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 [email protected] 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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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: [email protected]. 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: [email protected] **National membership is required to enter the British Orienteering Championships. Chris Sutcliffe, Secretary. Email: [email protected] For further information contact Pauline Olivant Tel: 01159 872083 or Email: [email protected] Further information about BSOA is available by emailing [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] British Orienteering Website: e-mail:[email protected] Badge Claims: Chris Boycott, 13 Dawlish Avenue, Stafford, ST17 0EU Tel: 01785 612825 e-mail: [email protected] Hon. Records Officer: TBC Trail Orienteering: Anne Braggins, 90 High Street, Meldreth, Royston, Herts, SG8 6LB Tel: 01763 260333 e-mail: [email protected] The National Orienteering Centre c/o Glenmore Lodge, Aviemore, Inverness-shire PH22 1QU Tel: 01479 861374 e-mail: [email protected] British Schools’ Orienteering Association Membership Secretary: Peter Bylett, 55 Bruce Road, Kidderminster, Worcs, DY10 2TY Tel: 01562 631561 e-mail: [email protected] Trail Cyclists. Association / MTBO: John Houlihan, 98 Main St, Menston, Ilkley, West Yorkshire LS29 6HY Tel: 01943 876393 e-mail: [email protected] Development Manager: Hilary Palmer Tel: 0115 9820651 e-mail: [email protected] EA (Bedfordshire, Cambridge, Essex): Helen Errington Tel: 01727 842 883 e-mail: [email protected] EA (Norfolk, Peterborough, Suffolk): Michael Chopping Tel: 01553 841 669 e-mail: [email protected] EM: Pauline Olivant Tel: 0115 9872083 e-mail: [email protected] NE (Durham, Tees Valley): Mike Hardy Tel: 01287 624521 Email: [email protected] NE (Northumberland, Tyne and Wear): John Crosby Tel: 01670 736242 Email: [email protected] NW: Sarah Watkins Tel: 01524 844915 e-mail: [email protected] SE (Hertfordshire & N. London): Helen Errington Tel: 01727 842 883 e-mail: [email protected] SE (Kent, Surrey, Sussex & S. London): Christine Robinson Tel: 020 8255 7176 email: [email protected] SC: Denise Harper Tel: 0118 9482934 e-mail: [email protected] SW: Celia Watkinson Tel: 0117 9688627 e-mail: [email protected] WM: Tony Callow Tel: 01743 884219 e-mail: [email protected] YH: Colin Best Tel: 0114 2302621 e-mail: [email protected] National Office Staff: Chief Executive: Mike Hamilton e-mail: [email protected] Executive Officer, Admin: Laura Young e-mail: [email protected] International Programme Director: Derek Allison, Newton Hall Farm, Newton in Cartmel, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, LA11 6JJ. Tel/Fax: 01539 531167. e-mail: [email protected] Marketing Manager: Caroline Povey e-mail: [email protected] International Programme Manager: Hilary Bloor e-mail: [email protected] Start and Junior Potential Manager: Gareth Candy e-mail: [email protected] Coaching Programme Manager: Vicky Thornton e-mail: [email protected] Accounts Manager: Jannette Blunden e-mail: [email protected] Office Administrator: Nicole McKenna e-mail: [email protected] Participation Manager: Steve Vernon email: [email protected] Councillors: Chris James, Dalcross, The Manse Lane, Gorsley, Ross-On-Wye Herefordshire HR9 7SJ. Tel: 01989 720122 e-mail: [email protected] Ed Nicholas, 0/1 3 Cowan Street, Hillhead, Glasgow G12 8PF. Tel: 07725 912593 e-mail: [email protected] John Morris, South House, The Street, Clapham, Worthing, West Sussex, BN13 3UU. Tel: 01903 871286 e-mail: [email protected] Roger Hargreaves, 7 Coldrose Court, Truro, Cornwall, TR1 2LE. Tel: 01872 277320 e-mail: [email protected] 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: [email protected] Vice Chairman: Peter Christopher, Brackendale, Brook Lane, Brocton, Stafford ST17 0TZ e-mail:[email protected] Vice Chairman: Lyn West, Grove Hill House, Dedham, Essex, CO7 6DX. Tel: 01206 322905 email:[email protected] Treasurer: Jenny Peel, 20 Riverdale Road, Sheffield, S10 3FB Tel: 0114 2663169 e-mail: [email protected] Committee Chair: Chair of Council & Management: Neil Cameron, Chestnut House, Gannaway Lane, Tewkesbury, Glos. GL20 8DA Tel: 01684 294791 (before 10pm) e-mail: [email protected] Coaching: Keith Marsden, 24 Glen Way, Watford, Herts, WD17 3JL e-mail: [email protected] Development: Ed Nicholas, 0/1 3 Cowan Street, Hillhead, Glasgow, G12 8PF. Tel: 07725 912593 Email: [email protected] Events: Lyn West, Grove Hill House, Dedham, Essex, CO7 6DX. Tel: 01206 322905 e-mail: [email protected] International: Dave Harrison, Maunsell House, Home Farm, Hopton, Wirksworth, Derbyshire, DE4 4DF Tel: 01629 540779 e-mail: [email protected] Development Team – N. Ireland: Helen Baxter Tel: 028 9263 9841 e-mail: [email protected] Development Team - Scotland: Hilary Quick Tel: 01467 629022 e-mail: [email protected] Schools’ Orienteering Liason - Wales: North Wales: Mair Tomos Tel: 01286 830 142 e-mail: [email protected] Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008
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