Category: News

The SOA AGM will take place on 24th June online at 7pm.

Today we have published the AGM booklet in respect of the 2024 SOA AGM. As you will see from the terms of the narrative our President, Chair and Finance Director have decided for continuity to remain in post until after WOC 2024 and the Scottish Orienteering Strategy has been launched. An EGM will be held in the autumn to allow these posts to be filled.

We would welcome any one who feels they have the skills which could help guide the future of Scottish Orienteering and would be in a position to stand as a Board Director. Please contact either our Chair, Keith Dawson via chair@scottish-orienteering.org or our our Chief Operating Officer Nikki Howard via nikki@scottish-orienteering.org to discuss your interest.

The 2023 AGM minutes can be found via this link 2023 AGM Minutes.

A link to the AGM can be found in the AGM Booklet but if there are any issues please contact nikki@scottish-orienteering.org

The Scottish Orienteering Association has previously entered into an agreement with the Capercaillie Project that areas which are sensitive for capercaillie will not be used between 1st March and 31st August. The main reason for this agreement was to ensuring a buffer zone around the active lek sites and avoid disturbance to hens and chicks during the breeding season for this protected species.

As per the selection policy, the SOA has made some early selections for the team to represent Scotland at the 2024 Senior Home Internationals, which are being held 7/8th September in the Callander area. There have been some strong performances by Scottish athletes this spring, and that is reflected in the ability of the athletes already selected. The final selections will be made in August, after the Welsh 6 days.

Selected athletes:

W20 – Isobel Howard and Daisy McNamara

M20 – James Hammond and Adam Barrie

W21 – Helen Bridle, Niamh Hunter, Jo Shepherd

M21 – Josh Dudley, Matthew Gooch, Graham Gristwood

25th and 26th May saw another successful Scottish Individual and Relay Championship weekend hosted by Inverness Orienteering Club (INVOC), Badenoch and Strathspey Orienteering Club (BASOC) and Moravian Orienteering Club (MOR) on the Moray Coast.

The Scottish Individual Championships on the Saturday hosted by INVOC and BASOC saw over 400 participants travel to the hilly ridge of Craig Leach and Craig Dunain on the edge of Inverness. The sun shone and the area provided some quality Scottish orienteering where few paths meant that compass bearings were important. It was lovely underfoot with hardly any brashings to contend with and a carpet of bluebells adorned the hillocks of Craig Leach which comprised the main part of the shorter courses. Those on longer courses endured some additional climb and MTB trail maze navigation on the steep slopes of Craig Dunain. The young and old were provided with plenty of entertainment from the miniature goats, highland cows and llamas whose paddocks adjoined the arena.

 The west start Photo credit: John Davidson/johndavidsonoutdoors.com

There were lots of podium pictures which can be seen at the end of this article and the opportunity was taken to award INVOC their achievement of Bronze Certificate of Club Accreditation.

Sunday saw MOR put on the Scottish Relay Championships on the forested sand dunes of Roseisle. After the glorious weather when the Scottish 6 Days visited the forest, as part of Moray 2023, it was disappointing to have a drecht day but the intricately contoured orienteer’s paradise lived up to its reputation. Recent forest thinning had meant there were some brashings to content with towards the end of the courses but it made for a delightful run in another technical area.

Competition was the top spot on the podiums was tight with over 115 teams taking part and in many categories there were seconds between teams. The men’s open competition saw a Forth Valley Orienteering team beaten on the sprint finish by a Edinburgh University Orienteering Club team who were grateful the controller was standing on the line to judge that they crossed the line first as the final runner’s exuberance meant they ran past the last control and backtrack to the last control. It was just a shame the liquid sunshine decided that we had received out quota of actual sunshine before the call to the podium!

There were lots of podium pictures which can be seen at the end of this article and the opportunity was taken to award MOR their achievement of Silver Certificate of Club Accreditation.

Thank you to all those INVOC, BASOC and MOR volunteers who made the weekend possible. With a special mention to Saturday’s officials – David Summers (planner – INVOC), Laurence and Carolyn Cload (organisers- INVOC), Brian Bullen (controller – FVO) and Marsela McLeod (assistant controller – INVOC) and Sunday’s officials – Eddie Harwood (planner – MOR), Andrew Campbell (organiser – MOR), David Eades (controller -INT) and Sarah Dunn (assistant controller – MAROC).

Here are all the podium pics:-

Our first volunteer is a coach whose efforts over the years have underpinned the success of one of our biggest clubs – Nicola Melville of FVO

Over the past few weeks Scottish Orienteering has been busy in Dundee. With the support of coach Matthew Clark (KFO) and volunteers from Tayside Orienteering Club (TAY) we have been running a series of family coaching sessions at Balgay Park, Dundee. 

The SOA runs an Accreditation scheme that allows clubs to be recognised for their achievements. Post COVID, the scheme was put on the back foot to allow clubs to get back on their feet and get back to some form of normality. We are now keen to refocus clubs towards the scheme which comes with many benefits.

At the recent Scottish Championship weekend, two of our clubs were presented with accreditation awards after fulfilling the criteria at the beginning of the year. INVOC are now on the ladder, achieving the Bronze level award, whilst Moravian have progressed to Silver level – congratulations to both!

A large number of Scottish (and Scotland-based) athletes have been selected for various international competitions this summer, and with the World Championships team yet to be selected, there are likely to be more. This is a testament to the excellent orienteering and coaching available to athletes in Scotland.

The World University Orienteering Championships will take place in Bulgaria in August, with a team heavily dominated by Edinburgh University athletes – Rachel Brown EUOC, Fiona Bunn EUOC, Eilidh Campbell EUOC, Isobel Howard EUOC, Niamh Hunter EUOC, Jim Bailey EUOC, David Bunn EUOC, Euan Tryner EUOC – and also several other alumni and native Scots – Peter Molloy FVO, Freddie Carcas INT, and Eddie Narbett INT.

Volunteer week is once more upon us. This is the time of year when we celebrate all our wonderful volunteers without whom the sport would not run (no pun intended). Each day over the period of the 3rd – 9th June we will highlight a volunteer or group nominated by their club who has stood out for their contribution to the sport over this last year.

We are delighted in Scottish Orienteering on behalf of the experienced organising team to announce that the IOF have granted us the honour of holding the World Masters MTBO Championships 2026 planned for 3-7th June. 

We can promise you excellent World Class terrain, courses and maps from beep to beep. Based in Northern Scotland at the floral town of Forres, with phenomenal tourist opportunities nearby. Castles, Distilleries and varied World Championship terrain! What’s not to love? See you there.

Still time to enter for the three race WMS weekend in Scotland near Falkirk on 7-9th June 2024 on www.bmbo.org.uk