteering before. Many thanks to everyone who helped out, either at the event or by putting up notices about it. 3ROC will be running two more events during this year and as always, without the help of its members, the club cannot operate so please lend a hand if you can. The club events are as follows with start times from 11.00am to 1.00pm:
November 4th - Three Rock Wood, Ticknock, Co. Dublin - Leinster League
December 26th - Three Rock Wood - Christmas fun event
Murder at the 3ROC barbeque!
The annual 3ROC BBQ was held on the 29th June last on a beautiful sunny evening with only one passing shower to force us into cover (no, I don't mean GEN). To add to the occasion, Joss Lynam was celebrating his 40th birthday (again) so many happy returns Joss. Trying to come up with novelty games is always a challenge but this year we had prepared a murder mystery O-event. Each control contained a clue and you had to gather all the clues to establish who the murderer was. As a psychology test, it was interesting to see that all the men would run around collecting the clues before returning to the finish to sit down and deduce the answer. On the other hand, the ladies were thinking on their feet and returned with the answer ready. "It's too hard to think when you're running" lamented one unnamed M50+ to which the reply was "I thought that's what orienteering is about." After that, we tucked into burnt sausages and half-cooked chicken which somehow tastes wonderful when standing in a field with nothing else to hand. We finished off the evening with a map memory game which quickly descended into a "Battle of the sexes." The ladies won, the men cried foul and everyone agreed to differ. A most enjoyable evening and many thanks to Vera Murtagh for her help with the games.
Club shorts
I would like to offer our condolences to two members who have recently suffered bereavements. To Áine Ní Shúilleabháin, whose mother passed away and to Ger Power who recently lost her father, we offer our prayers and support. Also, we mourn the loss of Diana Large from GEN who died suddenly during the summer. As well as an orienteer, Diana was an accomplished photographer and her photos could capture nature in a way that few of us could match. May they all rest in peace. Amen!
The recent Come and Try it event in the Phoenix Park proved a great success for recruiting and so I would like to welcome the following new members to the club: the Kenny, Hawkes and Irvine Families and also, Joseph Houlihan, Fiachra Barrett, Josephine Hughes, Louisa O'Sullivan and last but not least, Micheál Breathnach. All of you are most welcome and we hope to see you at many more events.
Several 3ROC members enjoyed success at the recent Leinster Champs in Mullaghmeen. Well done to Sean Rothery (1st) M70L, Frank Martindale (2nd) M60L, Trina Cleary (1st) W55L, Claire Walsh (2nd) W55L, Justin May (2nd) M40L, Ronan Cleary (1st) M40S, Mary O'Connell (2nd) W35L.
This was followed up with even more victory and honour at the NI Champs in Florencecourt, Co. Fermanagh with kudos to Frank Martindale (2nd) M60L, Vera Murtagh (3rd) W60L, Nigel Campbell-Crawford (2nd) M55L, Harold White (3rd) M55L, Áine Ní Shúilleabháin (2nd) W50L.
There were many other people who did well but lack of space prevents me from mentioning them all so congratulations to each and every one of you.
Lastly, wholehearted congratulations to Gordon Elliott who tied the knot this summer. Gordon was last seen heading off on an ultra-exotic honeymoon so best wishes to the newly-weds.
New map of Three Rock Wood in progress!
Brendan McGrath, our Mapping Officer, is currently leading a team in an exercise to update the map of Three Rock Wood. Each member has been given a section of the map to check for accuracy. As anyone who visits Three Rock can attest to, there have been significant changes to the area since the current map was printed with new masts being erected and ongoing felling. However, other areas which were previously labelled "fight" have been thinned out and now offer some potential. It is hoped that a new map will be printed next year
If you want to find more, contact Brendan at brendanmcgrath@eircom.net or telephone (01) 295 5405
3ROC is now ON-LINE!
It had to happen sooner or later, that 3ROC would establish a permanent presence on the Internet. The site will be used to provide members with up-to-date information such as results and other details regarding events. Many thanks to our Webmaster, Gordon Elliott for putting it all together. Gordon would welcome any comments you might like to make on the site.
Training resumes (did it ever stop?)
Now that the evenings are drawing in, its time to dust down those runners and get back into, yes, that dreaded word, training! The usual times, the usual places. Now let's see more then the usual faces.
Tuesdays and Thursdays: Merrion Cricket Club, Anglesea Road, Ballsbridge from 6.30pm onwards.
Wednesday: Sion Hill gym, Mount Merrion Avenue (big gate just before lights for Cross Ave). Circuit training starting at 7.00pm.
Saturday: Killiney Hill, meet at the car park at 11.00am.
With all that choice, there's just no excuse for missing training. Thanks to Lindie Naughton for all the details and as ever, for all the coaching, even for the slowest of us.
No pain! No Rogaine!
The 4th Setanta Rogaine took place on 30th June/1st July and as usual, myself and Nadya were entered for what must have been the only orienteering endurance competition to be held this year. The event centre for this year was the Education Centre beside the Upper Lake in Glendalough and perhaps in an effort to persuade competitors to return during the night, the location of about a dozen controls would only be revealed between 4.00am and 8.00am and which could be found using the 3ROC map of Derrybawn. After some consideration, we decided to stay out to try and get the controls worth the most points which of course were the ones furthest away and it didn't seem to be worth the effort of returning hours before the end of the competition. The usual 3ROC suspects were to be seen including Ger Power and Hugh McLindon, each of whom had persuaded somebody of a more normal state of mind to do a 24-hour endurance test.
The event started at noon and having marked down our controls, planned our course, we moved off, heading for a crag at the edge of the forest east of Lugduff. Big Mistake #1! As we approached the crag, the mountains seemed to surround us and as we belatedly studied the map more closely, we realised that (a) those were 10m contours (b) the terrain was very dense and (c) the control was a miserly 200 points, the lowest possible. Having gone so far, we had to get it and then headed for Kirikee Mountain. Dense vegetation and lack of suitable drinking water proved to be added problems this year so we eventually staggered into Drumgoff gasping for water and envying the people relaxing over hot food and cold pints at the Glenmalure Inn. We had never even thought of bringing money but the bar staff kindly refilled our water bottles and we set off again, heading up Fananierin and going across to Croaghanmoira Mountain. We stopped for food and rest at Aghvannagh Bridge at midnight and looking around at faint beacons of light, fondly imagined that they belonged to fellow competitors. We got going again at 4.00am and soon realised that there was no straightforward route back to the finish. Many of the rides on the map had long since vanished and the only option was to follow tracks that worked their way laboriously down the mountains.
We arrived back in Drumgoff with one hour to finish and knowing it would be 12 miles by road, opted for the more direct route over Mullacor and through the forest tracks. Big Mistake #96! We ploughed our way through elephant grass on the "open" mountain only to find impenetrable forest on the other side. Each ride we tried petered out until we finally found one that brought us onto a proper track. By now we were totally exhausted and arrived back at the finish over 90 minutes late (thus ensuring automatic disqualification). It was a tough, tough Rogaine but like most things, you soon forget the hardships and start thinking of having another go. I'd like to thank Setanta for once again putting on this unique event and also well done to Hugh McLindon who was overall winner for the second year running and to Ger Power who won Ladies Veterans.
Eoin.