Senior Home Internationals 2023 – Team Selection

Congratulation to all selected for the Senior Home international 2023.

Women:

Clodagh Moran

Aoife McCavana

Aoife O’Sullivan

Eadaoin McCavana

Sarah Knight

Men:

Eoghan Whelan

Liam Cotter

Aidan McCullough

George Savell

Laurence Quinn

Cillin Corbett

Colm Moran

Ruairi Short

We are wishing all athletes best of luck this weekend 9th/10th September at Merthyr Common South & Clydach Terrace, organised by SWOC, in Wales.

Orienteering Mapping Course

Orienteering Ireland is running a 4-week online course on Introduction to Mapping using OCAD software. The course is aimed at the those new to mapping. Over a progressive series of four weekly online workshops participants will learn to:

1. Complete an urban sprint orienteering map that complies to international standards.

2. Complete an orienteering map of a park / school grounds.

3. Georeference and make small updates to any orienteering map.

Starting on Monday 2nd October 2023, for four consecutive Mondays, each workshop will last two hours from 19:30 – 21:30, and will take place via Zoom.

Monday 2nd October

Monday 9th October

Monday 16th October

Monday 23th October

Each participant will be given a temporary OCAD licence for 6 weeks from the beginning of the course.

Prerequisite:

– OCAD is a Windows Software – you will need Windows 8, 10 or 11

– 100 MB of free disk space for the installation

– Basic knowledge of file handling

Note for MAC users OCAD is a Windows software. Additional software like Virtual PC, Parallels Desktop, VMWare Fusion or Bootcamp must be installed on the MAC to use OCAD. For more information, see the OCAD Wiki – OCAD on Mac OS X page.

The course is open to members of Orienteering Ireland and its clubs. You can register here.

Looking for helpers! – Be Active Festival

We have been invited by Sport Ireland to run an activity in the Sport Ireland Campus on Sunday 24-SEP-2023 as part of the Be Active Festival. Last year, 1,500 people attended the Orienteering stand at this festival and took part in a 30m x 30m maze. Final details for this year have not yet been confirmed but it is quite likely a similar layout as last year. 

We are looking for around 8 people to work for OI and help run the activity and the only requirement is that you are enthusiastic about orienteering! You would be involved in – getting people started on the maze, general crowd control, download, pack down, handing out leaflets, etc. Most likely 9am-4pm.

If you are interested in working at the festival please let me Mark know at markstephens@orienteering.ie, or if you have someone in mind who would suit this work then tell them to get in touch.

Keep in mind this will clash with the Fingal Newbridge Scatter Event.

Senior Squad Sprint Camp – Dublin – Recipe

“Team cook” : Josh O’Sullivan-Hourihan

Ingredients:

• Days: 4
• Maps: 9
• Controls: 162
• Average kms: 80km – 92km
• Helpers: 3
• Course Planners: 8, 6 internationals
• Photographers: 1
• Juniors: 2, 1 international
• Fun: to much to count

Day 1:

Day one saw 3 athletes on a training course designed by Anton from Sweden to kick off the training weekend. Great route choices kept the athletes thinking on their feet … pardon the pun.

Day 2:

Today the “cook” dished out a knock-out sprint simulation with different maps of different areas. It included correct time delays between qualification, quarter final, semi final and final. It was to mimic WOC sprint timing between knock-out events. Course Planner was Kevin O’Boyle for the quali and quarter final events who put a lot of thought into the planning with interesting route choices that encouraged great discussions.

The afternoon training block saw courses planned by one of Ukraine’s national team runners Olena for the semi final and final events. And boy were the stakes raised. Like in WOC and EOC races, the athletes had 20 seconds to look at route choices before the mass start.

Day 3:

After very intensive day 2 the team had a slightly “easier ” day. The morning saw a gaffled sprint interval training and the course at Dublin’s dockland was set this time by Warre, a Belgium national team runner.

The afternoon had the team training a line-O designed by Matthias, national team runner from Austria, before a fast sprint style training set by Kerstin, national team runner from Estonia.

Day 4:

And to finish the training camp, the team had two final task. At this point desert was served by the “cook” with a cherry on top. The team headed to Tempelbar & Grafton Quarter for another sprint style training and to leave everything “out there”. The course was set by Leo from Holper&Zapf course planning . The team delivered once again with some very fast foot speed.

And finally the afternoon was planned by the High Performance Manager Jens himself. This rounded up a very successful and first team sprint training.

Wrapping up:

My profound thanks goes to the “cook” for the training weekend Josh. The team piggy backed on his training, that he planned for himself.

I am also thankful to Donore Harriers to lend us their clubhouse for a team debrief and analysis evening. Josh is a member of that club and got permission.

I want to mention Ruairi ( currently injured ) who helped out and gave the team his insight on WOC this year, thank you. Not to forget Kevin, he not only planned courses but made himself available to train and support.

Finally, I can not wait to have many more of these trainings that are conceived & organised by other members of the senior squad.

Please help support our team and all the other internationals who planned and designed training for the team. It helps our national team to reach out and connect to other orienteering nations and their teams for future endeavours.

Jens | High Performance Manager | Orienteering Ireland

WOC starting July 12th

The Irish Team is ready and super excited to start WOC 2023 in Flims/Laax, Switzerland.
Last preparation were completed today.

A big “thank you” to Ruth who has become our Team Official last minute.

You can follow the senior squad almost live on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/irishorienteeringsquad/

You can find all the latest updates on WOC here .
And of course for some in-depth analysis why not pop over to world of O.

And finally, may I introduce the athletes. Good luck to you all and have fun out there.

Jens | High Performance Manager

Name: Clodagh Moran

Instagram: @clodaghmoran

Age: 23

Hometown: Dublin

Currently living: Leaving Gothenburg, going to Frankfurt

Club: @3rockorienteering
@goteborgmajornaok
@orienteeringucd

No. WOCs: 2

2023 events: Middle, Long

What do you think of the WOC terrain: Hardddd. So much detail, really fun but will be tricky

Favourite biscuit: Custard Creams

Orienteering strength: Open mountain

Favourite Map/Terrain: Sand dunes

Result most proud of: JK W10 Bronze

Favourite Irish mountain: Djouce

Name: Paul Pruzina

Instagram: @ppruzina

Age: 26

Hometown: Comber, Down

Currently living: travelling for the summer, moving to Cambridge in September

Club: LVO, @real_drongo, @ifklidingosok

No. WOCs: 2

2023 events: Middle, Relay

What do you think of the WOC terrain: Really nice terrains, lots of detail to make it tricky. Some fast running but other places to really slow down and get things right

Favourite biscuit: Digestive cream

Orienteering strength: All-rounder. Not the fastest or the best navigator, but pretty OK at both

Favourite Map/Terrain: Fontainebleau, France

Result most proud of: JK 2011 mini relay gold

Favourite Irish mountain: Sliabh Liag. Lovely mountain with fantastic cliffs and some nice scrambling if you’re up for it.

Name: Ruairi Short

Instagram: @ruairishort

Age: 34

Hometown: Blessington, Wicklow

Currently living: Dublin

Club(s): @cnocorienteers , @oklinne

No. WOCs: 8

2023 events: Middle, Relay

What do you think of the WOC terrain: Very interesting detailed areas which will provide some great technical courses. Thick enough forest in places too so having the confidence to push through it will be key.

Favourite biscuit: Mikado

Orienteering strength: Navigation

Favourite Map/Terrain: Lunsen, Uppsala, Sweden

Result most proud of: JHI 2007 M18 1st

Favourite Irish mountain: Diamond Hill, Connemara. Great childhood memories from climbing it many summers.

Name: Colm Moran

Instagram: @colmmemaybe_yo

Age: 30

Hometown: Dublin

Currently living: Edinburgh

Club: @3rockorienteering, @interlopersedinburgh

No. WOCs: 5

2023 events: Middle, Long, Relay

What do you think of the WOC terrain: A fascinating blend of vague hillside and intricate rock detail, fun.

Favourite biscuit: Fox’s Golden Crunch

Orienteering strength: contours – nothing else matters

Favourite Map/Terrain: Aveyron limestone (Les Bouzigasses)

Result most proud of: WUOC 2016 Beer Relay Gold

Favourite Irish mountain: Big Gun (An Gunna Mór)

News from the North: History of Orienteering (1998)

At the recent AGM of NI Orienteering, Chairman David Blair referred to a History of Orienteering document that had been in the possession of the late Noel Bogle.

This had been compiled in 1988 by Jason Kane, then the Chairman of Fermanagh Orienteers. The project is available at About Us>History of Orienteering 1998. Long standing members are likely to find their names, or even maiden names, whilst newer members will discover how the sport was run before the days of OCAD maps and online results.

Colin Henderson Trophy 2023 Awarded

Alan Gartside arrived at Lagan Valley Orienteer’s WEE Series event last August in fine fettle after his second hip replacement surgery. Having requested planners to return unused maps and bags for recycling a box of maps was awaiting him. The box contained maps of Dundrum, Woodburn and even JK 2011 maps, but lurking underneath was the Colin Henderson Trophy already engraved with the name of Alan Gartside.

It was of course announced at the recent NIOA AGM that Alan was to be the recipient of the 2023 Colin Henderson Trophy for services to NI Orienteering. Alan has done much for the sport over decades in many roles, but particularly since the advent of digital maps by checking and printing many thousands of competition maps. Even before that Alan has been compiling the NI Colour Series League and of course has introduced the niche discipline of Trail Orienteering, having been on the podium at the Trail Orienteering World Championships.

Well done Alan!

Orienteering Ireland Selection Announcement World Championships 2023, Flims & Laax Switzerland

Orienteering Ireland is delighted to announce the athletes selected to represent Ireland at the World Orienteering Championships (WOC) in Switzerland from the 11th-16th of July 2023.

Middle Distance

Ladies: Clodagh Moran

Men: Paul Pruzina,Colm Moran & Ruairi Short

Reserve: Laurence Quinn

Long Distance

Ladies: Clodagh Moran

Men: Colm Moran
Reserve: Paul Pruzina

Relay Men

Colm Moran, Ruairi Short, Paul Pruzina

Orienteering Ireland would like to wish all the athletes the very best of luck at the Championships.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the selectors for this years WOC.

Jens – High Performance Manager

WOC Test Races and Training Camp for Team Ireland

Our senior elite team will be heading to Switzerland this week for their final preparation and selection for WOC 2023!

And here is the team heading over:

• Zoë Tyner
• Clodagh Moran
• Cillin Corbett
• Seamus O’Boyle
• Laurence Quinn
• Colm Moran
• Ruairi Short
• Paul Pruzina

We will be on various training maps between May 31st and June 2nd in the Flims Laax region. The athletes will take part in three rounds of test races between June 3rd and June 6th.

To give you a taste of the Swiss training, check out the map for a middle distance :

There won’t be GPS tracking, however you can follow your favourite athlete through live results here : https://woc2023.app/live

For more information why don’t you head over to the WOC 2023 page for all information. https://woc2023.app/teams

Send your athlete good luck wishes on their social media channels, or on the Orienteering Ireland social media channels!

Good luck folks and enjoy, the weather promises to be great.

Jens Waechter is Orienteering Ireland’s new high performance manager

Congratulations Jens Waechter, Orienteering Ireland’s new High Performance Manager.

Whilst Jens is German by birth, he also describes himself as being Irish by choice.

He been involved in club and elite sport from a young age. From the age of 15 he became a junior sports coach & instructor at club level for both gymnastics and downhill skiing/snowboarding with his German club.

He was also in the German federal talent group for orienteering at the age of 10, progressing to the German federal junior squad aged 12, where he remained until he was 17, winning multiple regional and national titles.

Jens has developed a passion for human performance, and guided our Irish juniors to the Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) in 2022 through successfully coaching and training camps. 

Now Jens is very much looking forward to turning his focus and working with the Irish senior squad.

If you don’t see Jens orienteering, he may be planning his next ultra adventure either on foot or by bicycle.