BOF Annual Awards 2024: Silva Award Winner – Ian Cooper (SYO)

The Silva Award goes to an individual who has made a very significant contribution to orienteering over a period of years, with an emphasis on ‘field' activities rather than committee work. 

Ian Cooper has been orienteering and volunteering for almost 50 years. He started his orienteering journey in 1976 (after the World Orienteering Championships) and quickly became involved in volunteering, surveying and drawing his first map of Thorndon Park and Harts Wood (HAVOC) in 1978.

During 1980, he assisted with surveying Epping Forest, before moving to South Africa in 1981.
He was co-founder of Rand Orienteering Club and the South African Orienteering Federation in1982. He then created South Africa’s first 5-colour O map of Delta Park, Johannesburg in 1982. This was followed by (pre-OCAD) maps of Gillooly’s Farm, Braamfontein Spruit, Jan Van
Riebeeck Park, Laurentia Farm, Moffat Park, Enrich West, Smilin Thru, Michael House School, and various remaps. He also planned, organised, and controlled numerous events.

Ian returned to the UK in 1986, joined SYO, and has been a member for almost 40 years. He immediately took up a position on the committee and served as publicity officer from
1987 to 1990. He also continued with his passion for mapping and in 1988 created the
Strines map and remapped Ewden Valley for the British Champs in 1989. His mapping expertise continued to grow with remaps of Ecclesall Woods and Limb Valley in 1993 for the
Harvester Trophy and a new map of Wharncliffe in 1995. In 1994 he received a Certificate of Merit for Mapping for his map of Burbage.

In December 1997 he moved to Sweden and joined IFK Lidingo. Although he wasn’t involved
in mapping in Sweden because all the mapping was professionally done, he continued to be
heavily involved in other aspects of volunteering for his Swedish club. He returned to Sheffield in 2002 and continued mapping, controlling, planning and organising for SYO. He is level B
controller and has controlled numerous events for SYO, MDOC, DVO and NOC. The maps completed for SYO are too numerous to mention, but include Wharncliffe, Burbage, Big Moor, Tankersley/Hesley Wood (including for 2021 CSC Final), Blacka Moor, Ecclesall Woods,
Rivelin, Wombwell.

In 2010 he was awarded the Chichester Trophy for his map of Burbage and he received the
Bonnington Trophy for services to mapping in 2014. He is currently mapping (still as an amateur) Sheffield City Centre for 2025 JK Sprint and Burbage (yet again) for 2026.
In 2021 he was a presenter at the BOF 2021 mapping webinar and is a contributor to the IOF
Map WiKi. He has served on the SYO committee numerous times and has been SYO mapping officer on several occasions since 1986.

He is SYO’s current mapping officer - a hugely demanding job given the numerous events and
activities the club runs each year, particularly with the added pressure of being the JK mapping officer in 2025.

While Ian’s expertise lies primarily in mapping and controlling, he is passionate about the development of the sport and very supportive of the club’s juniors.
He is always the first to praise and congratulate when one of our juniors has a good run.

Although not a qualified coach, he regularly assisted with coaching the juniors at our club night for many years and even now continues to step up if we’re coach down! He also volunteers to help at almost every event despite now being an M75!

Ian puts hundreds and hundreds of volunteer hours into the sport every year. His impact on the sport is immense. SYO would not be the club it is today without his expertise, passion, and commitment.

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What a phenomenal journey! Well done to Ian! 

That concludes our spotlight series on the Club, Coach and Volunteer Award Winners 2024! From tomorrow, we will be profiling our Mapping Award winners over the coming days. Check our website or social media for the latest updates.