the most influential people in British O at the moment

[eddie]

when (have faith andy) orienteering explodes into the mainstream we will have these people to thank

BSOA - a lot has been said that schools are the best place for orienteering to start. School in sport is in a decline so if one teacher makes an effort to take kids to an event then maybe future champions can emerge.

Junior Squad Co-ordinators - after school the junior squads take over. a squad with a varied program(tours to scandi, domestic training,transport to major events) will produce the best athletes.

Chepls, Mhairi and Scotia - these three are all something else. predictions are a waste of time because who knows what may happen but they really stand out as good quality athletes.

Speakey - there is nothing like this guy anywhere.
McCarthy - (well apart from this guy)

Jamie, Dan, JD and Heather - every sport needs there idols to look up to. Reasonable effort has been made with Jamie Stevenson trophy,JD and Heather autograhing at the JK etc but how about interviews and articles in newspapers magazines. Surely a british world champion doesn't deserve to have his recognition met by a few lines in the results service in the back of the Times.

Sophie Furness - Marketing at BOF. as the boss always tells me marketing is key if you want to sell anything. i think a lot has been done to get companies involved in terms of sponsership for major events. more money in the sport results in a greater profile

pyrat - the creators of nopesport surely the finest orienteering website around. the world is being more internet driven. forums, news etc brings everyone closer together and people become more interested (also noted are the founding fathers of the UK O revolution M.Strain and D. Peel)

Hyman and Godders (and for anyone else who stands there training orienteers week in week out) its a physical sport the fastest person wins and these people are going to get you there.

the old boys (Big Jon, Gross etc) - the stories that filter through to the juniors are amazing e.g. big jon living in his car around scandi for a summer - classic .so much so that hitching on the forth road bridge to go training was know as doing it musgrave style. true legends the lot of them.


anyway there we go i will probably add some more when i think about it.
feel free to argue away and add you own and no mark you can't vote for yourself

[Nailest]

"IF" ?

[mharky]

what about the person who introduced orienteering to the UK???

[Braddie]

I reckon that O will grow a lot in the next three years, because of the fact that people will get bored of just running/jogging. The has been another big upsurge in thee number of runners in the past years and I believe this will translate into more orienteers as just running is so BORING.
It doesn't take a genius to run, but a certain amount of intelligence is required to o. Without being funny, just think, most orienteers go to university, decent ones at that, it's not like we go to Loughborough to do Sports Sciences.

[brooner]

Ann Walder - INVOC Massive, put [nope]loads of effort into junior orienteering up north and getting some through from a once massive schools setup. Ever helpful to the ones that came through from up there, I remember a JHI in which INVOC had about 8 of the 24 strong team.
The boys mccarthy, bruntons & me know about the mothership that is/was team INVOC.

Ken Hall of Maroc & Neil Maclean of Gramp ditto. Dont forget the club coaches who get the kids from schools or local events into the regional squads and beyond.

[andy]

i hear Jamie Stevenson is going to be on They Think It's All Over, as part of the 'feel the sportsperson' round. it's at least a small step in the right direction for orienteering...

[mharky]

as Yvette was a few years back...

[Becks]

Yeah, we can't forget Yvette - still our best athlete to date I reckon, and definitely the most inspirational as far as I'm concerned.

[brooner]

we're hoping to get her over for euoc's 40th for a few words, would certainly be a great honour if she did make it over.

[mharky]

Peter Palmer, all the great things he has done for the sport
Steve Hale, his run at the WOC 93 relays...

[Graeme]

Several catagories of people whose influence is still huge.

Coaches: Peter Palmer & Martin Hyman

Mappers: Harveys (who first brought standards to its modern level)

Geeks: OCAD, SportIdent (according to the website, its not a SI Card its a couplingstick)

Entrepreneurs: Ultrasport, CompassPoint, Wilfs, Peel (UK Cup)

Inspirations: too many to mention really.

Will we get new categories, or just new people?

Graeme

[samsonite]

shut up eddie, go to bed!

[eddie]

sorry i forgot Mrs Strain

[Steve O]

Bill and Katherine Melville, old school heros responsible for founding the best club in the west of Scotland (CUNOC obviously) and setting up the Ayrshire schools championship which has run ever year since the late 80's

Bill , a free-lance journalist, also regularly supplies papers with orienteering results.

[Peter B]

totally agree with of this but must say that that kind of response in the times for a world champion is total b*****ks. ok so orienteering isn't that well known, they probably could afford to make it into a big article, but come on?
Here's the plan. some guys (or girls) - edinburgh massive should do, just go on national radio or newspaper or tv or something then just, like announce the sport to the nation. ok that sounds kinda stupid doing it like that but you get the idea.