Attention All Juniors!

This year in the absence of the Jamie Stevenson Trophy we are proposing an alternative that keeps the spirit of the event very much alive.

SOA workshop Tues 19th May, 7pm

We are all hopeful that full Lockdown restriction may shortly be eased to give some greater flexibility for people to take part in outdoor recreation, albeit initially on an individual or small group basis. I am sure everyone will be excited at the prospect of getting outdoors to take part in some real orienteering again in some format or other. The sport has lots to offer for this situation as we are naturally on our own for much of the time and social distancing can be integrated without great difficulty. The recent communication from BOF sets out how this might pan out as restrictions are gradually lifted. In preparation for this, it is worth planning for what resources can be made available for everyone to enjoy. On Tues 19th May, at 7pm, the SOA will host a Zoom workshop to discuss how clubs can use MapRunF to help play a part in this. Please sign up for the workshop here.

A warm welcome to Tim O’ Donoghue (SOLWAY) as he joins the Board of Directors in the newly created Safety Director role. Tim has been co-opted by the existing Directors and will stand for election at our AGM/EGM. Tim will be a familiar face to many, especially those who ran at last years Scottish Championships in Dalbeattie Forest where he fulfilled the role as event organiser.

Now we are into May we say a sincere thank you and fond farewell to our first Independent Director, Pamela Carvell, who has served her full term as a Director.

A new version of the smartphone orienteering app MapRunF (v4.8.8) was released last week. The updates include several new features which make it easy for anyone to set up a simple event for their own use.

Already a Planner? Let’s look at finessing your skills. 

June is Volunteers’ Month at SOA. Over the course of the month we will celebrate and recognize the ongoing contributions our members make to the sport.

Three categories of awards will be presented by the end of June. Please read on for more information.

Scottish Orienteering are pleased to announce the launch of their new Let’s Get Started Orienteering Resources. These have been developed during Lockdown to help teachers and parents introduce children to the concepts of orienteering and include animated videos, worksheets and slides. Everything you need to get started.

To view these great new resources see https://www.scottish-orienteering.org/lets-get-started-orienteering/

Our Board of Directors have taken the decision to host the SOA AGM on 14th June 2020 to ensure we comply with our Articles of Association to host an annual meeting prior to the end of June.

Like many others, the SOA development staff have had to modify their work plans to accommodate our current situation. Disappointingly, many planned courses, activities and projects with schools, clubs and other groups have had to be cancelled. It has, however, opened up the opportunity to make progress on a number of background projects as well as pushing other activities to the fore.