The Demise of Elite Junior Orienteering Competitions

[Mrs H]

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That is what the long-term aim is. If they are part of the selection process then they will have far greater significance than winning a bit of cash.

Yes exactly my point. Nice tho' the prize money is, I could have given young Neville a few hundred quid and stayed at home and still have been in pocket rather than have flown my entire family up to Craig Mhic for the final, but having qualified for the final I could not deny him a shot at JWOC selection and a chance to be with all the people he wanted to be with. I can't remember, he probably came last (fastest on the run-in ) but we all had a great weekend. I mentioned it to the girls today as I took them back to Uni, they were quite young at the time and weren't involved in the FCC but they both remembered the weekend as being great fun and the elder said she thought that the juniors now were really missing out on the buzz they had all enjoyed 12-6 years ago.

[Wayward-O]

As far as I understand it is somebody in the British orienteering office or committe chair who decides what the selection races are, not the membership of British orienteering.

By creating a series of events that enthuse the juniors and get them to turn out en-masse and compete will provide any competent selector with results they cannot ignore. Whether they would award automatic JWOC places to final winners, though, is another matter.

[mharky]

This is the last time I will make this point.

We believe the best way to enthuse our top juniors and to get them to turn out en-masse an compete is by having the races as selection races.

Perhaps prizes will be a big incentive, we don't know, we'll have to wait and see.

One way or another, the cup will be happening, prizes will be given, and it will be amazing!

[Kitch]

Prize money has an impact on the perception of any race.
It makes a difference and I think it does so to every competitor by adding something universal.
If you can say - "this race is worth cold hard cash".
people both inside and more particularly outside the sport read something into that.

[andypat]

It would certainly make it harder for people ouside of O to "perceive" that its not a competitive sport. But as Mharky says, sometimes the real "prize" is something other than cash.

[Gross]

Cash is a good incentive... but equally or more important is the quality of the competition series.... Scottish Short Races were a prime example... cash prizes but the races, concept & entry standards were much more important.... and like Mharky's idea all done outside BOF / SOA

[awk]

Awk and Paul. I think you misunderstand me. I believe that to be truly successful then the races must be jwoc selection races.

I don't think I do. To my mind the FCC was 'truly successful' long before it became a JWOC selection race, fulfilling everything we set out for it to achieve. JWOC selection was a later icing on the cake. Of course, that depends on what one is trying to achieve!

[mharky]

the FCC was 'truly successful' long before it became a JWOC selection race

Very true, but it was immediately a failure after the removal of JWOC selection.

Anyway, let's not labour the point.

Those interested will be glad to hear that there will be some announcements very soon with regards to the 2013 Junior Cup. We already have 2 fantastic weekends, on some of the best terrain in the UK, with the event organisers on board, so it's shaping up nicely.

There are plenty of ideas in the pipeline to make the races as exciting as possible for the juniors involved, and hopefully the spectators who will be supporting our top young talent.

[AndyO]

Well done, Mharky

You've caught a wave on this. I only went to one FCC final when my eldest qualified, but he (and I) thought it was a big deal, and the occasion and the competition were fantastic. If this flies, the selectors won't be able to ignore it anyway, but the cash prizes that seem to have been offered will make a pretty good incentive to start the ball rolling again

[awk]

the FCC was 'truly successful' long before it became a JWOC selection race

Very true, but it was immediately a failure after the removal of JWOC selection.

Totally agree. Just wanted to emphasise that you can still make it succeed even if powers that be don't play ball. But, of course, it would certainly add to the event.

[nooomember]

NO orienteering events should have Cash prizes - its an amateur sport, for pleasure, so there should be no monetary gain - by all means give them a trophy, or token gesture, but no cash - especially for juniors.

[Little Hoddy]

Earlier this month in the Nordic Orienteering Tour a total of 26,800 Euros was given in cash prizes to the overall and stage podium finishers. Emma Klingenberg (junior) won 1000 euros for her win of stage 3 in Gothenburg.
http://www.nordicorienteeringtour.com/prize-money

This wouldn't be the first time that prize money has been awarded in the UK either. In particular I remember as a junior racing for the prize money in the Cliffhanger ultrasprint.

Orienteering hasn't been an exclusively amateur sport for a while now, and in my view this is a good thing. Whether the prize winners are juniors or not I see as totally irrelevant - why should juniors be discouraged from being as competitive as the seniors?

Edit: Having said this, I still think that the most important thing required to make the event/series a big deal is JWOC selection.

[Gross]

NO orienteering events should have Cash prizes - its an amateur sport, for pleasure

Bit behind the times here.... cash prizes were given in orienteering in GB in the mid 1990's and what about the Lottery Funding of athletes in GB in the late '90's and the cash prizes in PWT & so on.... nothing wrong with cash prizes. No-one outside the very top few is ever going to make a serious living from competitive orienteering but it does no harm... as long as the prime objective is recognised i.e. in this instance winning the Junior Cup...

[awk]

NO orienteering events should have Cash prizes - its an amateur sport, for pleasure

Admirable sentiment, but long out of date. Orienteering is, and I think always has been, an open sport. Thank goodness too, IMO, given the rancid history the differentiation between amateur and professional has in other sports.

[Mrs H]

NO orienteering events should have Cash prizes - especially for juniors.

Why?