Junior prizes

[gaw]

It was great to see Aidan Smith (M18) on the M20 podium at the Middle Champs. This is the first time I've seen them recognise a younger junior when both M/W20s and M/W18s run the same course and the 18s get in the combined top slots.

In contrast at the Sprint Champs we don't have a recognised Junior Champion at all, unless you go down to the 16s.

[bewildered]

It's funny, lots of other sports seem to give prizes when people do well in races - not orienteering!

[jayelc]

didn't lucy butt and tamsin moran podium last year as both 18s and 20s at the British MIddles?

[NeilC]

In contrast at the Sprint Champs we don't have a recognised Junior Champion at all, unless you go down to the 16s.

But what we do have is a sprint champs where qualifying for the open final is not trivial and where the top seniors have to watch out for the top juniors. That's got to be good for the sport. Some/most/all of the top juniors want to test themselves against the best seniors over sprint and middle distances (and indeed some have entered 21E at BOC). This sprint format means that you can't have a fair junior (18/20) championship but in my opinion that's a price worth paying for an exciting elite competition.

[WillG]

Tom Fellbaum won the British Middle distance Junior trophy as an 18 in 2010.

[graeme]

you can't have a fair junior (18/20) championship

... all the top juniors enter the same race, which is more than can be said for the 35s...

Looks clear to me like Jonny and Chris were fair and square the best junior men. Oli and Sarah too. Does anyone want to explain why not?