Every year in the autumn the Veteran Home Internationals (VHIs) are held and sees senior athletes from M/W40 through to M/W70 come together to compete. Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales come together with 24 athletes each and the event circulates around the countries
So far we have received two fantastic nominations for our Young Orienteer of the Year award. It’s always encouraging to hear about the contributions that our young people are making in all areas of the sport often while training as elite athletes too.
Finlay McLuckie – MOR
Finlay has made a huge contribution to the sport of orienteering in recent years, and this year he has excelled himself! At club level, Finlay is a very willing and active participant in various club activities, such as our regular pre-event coaching sessions and welcoming newcomers at CATI events. He has contributed to running local events, particularly as a planner and is currently our Junior representative on the club committee. This year he accepted the considerable responsibility of Assistant Planner of Day 1 of the Scottish Six Days on Royal Deeside. He fulfilled this role very competently , running several of the longer courses to assess technical and physical difficulty! After the event he sought feedback from colleagues on the courses, demonstrating considerable maturity and understanding of how to improve as a planner. Finlay’s contribution to our sport extends beyond Moray. He was proud to put on his kilt as a part of the prize-giving team at the World Sprint Championships held in Edinburgh last summer!
Euan Tryner – EUOC
Euan was EUOC secretary last academic year and is now captain of the club while in his 2nd and 3rd years of study respectively. This is early to take on these roles in ones university journey. Both roles, but especially captain, demand taking on a lot of responsibility for how the club is run and how it presents itself to both the orienteering community and the university institutions. He deals with this responsibility extremely well in my opinion. In addition to this, he is an athlete representative on the British Orienteering performance steering group, providing valuable insights from athletes into shaping the future of British orienteering. All of this is while training to be an elite athlete.
We are happy to take any last minute nominations up until Thursday 23rd. Use the form to tell us about your young hero.
The last weekend of September saw junior athletes and senior athletes from across the nations converging on the Lakes to take part in the Junior Inter Regional Championships (JIRCSs) and the Senior Home Internationals(SHIs). The JIRCs involves all 12 of the British Orienteering Federation associations bring their juniors to compete against each other and the SHIs involves the home nations (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) bringing their best senior athletes to challenge each other for dominance over a weekend of orienteering.
Read More…Every year we celebrate the contribution made to the sport by our young people. This year we have decided to deconflict our Young Orienteer of the Year award with Volunteer Week in June by asking for nominations later in the year and presenting the trophy at the Junior Inter Areas in October. We are eagerly looking forward to hearing what our young people have been up to in our clubs and squads. This award is not about performance but rather contribution to the sport through volunteering and in the past we have had activities as diverse as running school clubs, mapping, writing newsletters, coaching and officiating at events recognised and celebrated.
Do you know a young person under 21 who is inspiring others? Consistently assisting with club activities? Or making a difference by raising the profile of our sport through their volunteering?
Use the form to nominate your young hero and give them the recognition they deserve.
The SOA Development Team, consisting of Heidi Ross, Louise Adams and Suzanne Robins-Bird, has recently had a change in division of work within the team. Louise now leads on internal development focusing on club support. Heidi’s main focus is now on external development, building links and creating partnerships outwith the orienteering community. Suzanne’s remit of enabling and supporting the coaching and volunteering workforce remains the same.
Looking to improve your navigation skills or try a new sport? Scottish Orienteering are organising an adult beginner day at Hazlehead, Aberdeen on the Saturday 25th October. From the day you will gain the skills and confidence to navigate with a map. No prior knowledge required – just a sense of adventure. All physical activity at whatever level you choose. The day runs from 11-5 led by one of our experienced tutors. This course is perfect for first timers, new club members, those who have been around a few orienteering courses and those who attended the Hazlehead taster session back in May.
After 9 years the Junior European Cup (JEC) returns to Scotland on the 3-5th October.
The Sprint returns to the campus of Stirling University on the afternoon of Friday 3rd October. Nine year ago Sweden and Switzerland claimed most of the podium spots but GBR’s Laura King, Cecilie Anderson and Harrison McCartney were all tantalisingly close in 4th place (W18, W20 and M18 competitions). Can the GB Juniors selected do better this year?
The fourth and last Scottish Orienteering League event of 2025 saw us all off to the East Lothian seaside. Interlopers (INT) had timed the event to avoid the bird nesting season, updated the map and worked hard to engage with the four landowners to make sure control placing/car parking was possible.
The SOA is looking to appoint someone to operate as the coordinator for the Scottish Elite and Development Squad (SEDS). The role of SEDS is encourage the retention and development of young adults within the sport by providing training in a sociable environment.
SEDS has previously focussed on TD5 level training but additional funding has been sourced to allow TD3/4 training to be developed. Whilst we are not looking for the SEDS coordinator to necessarily plan such training, we are looking to extend training opportunities for improvers and for any training opportunities to allow the inclusion of TD3/4 level training alongside TD5 training where possible.
If interested please contact nikki@scottish-orienteering.org if interested.
The SOA is seeking candidates to fill the roles of JK 2026 Co-ordinator for the JK 2026 and the Assistant Coordinator for the Scottish 6 Day Event in 2027.
The JK 2026 is being held in Perthshire in 3rd to 6th April 2026 with the Sprint in Perth and the other days based around Rannoch. There is an Interim JK 2026 Co-ordinator in place at present and we are looking for someone to take over this role and deliver the event.
The next Scottish Orienteering 6 Day Event is being held in the Perthshire area in 2027 and we are looking for someone to act as the assistant coordinator for the event.
Both of these roles are paid roles and will be key to the successful delivery of the events through the coordination of a team of volunteers and paid for services as appropriate. For the right candidate there is potential for the roles to be combined.
Please contact nikki@scottish-orienteering.org if interested.