Veteran Home International

[afterthought]

Best wishes to the teams for this year's Veteran Home International (VHI.)

Normally a feature of the Autumn programme, this year's VHI is this coming weekend, the 16th and 17th June, thanks to Lagan Valley Orienteers. So whilst 17,000 orienteers gather in a Finnish forest for the Venla and Jukola relays, nearly 100 elite British orienteers will gather for an individual event on Meelmore and relays at Tolleymore.

Teams comprise 24 athletes, two each in M/W40-60, and one in each of M/W35 and M/W65. In the individual, each age class is a separate race, with points of 8-1 (or 10-3), or 4-1 (or 10-7) available in each. The traditional all in 2M2W teams-of-4 relay is this year replaced on an experiment with two relays, one 2M/1W and one 2W/1M.

The competition normally results in a close victory for England over Scotland, with Scotland doing better in the individual than the relays. Welsh and Irish runners win classes but the teams as a whole vie with each other for third, with Wales normally winning. Will home advantage and the clash with Jukola favour the Irish in their match against Wales? Will 3 leg relays rather than 4 leg balance the Engalnd/Scotland contest?

[JK]

A few years ago I was trying to get into the Scotland VHI team. I was a peeved to find that since I was born in England, didn't have Scottish parents and was no longer resident I was ineligble, even though I had lived there for 20 years previously.

According to the rules I would be eligible to run for the Isle of Man (were they allowed a team) so have toyed with the idea of such a team for many years.

How about a British Islands team for people from IoM and Channel Islands (but not IoW or Anglesey since they are part of England and Wales respectively)?

BTW Rumours have it that the first ever proper Orienteering event will take place in the IoM

JK

[madmike]

A few years ago I was trying to get into the Scotland VHI team. I was a peeved to find that since I was born in England, didn't have Scottish parents and was no longer resident I was ineligble, even though I had lived there for 20 years previously.

According to the rules I would be eligible to run for the Isle of Man (were they allowed a team) so have toyed with the idea of such a team for many years.

How about a British Islands team for people from IoM and Channel Islands (but not IoW or Anglesey since they are part of England and Wales respectively)?

BTW Rumours have it that the first ever proper Orienteering event will take place in the IoM

JK

Have you thought of trying out for Wales as a day trip makes you eligible

[AndyC]

Hebrides presumably are Scottish but Shetlands apparently feel more akin to Scandinavia so would you let them in the "islands" team ---Scilly isles?
any more islands?

[Scott]

Scilly will be part of the Cornwall team, obviously

[Mrs H]

Don't you have to have three legs to qualify for the IOM team?

[AndyC]

That's the relay team (MMW/WWM)

[JK]

Shetlands like Orkney and IoM used to be part of Norway. The Sudrey (sp?) were the southern Isles and the norse region was "Sodor and Man" - still the title of the See of the IoM Bishop. IoM left Norway in 1270 after the Battle of Largs, but Orkney and Shetland hung on for longer.

The principle would be that islands which are part of the other Home Nations are already sorted so other possible inclusions in the team would be those that come under GB for Olympics (although aren't technically part of it) - Gibralter and Falklands would be others in that category (and yes I know Gibralter isn't an island).

So for a serious and correct extra team it couldn't include these other islands. Having said that since it would (by virtue of lack of people) be non-competitive in practise, maybe we'd be allowed a non-comp Islands team formed from the British islands that compete in the inter-island games: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_Games

[andypat]

A few years ago I was trying to get into the Scotland VHI team. I was a peeved to find that since I was born in England, didn't have Scottish parents and was no longer resident I was ineligble, JK

Born in England, living in England, ? English parents... good luck with that!

[graeme]

If we have a Commonwealth O-champs in 2014, you can bring a Manx team...

"Sodor and Man"

..and supply a Fat Controller

[andy]

A few years ago I was trying to get into the Scotland VHI team. I was a peeved to find that since I was born in England, didn't have Scottish parents and was no longer resident I was ineligble, JK

Born in England, living in England, ? English parents... good luck with that!

Agree with Andypat, you have no reason to be peeved.

Back on topic: Yay, go team Scotland!

[JK]

Who said I had english parents? One was (but from Scottish blood), the other was Manx (as is my surname of course)

Having being brought up in Scotland (moving there when I was 2) and being a part of the Scottish junior squad (although key point, was only ever reserve for HIs as a Junior, another member at the time was in the same boat as me, but had run as a junior so he was OK) it was Scottish orienteering that I felt the closest affinity to. At the time the Scottish team had an AUS and a NZL who had lived there for the min 2 years so I felt more Scottish than them.

Although not a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, IoM has always competed in the CGs so I'd expect them to be welcome in a Commonwealth O-champs.

Fat Controller: yep, Sodor and Man plus the Island's railways gave Awdry inspiration for the Island of Sodor where Thomas lives.

[andypat]

Who said I had english parents? One was (but from Scottish blood), the other was Manx (as is my surname of course)

Noone did - it suited my riposte to make that assumption. I apologise for that slight on your history!

[awk]

Have you thought of trying out for Wales as a day trip makes you eligible

Same eligibility rules apply for all home nations, so presumably a day trip would make you eligible for Ireland, Scotland or England too?

[greywolf]

Same eligibility rules apply for all home nations, so presumably a day trip would make you eligible for Ireland, Scotland or England too?

Really? Obviously I've realised recently that you can't take anything on a national association website too seriously, but a quick dig around reveals:

On the EOA website: "To be eligible to represent a country in a Home International (HI) a person must be a current BOF member and:
a) Eligible by Birth. Be born in that country OR
b) Eligible by Parentage. Have a parent who was born in that country OR
c) Eligible by Residence. Have established permanent residence in that country for at least one year.
d) AND, if M/W18 or younger has not represented another country that calendar year; if M/W20 or older, has not represented any other country in a nation v nation international in the previous two years (GBR and (for Irish runners only) Eire excepted)"

But nobody appears to have told the Scots
"Eligibility is limited to BOF members who are either native born Scots, or those who have been resident in Scotland for the last two complete years and whose primary club is a Scottish club." (admittedly from 2007 but I can't find anything more recent)

Or the Welsh
"Eligibility for the Welsh Orienteering Teams shall be:
EITHER (a) by birth - either self or one parent born in Wales;
OR (b) by residence - at least one year's current permanent residence in Wales;
OR (c) by eligibility - represented Wales in previous three years (Seniors only);
AND (d) membership of the Association in order to qualify for grant aid.

Can't find anything for NI