The Scottish Elite and Development Squad (SEDS) is an initiative designed to help orienteers in their 20s and beyond to stay in the sport.
SEDS arranges for groups to take part in major events and training. In the middle of February, sixteen orienteers – paying their own way – travelled to Burgohondo, two hours west of Madrid, for a warm weather training camp.
The week in Spain ended with the four-day Maximus O Meeting (MOM) event.
The MOM is a huge and important event with a top field from across Europe. There were 85 in the Women’s Elite and 220 in the Men’s Elite, which had to be split in two to cope with the numbers.
The selection opportunities for 2024 have been agreed by the selectors. With the Senior Home Internationals take place in Scotland this year on 7/8th September in the Stirling area and Veteran Home Internationals take place in Ireland on 5th/6th October in Ireland.
As part of the process of devising a new Strategy for Scottish Orienteering post WOC, for the period from 2025-2029, we are looking to collect the views of the young people involved in our sport.
We have involved board members, staff and those who are willing to engage in one of the three strategy evenings we are holding online but are keen to ensure that we hear the voices of our young people. We have therefore prepared a short google form which should take no more than 5 minutes to complete.
We are asking that forms are completed by Wednesday 6th March. Kudos together with potentially a sneaky prize for the club which gets the biggest percentage of juniors completing the form!
The weather was kind to all those clubs who joined Forth Valley Orienteers (FVO) at Birnam Hill near Dunkeld for the 2024 Compass Sport Cup/ Trophy qualifying competition.
The sun is beginning to find its warmth and those who ventured to the far start up the edge of the mountain bike trails were rewarded (if they remembered to look) by some glorious views out across the Tay valley.
A view from near the summit Photo credit: Colin MathesonRead More…
Over the past 8 weeks, with a break over Christmas, Scottish Orienteering development team with the support of local volunteers have been running a series of events called Orienteering Edinburgh at Festival Square. Orienteering Edinburgh is aimed at newcomers and uses MapRun over SI Punching for simplicity and accessibility benefits. Events have taken place at the same time and place each week. As of February 15th, the event moved to the Meadows with the aim of attracting a new audience and providing a new challenge for our regular participants.
Recently, in the last couple of weeks, we have seen our participation numbers begin to grow. Those who have attended since the start have begun to join clubs, enter local events and encourage their friends along.
The last Scottish Orienteering Strategy document prepared covered the period 2020- 2024 and therefore the Scottish Orienteering Association Board are now spending the next month or two looking to gather your thoughts to allow the development of an SOA Strategy for 2025-2029. This is an important part of securing SportScotland funding for the next four years.
As with the development of any Strategy the SOA Board will be looking to appraise needs of the sport and how you as a community would like to see it develop. These views will then be considered and the Strategy will be presented to SportScotland and to members at the Club Conference to be held in the autumn.
Edinburgh University’s Big Weekend saw the start of this year’s Scottish Inter Club Championships at the first Scottish Orienteering Urban League (SOUL) event of 2024 in Bughtlin.
You will be aware from SOA communications over the last few months that there are gaps currently on the SOA Board. We are seeking individuals to fill the roles of Operations Director, Performance Director and Marketing and Communications Director with Ben Hartman as Finance Director due to come to the end of his term.
Directors bring their experience to the Board to ensure the voice of all areas and clubs within the SOA is represented. Directors take up their post ideally for a three year period with the possibility of extending their role for another 3 years.
At present, we have representatives from Clydeside Orienteers (CLYDE), Edinburgh Southern Orienteering Club (ESOC), Interlopers Orienteering Club (INT), Inverness Orienteering Club (INVOC) and Solway Orienteering Club (SOLWAY).
