1. sports
2. bicycling
3. mountain biking

IN THIS ISSUE:
Increasing Participation
Training and Pregnancy
Coaching Conference
Bakewell Street O
Event Insurance
SPRING 08
Welcome to
It has been a busy and exciting time at the National Office with lots of new
initiatives being progressed, many designed to fulfil our Vision of More
People, More Places and More Podiums. These include to name a few; the
appointment of Steve Vernon as Participation Manager, the introduction of
new coaching programmes and the development of the Whole Sport Plan.
Some of the future podium places as stated in our vision may well be secured
by youngsters competing at the JK and the British Championships in the
coming months and I look forward to reporting on these events in the next
edition of Focus.
Good luck to everyone taking part.
If you have any feedback or reports for future editions please email
marketing@britishorienteering.org.uk
Caroline Povey
Marketing Manager
Website
Content
We are always looking to update the website
and it is important that the content on the site is
current. Please can you check that the details
held about your club and your club’s Permanent
Orienteering Courses are up to date. Any
amendments should be sent to
info@britishorienteering.org.uk.
We would also
welcome your
feedback on the
website; including
both positive
and negative
experiences.
Please also let us
know if you feel
there are any gaps
in the content that
you think should
be featured on
the site.
All feedback should be sent to
web@britishorienteering.org.uk
British Orienteering Welcome
New Participation Manager
I can see my new role as British Orienteering’s
Participation Manager being exciting yet
extremely challenging. I have a wealth
of experience in competitive sport and
its development in both a personal and
occupational capacity, and look forward to
applying this in my work for British Orienteering.
I am best known as an international cross
country runner and have represented
Great Britain at five World cross country
championships and three European
cross country championships. I have also
represented Great Britain at the European
mountain running championships finishing 9th
in 2005. So I can run, just not with a map and
compass...yet!
My educational background consists of a
BSc at Loughborough in P.E., Sports Science
and Recreation Management and a soon to
be completed MSc in Health, Nutrition and
Physical Activity from St Mary’s. Between my
BSc and MSc I spent 12 months in Indianapolis
(U.S.) on an athletics scholarship studying
Business and racing on the American circuit.
I am also a UK Athletics Level 2 Endurance
Coach and assist in the strength and
conditioning of the elite endurance squad at
Stockport Harriers AC.
Within a working capacity I have recently
completed a 2 year post at the University
of Derby – Buxton as the manager of a
partnership project called SportsTrain. The
project aimed to get more qualified sports
coaches and volunteers within the Derbyshire
Orienteering
More
People,Focus
More Places,
- Summer
More
2007
Podiums (MP3)
Dales and High Peak area. This role provided
me with the background knowledge I feel is
necessary to increase participation levels within
British Orienteering. My close contact with
various sports clubs has given me a real insight
into the difficult task clubs often face when
trying to increase their memberships and team
of dedicated volunteers.
My initial role at British
Orienteering will involve
working closely with
a small number of
English clubs on a
pilot scheme aiming
to bring orienteering
activities into a more
accessible location
for local communities
to attend. It is hoped
that clubs can set up
satellite centres from a
local facility that will then
act as a regular meeting
point for activities to
take place.
Depending on the success of these initial
projects it is anticipated that I can then go on
to support more clubs and hopefully increase
orienteering participation on a national scale.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any
questions or suggestions by emailing
steve@britishorienteering.org.uk
Steve Vernon
Chief Executive’s
Update
a significant number that were
associated with the lack of
clear business rules around our
membership scheme. Examples
being the definition of a family,
the definition of a junior and
the variation across clubs and
associations of their membership
fee schemes. These have been
harder to resolve and in a few
cases we have resorted to dealing
with them manually by phone or
in one instance asking a club to
collect a fee themselves.
The National Office has probably been as busy during these last few months
as at any time since I joined. Everybody seems to be doing their own work plus
at least some other additional role, work or project. National volunteers have
also been incredibly busy and without their strong input and support there is
no doubt that the infrastructure of British Orienteering would be starting to
creak. As members you should be aware that there are functions including
fixtures, coaching and major events where British Orienteering depends on the
work of the National volunteers to provide the national on-going leadership,
coordination and commitment to keep the sport functioning. I appreciate it is
the same at association and club level however I think as members you should
already appreciate the work of volunteers at your club and association but
perhaps you are unaware or forget the role of volunteers in operational matters
at national level.
I’m drawing your attention to this for a
couple of reasons. The national volunteers
should be recognised and appreciated for
the work they do – you should think carefully
before you respond to them in a negative or
unappreciative manner. I’m not suggesting you
avoid raising issues with them, rather that you
should think about how you will raise the issue
and do it in a way that is positive and respectful
of their commitment.
Governance
At the Easter AGM members will elect
volunteers to become Directors of British
Orienteering. The Directors are taking on legal
responsibilities on behalf of British Orienteering
in addition to a significant amount of time spent
in communicating and attending meetings
– overall there is a considerable commitment.
It looks as though we will be having a genuine
election at the AGM with a choice of people to
fill the three Director positions, a very healthy
position to be in. I would like to thank all the
people who have put their names forward and
hope that all will feel that they have helped
to make the process and the Board a better
functioning group, whether they are elected
or not. They will not all be elected but should
feel that members recognise and respect their
commitment in putting themselves forward.
Some of the on-going work of Council and
Management Committee is to prepare for
the handover to the Board. An appropriate
induction process is being drawn up to ensure
there is clarity of role, responsibility, authority
and accountability for Directors and that all the
information the Directors require to fulfil their
role is made available.
There will also be decisions regarding
membership fees and levies for 2008. There
is agreement from Council and Management
Committee that, as members, you should
also be aware of the financial position we may
Reflecting on this period, I think
we have coped reasonably well
however I appreciate that some of
the fundamental issues will not go
away and will only be resolved if
the definitions are clearer and the
membership scheme is simplified.
It is good news that a significant
percentage of new and renewing
members have been processed
via the web site.
be in from 2009 and our want to get British
Orienteering into a position where it can
continue to provide the core services you want,
regardless of Sports Council funding.
Council and Management Committee have
both discussed the ways in which members,
clubs and association can be kept in touch
with the discussions and decisions of the
Board and most importantly how their interests
can be taken in account by the board in
its discussions. A variety of mechanisms
has been suggested to ensure this flow of
communication and, once drafted, these
mechanisms will be published on the web site
for further discussion.
On to other matters, the Development
Committee is being re-formed under the
Chairmanship of Ed Nicholas and will have
responsibility to oversee and monitor the work
of the development staff and programmes
across the UK; the Committee will ensure
development work is aligned to the vision,
values and strategic objectives of British
Orienteering. If you are interested in being a
member of this Committee please let the office
know.
Mike Forrest has agreed to Chair the Major
Events Group and has already pulled together
a group of people with experience and ideas
in this area of work. Once up and running this
Group will play a critical part in providing the
umbrella framework within which major events
will operate. Having looked at this area of work
over the last few years I have made Events
Committee, Management Committee and
Council aware that the major events, as well as
being vitally important to members, are an area
of financial risk to British Orienteering. This is
obvious when you consider that the budget for
JK07 alone was around £100k and that this is
approximately 60% of our annual income!
Closer to the office, Steve Vernon has now
commenced in the role of Participation
Manager and is attacking the work with great
enthusiasm. You may have seen the initial
web prompts for communications from clubs
that have ideas about projects based around
increasing participation and Steve is currently
considering which of these submissions he
should work with. This project is for three years
and is providing us with the opportunity to
look at some of the ideas for the Whole Sport
Plan 2009/13 with a view to trialling them prior
to a wider roll-out in 2009. The Participation
Programme is built on the “Participation
Pathway” shown in figure 1. The pathway is
explained in more detail in the Whole Sport
Plan article on page 20.
The events section was expected
to arrive between 6 and 8
weeks after the roll out of the
site. After a demonstration of
the events section at a Fixtures
Group meeting in October it
was agreed that some changes
to the authorisation process,
which form a part of the event
management procedures, were
required. This re-think constituted
some fundamental changes to
the section and this, along with
the fire-fighting on the members
section, put the delivery time
of the events section back
considerably.
As reported previously, the initial crop of issues
and feedback on the web site settled down
quite quickly and there are now spasmodic
issues being raised. Response to the site
has been positive although there are a few
regular issues that account for the majority of
communications, these include:
We have now received the latest
version of the events section
and will be looking to test it
thoroughly before making it live.
In discussions with Pat Martin
and Peter Guillaume it has been
agreed that we will run the current
fixtures system in parallel with the
new system during the overlap
period. This is a similar strategy
to that used with the members
section where we continue to use
the internal ‘BMS’ system within
the office.
a.Individual issues regarding membership,
password problems, renewing/joining, etc.
b.Queries about event results and the ranking
list.
c.The difficulty for a few people of using the
‘flash’ menus; a text based menu system
is to be developed as a backup as soon as
priorities allow.
We are now actively seeking
good quality content with which
to enhance the site and will look
to members of our committees/
groups and key volunteers to
assist in this process. Rules Group
and Map Group have already been
proactive in regard to this.
During the period October to December there
were a series of problems identified with the
membership section of the web site, relating
to new and renewing members. Whilst some
were issues quickly addressed, there were
For those interested the next
phases of development are:
• Events – including registration,
management (work done by
Fixtures Group & the National
Website
Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008
Figure 1 - Participation Pathway
Fixtures Secretary), fixture list,
entry system, results service.
• Rankings – to bring the rankings
list into the main part of the
web, we may run the new
ranking list in parallel to the old
in the first instance.
• Accreditations – to use the
system to manage our various
accreditations including
coaching, planning, controlling
etc.
We will shortly be reviewing
the site and inviting members
to provide feedback on their
experience in using it. The review
will probably focus on three
aspects of the site; the navigation;
the static content and the
members section. If you would like
to get involved please email
web@britishorienteering.org.uk
I look forward to
seeing many of
you at the JK and
AGM and wish you
a successful year
of orienteering.
More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)
What follows
“The Vision”?
By Neil Cameron, Chairman.
British Orienteering’s vision of “More People, More Places, More Podiums
(MP3)” was formally adopted by Council after a period of consultation. But
how do we follow up on that vision? I believe that clubs and Associations
should be free to follow whatever plans and priorities they see fit, but I
also believe that as a sport we are more likely to make faster progress if
we share resources and co-operate to the maximum, therefore avoiding
reinventing wheels.
Our new Whole Sport Plan (WSP) for 2009-13
will be based, to a large extent on club input
and will be organised around the three threads
of our vision. Listed below are my opinions
of what Clubs, Associations and British
Orienteering should be doing. Please also
refer to Steve Vernon’s Club Activity Guide for
specific examples.
British Orienteering
• Co-ordinating, publicising and sharing
information from club projects in the
Associations.
• Developing materials to assist with training,
as shown by Association and club demand.
• Producing role descriptions for a typical
club committee.
More People
More Places
Clubs:
• Having a specific club project to try and
increase total participation: both the
frequency that each member takes part in
events, and the number of members there
are.
• Having a specific club project to review
how volunteers are recruited and given
recognition, and to encourage more to offer
their time and expertise.
• Examining opportunities being identified by
British Orienteering’s Participation Manager
to see whether the Club could become
involved.
Clubs:
• Concentrating effort on identifying new
urban areas that could be used for giving
people an orienteering experience, whether
a sprint event, or a limited range of simpler
courses suitable for less experienced
orienteers (both junior and adult). This
might also involve refreshing Permanent
Orienteering Courses and looking at how
they can be used in this context.
Associations:
• Co-ordinating, publicising and sharing
information from club projects within the
Association.
• Organising and hosting skill transfer
workshops as shown by club demand.
Associations:
• Co-ordinating, publicising and sharing
information from club projects in the
Association.
British Orienteering:
• Working with Clubs to make Permanent
Orienteering Courses better publicised and
accessible.
Clubs:
• Establish if the necessary support and
assistance to accelerate learning of key
orienteering techniques is in place.
Associations:
• Ensuring that any Association squad
activities dovetail with those of Clubs, and
that attempts are made to identify juniors
who are already showing talent and who
would benefit from more advanced support.
British Orienteering
• Offering audit support techniques to help
review the adequacy of club or Association
talented junior activities.
Funds Available
> BERTIE AND ELSIE WARD FUND - Supporting juniors
directly
> SPORT ENGLAND DEVELOPMENT FUND Supporting the development of volunteers
> SCHOOL/CLUB LINKS - Supporting school/club link
activities
> MULTI-DAY FUND - Supporting the sustained and
overall development of orienteering.
Clubs or Associations are able to apply for these
grants. Application forms can be found on the website
By Steve Vernon
Participation Manager
The following guide highlights key points for clubs to follow in providing club activities. It
is hoped that clubs will use the guide to develop their own local orienteering activities to
help raise participation levels within the sport. The suggestions highlighted below have all
been taken from the ‘Club Activity Guide’ which can be found on the British Orienteering
website under Developing Orienteering.
More Podiums
If you have any more suggestions or would like to provide feedback please email chairman@britishorienteering.org.uk
British Orienteering currently has several
funds for the support of different areas of
orienteering. The monies were left as either
a bequest, a legacy or as a grant from the
sports councils. The funds are listed below:
CLUB ACTIVITY GUIDE
or can be sent out by the National Office and must be
accompanied by a copy of the budget for the project,
copies of any other grant applications and copies of
the club/association balance sheets. Applications
are assessed twice throughout the year. For more
information, contact Laura Young by emailing laura@
britishorienteering.org.uk or telephone the National Office.
Application Dates:
Application Deadline31st August 2008
Pre-assessment by 7th September
Assessment by 21st September
Payment by 1st October
Application Deadline31st January 2009
Pre-assessment by 8th February
Assessment by 22nd February
Payment by 3rd March
The ‘O’
Foundation
In 2007 British Orienteering
set up a registered
independent charity
called the ‘O’ Foundation.
The ‘O’ Foundation has
monies from bequests
and legacies and includes
the Bertie and Elsie Ward
fund. Grant applications
can be made for the ‘O’
Foundation monies and are
submitted twice yearly in
line with the normal grant
application procedure. For
more infromation on the ‘O’
Foundation, contact Laura
Young at the National Office.
Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008
Frequency
Organisation
• Aim to provide a weekly meeting point at a suitable venue for changing
and showering etc. Examples include: Leisure Centres, Church Halls,
Schools and Social Clubs that can all be hired on an hourly basis at
low cost.
• Successful activities need to be continued to ensure retention rates
and progression. An activity running once a week for 4 weeks is great
at promoting the sport but may not provide as much sustainability for
newcomers as a more long term programme.
• Provide newcomers with sufficient support and guidance.
• Clearly identify who is available to help e.g. South Ribble OrienteerIng
Club used volunteers wearing high-visibility bibs with “SROC here to
help” on the front and back at one of their activities.
• Utilise current junior members and train them to become assistants.
The Young Leader Award course is ideal. This can be extremely
productive as juniors often really enjoy helping out and families coming
to try the sport are greeted by confident, happy children running
around, thus highlighting the social benefits that orienteering can
bring.
• Experienced orienteers should be on hand to help during activities.
Activity
• Try to organise Street O and Urban O activities that are easily
accessible to communities. These types of events are great at
introducing and encouraging newcomers into the sport. It is also a
great way to promote orienteering as it makes it more visible to the
general public.
• Promote ‘come and try it’ type events that welcome complete
beginners and are less intimidating.
• Offer progression routes towards more demanding courses over time.
• ‘Family Days’ provide an experience for everyone.
Marketing and Publicity
• Use local newspapers and aim to get reporters to write about
orienteering in the community rather than a direct advertisement. This
will eliminate paying a fee.
• Emphasise themes such as orienteering being a “whole family, lifestyle,
adventurous activity” as used in the MADO initiative.
• Display posters and leaflets in local shops, businesses, hospitals and
schools. This appears to be the most productive way of attracting
people to activities.
• Distribute flyers to parents of children in local schools.
• Contact your local County School Partnership for details on how to
establish links with local schools. Your Regional Development Officer
can also help you establish school-club links.
Venue
• Use a low cost popular centre such as a village hall or school to
coordinate activities from.
• Start from a local village area that is within easy access of a mapped
area. The map could include a ‘street section’ to get the short
distance to the start/finish in the forest as demonstrated by MAROC in
their introductory events at Ballater and Braemar.
• Map small urban areas e.g. Parks, University Campus, Market Areas
as demonstrated by OD and POW in their development initiatives.
Funding
• A number of clubs have made successful ‘Awards for All’ bids to help
with various costs such as buying new equipment, getting new areas
mapped, remapping new areas, putting in new permanent courses
and for the publicity of activities.
• Most clubs with successful bids didn’t apply for the total cost, instead
they asked for a significant contribution, with the club committing to
provide the rest of the funding.
• British Orienteering has various funding streams and grants available.
Please contact the National Office for details.
If your club has been particularly successful with an initiative
and you would like to share your ideas please contact Steve
Vernon by emailing steve@britishorienteering.org.uk
DEVELOPMENT
Congratulations to the latest two clubs
to gain Clubmark accreditation: Saxons
OC from Kent pictured here receiving
their certificate in December: from the
left Simon Greenwood, Chairman of the
South-East Orienteering Association,
Jean Fitzgerald, Saxons Club Chairman
and Jerry Purkis, Development Officer.
Chigwell & Epping Forest OC from the
Essex/Herts border gained Clubmark
Navigate to a Rat Race near you!
in January. As with other accredited
clubs, the CHIG committee have used
the period of working towards gaining
the award as the opportunity to do an
audit of how the club operates and
to put in place some improvements.
Notably, the club now has a much
larger pool of trained coaches to work
with newcomers and by working with
neighbouring clubs they are trying to
put on more activities. CHIG will be
presented with their certificate at the
next major event, the JK.
Twenty two English and one Scottish
club are now working to achieve
Clubmark accreditation and I hope that
many more will soon gain the award as
recognition of their operating standards.
Hilary Palmer, Development Manager
Cracking the Code BOF, BO or British Orienteering?
When you start orienteering you obviously
need to be shown a map, control, dibber and
compass but you really should be given a
guide to “cracking the orienteering code”. As
orienteers you will already know that you love
creating acronyms!
Part of the induction programme at the
British Orienteering National Office is a list of
commonly used acronyms! Whether it’s events,
clubs or even the Governing Body you can
guarantee that an acronym will have been
created. Now, there is nothing wrong with
acronyms, it makes writing minutes and emails
a lot easier, but if you had ever attempted to
read the minutes as an “outsider” you wouldn’t
understand a thing!
We are not the only sport that uses acronyms,
the difference is that we use them in
communications seen by the general public,
such as promotional literature.
For example, I am a member of BS. Hilary
Bloor is a member of BC and my friend works
for BT. If you are not in the know, you will
probably not realise that this refers to British
Shooting, British Cycling and British Triathlon
(Not the phone company!)
These companies do refer to themselves
by acronyms internally but never in external
communications. They want to do everything
they can to promote their sport to the general
public. Hence, why at British Orienteering we
wanted to minimise the use of BOF in external
communications by updating our corporate
identity.
To refer to the Corporate Guidelines issued in
June 2006,
“British Orienteering’s new logo aims to improve
the image of orienteering to the general public
and illustrate the adventurous nature of the
sport. It has been decided that “Federation”
should be removed from the logo to fall in
line with other National Governing Bodies
and give the logo a modern look. We are still
registered as the British Orienteering Federation
and therefore the acronym BOF still applies,
however you are asked to maximise usage
of the term British Orienteering. BOF has no
meaning to the general public and therefore
does not raise the profile of the sport. We
should aim to use the word orienteering as
often as possible in external communications.”
Somehow this was interpreted that we wanted
to stop using BOF and change our name to
2008 sees British Orienteering partnering
with the unique and stylish Rat Race Urban
Adventure Series. For those of you who
don’t know it, the Rat Race is an urban
adventure challenge that sees teams of
competitors navigate their way around a
course that is only revealed hours before it
begins. It involves running, biking, abseiling,
kayaking and even the urban sport of
parkour. The good news for orienteers is
that it’s all bound together with navigation
and whether it’s technical Street-O or
getting to grips with an A-Z, the Rat
Race is awash with interesting and quirky
navigation. The event was started in 2004
in Edinburgh and now stretches the length
and breadth of the country and further
a-field. For 2008, events will take place in
London, Edinburgh, Bristol, Birmingham,
Newcastle and Brighton. The Birmingham
event will be held as part of the Outdoors
Show and a Rat Race village will be built
in the hall for people to come and find out
more about the event on March 14th – 16th.
the sport, the event makes a really fun
introduction to the adventure you can have
on your doorstep, in the city with a map.
It’s designed for all levels of competitor and
typically, the starting grid sees orienteers,
adventure racers, mountain bikers, triathletes and a whole bunch of folk who
have just ended up there because they see
it as a great way of spending a weekend!
Some of the highlights of the event include
abseiling off well known buildings, zip
sliding into city squares, kayaking on canals
For further information please visit
www.ratraceadventure.com
Top orienteers have always placed well
in Rat Race teams with many taking
the silverware. For those starting out in
BO. What we wanted is for people to use the
word “Orienteering”. We wanted you to shout it
from the rooftops….familiarise people with the
word…and hopefully for them to ask, “How do
I try it?”
If we are going to attract newcomers into
our sport we have to take away the barriers.
One small way of doing this it to stop using
acronyms to the uninitiated. It is amazing how
many frustrated newcomers we speak to at
the National Office who are trying to find their
local club. Questions such as, “But where is
OD based? “I didn’t realise NOC stood for
Nottinghamshire Orienteering Club” “Why don’t
they call it Nottinghamshire OC?” In fact I think
the latter would be a positive move and would
be the same approach that many athletic clubs
take e.g. Matlock AC.
to Sponsor British
Elite Champs
You’ll be able to see the forest in a different
light if you win the British Elite Champs this
year as Go Ape have donated free tickets
as prizes. Join a tribe of over 800,000
adventure seekers, climbing rope ladders
up into the trees; experiencing the thrills
of trekking from tree to tree some 40 feet
above the forest floor!
All we are asking is that next time you produce
literature that will be seen by the general public,
you take a step back to see whether it can
really be understood by an “outsider.” Are you
making it easy for them to try our sport? The
next phase of the website is going to try and
tackle another problem – The fixtures list. E.g.
C4, SI, EOD even grid references!
Established in 2002 Go Ape High Wire
Forest Adventure courses are now located
in twelve forests across the UK, stretching
from the south coast to the Scottish
Highlands. Each of the Go Ape courses
are split into 5 to 7 separate zones linked
together by natural footpaths. Each section
begins with a climb up a rope ladder into
the treetop canopy, where an assortment
Tip: An easy way to change BOF to British
Orienteering is to use the “find and replace” or
“Autotext” functions in word.
Caroline Povey
Marketing Manager
Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008
and navigating around famous streets
and parks. In the recent London event,
teams abseiled the mighty Twickenham
stadium and kayaked on the Thames before
completing a “3D” navigation stage on
board HMS Belfast before the finish, right
in front of Tower Bridge! This event is fun,
fast and totally unique. British Orienteering
members receive a 10% discount when
entering. Simply quote RATPROMO-BOF
when you enter online.
More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)
of spectacular rope bridges, Tarzan swings
and an exhilarating zip slide brings you
down to the forest floor at the end of
every section. Set against the stunning
forest backdrop this unique family activity
provides approximately three hours of
adrenalin-fuelled fun and adventure.
“Live life more adventurously” is the ethos
behind Go Ape. It’s very much about
introducing people, young and old, to the
forest and being able to explore the forest
from a different perspective. A very similar
ethos to orienteering!
For further information
please visit
www.goape.co.uk
Buff are continuing
their sponsorship
of the JK and this
year have provided
a bespoke JK Buff
for the winner of
each age class.
Credit: Quentin Harding
COACHING
Humberside Junior Squad, Hilary Palmer
updated us on activity by the Development
Team and Keith Marsden related how he
and Pat Mee have helped wrestle with the
introduction of the UK Coaching Certificate.
British
Orienteering
Coaching Dates
for your Diary
Workshops are a part of conferences to get
you thinking and to get discussion flowing.
A number of pre-defined questions were
mooted each one of which was discussed
in smaller groups and later fed back to the
whole conference.
COACHING CONFERENCE
“Coaching and the Development of Orienteering”
I do not suspect that I am alone in the
way that I read the articles in Focus or
CompassSport. Rarely do I sit down
undisturbed and read it from cover to cover;
it’s more a case of reading an article while
downing the muesli and then abandoning
the magazine on the table until the next
breakfast. It was in this way that I read Mike
Hamilton’s article in the last Focus about
‘The Way Forward’. It teased the brain a
little, a few questions bubbled, but this was
soon dismissed to face the days’ activities.
The contrast to having the man come and
present this idea in person as our opening
lecture at the coaching conference was
stark, Mike presented it well and gave it
credibility that previously didn’t exist in my
mind. This added realism and the ability to
question directly, is one of two reasons why
conferences like this need to happen.
Mike presented the ‘Whole Sport Plan’
to achieving increased people, places
and podiums. Integral to this was the
Participation Pathway that attempted to
show how people can get in to our sport
and then move within it if they wished. It
was here that I fully appreciated for the
first time that the majority of this increased
participation was not to be at events but
in a new form or orienteering that provides
a local, weekly, fixed centre activity much
like the running club. To achieve this sort of
increase, a lot of coaches will be required
that can work with children, beginners,
local or performance groups. Not just any
coaches who show willing, but well trained
coaches with a degree of quality assurance.
The UK coaching certificate is the framework
being adopted to achieve this.
10
Colin Allen from SportsCoachUK went on
to present this framework, something that
made sense but smacked of bureaucracy
and high hurdles. We are one sport in the
third phase of introduction behind many
other bigger and better resourced sports,
which seem to be ‘bogged’ in a very lengthy
implementation process. Orienteering has
planned a relatively quick introduction of the
4 levels but already the first level has slipped
awaiting Level 1 to be endorsed. As the
weekend went on, it became apparent to me
that this transition period could stall coaching
development in the short term.
The idea of ‘pathways’ continued when
Gareth Candy introduced the preliminary
ideas to defining a ‘performance pathway’.
This is trying to answer what qualities were
thought to make up an orienteer and how
well developed those qualities at the various
steps from beginner through to world class
orienteer should be. These covered areas
such as technical, physical, experience and
attitude. Where possible, these are being
quantified to provide a benchmark standard.
Gareth further earned his keep by relating
his experiences of orienteering in Australia
with respect to performance development.
The barriers to development were the sheer
size of Australia, the lack of variety of terrain
and the lack of resources. Their strengths
were the way that they were organised and
the access of the top few to sports academy
facilities.
Further interesting presentations came from
Tony Carlyle who gave an insight as to what
lay behind the success of the Yorkshire and
Fortunately, the time on our backsides was
broken by a couple of practical sessions.
Nev Myers provided an O exercise around
the grounds of Lilleshall Hall that kept you
thinking and one of the physios provided
a session on the knee joint and related
injuries. This latter session highlighted to me
how little I knew about this subject. While I
consider myself to be relatively experienced
in the physical side of training, access to
such facilities as at Lilleshall could make a
significant difference to coaching success.
Apparently, last year the ankle joint was
covered, so in five years time we might be
covering the brain, a subject I have even less
idea about.
The Coach of the Year Award was
announced at the conference. Mark
Saunders and Alice Bedwell won the award
for their work with the Welsh squads. Helena
Burrows, the chair of the WOA, received the
award on their behalf.
It is the informal networking that goes on
between sessions that provides the second
reason why conferences like this need to
happen. It is the exchange of training ideas,
stories of battles won/lost and organisation
help that stimulate future activity that can
easily wither if left unfed.
Talking of food, you can not go hungry
staying at Lilleshall Hall. Three meals a day of
well prepared, reasonably healthy, food does
not leave you wanting. I did not see one chip
all weekend. What you do see in the dinning
rooms are the other sports using the centre,
and it was of interest to see top football
players, gymnasts and archers, not the ones
on the radio! Accommodation was in single
rooms with en-suite facilities, so if you have
been put off going by the idea of dormitories
and school food, think again.
Our thanks go to Keith Mardsen, Vicky
Thornton and doubtless many others for
making the conference happen.
Report & Photo by
Quentin Harding SROC
Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008
Visit the ‘Coaching’ pages on
the British Orienteering website
under ‘Developing Orienteering’
– ‘Coaching’ – ‘Coaching
Courses’ for further information.
Coaching days for club
groups and individual British
Orienteering members:
Helena Burrows accepting
the Coaching Award on
behalf of Mark & Alice
PETER PALMER
COACH OF THE YEAR
Mark Saunders and Alice
Bedwell from BOK won
the Peter Palmer Coach of
the Year 2007 Award for
their outstanding work and
dedication to the Welsh junior
squad. Unfortunately Mark and
Alice were unable to attend the
conference so Helena Burrows
(WOA Chair) accepted the
award on their behalf. Below
are some of the reasons why
Mark and Alice won the award.
Anwen Darlington said:
“The quality of training we
as juniors are given is of the
highest standard which is
pretty incredible as we have
such a wide range of ages
and abilities in the squad. Both
Mark and Alice take time out to
plan exercises which we will all
benefit from, not just the better
ones in the squad. Everyone’s
achievements are important
to them, no matter how big
or small they may seem to
others. I think Mark and Alice
deserve this award for their
dedication to the sport and for
their enthusiasm. Without the
training weekends and tours
I would never have reached
the standard I am at. In 2007
I was selected to run for GB
at EYOC. It’s the enjoyment
of the training and being part
of the squad which keeps me
motivated to keep improving.”
Saturday 12th April
Black Beck Woods, South Lakes
Sunday 13th April
SROC Regional Event Hampsfell, Grange-over-Sands
Saturday 7th June
West Midlands (Area to be
confirmed)
Sunday 8th June
HOC National Event - Brown
Clee, Bridgnorth.
Kris Jones said:
“It doesn’t seem to make a
difference to them what your
goals are; they will do as much
as they can to help you achieve
them whether they are to get
into the British team or just to
beat one of your friends in a
particular race. They always
find time to talk to you on a
personal basis and they make
you feel like individuals and not
just a group.”
Finally The Welsh Junior Squad
Manager, Kate Balmond adds,
“They have given the Welsh
Junior Squad a new dimension
and direction. Their energy
and commitment goes beyond
that expected from a volunteer
and we are beginning to see
many positive changes in
depth throughout our squad.
Their professionalism is self
evident and results in a small
very happy squad who agree
that enjoyment of the sport is
paramount during these early
years. “
Congratulations to Mark and
Alice from everybody at British
Orienteering.
More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)
11
Baby
Boom!
A guide to training during
and after pregnancy.
The future of British
Orienteering is secure. Our
chances at the 2028 World
Orienteering Champs are
looking rosy. This is because
2006/7/8 has been a baby
boom in the Orienteering
World. Isabel Winskill,
Laurence Ward, Emma Curry,
Noah Jenkins, Rory Sarkies,
Thomas Duncan and Thomas
Rollins......to name but a
few.....are they the champions
of the future?
But what of their mothers? Are they now
hanging up their O shoes? Well, I’m not and
Helen isn’t either, both of us still intending to
aim for WOC 2008 in the Czech Republic at
least. It has long been suggested that having
a baby actually enhances your performance
and there seems to be plenty of evidence out
there.
Probably the most well known is that despite
injury incurred during the birth (fracture in her
spine) which meant an 8 week lay off for Paula
Radcliffe, she won the New York Marathon
in November of last year, 11 months after
the birth of her daughter Isla. Paula is now
in training for the London Marathon in April
2008 followed by a further attempt at Olympic
Marathon Gold in August in Beijing.
Less recently but no less amazing was Liz
McColgan, who gave birth to Eilish, her first
daughter, on November 25th 1990. Four
months later in March she was fit enough to
not only compete at the World Cross Country
Champs in Antwerp, but finish third. In August
she then went to the World Championships in
Tokyo where, as described on the ukathletics
website, in the final of the 10,000m she
systematically took apart the field with an
astonishing front-running display which took
her to the gold medal. “It was the greatest
performance by a British distance runner,”
said Brendan Foster, the Olympic 10,000m
bronze medallist from 1976, and now a BBC
Television commentator. McColgan destroyed
her opponents from the start, including
defending champion, the brilliant Ingrid
Kristiansen, of Norway, as she ran the first
kilometre in 3:02.95. The pace rarely relented
and McColgan, ignoring the tremendous
humidity, won in 31:14.31, from China’s Zhong
Huandi in 31:35.08 with her teammate Wang
Xiuting third in 31:35.99. While that pair might
have had a race of their own, McColgan was in
a class of her own and her performance won
her the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year
award. She is now a mother of five! 1
The world of Orienteering has also seen
its World Champion Mothers with Carolina
Arewång-Höjsgaard, as an example, winning
Gold in the Long and Relay at the 2004 World
Championships in Sweden.
In an article by Germain Greer in the Observer
Sport Monthly2, she observes that in horse
racing it is well understood that pregnancy can
enhance a mare’s performance, especially if
she is given to ‘marish’ behaviour, the female
version of coltishness. Once impregnated,
usually by artificial insemination, she may
settle down. Indian Queen, who won the
Ascot Gold Cup in 1991 at 25-1, was in foal
to Night Shift when she did it; last summer
Aahgowangowan, a seven-year-old mare
trained by Michael Dods, won five of seven
starts in foal, at Thirsk, Ayr and Chester.
This has been put down to the hormones of
pregnancy which post pregnancy will continue
to circulate in the body for up to four months.
There are other possible factors though. In
the first trimester (3 months) of pregnancy,
metabolic rate, cardiac output (amount of
blood pumped per heart beat) and blood
volume (total volume circulating around the
body) all increase, as the body tunes up to
meet the demands of the foetus. These
physiological changes are mirrored in humans
and are governed by the pregnancy hormones
– but whether the hormones make the human
female athlete less ‘marish’ is probably a
subject best not studied.....
It is only recently that exercise has been
studied in pregnancy at all as previously it was
thought that if you did you were damaging
the unborn child. This has not been proven
to be true. Women who exercise prior to
and during pregnancy weigh less, gain less
weight and deliver slightly smaller babies than
sedentary women3. It is likely that increased
fitness may enable women to cope better with
labour (although there is no evidence that they
have a shorter or easier labour). At this point
it might be interesting to look at what I did
during my pregnancy and how this affected my
experience.
I continued to train during pregnancy although
from about week 12 to week 16 I felt tired and
uninspired to train. I still did train though and
12
Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008
up until then I had still been racing orienteering
e.g. at the World Cup Final in France, when I
was 10 weeks pregnant. During the second
and third trimesters I began to pick up
again although after about week 21 I had to
stop running as I was getting pelvic pain. I
became the cross-training queen – I would
go to the gym most days (3 days on, 1 day
off) and either take a spinning class, do 60
mins intervals on a cross-trainer (elliptical
trainer) or 60 mins pool running intervals. I
did 60 mins on the elliptical trainer the day
I went into labour! For me, although there
was the element of maintaining my fitness,
I also felt so much better in myself on the
days that I trained, both psychologically and
physically. This was the motivation for me
as watching daytime television with subtitles
whilst sweating it out on a machine is not all
that inspiring!
There is no doubt in my mind that the physical
training that I did brought on my labour. In
the last few weeks I used to get ‘practise
contractions’ (Braxton-Hicks) while I was
exercising and according to the book4 I had
read, exercising during pregnancy can bring
labour on 5-7 days earlier on average as
compared with sedentary pregnant women.
Well....I went into labour at 39+3 days which
is 4 days earlier than my due date (although
he would have been on time 2 weeks before
and 2 weeks after this). My mum, however,
went overdue with both my brother and myself
by 2 weeks and so like all women at this
very last stage of pregnancy I was pleased
to get on with it and GET IT OUT! My labour
progressed really well, starting around 4pm
on Sunday 22nd and out popped Tommy on
Monday 23rd at 12.35pm. The ‘popping out’
part actually took about 2 and a half hours
though which is about 1 and a half hours
longer than is usual for a first baby. Having
attended labours myself it is about the 1 and
a half to 2 hour mark that the midwife starts to
think that perhaps it is all taking too long, the
baby might be getting tired and so might the
mother – which can lead to ventouse, forceps
or caesarean. In my case, I think it was taking
a long time as my pelvic muscles were all
very well developed and so very tight. I was
not tired though and neither (according to the
baby heart monitor) was Tommy and it is this
that I put down to the training that I had done.
There is certainly evidence that if you train
when pregnant that the umbilical cord and
placenta are more well developed and
therefore the baby is able to put up with more
‘stress’ during labour4. This is because during
each contraction of the uterus, the blood
supply to the foetus is actually cut off for a
time. The placenta is after all embedded in the
muscle of the uterine wall and so when fully
contracted, blood flow into the umbilical cord
stops. So I believe that Tommy was able to
cope with the periodic lack of oxygen because
he had a better blood supply that was able to
supply him with what he needed and clear any
lactic he might have accumulated during the
contractions, while the uterus was relaxed in
between contractions.
More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)
I decided on writing this article not to get into
too much medical detail as I would not be able
to do it justice in this short space and so I have
described below my personal experience of
‘return to form’. If you do want less personal
and more scientific information then read the
book as suggested below4. This book also
contains important information about when
not to train and what not to do when you are
pregnant and afterwards.
I started training on day 5. I got on an exercise
bike and did 30 mins. I had to stop because
Tommy was crying for a feed. I tried to run
on day 9 and did two steps. When you have
pushed a baby out, it turns out that your pelvic
floor muscles get a bit stretched! Running was
not an option for me until day 19 and then only
uphill (which does not have the impact of flat
or downhill running). I would do hill intervals
for 20 mins after a 10 min walk/jog to get
there.
I had decided not to really train ‘properly’ until
Tommy was 6 months old. This doesn’t mean
I didn’t train, it just meant that ‘Tommy came
first’. At this point though, I started to go to
running club again and do hard intervals. My
first ‘tester’ came at Euromeeting in Austria,
which proved that I was on track, but not fit
enough yet. Then in October I was selected
for the World Cup Final (and I am grateful to
the selectors for having faith in me). I wanted
to taste international competition before
heading into winter training. I felt I ran well in
the Middle race although coming 33rd I was
disappointed with the result. So I went out
into the Sprint race with no expectations other
than that I wanted a clean run but knowing
that I would most likely be disappointed with
the actual paper result. To come 12th was
beyond my expectations and I put this down
to having a completely clean run in a very
confusing ‘Park World Tour’esque race on
a flatish course, all of which played into my
hand. It gave me great confidence and has
made me set my sights high for next year’s
World Champs in the Czech Republic.
Finally I thought I would just talk about
breastfeeding. Throughout all my training I
have fed Tommy myself. There is very little
in the literature about breastfeeding and
exercise. The only source of information that
is around is the very good book ‘Exercising
through your pregnancy’ by Dr F Clapp, an
American Obstetrician4 (this is the book I have
recommended above). I had been absolutely
positive that I had wanted to breastfeed (and
I think you have to feel this way about it as it
can be very painful early on) and I still am now,
although at 9 months he only takes 3 feeds a
day as he has three hearty meals a day now
too. The book mentioned above addresses
the issues about exercise and breastfeeding
– Does hard training make your milk sour
because of the lactate? Does hard training
reduce the quality of your milk? Does exercise
in breastfeeding mothers lead to poor weight
gain in the baby? In my case, Tommy never
refused a feed (and I have done hard intervals)
and put on good weight. I did have to wean
him early though as he was feeding nearly 2
hourly including in the night – so maybe my
milk was less calorific? Or perhaps Tommy
was just a hungry boy (on the 98th centile for
height – not a Rollins gene!
Initially, breastfeeding meant that timing was of
the essence – especially at the Scottish 6 Day,
which became a military logistical operation.
I would have to feed him at a certain time so
that I could then warm up and race, with just
enough time left for him to nap and then play
before I got back for the next feed. I suffered a
lot with runners’ cramps at the 6 Day, which I
put down to running harder than I had become
used to as well as weaker stomach muscles
(which therefore allowed my bowels to bounce
around more than normal) but also to getting
dehydrated, as I was not only losing water in
sweat, but also to make milk.
If I had any advice to other breastfeeding
mothers it would be a) to get some very
supportive bras and wear two of them when
you run and b) to get your baby to take a
bottle – which Tommy refused at 8 weeks (he
had been taking it before). This does mean
you have to sterilise and ‘pump’ which can
be a real pain though, as one of the main
advantages of breastfeeding is the avoidance
of bottles, teats, bibs, pumps, sterilisers,
formula, kettles, etc.
I’m sorry if what started as a sports article
has deteriorated into womenly advice! I
hope that perhaps this may have answered
some questions that I was unable to find
the answers to myself though, either in the
literature or on the internet. The bottom line
is you have to listen to your body and do
what is right for you. And although there are
some women who should not exercise during
pregnancy because of various conditions that
they or their baby have, most women should
be able to find the right level for them.
Having Thomas has opened up a whole
new chapter in my life. It has not been easy
(although I am supported fantastically by
my husband David and my Mum without
whom I just wouldn’t be able to train again)
but I wouldn’t have it any other way. He will
be there in Czech this July, with Nana and
Grandpop in tow and I will be running as hard
as I can to make him proud of his Mummy.
Sarah Rollins
GB Orienteering Team & GP
References:
1. http://www.ukathletics.net/fans/past-greats/lizmccolgan/
2.Greer G. Observer Sport Monthly. It’s time for
the pregnant Olympics. Sunday May 6, 2007
3.Brukner P, Kahn K. Clinical Sports Medicine.
Third Edition. McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd
2007.
4.Clapp, James F. Exercising through your
pregnancy. Addicus Books, Inc. Omaha,
Nebraska 2002.
13
Issue 5 - Spring 2008
More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)
FOR JUNIOR ORIENTEERS
Inside this Issue:
Training with GB Juniors
Young Volunteer Awards
Top Tips from Britain’s Best!
www.britishorienteering.org.uk/ozone
Training
with the GB Juniors
By Hector Haines. Co-written by Douglas Tullie and Hollie Orr.
The sprint is on. It’s the final interval in
a session that has seen many athletes
whimper and break. Many have cut the
session down and retired. The line draws
nearer. Soon, ‘wild child’ Douglas Tullie
will finish the session. But he is never
truly finished – there is always more
training to do; Looking at maps, indulging
in terrain visualisation; Stretching or
working on his flexibility – for him the
training never truly finishes. He is a
24hour athlete. Always on the ‘O’. This
dedication to orienteering is echoed
throughout the Great Britain Junior
Potential Squad by all the other
athletes. Their ethic is fantastically
focused – and their goals are clear.
A section of the Classic map for JWOC 2008
Many things set the athletes of the GB
Junior Potential Squad apart from others.
Most notably they have knowledge.
Knowledge passed on from their
coaches, physiotherapists, mentors, etc.
They know and understand what it takes
to race against the best in the world
and they train accordingly. Typically, the
athletes plan out their year with one
focus in mind – JWOC. Then, the year
is broken down again to accommodate
another peak in their performance that
is planned to coincide with the main
selection races for the year. After these
things have been thought out and
planned the athlete breaks down their
year again and decides on their periods
of training. Generally, a loose format is
adopted by all the athletes and this can
be described as:
TTT Phase (September – October)
This is the phase where the athlete is “Training To Train”. In this phase the
athlete builds up strength in their core muscles and works hard on their
stability. This prepares them for the winter months of hardcore training that
they plan to do and, if done correctly and to the right degree, will prevent
injuries throughout the year. Also in these two months the athlete reflects
upon their performance over the year and thinks about what is needed to
improve next year with particular reference to their technique.
Strength Phase (October – December)
Flying in Portugal
In this phase the athlete focuses themselves on building up their strength in
specific muscle groups. The focus is not about putting on muscle but rather
making the muscles more efficient at the specific job they will be used for. By
the end of this phase the athlete should feel ‘in touch’ and in complete control
of their bodies to the extent that they will be able to utilise every muscle in
their body at a moment’s thought. This will increase running efficiency and
economy and will help when the athlete starts to add on the miles in the next
phase.
Endurance (December – March)
This is the phase where the athlete plans to get out for runs that are 25%
longer than the expected winning time for a classic race in the year ahead.
Typically, M20 boys will be looking at 100 – 120 minutes or more. The girls
will be looking at 80+ minutes. The reason this phase is done in these
months is that endurance will
last all the way though the racing
season even when the athlete cuts
down on the endurance work.
Speed Phase
(February – March and
continuing throughout the
racing season)
The athlete adds in a fast session
to his or her weeks training in
addition to the intervals that he or
she is already doing. Endurance
is slowly petered out and the
time and miles that are spent
out on long runs are reduced
but not completely stopped. This
speed phase is crucial and gives
the athlete the ability to give out
short intense bursts of speed at
maximum pace which are always
useful in a typical orienteering race
and especially in relay situations.
A section of the JWOC Sprint area 2008
So where do these athletes fit in their technique work?
The answer is of course; All the time. From September to August they
constantly refine and tweak their technique after they have revised it post
international season. Technique work is even written into the contract – that’s
how important it is. But technique work isn’t just about running round an
orienteering course – it’s about O’ Geeking; looking at old maps, reading
orienteering blogs and web pages, gleaning new ideas and concepts from
everything. Also, the athlete will analyse their technique after each race and
technique session – it’s an analysis of seconds, and for some, every second
counts.
The importance of the winter break should be highlighted here. For some it is
a time to make merry and have fun but athletes in the British Junior Potential
Squad realise this break is a prime opportunity for doing some really hardcore
training. It is in this period that an athlete will purposefully go out for a long
run in the horizontal sleet just for the sheer joy of the pain, and how good it
feels afterwards. They know too that many of their contemporaries will not
be able to face training in truly adverse weather conditions, so they get even
more satisfaction from the run.
So, you see how dedicated these individuals are to the sport and themselves.
They have to be, for if they are to race against the best in the world they must
train and think like the best, and, if they want to be the best they must train
and think better than the best. Douglas Tullie is rather poignant on this, he
says; “No drinking for me, just thinking.”
A view of the forest for the Middle distance in Gothenburg
02 Ozone
Issue 5 - Spring 2008 03
British Orienteer Young
Volunteer Award Scheme
The ‘Young Volunteer Awards’ have been developed by Participation Manager Steve Vernon as part of the “Increasing Participation
Plan”. The award scheme aims to offer an incentive for young people to get involved with volunteering within clubs. It is hoped
that an increase in young volunteers will provide relief to the already strained volunteer sector within British Orienteering and
encourage juniors to get involved with all aspects of the sport. The junior volunteers will also be able to develop vital skills that
will help them in the future and be seen positively by higher education and potential employers.
An increase in volunteers should also impact on the
amount of time available for clubs to implement plans
for increasing participation within the sport. The
award winners will be decided after the deadline at
the end of January each year and then presented
at the AGM. Both the winners and nominees will be
recognised in the spring addition of Focus.
The committee to judge the nominations will consist
of Hilary Palmer (Development Manager), Steven
Vernon (Participation Manager), Caroline Povey
(Marketing Manager) and a member of the Board of
Directors.
We are looking to award each winner with a glass trophy
and a cheque for £150. The Club will also receive a
cheque for £50 to spend on junior development.
There will be two awards:
1. Outstanding Contribution at Club level
2. Outstanding Contribution at National Level
• Volunteered with energy, commitment and
enthusiasm.
• Demonstrated a willingness to develop their
talents into new areas.
FUTURE CHAMPIONS
CUP RACES 2008
The Future Champions Cup (FCC) competition is open to M & W
18s and M & W 20s who are British Orienteering National or Local
members. The FCC consists of up to seven qualifying races and
competitors count their best three scores. The top 15 qualifiers
from each of the four classes (M & W 18 and M & W 20) will be
eligible to compete in the final.
FCC Final (Pre Entry is required)
Saturday 3rd May – FCC Final Middle Race (EBOR)
Sunday 4th May - FCC Final Long Race (EBOR)
Additional Guidelines:
Scoring: Each age class will score separately, even if competing on the same course.
Scoring for each race will be 1st-60, 2nd-55, 3rd-51, 4th-48, 5th-46, 6th-45, and
then decreasing by 1 for each position. (The top 50 in each class score.) In addition,
at races where there is a choice of running 20E or 18 or 20L (events marked *), the
18L & 20L class runners will score 1st-40, 2nd-36, 3rd-33, 4th-31, 5th-30 and then
decreasing by 1. (The top 34 score.) M/W16’s and below will not score.
• Volunteers must be unpaid.
• Anyone can nominate a person for
an award.
• The winner must be a member of
British Orienteering.
Nomination forms can be found
at www.britishorienteering.org.
uk/downloads/developing.php .
Full details of how to enter the events correctly for your age and the event rules and
guidelines can be found at www.pgopage.btinternet.co.uk
For further information please
contact Steve Vernon,
Participation Manager.
E: steve@britishorienteering.org.uk.
Pictured: last years winners
British Orienteering are looking for young
people who have:
• Shown innovation or creativity in their volunteering
• Demonstrated leadership within their role as a
volunteer.
Membership Benefits
Members of BSOA are entitled to the following benefits and
services:
• Discounted orienteering resources including Starter Packs;
• A network of regional contacts for help and advise on all
aspects of orienteering both within and outside the National
Curriculum;
• Opportunities to link with local clubs for maps, access to
orienteering terrain, coaching support etc.;
• Discount on Orienteering Young Leader Award Tutor Packs;
• Four copies of Focus magazine a year
• Reduced entry fees for the British Schools Orienteering
Championships and British Schools Score Championships;
• Fixture lists of events nationwide;
• Information on teacher training for British Orienteering
qualifications;
• Coaching opportunities for promising pupils of all ages;
• BSOA member schools are automatically members of British
Orienteering.
BSOA Membership Renewals
School, Colleges and Outdoor Education Centres whose
membership are due will have received their membership
renewal form by the time this edition of Focus is despatched.
If you have joined since 1st September 2007 then your
membership covers the period until 31st December 2008.
BSOA Resource Offers
Make your BSOA membership pay for itself by ordering
discounted orienteering resources. We have offers on:
Deeside Juniors
Crowned Team of the Year
Deeside juniors have won Chester City Council’s
junior team of the year and were presented
with the award at a ceremony held at Chester
Town Hall. Deeside have put a lot of effort into
developing their junior members and the work of
the clubs volunteers and the dedication shown
by the junior members is reaping rewards. The
junior team’s achievements include:
• Starter Packs
• Compasses (Clip on and SILVA Field 7)
• Orienteering in the National Curriculum
Key stage 1 - 3 book
BSOA AGM
The BSOA will be holding its AGM on Saturday 17th May
2008. The venue has still to be finalised but it is likely to be
in Staffordshire. Full details will be sent to all members with
the final arrangements and agenda. The details will also be
published on the BSOA website.
Qualification Races
Date
18’s
20’s
• National Relay Champions in M18 and M14
and 3rd place in M/W12
9th March National Event (Sarum)
M/W18L M/W20L
• 2 National Individual Champions
21st March
JK Sprint (SE)
M/W 18- 20E *
22nd March JK Middle (SE)
M/W 18- 20E *
23rd March JK Long (SE)
M/W 18-20E
5th April British Middle Champs (OD)
M/W 20
6th April
British Sprint Champs (OD)
M/W 20
19th April
**British Orienteering Champs (SOA) M/W18L
• 2 members in the GB junior team at the Junior
European Cup
• 4 members selected for the GB junior summer
training camps.
Mike Smithard
DEE
Pictured: The successful Deeside boys at the
2007 British Championships.
Event
BSOA Committee
• National Junior Team Champions at the Yvette
Baker Trophy (2006)
• 2 members in the England team and 1
member in the Welsh team
04 Ozone
The British Schools Orienteering Association (BSOA) provides
advice and assistance to schools interested in developing
orienteering within their school.
Classes
M/W 20E
The BSOA is always keen to hear from potential new committee
members. If you have an interest in promoting the sport within
schools, encouraging stronger links between schools and clubs and
have ideas as to how schools/junior orienteering should develop
in the future then we would be keen to hear from you. For further
information and to discuss what is involved please contact:
Peter Bylett, Chairman.
Tel: 01562 631 561
Email: peter@bylett.com
**National membership is required to enter the British Orienteering Championships.
Chris Sutcliffe, Secretary.
Email: christine.sutcliffe90@ntlworld.com
For further information contact Pauline Olivant
Tel: 01159 872083 or Email: pauline@britishorienteering.org.uk
Further information about BSOA is available by emailing
info@bsoa.org
www.bsoa.org
Issue 5 - Spring 2008 05
!
N
U
F
d
n
a
S
T
C
FA
Challenge Sheet
Spot the difference - There are 10 differences
in the 2 maps. Can you spot them?
Sarah Asks…..
Have you ever wondered how
our GB stars got so good?
Claire Says.….
Yes, that’s why I asked
them for their top tips!……
“Go hard, or go home”
‘”Without goals all the hard work is meaningless. Make
sure you set goals so that you have something to work for
and achieve. Then afterwards you can evaluate how you
have done and take pride in your hard work.’
Jon Duncan
Sarah Rollins
“Believe in yourself, have fun, set realistic but inspiring goals and make a plan of how to
achieve them.”
Helen Bridle
“Make the most of your opportunities. You don’t want to look back on missed chances
when you are older.”
Graham Gristwood
“The most important thing is to have fun - love every painful interval, every cool terrain
you experience, every crazy country you visit and every race you run in. It’s all fun!”
Mhairi Mackenzie
“Focus on what you do well, rather than beating yourself up over mistakes. Never give up
on a race and always check your control codes!”
Oli Johnson
“You can train hard to get faster and you’ll save a few seconds, but you can lose all this
advantage with the slightest loss of concentration. That’s why my best races are when I
focus 100% on the navigation, rather than how fast I am running.”
Pippa Whitehouse
“Never give up and keep the faith - it will come if you put in consistent hard work in.”
Scott Fraser
“A quote by Herschel Walker which I was told when I was a junior has always stuck in
my mind, “If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat.”
Rachael Elder
“Check your compass often, especially on the way out of each control.Take time to make
a plan for each control: A clear, simple plan lets you run fast and confidently to your
attackpoint. “
Jamie Stevenson
“It’s your performance that you can influence, not anyone else’s, so just do it.”
Helen Winskill
Answers can be found at
www.britishorienteering.org.uk/ozone
Issue 5 - Spring 2008 07
News
Start Squad
The Start programme kicked off in 2008 with a long training weekend for the 14s,
15s and 16s based at the Forest of Dean from February 15-18. A full range of
activities from technical orienteering training through to practical core stability and
physical training advice was on offer. The 17s however will be joining the Junior
Squad at their JWOC preparation camp in Gothenburg followed by the Spring Cup in
March. They will certainly benefit from joining in with the Junior Squad and seeing
what is required to make the next step towards becoming a World Class athlete.
Over the spring season, Juniors in these age classes will be competing to secure a
place on one of the Start Tours in the Summer. Selection to these tours is open to all
and not exclusive to Start programme athletes. The 14s and 15s selected will be in
Scotland the week before the Croeso 6-days in Wales and the 16s and the 17s will
be in Uppsala, in the two weeks before the Croeso 6-days.
Gareth Candy - Start Programme Manager
Douglas
Tullie
Age: 19
Club: EUOC, RR
Age started
orienteering:
Six
Do your parents
orienteer?
My Dad has orienteered since he was at
school, my mum does as well but under
protest!
Why/Where
did you
start orienteering?
My earliest memories are my Mum taking
me and my brothers round the string
courses at the 6 days.
What kind of training
do you do?
What do you enjoy
about orienteering?
I do quite a variety of training. Running
intervals (short and long), hill reps, long
runs (+90mins), strength and conditioning
work and then cross training like cycling
and spinning.
I enjoy competing at a high level and
also trying to improve and become a
better orienteer. I also just enjoy running
in beautiful areas of the countryside and
abroad.
Do you have a coach?
Yes, Jason Inman.
If so, how has this
helped you?
It has helped me organise and plan my
physical training a lot better than I used
to and also keep my training under
control. It is good because Jason and I
get on well so I find it easy to chat to him
about things and I think this is important
for a personal coach.
Where is your
favourite place to
orienteer?
In Britain definitely Speyside, areas like
Docharn and Deishar, Loch Vaa and
then Roseisle on the Moray coast are
the best in Britain in my eyes. Competing
in Scandinavia is great because the
standard of competition is so high. After
that anything new and challenging.
www.britishorienteering.org.uk/ozone
What is your best
result?
My best result has been at JWOC last
year in Australia where I finished 16th in
the Middle race. It wasn’t a perfect run
so it has inspired me to improve next
year in Sweden.
What advice would you
give to people wanting
to get into the GB
Squad?
As a Junior I think focus your training
on speed and strength and conditioning
to help prevent injuries. Also make the
most of every orienteering opportunity to
improve your technique. Ask older athletes
for advice and help, they shouldn’t bite!
What do you enjoy
doing outside of
orienteering?
Fell running, going out with mates and
watching and playing most other sports
really!
WORLD CLASS
Street Orienteering
Training at Altitude
in Derbyshire
the venue for a Night Street O on the 30th
January this year. This event even attracted
sponsorship from the local firm Wedoit4you.
A room in a local hostelry was hired and food
was provided after the event making for a very
congenial atmosphere after the run. Those
present declared it far better than the usual
A few months ago Scott and I decided that we would prepare for
the 2008 season by spending a month at altitude in Dullstroom,
South Africa. Dullstroom is a small tourist town located around
200km east of Johannesburg at 2040m altitude and has a
population of 5,000. The main reasons for going to South Africa
was to train hard in a relaxed, warm environment and to see if the
benefits of training at altitude could be used in the weeks preceding
future World Championships.
Photo by Doug Dickinson
DVO and Ordnance Survey
It has become a tradition for Derwent Valley
Orienteers to start off each New Year with a
Score Event and in recent years this has taken
the form of a Street O event. The 1st January
2008 was no different with Bakewell being the
choice of venue. Situated on the River Wye
this small, peak district, market town made
an ideal location for this type of event. The
map consisted of the historic town centre with
its complex spread of streets and alleyways
surrounded by the sprawl of more recent
housing clinging on to the hillsides of each side
of the valley. Being a compact town the map
even extended to the woodlands that overlook
the town.
with Graham Gristwood and Scott Fraser
First time organisers and planners, Bakewell
residents Steve and Siân Mead created a very
interesting course. Using questions uniquely
related to the control site to give proof of the
competitor visiting the site, such as “What
year did trains last run through the station?”
One question for a control site at the end of
a very muddy and steep path asked, “What
hangs from the large tree?” This nearly got
the tongue in cheek answer “the Planner”.
There was also the now traditional question
regarding Christmas decorations, with the
planners keeping their fingers crossed that
they hadn’t been dismantled the previous day
as happened in the previous year’s event at
Ashbourne!
We arrived in South Africa on the 1st of January and took the first
few days easy to acclimatise to the altitude. For the first ten days
we shared a house with four Swiss orienteers. It was interesting to
see how they trained and go about their orienteering career, which
provided us with some new ideas. As well as orienteers, there
were also distance-runners from all over Europe in town, which
created a great training atmosphere. As there was a wide variety
of athletes in the town, there was a great collective atmosphere to
feed off, as essentially we were all aiming for the same goal - to be
the best we possibly can.
Dullstroom provides great running trails and has an excellent
gym so we were able to maintain our strength and conditioning
programme out in South Africa. We were able to run a sprint race around town organised by
Oopee Karkinen and the nearby forest, Lakenvlei, provided endless kilometres of orienteering.
Twice per week we would drive to Belfast (about 30km away) to train on a beautiful grass track,
which was a pleasure to run on.
Originally, we were a bit sceptical about spending one month in such a small town, but it was
great fun. There was always something to do and athletes to speak to. A few doors over the
road there were some Finnish runners who would join us for movies, dinner etc and they also
joined us on a fantastic trip to Swaziland and the Kruger National Park.
Whilst out in South Africa we have also made a map for the orienteering club in Johannesburg,
which will be used for the South African middle distance Championships later in the year.
The River Wye meanders its way through the
town and effectively cuts any orienteering
event into two distinct areas. Careful choice
was needed to decide the best crossing points
so that you didn’t isolate yourself on the wrong
side of the river with only minutes to go before
the hour of allotted time had expired and
penalty points were incurred.
Seventy competitors were able to enjoy this
event, running off the excesses of the festive
season or just take a gentle jog through
the historic town. Being a tourist town with
many visitors, even in January, the runners
were effectively running billboards, with many
people enquiring about the sport. A report
of the event was also published in the local
newspapers. (Belper News, Derbyshire Times
and Matlock Mercury). DVO stalwart, Graham
Johnson, having forgotten his running shoes
took a leisurely run around the town but was
slow enough to be photographed! The picture
in the local newspaper (Belper News) has been
seen by a surprising number of people and
poor Graham has become an ambassador for
the sport having to explain what he was doing.
Melbourne will be next New Year’s Day venue
but before then DVO intend to hold many
more street events. With Allestree, Ashbourne,
Bakewell, Belper, Crich, Derby, Ilkeston,
Matlock and Wirksworth already mapped and
street events planned for Sunday mornings
in the summer. Wirksworth, however, was
14
Wednesday night training run and expressed a
desire for more such events.
Neil Cameron advocated Street O as part of
the Orienteering lexicon in his article in last
autumn’s Focus. DVO wholeheartedly agree
with this and see a bright future for this aspect
of orienteering. Some critics declare Street O
is not traditional orienteering. Derwent Valley
agrees, it’s just different not an imitation,
something to be enjoyed for what it is and a
great opportunity to train, to participate, to
recruit and to promote our sport in its many
guises.
Paul Wright
DVO
Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008
We are now looking forward to putting this training
into practice and having a successful 2008 season.
More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)
15
Choosing the Stars of 2008
Spotting the Stars at the JK
by Dave Peel
It is this time of year when our athletes will
be thinking towards the forthcoming event
season and starting to alter their training
schedules accordingly. The winter is the time
for high volume but as spring approaches the
focus shifts to more specific physical training
and also more orienteering training. With this
shift in emphasis the next team training camp
is a technical one on home soil in Aviemore.
All too often we look abroad for our training
but Britain has some fantastic terrain and
nowhere more so than the Spey Valley.
Whilst the terrain is not relevant for the World
Championships, practising all the important
orienteering techniques and skills is essential
and there is plenty of opportunity for this in
the area. What is relevant for 2008 though, is
the sand dune terrain along the Moray coast.
Not only are the British Championships
being held there but also the European
Championships, which are being held in
Latvia, are being held in almost identical
terrain.
Apart from the Moray sand dunes, the team
will be training on Rogie and Loch Vaa, both
used for WOC1999, along with a host of
Spey Valley terrain. There will be a mix of
long, middle and sprint sessions, with some
sessions being held at night and a mega 3map long-O. In all the athletes will be finding
approximately 350 controls during the week!
Heather Monro
had a very
successful
World Cup in
the same area.
2008 sees the introduction of a modified
selection process. In order to give greater
clarity and accountability, the sole senior
selector will be the head coach. As that
person, it is my job to help the team
win medals and it is only right that if I
am accountable I should choose the
team that reflects my performance. That
said all selections will be justified to a
panel of selection advisers to make
sure that they adhere to the selection
policy. Whilst many will say I hold the
power to choose the team, I believe
that it is the athletes themselves who
will determine its make up. It is their
performances that will determine the team
and to that end they hold the power. So with
that in mind let’s see who will be the stars of
British Orienteering in 2008 and beyond.
So which GB squad athletes will be there and
what is their current form?
SPRINT RACE –
UNIVERSITY OF SURREY
World University
Championships
In 2008 the World University Championships will
be held in Estonia based in the city of Tartu at
the end of July. The terrain for most of the races
will be typical Estonian forest - morrain with
boulders and much marsh! The Sprint race will
be held in Tartu itself in a “recreation park” and
some suburbs of the city.
This is an event that Britain has a great record
in - over the last three events we have won the
women’s relay twice and been 2nd once, had
a 4th in the men’s relay and had two individual
medals (Oli Johnson in 2002 and Helen Bridle in
2006).
The team will be strong this year - most of the
women from two years ago are still available
and the men’s team will be strengthened with
the availability of the new “hot’ youngsters such
as Scott Fraser, Oleg Chepelin and Duncan
Coombs.
The preparation for the team this year is more
focused than ever before - with two planned
WUOC days (in Sheffield and Edinburgh)
and a training camp in Estonia in mid June
aiming at checking out the terrain, maps and
accommodation.
Selection races for the team include BUSA
(Sheffield in March), the JK, British Long
Champs (in the appropriate sand-dunes of
Culbin) and finally the GB WOC selection races
in the West Midlands in early June. Some of
the team are likely to be pre-selected after the
British Champs in order to give them time to fully
prepare for the races with the final places filled
after WOC selection races.
16
Rachael Elder, Helen Bridle, Mhairi Mackenzie and Helen
Palmer won Relay Gold at the 2006 World University Champs
The 2008 JK is based in the south east in
Surrey and will use some of the 2005 World
Cup areas. These areas are close to the
airports so we expect some of the World’s
elite athletes including most of the GB Squad
who live overseas to be competing. These
races include the first stage of the UK Cup
series, the first UK Relay league and are
selection races for GB teams.
The Jan Kjellström (JK) is the
biggest UK orienteering event
of the year. The traditional
three day event has been
extended to include a sprint
race on the Friday making
it a four day festival of
orienteering. It is a multi-day
event not to be missed!
Jon Duncan is
expecting great results
at the World Champs
The JK kicks off with the sprint race which
uses the 2005 World Cup sprint qualification
area. This is where David Brickhill-Jones
(running for AUS in 2005 but now running
for GB) won a Silver
medal and Heather
Monro gained a
podium position
in 6th place (now
retired). Sarah
Rollins and Graham
Gristwood both
made the top 10 and
top 15 respectively.
<< David Brickhill
Jones with his
Silver Medal at
the World Cup
Both Jon Duncan and Graham Gristwood
are aiming for podium positions and Sarah
Rollins is aiming for a top 10 at the 2008
World Championships (WOC) so they will
be using this race to help them reach their
goals. However this will be Jon Duncan’s
first big race since October due to injury but
Graham has been training in South Africa
during January so he should be on form.
Sarah had a baby last year and her training
is progressing very well. In the Junior Squad
Rhodri Buffett will be making his return from
injury and his great running speed will make
him one of the favourites for the sprint. Anne
Edwards will also be trying to make the most
of her running speed to get a top sprint result.
MIDDLE RACE – LEIGH HILL
A classic southern area which was used for
the 2005 World Cup middle race. This is
where Heather Monro produced another top
10 position and Helen Winskill made the top
15.
Both Jon Duncan and Oli Johnson have
targeted a medal and top 10 position
respectively at the 2008 WOC so they will
be the ones to watch. Alice Butt and Hazel
Wright are new members of the Junior
Squad but have proved their ability with
some outstanding international results last
year. The middle distance race will be a great
opportunity for them to challenge the older
squad members. Douglas Tullie has made
a name for himself recently as an
outstanding middle distance runner.
He is aiming to extend that success
to sprint and long races this year but
he is still a firm favourite for the middle
race.
LONG - ASHDOWN FOREST
This area was previously used for
the British Championships and the
Harvester Relay. Jamie Stevenson has
targeted a medal in the long distance
at 2008 WOC. If he is successful
this would complete his WOC medal
collection! Unfortunately he will not be
able to compete at the JK however
you will be able to see him race at
the British Championships (long) and
at the WOC selection races in June.
Jon Duncan, Oli Johnson and Helen
Winskill are the ones to watch as they
have all targeted the long at 2008
WOC. Hector Haines likes nothing
more than a tough long distance race
and will be one of the favourites. Hollie
Orr also loves the tougher races so
we anticipate a good result from her.
Further information can be found
at www.jk2008.org.uk
Jon Musgrave
World Class Development Coach
Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008
17
INSURANCE CHANGES FOR BRITISH ORIENTEERING
ANTI-DOPING
In 2007 the insurance cover
used by British Orienteering
changed from providing cover to
orienteering events to providing
cover to members. That led to
staff and officers battling with
the problem of providing cover
to non-members participating
in orienteering events. The
problem was three-fold, the
administrative requirements
placed on event organisers, the
additional premiums to be paid
and the problems associated with
collecting these premiums.
ANTI-DOPING NEWS
Mike Hamilton is the Lead Anti-Doping Officer for British Orienteering.
British Orienteering runs an
active anti-doping policy. Our
current policy has been agreed
with UK Sport’s Drug Free Sport
Directorate who are recognised
by the IOF as our authority on
anti-doping matters. However,
the IOF and UK Sport both
signed up in 2004 to work with
the World Anti-Doping Agency
(WADA) and it is the WADA
regulations that are being
enforced.
If you would like a copy of
the British Orienteering AntiDoping guidelines or a UK Sport
‘Drug-Free Sport Advice Card’
– please contact the National
Office.
Does this affect me?
If you are a member of the GB
Squad at any level, run the elite
courses in the UK, compete for
World Ranking Points overseas
or be selected to represent GB
in World ‘closed events’ it will
affect you, so read on.
There are four levels:
Level 1 is the International
level and is controlled directly
by WADA through the IOF. A
group nominated by the British
Orienteering Performance
Director will be on this list. They
must report their whereabouts
at all times to the IOF and they
are subject to testing at any time
either in or out of competition.
Athletes must obtain a TUE if
taking banned medication under
prescription.
18
Level 2 is the National level
and is controlled by UK Sport.
The remainder of the GB squad
athletes, both senior and junior,
are on this list. These athletes
are subject to testing at any
time in or out of competition.
Athletes must obtain a TUE if
taking banned medication under
prescription.
Level 3 is the elite level and
anyone running on an elite
course, a World Ranking Event
or who is a selected international
representative (eg Foot-O, MBO,
Trail-O or Ski-O), is liable to be
tested in competition. There
is no requirement for out of
competition testing. Athletes
must obtain a TUE if taking
banned medication under
prescription.
Level 4 is for Start Athletes.
Although juniors under 16 will
not normally be tested either
in or out of competition we
are signed up to the ‘Start
Clean, Stay Clean‘ programme.
Accordingly all junior athletes
selected for the Start Squad will
have anti doping workshops
and will be required to obtain
TUEs if they are taking banned
medication under prescription.
Any junior under 16 that is
selected for testing will only
be tested with the express
permission of their parents or
guardian and under strict and
agreed supervision.
What does ‘in & out of
competition’ mean?
In competition testing means
what it says, testing carried
out at the conclusion of
a competition. For British
Orienteering this means that
all ‘in competition’ testing will
be carried out on elite courses
with a number of athletes being
selected. This is usually confined
to the seeded positions, say
the last ten to twenty starters
for men and women although
‘targeted selection’ is allowed.
However, if there are only a few
runners, any athlete could well
be asked to provide a sample.
Out of competition testing
means that the testing team
could turn up on your doorstep
at any time although this
normally means at a training
camp for athletes not at Level
1. A certain number of out of
competition tests are allocated
to Orienteering by WADA and
UK Sport and can be carried out
at any time. All athletes included
in out of competition testing will
be briefed separately as to their
responsibilities.
Test Results
The Lead Anti Doping Officer
is notified of test results by UK
Sport or the IOF and will notify
athletes as to their test results.
British Orienteering has not had
a positive test to date.
What is a TUE?
A TUE is a Therapeutic Use
Exemption. Sometimes you
may need to take a banned
substance for a legitimate
medical condition. If you have
been prescribed a prohibited
substance, you should first
check with your doctor to
see if there are any permitted
alternative treatments or
medications. If this is not
possible, you will need to
apply for a Therapeutic Use
Exemption (TUE) using the
correct application forms. All
athletes included in levels 1 to 4
above must submit a TUE where
necessary.
Towards the end of 2007,
British Orienteering were in
detailed negotiations with several
insurance companies in an
attempt to find the best cover
for members and clubs. We
identified a broker and insurer
who were prepared to work with
us to find a more acceptable
solution. Our aim of changing
insurers was to try to make the
processes as simple as possible
for event organisers without
compromising on the depth of
cover.
For 2008, British Orienteering are
insured with Sportscover. The
policy is held through a broker,
Worldwide Sports Insurance UK
Ltd, who specialise in providing
sports insurance. This insurance
provides public liability insurance
instead of the previous civil liability
insurance cover.
As with all insurance cover the
insurers are balancing the risks
involved in the activity against the
premiums and cost of possible
action and although our insurers
are impressed with the policies
and risk management procedures
we have in place we believe that
there is still room for improvement.
Work on these improvements
is already underway and will be
available for your comments
shortly.
The new cover is open to
members, events, officials,
directors, volunteers etc…
assuming that the correct event
registration process has been
followed. Our insurance cover
for 2008 also includes cover
for non-member participants at
events. This means that clubs are
no longer required to collect the
50p per non-member charge for
insurance.
British Orienteering only ask that
non-members are entered into
events using a standard entry
form. This will mean that their
contact details are available
should a claim arise.
Our new insurers require a record
of the names of all participants
at events including nonmembers and volunteers to be
kept. Normal submission of the
results will satisfy the insurance
company’s requirements for a list
of participant names. Therefore
the only extra requirement for
clubs will be a list of volunteers.
Any volunteers that are not also
participating (and therefore will not
appear on the results list) will need
to be listed. This list will ensure
that cover extends to volunteers.
The list of volunteers does
not need to be sent to British
Orienteering but we ask it is
kept at club level in case a claim
should arise. The insurers require
entry forms, results and the lists
of volunteers to be kept for a
minimum of 5 years. The planned
modifications to the events
section of the website should, in
the future, allow this information
to be submitted to the British
Orienteering website and kept
centrally. However, In the shortterm, we ask that this information
is kept with clubs. The normal
event registration and incident
reporting process will continue
and is crucial to validation of the
insurance cover.
If you have any further questions
regarding the new insurance
cover please contact Laura Young
at the National Office.
INSURANCE CHANGES
IN BRIEF:
• Clubs are not required
to charge non-member
participants 50p for insurance
• Non-members need to be
entered into events using a
standard entry form.
• Normal submission of the
results will satisfy the insurance
company’s requirements for a
list of participant names.
• Any volunteers that are not
participating (and therefore do
not appear on the results list)
will need to be listed. The lists
of volunteers are to be kept at
club level.
• The lists of volunteers, results
and standard entry forms need
to be kept for 5 years.
Are the medications on
the Prohibited or Banned
substances list?
If you are in doubt check it out.
This can be done online using
the drug information database at
www.didglobal.com
100%Me web site is UK
Sport’s anti doping web site:
www.100percentme.co.uk
See also British Orienteering
Anti-Doping for more
information on http://www.
britishorienteering.org.uk/team/
anti_doping.php
WADA website:
www.wada-ama.org
The UK Sport web site includes
an overview of anti doping:
http://www.uksport.gov.uk/
pages/drug_free_sport/
Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008
More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)
19
Figure 1
then move on (perhaps to return later) or to remain within these low key
activities.
There is one question that is repeatedly raised, ‘Why do we need more
participants/members?’ Of the returns from clubs, 51 of the 57 identified
the need for more volunteers; a frequent comment highlighted. In answer
to the question, increasing participation will increase the number of
people able to be recruited to help orienteering function – the future of
orienteering in the UK depends on increasing this pool of people.
Figure 1 identifies the participation pathway into orienteering with the
“Community ‘O’ Activities” being the stepping stones that the WSP is
seeking to establish.
Let’s be clear about what framework is
being suggested for orienteering activities:
• Frequent, weekly sessions of activities
• Simple activities to develop; skills, fitness,
confidence, social interaction
• Meet the needs of the participants - NOT the
needs of the sport
• FUN - programmes of activities to deliver it!
• Plan and delivery activities to introduce people to
orienteering and develop their skills and confidence
Satellite Centres;
Facility Based
• Identify suitable ‘bases’ for activities, map the areas
• Local to a ‘population centre’
• Opportunity for, ‘same place, same time’
• Café environment, social and changing facilities
• Provides opportunities for varied activities
• Market the bases and activities to target groups and
the public
Whole Sport Plan
Update
Participation
Membership
By Mike Hamilton
Events
Maps
Work on the Whole Sport Plan (WSP) is
progressing however the timescales have
changed. It’s perhaps stating the obvious
but the Plan is for orienteering, owned by
orienteering; however it is also used by the
Sports Councils as a basis for discussion
about the future of the sport and their
funding and support. As one of 5 Sports
Councils that we deal with, Sport England
is one of the drivers of this planning process
and some of you may have noticed that
they have recently had a change of political
direction which has resulted in a change of
the timetable for the submission of WSPs.
From our perspective this is good news as it
enables us to take a little more time to plan
and consult with you.
As you may be are aware we have collated
considerable information from our clubs.
This information contains both quantitative
and qualitative data some of which is within
the included table.
20
The return has been good with 55 of the
91 ‘Open’ clubs in the UK completing
forms and 2 of the 30 ‘closed’ clubs also
responding. An excel pivot table of collated
data is available for download on the British
Orienteering web site for those people
interested.
The club returns paint an interesting picture
and Table 1 provides an initial overview.
Recently an external consultant has
reviewed the development programme and
the report has been considered by staff
and Council. The report is available on the
web site as a full report and as an executive
summary. It makes interesting reading
and confirms that orienteering is now well
established in schools with an estimate
of over 400,000 students experiencing
orienteering each year. The obvious question
is why more of these students are not
making orienteering one of their leisure
activities? If only 1% participated regularly
in orienteering events each year that would
“
The most common quote from clubs...
‘There is a small number of dedicated
members who can only contribute a
limited amount of time.’
Table 1: Analysis of the WSP Targets Returned by Clubs
2006
Low
124,921
128,335
High
124,921
141,942
Low
8,180
7,864
High
8,180
8,977
2011
2012
Diff. between
2006 & 2012
% difference
129,178
128,047
130,622
5,701
4.6%
146,604
146,984
151,691
26,770
21.4%
7,963
8,076
8,182
2
0.0%
9,419
9,821
10,231
2,051
25.1%
C1-C5
448
544
555
568
580
132
29.5%
Series
1,234
1,140
1,170
1,237
1,291
57
4.6%
201
195
195
199
-248
-55.5%
77
218
251
292
327
250
324.7%
Reg. 14
49
114
131
142
157
108
220.4%
Reg. 16
41
105
117
133
132
91
222.0%
Reg. 18
32
87
91
117
127
95
296.9%
Start
31
34
43
48
53
22
71.0%
Jun/Sen
28
40
44
49
53
25
89.3%
Lv2
248
231
242
257
270
22
8.9%
Lv3
198
139
145
153
164
-34
-17.2%
Lv4
36
40
40
45
47
11
30.6%
Lv5
10
12
11
14
16
6
60.0%
Lv2
52
148
161
179
191
139
267.3%
Lv3
35
89
99
110
119
84
240.0%
Lv4
15
27
30
35
37
22
146.7%
Lv5
4
10
10
13
15
11
275.0%
Active during yr
206
236
243
249
254
48
23.3%
Lv3
294
312
321
331
338
44
15.0%
Lv2
118
134
139
146
148
30
25.4%
Lv1
61
58
58
63
63
2
3.3%
Organisers
325
479
498
516
535
210
64.6%
Planners
292
499
521
540
558
266
91.1%
School-Club Links
It appears therefore that there is a
considerable opportunity for orienteering
– to increase the percentage of students
experiencing orienteering, recruit them
to club activities and maintain their
involvement.
Coaches - Qualififed
Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008
2010
447
have a significant impact on our participation
figures and membership. A recent analysis
of a cross section of event results published
on web sites showed that between 6% and
28% of participants at these events were
non-members.
It seems to me that the ‘giant’ step from
school based activities to events is currently
too large and is dependent on the ‘minibus’
trip approach to transport students to
events. To address this ‘giant’ step we need
to establish a series of stepping stones to
help people to move from an introduction
to orienteering towards more traditional
events. I believe we must also accept that
many people will want to give it a go and
2009
“
Activity
Programme
Talent Development
Coaches - Licensed
Controllers
Reg.
Number of clubs included in data
More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)
57
21
Event Fee Considerations
Experience
Imagine this; you’re at a club committee meeting and when discussing
the upcoming Regional Event there is a suggestion that a Treasurer
is needed and everyone not wishing to take on the role should stand
immediately. Unfortunately, you were day-dreaming at the time (it was
a committee meeting after all) and wondered why everyone rose silently
while you were still sat down. The Chairman congratulated you on your
offer and you are the new Event Treasurer. Not wishing to appear a
complete idiot you accept with a weak smile!
at the JK
So what are you going to do?
Who has done it before and what is required?
So you go and find one of the clubs “Grey Hair” who has done this a
few times and ask for help. First of all, is there a bank account for the
event? It seems to be a nightmare these days to open a new account as
everyone suspects that a club name ending in “O” must be connected
to “Organised Crime” and that you are money laundering. However,
clubs with a bit of “nouse” have kept the bank account from previous
events open and you just need to change the officials on the account
signatures. The Grey Hair tells you that you must first draw up a budget
and gives you some thoughts on what must go in it.
How about access? Many land owners are seeking other sources
of income from their land and orienteers look likely to pay. Forestry
Commission charges are agreed nationally and you can find fees out
locally or from British Orienteering. The Defence Estate land charges
have just been raised and are considerable – but will you pay before or
after the event (estimated or actual numbers)? What about equipment?
Has the club got enough kit (SI or EMIT) for one day (or multi-day) and is
the event HQ in one location or more? Toilets – must have toilets – how
many and what sort? Oh! Has anyone mentioned that the map needs an
update? Where will the maps be printed and bagged, paper or plastic?
You need a quotation!
Entries; how are these being processed? Via the web and a bureau
service (this costs a percentage of the entry fees) or by one of the club
volunteers. Publicity? An advert or two in Focus or Compass Sport,
printing flyers etc. First aid? St John or Red Cross cost more than
they used to or does the club have a cadre of First Aid volunteers? A
marquee, car parking, bussing and officials expenses. The list actually
goes on and on if you want it too but what might that look like as a
“shopping list” – a typical is shown below:
Trail O
So you have now found that you need about £5000 to run the event
including a small amount of contingency but no “profit”. People keep
asking you what the entry fees will be and the Chairman and Club
Treasurer have had a word in your ear that this is the one event of the
year which must not make a loss. What will the number of entries be?
It depends! On the area the club has chosen to hold the event; where
that area is in relation to the rest of the country, what other events are on
at the same time, etc, etc. What have previous entries looked like; old
results will give you a clue and so the answer to the Entry Fee question
is to divide A by B. Is that the end of it?
The reality is that the entry fee that you have come up with can’t
be too far from the norm. In the example created above you would
need 500 entries from British Orienteering Seniors for a £10 entry
fee (ignoring junior entries). A hunt though the Fixtures page of the
British Orienteering web site will give a strong guide to the norm (it’s
somewhere between £8 and £10 at a recent check). If however you
are organising a National event or British Championship event then the
Organisers have different responsibilities and should be aiming to match
the expectations of the competitors. The “Major Events Manual” and
“Checklists for Badge and National Events” are very good guides and
available from the website.
And when it’s all over, there are two questions to ask. Did your
customers, the competitors, feel that they had value for money for a
good event and did your club make any surplus at all?
Lastly, will you be paying more attention at the next committee meeting?
Roger Hargreaves
KERNO
EVENT SHOPPING LIST
Access charges
Advertising
Entry forms printing
Entry processing
Marquee
Parking charges
Toilets
First Aid
SI hire
£ Cost
300
50
60
250
500
200
500
250
150
£ Cost
Map printing/bagging
550
Map update
500
Drinks
100
Equipment hire
100
Equipment purchase
100
Final Details printing
50
Levies
650
Officials expenses
350
Results printing
50
TOTAL
4710
Orienteering will be one of the 72 events in the World
Firefighters Games. This prestigious event, held every two
years, attracts firefighters and their families from around the
globe. This year it will be held in Liverpool, City of Culture
2008. The Games include all the usual Olympic events
as well as a range of more unusual events such as arm
wrestling, chess and dragon boat racing. In addition, there
will be events tailored directly to the skills of firefighters such
as a stair run and the toughest firefighter alive.
22
The orienteering event will be a sprint race held in Sefton
Park in Liverpool on Saturday 30th August. It is open to
serving or retired fire service employees and their immediate
families. There will be two courses available: a competition
course with a winning time of less than 25 minutes and a
shorter technically easy course suitable for inexperienced
orienteers or those new to the sport. Medals will be awarded
on both courses for males and females, open and veteran.
Competitors will be allowed to run in pairs on the short
course. Details of the event and information about entries
can be found on the Games website www.wfg08.com
Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008
The competitions on Days 2 and 3
are at Newlands Corner and Hindleap
Warren, both relatively close to the
main event arenas. Entry in advance
is required for the Trophy classes but
available on the day for the Novice
course. All efforts should be made to
enter by eligible competitors wishing
to be considered for the Great Britain
teams at EuTOC in Latvia (25th - 29th
May) and WTOC in Czech Republic
(12th - 16th July). If you wish to
be considered for either of these
competitions please send your request
to anne@trailo.org
Anne Braggins
Join us at the Brown Clee
World Ranking Event
Quite simply the best
orienteering venue the Midlands
has to offer, that is Brown Clee
Hill in Shropshire, the location
of the National and World
Ranking Event to be staged by
Harlequins Orienteering Club
on the 8th June. The event
promises to be the jewel in
the crown of this, their 40th
anniversary year.
HOC saves Brown Clee for
the best – JK 2005, a National
Event in 2000 and the British
Champs in 1993. The area
has a lovely mix of runable
forest, open moor land, rides,
forest tracks, streams and
denser woodland to test your
orienteering skills. You might
even see some deer! Given a
good day and why shouldn’t
we expect one in the summer,
there are excellent views over
the spectacular Shropshire
countryside.
The Assembly Field will have
that ‘big event’ feel with plenty
ORIENTEERING IN THE WORLD FIREFIGHTERS GAMES
JK 2008 has competitions for Trail
orienteers on Days 1, 2 and 3. Day 1
gives everyone the chance to socialise
with other JK competitors on the same
site at the University of Surrey. The
competition that day will be based
on the TempO format, which is a
competition based on the timed control
element of Trail O and consists only of
timed controls. Several maps referring
to each control cluster will be handed
to the competitor in turn and decisions
are recorded electronically. The course
will be short and instruction will be
available.
of room for club tents to line
the run in as well as a PA
system and commentary on
the runners. The event is also
a UK Cup race and a World
Orienteering Championship
selection race for the Elites so
it is expected most of them will
be participating.
Brown Clee Hill is only a few
miles from the historic market
town of Ludlow with it’s
impressive castle and myriad
eateries and also not far from
Shrewsbury or Hereford; so an
ideal location for a weekend
away.
Harlequins are celebrating their
40th anniversary with a variety
of activities including a special
celebratory dinner, the Malvern
Ultrasport Long O on April 26th
and the production of a variety
of memorabilia – some of which
will be for sale at the event.
Rollo Rumford
HOC
2008
MTBO
E v e n t s
More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)
HOC welcomes you to a
NATIONAL & WORLD RANKING EVENT
incorporating M/W21E scoring event for UK Cup on
BROWN CLEE HILL
Shropshire ~ SO 595855
8th June 2008
On Line Entries via: www.fabian4.co.uk
Postal Entries via: Mike Farrington, Brown Clee 08, Oak Lodge,
Floyds Lane, Wellington Heath, Ledbury, Herefordshire HR8 1NB.
Tel: 01531 635 502
E-mail: brownclee08@harlequins.org.uk
Latest Information at: www.harlequins.org.uk
Why not have a go at Mountain Bike
Orienteering (MTBO) this summer?
Events take place all over the country
and a team is selected to represent
Great Britain at the World and
European Championships. Last year
debutant Emily Benham won a Silver
medal at the Europeans.
DIARY DATES:
(More dates on the website)
26th April: West Midlands
27th April: WCH Cannock Chase
11th May: CLOK North York Moors
31st May: SARUM
1st June: WIM
28th June: SOA British Long
Championships - Selection race for
World Championships
29th June: SOA British Middle
Championships - Selection race for
World Championships
The World MTBO Championships are
in Poland from the 24th – 31st August
2008. More details are on the website:
www.wgl.pl/domeny/mtbo-pl/woc/
biuletyn2.pdf
The European Championships are
in Lithuania from the 22nd - 28th
September 2008. More details are on
the IOF website: www.orienteering.org
For further information please visit
www.trailquest.co.uk
23
EVENT OFFICIALS NEWSLETTER BY BARRY ELKINGTON
BADGE AWARDS
EVENT OFFICIALS
UPDATE
to Mid January 2008
INFORMATION FOR EVENT OFFICIALS ON THE
BRITISH ORIENTEERING WEB SITE
Gold
The number of items for Event Officials available on the web site is
steadily increasing. These are contained in the Event Information section
under the following categories:
• Rules & Guidelines - Containing the British Orienteering Rules and all
the Appendices and Event Guidelines
• Controllers - Checklists for Badge and National events, etc.
• Mappers - Details of the map registration scheme, printing, insurance,
map awards, etc.
• Organisers - Responsibilities, event checklists, environmental
considerations, risk assessment forms, Major Event procedures,
specific information regarding World Ranking events, etc.
• Planners - Graham Nilsen’s Course Planning Guide, advice on
planning Colour Coded courses, etc.
It is worth looking at these sections on a regular basis as more useful
documents will be added as they become available.
START TIMES
A not infrequent occurrence at Age Class events is for start times to
be allocated which have created unfair groupings of competitors. e.g.
several competitors off very close together, then just one individual by
themselves. These are often the result of poorly set up computerised
systems for allocating these. At an event that has pre-allocated start
times the Organiser and Controller should check the Start Lists prior to
publication in order that adjustments can be made if this occurs.
EMBARGOED AREAS AND
NON-COMPETITIVE RUNNERS
The final item of this newsletter is a summary of a document now
available on the British Orienteering web site covering the subject of
embargoed areas and non-competitive runners. The subject of running
or training on an area once it is known that it is going to be used for an
event has long been a topic for discussion. There are Rules regarding
this, but they are open to interpretation and rely on the honesty of
the individuals concerned. The document outlines the policy that
competitors should adhere to in order to maintain fair competition whilst
at the same time allowing the maximum use of areas for events and
training purposes without compromising our largest competitions. The
rules for eligibility at different levels of competition have been revised as
follows:
• Rule 3.1.2 - At all British Championship events (i.e. BOC, BRC, BNC,
British Middle, British Sprint) and the JK, competitors shall declare
themselves non-competitive if their acquaintance with the terrain
would give them substantial advantage over other competitors.
Nothing that occurred more than 24 months before the date of the
event shall be taken into account.
• Rule 3.1.3 - At all other Level 2 (National) and Level 3 (Regional)
Events, competitors shall declare themselves non-competitive if their
acquaintance with the terrain would give them substantial advantage
over other competitors. Nothing that occurred more than 12 months
before the date of the event shall be taken into account.
WHAT IS AN EMBARGOED AREA AND WHEN DOES
THIS COME INTO EFFECT?
The purpose of an embargoed area is to give notice to prospective
competitors of an area which it is intended to use for an event, in order
that they can avoid accidentally putting themselves into the position of
gaining a substantial advantage and therefore falling foul of Rules 3.1.2
& 3.1.3. An area should be considered ‘embargoed’ once it is known
that it is to be used, either through publication in the fixture list, event
advertisements, or an official announcement through British Orienteering
(e.g. publication in Focus). Any activity on the area after this point would
then be considered as attempting to gain an unfair advantage and the
offender could be disqualified under Rule 1.5.5.
24
JW1
JM1
JW2
JW3
JM4
HOW SHOULD THESE RULES BE INTERPRETED?
• The general Rules on Fairness cover anyone intentionally trying
to gain an unfair advantage. In other words blatant cheating such
as deliberately training on an area once it is known that it is to be
used for a major event. Anyone behaving in such a manner will be
disqualified.
• It is the responsibility of the competitor to decide whether or not they
should declare themselves non-competitive. If they are in doubt then
they can seek clarification prior to the event from the Chairman of
Rules Group.
• Any competitor who believes that someone has not declared
themselves non-competitive when they should have done so can
make a complaint to the event Organiser. This will then follow the
due process for complaints, protests and appeals documented in the
Rules.
SO WHEN DOES ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE
TERRAIN GIVE SUBSTANTIAL ADVANTAGE OVER
OTHER COMPETITORS?
• Mappers, Planners and Controllers clearly gain a substantial
advantage through working in the terrain so should declare
themselves ‘non-competitive’ if they enter an event within the 24 / 12
months of the event that they were involved in.
• The status of the Organiser of an event will depend on their
involvement in the forest. Often the Organiser works only up to the
Start line and from the Finish line and will see no more of the forest
than the average competitor. As such they need not necessarily
declare themselves ‘non-competitive’ at subsequent events on the
area.
Details of when other uses of an area - such as for regular running
or training, competing in a cross country race, being on the area for
organised coaching sessions, or even living on the map - should lead to
a competitor declaring themselves ‘non-competitive’ at a future event
can be found in the document on the web site. In particular, it is the
responsibility of individual Clubs not to organise any type of event, even
a Local event, within the time limitations indicated. If they do so then
any of their members who take part in such an event should declare
themselves non-competitive.
In summary, the responsibility for remaining competitive lies entirely with
the competitor, who should use common sense and, particularly where
important events such as selection races are involved, avoid putting
themselves into any situation where they could be judged to have gained
an unfair advantage.
ANY CONTRIBUTIONS, COMMENTS OR
QUESTIONS SHOULD BE SENT TO:
RULESGROUP@BRITISHORIENTEERING.ORG.UK
Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008
JW5S
JM5S
JM5M
JW5L
W10
M10
W12
M12
W14
M14
W45
M45
Angharad Lloyd KSODA
James Nisbet SMOC,
Jacob Roberts SROC
Anne Ockenden SROC
Kira Browne SROC,
Evelyn Mason MAROC,
Rhona McMillan SROC,
Helen Ockenden SROC,
Lisa Quickfall SROC,
Frances Wright MAROC
Simon Bradbury SYO,
Finlay Langan MAROC,
John Ockenden SROC,
Christopher Nash SROC
Sophie Louth WAOC
Matthew Nash SROC,
Ben Selby SROC
Adam Bradbury SYO
Hazel Wright MAROC
Helen Ockenden SROC,
Sophie Roberts SROC
Jack Lord NOC, Daniel
Selby SROC
Evelyn Mason MAROC,
Rhona McMillan MAROC,
Frances Wright MAROC
Christopher Nash SROC
Katrin Harding SROC,
Zoe Harding SROC
Finlay Langan MAROC,
Joab Matthews MAROC,
Matthew Nash SROC
Helen Nisbet SMOC
Kevin Parkes HH
Silver
JM4
W10
M12
W14
M14
M16
W50
M50
Douglas Marshall MAROC
Rosie Getliff MAROC,
Abigail Mason MAROC,
Anne Ockenden SROC
Harry Nichols MAROC
Rosalyn Marshall MAROC
Steven Rutter SROC
Douglas Marshall MAROC
Marcia Bradbury SYO
Adrian Lovell BADO Bronze
JM3
M10
W12
W14
M14
W16
M21
Ben Guigan AIRE, Harry
Nichols MAROC
Ewen McMillan MAROC
Megan Getliff MAROC
Jessica Mason MAROC
Thomas Selby SROC
Heather Martin MAROC,
Rebecca Quickfall SROC
Jonathan Moon BKO
Congratulations to the following
orienteers who have recently claimed
their awards.
Awards, Championship badges and certificates are available from
Chris Boycott on receipt of all the relevant details, the appropriate fee
(cheque made payable to British Orienteering) and an appropriate SAE
(22x16 cm for certificates). Please post to Chris Boycott, 13 Dawlish
Avenue, Stafford, ST17 0EU
Details required:
a) Full name and age class of claimant.
b) The names and dates of the three events, which must be within a two
year time span. Back claims are possible if I have the relevant records,
as a lot of old records are not available on the Internet. As I only get
about 20% of event results it helps me if you can send photocopies of
relevant results
c) Position and time of claimant in each event.
d) Club and British Orienteering number of claimant.
e) The standard being claimed.
Please note that year flashes have been withdrawn, as
there were not enough claimants. Junior ageless class
flashes (e.g. JW1) are now available, as well as all age
flashes (from M/W 10 to M/W 75)
Woven cloth badge
Certificate
Age (e.g. M60 or JW2) flash
£1.50
£0.50
£0.50
Supplementary list of Championship
Awards for 2007
Congratulations to the following who are eligible to claim a
Championship award resulting from their efforts in the AIRE and DVO
National events. This is NOT the final list for 2007 as I am still awaiting
official results for the STAG National event.
Men:
Women:
M10
W21 M12
M16
M21 M35 M45 M50 M55 M60 M65 Thomas Birkett SOS,
Nathan Lawson DVO
Joe Woodley AIRE
Alex Roberts HOC
Marcus Pinker SHUOC,
Andrew Preston SYO
Richard Dearden HOC,
Jeff Green CHIG.
Jonathan Emberton
EPOC, Andy Thornton
MDOC
Ian Ditchfield MV,
Jonathan Lagoe LOC,
Andy Lewsley BL, Kevin
Lomas NOC, Patrick
Smyth NATO
Bob Dredge WCH
Brian Jackson SROC.
Chris Morley WAOC
W35
W40 W45
W50 W60 W65 More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)
Alison Crocker OUOC,
Laura Daniel SYO, Helen
Palmer NOC
Sarah Louis Francis SN,
Lucy Wiegand SYO
Sara Campbell DEE, Sal
Chaffey DVO.
Rowena Browne SROC
Anne Cranke CLOK, Judy
Warner LOC
Sheila Carey OD, Jenny
Collyer SOS, Barbara
Majumdar DEE,Gill
Mawby EBOR, Helen
Neild LOC
Judith Goodair EPOC.
25
British Orienteering
Addresses and Contacts
National Office:
Useful Addresses:
Development Team - England:
8a Stancliffe House, Whitworth Road, Darley
Dale, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 2HJ.
Office hours: Mon-Fri 9.00am-5.00pm.
Tel: 01629 734042 (24hr. answerphone)
Fax: 01629 733769.
e-mail: info@britishorienteering.org.uk
British Orienteering Website:
e-mail:webmaster@britishorienteering.org.uk
Badge Claims: Chris Boycott,
13 Dawlish Avenue, Stafford, ST17 0EU
Tel: 01785 612825
e-mail: badges@britishorienteering.org.uk
Hon. Records Officer: TBC
Trail Orienteering: Anne Braggins,
90 High Street, Meldreth, Royston, Herts, SG8
6LB Tel: 01763 260333
e-mail: anne@trailo.org
The National Orienteering Centre
c/o Glenmore Lodge, Aviemore, Inverness-shire
PH22 1QU Tel: 01479 861374
e-mail: NationalOCentre@scottish-orienteering.org
British Schools’ Orienteering Association
Membership Secretary:
Peter Bylett, 55 Bruce Road, Kidderminster,
Worcs, DY10 2TY Tel: 01562 631561
e-mail: info@bsoa.org
Trail Cyclists. Association / MTBO:
John Houlihan, 98 Main St, Menston, Ilkley, West
Yorkshire LS29 6HY
Tel: 01943 876393
e-mail: tca@witness.co.uk
Development Manager:
Hilary Palmer
Tel: 0115 9820651
e-mail: hilarypalmer@britishorienteering.org.uk
EA (Bedfordshire, Cambridge, Essex):
Helen Errington
Tel: 01727 842 883
e-mail: helenerrington@britishorienteering.org.uk
EA (Norfolk, Peterborough, Suffolk):
Michael Chopping
Tel: 01553 841 669
e-mail: michael@britishorienteering.org.uk
EM: Pauline Olivant
Tel: 0115 9872083
e-mail: pauline@britishorienteering.org.uk
NE (Durham, Tees Valley):
Mike Hardy
Tel: 01287 624521
Email: mikehardy@britishorienteering.org.uk
NE (Northumberland, Tyne and Wear):
John Crosby
Tel: 01670 736242
Email: johncrosby@britishorienteerng.org.uk
NW: Sarah Watkins
Tel: 01524 844915 e-mail: sarah@britishorienteering.org.uk
SE (Hertfordshire & N. London):
Helen Errington
Tel: 01727 842 883
e-mail: helenerrington@britishorienteering.org.uk
SE (Kent, Surrey, Sussex & S. London):
Christine Robinson
Tel: 020 8255 7176
email: chris@britishorienteering.org.uk
SC: Denise Harper
Tel: 0118 9482934
e-mail: denise@britishorienteering.org.uk
SW: Celia Watkinson
Tel: 0117 9688627
e-mail: celia@britishorienteering.org.uk
WM: Tony Callow
Tel: 01743 884219
e-mail: tony@britishorienteering.org.uk
YH: Colin Best
Tel: 0114 2302621
e-mail: colin@britishorienteering.org.uk
National Office Staff:
Chief Executive:
Mike Hamilton
e-mail: mike@britishorienteering.org.uk
Executive Officer, Admin:
Laura Young
e-mail: laura@britishorienteering.org.uk
International Programme Director:
Derek Allison,
Newton Hall Farm, Newton in Cartmel,
Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, LA11 6JJ.
Tel/Fax: 01539 531167.
e-mail: derek@britishorienteering.org.uk
Marketing Manager:
Caroline Povey
e-mail: caroline@britishorienteering.org.uk
International Programme Manager:
Hilary Bloor
e-mail: hilary@britishorienteering.org.uk
Start and Junior Potential Manager:
Gareth Candy
e-mail: gareth@britishorienteering.org.uk
Coaching Programme Manager:
Vicky Thornton
e-mail: vicky@britishorienteering.org.uk
Accounts Manager:
Jannette Blunden
e-mail: jannette@britishorienteering.org.uk
Office Administrator:
Nicole McKenna
e-mail: nicole@britishorienteering.org.uk
Participation Manager:
Steve Vernon
email: steve@britishorienteering.org.uk
Councillors:
Chris James, Dalcross, The Manse Lane,
Gorsley, Ross-On-Wye Herefordshire
HR9 7SJ. Tel: 01989 720122
e-mail: chrisjames@dalcross.plus.com
Ed Nicholas, 0/1 3 Cowan Street, Hillhead,
Glasgow G12 8PF. Tel: 07725 912593
e-mail: ednicholas@gmail.com
John Morris, South House, The Street,
Clapham, Worthing, West Sussex, BN13 3UU.
Tel: 01903 871286
e-mail: johnmorris@britishorienteering.org.uk
Roger Hargreaves, 7 Coldrose Court, Truro,
Cornwall, TR1 2LE. Tel: 01872 277320
e-mail: roger@hargreaves9999.freeserve.co.uk
WEBSITE:
www.britishorienteering.org.uk
26
Hon. Officers:
Chairman: Neil Cameron, Chestnut House,
Gannaway Lane, Tewkesbury, Glos. GL20 8DA
Tel: 01684 294791 (before 10pm)
e-mail: chairman@britishorienteering.org.uk
Vice Chairman: Peter Christopher,
Brackendale, Brook Lane, Brocton,
Stafford ST17 0TZ
e-mail:vicechairman1@britishorienteering.org.uk
Vice Chairman: Lyn West, Grove Hill House,
Dedham, Essex, CO7 6DX. Tel: 01206 322905
email:vicechairman2@britishorienteering.org.uk
Treasurer: Jenny Peel, 20 Riverdale Road,
Sheffield, S10 3FB Tel: 0114 2663169
e-mail: treasurer@britishorienteering.org.uk
Committee Chair:
Chair of Council & Management:
Neil Cameron, Chestnut House, Gannaway Lane,
Tewkesbury, Glos. GL20 8DA Tel: 01684 294791
(before 10pm)
e-mail: chairman@britishorienteering.org.uk
Coaching: Keith Marsden, 24 Glen Way,
Watford, Herts, WD17 3JL
e-mail: keith@familymarsden.org
Development: Ed Nicholas, 0/1 3 Cowan Street,
Hillhead, Glasgow, G12 8PF. Tel: 07725 912593
Email: ednicholas@gmail.com
Events: Lyn West, Grove Hill House, Dedham,
Essex, CO7 6DX. Tel: 01206 322905
e-mail: vicechairman2@britishorienteering.org.uk
International: Dave Harrison, Maunsell House,
Home Farm, Hopton, Wirksworth, Derbyshire,
DE4 4DF Tel: 01629 540779
e-mail: david@maunsell.fsnet.co.uk
Development Team – N. Ireland:
Helen Baxter
Tel: 028 9263 9841
e-mail: helenbaxter@britishorienteering.org.uk
Development Team - Scotland:
Hilary Quick
Tel: 01467 629022
e-mail: hilary@scottish-orienteering.org
Schools’ Orienteering Liason
- Wales:
North Wales: Mair Tomos
Tel: 01286 830 142
e-mail: mairtomos@btinternet.com
Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008