Junior Inter-regional Championships (JIRC) 2021
The North East Orienteering Association hosted the first post-Covid Junior Inter Regional Championships over the last weekend in September. Junior Squads from throughout the UK came together to race in a unique seaside setting, against the backdrop of Redcar’s disused steelworks and Teesside offshore wind farm.
Generic information about JIRC
Background
The Junior Interregional Championships is an annual competition between the twelve Junior Regional Squads. First organised by YHOA in 1989 the competition is organised in rotation by the 12 Regional Associations.
For many years it took place in late June but has recently changed to the early autumn.
The competition consists of an Individual race on the Saturday followed by a Relay on the Sunday.
An agreed scoring system determines the winner on each day and the overall winner.
Teams
Each region enters a team made up of up to 4 M/W14’s, 16’s and 18’s – a total of 24 athletes. The relay teams are made up of one M/W16 plus one M/W14 plus one M/W18. being 8 teams in all per Region.
Guidelines
It was Cleveland Orienteering Club’s turn to host: they organised the weekend smoothly and even ordered some warm sunshine!
The individual race was held on Saturday among the technical sand dunes and slag ridges of South Gare and Coatham Dunes, on 1:7,500 scale maps. Sharp marram grass and some soft sand added to the interest. Spectators enjoyed a great view of some controls and the run-in from atop a ‘viewing platform’ dune adjacent to the sheltered Arena. Live WiFi results were provided in the Arena.
Relays took place on the Sunday morning, with the usual mass starts for the first leg runners (in the 16 age category) on men’s then women’s courses. Ad hoc teams started at the same time, with a later mini mass start for any runners not yet started.
Enthusiastic face paint application by the Scottish and other squads on the first day encouraged more juniors to follow suitfor the Sunday. It looks like a good time was had by all (photos by Will Heap).
|
Individual women’s |
Individual men’s |
Individual men’s and women’s |
||||||
|
Position |
Region |
Score |
Position |
Region |
Score |
Position |
Region |
Score |
|
1 |
ScotJOS |
130 |
1 |
ScotJOS |
133 |
1 |
ScotJOS |
263 |
|
2 |
YHOAJS |
119 |
2 |
SWJOS |
111 |
2 |
SWJOS |
224 |
|
3 |
SWJOS |
113 |
3= |
NWJOS |
104 |
3 |
YHOAJS |
223 |
|
|
|
|
3= |
YHOAJS |
104 |
|
|
|
|
Relay women’s |
Relay men’s |
Relay men’s and women’s |
||||||
|
Position |
Region |
Score |
Position |
Region |
Score |
Position |
Region |
Score |
|
1= |
ScotJOS |
126 |
1 |
SWJOS |
135 |
1 |
YHOAJS |
252 |
|
1= |
YHOAJS |
126 |
2 |
YHOAJS |
126 |
2 |
SWJOS |
246 |
|
3 |
SWJOS |
111 |
3 |
ScotJOS |
117 |
3 |
ScotJOS |
243 |
|
Combined women’s |
Combined men’s |
Combined men’s + women’s |
||||||
|
Position |
Region |
Score |
Position |
Region |
Score |
Position |
Region |
Score |
|
1 |
ScotJOS |
256 |
1 |
ScotJOS |
250 |
1 |
ScotJOS |
506 |
|
2 |
YHOAJS |
245 |
2 |
SWJOS |
246 |
2 |
YHOAJS |
475 |
|
3 |
SWJOS |
224 |
3 |
YHOAJS |
230 |
3 |
SWJOS |
470 |
Full results can be found on the Cleveland Orienteering Club website
Thanks to all the helpers from CLOK and NEOA during the weekend, and all the junior squad coordinators and coaches!