Leeds mght be Sheffield might be even EUOC might be
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I would say that OUOC had good links with TVOC. They're not that official but whenever we need support as a club, lifts, or help with our events there's someone there from TVOC to give us a helping hand.
Will? We've got proper fire now!
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Becks - god
- Posts: 2633
- Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2003 2:25 pm
- Location: East Preston Street Massif
we have pretty good links with OD, we took 15 UWOCers to Yvette Baker to represent OD and some to the final as well (unfortunately it was outside termtime)
OD put on events most weeks, and usually we take at least a car, and as president of UWOC, I am on the OD committee so I have some influence.
As organisers of BUSA, OD are helping us by supplying equipment and helpers for both days
Members of OD often give lifts when we don't have enough for a minibus or can't get one (which is frequently)
It has got to the stage where the regulars from UWOC are pretty well known to the regulars of OD which is nice
OD put on events most weeks, and usually we take at least a car, and as president of UWOC, I am on the OD committee so I have some influence.
As organisers of BUSA, OD are helping us by supplying equipment and helpers for both days
Members of OD often give lifts when we don't have enough for a minibus or can't get one (which is frequently)
It has got to the stage where the regulars from UWOC are pretty well known to the regulars of OD which is nice
- gg
- diehard
- Posts: 887
- Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2003 4:48 pm
Should really be applying to jobs at the moment, but this is far more interesting. from my experience of university and an Athletic Union officer for a year. There are many pressures/problems on student sports teams.
The main one at the moment that has not been mentioned is student debt. If only the governement listened to the NUS! Many students can't afford the time to play sport as they are working to earn money. Or as money in universities is becoming tighter, they are cutting the money that went into sport, so people are having to pay more to do their sport. Budget in sheff has gone from around £250,000 (late ninties) to around £40,000. Plus many more students have a higher work ethic, having it ingrained in tehm they need to do well at uni to get a good job, etc....
Students themselves, go to uiniversity and discover beer, clubbing, the opposite sex, drugs, new activities and sport add orienteering can find itself moving further down the list. Combined with the fact that the student now has to enter events, join the BOF, arrange transport, etc. Whereas before it was all orgainsed by their parents, school, and it was so much easier to do. Going down the pub is such an easier option.
Again all this tagged on to the fact/trend that people are starting to prefer to do exercise in the form of private gyms and areobic classes.
So what can we do? IMHO local clubs should support the uni clubs. SYO and ESOC/INT do this well and it is benifical for them to as they get those students to run for them afterwards. This could be in part why the clubs are successful but it is also down to the who runs them. El, GG and brooner (and the rest of the committee) make it happen a bad committee can close a once successful club in a year.
BOF (and other clubs) should target the professionals and young families. The peolple that dropped out of orienteering, bring them back as they will now have the time, money and facilities to get to events.
or something like that........
The main one at the moment that has not been mentioned is student debt. If only the governement listened to the NUS! Many students can't afford the time to play sport as they are working to earn money. Or as money in universities is becoming tighter, they are cutting the money that went into sport, so people are having to pay more to do their sport. Budget in sheff has gone from around £250,000 (late ninties) to around £40,000. Plus many more students have a higher work ethic, having it ingrained in tehm they need to do well at uni to get a good job, etc....
Students themselves, go to uiniversity and discover beer, clubbing, the opposite sex, drugs, new activities and sport add orienteering can find itself moving further down the list. Combined with the fact that the student now has to enter events, join the BOF, arrange transport, etc. Whereas before it was all orgainsed by their parents, school, and it was so much easier to do. Going down the pub is such an easier option.
Again all this tagged on to the fact/trend that people are starting to prefer to do exercise in the form of private gyms and areobic classes.
So what can we do? IMHO local clubs should support the uni clubs. SYO and ESOC/INT do this well and it is benifical for them to as they get those students to run for them afterwards. This could be in part why the clubs are successful but it is also down to the who runs them. El, GG and brooner (and the rest of the committee) make it happen a bad committee can close a once successful club in a year.
BOF (and other clubs) should target the professionals and young families. The peolple that dropped out of orienteering, bring them back as they will now have the time, money and facilities to get to events.
or something like that........
- Seamus
- red
- Posts: 156
- Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2004 9:09 pm
It seems to me that the first step of the solution is actually pretty simple and has been alluded to already, chiefly it is for people who live in these cities to do the following:
1) Firmly commit to provide a transport facility to events every week during term time from a stated fixed location (convenient for the students).
2) Clearly advertise this facility in places where the students are likely to look.
If we do this, I strongly suspect that interested parties will search out the facility and make use of it - they will then meet each other.....and possibly re-form / breathe new life into the club. Also orienteers who are thinking of going to that uni may be much happier if they know the lift service is available, even if there is no active club (as I can't believe that everyone wants to go to Sheffield, I didn't like it when I went there).
As far as advertising the facility goes, my guess is that (potential) student orienteers at XXXX Uni will look in the following places:
1) Freshers fair (This is unlikely to be possible if there are no current student orienteers).
2) Search for "XXXX University Orienteering" on google
3) Click-through from "XXXX University Sports LINKS" page
4) Click-through from BOF website
For options 2 and 4, even if the student union won't host the page, it is easy to host a page on the local club website.
Options 2,3,4 should all get through to the same place so I shall now conduct an informal survey using option 2 to see if these advertise a lift facility that would encourage me to do some orienteering at that uni.
1) Aston
Website disappeared.
2) Bristol
Well I found the website...and the lead story is "What's the deal with UBOC" - click on this, and we find out that the club is dead - due to lack of transport. There is a rather vague statement saying that if they have members with cars they may be able to get out once in a while....or else you will have to resort to other means such as joining BOK!!! heaven forbid. Very encouraging (not).
3) Loughborough
Well I found the site - (http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/arch/watson/ori ... /lsoc.html)
The webpage is temporary, as waiting for the student union to get their act together - but it does at least show that there is a full committee, so potential orienteers can head to loughborough knowing they will be able to do their orienteering.
Of course you can scroll down and find that the page was last updated in 1995....but let's not worry about that.
4) Lancaster
Website disappeared.
5) Leicester
The club is listed as existing on both EMOA and BOF websites, but there appears never to have been an actual page.
6) London
Website disappeared
7) Bath
Can't find any trace of this one
Manchester
Well, the North West Orienteering Association Homepage says that the club exists, however no other traces to be found.
9) Glasgow
Found the website, looks active, although the "info" page is completely blank. Not sure why it's on my list as closed. For anyone in the area, the Noticeboard advertises a discount evening on 30th October 2003 - nice! Results page also from 2003, although no results - nothing on the website says 2004.
11) Bangor
No trace of this one
12) Southampton
Website disappeared
13) Cardiff
No trace of this one
----------------------
In conclusion, I would say that if we can't commit to and advertise a lift facility at these institutions, then we should expect orienteers to gravitate towards those universities that still have active clubs. In their position, I would do the same.
1) Firmly commit to provide a transport facility to events every week during term time from a stated fixed location (convenient for the students).
2) Clearly advertise this facility in places where the students are likely to look.
If we do this, I strongly suspect that interested parties will search out the facility and make use of it - they will then meet each other.....and possibly re-form / breathe new life into the club. Also orienteers who are thinking of going to that uni may be much happier if they know the lift service is available, even if there is no active club (as I can't believe that everyone wants to go to Sheffield, I didn't like it when I went there).
As far as advertising the facility goes, my guess is that (potential) student orienteers at XXXX Uni will look in the following places:
1) Freshers fair (This is unlikely to be possible if there are no current student orienteers).
2) Search for "XXXX University Orienteering" on google
3) Click-through from "XXXX University Sports LINKS" page
4) Click-through from BOF website
For options 2 and 4, even if the student union won't host the page, it is easy to host a page on the local club website.
Options 2,3,4 should all get through to the same place so I shall now conduct an informal survey using option 2 to see if these advertise a lift facility that would encourage me to do some orienteering at that uni.
1) Aston
Website disappeared.
2) Bristol
Well I found the website...and the lead story is "What's the deal with UBOC" - click on this, and we find out that the club is dead - due to lack of transport. There is a rather vague statement saying that if they have members with cars they may be able to get out once in a while....or else you will have to resort to other means such as joining BOK!!! heaven forbid. Very encouraging (not).
3) Loughborough
Well I found the site - (http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/arch/watson/ori ... /lsoc.html)
The webpage is temporary, as waiting for the student union to get their act together - but it does at least show that there is a full committee, so potential orienteers can head to loughborough knowing they will be able to do their orienteering.
Of course you can scroll down and find that the page was last updated in 1995....but let's not worry about that.
4) Lancaster
Website disappeared.
5) Leicester
The club is listed as existing on both EMOA and BOF websites, but there appears never to have been an actual page.
6) London
Website disappeared
7) Bath
Can't find any trace of this one
Manchester
Well, the North West Orienteering Association Homepage says that the club exists, however no other traces to be found.
9) Glasgow
Found the website, looks active, although the "info" page is completely blank. Not sure why it's on my list as closed. For anyone in the area, the Noticeboard advertises a discount evening on 30th October 2003 - nice! Results page also from 2003, although no results - nothing on the website says 2004.
11) Bangor
No trace of this one
12) Southampton
Website disappeared
13) Cardiff
No trace of this one
----------------------
In conclusion, I would say that if we can't commit to and advertise a lift facility at these institutions, then we should expect orienteers to gravitate towards those universities that still have active clubs. In their position, I would do the same.
- Guest88
London is certainly still active as a club - there have been quite a few of them at events OUOC have been to. They're obviusly advertising within the uni somehow but not through a website...
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distracted - addict
- Posts: 1194
- Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2004 12:15 am
We're still active at AUOC, ok, with only 7 members, but we do get out to events. The main problem we have is with recruitment, it doesn’t seem to matter how much you advertise something, if it involves being outside in the cold, rain etc then it simply doesn’t excite. our local club GRAMP are great, they are always more than happy to help if we just ask, we have none of the other problems mentioned previously, we are extremely well funded (to the extent we flew to BUSA last year and got a nice hire car for the cost to us of £10!) and always get a minibus when we want one, (mainly because we have a club member who's the AU vice president) so that cant be blamed. We always get loads of names signing up at the freshers fair, but getting them to come along seems to be imposable!!!
Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they are yours.
- Iain
- orange
- Posts: 103
- Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2003 2:31 pm
- Location: Gilcomston park
I have been at London Uni (Royal Holloway) for a term now and have not been able to get in contact with anybody from ULOC, no website, no email address and asking about them at the union did not help. Does anybody know anybody at ULOC I could contact???
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the rabbit - string
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 8:58 pm
- Location: London Village
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