Ajax Orienteering & Hill Running Club

......latest update from Martin Flynn...

Denis, John & I travelled to Curracloe twice to design courses & control sites.  There are to be 3 permanent courses - Short is about White standard and I think worked out at about 2k.  The Medium is "off the paths" standard and about 3k.  The Long is as technical as we could make it and is about 4.5k.

We are using the Northmost section of the forest - all that will fit on the length of an A4 sheet.  Anyone familiar with Curracloe will know that it is very narrow, especially at the north end.  Unfortunately, much of the forest is completely overgrown and unusable.  The Western half is impenetrable, the middle section is unpleasant and the Eastern side is beautiful.  This impacted greatly on the courses and kept the Long about 1k shorter than we had hoped.

The stakes have been ordered and a contractor had been lined up for the start of December.  I was in contact with the coordinator from Coillte to try to arrange for one of us to be present when the stakes were installed - to make sure they are in the correct locations.  Unfortunately, there were some delays on their side and she was to get back to me but I haven't heard anything since so I am not sure of the current status.

Martin

.....summary on the AGM and permanent course in Curracloe by Aongus O'Cleirigh...

Permanent orienteering course for Curracloe…
Ajax members Denis Reidy, John Delacy and Martin Flynn are working with Coillte to setup a permanent orienteering course in Curracloe, Co. Wexford.  This was the venue of the 1981 Irish Orienteering Championships individual (classic) race.  The terrain consists of forested sand-dunes in a narrow strip along the coast. There are three courses planned  – an easy 2k course on paths, an off-path course of 3k, and a more difficult 4.5k course.  The mapped area is the Northern part of the original Curracloe map and fits on an A4 sheet.  (See map extract).  Sadly, over the years some of the terrain has become overgrown and is now impenetrable.

Ajax set to host IOC 2011…
30 years after organizing its first Irish Orienteering Championships in Curracloe and Camolin, Ajax will host IOC 2011.  The racing venues will be the Glendoo ridge and Carrickshouk.  Surveying (primarily by Pat Healy) has been progressing steadily.  Event officials who have volunteered to date are Denis Reidy - overall event coordinator, Aonghus O'Cleirigh - planner classic course, Marcus Geoghegan - planner relay and Paul Smyth - planner short/sprint course.

Main organizers of upcoming events…
Vale of Clara – Marcus Geoghegan, Denis Reidy, Mike Long.  (already successfully held, where the new club SI equipment and refreshment tent received their first competitive outing).
Bushy Park NightO – Mike Long, Peter Kernan, John Delacy.
Bull Island – Andrew McCarthy, Paul Smyth, Aonghus O’Cleirigh.

Other club matters…
The club is still solvent, but we need more members (or at least members who pay their subscriptions.)  Membership is €25 for Adult or family and €10 for Junior.
Two new maps were completed this year – Rathfarnham, Bull Island North; three maps
were revised – Vale of Clara, Killiney Hill, Curracloe.  Other maps including those for IOC 2011 are in the pipeline.

Congratulations to Cian O'Reilly who competed for Ireland at the World Orienteering Championships this year in Hungary in the Trail-O discipline.

Ajax may yet get a new club jacket for its members.

Current members of the Ajax committee…
Chairman: Denis Reidy
Treasurer: Donal Wickham
Mapping Officer: Aonghus O'Cleirigh
Children's Officer: Mike Long
Equipment Officer: John DeLacy
Web Master: Peter Kernan