This year it was the turn of Wales to host the Junior Home Internationals (JHIs) where the four home nations come together to compete for the glory. Having held aloft the Trophy at the Junior Home Internationals hopes were high on the long bus journey down that the double could be achieved like last year where on Jon Musgrave’s last year as Scottish Junior Orienteering Squad coach they raised both the Junior Inter Regional Championship (JIRCs) Trophy and the Junior Home International Trophy.

Scottish Orienteering is excited to launch a brand-new Junior Photo Competition – and we want you to be part of it! This is your chance to showcase the spirit of orienteering through your own lens – whether it’s about fun, adventure, beautiful places – or something else! Read on for what we’re looking for and how to enter – the closing date is 30 November.

The SOA AGM was held online on 22nd September.

Jonathan Molloy of Forth Valley Orienteers was elected as Chair and Andy Kitchin of Interlopers was elected as Performance Director.

This month the Junior European Championship (JEC) took place in Stirling and the Trossachs. Many of you will have seen the many British Orienteering Federation posts but for those of you who didn’t there were some Scottish junior performances and of course our amazing volunteer efforts which deserve to be highlighted. Not only had the volunteers lead by the lead organiser, Jason Inman of Forth Valley Orienteers (FVO) taken on the challenge of hosting JEC with races for spectators but they had also adding the Veteran Home Internationals (VHIs) to the mix.

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.

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.