Those prepared to travel for their orienteering had to make a choice last weekend – either the Irish Champs near Coleraine, or the Scottish Champs at Carnoustie. But whichever you chose you couldn’t avoid the sand dunes.
Keith and Christine took the Irish option and had a hectic, but very successful time. Only there for three nights, they managed seven medals between them over four events with Keith winning gold in M65 at both the Middle and Long Distance events.
Those going to Scotland had a less hectic schedule, with just a Long and a Relay both at the Barry Buddon military training area. There was no firing on the day, but competitors reported finding bullets and setting off flares. The shorter courses made the most of the complex dunes and required non-stop concentration. The longer courses had a mixture of long legs across relatively featureless areas and short legs through the detailed sections – the key to success was adjusting your speed and technique appropriately.
The only gold (actually an eco-friendly wood) medal in Scotland went to Stella who won W70. To be eligible for the title “Scottish Champion” you need to live or be born in Scotland or to have a parent born in Scotland. Andy meets the criteria and was thus crowned Scottish M70 champion. Stephen won an excellent bronze in M75.
The relay classes are based on a handicapping system with each class getting a different points value. BL had 2.33333 teams, and the “at least 20 points” team of John, Dan and Karen came second. Karen set off with a 3 minute lead on the last leg, but was unfortunately overtaken by an M55 in the last 500m.
Scottish Champs Results and Routegadget here: Individual, Relay
Irish Champs Results and Routegadget here
Border Liners Orienteering Club 