Post Olympics opportunity

[Happy]

Just tried marketing to the 9 Scout Groups in the district where our next Level D event will be. Spent time putting together a notice with details of event, sent it out along with offer of 5 free places up for grabs to those who sent in their details and we would run a draw.

I believe only one of the Scout Groups circulated (well at least I only got responses from Cubs and Scouts at one troop via their leader). I was very disappointed that my son's Scout Leaders did not distribute it widely to the parents and when I asked for feedback they had deciced not to send it out as the leaders were not available on Saturday. There was nothing there about you had to attend as a Scout Group with your leader, it was 5 individual runs available to juniors (and who happened to be in the Scouts) hopefully full of adventurous types who would be interested to come along with their parents. I don't know if there is some concern about passing on directly this type of event notice and whether the Scouts would be held liable if someone was injured?

[andypat]

I tried that too locally for one of our events. I think without being too sweeping (since I was also a scout) scouts in general are not into competitive sports. More so advernture and experience sort of thing. Probably not a rich vein of future orienteers!

[Mrs H]

scouts in general are not into competitive sports.

Maybe you should try the guides. MADO were asked to host the District Guide Challenge one year and we have certainly recruited a local scout master as a regular member.

[graeme]

When I was at DVOA, we (well, not me, Ed Scott) started an annual scout event. Nearly 15,000 scouts have shown up since...

http://www.scoutorienteering.com/masoc.htm

[AndyO]

On marketing, targeting families includes >40 year olds and there is no need (in my view) to produce additional material that is specifically aimed at that group (however you would do that anyway), notwithstanding apparent success in the west of the country.

I also think that getting some exposure in RW fixtures would send a message that orienteering is a running sport, as Kitch notes. I think we make too much of the "difficulty" of our sport, which will tend to put people off. EddieH and others have recalled how they started at the longest course rather than working slowly up from TD1, so let us sell the sport as running with a navigational challenge, and compete directly with some of the "adventure" type races featured in RW.

[youngladdie]

Related to 'post-olympics', are there plans to get access to the Olympic Park and map it for a future event?

[paul]

Related to 'post-olympics', are there plans to get access to the Olympic Park and map it for a future event?

It has been discussed, but it is unlikely to happen until after the reconfiguration work completes after the olympics and the site opens to the public. This will take a year or two I understand.