British Schools Champs

[Gross]

I see the British Schools is at Beecraigs on Sunday... for those coming if the weather is like today it will be fantastic Have just been running round Beecraigs... bright sunshine, +6 temp... beautiful Enjoy

[Big Jon]

Gross "Have just been running round Beecraigs"

So you'll be non-comp in the race then?

[Gross]

Gross "Have just been running round Beecraigs"

So you'll be non-comp in the race then?

At least there won't be someone swithing the lights off in front

[Paul Frost]

For those interested, here is a link to the British Schools Orienteering Association website , but it's not possible to link to the page, so use the "Competitions" tab to find the page.

There details are also available on the Scottish Schools Orienteering Association website

[graeme]

What's the "Scottish Schools’ Sprint Championships" on Sunday? Do you need a school team of exactly the same age, or can anyone run? Is there even a school team competition?

Rules for BSOA champs proved too arcane for us to bother, but maybe this is an option?

[frog]

I've found it quite hard to get Duncan into any of the school o events as none of the teachers in his school are interested and only Perth council in Tayside push orienteering in schools, and it's hard to sort out all the paperwork and transport as a parent and unless there is a team of them going it's not worth the hassle. Agree the sprint o might appeal more to cross country running teachers who could teach the kids that with less o knowledge than x country orienteering as less potential for getting lost and more reliance on obvious features that a non-orienteer can teach.
Are you planning on entering James's cross country team and giving them some last minute coaching?

[SIman]

Saturday 19th November - TRAINING EVENT incorporating the inaugural Scottish Schools' Sprint Championships

at Lanark race course, not Sunday

[graeme]

I've found it quite hard to get Duncan into any of the school o events as none of the teachers in his school are interested

Same issue, not really helped by the rules being 10 pages and specific to the English system. School would only support a team, not individuals (which is fair enough).
We got one teacher to look at BSOA rules, but he couldn't make head nor tail of it, even to the level of what would be needed to raise a team.

Website says there is EoD and that entries must be done by school.

Are you planning on entering James's cross country team and giving them some last minute coaching?

James was keen to do this, he likes the idea of being on a proper school team (going to yet another event at Beecraigs is not the attraction!). But you can't just take your S1 cross country team along because "B"SOA rules are in English years. James had to ask people their birthdays because the older ones couldn't be on his team, some of his friends could be on the team, some couldn't. Some of the kids of the right age are in the primary school. Eventually it became more hassle than we could be bothered with. We'd rather just go orienteering.

[King Penguin]

Younger son did his first BSOA champs whilst at Primary school as a team of 1.
Older brother had started the sport after changing school at 11 and going to one which (in those days) took orienteering seriously. I simply asked the Primary school head for his permission to enter a "team" (of 1) in the school's name, with me as contact and team manager, and did the rest myself. I didn't find it too difficult.

[LostAgain]

If there are no other orienteers at the school. Then enter your own kids and sign the forms. We've done this and had no issues in the past.
It helps that my wife is a teacher at their school. I don't think it matters if it's your own kids.
If you are taking other kids from the school then fill in the forms and get the Head to sign them. We've also done this.

From what I can remember, you can enter the indivduals without your School being a member of the British Schools Orienteering, but you will not be eligible for team prizes.

[Big Jon]

Interesting that the rules of the "British" Schools Championships are written from the point of view of the "English" school system. Reinforces my opinion that the BSOA should be renamed the ESOA - eg the "B"SOA sends teams to the World Schools with "England" on their tracksuits...... Something not right here but no one in BOF seems to want to lean on BSOA to either change its rules etc or its name.

[awk]

Interesting that the rules of the "British" Schools Championships are written from the point of view of the "English" school system. Reinforces my opinion that the BSOA should be renamed the ESOA - eg the "B"SOA sends teams to the World Schools with "England" on their tracksuits...... Something not right here but no one in BOF seems to want to lean on BSOA to either change its rules etc or its name.

IIRC, the British Schools Champs are open to schools from throughout the UK, not just England. That "English" point of view, is also the viewpoint of Welsh and Northern Irish schools.
Whilst the Scots have sent teams to the World Schools, the BSOA team has included children from Wales and Northern Ireland. Only the Scots have their own schools association - the other three are covered by the BSOA.

[Big Jon]

Ok Awk - then call it the English/Welsh/Northern Irish Schools Association (EWNISA). You've just admitted it isn't a British Association, so why the inaccuracy in its name?

[frog]

The idea of a school team is meaningless if it won't let you compile a team from children who are in the same school year and used to competing together. Scottish years are never going to be identical to English ones but you'd think there'd be some flexibility so a Scottish S1 team (most of whom will be 12-13 although some will be 11 due to the flexibility given to Scottish parents with kids with certain birthdates as to which academic year they start school) competes with English year 8. The exact years that correlate could be agreed between the nations but having a school year system sounds more sensible than trying to make Scottish kids fit the English school year.

[King Penguin]

Can't see a problem with using school years if all it means is a few Scots will be running up a month or so.
eg. Mrs KP - had she been orienteering when at school in Scotland - mid-Sept birthday and technically 1 year ahead (by 3 weeks) of where she should have been (would have been in England) throughout her whole school life.