The Rocket
| September 2002 | Editor: Eoin Dunne | Newsletter No. 37 |
Back on the map again!
And so it begins (or began if you went to Ballinastoe Last week), a new season of orienteering. After the dismal summer we had, it seems almost fitting that this winter sport of ours should commence at a time of some unusually good weather. With a full programme of events to look forward to (check out the latest "The Irish Orienteer", issue #102 out now), it's definitely time to dust off those summer cobwebs, rummage around for your orienteering gear (hopefully washed since the last event) and head for the hills for the most interesting sport about. See you out there!
3ROC members are social climbers!
(Fun Hike - Don't miss it)
Ever find that while you go orienteering to appreciate some of the most beautiful parts of the country, you are usually too tired/lost/busy throwing up to actually be able to enjoy them. Well, with this in mind along with the need to have a bit of a social scene, 3ROC are organising a hill-walk in Glendalough on Sunday 27th October next with the emphasis firmly on enjoying the surroundings followed by a drink or two in the Glendalough Hotel. Bearing in mind that this is the first day of winter time, the walk will take approximately 3½ hours and will start from the car park beside the upper lake in Glendalough at 11.00am sharp. This car park is supervised and there is a ~3 entry fee per car. Walkers should have boots or strong shoes, warm clothes, whistle, waterproof jacket and trousers. A hat, scarf and gloves would be strongly recommended along with sufficient food and hot/cold drinks. For further information, contact Geraldine Ryan at 845 6106 or at gmryan@iol.ie
Upcoming 3ROC events
Quick! Get the calendar and note down the following dates, cancel all other engagements around that time because this is when the next series of 3ROC events will take place. As always, these events won't happen by themselves but will require the co-ordinated efforts of club members in seeing the event through so please help out. The organisers of the following events are listed below and would be delighted to hear from you. Remember, you still get to do your run and there's usually a reduced rate for helpers. The events are as follows:
| Date | Venue | Event format | Organiser |
| October 6th | Phoenix Park | National O-Day | Geraldine Ryan (845 6106/ gmryan@iol.ie ) |
| November 3rd | Three Rock Wood | Leinster League | Anne Ni Shuilleabhain (288 8873) |
| December 26th | Three Rock Wood | Xmas Score event | |
| February 15th | Phoenix Park | Night-O | |
| February 15th | Phoenix Park | Leinster League | |
| April 27th | Glendalough | Leinster League |
Club shorts
While a new Leinster League gets started, it would be remiss of me not to mention those 3ROC members who did well overall in last years results. These are as follows: Orange - Rory Neary (2nd) , Toni Butler (4th), Light Green - Michael Butler (4th), Blue - Brendan McGrath (4th), Brown - John McCullough (3rd).
The 5th Setanta Rogaine took place during the summer with plenty of the weather you would expect on a typical Irish summer (i.e. rain and more rain). However, this did not dampen the spirits of Hugh McLindon who took first place overall for the third year in a row. Meanwhile, Ger Power took first place for the second year running in the Women's category.
Nigel Campbell-Crawford and Harold White organised a series of bike rides during the summer which visited some great locations and even the weather was good. Unfortunately, hardly anyone turned up to join in so if you have ideas for social events then please pass them on to myself or any of the committee members.
While most of us have had our holidays and are settling back into the drudgery of work, Vera Murtagh is off in China on a whirlwind tour of some of the fabulous sights available there. Also due to depart east are Anne Ni Shuilleabhain and husband Eoghan. As Anne is organising the upcoming event on Three Rock Wood, can we expect to see the principles of fengshui applied? Certainly I could use some universal energy or qì to drag myself around the course these days.
Sunday October 6th is National Orienteering Day!
As mentioned elsewhere in the Rocket, Sunday October 6th is National Orienteering Day with a variety of "Come and Try it" events taking place around the country. The 3ROC event will take place in the Phoenix Park starting from the Papal Cross car-park from 11.00am to 1.00pm. This event is aimed exclusively at people who are new to orienteering so tell your friends and family about it and encourage them to come along. All they will need to bring are suitable outdoor clothes and a rainjacket just in case. As this is our big PR day, helpers will be needed to get beginners going in the right direction. Geraldine Ryan is Organiser and see above for her contact details.