The Demise of Elite Junior Orienteering Competitions

[awk]

Why don't we just run with it - who needs BOF's involvement to make something work? A chat with the selectors may be all it takes for them to see sense.....

That was exactly how the FCC started: discussions amongst elite juniors and coaches on a Scandinavian tour indicated that there was a need for something like it, so we agreed the programme, got support from Warrior to host the final, Gross sponsored it, and it took off. BOF weren't involved for years.

Other competitions started the same way; Yvette Baker, Compass Sport Cup, even, I think, UK Cup and JIRCs. Most, if not all, are at their best when run by enthusiastic individuals who believe in what they are promoting.

FWIW Mharky, everything I've seen and read tells me that you are, sadly, so so right on this one.

[haloite]

I think selectors will pick who they want to pick regardless of what others think, that's the way they "seem" to work. I may be wrong, but I doubt it.
Having FCC guaranteed places for JWOC is an excellent incentive for juniors but was eroded to the extent that it has become the white elephant - soon to be extinct - that it now is.
I'd fully support an excellent initiative like the unofficial FCC as proposed, afterall, the NopeSport Urban League seems to do quite nicely without interference from BO, and long may it do so!

[mharky]

The wheels have been set in motion...

[ER]

You have my vote.

[Mrs H]

Who are the selectors?

Like she said

[CTM]

Approval from a bottom year M20. This year no-one gave a S#!T about FCC its meaningless at the moment. Call it what you like but it should just be a series of the JWOC selection races, and if possible a final or 2 with 1 or 2 or 3 JWOC places secured.

Mrs H - Head selector this year was Sarah Hague.

[Oldman]

Who are the selectors?

A 30 second visit to the BOF website shows they are listed in document
http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/i ... policy.pdf
(under Performance/Selections/Season specific selection policy)
They appear to vary by purpose, as shown in 4.1-4.3 and 5.1-5.9

Not sure why the question was re-posed in a large font.

[lucy]

Got my vote.

[Mrs H]

Not sure why the question was re-posed in a large font.

because no one had answered - so I was just talking a bit more loudly. I went onto the BOF website and the selection page but the links at the bottom in the appendix didn't work. Seems to have caught your attention so I guess it worked.

Why? What did you read into it?

[cbg]

Seems very sensible; go for it.

If selection is going to be subjective then selectors must stand up and be counted - witness UK Athletics Head Coach standing down for the team only having won 6 Olympic medals. Otherwise their prime responsibility is to set the strategy and policy that produces the best objective selection.

[Ant Jones]

MHarky, if you/we/"the people" are reclaiming the FCC by proposing an appropriate series of events and creating a spreadsheet to allocate the points, can you/we/"the people" please also reclaim the UK Cup?

Cheers

Ant Squire
(Current leader of the 'UK Cup')

PS: FWIW, my view is the events should be the three days of the JK, the three British Champs and the three WOC Selection races

[mharky]

Funny you mention that, I was looking at the UK Cup website for this year, and noticed that the events that were properly attended were the British Champs, JK and WOC tests... I think Oli gets the best with 310 from 6/9 to count...

And I agree, those are clearly the best races. And I also agree with Claire's sentiment that we should probably give the BOC Long trophy out at an event that people actually go to...

[Ant Jones]

I'll have to disagree with you in relation to the BOC Long, it deserves to be a stand alone event. I've always respected the importance that Oli has given the event, whenever and where ever it is.

[FATBB]

I agree. It has been messed about with for too long, the first mistake was removing the automatic qualification for JWOC from the final.

I would fully support any move to bring back the old format and would also support changing the uk cup to a similar format.

[bendover]

Hear Hear Mharky.

FCC was THE BOMB when I was a junior. I remember racing in the second ever FCC final in 1996 on Formby Dunes, what a blast that was! totally lo-fi of course, everything was back then, but getting to compete as a top year M18 versus the top year 20's over properly planned courses with very few seniors around was brilliant. it felt like OUR event. Of course in those days we all crashed in a sports hall in sleeping bags, and pretty much everyone went out for a few beers on the saturday night. is junior orienteering fun anymore?