Scottish Orienteering

Terry O'Brien says:

Please find below details of how the Main Scottish Competitions have been allocated since 2000 although F&M did skew the system a wee bit after 2001!!

1.Scottish Championship Weekend - Individual & Relays
Devolved to AREAS - WEST(2010) > EAST(2011) > NORTH(2012)> - in rotation. Clubs combine to cover both events.

2.Scottish Orienteering League
Fixtures Secretary/ Competitons Convenor invites Clubs to bid for inclusion in the Series at least 12 months in advance.

3.Scottish Score & Inter-Club Championships
Allocated to Clubs by SOA on a rotational basis round each AREA so that the hosting CLUB is NOT involved with the Scottish Championships that year.

4.Scottish 8/11 Person Inter Club Team Relays
Similar to 2. above.

5. Scottish Night Championships
Devolved to AREAS on a rotational basis who seek a CLUB or CLUBS to host the competition. WEST(2010) > EAST (2011) > NORTH (2012)>.

6. Scottish Sprint Championships
Clubs apply to Fixtures Secretary / Competitions Convenor.

7. Scottish Compass Sport Heat
Invitations sought by Fixtures Secretary to host.

8. Home Internationals
SOA is named on the 4 year rotation and a volunteer Club is sought. Junior HI involves much more than just putting on the competitions - organise accomodation/meals/social.

9. Junior Inter Regional
Comes around on a 12 year rotation through the BOF Regions. Once known offers invited.

10. Jamie Stevenson Trophy
Co-ordinated by SCOTJOS Management.

Terry O'Brien says:

For the past few years, our Scottish Championship Weekend has experienced difficulties in accessing our better/best areas due to restricted times of access.

How important is it having the Scottish in May/June each year? - for our Elite Performers?, Top Age Class Performers? You & I ?

Would a move to a mid/late September date not be a positive one in lots of ways?

All comments welcome

Graeme Ackland says:

Nice suggestion from Terry!  I can’t see clubs being enthused to put on SOC/SRC the month after the six-day (feel free to contradict me).  Perhaps a more sensible alternative would be to use September in even years, and Day 1 of the six day in odd years.

Andy Paterson says:

re possibly moving the Scottish Champs - if it was associated with the 6 days, would the relays have to be held separately? If that were the case I think the downside of that for the average (or less than average!) orienteer is that there may be less incentive to go, which might weaken the overall event.

Evgueni Chepelin says:

Reduce number of SOL events to five and count all five. This will encourage (me) to go to all five and will free two weekends for new national events - I am 100% for Scottish Middle and Sprint/Street/Urban champs.

Andy Paterson says:

Evgeni- less SOLs! Surely not.

One reason for not making all SOLs count (however many) must be that it immediately rules out all the planners, controllers and organisers from being competitive and we dont need any further disincentives to volunteer than we already have.

Mike Rodgers says:

My personal opinion is that the more events we can combine in to a single weekend the better (like the forthcoming 11 PR and SOL). The Scottish Champs is (to me) THE event of the year outside of a 6-day year. Everything else, although it might be called a championships, is secondary. So could the sprint champs, night champs and middle-distance champs perhaps fit in to one weekend? People really seem to like -multi-event weekends, and the middle distance/WRE in the Trossachs back in March was a prime example of how good these can be.

There have been competitions I wanted us to do as a club this year (the JST being one, but it came straight after the JIRC), but many of our members have other interests too, and travel expense is also an issue. There are periods where there seems to be something big happening almost every week, and it’s only the die hards that will do the lot.

There’s no easy answer Graeme, and you have my sympathy (and admiration) in trying to find a solution that will suit everyone. If you do, you’ll be the first!

Just a thought (and without researching the CSC rules) - could the JST be expanded to include adults and become the compass Sport Cup heat?

Bill Melville says:

I think criteria should be set to decide whether or not the SOA organises championships in such as sprint, middle distance, town orienteering, score etc. which prove their popularity.
e.g. how many score events are run each year and how well attended are they.
So I think that -
1. There should be evidence that clubs across the country are organising regular events in these disciplines and that they are being well attended, ie there is evidence of a demand.
2 There should be evidence that people - especially the top competitors in each age group - are willing to travel a reasonable distance to take part in these events as they do to compete in the SO League and the SOA Long Distance Championships, ie there is evidence of interest.

Otherwise, with a mainly local turnout they are not really worth being called national championships.
An interim step to full Scottish championship status might be the organisation of area championhips which would give the disciplines recognition and help promote them to some extent.
The current use of the relays to fill out the championship weekend should continue, it helps promote club spirit, but I favour a mixture of middle distance and sprint legs.