Issue 46, April 1990 - Orienteering in Ireland

INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
FINNER, co. DONEGAL, 25.2.90
II windswept area of sand dunes in Co. Donegal. with heavy hail showers lashing in from
rhc Attantic: what a spot in February! Connacht certainly seem to pick the most testing weal her
for their big events, and Pinner Camp near BalJyshannon was no exception. The courses were
f:lirly short (the longest only 8.2km) but this was preferable, I think, to mere length for its
own sake. at the expense of orienteering.
Many entrants considered that in the long run it would pay them to shelter from the
weather in the stan tent. missing their stan time. to wait unti I the present shower was past.
and there was something to be said for this approach. Others braved the clements and found
that. once warmed up, it wasn't too bad, especially as for the second half of the course the wind
"'as at our backs.
It is a very good area in parts. with plenty of highish sand dunes, and docs present II
challenge particularly to those who nrc new 10 this type of terrain. After having run on areas
Iike this before you get to know just how much you can get away with in the speed versus care
equation so it isn't quite so intimidating.
II large turnout from the home province, Ulster, saw them taking the Interprovincial
trophy from holders Munster, with Leinsier runners up. Connueht trailed an unsurprising
f'o u rt h.
SMALL TEAMS
Could it be that the province hosting the event is almost guaranteed a win (with the
honourable exception of Connacht?). Very much in evidence was the fact that full teams were
110t fielded by any side: out of n possible team of 44. Ulster fielded 33. Lcinsrcr 31, Munster 17
nnd Connacht 3. The provinces, for whom the compcuuon is run. don't seem to be taking it too
seriousty. This is a pity, as it gives all classes a chance to represent their province, from the
under 12's (who in the previous days event weren't even considered compeutivc) to the over
50's. What other sport offers Ihis range?
1NTERESTING RESULTS
A quick look at the results raised a few questions, but the answers wi II depend on
whether teams were nominated in advance or whether it was simply the quickest runners
from each province that were counted. If the later is the case, can anyone explain how, for
instance, Heather Johnston didn't score 5 for Ulster as their second runner; how Peter Kernan
didn't score 4 for Leinstcr in M21A, and J.Hannell 3 for Munster, to name but a few? There may
he another day's work here!
TIMING
All unusual feature of the original results was the liming 10 tenths of a second, ill
complete contrast to the last event here two years ago when the results had to be thrown out
because of timing 'errors. In the M2111 class Brendan Delancy lind J.Hartnell both ran 66.14 bUI
were ranked in 7th and 8th place by virtue of a 0.1 second time difference in favour ul'
Delaney. According 10 the Rules, competitors are to be timed to the nearest whole elapsed
second or hundredth of a minute, depending on the clock in usc. We arc not entitled to time
them more accurately than that. Competitors finishing with the same time should be ranked
equally and listed in the order in which they started. Perhaps the series on the rules, just
started, is too late!
J.McCullough.
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lOA AGM REPORT
The 1990 Annual General Meeting of the Irish Orienteering Association was held at the
hall in lnchigeela, Co. Cork on a cold. windy evening on SI. Patricks Day when anybody with
any sense would be inside with a cosy fire and a good meal in prospect. The good souls who run
the lOA on our behalf were, however, siuing on hard chairs in a draughty, unheated hall.
dealing with the dull but necessary work of an AGM.
Once again the fireworks of previous years were absent. Where was the drama. the
gerrymandering, the Borgia-like political juggling we have sometimes seen to get the favoured
candidates elected? Apathy reigned supreme.
OFFICERS' REPORTS
The Officers' reports were given: Thanks to you all ...I0A now in House of Spon, .. Bill
Hallowes is the new AFAS Administrator ... the success of the Irish Championships last year was
due to a huge effort ... we must attract more sponsors .. .I0A Officers' job descriptions produccd
this year... new lOA publicity leaflet... IOA/LeinSler Schools' O-Association agreement
signed ... successful Ian McMillan Controllers/Planners course in Dublin lasr November ... onc
clay mapping seminar planned for this year ... good forested areas arc getting scarce ... shortage
of controllers .. .lOA Training Board qualifications outlined ... Irish orientcers helping gCI the
sport established abroad: Iraq, Philippines ... handicapped orlcntcers invited to Swedish S-Oay
for handicapped ... Veteran Home International next October ... the number of women involved in
the sport here is very good .. .I0A and BOF arc now firmly back in Europe as far as IOF arc
concerned .. .lOF Congress next Iuly in Cambridge ... Sprlnt-O likely in next World Chumps ill
Czechoslovakia in '91. ..events for disabled held at Cork and Mullingar ... access to terrain is
becoming more difficult worldwide: we should be able to prove that orienteering won't damage
our cnvironment ... fixtures lists were distributed to clubs and plans are afoot for next year and
the following four years ... elite juniors are required before we will have elite
seniors ... priorities arc (I) quantity, (2) quality.,; structured coaching and retention of junior
in the sport are needed ... M/WI0I11 classes non-cornpettrlvej.c.belpers wanted from cnch
province to coach ... publicity still an uphill struggle ... please get results and fixtures to PRO
immediately ...census shows 1900 members in 29 clubs ... WEO. FIN, GEN, SET, LKO and WATO didn't
return their census forms ... two new clubs FUCCO and COMADO ... WATO growth of 120% Inst
year ...I0A income was £16274 and expenditure £16092, un excess of income over expenditure of'
£ 182, which gives a bank balance of £2677 in all.
SLIGHT SPARKLE
The only blt of sparkle came in during the motions for consideration and Constitutional
amendments. A series of amendments to the Constitution had been proposed by the Executive to
include a Coaching Officer on the lOA (once there had been a Coaching Officer, then it became
Coaching and Development, then Development), to set up a National Finance sub-commiuce and
a National Coaching sub-committee, to make the lOA Chairman ex-officio an officer of the FIOA
and to bring the composition of regional (provincial) councils more into line with the lOA
Executive's own make-up. Then it was realised that the amendments referred not to the existing
lOA constitution but to a redrafted version which nobody except the Executive had seen. This
redrafted version was adopted by the meeting, sight unseen, and then the amendments were all
accepted. What a display of trust in the lOA!
NON-COMPETITIVE JUNIORS?
Two rather more controversial mailers arose then: lOA Junior Affairs Officer Bernard
Creedon proposed that the Rules be changed to make M and W 10 and 11 classes non-competitive
in Championship events, that all finishers would be listed in the results in some order other
than by time. and tbat they would all be presented with certificates or tokens of some sort. At
other events certs or tokens need not be presented. This motion was carried but will bc subject
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