start squad

[Mrs H]

I just hope that some of those personal likes and dislikes don't colour the opinions of the kids. If prospective future champions are being told how c**p BOF is all the time, whether we as adults believe it or not, then it can't be very productive.

I think any kid in receipt of those tour reports was perfectly capable of forming that opinion on their own. after all they were all there on some degree of merit and BOF turning round and telling the kids they were crap is hardly likely to inspire a life long loyalty is it.

I think you are going to have to wait for that generation to grow through and BOF have to accept they handled things badly and it will take time to work off ther animosity created.

I understand things are very different now - but whether the tour reports are just more politely coded is anyone's guess. I wonder if the selectors have a verbal debrief with the coaches - anyone know?

[Oldman]

and BOF have to accept they handled things badly and it will take time to work off ther animosity created.

I've followed this thread with mild interest not having any real involvement in the area being debated. However, does Mrs H not mean that the people involved handled things badly? Or are decisions taken by some anonymous thing called "BOF"?

[DIDSCO]

Mrs H wrote: the Start Squad is a poisoned challice at that early age and have always advocated no squad until at least 2nd year 16s

Totally agree.

I guess the start squad exists because we have to bow down to UK Sport, but I don't really see the point in it at such a young age.

It's the regional squads that should be taking charge and developing our best young juniors. Most of our current senior elite would probably confirm just how important a regional squad was to them achieving the success they have. Jamie, JD, Dan M, Oli, Craney, Helen B, Jenny J all benefited from really well organised regional squads.
My success as a junior was definatly a direct result of a well organised Yorkshire Squad. We had a great bunch of athletes of different abilities who liked to train hard and have a good time. And a great bunch of coaches/managers (including awk )who worked really hard for us.

[johnloguk]

Mrs H I think Oldman is right. We've all fallen out with someone who holds a position within BOF, but the fall-out is basically with the individual rather than the organisation. I totally agree with your point about being negative to and about kids, but was this really down to BOF as an organisation or just the attitude and values of the individuals concerned? If it was BOF policy at the time I can't even begin to defend it, but knowing some of the coaches I suspect it was more down to individuals.

Anyway, don't you just love Gross. Lob in a hand grenade and retire to a safe distance

[Mrs H]

Well he could have picked you up on it istead of me - you used it in that context first I was merely answering your query in the terms you used! I don't actually see what the problem is - we talk about "the government" all the time without any fall out. the start squad is administered by BOF - how else do you say it?

The tour reports were distributed by the start squad manager (A BOF employee) of the day - i assume they had been read first. they wre sent out on behalf of the sport's national governing body and accompanied by a letter on BOF headed notepaper - i'm not quite sure how you can get more "official" than that (The Child Protection in Sport Unit quango would have had a field day with them now!) - but that was under the old regime - and I know for a fact that one of the current selectors was not happy with it at the time.

Anyway, i agree with dids' comments which bring us full circle - Candyman has already expressed the intent to support further the regional squads which can only be good news for the up and coming juniors and lets face it - with the start Squad so reduced as to be unable to produce a relay team in some age groups, the sport' national governing body ( SNGB - the body formerly known as BOF) can only be grateful if the regions rise to the challenge and take this task on for the SNGB who are no longer in a financial position to deliver (that's the SNGB as in them not me - I have always made sure I've had enough in the coffers to cover the cost of the tours national and regional - all entirely self-financed, which my offspring have enjoyed and would be happy to continue doing if they were still elligible/ interested!)

[helen]

Its all very well, with these suggestions that regional squads should take charge in developing juniors from 14+ and I agree that its a good idea. But the problem is, although the majority of squads in the UK are very strong at the moment with good training programmes consisting of monthly weekends and a biannual tour to Scandinavia, they are still totally reliant on volunteers to organise/run/coach and everything. Some squads are seriously lacking on this front. I hope that Ben won't mind me saying that the South West squad is in a frankly dire state at the moment - we have loads of juniors but not the manpower to organise anything. I can't remember the last time I went on a proper squad weekend, theyve done JIRCs and the Dorset Coast Path but as far as I can remember theres been one or two single training days this year, and a tour abroad is completely out of the question at the moment. The juniors down here are missing out on the opportunities that are being offered to those in the majority of the rest of the country and at least BOF tours and the Start squad offer the chance to do some quality training out of the region. The Halden tour is the only time I've been training in Scandinavia and I found it hugely beneficial to my orienteering.

So, maybe regional squads are the way forward, but if so then there needs to be some serious input to bring them all up to scratch and give kids equal opportunities in each region. And while they are ran by volunteers who are prepared to give up varying amounts of their free time, this can never happen.

[awk]

Mrs H wrote: the Start Squad is a poisoned challice at that early age and have always advocated no squad until at least 2nd year 16s

Totally agree.

I guess the start squad exists because we have to bow down to UK Sport, but I don't really see the point in it at such a young age.

It's the regional squads that should be taking charge and developing our best young juniors.

We may disagree on junior squad selection methods (I think we're probably more in agreement over teams and senior squads) and the nuances of what's been said, but here we are in total agreement! I take on board Helen's caveats, but at the end of the day, the main priority at this stage is to spread the net widely, keep youngsters motivated and enjoying the sport, and provide a platform from which the best can move into elite competition and others can continue to enjoy orienteering at their level. The regional squads are in a much better position to do that than a single national one, and need the support so that those problems Helen identifies can be dealt with.

Incidentally, I also agree with you about not penalising Johnny for being an early maturer, but equally I maintain that Eddie should not be penalised for being a late maturer, and he is if results are the only source of information. But this differentiation will only need to be made if the net is being kept narrow and/or funding is restricted: that's one of the reasons why the net needs to be kept wide.

[ruth]

helen, i totally agree, its noones fault but the fact of the matter is that some regional squads just can't offer the opportunities or the coaching that others can. this is massivly unfair and could mean that we lose people from the sport, which we are in no position to take lightly.
in light of this perhaps a better idea would be to have more of things like lakeside. each regional squad plans a training weekend in their area once a year and ALL other squads are allowed to 'select' a few juniors to attend the training weekend, maybe different kids each time. thus allowing juniors to train with the other top athletes across the country without any need for national selection??

[Mrs H]

Cracking idea Ruth - I think Lakeside is something BOF have got right!!!

[Jon X]

a little while ago on this thread (it is hard to keep up!),

As I pointed out in another vaguely controversial article of mine - the attrition rate of those selected for the start Squad was appallingly high (its hard to quantify as BOF perhaps sensibly doesn't archive the selections - you'd be surprised how many names have disappeared off the rresults sheets completely!) and yet some of those who were not selected are still there or there abouts - still enjoying the sport - and who knows what they will achieve in any aspect of the future not to mention the fact that a lot of our surrent top youngsters were not even in the sport at that time I actually think being selected for the Start Squad is a poisoned challice at that early age and have always advocated no squad until at least 2nd year 16s. by all means have the tours, learn the techniques and have some fun - wait and see who can take it further.

Wow.

Is that the longest sentence ever on nopesport?

[Adventure Racer]

Is that the longest sentence ever on nopesport?

There does seem to be a full stop in what you quoted. I think it's just Mrs H's somewhat uncharacteristic grammatical lapse of forgetting the capital letter (and also seemingly another full stop at one point) which makes you think that sentence is longer than it actually is

[Axel]

Dont worry though, shes guna make sure she kicks some ass this year so watch out for her name.....

JULIA BLOMQUIST come on!!!!

Best answer of the entire thread... don't get selected.... don't moan... go & kick some ass:) Watch out GB WOC team in future:)

PS - Oh... by the way... I guess she's a junior so you really shouldn't mention her name in public... BOF will get p****d off as it's sure to be against this policy or that policy:)

[Tatty]

Not sure what point yopu're making here Axel If Julia had good results at the weekend why don't you just say so and congratulate her?? Well done Julia - great results

[Gnitworp]

Does beating Alice 'Butt' have any relevance to 'kicking some ass'?

[kedge]

Gnitworp wrote

Does beating Alice 'Butt' have any relevance to 'kicking some ass'?

Probably not - Alice has had a consistent season and having won W18L at Culbin convincingly has little to prove.

But Julia's absence from the Start squad was a blot on the selection process, for reasons elaborated on much earlier in this thread.

Since the squad was announced last September she has demonstrated that at almost every opportunity and has forced the selectors hand by her performances this weekend - a perfect riposte to a perceived injustice.

Well done Jules!