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Thriving Clubs for a New Generation: introducing British Orienteering’s new strategy
Thriving Clubs for a New Generation are at the heart of the new British Orienteering Strategy to strengthen the sport in this country. It will allow us to engage with a new generation via a thriving club network.
British Orienteering believes that if we change perceptions about orienteering, improve accessibility and deliver engaging fun experiences, more people will become hooked on the sport.
Once engaged, clear pathways to progress in competitor or volunteering will enable people to enjoy the sport for life.
The four focus areas of the Strategic Plan are:
- Change the perception.
- Create engaging experiences.
- Strengthen lifelong pathways.
- Provide foundations for success.
“Thriving Clubs for a New Generation” will be formally launched at the AGM on Wednesday, 21 April 2021 and we will be consulting further with the membership and key stakeholders.
Read the Full Strategy here
Call to Action
British Orienteering is keen to hear from you as we turn Thriving Clubs for a New Generation into reality.
- How can this strategy benefit your club, new and existing orienteers in your local area?
- What ideas do you have to support the news strategic priorities?
- What is working well for you that we could share?
- Would you be interested to be involved in a focus group?
All views are valued and we will factor them into our thinking as we take our sport and the plan forward.
Please click here to fill out the survey and help us to collect as many views as possible or send your comments to insight@britishorienteering.org.uk.
#GreatCoaching : Tell Your Coaching Story on the Interactive Video Wall
Tell Your Orienteering Coaching Story!
As part of #UKCoachingWeek, UK Coaching want to show the nation what #GreatCoaching is all about by sharing YOUR stories.
- Why did you get into coaching?
- What challenges have you faced?
- What adversities have you overcome?
- What advice would you give your fellow and aspiring coaches?
Let's join together and get our fantastic sport of Orienteering on the interactive video wall and celebrate #GreatCoaching across our sport of orienteering.
Share YOUR Orienteering Coaching Story by make a short video to share by simply....
- Record your video
- Post it on social media using #CoachingForAll
- Tag us on Twitter: @_UKCoaching Instagram: @ukcoaching
- Find your video on our wall.
- UK Coaching - The #CoachingForAll Wall
Don't forget to include links to British Orienteering
https://twitter.com/gbrorienteering
https://www.facebook.com/britishorienteering
info@britishorienteering.org.uk
#GreatCoaching: Nick Lightfoot (South Yorkshire Orienteers)
#UKCoachingWeek, British Orienteering earlier this year were very excited to once again be recognising the exceptional work that continues to be done within the orienteering community. The National Annual Awards take place every year and receives nominations for the category of Coach of the Year.
2020 was a challenging year, and the work that was done was impressive. The Coach of the Year award is presented to coaches who demonstrate success in engaging new people, improving the performance of orienteers and/or developing other coaches.
This year’s winner Coach of the Year was awarded to: Nick Lightfoot (South Yorkshire Orienteers).
Nick coaches regularly at weekly club coaching sessions and is also coach to the High Storrs orienteering team. He also coaches the Yorkshire Junior Squad and is a personal coach to orienteers aiming to compete at international level.
At club level his focus is mainly on the development of beginners and improvers. He coaches both adults and juniors, planning and delivering coaching activities.
Personal coaching activities include devising and reviewing training programmes, planning exercises for terrain and armchair training, analysing races, research to support athlete development and specific race preparation, liaising with squad and team coaches and supporting the athletes before, during and after their target races.
On average Nick spends around 10-12 hours per week volunteering as a coach.
Nick's achievements in the last 12 months have contributed to him being awarded Coach of the Year 2021.
While Nick has had major success in coaching athletes to international success in the past, his focus and way of working has changed significantly this past year due to the pandemic. Nick deserves particular recognition to the way he has adapted his methods to cope with lockdown restrictions. His personal sessions with athletes have continued, switching from face-2-face sessions to online. He has also instigated the very successful SYO Catching Features sessions which provide coaching and competition to a huge range of club members ranging from beginners to elites. He has also set up a regular Monday night coaching clinic via Zoom. The sessions are wide ranging in content and include areas such as theoretical presentations, practical map exercises and race analysis. These sessions have been very popular, particularly with improving adults who have really appreciated the chance to talk over maps and routes.
Outside of lockdown he has continued to deliver coaching sessions for the High Storrs team and weekly club night sessions. He has also planned and delivered a real life coaching session for the YHJS squad and has assisted regularly with coaching a “break out” group in the on-line sessions. He also assisted with the virtual Deeside tour in the summer.
Nick is an enthusiastic and passionate coach who devote UndoKeyboard shortcut Ctrl+Zs many volunteer hours to developing orienteers of all ages and abilities.
Commenting on his award Nick says:
“In trying to be creative and keep going as best we could during a challenging year it raised the question, what are we trying to achieve in orienteering coaching? For a sport that prides itself in navigational excellence I think many of us have lost our way in recent years with too much emphasis on results and forgetting that it’s the quality of the journey and experiences along the way that are important. It seems fitting then that I should receive an award in a year when races have been few and far between. I’ve had many special moments in my 40-year coaching journey and met far too many inspirational people to thank them all, but I recall one youngster who, after competing for the primary school I was coaching, declared that orienteering was his ‘new favourite sport’. His enthusiasm survived the pandemic and last weekend, 4 years on, he ran past me on a regional squad training exercise, still with a smile on his face. That seems like a result to me - so thank you Isaac!”
Many congratulations again Nick.
#GreatCoaching
British Orienteering Roadmap (England)
British Orienteering’s Roadmap for returning to orienteering in England can be found here.
British Orienteering fully understand that clubs need direction and clear guidance from the board at each step, particularly about the restriction on start rates. The Roadmap will help the clubs understand the intention and hopefully assist clubs to plan for larger events. A fully updated operational guidance on orienteering at Step 2 will follow shortly.
In addition to the above-planned changes, we fully understand that for some clubs the biggest challenge will still be access/permissions. Sport England has been working with other bodies responsible for public health to encourage collaboration between local leaders and sports providers to facilitate a safe return to play - this includes the Local Government Association and Public Health England.
The statement can be found here which may be a useful document as a reminder if you are having any local difficulties with the relevant authorities.
British Orienteering Roadmap (England)
Scholes Mill, Old Coach Road, Tansley, Matlock, DE4 5FY
Tel: 01629 583037, Email: info@britishorienteering.org.uk
Registered in England & Wales No:1606472