The 2024 Jamie Stevenson Trophy event is being held at the Hermitage just outside Dunkeld this year on Sunday 16th June. Some may say this will be a huge disappointment to all the Scottish juniors as they will be unable to spend the whole day spoiling their fathers but we all know that peace to indulge in whatever hobby they love best is generally what every father wants!
The club flag parade featuring for the first time the INVOC eagle
The Jamie Stevenson Trophy provides an opportunity for all Scottish junior orienteers to come together and compete for their club whilst also providing another opportunity in the year to meet juniors from other clubs. It is a fun and inclusive day which allows club friendships to blossom and generally everyone ends up hoarse cheering their team mates.
It starts with a traditional parade of each club with their club flag and after the INVOC eagle mascot making an appearance last year we are looking forward to this year’s parade. A mass warm up then takes place lead by the Scottish Junior Orienteering Squad (SCOTJOS) before the orienteering begins. There are spot prizes awarded through the day with the most supportive club award becoming an institution alongside the Jamie Stevenson Trophy itself!
The warm up
The Jamie Stevenson Trophy is organised by and acts as a fundraiser for the Scottish Junior Orienteering Squad (SCOTJOS). Last year the prize was taken by Forth Valley Orienteering (FVO) Juniors again having taken home the trophy in 2022 as well but before that nobody had managed to wrestle it away from Mar Orienteering Club (MAROC) for more years than everyone cares to remember. Who will raise the trophy this year?
Entries will be collated by Clubs and so make sure you tell your Junior Club Captain or Club Coach that you want to be involved in what is sure to be another fun day. Entry forms will be despatched to clubs in the next week.
The Scottish Schools Orienteering Festival is taking place at Drumpellier Country Park this year on Friday 7th June. Entries are now open and more information can be found of the St Andrews Glasgow Orienteering Club (STAG) website – STAG website.
Young people are the future of our sport and we are once again delighted to announce the opening of nominations for the Young Orienteer of the Year award kindly sponsored by Tulloch Homes. This annual award gives us the chance to recognise and celebrate the considerable contribution to orienteering by young people through their volunteering.
Charlotte Horne & Isla O’Donoghue – last year’s winners receiving the quaich from Richard.Read More…
We are notifying all members of our intended Annual General Meeting date of Monday 24th June 2024 to be held online. There will be a proxy vote option for those unable to attend. We are in the process of putting together the AGM handbook to outline proposals and matters of business however we welcome any proposals from clubs/members that you wish raised at the AGM please contact our chief operating officer Nikki Howard at nikki@scottish-orienteering.org to outline any proposals or matters of business for consideration.
We are seeking election of some SOA Board members and request anyone interested in any of the positions to contact nikki@scottish-orienteering.org or speak to a member of the current Board. All role descriptions can be provided on request.
Do you know of someone who has gone above and beyond for the benefit of orienteering? The President’s Medal is handed out annually at the AGM to recognise significant contribution to the sport.
We are aware that there are plenty of people who work tirelessly within their clubs, giving hours of their time to promote the sport, but never seek recognition. We truly welcome all nominations so we ask you to ensure we hear of everyone who deserves recognition.
Anyone or any club/ organisation, other than previous winners, can be nominated even those who has been nominated previously. Nominations should be submitted by Friday 21st June.
What was World Orienteering Day has morphed into World Orienteering Week, now with 9 glorious days, 18th – 28 May. Any event over this period suitable for juniors can be registered on the WOW website. The IOF´s goals for this annual event are to increase the visibility and accessibility of orienteering to young people, increase the number of participants both in schools’ and club activities, inspire teachers to implement orienteering in a fun and educational way, and to extend the reach of the sport and enthuse the next generation of orienteers.
SOA and TAY families session in DundeeINVOC Schools eventRead More…
Last weekend, Scottish Orienteering hosted the first of our three-part family coaching series at Balgay Park, Dundee. These sessions are aimed at families in and around Dundee, giving them the opportunity to try orienteering. With the support of Tayside Orienteers and Active Schools Dundee, we’re able to run these sessions.
As part of the ‘Increasing Participation’ project overseen by Clyde Gateway, SOA once again ran 3 sessions for families and newcomers during the school Easter holidays at Cuningar Loop Woodland Park in Glasgow. SOA were linked in with Clyde Gateway by SportScotland, however we wanted to make sure that this work carried out provided a link into STAG and their events as well as raising the profile of orienteering. The project involves multiple sports and aims to get more local people active and using the local park.
After some of you may have had a few weekends away in Staffordshire and Yorkshire over the Easter holidays, this weekend provided the opportunity for members to test their skills at the Scottish Middle Distance Championships and the second Scottish Orienteering League (SOL) event of 2024.
First up on Saturday saw a clear day up on the Hill of Alyth providing some beautiful views over the Sidlaws to the south and over to the Grampian Mountains to the north. Tayside Orienteers (TAY) had picked a great arena which gave us plenty of opportunities to enjoy the views from assembly or for those that slowed down out on the hill to take in the view. There was fast and furious orienteering that some compared to Arthurs Seat and certainly had many wishing they had gone round rather not tried to make a path through the gorse!
Following on from the opportunity to join us in discussing the future Scottish Orienteering Strategy last week, we are providing a final opportunity for everyone to provide us with their thoughts via a google form. The draft Strategy for 2025-2029 is as yet just an outline with the details being added over the summer period before its launch at the Club Conference on 14th September.
As previously indicated this strategy is deliberately looking at the the larger picture of Scottish Orienteering as a whole over the next 4 years rather than just what the Scottish Orienteering Association should be doing. We believe that the SOA, British Orienteering, clubs, members together with Sport Scotland and other partners all have roles to play in ensuring our sport thrives. This Strategy acknowledges this and attempts to outline the pathways within our sport and the actions which we believe should be taken over the next four years.
Before adding the detail to the Strategy we would love to hear the thoughts of those unable to attend last weeks meetings. The google provide a summary of the outline Strategy together with an opportunity to provide us with your thought. Please could responses be submitted before end of April.
