03/12/13 - ARCHERY G.M.I.T Castlebar

Weather

Today was about 8-9 degrees celsius again. Rained for most of the day.


Goals for Today

Today our main goal was to be able to teach a full session of archery to a classmate by the end of the day. 


Session Evaluation

Today was a funny one as I ended up arriving to college too early. When I arrived there was nobody in the hall so I presumed that it was called off. I then decided to go and work in the library before walking past St.Mary's hall about an hour later and seeing that it was actually on. 
When I finally did arrive to Archery we began by shooting from the 18 metre line. Tommy was teaching me how to correct my shots by looking at my previous and working around it.  This was really effective as if I hit the 12 o'clock mark with my first arrow I should aim at the 6 o'clock mark with the next. This would hopefully result in me hitting the centre more. After shooting for a while we went for our lunch break. 
When we came back we started running through teaching each other an archery session right through from start to finish. Tommy was really good after we did this as he took notes on what we had done wrong or forgotten. This meant that we were able to consciously fix what we did wrong when we ran through it a second and third time. 


Evaluation of Goals

Today we focused on teaching. I felt that I was much better today and I was much more comfortable at teaching than last week. Hopefully after a few more sessions of archery I'll be ready for the instructorship.

19/11/13 - ARCHERY G.M.I.T Castlebar

Weather

Today was 9-10 degrees celsius. Overcast in the morning but sunny in the afternoon with the odd few showers, just in time for walking home :)


Goals for Today

Get familiar with the different equipment used in archery as well as learning the basic skills.


Session Evaluation

Today the first thing that Tommy went through with us was all the equipment used in archery. While he was teaching us this he asked us to take notes as it would be handy to look at before progressing onwards. He was extremely thorough when telling us about the equipment but especially so with the safety equipment such as finger tabs and bracers. This was really good as it really hit home with me how important the safety gear was in archery as I had never really done Archery before.

We were then brought down to the 10 metre line and Tommy demonstrated how to shoot from there. After this we were each given a bow and we shot from the 10 metre line until lunch time. Here Tommy thought us about all the safety terms used while shooting and really pushed how important they are. Before doing archery I didn't think that there was so much to it but obviously there is. 

After lunch we started shooting from the 18 metre line. This was a huge difference. I got up to a standard of hitting the yellows nearly every time from the 10 metre line but when we moved back to 18 metres I was missing the whole board. We then had a mini competition between all of us. Tommy ran it as if we were going for our instructorships. We had to get 400 pints with 60 arrows. I was nowhere near hitting 400 but hopefully with some practice I'll be at that standard in no time. 


Evaluation of Goals

By the end of the day I was able to name every part of the bow and arrow as well as knowing all the terminology for safety words etc. I also learned the basic skills. 


Environmental Interest

As we were in doors all week there was no environmental points of interest so I decided to include this. When I got up this morning and looked out the kitchen window this is what I saw on tree behind the the bird feeder. 

I had never seen one of these in our garden before and I probably should've known what it was due to having Orla's environmental studies class but sadly I didn't. After some research I found out that it is a 'Chaffinch'. This is a male as it has a rusty red chest  and grey cap. 

12/11/13 - ORIENTEERING G.M.I.T Castlebar

Orienteering Site for Today

Weather

Today was about 8-9 degrees celsius. It rained at the start of the day but thankfully it stayed away for the afternoon. 

Goals for Today

Today we had to deliver the session to Geo with each of us assigned a different aspect of orienteering. I had to teach a map memory exercise but not the same one as Geo thought last week. 

Session Evaluation

Today Geo set us up with a laminator and all the bits and pieces we needed in the heritage lab in order to prepare for our games. He decided to give us about half an hour altogether before starting. 

We then went out to the area where the walkway is to the gear stores and began the session with Martha kicking it off doing a map recognition exercise with us. This involved us running over and back sticking pieces of the map up on the opposite wall in order to make it over there. After each game Geo had a de brief with us and told us how we could make it better or change it up a bit. 

Next up was Paddy. Paddy did a punching exercise with us. Here he explained how to punch a card correctly and then ran a short exercise outside. He gave each of us a control card and made us run around and find each control in that area while making sure we punched the cards correctly. 

After this it was my turn. I was doing the map memory exercise so I decided to do a relay type game. Here I split the class into two separate groups. I then put four cones on both the groups sides of the yard and four on the other side directly across from either group. Under the cones at their side their was a different piece of map. They had to look at this piece without touching it, then memorise it, run across to the other four cones and find the corresponding piece and bring it back in order to match it up. The first team back with all map pieces matched up wins. 

After each game I felt that Geo's de-briefs were very clear and helpful. He gave us some really good ideas on how to change the games also. 

After my game it was Ged's turn. He ran a symbol recognition game with us. This was also a relay type game. We were split into teams (Boys vs Girls) and we had to run over and back the yard collecting symbols and bringing them back to the corresponding names. This was ran excellently as he used the full length of the yard which meant we were all wrecked by the end of it. 

After the lunch break Siobhán, Alison and Joe ran the cross country, star and score events. I felt that they ran these very well besides making a small mistake making the maps. We all ended up getting very competitive with Joe barely beating me by 20 points at the end :(.

Sad Times.. 

Overall I felt that the whole course was excellent. I was really shocked with how much I enjoyed as a week ago I was thinking of not showing up and maybe trying to get on something else. 

Evaluation of Goals

Today I delivered a game on map memory. This went extremely well with the feedback from the class being excellent also.

05/11/13 - ORIENTEERING, G.M.I.T Castlebar.

Weather

Today was a lot colder as the temperature had dropped to 7 - 8 degrees celsius. Stayed sunny and dry throughout the day. 

Goals for today

The goals for today were to become familiar with all the skills of orienteering as well as all the teaching techniques of orienteering. Another personal goal for me was to try and stay alert and not fall asleep as orienteering was probably bottom of my list activity wise.

Session Evaluation 

Today Geo met us in the board room upstairs in GMIT. He began by telling us about his role within the orienteering association of Ireland and how everything is run. We then went straight into learning about the different teaching techniques.

Firstly Geo split the class into two groups. The first activity he did with us was a map jigsaw. Here he gave each team a cut up map and told us to race to put it together. This was a good way of getting us re-familiarised with orienteering maps. 

Straight away after this Geo did a symbol recognition activity with us which I thought he ran extremely well. He set up a flip chart at the other end of the room with symbols on it and we had to run one by one up to the chart, take a symbol, bring it back and match it with the words on the ground. I think Geo ran this very well as even though the two teams were getting some wrong, he made us sort it out ourselves rather than fixing it for us.

The next game that he ran with us was a map memory exercise. Here we had a sheet with 1 - 10 and we had to go from one end of the room to the other matching the map pieces up on the sheet without actually taking them off the wall. This was an excellent game as it made you really remember certain symbols and features on the map. 

We then had a lunch break but when we came back we looked at maps and control cards. Here Geo showed us how to use a map properly and also how to fill in a control card properly also. 

After this we went straight into learning about the different types of orienteering event that can be run such as 'star, cross country and score'. We then ran each of these competitively  amongst the class around the college.

After this Geo had a de-brief with us in the canteen and told us each to take an aspect of teaching orienteering and teach the class that aspect next Tuesday but it wasn't allowed to be the same way as he had thought that aspect. 

Evaluation of Goals

Today we went through all the aspects of orienteering as well as how to teach all of these aspects also. 

Before I did this I was unbelievably apprehensive about it and I even felt like not going in to college as any previous experience I had with orienteering was a bad/BORING one. However I am absolutely shocked about how much fun I had today and how much interest I had also. There was such a massive change in my mood from the morning to the evening. I ended up coming home and checking online to see if there were any upcoming events the following weekend. 

I would definitely recommend everyone to do this course.

22/10/13 - SURFING Keel Bay, Achill, Co. Mayo

Very bad surf today

Weather

Today was about 9 - 10 degrees celsius and stayed dry throughout the day. We had a strong onshore wind which made the waves very messy.


Goals for Today

Today I wanted to practice what I had been thought over the last few weeks and try and get my basic skills off to a tee.


Session Evaluation

Today Wayne began by having a quick chat with us about the surf conditions. He told us that the conditions were very bad but on the plus side there was a reef break which meant we could get out back easily enough. We then got changed and went into the water. Wayne didn't come surfing today as his back was still giving him trouble. 

We all decided to surf out back today but when some of us got out there, we found that it was too messy and strong. We all only stayed surfing for about 45 minutes altogether and then decided to come in and change. Wayne then had a de-brief with us and explained how today's surfing conditions were probably the worst conditions possible for beginners. 


Evaluation of Goals 

Today I was really disappointed with the surf as I was particularly pumped about getting out there this morning. I felt that I didn't get to work on the basics as much as I hoped but on the plus side I did get to work on my breathing as I was under the water more than on top of the board.


Environmental Interest

Today we had a reef break at Keel. This means that the waves were breaking on a reef under the water instead of breaking onto the beach. This made it much easier to get out back as we didn't have to break through all the white water waves in the process. 

15/10/13 - SURFING Keel Bay, Achill

That's me in Achill, No biggy ;) 

Weather

Today was a lot colder than last week. It was about 10 - 11 degrees celsius but stayed dry and sunny throughout the whole day.

Goals for Today 

My number one goal today was to surf out back all day and try and get the feel for green waves. 

Session Evaluation

Today Wayne started the session by testing us on what we remembered about his talk on tides and moon phases. This was really good as it gave us an even better understanding of this topic than last week. After this we all got ready and entered the water together. Wayne stayed out of the water and observed from the sand as he injured himself the night before. 

We were all trying to surf out back today so I felt that this session ran a bit smoother as we were all together. Wayne filmed us on his camera from the beach so this was really good to look back at and pick out what we need to change and what we were actually doing right. We all began by trying to catch green waves but as the surf was so small, we all ended up surfing in the white water for most of the day. When it was time to finish up, Wayne called us in and had a de-brief with us in the bus. 


Evaluation of Goals

Today I was disappointed with the surf being really small as my goal was to try and surf green waves for the whole day. At the same time I was still happy because I was able to practice some more basic skills in the white water.

Environmental Interest 

Today I saw a good amount of common jellyfish. Common jellyfish can be identified by their 4 purple rings in the centre of their transparent dome. Commonly found throughout the Irish sea. 

08/10/13 - SNORKELING Old Head, Co. Mayo

Weather

Today it was dry throughout with a lower temperature of about 12 degrees celsius. Visibility was only 3 - 4 meters but murky. 

Goals for Today

Today my goal was to get back into doing the basic skills of snorkeling such as surface dives, finning, and correct entries. Another goal of mine was to learn more about some marine life.

Session Evaluation

Today Mark O Connor (Weeman) brought us to Old Head to go snorkeling. He began by doing a pre snorkel brief on the pier with us which included telling us about some of the possible sea life that we might come across, the area to stay within while snorkeling, make sure we have a buddy who we stay with and look out for at all times and some potential hazards that we have to look out for such as shallow water, hypothermia, and Jellyfish. This was a really good, interesting way of starting the session as it was exciting to hear about some of the possible things we might see as well as it being serious telling us about what hazards to look out for.

Mark then decided to bring us down to the slip way and enter the water there. We were then told to stick with our buddies and meet at a point that he chose beside the pier. After this he showed us a small hermit crab that he found in the shallow water. He then told us to stay around this area and find 5 of our own hermit crabs. I felt that this was a really good, responsible way of beginning the session as Mark really concentrated on sticking together and beginning with an activity in the shallow water due to the bad visibility. After this he brought us out to a buoy and showed us some of the marine life living on it such as tube worms and limpets. I felt that this made the session really interesting due to it being a hands on approach to learning. After this we snorkeled for another half an hour and then finished with a snorkel de-brief on the pier.

Evaluation of Goals

Today I felt that I got to brush up on my skills as it was a quiet relaxed session therefore giving me loads of time to refresh my basic snorkel skills. I also got to learn a lot about the marine life we saw such as hermit crabs, jellyfish, tube worms and limpets.

Environmental Interest

Today I saw a species of Jellyfish that I had never seen before called the 'Mauve Stinger' Jellyfish. This species of jellyfish is commonly found in the Mediterranean, the Red sea, and the Pacific Ocean. In 2007 there was a massive invasion of these in Northern Ireland and the ended up wiping out massive fish farms.

01/10/13 - SURFING Keel Bay, Achill

Weather

Today we had an easterly wind which meant that we had a slightly cross shore wind but still offshore. Frequent showers throughout the day but fairly long spells of sunshine at a time. The temperature today was 12 degrees celsius. 

Goals for Today

My goal for today was to practice and hopefully perfect my basic skills in the white water and then try paddling out back if I feel comfortable. 

Session Evaluation

Today Wayne began the session by talking to us about the moon phases and corresponding tides. He explained that when it is a new moon or full moon we have spring tides and when we have a half moon we have spring neap tides. When we have spring tides there is a big movement of water between low and high tide but when we have neap tides there is a small movement of water between low and high tide. I felt that his was a really informative as well as relaxed way of starting the session and helped us to understand tides more as a result. 

Wayne then told us all to get ready and hit the water. As we got into the water, Wayne stayed on the shore watching us for about 15 minutes and then went surfing out back with a few of the better surfers. I felt that once again this was an irresponsible move by an instructor. I felt that this was especially irresponsible due to the swell being slightly bigger today and there being complete beginners in the water this week. At one point William had to go in due to a getting a bad cramp in his calf. In William's words ''What if there was blood pumpin from my head right now and Wayne is all the way out there''. After this we continued to surf for a while before going in ad having a de-brief with Wayne. This was again very annoying as he picked on things that the white water people were doing even though he was nowhere to be seen for most of the session.

Evaluation of Goals

Today I felt that I met my goals of becoming consistent when performing the basic skills of surfing. After a while of surfing in the white water and continuing to pop up and surf waves correctly Peter came in and showed me the best way of paddling out back. This was a big personal achievement for me as I thought I wasn't good enough to surf out back yet. 

Environmental Interest

Today due to a slight cross shore wind we were being blown up the beach towards the rip current that is straight out from the beach car park. A rip tide is very dangerous to be in as it can potentially pull you very far out to sea due to the strong movement of the water. Rip currents happen in areas with breaking waves. Rips occur due to water being pushed towards the shore by waves and wind and then having to travel back out to sea. Usually it travels back out to sea between sand bars. 

 

24/09/13 - SURFING Keel Bay, Achill

Keel Bay, Achill, Co. Mayo

Weather

The temperature today was 14 degrees celsius. It stayed dry throughout the day with a North Easterly wind making it and off shore wind. This created perfect conditions for surfing as an offshore wind creates nice clean breaking waves rather than messy dumping waves.

Goals for Today

My main goal today was to get back into practicing the basic skills of surfing e.g. correct pop up technique, paddling and correct stance.

Session Evaluation

Today the session began by Wayne talking to us about the surf. He explained what the necessary weather conditions are to have good surf in an area for different levels of abilities. These conditions included having an offshore wind but not too strong as well as a good swell. The next thing that he talked about was possible hazards. Some of the hazards he warned us about was the rip that was in line with the beach car park, another was the possibility of being pulled out to sea by the current, and another was the possibility of hurting ourselves if we didn't wipeout properly. I felt that this was a good way to start the session as firstly when he explained the surf to us, this got me pumped about getting into the water and overall excited for the day ahead. I also respected that he then followed up with a serious note by telling us some hazards to look out for.

Wayne then told us to get ready and meet down by the waters edge so that we could all go in at the same time. A few of us stayed in the white water as we were only beginners as Peter and Chris went out back. Wayne stayed with us for about 10 minutes and then decided to go out back with the lads. I felt that this was insanely irresponsible as an instructor as we couldn't even see him for most of the session. While I felt that the 10 minutes he did spend with us was very helpful as he gave me personally some useful tips, I was also shocked that he would leave a beginner group on their own. We surfed for about an hour and a half after this before going in and then had a de-brief in the bus with Wayne before going back to Castlebar. This de-brief really annoyed me as he had a lot to say about us in the white water even though it seemed that he spent no time with us at all.

Evaluation of Goals

I felt that I met my goals today as I spent the whole day practicing in the white water and felt that there was a huge improvement in my basic skills by the end of the day. One skill especially that I always had huge difficulty with was my pop up. I always had to use my knees but by the end of today I was by-passing my knees and standing up.

Environmental Interest 

Today there were a lot of 'Greater Black Backed Gulls' on the beach. The way to identify a greater black backed gull is by the thick white outline of feathers around their wings. When they're not in flight the way to identify them is by their distinctive black feathered back. This is the largest gull found in Ireland.