Latest edition of Focus.....

[tendon]

Certainly reads like powerful stuff

[SeanC]

Thanks for the info Mrs. H. Hope the spellink is back to normal today

[Carnage Head]

Mrs H - I like the idea of somewhat slimming the regional/'big weekend' programme down a little, therefore allowing clubs to free up organisers to sort out more regular local informal or district events.

Perhaps annual events could be made bi-annual (eg SinS), or events combined into one weekend (eg British Schools Score Champs on Sat, Main Champs on Sun), or 'championships' incorporated into existing races (eg JHIs/SHIs/VHIs, sprint champs - eg Scottish one at 6-day).

Local races can be thin on the ground in spring/summer (unlike the nettles and brambles, which can be rather thick on the ground...), so this is where the slack caused by 'regional event slimming-down' could be taken up. I appreciate the need to try to avoid areas with much undergrowth at this time of year, but this is not an insurmountable problem.

More spring/summer local races (even at weekends) can attract schools... the orienteers of the future!

As I wrote in another post, the ranking concern ('not enough races to count') could be easily countered by ranking orienteers based on their best four results, not six.

The carbon emission issue would, as someone pointed out, be helped too - fewer weekends travelling across the country; instead, travel half and hour to an event with e-punching, pre-printed maps, etc.

(Even a newcomer like me can sort events out nowadays: with little experience, and with some help from more experienced members (OCAD hints, use of laptop and printer, SI Card hire system - cheers Seabird), I ran an evening informal at a local park (Beckett's Park) with very little hassle (plan on PC, pre-run, check, re-run, put flags out, stand by car and laptop, collect flags in) - and if I can do it, virtually anyone can! )

[Harley]

I've just had another read of MH's update and this time I got beyond the 'vision' and noticed the priorities for the RDOs - i.e. '... develop clubs through the clubmark scheme and increasing junior participation and membership...'. This has raised some provocative thoughts in my mind and maybe it's time to challenge some of the received wisdom.

I can understand that the RDOs do need something to work on until the new strategic vision has been developed, but do we not need some debate on what this should be?

It seems to me that if we want to increase membership, then maybe we should concentrate on those age bands where we have a statistical dip, M/W 20/21/35, rather than on the juniors where we have a hump. Furthermore, are we not wasting our time recruiting juniors as statistically they leave the sport as soon as they leave school? The answer to this is probably 'yes', unless we invest a similar amount of effort retaining them once they get past M/W18. In fact, if we want to recruit people who are likely to stay in the sport for a considerable time, then perhaps we should actively recruit in the 40+ agegroup, as these do stay in the sport and incidentally provide mush of the manpower in terms of planners, organisers and mappers.

So ... who sould the RDOs help to recruit? Any thoughts?

[Tatty]

That's assuming you have a RDO. Ours has moved abroad and isn't being replaced.

[Nottinghamshire outlaw]

Tatty said:'That's assuming you have a RDO. Ours has moved abroad and isn't being replaced.'

Never let facts get in the way of posting on nopesport!! An RDO has moved away but has not yet finished working for BOF and no decision has yet been taken as to whether any vacant RDO posts will be advertised.

AND to the other posting about having a debate on what the RDO role should be - fine but don't forget that the RDOs are funded out of a Sport England ring-fenced grant which has specific targets which were those mentioned in Focus. When BOF members money pays for RDOs BOF members will have much more of a say in what their role should be.

AND finally - quite a substantial part of the ring-fenced Sport England grant is being spent on club projects (if clubs apply)and on supporting coach and other volunteer development in clubs. Without that grant this support would not be possible.

[Gross]

The carbon emission issue would, as someone pointed out, be helped too - fewer weekends travelling across the country; instead, travel half and hour to an event with e-punching, pre-printed maps, etc.

)

We could always cancel nopesport... that would delete the hot air emmission....
honestly what is the world coming too if we worry our backsides off about the carbon immsision created by orienteering... that belongs to a great big bunch of PC correct people........................

Yes... be aware but don't be so f**cking PC that you go over the top

[Mrs H.]

Never let facts get in the way of posting on nopesport!!.

so the "fact" that she is retiring to Budapest this summer is not stopping her working for BOF Or is Mike Hamilton telling lies?

Mind you Tatty - I shouldn't worry too much - if our RDO is anything to go by you won't notice the difference. she has no interface with our club at all.

Harley - you're being uppity to suggest club members should have any say over what direction their Federation takes the development of the sport in. You will have to pay extra if you want that....... or clubs could just go their own way ignore sport England's agenda and do their own thing!

After all - it isn't hurting us much at the moment - is it?

[awk]

Never let facts get in the way of posting on nopesport!!.

so the "fact" that she is retiring to Budapest this summer is not stopping her working for BOF

Which doesn't contradict what Nottingham outlaw said, which was that she is moving away, and no decision has been taken on advertising.

[awk]

It seems to me that if we want to increase membership, then maybe we should concentrate on those age bands where we have a statistical dip, M/W 20/21/35, rather than on the juniors where we have a hump. Furthermore, are we not wasting our time recruiting juniors as statistically they leave the sport as soon as they leave school? The answer to this is probably 'yes', unless we invest a similar amount of effort retaining them once they get past M/W18. In fact, if we want to recruit people who are likely to stay in the sport for a considerable time, then perhaps we should actively recruit in the 40+ agegroup, as these do stay in the sport and incidentally provide mush of the manpower in terms of planners, organisers and mappers.
So ... who sould the RDOs help to recruit? Any thoughts?

Statistically, juniors don't leave the sport as soon as they leave school. A high proportion, indeed a majority might, but not all of them. Some of them, indeed a significant number (actually, us, as I was a junior) stay in the sport.

I would agree though, that more work needs to be put in hand at retention, not least in terms of what clubs and regions offer (social, coaching, regional squads etc.). I also suspect that the perennial issue of the structure of events doesn't help.

A couple of other points about recruiting juniors: juniors make a good focus for recruiting families, which includes those very M/W35+ (and younger) that you mention, especially when done through club focused work (MADO is the most quoted example of this). Also, juniors may drop out, but it's fascinating to see how many come back in when they have their own families: they don't always drop out permanently. Finally, much as your M/W40+s may represent future planners, controllers etc., there is no substitute for the sort of experience that someone with the experience of junior orienteering can bring to the sport: an M/W20 who has been in the sport since 10 can bring a decade of experience in being coached, running the full gamut of technical difficulties, and often work as a volunteer in all sorts of capacities. They then have quite a lot of decades potential contribution they can make, much of it at at their physical best.

I don't suggest not working to recruit adults, far from it, but to not put junior development at the heart of the programme would to my mind be incredibly short sighted. It's how you do the junior recruitment, and what supporting strategies you put in place, that matters.

[Mrs H.]

Never let facts get in the way of posting on nopesport!!.

so the "fact" that she is retiring to Budapest this summer is not stopping her working for BOF

Which doesn't contradict what Nottingham outlaw said, which was that she is moving away, and no decision has been taken on advertising.

Oh really - I always thought the word "retiring" meant you were finishing work at the end of your career - it's the word Mike Hamilton used and that does rather contradict N.O.'s assertion that she is continuing to work for BOF