Autumn League #5: Cork Showgrounds, Curraheen September 19th Results and Report

Another successful Autumn League drew to a close on Tuesday night at the Cork Showgrounds in Curraheen. We were delighted to conclude the league at a brand new orienteering destination. The Cork Showgrounds area was recently mapped by Liam O'Brien for the Cork School Orienteering Association. The students had been testing out the terrain during the day and on Tuesday evening it was our turn to experience this new map.

Many competitors arriving at the event remarked how they'd never orienteered in fields before. The Cork Showgrounds area is very open and is comprised of several large fields divided by roads, hedges, earth banks and a river so it is quite different to our regular forested areas. The openness meant there was no shelter from the elements at this event but thankfully the evening remained largely dry with just a few spells of light drizzle at times. This week we were delighted to welcome the local Ballinora scout group to the event. We hope you all enjoyed your orienteering adventure.

The Short course was a nice route around the terrain while the 5.2km Long course had competitors traverse the fields multiple times. The course began by taking participants across the river to the familiar Showgrounds barn and outhouses that are visible from the adjacent N40 dual carriageway. As commuters journey home on this busy road they may have spotted orienteers venturing around these prominent landmarks. From here there was a series of short control legs before some longer legs across the vast open fields. Initially identifying the gaps in the hedges was key to navigating in this area. 

The open terrain provided great visibility which meant fellow competitors were easy to identify in the distance and one could see where the latter part of the course would take you. The flat nature of the terrain meant the going was fast and this would have suited the faster runners in the field. Some folks managed to overtake their fellow competitors but for others the gap between them and their rivals simply widened as they progressed along the course. The faster runners stretching further and further ahead until they were merely a dot in the distance. Control 11 at the thicket in the marshy undergrowth proved the trickiest control on the night. Those that opted to take the shorter route here struggled a little as they scrambled through the marsh.

Well done to all who participated. Unfortunately a number of competitors (included some of our more experienced orienteers!) mispunched some of the controls in the maze. Full individual results with splits are available here.

Hugh thanks this week to Liam O'Brien and Cork Schools Orienteering Association for creating a new map, allowing us to use it for our event and planning create courses and a testing training event. Thanks also to Willie Fitzgerald, Dave O'Donovan and Brendan Wall for explaining the training exercise and getting folks started on the night. Thanks to Dan McDonnell and Sean Kelleher for handling registration. All funds raised at this event will go toward the Midleton CBS Calcutta Immersion Programme. Both Dan and Sean will be heading to Calcutta early next year as part of this program.