***** UPDATE Amended date for round 2 at Tentsmuir *****
Plans are now in place to host a Scottish Junior Cup league over three different races during the spring and summer of 2021. The league will offer a set of high quality, fun, and competitive races which will be open to all junior orienteers in Scotland with age classes from M/W12 to M/W18. The draft plan is as follows:
Sun May 30th, Auchingarrich, Perthsire
Sun Aug 29th, Tentsmuir North, Fife (changed from 22nd due to clash with British Sprint Championships)
Score is coming to you soon. The April issue has a focus on orienteering restarting: getting back to the sport we love but also how our enforced break has given us all the chance to reset how we think about, participate in and grow O for the future.
Sneak cover preview
Watch out for the latest Score available soon on the SOA website.
Following the Gender Equality community conversation, we are taking the first action of calling for interested parties to send an application to join the Scottish Orienteering Equality sub-committee. Please read on to find out the scope of the committee, role outlines and how to apply.
In order to support our coaches and ensure they have an up to date and valid British Orienteering Coaching Licence we have organised an additional Child Well-being and Protection in Sport course. Please take this opportunity while it is available at no cost to you as a coach. The last course in our series will take place on 28th April 2021 between 6-9pm.
Last year we hosted a successful Club Get Together in February prior to Covid and lockdown. It provided a useful platform to hear the voice of our clubs and discuss matters involving Scottish Orienteering. Unfortunately we cannot all gather in one room in person so we have adapted our plans to offer a virtual club conference. Building on the success of last year and offering a more flexible format we hope you will sign up and be part of our interactive sessions. We will open the Club Conference on Sunday 18th April at 7pm to let us set the scene for the discussions ahead, present on the successes of 2021 and outline our strategy moving forward.
A big thank you to all those who contributed to the success of our first community conversation on the topic of Gender Equality in Orienteering. We had over 50 people on the call on 15th March which indicates the interest in this area. A sincere thanks to the panel: Hollie Orr, Pippa Carcas, Graham Gristwood, Grace Molloy, Lucy Haines, Richard Oxlade and Sarah Dunn. They offered an insight into their orienteering pathways, influences and shared openly their opinions. We wanted to ensure we take forward some actions, which are outlined below.
January found us back in lockdown but keen to keep juniors engaged.
In order to do this, the SWAT( Scottish West Area Team) squad organised virtual coaching through a series of 5 online sessions. These ran over 5 Saturday mornings throughout February. Some 35 people including coaches signed up and kept coming back!
The sessions, headed up by Roger Goddard FVO, were structured so that we introduced the concept of systematic orienteering based around ideas shared during the BOF coaching conference. Plan, Direction, Picture and Distance.
We also had a weekly physical activity component led by Dawn Goddard FVO, ran a quiz then split into breakout groups according to levels ( orange , light green, green). Breakout groups allowed for more discussion and an opportunity to look at some practical examples of the element of systematic orienteering we had considered.
Feedback has been very positive and whilst no substitute for getting out there – it has given us a common language to use with the youngsters and we are now clearer about what the needs are.
As always, none of this would have been possible without the support and commitment from the team of volunteer coaches and the enthusiasm of the juniors and their parents. We are looking forward to being back putting skills into practice and taking part in the forthcoming Junior series.
As we look forward to getting back out into some of our favourite areas when restrictions allow, it is important we are always mindful of ticks and the potential risks associated with Lymes Disease. 24th-30th March is “Tick Bite Prevention Week” raising awareness of the consequences ticks can have on ours and our pets health.
