Orienteering and young families

[Arnold]

There is an excellent article in the new Compass Sport about how to make orienteering easier for young families.

Basically it has four points:
- Always have a string course, keeps kids entertained
- Avoid long walks (to assembly or start) where possible, puts less stress on parents and might make the kids do a course too
- Give at least one preferably both parents punching starts
- Don't have MW21/35 at the end of prize givings to parents can leave quicker

I'd agree with all of these except the last one but mostly because I don't win many prizes (and most small events don't have prize givings anyway)

I'd also add a fifth one - if at all possible base the event centre (near) somewhere interesting, a cafe, a farm, a playground, etc. Or at least say where the nearest such place is. Easier said than done but happens surprisingly often in the south east (we've had a llama park, a massive farm playground, a zoo and a few NT properties recently)

Does anyone else have any suggestions?

I do have a more fundamental question though, which is "should we make orienteering attractive to young families in the first place". Hardcore orienteers like Housewife and myself will drag the kids out most times anyway although the things above could sway a borderline decision. But even if we do all of it, will we really attract young families? Even with a string course and short walks the whole split start/caring for kids/getting changed/handing over/wind & rain/focusing on your run/sleep times etc. combo is not for the faint hearted or at least not what your average family would normally do on a Sunday..

[70plus]

I do have a more fundamental question though, which is "should we make orienteering attractive to young families in the first place". Hardcore orienteers like Housewife and myself will drag the kids out most times anyway

I think this question could be usefully discussed further. Management has been trying to give O the hard sell for several years, and it may be too soon to judge how successfully. But O needs long-term converts, not a thin stream of half-interested people who move on after a few attempts.

I may be too pessimistic, but I have always doubted the success of 'selling' O (the familiar kind, not a gimmicky variant). Those who do most for O have come to it, not the other way round; and IMHO most orienteers are 'oddballs' (including me) and not a typical cross-section of society. I hope management keeps up the public awareness of our sport, but don't expect miracles.

[mappingmum]

Does anyone else have any suggestions?

For organisers/team leaders/clubs: Be reasonable with your expectations regarding helping duties for family members.

[Ant W]

Clearly points 1 and 2 are not always possible, but it would be useful for pre-entry events to include this sort of information in the flyer. Long distance to the start/finish is always a pain to find out about in the final details, particularly if there is no easy route from one to the other.

String courses, however straightforward, are always appreciated and I'd like to express my thanks here to anyone who has laid one on at events we've attended with our children.

[Red Adder]

Whilst I appreciate Claire Ward's pleas the problem with some of them is simply manpower. It is clear that many clubs are struggling to find the people to do the essential jobs just to put on events and so any roles that are not core will be the first to go. Often if you want the "extras" then the only way is to do it yourself. Its certainly how my club got a summer series, a satellite club and string courses - the people who wanted them were asked to set them up - and ideas that worked soon attracted support from others. So basically if you want something beyond the core event nowadays you have to be prepared to put in the hours yourself.

[SeanC]

It sounds like "how to make orienteering at large events more family friendly to families with parent(s) who are keen orienteers". All good ideas (and it's not just families who would like short walks to the start/cafe nearby etc ).

However I think that's missing 95% of the market. Most orienteering is local and most youngsters who want to orienteer have parents who don't want to orienteer. I never understand why we expect this in orienteering. When I take my son to swimming lessons there's no guilt thing going on expecting me to do some lengths. Sometimes I prefer to sit in the cafe and drink coffee.

At local events it's harder to man a string course and the easiest course is usually a yellow (ie quite hard for under 10's), and the areas are often places where most parents feel they have to shadow the children round until they are quite old - eg large woods in remote areas or busy parks with lots of strangers. And many parents don't want to charge round after their 8 year old. And maps are super complicated for younger juniors - must be very offputting. Family friendly big events are of limited use if what's on locally isn't suitable for families.

The 95% of the market we're missing is local junior only events/activities/coaching in small safe areas with simplified maps, such as outdoor activity centres with simpler maps and fun/enjoyable/competitive orienteering aimed at the age 6-12 age group where parents are expected to sit and watch (in comfort) and cheer and gossip, and juniors can mix with other juniors rather than lots of oldies in strange clothes.

Parents will pay good money for this - say £10 a morning - because orienteering is quality outdoor exercise / character building for children, children of this age group love orienteering (before it's seen as uncool by many) and/or it give parents 2 hours peace to go shopping/do their own sport etc.

Children's birthday parties are another possibility... a growing market - £150 per party is par for the course round my way.

[Copepod]

Regarding birthday parties for children - I've been running these for several years at Wandlebury Country Park, just outside Cambridge, £85 for 2 hours party, which includes use of rooms for eating. About 25 - 27 parties per year, of which about 6 - 8 are orienteering.

[frog]

I agree with Claire that string courses are a nice addition for young families, but many clubs struggle to provide manpower for events anyway and a string course requires a separate team and area devoted to it, plus the new BOF rules mean we have to take everyone's details.
SoSOLs have string courses, looking at the rules it looks as though SOLs don't. Relays is where I used to miss having a little kid course as they are hanging around for ages.
I like the idea of maybe not limiting it to a string course but having a treasure hunt or similar. That way it could be unmanned and maybe prizes just at the end in an honesty box. A treasure hunt may not need names collecting either and could be unmanned, although I suppose some child could still trip over a twig. Perhaps a form where parents write the kids' names down before they went would suffice.
I think string courses and local events isn't going to happen as they are usually ran on a shoestring. You can usually wander round the shortest course with them then anyway. I think between about 8 months (before that I went round with Duncan strapped to me) and 7 or so when they start going alone orienteering isn't that family friendly as kids do get bored, unless it's sunny and there are streams to play in/ dens to build etc. Rainy events were always a bit miserable.

[AndyC]

We don't normally have string courses -simply because of the fact it ties up at least one helper. BUT I put one on at our last event as the organiser (it cost my wife a run) and my master plan for the next event I'm planning has a string course running between the start and finish of the "main event" which I hope will reduce the resources needed by making one team responsible for three activities. That however only works because I've located a spot that makes sense for that arrangement.

[graeme]

...looking at the rules it looks as though SOLs don't.

I think there's only been one SOL without a string course - ECKO this year - and Claire isn't the first to complain about it. It has always been my expectation that SOLs would have a string course, and I was surprised it wasn't in the rules.
Perhaps you could demand the resignation of whoever is responsible for the rules? (please? pretty please?)

[Kitch]

of course string courses are fun for kids
but so is randomly charging around the place
and if it can involve sticks, which are typicall in good supply, even better.

Why does everything have to be catered for ?

[housewife]

I agree that randomly charging around the place is good, as is finding a stream to chuck sticks / stones in, building a den, collecting leaves, the list goes on..... Believe me, we do them all. I don't mean to moan, but sometimes with all the sleepless nights, early starts, endless packing of stuff to take to events so exhausting, I just can't face going to an orienteering event and entertaining two small children for endless hours in a field. So we do something else instead. What worries me is that I am one of the elite of this sport. This sport takes me to the coolest of places, to do the coolest of things, and if I can't face the hassle sometimes, how on earth are we meant to attract others with children, and retain people who have orienteered all of thier lives when they start families.

I agree helping at events when you have kids is a major problem. I didn't like to moan about it in my letter, as my club, ESOC, are on the whole very good to me. There are very few jobs that you can do to be of actual assistance with kids hanging around, and organisers should bear that in mind.

And another thing, the rule that taking kids around a white before you run makes you non-competitive for your 10k course is absolute tosh. In what way is legging it around some paths after a 4 year old, with a 2 year old on your shoulders in anyway an advantage? Whoever makes this rule can try it out for themselves if they like...

[frog]

I agree with that.

[andypat]

I may be too pessimistic, but I have always doubted the success of 'selling' O (the familiar kind, not a gimmicky variant). Those who do most for O have come to it, not the other way round; and IMHO most orienteers are 'oddballs' (including me) and not a typical cross-section of society. I hope management keeps up the public awareness of our sport, but don't expect miracles.

I think the point youre missing there is how can people "come to O" if they dont even know what it is. Once you know what orientering is you can come back to it at any time in your life. But if you hold what I believe to be the prevalent view of orienteering that the general public has (its a pastime, possibly a hobby, but certainly not a sport) then why would you consider it if you have an inkling for real sporty stuff? In the past few months I've spoken to an experienced athletics coach who hadnt a clue what O was, and we had a family along to a local event recently, the mother remarking when I showed her the SI equipment "Oh... is it a race?" Mrs H is doing sterling work getting publicity for orienteering but its a long term thing that probably needs to come more centrally.

[Mrs H]

Housewife:
Whoever makes this rule can try it out for themselves if they like...
housewife
red


frog

I agree with that.

Yes I agree with that too - but a couple of things
One job you can do when you have young children is run the string course - and at 2 and 4 I hope it's not your children that are not causing you sleepless nights