IN THIS ISSUE: Increasing Participation Training and Pregnancy Coaching Conference

IN THIS ISSUE: Increasing Participation Training and Pregnancy Coaching Conference Bakewell Street O Event Insurance

SPRING 08

Welcome to

It has been a busy and exciting time at the National Office with lots of new initiatives being progressed, many designed to fulfil our Vision of More People, More Places and More Podiums. These include to name a few; the appointment of Steve Vernon as Participation Manager, the introduction of new coaching programmes and the development of the Whole Sport Plan. Some of the future podium places as stated in our vision may well be secured by youngsters competing at the JK and the British Championships in the coming months and I look forward to reporting on these events in the next edition of Focus. Good luck to everyone taking part. If you have any feedback or reports for future editions please email [email protected] Caroline Povey Marketing Manager

Website Content We are always looking to update the website and it is important that the content on the site is current. Please can you check that the details held about your club and your club’s Permanent Orienteering Courses are up to date. Any amendments should be sent to [email protected]. We would also welcome your feedback on the website; including both positive and negative experiences. Please also let us know if you feel there are any gaps in the content that you think should be featured on the site. All feedback should be sent to [email protected]

British Orienteering Welcome

New Participation Manager I can see my new role as British Orienteering’s Participation Manager being exciting yet extremely challenging. I have a wealth of experience in competitive sport and its development in both a personal and occupational capacity, and look forward to applying this in my work for British Orienteering. I am best known as an international cross country runner and have represented Great Britain at five World cross country championships and three European cross country championships. I have also represented Great Britain at the European mountain running championships finishing 9th in 2005. So I can run, just not with a map and compass...yet! My educational background consists of a BSc at Loughborough in P.E., Sports Science and Recreation Management and a soon to be completed MSc in Health, Nutrition and Physical Activity from St Mary’s. Between my BSc and MSc I spent 12 months in Indianapolis (U.S.) on an athletics scholarship studying Business and racing on the American circuit. I am also a UK Athletics Level 2 Endurance Coach and assist in the strength and conditioning of the elite endurance squad at Stockport Harriers AC. Within a working capacity I have recently completed a 2 year post at the University of Derby – Buxton as the manager of a partnership project called SportsTrain. The project aimed to get more qualified sports coaches and volunteers within the Derbyshire

Orienteering More People,Focus More Places, - Summer More 2007 Podiums (MP3)

Dales and High Peak area. This role provided me with the background knowledge I feel is necessary to increase participation levels within British Orienteering. My close contact with various sports clubs has given me a real insight into the difficult task clubs often face when trying to increase their memberships and team of dedicated volunteers. My initial role at British Orienteering will involve working closely with a small number of English clubs on a pilot scheme aiming to bring orienteering activities into a more accessible location for local communities to attend. It is hoped that clubs can set up satellite centres from a local facility that will then act as a regular meeting point for activities to take place. Depending on the success of these initial projects it is anticipated that I can then go on to support more clubs and hopefully increase orienteering participation on a national scale. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or suggestions by emailing [email protected] Steve Vernon



Chief Executive’s

Update

a significant number that were associated with the lack of clear business rules around our membership scheme. Examples being the definition of a family, the definition of a junior and the variation across clubs and associations of their membership fee schemes. These have been harder to resolve and in a few cases we have resorted to dealing with them manually by phone or in one instance asking a club to collect a fee themselves.

The National Office has probably been as busy during these last few months as at any time since I joined. Everybody seems to be doing their own work plus at least some other additional role, work or project. National volunteers have also been incredibly busy and without their strong input and support there is no doubt that the infrastructure of British Orienteering would be starting to creak. As members you should be aware that there are functions including fixtures, coaching and major events where British Orienteering depends on the work of the National volunteers to provide the national on-going leadership, coordination and commitment to keep the sport functioning. I appreciate it is the same at association and club level however I think as members you should already appreciate the work of volunteers at your club and association but perhaps you are unaware or forget the role of volunteers in operational matters at national level. I’m drawing your attention to this for a couple of reasons. The national volunteers should be recognised and appreciated for the work they do – you should think carefully before you respond to them in a negative or unappreciative manner. I’m not suggesting you avoid raising issues with them, rather that you should think about how you will raise the issue and do it in a way that is positive and respectful of their commitment.

Governance

At the Easter AGM members will elect volunteers to become Directors of British Orienteering. The Directors are taking on legal responsibilities on behalf of British Orienteering in addition to a significant amount of time spent in communicating and attending meetings – overall there is a considerable commitment. It looks as though we will be having a genuine election at the AGM with a choice of people to fill the three Director positions, a very healthy position to be in. I would like to thank all the people who have put their names forward and hope that all will feel that they have helped to make the process and the Board a better functioning group, whether they are elected or not. They will not all be elected but should feel that members recognise and respect their commitment in putting themselves forward. Some of the on-going work of Council and Management Committee is to prepare for the handover to the Board. An appropriate induction process is being drawn up to ensure there is clarity of role, responsibility, authority and accountability for Directors and that all the information the Directors require to fulfil their role is made available. There will also be decisions regarding membership fees and levies for 2008. There is agreement from Council and Management Committee that, as members, you should also be aware of the financial position we may 

Reflecting on this period, I think we have coped reasonably well however I appreciate that some of the fundamental issues will not go away and will only be resolved if the definitions are clearer and the membership scheme is simplified. It is good news that a significant percentage of new and renewing members have been processed via the web site.

be in from 2009 and our want to get British Orienteering into a position where it can continue to provide the core services you want, regardless of Sports Council funding. Council and Management Committee have both discussed the ways in which members, clubs and association can be kept in touch with the discussions and decisions of the Board and most importantly how their interests can be taken in account by the board in its discussions. A variety of mechanisms has been suggested to ensure this flow of communication and, once drafted, these mechanisms will be published on the web site for further discussion. On to other matters, the Development Committee is being re-formed under the Chairmanship of Ed Nicholas and will have responsibility to oversee and monitor the work of the development staff and programmes across the UK; the Committee will ensure development work is aligned to the vision, values and strategic objectives of British Orienteering. If you are interested in being a member of this Committee please let the office know. Mike Forrest has agreed to Chair the Major Events Group and has already pulled together a group of people with experience and ideas in this area of work. Once up and running this Group will play a critical part in providing the umbrella framework within which major events will operate. Having looked at this area of work over the last few years I have made Events Committee, Management Committee and Council aware that the major events, as well as being vitally important to members, are an area of financial risk to British Orienteering. This is obvious when you consider that the budget for JK07 alone was around £100k and that this is approximately 60% of our annual income!

Closer to the office, Steve Vernon has now commenced in the role of Participation Manager and is attacking the work with great enthusiasm. You may have seen the initial web prompts for communications from clubs that have ideas about projects based around increasing participation and Steve is currently considering which of these submissions he should work with. This project is for three years and is providing us with the opportunity to look at some of the ideas for the Whole Sport Plan 2009/13 with a view to trialling them prior to a wider roll-out in 2009. The Participation Programme is built on the “Participation Pathway” shown in figure 1. The pathway is explained in more detail in the Whole Sport Plan article on page 20.

The events section was expected to arrive between 6 and 8 weeks after the roll out of the site. After a demonstration of the events section at a Fixtures Group meeting in October it was agreed that some changes to the authorisation process, which form a part of the event management procedures, were required. This re-think constituted some fundamental changes to the section and this, along with the fire-fighting on the members section, put the delivery time of the events section back considerably.

As reported previously, the initial crop of issues and feedback on the web site settled down quite quickly and there are now spasmodic issues being raised. Response to the site has been positive although there are a few regular issues that account for the majority of communications, these include:

We have now received the latest version of the events section and will be looking to test it thoroughly before making it live. In discussions with Pat Martin and Peter Guillaume it has been agreed that we will run the current fixtures system in parallel with the new system during the overlap period. This is a similar strategy to that used with the members section where we continue to use the internal ‘BMS’ system within the office.

a. Individual issues regarding membership, password problems, renewing/joining, etc. b. Queries about event results and the ranking list. c. The difficulty for a few people of using the ‘flash’ menus; a text based menu system is to be developed as a backup as soon as priorities allow.

We are now actively seeking good quality content with which to enhance the site and will look to members of our committees/ groups and key volunteers to assist in this process. Rules Group and Map Group have already been proactive in regard to this.

During the period October to December there were a series of problems identified with the membership section of the web site, relating to new and renewing members. Whilst some were issues quickly addressed, there were

For those interested the next phases of development are: • Events – including registration, management (work done by Fixtures Group & the National

Website

Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008

Figure 1 - Participation Pathway Fixtures Secretary), fixture list, entry system, results service. • Rankings – to bring the rankings list into the main part of the web, we may run the new ranking list in parallel to the old in the first instance. • Accreditations – to use the system to manage our various accreditations including coaching, planning, controlling etc. We will shortly be reviewing the site and inviting members to provide feedback on their experience in using it. The review will probably focus on three aspects of the site; the navigation; the static content and the members section. If you would like to get involved please email [email protected]

I look forward to seeing many of you at the JK and AGM and wish you a successful year of orienteering.

More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)



What follows

“The Vision”? By Neil Cameron, Chairman.

British Orienteering’s vision of “More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)” was formally adopted by Council after a period of consultation. But how do we follow up on that vision? I believe that clubs and Associations should be free to follow whatever plans and priorities they see fit, but I also believe that as a sport we are more likely to make faster progress if we share resources and co-operate to the maximum, therefore avoiding reinventing wheels.

Our new Whole Sport Plan (WSP) for 2009-13 will be based, to a large extent on club input and will be organised around the three threads of our vision. Listed below are my opinions of what Clubs, Associations and British Orienteering should be doing. Please also refer to Steve Vernon’s Club Activity Guide for specific examples.

British Orienteering • Co-ordinating, publicising and sharing information from club projects in the Associations. • Developing materials to assist with training, as shown by Association and club demand. • Producing role descriptions for a typical club committee.

More People

More Places

Clubs: • Having a specific club project to try and increase total participation: both the frequency that each member takes part in events, and the number of members there are. • Having a specific club project to review how volunteers are recruited and given recognition, and to encourage more to offer their time and expertise. • Examining opportunities being identified by British Orienteering’s Participation Manager to see whether the Club could become involved.

Clubs: • Concentrating effort on identifying new urban areas that could be used for giving people an orienteering experience, whether a sprint event, or a limited range of simpler courses suitable for less experienced orienteers (both junior and adult). This might also involve refreshing Permanent Orienteering Courses and looking at how they can be used in this context.

Associations: • Co-ordinating, publicising and sharing information from club projects within the Association. • Organising and hosting skill transfer workshops as shown by club demand.

Associations: • Co-ordinating, publicising and sharing information from club projects in the Association. British Orienteering: • Working with Clubs to make Permanent Orienteering Courses better publicised and accessible.

Clubs: • Establish if the necessary support and assistance to accelerate learning of key orienteering techniques is in place. Associations: • Ensuring that any Association squad activities dovetail with those of Clubs, and that attempts are made to identify juniors who are already showing talent and who would benefit from more advanced support. British Orienteering • Offering audit support techniques to help review the adequacy of club or Association talented junior activities.

Funds Available > BERTIE AND ELSIE WARD FUND - Supporting juniors directly > SPORT ENGLAND DEVELOPMENT FUND Supporting the development of volunteers > SCHOOL/CLUB LINKS - Supporting school/club link activities > MULTI-DAY FUND - Supporting the sustained and overall development of orienteering. Clubs or Associations are able to apply for these grants. Application forms can be found on the website 

By Steve Vernon Participation Manager

The following guide highlights key points for clubs to follow in providing club activities. It is hoped that clubs will use the guide to develop their own local orienteering activities to help raise participation levels within the sport. The suggestions highlighted below have all been taken from the ‘Club Activity Guide’ which can be found on the British Orienteering website under Developing Orienteering.

More Podiums

If you have any more suggestions or would like to provide feedback please email [email protected]

British Orienteering currently has several funds for the support of different areas of orienteering. The monies were left as either a bequest, a legacy or as a grant from the sports councils. The funds are listed below:

CLUB ACTIVITY GUIDE

or can be sent out by the National Office and must be accompanied by a copy of the budget for the project, copies of any other grant applications and copies of the club/association balance sheets. Applications are assessed twice throughout the year. For more information, contact Laura Young by emailing laura@ britishorienteering.org.uk or telephone the National Office. Application Dates: Application Deadline 31st August 2008 Pre-assessment by 7th September Assessment by 21st September Payment by 1st October Application Deadline 31st January 2009 Pre-assessment by 8th February Assessment by 22nd February Payment by 3rd March

The ‘O’ Foundation In 2007 British Orienteering set up a registered independent charity called the ‘O’ Foundation. The ‘O’ Foundation has monies from bequests and legacies and includes the Bertie and Elsie Ward fund. Grant applications can be made for the ‘O’ Foundation monies and are submitted twice yearly in line with the normal grant application procedure. For more infromation on the ‘O’ Foundation, contact Laura Young at the National Office. Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008

Frequency

Organisation

• Aim to provide a weekly meeting point at a suitable venue for changing and showering etc. Examples include: Leisure Centres, Church Halls, Schools and Social Clubs that can all be hired on an hourly basis at low cost. • Successful activities need to be continued to ensure retention rates and progression. An activity running once a week for 4 weeks is great at promoting the sport but may not provide as much sustainability for newcomers as a more long term programme.

• Provide newcomers with sufficient support and guidance. • Clearly identify who is available to help e.g. South Ribble OrienteerIng Club used volunteers wearing high-visibility bibs with “SROC here to help” on the front and back at one of their activities. • Utilise current junior members and train them to become assistants. The Young Leader Award course is ideal. This can be extremely productive as juniors often really enjoy helping out and families coming to try the sport are greeted by confident, happy children running around, thus highlighting the social benefits that orienteering can bring. • Experienced orienteers should be on hand to help during activities.

Activity • Try to organise Street O and Urban O activities that are easily accessible to communities. These types of events are great at introducing and encouraging newcomers into the sport. It is also a great way to promote orienteering as it makes it more visible to the general public. • Promote ‘come and try it’ type events that welcome complete beginners and are less intimidating. • Offer progression routes towards more demanding courses over time. • ‘Family Days’ provide an experience for everyone.

Marketing and Publicity • Use local newspapers and aim to get reporters to write about orienteering in the community rather than a direct advertisement. This will eliminate paying a fee. • Emphasise themes such as orienteering being a “whole family, lifestyle, adventurous activity” as used in the MADO initiative. • Display posters and leaflets in local shops, businesses, hospitals and schools. This appears to be the most productive way of attracting people to activities. • Distribute flyers to parents of children in local schools. • Contact your local County School Partnership for details on how to establish links with local schools. Your Regional Development Officer can also help you establish school-club links.

Venue • Use a low cost popular centre such as a village hall or school to coordinate activities from. • Start from a local village area that is within easy access of a mapped area. The map could include a ‘street section’ to get the short distance to the start/finish in the forest as demonstrated by MAROC in their introductory events at Ballater and Braemar. • Map small urban areas e.g. Parks, University Campus, Market Areas as demonstrated by OD and POW in their development initiatives.

Funding • A number of clubs have made successful ‘Awards for All’ bids to help with various costs such as buying new equipment, getting new areas mapped, remapping new areas, putting in new permanent courses and for the publicity of activities. • Most clubs with successful bids didn’t apply for the total cost, instead they asked for a significant contribution, with the club committing to provide the rest of the funding. • British Orienteering has various funding streams and grants available. Please contact the National Office for details. If your club has been particularly successful with an initiative and you would like to share your ideas please contact Steve Vernon by emailing [email protected] 

DEVELOPMENT

Congratulations to the latest two clubs to gain Clubmark accreditation: Saxons OC from Kent pictured here receiving their certificate in December: from the left Simon Greenwood, Chairman of the South-East Orienteering Association, Jean Fitzgerald, Saxons Club Chairman and Jerry Purkis, Development Officer. Chigwell & Epping Forest OC from the Essex/Herts border gained Clubmark

Navigate to a Rat Race near you!

in January. As with other accredited clubs, the CHIG committee have used the period of working towards gaining the award as the opportunity to do an audit of how the club operates and to put in place some improvements. Notably, the club now has a much larger pool of trained coaches to work with newcomers and by working with neighbouring clubs they are trying to put on more activities. CHIG will be

presented with their certificate at the next major event, the JK. Twenty two English and one Scottish club are now working to achieve Clubmark accreditation and I hope that many more will soon gain the award as recognition of their operating standards. Hilary Palmer, Development Manager

Cracking the Code BOF, BO or British Orienteering? When you start orienteering you obviously need to be shown a map, control, dibber and compass but you really should be given a guide to “cracking the orienteering code”. As orienteers you will already know that you love creating acronyms! Part of the induction programme at the British Orienteering National Office is a list of commonly used acronyms! Whether it’s events, clubs or even the Governing Body you can guarantee that an acronym will have been created. Now, there is nothing wrong with acronyms, it makes writing minutes and emails a lot easier, but if you had ever attempted to read the minutes as an “outsider” you wouldn’t understand a thing! We are not the only sport that uses acronyms, the difference is that we use them in communications seen by the general public, such as promotional literature. For example, I am a member of BS. Hilary Bloor is a member of BC and my friend works for BT. If you are not in the know, you will probably not realise that this refers to British Shooting, British Cycling and British Triathlon (Not the phone company!)



These companies do refer to themselves by acronyms internally but never in external communications. They want to do everything they can to promote their sport to the general public. Hence, why at British Orienteering we wanted to minimise the use of BOF in external communications by updating our corporate identity. To refer to the Corporate Guidelines issued in June 2006, “British Orienteering’s new logo aims to improve the image of orienteering to the general public and illustrate the adventurous nature of the sport. It has been decided that “Federation” should be removed from the logo to fall in line with other National Governing Bodies and give the logo a modern look. We are still registered as the British Orienteering Federation and therefore the acronym BOF still applies, however you are asked to maximise usage of the term British Orienteering. BOF has no meaning to the general public and therefore does not raise the profile of the sport. We should aim to use the word orienteering as often as possible in external communications.” Somehow this was interpreted that we wanted to stop using BOF and change our name to

2008 sees British Orienteering partnering with the unique and stylish Rat Race Urban Adventure Series. For those of you who don’t know it, the Rat Race is an urban adventure challenge that sees teams of competitors navigate their way around a course that is only revealed hours before it begins. It involves running, biking, abseiling, kayaking and even the urban sport of parkour. The good news for orienteers is that it’s all bound together with navigation and whether it’s technical Street-O or getting to grips with an A-Z, the Rat Race is awash with interesting and quirky navigation. The event was started in 2004 in Edinburgh and now stretches the length and breadth of the country and further a-field. For 2008, events will take place in London, Edinburgh, Bristol, Birmingham, Newcastle and Brighton. The Birmingham event will be held as part of the Outdoors Show and a Rat Race village will be built in the hall for people to come and find out more about the event on March 14th – 16th.

the sport, the event makes a really fun introduction to the adventure you can have on your doorstep, in the city with a map. It’s designed for all levels of competitor and typically, the starting grid sees orienteers, adventure racers, mountain bikers, triathletes and a whole bunch of folk who have just ended up there because they see it as a great way of spending a weekend! Some of the highlights of the event include abseiling off well known buildings, zip sliding into city squares, kayaking on canals

For further information please visit www.ratraceadventure.com

Top orienteers have always placed well in Rat Race teams with many taking the silverware. For those starting out in

BO. What we wanted is for people to use the word “Orienteering”. We wanted you to shout it from the rooftops….familiarise people with the word…and hopefully for them to ask, “How do I try it?” If we are going to attract newcomers into our sport we have to take away the barriers. One small way of doing this it to stop using acronyms to the uninitiated. It is amazing how many frustrated newcomers we speak to at the National Office who are trying to find their local club. Questions such as, “But where is OD based? “I didn’t realise NOC stood for Nottinghamshire Orienteering Club” “Why don’t they call it Nottinghamshire OC?” In fact I think the latter would be a positive move and would be the same approach that many athletic clubs take e.g. Matlock AC.

to Sponsor British Elite Champs You’ll be able to see the forest in a different light if you win the British Elite Champs this year as Go Ape have donated free tickets as prizes. Join a tribe of over 800,000 adventure seekers, climbing rope ladders up into the trees; experiencing the thrills of trekking from tree to tree some 40 feet above the forest floor!

All we are asking is that next time you produce literature that will be seen by the general public, you take a step back to see whether it can really be understood by an “outsider.” Are you making it easy for them to try our sport? The next phase of the website is going to try and tackle another problem – The fixtures list. E.g. C4, SI, EOD even grid references!

Established in 2002 Go Ape High Wire Forest Adventure courses are now located in twelve forests across the UK, stretching from the south coast to the Scottish Highlands. Each of the Go Ape courses are split into 5 to 7 separate zones linked together by natural footpaths. Each section begins with a climb up a rope ladder into the treetop canopy, where an assortment

Tip: An easy way to change BOF to British Orienteering is to use the “find and replace” or “Autotext” functions in word. Caroline Povey Marketing Manager Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008

and navigating around famous streets and parks. In the recent London event, teams abseiled the mighty Twickenham stadium and kayaked on the Thames before completing a “3D” navigation stage on board HMS Belfast before the finish, right in front of Tower Bridge! This event is fun, fast and totally unique. British Orienteering members receive a 10% discount when entering. Simply quote RATPROMO-BOF when you enter online.

More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)

of spectacular rope bridges, Tarzan swings and an exhilarating zip slide brings you down to the forest floor at the end of every section. Set against the stunning forest backdrop this unique family activity provides approximately three hours of adrenalin-fuelled fun and adventure. “Live life more adventurously” is the ethos behind Go Ape. It’s very much about introducing people, young and old, to the forest and being able to explore the forest from a different perspective. A very similar ethos to orienteering!

For further information please visit www.goape.co.uk Buff are continuing their sponsorship of the JK and this year have provided a bespoke JK Buff for the winner of each age class. 

Credit: Quentin Harding

COACHING

Humberside Junior Squad, Hilary Palmer updated us on activity by the Development Team and Keith Marsden related how he and Pat Mee have helped wrestle with the introduction of the UK Coaching Certificate.

British Orienteering Coaching Dates for your Diary

Workshops are a part of conferences to get you thinking and to get discussion flowing. A number of pre-defined questions were mooted each one of which was discussed in smaller groups and later fed back to the whole conference.

COACHING CONFERENCE “Coaching and the Development of Orienteering” I do not suspect that I am alone in the way that I read the articles in Focus or CompassSport. Rarely do I sit down undisturbed and read it from cover to cover; it’s more a case of reading an article while downing the muesli and then abandoning the magazine on the table until the next breakfast. It was in this way that I read Mike Hamilton’s article in the last Focus about ‘The Way Forward’. It teased the brain a little, a few questions bubbled, but this was soon dismissed to face the days’ activities. The contrast to having the man come and present this idea in person as our opening lecture at the coaching conference was stark, Mike presented it well and gave it credibility that previously didn’t exist in my mind. This added realism and the ability to question directly, is one of two reasons why conferences like this need to happen. Mike presented the ‘Whole Sport Plan’ to achieving increased people, places and podiums. Integral to this was the Participation Pathway that attempted to show how people can get in to our sport and then move within it if they wished. It was here that I fully appreciated for the first time that the majority of this increased participation was not to be at events but in a new form or orienteering that provides a local, weekly, fixed centre activity much like the running club. To achieve this sort of increase, a lot of coaches will be required that can work with children, beginners, local or performance groups. Not just any coaches who show willing, but well trained coaches with a degree of quality assurance. The UK coaching certificate is the framework being adopted to achieve this.

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Colin Allen from SportsCoachUK went on to present this framework, something that made sense but smacked of bureaucracy and high hurdles. We are one sport in the third phase of introduction behind many other bigger and better resourced sports, which seem to be ‘bogged’ in a very lengthy implementation process. Orienteering has planned a relatively quick introduction of the 4 levels but already the first level has slipped awaiting Level 1 to be endorsed. As the weekend went on, it became apparent to me that this transition period could stall coaching development in the short term. The idea of ‘pathways’ continued when Gareth Candy introduced the preliminary ideas to defining a ‘performance pathway’. This is trying to answer what qualities were thought to make up an orienteer and how well developed those qualities at the various steps from beginner through to world class orienteer should be. These covered areas such as technical, physical, experience and attitude. Where possible, these are being quantified to provide a benchmark standard. Gareth further earned his keep by relating his experiences of orienteering in Australia with respect to performance development. The barriers to development were the sheer size of Australia, the lack of variety of terrain and the lack of resources. Their strengths were the way that they were organised and the access of the top few to sports academy facilities. Further interesting presentations came from Tony Carlyle who gave an insight as to what lay behind the success of the Yorkshire and

Fortunately, the time on our backsides was broken by a couple of practical sessions. Nev Myers provided an O exercise around the grounds of Lilleshall Hall that kept you thinking and one of the physios provided a session on the knee joint and related injuries. This latter session highlighted to me how little I knew about this subject. While I consider myself to be relatively experienced in the physical side of training, access to such facilities as at Lilleshall could make a significant difference to coaching success. Apparently, last year the ankle joint was covered, so in five years time we might be covering the brain, a subject I have even less idea about. The Coach of the Year Award was announced at the conference. Mark Saunders and Alice Bedwell won the award for their work with the Welsh squads. Helena Burrows, the chair of the WOA, received the award on their behalf. It is the informal networking that goes on between sessions that provides the second reason why conferences like this need to happen. It is the exchange of training ideas, stories of battles won/lost and organisation help that stimulate future activity that can easily wither if left unfed. Talking of food, you can not go hungry staying at Lilleshall Hall. Three meals a day of well prepared, reasonably healthy, food does not leave you wanting. I did not see one chip all weekend. What you do see in the dinning rooms are the other sports using the centre, and it was of interest to see top football players, gymnasts and archers, not the ones on the radio! Accommodation was in single rooms with en-suite facilities, so if you have been put off going by the idea of dormitories and school food, think again. Our thanks go to Keith Mardsen, Vicky Thornton and doubtless many others for making the conference happen. Report & Photo by Quentin Harding SROC

Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008

Visit the ‘Coaching’ pages on the British Orienteering website under ‘Developing Orienteering’ – ‘Coaching’ – ‘Coaching Courses’ for further information. Coaching days for club groups and individual British Orienteering members: Helena Burrows accepting the Coaching Award on behalf of Mark & Alice

PETER PALMER COACH OF THE YEAR Mark Saunders and Alice Bedwell from BOK won the Peter Palmer Coach of the Year 2007 Award for their outstanding work and dedication to the Welsh junior squad. Unfortunately Mark and Alice were unable to attend the conference so Helena Burrows (WOA Chair) accepted the award on their behalf. Below are some of the reasons why Mark and Alice won the award. Anwen Darlington said: “The quality of training we as juniors are given is of the highest standard which is pretty incredible as we have such a wide range of ages and abilities in the squad. Both Mark and Alice take time out to plan exercises which we will all benefit from, not just the better ones in the squad. Everyone’s achievements are important to them, no matter how big or small they may seem to others. I think Mark and Alice deserve this award for their dedication to the sport and for their enthusiasm. Without the training weekends and tours I would never have reached the standard I am at. In 2007 I was selected to run for GB at EYOC. It’s the enjoyment of the training and being part

of the squad which keeps me motivated to keep improving.”

Saturday 12th April Black Beck Woods, South Lakes Sunday 13th April SROC Regional Event Hampsfell, Grange-over-Sands Saturday 7th June West Midlands (Area to be confirmed) Sunday 8th June HOC National Event - Brown Clee, Bridgnorth.

Kris Jones said: “It doesn’t seem to make a difference to them what your goals are; they will do as much as they can to help you achieve them whether they are to get into the British team or just to beat one of your friends in a particular race. They always find time to talk to you on a personal basis and they make you feel like individuals and not just a group.” Finally The Welsh Junior Squad Manager, Kate Balmond adds, “They have given the Welsh Junior Squad a new dimension and direction. Their energy and commitment goes beyond that expected from a volunteer and we are beginning to see many positive changes in depth throughout our squad. Their professionalism is self evident and results in a small very happy squad who agree that enjoyment of the sport is paramount during these early years. “ Congratulations to Mark and Alice from everybody at British Orienteering.

More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)

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Baby Boom! A guide to training during and after pregnancy.

The future of British Orienteering is secure. Our chances at the 2028 World Orienteering Champs are looking rosy. This is because 2006/7/8 has been a baby boom in the Orienteering World. Isabel Winskill, Laurence Ward, Emma Curry, Noah Jenkins, Rory Sarkies, Thomas Duncan and Thomas Rollins......to name but a few.....are they the champions of the future?

But what of their mothers? Are they now hanging up their O shoes? Well, I’m not and Helen isn’t either, both of us still intending to aim for WOC 2008 in the Czech Republic at least. It has long been suggested that having a baby actually enhances your performance and there seems to be plenty of evidence out there. Probably the most well known is that despite injury incurred during the birth (fracture in her spine) which meant an 8 week lay off for Paula Radcliffe, she won the New York Marathon in November of last year, 11 months after the birth of her daughter Isla. Paula is now in training for the London Marathon in April 2008 followed by a further attempt at Olympic Marathon Gold in August in Beijing. Less recently but no less amazing was Liz McColgan, who gave birth to Eilish, her first daughter, on November 25th 1990. Four months later in March she was fit enough to not only compete at the World Cross Country Champs in Antwerp, but finish third. In August she then went to the World Championships in Tokyo where, as described on the ukathletics website, in the final of the 10,000m she systematically took apart the field with an astonishing front-running display which took her to the gold medal. “It was the greatest performance by a British distance runner,” said Brendan Foster, the Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist from 1976, and now a BBC

Television commentator. McColgan destroyed her opponents from the start, including defending champion, the brilliant Ingrid Kristiansen, of Norway, as she ran the first kilometre in 3:02.95. The pace rarely relented and McColgan, ignoring the tremendous humidity, won in 31:14.31, from China’s Zhong Huandi in 31:35.08 with her teammate Wang Xiuting third in 31:35.99. While that pair might have had a race of their own, McColgan was in a class of her own and her performance won her the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year award. She is now a mother of five! 1 The world of Orienteering has also seen its World Champion Mothers with Carolina Arewång-Höjsgaard, as an example, winning Gold in the Long and Relay at the 2004 World Championships in Sweden. In an article by Germain Greer in the Observer Sport Monthly2, she observes that in horse racing it is well understood that pregnancy can enhance a mare’s performance, especially if she is given to ‘marish’ behaviour, the female version of coltishness. Once impregnated, usually by artificial insemination, she may settle down. Indian Queen, who won the Ascot Gold Cup in 1991 at 25-1, was in foal to Night Shift when she did it; last summer Aahgowangowan, a seven-year-old mare trained by Michael Dods, won five of seven starts in foal, at Thirsk, Ayr and Chester. This has been put down to the hormones of pregnancy which post pregnancy will continue to circulate in the body for up to four months. There are other possible factors though. In the first trimester (3 months) of pregnancy, metabolic rate, cardiac output (amount of blood pumped per heart beat) and blood volume (total volume circulating around the body) all increase, as the body tunes up to meet the demands of the foetus. These physiological changes are mirrored in humans and are governed by the pregnancy hormones – but whether the hormones make the human female athlete less ‘marish’ is probably a subject best not studied..... It is only recently that exercise has been studied in pregnancy at all as previously it was thought that if you did you were damaging the unborn child. This has not been proven to be true. Women who exercise prior to and during pregnancy weigh less, gain less weight and deliver slightly smaller babies than sedentary women3. It is likely that increased fitness may enable women to cope better with labour (although there is no evidence that they have a shorter or easier labour). At this point it might be interesting to look at what I did during my pregnancy and how this affected my experience. I continued to train during pregnancy although from about week 12 to week 16 I felt tired and uninspired to train. I still did train though and

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Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008

up until then I had still been racing orienteering e.g. at the World Cup Final in France, when I was 10 weeks pregnant. During the second and third trimesters I began to pick up again although after about week 21 I had to stop running as I was getting pelvic pain. I became the cross-training queen – I would go to the gym most days (3 days on, 1 day off) and either take a spinning class, do 60 mins intervals on a cross-trainer (elliptical trainer) or 60 mins pool running intervals. I did 60 mins on the elliptical trainer the day I went into labour! For me, although there was the element of maintaining my fitness, I also felt so much better in myself on the days that I trained, both psychologically and physically. This was the motivation for me as watching daytime television with subtitles whilst sweating it out on a machine is not all that inspiring! There is no doubt in my mind that the physical training that I did brought on my labour. In the last few weeks I used to get ‘practise contractions’ (Braxton-Hicks) while I was exercising and according to the book4 I had read, exercising during pregnancy can bring labour on 5-7 days earlier on average as compared with sedentary pregnant women. Well....I went into labour at 39+3 days which is 4 days earlier than my due date (although he would have been on time 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after this). My mum, however, went overdue with both my brother and myself by 2 weeks and so like all women at this very last stage of pregnancy I was pleased to get on with it and GET IT OUT! My labour progressed really well, starting around 4pm on Sunday 22nd and out popped Tommy on Monday 23rd at 12.35pm. The ‘popping out’ part actually took about 2 and a half hours though which is about 1 and a half hours longer than is usual for a first baby. Having attended labours myself it is about the 1 and a half to 2 hour mark that the midwife starts to think that perhaps it is all taking too long, the baby might be getting tired and so might the mother – which can lead to ventouse, forceps or caesarean. In my case, I think it was taking a long time as my pelvic muscles were all very well developed and so very tight. I was not tired though and neither (according to the baby heart monitor) was Tommy and it is this that I put down to the training that I had done. There is certainly evidence that if you train when pregnant that the umbilical cord and placenta are more well developed and therefore the baby is able to put up with more ‘stress’ during labour4. This is because during each contraction of the uterus, the blood supply to the foetus is actually cut off for a time. The placenta is after all embedded in the muscle of the uterine wall and so when fully contracted, blood flow into the umbilical cord stops. So I believe that Tommy was able to cope with the periodic lack of oxygen because he had a better blood supply that was able to supply him with what he needed and clear any lactic he might have accumulated during the contractions, while the uterus was relaxed in between contractions.

More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)

I decided on writing this article not to get into too much medical detail as I would not be able to do it justice in this short space and so I have described below my personal experience of ‘return to form’. If you do want less personal and more scientific information then read the book as suggested below4. This book also contains important information about when not to train and what not to do when you are pregnant and afterwards. I started training on day 5. I got on an exercise bike and did 30 mins. I had to stop because Tommy was crying for a feed. I tried to run on day 9 and did two steps. When you have pushed a baby out, it turns out that your pelvic floor muscles get a bit stretched! Running was not an option for me until day 19 and then only uphill (which does not have the impact of flat or downhill running). I would do hill intervals for 20 mins after a 10 min walk/jog to get there. I had decided not to really train ‘properly’ until Tommy was 6 months old. This doesn’t mean I didn’t train, it just meant that ‘Tommy came first’. At this point though, I started to go to running club again and do hard intervals. My first ‘tester’ came at Euromeeting in Austria, which proved that I was on track, but not fit enough yet. Then in October I was selected for the World Cup Final (and I am grateful to the selectors for having faith in me). I wanted to taste international competition before heading into winter training. I felt I ran well in the Middle race although coming 33rd I was disappointed with the result. So I went out into the Sprint race with no expectations other than that I wanted a clean run but knowing that I would most likely be disappointed with the actual paper result. To come 12th was beyond my expectations and I put this down to having a completely clean run in a very confusing ‘Park World Tour’esque race on a flatish course, all of which played into my hand. It gave me great confidence and has made me set my sights high for next year’s World Champs in the Czech Republic. Finally I thought I would just talk about breastfeeding. Throughout all my training I have fed Tommy myself. There is very little in the literature about breastfeeding and exercise. The only source of information that is around is the very good book ‘Exercising through your pregnancy’ by Dr F Clapp, an American Obstetrician4 (this is the book I have recommended above). I had been absolutely positive that I had wanted to breastfeed (and I think you have to feel this way about it as it can be very painful early on) and I still am now, although at 9 months he only takes 3 feeds a day as he has three hearty meals a day now too. The book mentioned above addresses the issues about exercise and breastfeeding – Does hard training make your milk sour because of the lactate? Does hard training reduce the quality of your milk? Does exercise in breastfeeding mothers lead to poor weight gain in the baby? In my case, Tommy never refused a feed (and I have done hard intervals) and put on good weight. I did have to wean

him early though as he was feeding nearly 2 hourly including in the night – so maybe my milk was less calorific? Or perhaps Tommy was just a hungry boy (on the 98th centile for height – not a Rollins gene! Initially, breastfeeding meant that timing was of the essence – especially at the Scottish 6 Day, which became a military logistical operation. I would have to feed him at a certain time so that I could then warm up and race, with just enough time left for him to nap and then play before I got back for the next feed. I suffered a lot with runners’ cramps at the 6 Day, which I put down to running harder than I had become used to as well as weaker stomach muscles (which therefore allowed my bowels to bounce around more than normal) but also to getting dehydrated, as I was not only losing water in sweat, but also to make milk. If I had any advice to other breastfeeding mothers it would be a) to get some very supportive bras and wear two of them when you run and b) to get your baby to take a bottle – which Tommy refused at 8 weeks (he had been taking it before). This does mean you have to sterilise and ‘pump’ which can be a real pain though, as one of the main advantages of breastfeeding is the avoidance of bottles, teats, bibs, pumps, sterilisers, formula, kettles, etc. I’m sorry if what started as a sports article has deteriorated into womenly advice! I hope that perhaps this may have answered some questions that I was unable to find the answers to myself though, either in the literature or on the internet. The bottom line is you have to listen to your body and do what is right for you. And although there are some women who should not exercise during pregnancy because of various conditions that they or their baby have, most women should be able to find the right level for them. Having Thomas has opened up a whole new chapter in my life. It has not been easy (although I am supported fantastically by my husband David and my Mum without whom I just wouldn’t be able to train again) but I wouldn’t have it any other way. He will be there in Czech this July, with Nana and Grandpop in tow and I will be running as hard as I can to make him proud of his Mummy. Sarah Rollins GB Orienteering Team & GP References: 1. http://www.ukathletics.net/fans/past-greats/lizmccolgan/ 2. Greer G. Observer Sport Monthly. It’s time for the pregnant Olympics. Sunday May 6, 2007 3. Brukner P, Kahn K. Clinical Sports Medicine. Third Edition. McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd 2007. 4. Clapp, James F. Exercising through your pregnancy. Addicus Books, Inc. Omaha, Nebraska 2002.

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Issue 5 - Spring 2008 More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)

FOR JUNIOR ORIENTEERS

Inside this Issue: Training with GB Juniors Young Volunteer Awards Top Tips from Britain’s Best! www.britishorienteering.org.uk/ozone

Training with the GB Juniors By Hector Haines. Co-written by Douglas Tullie and Hollie Orr.

The sprint is on. It’s the final interval in a session that has seen many athletes whimper and break. Many have cut the session down and retired. The line draws nearer. Soon, ‘wild child’ Douglas Tullie will finish the session. But he is never truly finished – there is always more training to do; Looking at maps, indulging in terrain visualisation; Stretching or working on his flexibility – for him the training never truly finishes. He is a 24hour athlete. Always on the ‘O’. This dedication to orienteering is echoed throughout the Great Britain Junior Potential Squad by all the other athletes. Their ethic is fantastically focused – and their goals are clear.

A section of the Classic map for JWOC 2008 Many things set the athletes of the GB Junior Potential Squad apart from others. Most notably they have knowledge. Knowledge passed on from their coaches, physiotherapists, mentors, etc. They know and understand what it takes to race against the best in the world and they train accordingly. Typically, the athletes plan out their year with one focus in mind – JWOC. Then, the year is broken down again to accommodate another peak in their performance that is planned to coincide with the main selection races for the year. After these things have been thought out and planned the athlete breaks down their year again and decides on their periods of training. Generally, a loose format is adopted by all the athletes and this can be described as:

TTT Phase (September – October) This is the phase where the athlete is “Training To Train”. In this phase the athlete builds up strength in their core muscles and works hard on their stability. This prepares them for the winter months of hardcore training that they plan to do and, if done correctly and to the right degree, will prevent injuries throughout the year. Also in these two months the athlete reflects upon their performance over the year and thinks about what is needed to improve next year with particular reference to their technique.

Strength Phase (October – December)

Flying in Portugal

In this phase the athlete focuses themselves on building up their strength in specific muscle groups. The focus is not about putting on muscle but rather making the muscles more efficient at the specific job they will be used for. By the end of this phase the athlete should feel ‘in touch’ and in complete control of their bodies to the extent that they will be able to utilise every muscle in their body at a moment’s thought. This will increase running efficiency and economy and will help when the athlete starts to add on the miles in the next phase.

Endurance (December – March) This is the phase where the athlete plans to get out for runs that are 25% longer than the expected winning time for a classic race in the year ahead. Typically, M20 boys will be looking at 100 – 120 minutes or more. The girls will be looking at 80+ minutes. The reason this phase is done in these

months is that endurance will last all the way though the racing season even when the athlete cuts down on the endurance work.

Speed Phase (February – March and continuing throughout the racing season) The athlete adds in a fast session to his or her weeks training in addition to the intervals that he or she is already doing. Endurance is slowly petered out and the time and miles that are spent out on long runs are reduced but not completely stopped. This speed phase is crucial and gives the athlete the ability to give out short intense bursts of speed at maximum pace which are always useful in a typical orienteering race and especially in relay situations.

A section of the JWOC Sprint area 2008

So where do these athletes fit in their technique work? The answer is of course; All the time. From September to August they constantly refine and tweak their technique after they have revised it post international season. Technique work is even written into the contract – that’s how important it is. But technique work isn’t just about running round an orienteering course – it’s about O’ Geeking; looking at old maps, reading orienteering blogs and web pages, gleaning new ideas and concepts from everything. Also, the athlete will analyse their technique after each race and technique session – it’s an analysis of seconds, and for some, every second counts. The importance of the winter break should be highlighted here. For some it is a time to make merry and have fun but athletes in the British Junior Potential Squad realise this break is a prime opportunity for doing some really hardcore training. It is in this period that an athlete will purposefully go out for a long run in the horizontal sleet just for the sheer joy of the pain, and how good it feels afterwards. They know too that many of their contemporaries will not be able to face training in truly adverse weather conditions, so they get even more satisfaction from the run. So, you see how dedicated these individuals are to the sport and themselves. They have to be, for if they are to race against the best in the world they must train and think like the best, and, if they want to be the best they must train and think better than the best. Douglas Tullie is rather poignant on this, he says; “No drinking for me, just thinking.”

A view of the forest for the Middle distance in Gothenburg

02 Ozone

Issue 5 - Spring 2008 03

British Orienteer Young Volunteer Award Scheme The ‘Young Volunteer Awards’ have been developed by Participation Manager Steve Vernon as part of the “Increasing Participation Plan”. The award scheme aims to offer an incentive for young people to get involved with volunteering within clubs. It is hoped that an increase in young volunteers will provide relief to the already strained volunteer sector within British Orienteering and encourage juniors to get involved with all aspects of the sport. The junior volunteers will also be able to develop vital skills that will help them in the future and be seen positively by higher education and potential employers. An increase in volunteers should also impact on the amount of time available for clubs to implement plans for increasing participation within the sport. The award winners will be decided after the deadline at the end of January each year and then presented at the AGM. Both the winners and nominees will be recognised in the spring addition of Focus. The committee to judge the nominations will consist of Hilary Palmer (Development Manager), Steven Vernon (Participation Manager), Caroline Povey (Marketing Manager) and a member of the Board of Directors. We are looking to award each winner with a glass trophy and a cheque for £150. The Club will also receive a cheque for £50 to spend on junior development.

There will be two awards:

1. Outstanding Contribution at Club level 2. Outstanding Contribution at National Level

• Volunteered with energy, commitment and enthusiasm. • Demonstrated a willingness to develop their talents into new areas.

FUTURE CHAMPIONS CUP RACES 2008 The Future Champions Cup (FCC) competition is open to M & W 18s and M & W 20s who are British Orienteering National or Local members. The FCC consists of up to seven qualifying races and competitors count their best three scores. The top 15 qualifiers from each of the four classes (M & W 18 and M & W 20) will be eligible to compete in the final.

FCC Final (Pre Entry is required) Saturday 3rd May – FCC Final Middle Race (EBOR) Sunday 4th May - FCC Final Long Race (EBOR)

Additional Guidelines:

Scoring: Each age class will score separately, even if competing on the same course. Scoring for each race will be 1st-60, 2nd-55, 3rd-51, 4th-48, 5th-46, 6th-45, and then decreasing by 1 for each position. (The top 50 in each class score.) In addition, at races where there is a choice of running 20E or 18 or 20L (events marked *), the 18L & 20L class runners will score 1st-40, 2nd-36, 3rd-33, 4th-31, 5th-30 and then decreasing by 1. (The top 34 score.) M/W16’s and below will not score.

• Volunteers must be unpaid. • Anyone can nominate a person for an award. • The winner must be a member of British Orienteering. Nomination forms can be found at www.britishorienteering.org. uk/downloads/developing.php .

Full details of how to enter the events correctly for your age and the event rules and guidelines can be found at www.pgopage.btinternet.co.uk

For further information please contact Steve Vernon, Participation Manager. E: [email protected].

Pictured: last years winners

British Orienteering are looking for young people who have: • Shown innovation or creativity in their volunteering • Demonstrated leadership within their role as a volunteer.

Membership Benefits Members of BSOA are entitled to the following benefits and services: • Discounted orienteering resources including Starter Packs; • A network of regional contacts for help and advise on all aspects of orienteering both within and outside the National Curriculum; • Opportunities to link with local clubs for maps, access to orienteering terrain, coaching support etc.; • Discount on Orienteering Young Leader Award Tutor Packs; • Four copies of Focus magazine a year • Reduced entry fees for the British Schools Orienteering Championships and British Schools Score Championships; • Fixture lists of events nationwide; • Information on teacher training for British Orienteering qualifications; • Coaching opportunities for promising pupils of all ages; • BSOA member schools are automatically members of British Orienteering.

BSOA Membership Renewals School, Colleges and Outdoor Education Centres whose membership are due will have received their membership renewal form by the time this edition of Focus is despatched. If you have joined since 1st September 2007 then your membership covers the period until 31st December 2008.

BSOA Resource Offers Make your BSOA membership pay for itself by ordering discounted orienteering resources. We have offers on:

Deeside Juniors Crowned Team of the Year Deeside juniors have won Chester City Council’s junior team of the year and were presented with the award at a ceremony held at Chester Town Hall. Deeside have put a lot of effort into developing their junior members and the work of the clubs volunteers and the dedication shown by the junior members is reaping rewards. The junior team’s achievements include:

• Starter Packs • Compasses (Clip on and SILVA Field 7) • Orienteering in the National Curriculum Key stage 1 - 3 book

BSOA AGM The BSOA will be holding its AGM on Saturday 17th May 2008. The venue has still to be finalised but it is likely to be in Staffordshire. Full details will be sent to all members with the final arrangements and agenda. The details will also be published on the BSOA website.

Qualification Races Date



18’s

20’s

• National Relay Champions in M18 and M14 and 3rd place in M/W12

9th March

National Event (Sarum)

M/W18L

M/W20L

• 2 National Individual Champions

21st March

JK Sprint (SE)

M/W 18- 20E *

22nd March JK Middle (SE)

M/W 18- 20E *

23rd March JK Long (SE)

M/W 18-20E

5th April

British Middle Champs (OD)

M/W 20

6th April

British Sprint Champs (OD)

M/W 20

19th April

**British Orienteering Champs (SOA) M/W18L

• 2 members in the GB junior team at the Junior European Cup • 4 members selected for the GB junior summer training camps. Mike Smithard DEE Pictured: The successful Deeside boys at the 2007 British Championships.

Event

BSOA Committee

• National Junior Team Champions at the Yvette Baker Trophy (2006)

• 2 members in the England team and 1 member in the Welsh team

04 Ozone

The British Schools Orienteering Association (BSOA) provides advice and assistance to schools interested in developing orienteering within their school.

Classes

M/W 20E

The BSOA is always keen to hear from potential new committee members. If you have an interest in promoting the sport within schools, encouraging stronger links between schools and clubs and have ideas as to how schools/junior orienteering should develop in the future then we would be keen to hear from you. For further information and to discuss what is involved please contact: Peter Bylett, Chairman. Tel: 01562 631 561 Email: [email protected]

**National membership is required to enter the British Orienteering Championships.

Chris Sutcliffe, Secretary. Email: [email protected]

For further information contact Pauline Olivant Tel: 01159 872083 or Email: [email protected]

Further information about BSOA is available by emailing [email protected] www.bsoa.org Issue 5 - Spring 2008 05

! N U F d n a S T C FA

Challenge Sheet Spot the difference - There are 10 differences in the 2 maps. Can you spot them?

Sarah Asks….. Have you ever wondered how our GB stars got so good? Claire Says.…. Yes, that’s why I asked them for their top tips!……

“Go hard, or go home”

‘”Without goals all the hard work is meaningless. Make sure you set goals so that you have something to work for and achieve. Then afterwards you can evaluate how you have done and take pride in your hard work.’

Jon Duncan

Sarah Rollins

“Believe in yourself, have fun, set realistic but inspiring goals and make a plan of how to achieve them.” Helen Bridle “Make the most of your opportunities. You don’t want to look back on missed chances when you are older.” Graham Gristwood “The most important thing is to have fun - love every painful interval, every cool terrain you experience, every crazy country you visit and every race you run in. It’s all fun!” Mhairi Mackenzie “Focus on what you do well, rather than beating yourself up over mistakes. Never give up on a race and always check your control codes!” Oli Johnson “You can train hard to get faster and you’ll save a few seconds, but you can lose all this advantage with the slightest loss of concentration. That’s why my best races are when I focus 100% on the navigation, rather than how fast I am running.” Pippa Whitehouse “Never give up and keep the faith - it will come if you put in consistent hard work in.” Scott Fraser “A quote by Herschel Walker which I was told when I was a junior has always stuck in my mind, “If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat.” Rachael Elder “Check your compass often, especially on the way out of each control.Take time to make a plan for each control: A clear, simple plan lets you run fast and confidently to your attackpoint. “ Jamie Stevenson “It’s your performance that you can influence, not anyone else’s, so just do it.” Helen Winskill Answers can be found at www.britishorienteering.org.uk/ozone

Issue 5 - Spring 2008 07

News Start Squad The Start programme kicked off in 2008 with a long training weekend for the 14s, 15s and 16s based at the Forest of Dean from February 15-18. A full range of activities from technical orienteering training through to practical core stability and physical training advice was on offer. The 17s however will be joining the Junior Squad at their JWOC preparation camp in Gothenburg followed by the Spring Cup in March. They will certainly benefit from joining in with the Junior Squad and seeing what is required to make the next step towards becoming a World Class athlete. Over the spring season, Juniors in these age classes will be competing to secure a place on one of the Start Tours in the Summer. Selection to these tours is open to all and not exclusive to Start programme athletes. The 14s and 15s selected will be in Scotland the week before the Croeso 6-days in Wales and the 16s and the 17s will be in Uppsala, in the two weeks before the Croeso 6-days. Gareth Candy - Start Programme Manager

Douglas Tullie Age: 19 Club: EUOC, RR Age started orienteering: Six

Do your parents orienteer?

My Dad has orienteered since he was at school, my mum does as well but under protest!

Why/Where did you start orienteering? My earliest memories are my Mum taking me and my brothers round the string courses at the 6 days.

What kind of training do you do?

What do you enjoy about orienteering?

I do quite a variety of training. Running intervals (short and long), hill reps, long runs (+90mins), strength and conditioning work and then cross training like cycling and spinning.

I enjoy competing at a high level and also trying to improve and become a better orienteer. I also just enjoy running in beautiful areas of the countryside and abroad.

Do you have a coach? Yes, Jason Inman.

If so, how has this helped you? It has helped me organise and plan my physical training a lot better than I used to and also keep my training under control. It is good because Jason and I get on well so I find it easy to chat to him about things and I think this is important for a personal coach.

Where is your favourite place to orienteer? In Britain definitely Speyside, areas like Docharn and Deishar, Loch Vaa and then Roseisle on the Moray coast are the best in Britain in my eyes. Competing in Scandinavia is great because the standard of competition is so high. After that anything new and challenging.

www.britishorienteering.org.uk/ozone

What is your best result? My best result has been at JWOC last year in Australia where I finished 16th in the Middle race. It wasn’t a perfect run so it has inspired me to improve next year in Sweden.

What advice would you give to people wanting to get into the GB Squad? As a Junior I think focus your training on speed and strength and conditioning to help prevent injuries. Also make the most of every orienteering opportunity to improve your technique. Ask older athletes for advice and help, they shouldn’t bite!

What do you enjoy doing outside of orienteering? Fell running, going out with mates and watching and playing most other sports really!

WORLD CLASS

Street Orienteering

Training at Altitude

in Derbyshire the venue for a Night Street O on the 30th January this year. This event even attracted sponsorship from the local firm Wedoit4you. A room in a local hostelry was hired and food was provided after the event making for a very congenial atmosphere after the run. Those present declared it far better than the usual

A few months ago Scott and I decided that we would prepare for the 2008 season by spending a month at altitude in Dullstroom, South Africa. Dullstroom is a small tourist town located around 200km east of Johannesburg at 2040m altitude and has a population of 5,000. The main reasons for going to South Africa was to train hard in a relaxed, warm environment and to see if the benefits of training at altitude could be used in the weeks preceding future World Championships. Photo by Doug Dickinson

DVO and Ordnance Survey

It has become a tradition for Derwent Valley Orienteers to start off each New Year with a Score Event and in recent years this has taken the form of a Street O event. The 1st January 2008 was no different with Bakewell being the choice of venue. Situated on the River Wye this small, peak district, market town made an ideal location for this type of event. The map consisted of the historic town centre with its complex spread of streets and alleyways surrounded by the sprawl of more recent housing clinging on to the hillsides of each side of the valley. Being a compact town the map even extended to the woodlands that overlook the town.

with Graham Gristwood and Scott Fraser

First time organisers and planners, Bakewell residents Steve and Siân Mead created a very interesting course. Using questions uniquely related to the control site to give proof of the competitor visiting the site, such as “What year did trains last run through the station?” One question for a control site at the end of a very muddy and steep path asked, “What hangs from the large tree?” This nearly got the tongue in cheek answer “the Planner”. There was also the now traditional question regarding Christmas decorations, with the planners keeping their fingers crossed that they hadn’t been dismantled the previous day as happened in the previous year’s event at Ashbourne!

We arrived in South Africa on the 1st of January and took the first few days easy to acclimatise to the altitude. For the first ten days we shared a house with four Swiss orienteers. It was interesting to see how they trained and go about their orienteering career, which provided us with some new ideas. As well as orienteers, there were also distance-runners from all over Europe in town, which created a great training atmosphere. As there was a wide variety of athletes in the town, there was a great collective atmosphere to feed off, as essentially we were all aiming for the same goal - to be the best we possibly can. Dullstroom provides great running trails and has an excellent gym so we were able to maintain our strength and conditioning programme out in South Africa. We were able to run a sprint race around town organised by Oopee Karkinen and the nearby forest, Lakenvlei, provided endless kilometres of orienteering. Twice per week we would drive to Belfast (about 30km away) to train on a beautiful grass track, which was a pleasure to run on. Originally, we were a bit sceptical about spending one month in such a small town, but it was great fun. There was always something to do and athletes to speak to. A few doors over the road there were some Finnish runners who would join us for movies, dinner etc and they also joined us on a fantastic trip to Swaziland and the Kruger National Park. Whilst out in South Africa we have also made a map for the orienteering club in Johannesburg, which will be used for the South African middle distance Championships later in the year.

The River Wye meanders its way through the town and effectively cuts any orienteering event into two distinct areas. Careful choice was needed to decide the best crossing points so that you didn’t isolate yourself on the wrong side of the river with only minutes to go before the hour of allotted time had expired and penalty points were incurred. Seventy competitors were able to enjoy this event, running off the excesses of the festive season or just take a gentle jog through the historic town. Being a tourist town with many visitors, even in January, the runners were effectively running billboards, with many people enquiring about the sport. A report of the event was also published in the local newspapers. (Belper News, Derbyshire Times and Matlock Mercury). DVO stalwart, Graham Johnson, having forgotten his running shoes took a leisurely run around the town but was slow enough to be photographed! The picture in the local newspaper (Belper News) has been seen by a surprising number of people and poor Graham has become an ambassador for the sport having to explain what he was doing. Melbourne will be next New Year’s Day venue but before then DVO intend to hold many more street events. With Allestree, Ashbourne, Bakewell, Belper, Crich, Derby, Ilkeston, Matlock and Wirksworth already mapped and street events planned for Sunday mornings in the summer. Wirksworth, however, was 14

Wednesday night training run and expressed a desire for more such events. Neil Cameron advocated Street O as part of the Orienteering lexicon in his article in last autumn’s Focus. DVO wholeheartedly agree with this and see a bright future for this aspect of orienteering. Some critics declare Street O is not traditional orienteering. Derwent Valley

agrees, it’s just different not an imitation, something to be enjoyed for what it is and a great opportunity to train, to participate, to recruit and to promote our sport in its many guises. Paul Wright DVO

Orienteering Focus - Spring 2008

We are now looking forward to putting this training into practice and having a successful 2008 season.

More People, More Places, More Podiums (MP3)

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Choosing the Stars of 2008

Spotting the Stars at the JK

by Dave Peel

It is this time of year when our athletes will be thinking towards the forthcoming event season and starting to alter their training schedules accordingly. The winter is the time for high volume but as spring approaches the focus shifts to more specific physical training and also more orienteering training. With this shift in emphasis the next team training camp is a technical one on home soil in Aviemore. All too often we look abroad for our training but Britain has some fantastic terrain and nowhere more so than the Spey Valley. Whilst the terrain is not relevant for the World Championships, practising all the important orienteering techniques and skills is essential and there is plenty of opportunity for this in the area. What is relevant for 2008 though, is the sand dune terrain along the Moray coast. Not only are the British Championships being held there but also the European Championships, which are being held in Latvia, are being held in almost identical terrain. Apart from the Moray sand dunes, the team will be training on Rogie and Loch Vaa, both

used for WOC1999, along with a host of Spey Valley terrain. There will be a mix of long, middle and sprint sessions, with some sessions being held at night and a mega 3map long-O. In all the athletes will be finding approximately 350 controls during the week!

Heather Monro had a very successful World Cup in the same area.

2008 sees the introduction of a modified selection process. In order to give greater clarity and accountability, the sole senior selector will be the head coach. As that person, it is my job to help the team win medals and it is only right that if I am accountable I should choose the team that reflects my performance. That said all selections will be justified to a panel of selection advisers to make sure that they adhere to the selection policy. Whilst many will say I hold the power to choose the team, I believe that it is the athletes themselves who will determine its make up. It is their performances that will determine the team and to that end they hold the power. So with that in mind let’s see who will be the stars of British Orienteering in 2008 and beyond.

So which GB squad athletes will be there and what is their current form? SPRINT RACE – UNIVERSITY OF SURREY

World University Championships In 2008 the World University Championships will be held in Estonia based in the city of Tartu at the end of July. The terrain for most of the races will be typical Estonian forest - morrain with boulders and much marsh! The Sprint race will be held in Tartu itself in a “recreation park” and some suburbs of the city. This is an event that Britain has a great record in - over the last three events we have won the women’s relay twice and been 2nd once, had a 4th in the men’s relay and had two individual medals (Oli Johnson in 2002 and Helen Bridle in 2006). The team will be strong this year - most of the women from two years ago are still available and the men’s team will be strengthened with the availability of the new “hot’ youngsters such as Scott Fraser, Oleg Chepelin and Duncan Coombs. The preparation for the team this year is more focused than ever before - with two planned WUOC days (in Sheffield and Edinburgh) and a training camp in Estonia in mid June aiming at checking out the terrain, maps and accommodation. Selection races for the team include BUSA (Sheffield in March), the JK, British Long Champs (in the appropriate sand-dunes of Culbin) and finally the GB WOC selection races in the West Midlands in early June. Some of the team are likely to be pre-selected after the British Champs in order to give them time to fully prepare for the races with the final places filled after WOC selection races.

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Rachael Elder, Helen Bridle, Mhairi Mackenzie and Helen Palmer won Relay Gold at the 2006 World University Champs

The 2008 JK is based in the south east in Surrey and will use some of the 2005 World Cup areas. These areas are close to the airports so we expect some of the World’s elite athletes including most of the GB Squad who live overseas to be competing. These races include the first stage of the UK Cup series, the first UK Relay league and are selection races for GB teams.

The Jan Kjellström (JK) is the biggest UK orienteering event of the year. The traditional three day event has been extended to include a sprint race on the Friday making it a four day festival of orienteering. It is a multi-day event not to be missed!

Jon Duncan is expecting great results at the World Champs

The JK kicks off with the sprint race which uses the 2005 World Cup sprint qualification area. This is where David Brickhill-Jones (running for AUS in 2005 but now running for GB) won a Silver medal and Heather Monro gained a podium position in 6th place (now retired). Sarah Rollins and Graham Gristwood both made the top 10 and top 15 respectively.