Discussion: What's going on at JTESC, from my viewpoint

I've joined JTESC (the USA Junior Team Executive Steering Committee). There has been a lot of activity lately, and I expect you all will be interested to hear about it.

• Junior training opportunities: Erin Schirm has been named junior team coach. He is planning to attend Boggs & NAOC A meets, and to have a junior training camp the weekend before NAOC. Next steps are to invite juniors and work out the logistics of each program.
  
• I am taking over the Administrator position from Janet Porter. Janet has put enormous effort into the juniors over many years; many have benefited, and I am grateful to her. Thank you, Janet!
  
• As Administrator, I help to manage the JTESC budget and report on spending. I haven’t yet received the financial data from OUSA but I have been told that we have approximately $3000 left in our budget for this year, and that money will mainly be used to pay for Erin’s travel expenses this fall.
  
• Paid junior development position. A number of people
  (including here on AP) have suggested it would be a good idea to create a paid position; we’re working on writing a job description to help us fundraise for it. A major goal would be to expand efforts beyond the small set of JWOC-bound juniors, to work with clubs on their development programs, train new coaches, and expand outreach to younger and less experienced kids.
  
• Guy Olsen, the JTESC Chair, is seeking additional members for JTESC. Current members are Guy Olsen (Chair), Erin Schirm (Junior Team Coach), Amy Williams, Samantha Saeger, Barb Bryant, Eileen Breseman.
  
• Clare Durand is working on revising the OUSA rules, and JTESC has been discussing the junior portion of those rules. The proposed rules will be presented to OUSA membership for comment before the Board votes on them.
  
• Erin Schirm and JTESC are planning to build the junior development and junior standing teams. This will likely include a commitment from the juniors to training goals and a training plan.
  
• Metrics and goals for juniors and for JTESC. Erin and JTESC and other advisers (e.g., Carl Childs, Jeff Saeger) have renewed efforts to define goals and metrics for juniors of different ages as they train to improve their orienteering. Goals for JTESC will be important to have as we go into budget planning for 2013.
  

Cool, looks like good stuff, thanks for posting barb! Also thanks for taking on the administrator role.

Sounds like some great things are happening - or are bound to happen...
Good luck!

Agreed. Thanks for the update on junior team goings-on. I think things are moving in the right direction and look forward to seeing how the juniors fare at NAOCs. A Future Champions Cup would look nice on the OUSA mantel.

I really like the part that says: "work with clubs on their development programs, train new coaches, and expand outreach to younger and less experienced kids"

by the way, is there a new OUSA promotion video one could use? I only have a link to the one made for NOD in 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byqbvT2sRpY But I like much better the one made by Calgary O in 2005, so much more appealing, I think, for presenting to PE teachers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb3zSkVFrSw&fea...
Is there anything similar from OUSA out there?

What’s happening at JTESC - update 9/20/12:

• JTESC is reviewing a proposed 2013 budget ahead of sending it on to OUSA on Sunday.
  
  • Typically the junior team raises between $8,000 and $10,000 to help pay for JWOC expenses. JWOC costs approximately $13,000 for entry fees, room and board. In previous years the junior team fundraising covered these costs but athletes paid their own travel. Uniforms are an additional cost.
    
  • This year I’d like to propose a new program to support juniors getting to A meets so they have a chance to qualify for JWOC. This could work as a match to funding supplied by local clubs.
    
  
  
• JTESC has refined the job description and measurable goals for a junior coaching and development position. Team Coach Erin Schirm, JTESC Chair Guy Olsen and others put a lot of work into this. Now we want to find people and clubs willing to contribute to funding it. The position entails working with four groups:
  
  • JTESC: work together to develop new ideas, handle logistics, and manage the relationship with OUSA
    
  • Juniors: coaching of the development, standing and JWOC teams
    
  • Coaches: coordinating development and activities of coaches around the country
    
  • Clubs: to build their junior development programs
    
  
  
• Coach Erin Schirm will host junior activities at the Boggs Mountain A meet in California. See the website for more details.
  
• More than 80 juniors are registered for NAOC. The Future Champions Cup competition is going to be fun to watch. Coach Erin will be running junior training starting the weekend before NAOC on the Harriman training maps (email me if you’re interested). At NAOC there will be a junior team ice cream social fundraiser, course reviews for juniors with guidance from senior team members, and meetings Friday and Saturday evenings for juniors.
  
• Juniors, coaches and families are encouraged to sign up for the yahoo group usajuniororienteering.
  
• Bulletin 1 for JWOC 2014 is now available at www.jwoc2014.bg. Bulletin 2 for JWOC 2013 is at www.jwoc2013.cz .
  
• Orienteering Canada has released its long term athlete development guide. This will be a useful resource for USA juniors and those working on junior development.
  

This is exciting stuff. I'll be interested to watch all the progress.