Latest edition of Focus.....

[Mrs H.]

......arrived today and it's quite good - apart from that gay picture of Eddie - and John - come clean - whose curtains are you standing in front of

The update from the new chief executive (Mike Hamilton I suppose - it doesn't give his name on the report although there is a picture of a smiling man) asks some very pertinent questions for us to think about.

a) Is the future about more people being involved in orienteering?
b) do we take pride in our internationals being the best in the world?
c)Do we want other, less privileged people to have access to the joys of orienteering and if so are we prepared to change aspects of our sport as to meet their requirements?
d) Do we like orienteering being recognisd by government and other sports as a significant, high profile sport?

I personally think questions a and c are stunning - if everyone in the country started orienteering (or even a signicant number ) how would we cope? Where would we find the areas - this isn't Sweden, and who would be experienced enough to put on all these events - it would certainly require an expansion of professional services. That might be a good thing. Orienteering has always to my mind been the sporting world's best kept secret.

Question c has been asked with a maximum of diplomatic skill I think what it really means is "how much effort are we prepared to put into making the sport more available to less privileged - and would it be worth all the effort?" Being less than pc myself I'll put my cards on the table and say I suspect not!!

Mike is obviously quite a diplomatic guy - read the section on budgets and in particular the international budget for 2006 which has been cut by £33k. It is not possible to deduce from that whether the cuts are because government funding has been cut or whether it is the result of last year's massive overspend as contained in last year's financial report - I seem to recall that was about £33k. If the latter is the case and elites are now suffering the consequences then it would be interesting to know how last year's over spend was allowed to happen.

Anyway - what does anyone else think?

[John Morris]

Mrs H scathed...

"John - come clean - whose curtains are you standing in front of ?"

Erm, well, actually they're our bedroom curtains, and it's a William Morris (2nd cousin, 3 times removed, I believe) pattern, and that was my tenth attempt to take my own photo holding a digital camera at arm's length.

I was going for the "far-seeing" look; I suspect that I've actually managed "catatonic".

Personally, I liked the fetching shot of our Chairman extracting a bruised banana (I hope...) from his ear.

[Fratello de Pingu]

[quote="Mrs H Orienteering has always to my mind been the sporting world's best kept secret.
[/quote]

No that is White Water Racing

[PKJ]

I'd answer 'Yes' to all 4 questions, but from the rest of the piece I think he's looking for priorities - and I'd rank them a), b), d) c), with the comments -
a) In the early 1990s there was a lot of discussion about how British orienteering could cope with ever-increasing numbers.. not quite what's happened since.
b) I'm assuming he really means 'among the best in the world'.
c) I wouldn't think in terms of political correctness, but about targetted marketing and insularity. Orienteering has a fairly clear target market but can be very inward-looking and strangely unwelcoming (like stepping into 'A Local Sport for Local People').
d) Need the money, so I guess it's a higher priority for BOF officers.

[PeterG]

Did anyone else notice the absolutely shocking image editing on the cover? Look at the ground around the kite and the edges of Jamie's arms.

[ifititches]

a. more people, yes please. Not really much fun in a sport if you have to travel miles to find like-minded individuals and training groups(and definitely not sustainable)

b. of course proud

c. since we are developing the sport in areas in which it could be infinitely more equitable, and in spaces which belong to the public (parks town streets etc) then I think we'd be a failing if the local populations aren't pulled in as participants. And, as a secondary effect we could well get sprint champions through that route. There's no reason you couldn't only do sprint O if enough races were available.

From a sport funding point of view, we may well find that equity (quite rightly, IMO) the next main funding area. I'd be interested to here from those in Swedish clubs how they meet this agenda there. A few months ago in an AW supplement
there was an article about how Swedish athletics clubs were rising to a govt. challenge on equity.

d. It already is, and compared to 30 years ago I've been amazed how many people have a very good idea what it's about, and view it with enthusiasm and interest even if they don't want to participate Personally, I've found that the high profile that O has been getting in the coaching programmes nationally has opened lots of doorways. I'd be really sad to see them move away from that position.

[graeme]

Its difficult to imagine answering no, no, no, no to the questions as posed without appearing to be an irrational bigot.

This makes the questionaire rather pointless.

[Mrs H.]

I think the point of the questionnaire is that we may have to make choices in the future and a clear priority list may need to be drawn up. I mean - look at the signals else where in the edition - the cutting of the elite budget, the non-replacement of not one but two RDOs until future bugetary considerations are clear.

Surely these are signals that the government may not be going to fund the sport at the present level for much longer and we are going to have to choose which direction to take the sport in - because we probably won't be able to afford to take it in all these dirctions - at least not all at the same time - because not only will we not have enough money - we won't have enough people to deliver it.

I think this is the start of BOF Central doing what we've been asking them to do - cut their coat according to their cloth.

anyway it make a refreshing change from all that back slapping self congratulatory rhetoric from RF's time.

so instead of just saying yes yes yes yes - put them in order of priority. I Like PKJ's order and also "A local sport for Local people" (are those your words PKJ?) which is what I've just spent the last year of my life delivering. That would be my number 1 priority.

[graeme]

I Like PKJ's order and also "A local sport for Local people" (are those your words PKJ?)

Close, I think its Tubbs, the shopkeeper in Royston Vasey. Now there's a role model

[RJ]

......if everyone in the country started orienteering (or even a signicant number ) how would we cope? Where would we find the areas - this isn't Sweden, and who would be experienced enough to put on all these events - it would certainly require an expansion of professional services.

In general terms the problems found within the sport, that this discussion is attempting to address, stem from the decrease in membership over the last fifteen years. We have lost more than half of the numbers that were involved in the early eighties. We desperately need to double our membership in order to make us viable again.

It is not dissimilar to staging a regional event. Entries of about 350 and all costs are just about covered. Attract 700 competitors.... and now you have a decent surplus... enough to invest in a new map, buy equipment etc.

Doubling the current membership doesn't really cause too many problems though. It is unlikely that any more C3/C2 events will be needed. They will just attract higher numbers. The real change will be with the low key informal event structure. There we will need hundreds of extra events. But then those events are the ones that require fewer manhours and personel to run; they attract the local population, and can be used to train up your helpers for the larger and more prestigious events.

Once we have doubled the current numbers then we can have a debate about further expansion. But to begin with.... priority one is to bring in ten thousand new orienteers.... and to make the whole economics of the sport viable.

The use of sprint-O in local parks is a good idea. But there are hundreds of small TD3 areas in close proximity to the population centres. White and Yellow courses are needed in profusion. All of these new people are NEW to the sport and don't have the ten year's (+) experience that we all have. The areas don't take a lot of mapping, and with electronic punching are quite exciting. This has been the basis of our series of twenty summer evening events over the last twenty years.

There are lots of other things we will wish to do.... but let us set in stone... our number one priority is the doubling of membership.

[PKJ]

Sorry, my earlier 'Local Sport...' reference was a bit cryptic, and in this context definitely not a good thing. I was thinking that at times over the last 15 years orienteering has seemed very insular, and not particularly interested in attracting new people.

Back to the proposed Vision - one of the points is 'Provide openness to dramatic change to the current organization, competitions, models of participation, venues etc'. What's this about? (or is it just a 'world moves on' statement?)

[SeanC]

It's a no brainer really. Stabilising the membership decline has got to be no 1 priority, the other things on Mikes list wont be possible without a healthy orienteering membership.

However I dont feel particularly motivated to go out and spend lots of time getting new members into my club. This might help my club in the short term, but if membership continues to decline in other clubs in my region, we could be fighting a loosing battle as receipts from badge and district events dwindle, and we have less events in the region to go to.

We need to address the situation in the 80% of clubs with membership decline. Clubs with stable or increasing membership such as AIRE, POW and MADO can show us how, but what I think is needed is co-ordinated cross club initiative / plan to increase membership, and this probably means BOF.

Maybe this is what Mike has in mind, and maybe this is why he is trying to stimulate the debate?

So to stoke the fires of debate a little further, here's an idea.

The experienced orienteers to pay (quite a bit) more for their races. This extra money is used to help clubs free up time for MADO style development (perhaps by paying for all maps to be made professionally, or paying professionals to organise and plan regional and bigger events) and to pay for advertising.

This doesnt work unless part of a regional/national strategy. My club is going to be reluctant to charge say £8-10 for a district event and £20 for a regional event* when there are competing events at half the price, especially as we are on the orienteering periphery.

*I suggest no increase on current fees for juniors or new members

[Mrs H.]

they might be prepared to pay more if there were fewer big events - so they became more important. The fixture list is congested to the point of disfunction - it has become very difficult for me to pick my MADO dates for next season when I have to take into consideration the selection races, FCC races and schools champs which other members of my family want to attend.

If I'm too busy to put MADO on because I have to get my kids to races from Scotland to cornwall then we are in danger of killing one of the golden gooses.

I have no trouble getting people to plan/control MADO events - it's non-threatening as RJ said - but can we as a club get people to put on badge events? It's a real struggle.

This is what I wrote in my club mag editorial this month.

. .If I was able to predict a long term strategy by which orienteering could survive in this country for another 40 years it would be this. A wealth of local events which would mean you could get to one in under an hour every week, put on with minimum of fuss and stress and manpower (less daunting for newcomers to plan and organise). A maximum of 2 district and 1 Regional event per club each year and a monthly National or Multi-day event somewhere in the country as a real focal point (also to be used for selection, ranking and Championship purposes).

actually - thinking about it you can have the whole thing - see what you think!

Editorial
I’ve always liked the idea of recycling - bottles, paper, food, clothes, ideas – and I’ve tried to be as environmentally friendly as I can. But am I kidding myself? A few things have happened recently to make me wonder whether orienteers are really doing their bit to save the world.
First of all we’ve been enjoying the antics of former Malvern family the Swarbricks on TV’s “It’s Not Easy Being Green�, it’s been fun and thought provoking.
Then we had a visit from an environmental agency looking into the use of Castlemorton Common on behalf of the Conservators (it’s okay, we’re the good guys) and then there was the IOF Ornithological Adviser who came to meet the local bird watchers at Titterstone (all was well there too and he picked up a load of rubbish as well so that’s even more brownie points).
But really, this is all just window dressing when you consider the damage we are doing just going to events at all. Over the past year we as a family have driven and flown thousands of miles to orienteer. Sometimes we’ve done it because they were events we really wanted to go to, like the Scottish 6 Days and the O-Ringen, but more often than not these days it has been to get the children to places where they need to be, Schools Champs, English International or GB tour selection races, and now, at the end of 12 months and with mixed results, I’m beginning to wonder whether we can justify the carbon emissions let alone all the effort and spiralling expense.
Left to my own devices I would have done a lot less travelling. There would have been our own MADO events, the NGOC mini-league and Western Night League, the West Midlands League and a few well-chosen multi-days like the JK, 0007, and hopefully the Tamar Triple (or even our own Springtime in Shropshire). There would not have been Regional Events in Northumbria, Newbury, Yorkshire, the New Forest, Wales and Scotland.
Ordinary Regional Events seem to have had their day. We can’t get people to put them on, they are expensive to enter and what do you get for your money? Even C5s offer electronic punching and over-printed maps now and a field of three in a Badge class is hardly worth turning out for unless you’re desperate for Ranking Points – and as the very best seldom seem to run in their age class what value have they?. There are so many District Events on that few of them ever get a really good turn out and yet they all need the same amount of organising, planning and controlling no matter how many run.
If I was able to predict a long term strategy by which orienteering could survive in this country for another 40 years it would be this:
*A wealth of local events which would mean you could get to one in under an hour every week, put on with minimum fuss, stress and manpower (less daunting for newcomers to plan and organise).
*A maximum of 2 District and 1 Regional event per club each year.
*A monthly National and/or Multi-day event somewhere in the country as a real focal point (also to be used for Selection, Ranking and Championship purposes).
Orienteers need to ask how green is their valley before they are priced off the road or worse still find their environmental credentials are not worth the recycled paper they are written on. Lynden

[Kitch]

Mrs H I hope you mean a few big events and lots of local events not 'fewer bigger events'.
The latter would be the beginnning otf the end.

Sean C
I suspect it is a delusion to think that BOF can address the membership problem.
How can BOF go around organising small events for newcomers across the country ?
It is absolutely down to clubs and club members to do the work at a local level - BOF's role has to be to support and nurture local initiatives peraps with marketing materials, sharing of best practise.
RDOs......!

To say that you aren't going to bother if other clubs aren't is short sighted to say the least.
Perhaps BOF has a role to get all clubs signed up to an expansion initiative.
But it is down to the rank and file to make it happen

Expecting everyone else to sort things out seems to be the modern British disease;
"Someone should do something about it!"

[DesignatedDriver]

i reckon the orienteering situation in Northern Ireland could be close to what you mean:

an event almost every saturday, somewhere in NI. can travel across NI in two hours - so you can get a saturday event just about every saturday, within an hour of your home.

numbers for the clubs in NI are not great.
my old club (NWOC) used to have a good number of members - but these consisted of school kids. the reason for this was that the Vice Principal and another teacher, actively supported orienteering within the school. i.e. the school was aware of any achievements the orienteers had in major events.
we would consistently fill a minibus of juniors for weekend events.
over the last couple of years, the VP and other teacher have retired. as a result the membership has dropped considerably. i believe there are no longer any members from the school.

so yes, i reckon regular events, close to home are the way forward. but i believe these will only help retain members. work as an arena for members to meet and socialise. as far as gaining new members - this is purely down to the profile. kids knew about the orienteering club, because awards and recognition were being handed out. this raised interest. which raised members.

are there any figures for the number of people that have turned up at events and never come back again?
i would guess its quite low - i think once they try it, they do keep coming back, because of the atmosphere.