Future of Orienteering

[Jo]

we do orienteering at our junior school properly - my mum teaches it in games lessons. but we do it in a local park in the senior school but we use maps from 1996 and so some buildings have been knocked down. but a lot of people really enjoy it actually and are getting into it. i dont think it would be a good idea to stop orienteering in schools at all because if you go to the big schools orienteering events theyre really big and are good fun. clubs like LOC have loads of ulverston juniors in their club and my club (OD) has got a lot of kids from Henrys. it is a good way to get kids into orienteering but it needs to be gone about in the right way.

[Dan]

yes, many people are surprised when I tell them that you actually run when orienteering!because the only exposure to orienteering that most people get is through, scouts,PGL etc. which is done more as a day's trek round a wood than a serious racing sport that we know it as

[bendover]

i disagree somewhat. I think school playground orienteering is excellent for young primary schoolkids of around 6-9. It gives them an insight into spatial awareness and direction, skills that are taken for granted by more experienced orienteers, and are paramount to minimising the negative impact that 'getting lost' can have on new orienteers. As a young junior of 9 yrs old I attended a week long course run by Carol McNeil that for much of the first two days utilized the school buildings and playing fields of John Ruskin School in Coniston to practise techniques and theories that we then took out into the forest. This course provided my first insight into 'technical orienteering' yet a good part of it was on a football pitch! I am fairly confident that there are a couple of other people out there who would back me up on this, Stewart Fishwick being one of them.

If taught well by schoolteachers, then these simple exercises can be fun for young kids. My dad and I have run several 'Coaching for Teachers' courses that instruct keen teachers (PE, Geography and Primary school mainly) how to make orienteering a fun and relevant part of the curicculum. Its always interesting how over the space of two days some sceptical teachers can be turned into seeing the potential of orienteering as part of their regular teaching programmes. Like it or not, schoolteachers have a huge influence over kids in their formative years, and its at the grass roots where growing sports always find not only their future stars but also the people (like most of us on this forum) who make up the numbers. It would be a major step backwards if teachers were discouraged from teaching orienteering - it's doing something to make sure that it's taught well that is far more relevant.

[Steler]

What if training to instructor level or coach level was provided FOC on the condition that a certain amount of coaching was done afterwards? It would seem very good use of BOF funds to get young coaches.

[helen]

ok well its ok if its properly taught, but at one of my local schools they're doing it and everyone I've spoken to about it has said its really boring and they dont like it etc etc.

[Rachel]

The only time we get to do it at school is on camps, and it is truly rubbish. it gives a really bad insight into the sport. Everyone thinks its crap and boring and all my friends wonder why i do it for a hobby.

However, in some schools, with teachers who are actually orienteers or know what the sport is really like, it is taught really well and people enjoy it. The majority of kids want to go further and thats really good.

Also, at the places like PGL, etc, it isnt coached properly and its usually portrayed as a treasure hunt type thing, with clues to get to the 'checkpoints'. not very fun.

[Bushpants]

yeah
most people see it as the 'adventure trek / treasure hunt' apart from those who actually have competed at my school.
There are ten or so lads in my year who have been introduced , and the head has asked if a 'inter house o' can be arranged but thats as far as it gets. No school time for it purely sunday events

[Me]

Just to add to the debate

I was just talking to one of my friends today
and he said people in his year at school were
looking at Uni clubs and were slaggin off
orienteering as it is renowned as the geek club.

So it's image is clearly misconstrued in some places.

[brooner]

What if training to instructor level or coach level was provided FOC on the condition that a certain amount of coaching was done afterwards? It would seem very good use of BOF funds to get young coaches.

of course - most people who want to do coaching awards do so because they actually need them to do be able to go and do the coaching, regardless of their abilities as a coach. I'm trying to get coaching awards this year and am getting messed about, first the course dates have been changed and then cancelled, the official bof first aid cirtificate alone is going to cost about £100, not exactly money most students have lying around. I want to do the courses so I can go and do coaching in schools or with the local clubs and if as an aside the uni club can get some money out of it as well then that would be great.

[Helen S P]

BOF should stop sucking up to the sports council and remember that we are who they should be serving.

Who do you think BOF gets its money from? Adventure racing is a commercial thing you complete [nope].

celebrated (don't take the short course trophies away - everyone has a choice - lets have more trophies - best fancy dress, knobbly knees look at the London Marathon - the antics of the lower order only enrich the achievements of the elite - they are never short of numbers - we are all worthy of celebrating whether elite, recreational, helper, official, etc

Best fancy dress? Are you joking? At portugal O meet at the urban race on the last day some people were in fancy dress. It certainly didn't help the image of the sport. O how the locals mocked. It was embarassing.

In an over weight, over protected, all too predictable world this is a great sport - I don't see adventure racing worrying about clubmark accreditation and safety credentials. BOF need to look at the sports unique strengths and stop trying to govern it as tho' it was a football club. We're not doing it because we like obeying rules - we're doing it because we like to make out own rules - I'm exhausted

You really really need to get over this photographing kids thing, child protection, clubmark, safety credentials. We all know that the world has gone OTT paranoid but it's not just orienteering it's everywhere. Deal with it, we've heard your point of view.
Also, publicity wise, imagine if something bad was to happen to a kid within orienteering, and BOF had been negligent, how would that make the sport look?

I don't know much about clubmark I just know people have been and are working really hard to develop the sport, some are now getting paid to do it but I'd say 90% of the work put in over the years has been voluntary. It makes me sick that people like you can sit and bitch about it all in your little newsletter.

We do need to improve the image of the sport, i love those ideas from schnitz etc razmataz is Sophie's area. If we could get that image out there tho it would make the schools development and development managers jobs a lot easier as hopefully people would already know and want to do it and be inspired by what the manchester united end of the sport is about.

[gross2004]

Looks like someone touched a nerve on Miss Palmer....... but I kind of agree with her. In orienteering we have a situation where we know all the rules & restrictions.... any amount of moaning from us isn't going to change the outlook of UK Sport or the Government... the time & place to moan is before these stupid rules are in place... but once they are there then we should accept them & work round & through them in a positive manner.........

[Mrs H.]

My word Helen S P is a bit touchy isn't she - do you suppose there might be a vested interest somewhere along the line there - I await with baited breath for her (constructive) suggestions and by the way - BOF get plenty of my money - and if something bad happened ? Have you any idea how many kids - and adults - get seriously injured playing rugby every year - it doesn't stop parents taking them does it or make the authorities condemn the sport as negligent - I think you need to try and get a bigger picture on this Helen. BOF should be listening to its members not the sports council about which way orienteering goes - and here would be a good place to start Or would you prefer us all to give up this debate and just say BOF deserves a jolly good pat on the back and keep on doing what they're doing:?:

[Schnitzy]

Would you want to do their job thou mrs H?

I wouldn't.

[Mrs H.]

It's not something I aspire to - but I would'nt be afraid to have a go.

[mharky]

shut up helen