Month: April 2022

With some of you having perhaps spent April preparing for the JK or TAY’s Not the JK are you ready for what May has in store?

Thanks to TAY, ESOC, GRAMP and MAROC we have two double header weekends starting with the Scottish Middle/ SOL3 on the weekend of 14^th/15^th May and swiftly followed by the Scottish Championships and Relays on 28^th/29^th May.

The SOA AGM will take place on Saturday 28th May at Crathes Hall following conclusion of the Individual Scottish Championship event. Given we have been communicating through online platforms for 2 years we are excited to have the opportunity to have some face to face discussions about matters that are important to the sport.

Today we have published the AGM Booklet which includes all proposals and nominations of Directors which require your voting. There will be the option of proxy voting by post and online but crucially we hope to engage in some dialogue prior to voting in person. We still welcome further nominations for the vacant Board Director positions and truly hope you will consider putting your name forward.

We have outlined all the proposals for voting below.

We are pleased to announce the SOA Board has agreed to co-opt Paul Rayner as Communications Director until the AGM. Paul previously worked for the SOA on a fixed term contract to assist us with our communications and marketing, so brings to the role of Director a sound understanding of Scottish Orienteering and our existing communications strategy. Following the apppointment of Fanni Gyurko, as Performance Director, last week we are excited to have some new Directors joining the Board as we go into our 2nd year of our 4 year strategy cycle. We look forward to working with Paul especially as we seek to raise the profile of the sport ahead of WOC2024.

Welcome on Board, Paul!

Do you know of someone who has gone above and beyond for the benefit of orienteering? The President’s Medal is handed out annually at the AGM to recognise significant contribution of the sport. We truly welcome all nominations.

Please take 2 minutes to tell us who should be shortlisted for this award by completing this form

Young people are the future of our sport and we are once again delighted to announce the opening of nominations for the Young Orienteer of the Year award kindly sponsored by Tulloch Homes.  This annual award gives us the chance to recognise and celebrate the considerable contribution to orienteering by young people – particularly pertinent this year with developing youth being one of Scottish Orienteering’s themes for 2022.

To that end we are seeking nominations from any SOA members who know a young person, 21 years and under, who is making a real difference to orienteering in their club or community.

The 2022 Scottish Inter-Clubs Championship continued its successful campaign, with events in Inverness and Cumbernauld over the last two weekends.

With many of the top athletes occupied at the British Championships in Buckinghamshire and the Northern Championships in Northumberland, there was an opportunity for those who remained at home to boost their points total, as INVOC staged a regional forest race at Craig Leach, followed by STAG’s Scottish Urban Orienteering League fixture in western Cumbernauld.

Applications are invited from SOA clubs, regional associations or squads for orienteering development projects to support the development of grassroots orienteering. Applications should be submitted to info@scottish-orienteering.org by Sun 8th May 2022.

A SOA development initiative in Lochaber, linked to last summer’s 6-day event, has recently led to the formation of a new orienteering hub with an objective to facilitate wider opportunities for participation in orienteering in the Lochaber area. An enthusiastic group of interested locals met in Glencoe in January and agreed to work together under the umbrella of nearby club EckO to move plans forward. With strong support from EckO CDO, Jan Kersel, the hub is set to host its first event at Glencoe Lochan on Sunday 10th April.

We are excited to be posting the opportunity to come onto our SOA staff team as Development Officer with a remit for supporting clubs in the North region. Are you passionate about orienteering? Seeking a role which is part time, working from home and with the opportunity of making a real difference in sport? This could be for you!

Congratulations to all those who were successful in winning a medal at the Scottish Night Championships in February. Please come find us at Scottish Championships or our AGM on 28th May when we will have your medals with us and ready for collection! For anyone unable to attend Scottish Championships, we will give your medal to a club representative, where appropriate, or we will post it to you following the weekend of the 28th/29th May.