The Irish Orienteering Students Association (IOSA) is a body of student orienteers who bring orienteering students from around the country together through organising events. Currently, IOSA runs a training weekend and the Irish Orienteering Students Association Championships (IOSAC). This year we are extending our operations to organise selection and training for the World Student Orienteering Championships 2000 and to introduce more third level institutions to orienteering.

This year IOSAC was organised by the orienteering clubs of the National University of Ireland Galway and the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology.

The classic event was held on Saturday 6th of February. It was run in the flat working forest of Clonbrock near Ahascragh, Co. Galway. It was run by Deirdre and Frank Ryan. Just over 100 students took part in the six courses.

The next day a park-O was held in the Daingean sports grounds just outside Galway city. This was fast and exciting due to a mass start that had around 60 students running down a race track and then up a steep bank to the first controls.

The weekend saw the arrival of a new college to orienteering - The Institute of Technology Tallaght. ITT brought around 13 people to their first IOSAC. Mark Irvine, ITT's representative, who came to the IOSA meeting, was keen to compete in next year's event.

This gave IOSA the idea to try to encourage more colleges to join IOSAC. We are planning to send out e-mails followed by information packages to all third-level colleges before freshers' week, 1999. We hope this effort will introduce orienteering to many colleges and encourage them to make orienteering known to their students.

The weekend had quite a social aspect too. On the Saturday night dinner, prize-giving and party were held in a hotel just outside the city-centre. After a delicious meal the prizes were handed out. The individual prizes were t-shirts with the phrase ORIENTEERS RUN THE COUNTRY on the back in large letters.

Dublin University Orienteers took home the Men's and Women's A trophies. The Men's B and C categories were won by the Curragh Cadet School and DUO won the Women's C category. Conor Barry from CorkO won the Men's A category.

The weekend was a very enjoyable one and any disappointments from the classic race were forgotten during Saturday night's party. A special thanks to NUIG and GMIT and the Ryans for a great weekend!

Another thing discussed at IOSA's meeting was the plan to send a student team to the World Students in the year 2000. Selection will be on the basis of event results and those who have trained well. Anybody who would like to be considered for this team should contact a member of the IOSA committee. �

For anybody wishing to contact anyone on the IOSA committee here is a list of members:

ChairConor Barry2 Cherrywood Ridge, Bailick, Midleton, Co. Cork(021) 632637

TreasurerIan Lockington,4 Tyler Ave., Limavady, Co. Londonderry, NI, BT49 0DT (08-015047) 63685

SecretaryDeirdre CreedonMount Prospect, Douglas, Co. Cork (021) 361824

PROAndrew Quin,10 Killiney Gate, Church rd., Killiney, Co. Dublin(01) 2824303

RepresentativesOrla Jennings64 Foster Court, College Rd., Galway,(091) 565997

/ 086 - 8405885; Cathal Nugent11 Gandon Hall, Lower Gardiner St., Dublin 1(087 - 288670)