This Weeks Events

Two events this weekend a come and try it with Bishopstown at Tramore Valley park and also the continuation of the Maprun urban series with Waterford Orienteers.

Both the Sunday  events have courses for both beginners and experienced orienteers. The Thurles event will be using the phone app MaprunF, which needs to be downloaded before you set off. More details on how it works can be found here.

Newcomers are most welcome at both events. Be sure to dress for the outdoors as the weather has turned autumnal and there’ll be helpers to show you the ropes (from a safe distance)!

Orienteering is the perfect sport to try during these socially distant times as you can participate on your own or in your own family group. It’s perfect for runners, walkers or joggers. At all events there will be someone to give you some guidance.

Don’t forget to register online for all events! Details can be found on each of the fixtures.

If there isn’t an organised event near you then do try out our DIY courses around the country, details can be found here. Print out your own map and off you go!

Do share your photos on social media and tag!

Please keep an eye on social media for any changes to fixtures as our planners and controllers will be conforming to the ever changing government regulations.

FB :@Irish.orienteering    Twitter: @orienteering.IRE  Instagram: OrienteeringIreland

DATE	VENUE	COUNTY	EVENT TYPE	CLUB
October 2020
04	Thurles	Tipperary	SE Maprun series	Waterford
04	Tramore Valley Park	Cork	Cork Autumn league 5 & Family Day	Bishopstown
11	Union Wood	Sligo	Union Wood Series	Sligo
11	Coole Park	Galway	Come and Try It	Western Eagles
11	Dinish	Kerry	Kingdom League / ‘Come-and-try-it’	Kerry
Anytime	All over	Ireland	DIY orienteering	All clubs

See Facebook and twitter feeds for any last minute changes to events

FB :@Irish.orienteering    Twitter: @orienteering.IRE  Instagram: OrienteeringIreland

This Weeks Events

As our seasoned orienteers set off across Europe and beyond for their summer orienteering adventures Bishopstown Orienteering Club are holding the fort in Munster with a family Day in Ballincollig.

Summer league fun continues in both Cork and Dublin with new GEN planner Cliodhna, recently returned from her EYOC trip, planning a come and try it on the new Kilbogget map. It’s great to see our younger members volunteering in their clubs. There is so much to be learned from planning an event.

Don’t forget to share your pictures on instagram, facebook and twitter, spread the sport ‘orienteering’ into the wider community. It has so much to give at every level and every age.

If you have an orienteering story to tell, don’t forget to email comms@orienteering.ie and share the #LoveO

Summary

Details

Sun 7 Jul, Ballincollig Regional Park

Tue 9 Jul, Kilbogget Park

more information here

Tue 9 Jul, Moanbaun Wood

Check Club facebook and twitter feeds for any last minute changes to events.

Heritage Week Orienteering – a beginners guide

Orienteering, an Adventure Sport for All.

If you haven’t tried orienteering then this is the week to give it a go…. (although you’d be welcome at any other event too!)

During Heritage week we have a number of events at multiple locations. Some are urban events with controls in around the towns and parks, others in forests and parklands. All events will welcome newcomers and experienced alike. Some of the events will have specially themed courses just for Heritage Week.

What is orienteering? Orienteering is a competitive international sport that combines running with navigation. It is a timed race in which individual participants use a specially created, highly detailed, map to select routes and navigate through diverse terrain and visit control points in sequence. This might sound a little scary to a newcomer… don’t worry we have simple courses for beginners and help is always on hand to give you some guidance before you start out. There are some useful video guides to get you thinking beforehand if you’d like to do some homework first!

Why try Orienteering? Orienteering is suitable for everyone, individuals, families, young and old, serious fitness fanatics and those who would just like to stretch their legs and add a little more pzazz to their evening stroll. Orienteering is a sport where everyone can participate alongside experienced sportsmen, at the same event. How is this possible? Orienteering events have a number of courses of varying abilities in one location; allowing a more experienced orienteer to run a longer course with control markers positioned in more difficult locations and, by contrast, a shorter course with easier controls for beginners, families or children. Orienteering is also for all age groups, at competitive events there are age categories from aged under 10 to under 80!

Orienteering excercises the body and the mind simultaneously! Navigating around the map requires concentration, visualisation and observational skills whilst moving between control points. The moving could be a full speed, like our international athletes, or walking along at your own pace. It’s up to you. It goes without saying that being outside, often in a natural setting, also puts the mind in a better space.

Orienteering develops independance and independant thinking. Young children first start off with their family, a parent or older sibling guiding them, each with their own map, pointing out the different features as they are passed, a track junction, a tree or a pond for example. Usually parklands or simple forests with tracks are a good place to start. All of our Heritage Week venues are suitable. As the child progresses, the guide will participate less, but still accompany the child to ensure they do not stray too far off the intended route. Soon the child begins to follow the map themselves and the guide is no longer required. Over time the child progresses to different course levels and more tricky terrains as their ability improves.

Is Orienteering suitable for families? Yes families with small children might like to do a short course together. Families with older children could each do a seperate course of varying length, or could compete on the same course but start at staggered intervals (so you can’t follow each other!). It’s great fun to get back to the finish and see which different routes your family have taken and of course sibling rivalry can also be put to the test!

Is Orienteering suitable for a group? Why not use one of our events as a team builder and bring along your club for a training session with a twist? Scout groups, rugby or soccer teams & athletics clubs often use our events for a change of training scene. Please contact the host orienteering club in advance if you intend to bring a group to ensure there are sufficient maps prepared.

Why is there a time range for events? Orienteering is not like a match! As there a several courses run at the same event, participants start at intervals so they cannot follow each other (it’s not advisable anyway, they might have chosen a bad route!). So if the event says 11.00 am to 1.00pm starts, you can start your course anytime in that window, however there will also be a course close time. You must be off the course and registered as finished by the ‘course close’ time. If you’re a beginner it’s best to arrive nearer to the start time to ensure you have enough time to finish the course without pressure.

What do I need to bring? As a beginner you only need to bring yourself, dressed in comfortable clothing and footwear suitable for your chosen location and weather forecast! If you have a compass it might be useful, but not essential on a beginners course. Also some money, clubs charge varying amounts for their courses but there’s always a family rate and it won’t break the bank! If you would like to know the cost before you arrive please contact the club directly before the event to check their pricing structure, club links can be found next to each event below.

So what’s left to do? Well it’s Heritage Week so there are loads of events all over the country, check out the Heritage Week schedule and combine one of our events below with your day trip or just pop down after work to one of our evening events.

Come & Try it. 

All events are organised by club volunteers.

If you enjoyed your Heritage Week orienteering session and would like to try another event just check our fixtures page for an event near to you.