Note: Please check SOA, BOF or club websites to confirm dates, times & venues prior to the date.
 

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We have now restarted informal technical training on Wed evenings. The sessions are suitable for all at light green+ standard (TD4 or 5), with some weeks also suitable for those at orange standard (TD3). The general format will be that there are not any physical controls out in the forest (or town!), but we will plan technical exercises to run either individually or in groups. Some weeks there will also be MapRun courses available to have a go at. These are more likely to be suitable for those still at orange standard.
This week (Wed 5th) we will train at Cambus o' May (TD4 and 5 only). Please sign up for a map here.
Wed 12th will be sprint training in Aboyne (TD3 and up). Please sign up for a map here.
 

This week is Cairngorm National Park's wee walk week
In Ballater we have collaborated through the COPE project to set up a fun orienteering challenge on Craigendarroch Hill. Seek out letters to reveal a hidden word as you navigate your way around the 3km course. All on paths and family friendly!
Maps and information available from Ballater iCentre
 

There was no Scottish 6 Day this year and we didn’t fancy a potentially rainy Lakes 5 Day after previous flooding experiences so it was a case of where shall we go orienteering this summer? Have van will travel.

It didn't take long to work out. Denmark is one European country we'd never orienteered in before so the World Masters in July provided just that great opportunity. The OO Cup we'd been to twice before when in it’s normal Slovenian home but we'd heard great reports of the terrain in the South Jura in France where this year's incarnation was to be. So that was it settled: ferry from Hull to Rotterdam; drive to Copenhagen for 5 days of highly competitive races; ferry to Germany, spend ten days travelling south, including visiting friends in The Black Forest; then 5 days of the OOCup before heading back through France to Zeebrugge for the ferry back to Hull. Plan sorted.

The World Master Champs sprint competitions took place in Hørsholm, north of Copenhagen with the final around the centre of Copenhagen itself whilst the Long and Middle Distance competitions were held in forested sand dune terrain in North Sealand. At WMOC it's a case of running qualifying races in order to reach one of an A, B, C, D or even an E final. Classes were often large (300+ in my case) and competition the very best. Our results were a mite disappointing and we didn’t cover ourselves in competitive glory but we did each make made one A final. Unfortunately you don’t get away with mental aberrations like missing out a control in the sprint qualifier. Still, there was plenty of wall to wall hot sunshine, lots of swimming in a very warm Baltic Sea, and plenty of biking when we weren’t orienteering. A fair bit of ‘O socialising’ went on too – mainly with the large group of FVO and the smattering of Gramp, Clyde and Moravians but where were the other Marocs?!

The OO Cup was much lower key with a real holiday atmosphere and far more like our own 6 Day. It certainly didn’t disappoint and always involved very tricky terrain. There were far fewer Scottish visitors this time but the number of MAROCs doubled, with Hazel Wright and Martin Young there also enjoying the scenery and very challenging areas. Arenas were great,  travelling distances short and it was nice to get out of the hot sunshine into the cooler forest. This is an event that always lives up to the hype and is well worth the effort to get there..highly recommended.

Ten days of O but plenty of other relaxation and one day of rain in 30....what was there not to like!

Roger Coombs

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At the beginning of July (before the end of term 😊 ) a group of Scottish juniors went on tour to Sweden. The trip was for all of the Scottish Junior Orienteering Squad and there were around 25 junior athletes (10 of them from Maroc) with 6 adult helpers and coaches. We went to Gotland which is in the middle of the Baltic off the SE coast of Sweden. To get there we flew from Edinburgh – Stockholm, took a bus to a ferry terminal, got a ferry to Visby Gotland and then picked up our minibuses for the week to go to the the Bro-OK club hut where we were staying. During the trip we did lots of training, usually followed by swimming. The training involved sessions like corridor courses, gaffled relays and group chats. We also went to the Gotland 3 days and a couple of other events. At the 3-days I took the first day easy because I had an ankle injury, but I ran the next couple of days hard anyway. The last race was a chasing start which was fun. I was pleased to finish 3rd in M14 but I could have done better if I’d raced the first day. The orienteering was different; runnable pine with an un-runnable under-storey of juniper and wild rose. You had to be able to handle vague shapes and small indistinct features which took a while to get used to. I used a lot more compass and accurate navigation than normal. I enjoyed the swimming the most and the group bonding. I didn’t like the juniper. It’s worth getting into ScotJOS or selected for other camps to be able to go on trips like this.

Ewan Musgrave

 

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Junior Inter-Areas -- 27th & 28th October
Calling all juniors - North Area Need You!!!
Names to Sarah by 9th Sep!

Volunteer, Coaching & Young Leader Courses
22nd September, Kinnoull
 

If you're interested in the volunteer, coaching & young orienteer leadership courses that are on offer through SOA on the 22nd of September, act quickly to enquire regarding space(s) available.

More details are avialable here (young orienteer course) and here (volunteer & coaching CPD courses). 

Extraordinary General Meeting 2018
The EGM will be held at Kinnoull Hill in Perth to follow on from the Volunteer’s Day and prior to the BASOC SOL event on
Saturday 22 September, at 4.30 till 5pm.

The venue for the EGM will be the Forestry Commission Classroom, across the road from the Jubilee Car Park at
Kinnoull Hill, Perth. PH2 7LN
Free parking is available at this venue and light refreshments will be served at the EGM.
The EGM is primarily to approve the accounts of SOA from year ending 2017 which were not available at the AGM held in May 2018 and the subsequent deferred decision on the increase of SOA membership fees.  Should any member wish to put forward any motions or proposals to the EGM they should submit them in writing to the Company Secretary, Fiona Keir, by Saturday 25 August.
 
By email attachment: Fiona@scottish-orienteering.org
By post: Fiona Keir, National Orienteering Centre, Glenmore Lodge, Aviemore, PH22 1QZ.
 

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June SCORE