Scottish Orienteering

Jon Musgrave says:

A nice balanced location vis-a-vis the centre of weight of orienteering in Scotland!  Do BOF know that orienteering is largely based north of teh Edinburgh/Glasgow line?

Paul Frost says:

Well that’s not strictly true.
If you look at the distribution map of Scottish clubs:
www.scottish-orienteering.org/soa/clubs/
14 out of the 20 are close to the Edinburgh/Glasgow line, 1 south and 5 north.

Jon Musgrave says:

Yes, but where are the most active clubs and most events/areas?  Not near Edinburgh/Glasgow.

Paul Frost says:

Well, with that challenge thrown down:

Club / Members / Events in 2009

Ayroc / 43 / ? 
Clyde / 67 / ? 
EckO / 67 / 20
ELO / 49 / 10
ESOC / 266 / 15
EUOC / 7  
FVO / 167 / 12+
INT / 139 / 7
KFO / 23 / ?
LINOC / 5 / ? 
RR / 35 / 3
STAG / 38 / 20
TAY / 102 / 13
TINTO / 18 / 5
Total Central / 1026 / 80
     
Basoc / 97 / ?
GRAMP / 287 / 9
INVOC / 240 / 9
Maroc / 249 / 14
MOR / 124 / 20
Total North / 997 / 52

This has been a very quick/rough analysis but it looks like the central clubs put on a lot more events per member, even with incomplete data.
There are many other factors you could compare to see who is most active but I think this shows that orienteering is not largely based in the north.

I’m not sure which location would be the most accessible for the largest number of members but Edinburgh is not not a bad compromise.

Jon Musgrave says:

I don’t recognise your figures for Maroc and Gramp events - both Maroc and Gramp put on upwards of 50 events each per year - night events, evening training events, club training sessions, Saturday local events etc.

Paul Frost says:

I got them from the Maroc website page ‘Results 2009’ and there were 14 events listed and there are only 10 events listed on the 2010 events page.

But the key fact I wanted to show was that orienteering in Scotland is not largely in the north, and that there are a very large number of members and events in the central belt.

The location has already been chosen, so lets now concentrate on what we can contribute to the meeting to help ensure that we get the sort of orienteering we want, if we know what that is!

If we don’t participate in the conversation we can’t complain if we don’t get what we want.

Jon Musgrave says:

All well and good if you live in the central belt and can travel after work for a 7pm meeting - for anyone in Maroc or other north clubs it would mean taking a half day off work and then getting home well after midnight.  Not sure there will be any representation from Maroc unless someone happens to be in Edinburgh that day.

Bill Melville says:

It is all to do with UK Sport dictates.
Having set up directors, directorates and professional officers to make all the decisions, BOF must now seem to be keeping its “electorate” in touch with what goes on by mounting an expensive Road Show programme.
All sports do it. UK Sport says they must.
Orienteering has only 10,000 or so members.
What a collosal waste of public money.

Mark Nixon says:

Likewise, if it had been in Aberdeen I couldn’t see any weegies being pleased about things. We are a huge region, with three pockets of activity and nothing in between. Where ever the meeting takes place, someone is going to have to drive a long way and get back very late. Looking at things, Dundee may have been most neutral with regards to average driving distance.

However…

It would have made much more sense to tie this in with a SOL (or maybe the Scottish Score Champs which are on the weekend after the meeting). That way the majority of Scottish orienteers would be there, and those who may not have gone may be persuaded by two birds with one stone…

We have some IT guru’s, is there any way the meeting can be broadcast via webcam, and then online attendees can submit questions they have to be delivered by someone at the meeting. Failing that, I can sit there with my laptop and transmit it to you via MSN messenger, Jon.

Mark Nixon says:

Via the webcam that is, my typing isn’t that quick!...

Terry O'Brien says:

The logic of arranging a meeting at 6.30pm in the middle of our Capital City - in November - with commuters trying to get home around 6pm completely defeats me.There may even be a Scottish Premier League Game on @ Tynecastle or Easter Road that night.

There is no way I could leave work around 5pm, west end of Glasgow & negotiate the 50 miles to Edinburgh and be there much before 7.30pm.

In the rush hour it takes on average 45 minutes to travel across the City to Sunny Carntyne!!(I can run it faster!!)

Mark’s idea is “Pure Dead Brilliant” and far more user friendly - why can’t BOF think things through? If they want to meet the members come to an event & pitch your tent.

Don’t believe anyone, who works full-time,and lives outwith Edinburgh could consider attending the Roadshow. Same would apply if it was being hosted in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Perth, Stirling or any other Scottish town or city.

By the way, I agree with Jon that the hub of real Orienteering isn’t south of Perth although Paul’s statistics do show the huge input made by our Clubs with small membership figures in our devoid technical terrain in Central Scotland.