In theory – Trail orienteering ( Trail) is sold as an accessible form of orienteering.
TrailO provides an orienteering competition for people of all levels of physical ability, including those who are physically challenged and may be confined to wheelchairs.
Trail orienteering as it currently stands is only for those with competent map skills and who essentially are existing orienteers. The events on offer in the UK are aimed at people with high level skills – TD 3 and above. You need to be able to interpret contours and be familiar with descriptions and the nuances of directions etc. There are almost no young people involved in Trail orienteering and certainly none in Scotland.
Lots of changes and improvements to MapRun have happened in the past few years so we are delighted to be able to offer a practical workshop August 19th in Edinburgh run by Sarah Dunn.
This will be at SportScotland Caledonia House, 1 Redheughs Rigg, South Gyle, Edinburgh EH12 9DQ
Below is the report from the club priorities exercise carried out earlier this year.
Summary of key themes, priorities and issues
Most clubs are back up to pre-covid levels of activity hosting a range of events, socials and activities. Clubs not back up to pre-covid activity levels tend to be those who had areas devastated by Storm Arwen or clubs with little or no activity in covid. Some clubs found new energy and revisited what they were doing.
Generally communication is targeted at members rather than newcomers and people who may want to find out more about orienteering. Clubs see an important role for SOA/BOF here ensuring wider external communication.
Key priorities for clubs are: growing membership focussed on young people and families; consolidation – both keeping the long term members they have and retaining new members; getting local events up and running again; encouraging travel beyond the local; participation in training not just events.
Succession planning is highlighted as a key area of concern and an area requiring support.
In the last two years Kingdom of Fife Orienteers (KFO) have tripled their membership. In this good practice article we explore how the club has attracted and welcomed so many newcomers into our sport.
KFO Chair Claire Duncan successfully obtained a grant from Persimmon Homes to organise beginner orienteering sessions at Duloch. Being a small club with a limited volunteer base at the time, the grant money allowed KFO to hire a coach and try holding activities they wouldn’t normally have the capacity for. Outside, coach Kieran Watts led two sets of three introductory sessions for 12 juniors in April and May 2022, followed by an additional set in the autumn. These sessions, supported by KFO members, attracted numerous juniors and their families. This resulted in juniors and their families joining the club.
Juniors with their certificates after the first junior coaching series
This month’s community conversation focused on development plans. During the conversation we discussed the purpose of developments and explored how different clubs use their development plans. A number of clubs offered to share their development plans so we could see a wide range of approaches and potentially take some inspiration from other clubs.
Imagine our sport thriving with lots of young adults swelling our numbers. Can we be more attractive?
Newcomers enjoy Orienteering Edinburgh
We know we have demographic deficit with numbers dropping off in the late teens and not picking up until the 40 plus age group . Orienteering Edinburgh was an attempt to make the sport more attractive to a younger demographic. A trial approach to recruiting younger people into the sport through offering a simplified and united approach from clubs across the city of Edinburgh.
Pride Month is still an important time for progress towards inclusivity and equality. With the rising pushback against equal rights in countries like the USA and UK, many arguments focus on equality in sports. But inclusivity is equally important to many people; AUOC is fortunate enough to be an inclusive club with trans individuals and allies alike.
On a club committee or have an interest in ensuring your club has a plan for its future? Tune in to the July Community Conversation where our development conversation will lead a discussion on club development plans. We have two clubs lined up to provide attendees with their experience of using a development plans and how they used them to drive their clubs forward. There will be time for lots of questions.
After two weeks of delightful weather, it’s almost safe to say that Scottish Summer has arrived! Come rain or shine, the action-packed orienteering calendar continues unabated. Let’s delve into the exciting activities and achievements that have taken place in and around the sport so far this Summer and get excited for upcoming Summer events.
The first Friday of June must be a lucky date to hold an event as nobody can remember a year it rained at the annual Scottish Schools Orienteering Festival! This year the event was held at Callendar Park, Falkirk with over 340 pupils attending. The carnival-like atmosphere, good weather and enthusiasm made it a great event.
Sunbathing before the awards ceremony at the Scottish Schools orienteering festival
The next Trail event in Scotland is during the Moray 23 event. Trail has potential to offer an accessible form of orienteering but does require some previous knowledge to participate effectively.
