EckO's 3rd Autumn/ Winter EventTralee, BenderlochSun 20 December, 2020

Explanation of Event levels

Local events are usually low key and in the 'localised' area, ideal for newcomers to try the sport and Activities are non competitive events used for training and coaching, aimed at members of the club, but they can attract people from neighbouring clubs, and are often ideal for newcomers to try the sport. Regional events attract participants from around the local Region, National events are high quality competitions that will attract people from far away, Major events are Major Events such as a British Championships.

Results

Report

What a fabulous event to round off December. Thanks to lots of hard work by John, the Tralee map has been extended to include the hidden gem of a woodland by the estuary containing lots of little orienteering nuggets which seem to have challenged even our elite orienteers. The orienteering at Tralee offers an interesting mix of dunes, urban and forest terrain. Although the courses tend to be shorter here they are still challenging. This was proven by the number of miss punches particularly on the green today. Twenty seven controls made for fast and furious orienteering with concentration and map contact really important skills to focus on. Lots of distractions out there today!

Our thanks must go to all our volunteers for the day but particularly to John for updating the map, planning and organising the event. Bill is becoming an accomplished start official and I think everybody is benefitting from going through the process of an organised start. When we come to host a SOL, starts will hold no surprises for our EckO athletes. Bill had an excellent assistant today. Many thanks Diane and we look forward to seeing you back in competition as soon as your ankle allows.

Our pre-entry system seems to be working well and allows for a very slick operation prior to the start - no hanging around. Many thanks to Alan for all his hard work behind the scenes co-ordinating the entries, compiling the start lists and transferring all this data into forming the all important results. Please remember to put your route up onto routegadget. Not only can you compare your route choices with others on your course and it is a really useful training tool but also helps the planner evaluate the courses planned.

You might have noticed the fabulous 'go faster' running jackets proudly worn by some of our elite athletes! Yes, our new kit arrived safely in time for Christmas and special thanks to Diane who did a tremendous job organising the orders and surprised us all by appearing with them today. Santa came early.

Finally, many thanks to our four control collectors Gill, Jim B., Finlo and Emma. We were all packed up by the official course close time of 1.30pm and all the kit has now gone into quarantine or will be disinfected in time for our next event. Many thanks to Tralee Bay Holidays for allowing us to hold the event. The ROMP will be available until December 31st so plenty of fun still to be had.

EckO moves to Dunstaffnage for January with Finlo and Ross planning/organising the event on Sunday 31st January 2021. More details will follow but we hope to have a ROMP available starting early January.

EckO thank you all for your support and enthusiasm over this last difficult year and wish you all a very happy, safe and restful festive season.

A message from John -

"It was fantastic to be able to extend the map of Tralee over the past couple of months and slightly nerve-wracking waiting for those on Green and Light Green returning successfully from the new area. A special thanks to Jan for keeping the event planning on track, everyone who helped with control collection, start and download, Alan for entries and results and to everyone who participated."

And one from Alan -

"Quite a few entry fees for Sunday's event are still due. If you have not already done so please pay by BACS transfer. EckO bank details are available from treasurer@ecko.org.uk"

Last updated: Sat 08 January, 2022

Pre Event Info

Welcome to our final event before Christmas. Santa hats welcome!

START/EVENT Details

NOTE - This event is ONLY for ECKO members who have pre-entered.

There will be NO entry on the day.

Covid Safety

The safety of all our volunteers and participants is paramount and by participating in any Ecko event or activity you agree to the British Orienteering Code of Conduct. Please read the attached document on COVID safety and other safety information here before participating in this or any other EckO event or activity.

Many thanks to everybody who has volunteered to help.

Starts - Bill and Diane, Finish/ Download - Alan, Control Collecting - Gill, Emma, Finlo and Jim B. Don't worry if you haven't been chosen as there will be plenty of other opportunties:)

Start times are available here

Courses CLOSE at 1.30pm

Please remember to download even if you do not complete the course.

If you haven't yet paid by BACS please can you do so as soon as possible.

Finally, please read the information below about parking and accessing the event as this is different from normal.

Location Info

Near: Benderloch
Lat,Lng: 56.49761,-5.41981

Open an interactive map in:
GoogleMap - Streetmap (OS 50k)
OpenStreetMap - BingMap (OS 50k)

Directions / Parking

Near: Benderloch
Lat,Lng: 56.49586,-5.42064

NM 898 390

Open an interactive map in:
GoogleMap - Streetmap (OS 50k)
OpenStreetMap - BingMap (OS 50k)

Please do NOT access the Event through Tralee Bay Holiday Park. They are happy for us to hold the event but have asked us not to drive through to park near the slipway and gazebo.

Parking:

Please park either

in Benderloch itself at the Ben Lora Café car park, Ben Lora Car Park, Loch Nell School or the Victory Hall Car park and walk along the beach to the start which is at the far end of the Beach near the gazebo. Allow between 20 and 30 minutes to get to the start.

Leave the A828 at Benderloch and use the parking area half-way along the Tralee straight. Walk down the track to the beach and then along the beach to the event. Allow 15 to 20 minutes to get to the start.

Map / Terrain

The map is large scale (1:5000) and designed for sprint orienteering. Tralee is a mix of woodland, beach, dunes, and the caravan site (it has been updated by John recently with lots of extra knolls and vegetation patches now appearing on the map)

Course Information

Courses are

Yellow 1.3km

Orange 2.0km

Light Green 2.3km

Green 3.0km

Entry Details

Dog restrictions

Well behaved dogs on a lead are welcome.

Facilities

There are no toilets available. The Pink Shop in Benderloch sells everything! but if you fancy hot soup or similar Not Just Deserts on the way to Barcaldine is open.

Contacts / Officials

Event organiser/planner - John McLuckie