BASOC eNews August Special!
Extra news about Events, a WOC 2024 Steering Group statement and a date for the Events Safety & Organiser workshops.
1. Events – your opportunity to compete and to get involved!
Local event at Nethybridge, Saturday 23 September – entries are now open. Details and entry form on BASOC website.
Scottish League event at Loch Vaa, Sunday 24 September, organised by Interlopers, great opportunity for good competition. Entries not open yet, but details are on the INT website.
Looking further ahead, our Club Championships will be in the northern part of Loch Vaa (from Boat of Garten) on the afternoon of Saturday 9 December (preceded by the club’s Annual General Meeting and followed by tea and cakes and chat). This event is always carefully formatted and calculated so everyone is in with a chance of victory!
As winter draws in we welcome the return of the Northern Night Cup (series of 6 night events, shared with neighbouring clubs Moravian and INVOC) – Jane Chisholm will be planning one for us on 29 November, probably at Ellan Wood - but watch the website – and we’re hoping that Janette Macleod will plan one in January on Aviemore (Spey Valley) Golf Course.
Members and non-members are welcome at all events, and we hope members will take these opportunities to learn how events work. 2024 will bring a couple of big exciting events to BASOC-land – more about them later.
2. WOC 2024 Steering Group statement
The World Orienteering Championships are coming to Edinburgh in July 2024 - WOC 2024. This event should have taken place in 2022 and was postponed due to COVID. Since the original planning, budgeting etc. there have been many changes in the world and this has had financial implications with regard to WOC 2024. Club chairs have been asked to discuss the implications of this with their membership.
The BASOC Board discussed the implications at a Board meeting on Monday 14th August and were in general agreement to support this way forward with a couple of caveats. There was also a Zoom discussion held with Scottish Orienteering at the same time and summary notes for that are included below.
The outline of the implications:
- Originally 'public entities' were providing the funding for WOC 2022; there was no funding demand on the orienteering community.
- In light of the increased costs for WOC 2024, the public entities have been able to increase the funding offer.
- There
is still a shortfall and it is proposed that this is made up from (a)
Scottish 6 Days reserve funding (b) Scottish Orienteering staff time
(c) British Orienteering have offered a contribution limited at £80,000 (part grant, part double funding lock). For (a) + (b) the worst case scenario is £130,000 and the mid-case scenario is £90,000.
- It is anticipated that this funding from
the orienteering community is feasible without damaging the future of
the sport in Scotland.
- The Scottish 6 Days Company would be liable for funding any cost over-run.
The Scottish Orienteering Board also recognises that members will have differing opinions about whether this is the right use for members’ money. If you would like to know more and also discuss this matter further, then please get in touch with BASOC Chair, Clare before 25th August 2023.
3. Event Welfare & Safety Workshop and Event Organiser Workshop
After the BASOC Board meeting last night, we have some decisions about the ESW workshop. Get the date in your diary NOW.
- Event Safety & Welfare Workshop and an Event Organiser Workshop will take place on Saturday 13th January 2024 in Carrbridge (Location TBC).
- The ESW will be in the morning (9:30am to 12:30pm) with the Event Organiser Workshop in the afternoon (1:30pm to 4:30pm). All timings are approximate.
- People are welcome to one / other / both.
- Cost - these workshops will be free to BASOC members.
- There will be pre-workshop prep to do, about 30 minutes for each workshop.
- Each workshop will be practical and include an outdoor element (which is why it is face to face); there will be time for loads of discussion!
- A sign up form will appear sometime in November, with sign-ups by Monday 8th January 2024.
- Please contact Lynne Walker if you have any questions.
Who are the workshops aimed at?
- ESW - anyone who comes along to orienteering, whether for training, to compete or as an event official. As there are new materials, it will also be a refresher for those who have done the workshop before.
- Event Organiser - anyone who might do a bit of organising at the moment, who might do some in the future and those who already organise.