Discussion: USA Juniors Spring 2014
in: Orienteering; News
Mar 15, 2014 8:52 PM
#
barb:
Spaces are still available for the awesome junior training camp in NY March 28-30. If you are a member of a club in the northeast, please find a way to get the word to all juniors in your club, and actively encourage them to come. This is a great opportunity.
Coaches are also welcome to attend, to work with Becky and Erin developing coaching methodology. Please see the announcement for more info. Juniors register here. Coaches email Becky or Erin.
Coaches are also welcome to attend, to work with Becky and Erin developing coaching methodology. Please see the announcement for more info. Juniors register here. Coaches email Becky or Erin.
Mar 15, 2014 8:54 PM
#
barb:
Junior news #17: misconduct training now required of all JST members; Riverstone school team starts up; JWOC selection race info; data; shoes; JTESC notes; COC has a new training & development coordinator.
Mar 18, 2014 12:32 AM
#
barb:
JTESC met today. We talked about (1) finances (2) strategy.
Finances - current (end of Feb) cash on hand is $13,941.
We will be able to partially cover expenses for JWOC training and competition: $25/athlete/day for the training weeks in Bulgarian when we hope to have the full team. For JWOC we can cover the entry fees but not the housing. We are also going to have to make a few needs-based awards beyond that. For uniforms, the OUSA budget was just $400, or $17 per team member toward the ~$200 kit. We'll try and provide some additional money; I'm advocating doing that based on need. We also want to subsidize the JDT shirts currently being designed, and hopefully have another round of grants for local programs. In order to do these things we need to raise at least $6500 between now and the fall. It would be great to find a sponsor to pay for uniforms. It would be great to raise even more so the athletes' housing is covered at JWOC. I'm glad we have been able to help so many juniors get to Europe in 2013 and 2014; I think that is a good investment.
We subsidized the Arizona training camp for juniors; at the end of February, the net amount we spent on it was $1284, less than $100 per junior in attendance, pretty good value for 6 days of training. Again, a good investment.
As a side note, clubs have been pretty willing to allow juniors to put on a local meet as a fundraiser. We did that at NEOC last year and raised nearly $1000; it was a score-O and we charged more than usual, and marketed to AR people. Also, selling food at local meets might be a way to get a steady income.
I think we need to try and do Indiegogo again this year; we could really use a volunteer to manage that.
Erin led a discussion about the strategic plan. Our next step will be to have a wider discussion in JTESC and with our advisory group about goals for junior orienteering for the next few years. Several people said that both the competitive and development aspects are important, and that while we need to have both of those activities under JTESC's umbrella for the time being, we should be aiming at having enough people working on each of those projects that they can be separate (but synergistic) committees within OUSA.
Finances - current (end of Feb) cash on hand is $13,941.
We will be able to partially cover expenses for JWOC training and competition: $25/athlete/day for the training weeks in Bulgarian when we hope to have the full team. For JWOC we can cover the entry fees but not the housing. We are also going to have to make a few needs-based awards beyond that. For uniforms, the OUSA budget was just $400, or $17 per team member toward the ~$200 kit. We'll try and provide some additional money; I'm advocating doing that based on need. We also want to subsidize the JDT shirts currently being designed, and hopefully have another round of grants for local programs. In order to do these things we need to raise at least $6500 between now and the fall. It would be great to find a sponsor to pay for uniforms. It would be great to raise even more so the athletes' housing is covered at JWOC. I'm glad we have been able to help so many juniors get to Europe in 2013 and 2014; I think that is a good investment.
We subsidized the Arizona training camp for juniors; at the end of February, the net amount we spent on it was $1284, less than $100 per junior in attendance, pretty good value for 6 days of training. Again, a good investment.
As a side note, clubs have been pretty willing to allow juniors to put on a local meet as a fundraiser. We did that at NEOC last year and raised nearly $1000; it was a score-O and we charged more than usual, and marketed to AR people. Also, selling food at local meets might be a way to get a steady income.
I think we need to try and do Indiegogo again this year; we could really use a volunteer to manage that.
Erin led a discussion about the strategic plan. Our next step will be to have a wider discussion in JTESC and with our advisory group about goals for junior orienteering for the next few years. Several people said that both the competitive and development aspects are important, and that while we need to have both of those activities under JTESC's umbrella for the time being, we should be aiming at having enough people working on each of those projects that they can be separate (but synergistic) committees within OUSA.
Mar 20, 2014 12:40 PM
#
barb:
This weekend will see the first selection races for JWOC. All but two of the junior standing team members will be there, racing against each other and the senior team. It will be super exciting!
This year we will be expanding the official summer trip to expose our juniors to the high level of competition and training available in Europe. This kind of experience was strongly advocated by many of you when Erin was getting started in 2012, when we were looking at the best ways to develop our best athletes. We made it happen in 2013, and it will happen again this year. After a few days of training around Kuopio, we will have both a women's Venla team and a men's Jukola team. The group will train with the Helsinki club in Koli for a week, and then travel to JWOC 2015 relevant training terrain in Norway. That experience will be capped with the Norsk O Fest and a couple days of being hosted by orienteering families in Oslo. Along the way Erin and the team will benefit from advice and coaching from various European elites and coaches. In Bulgaria, the team will train together for a couple of weeks and then head into the world championships competition July 21-27.
To pull this off, we need financial support. Here is a flyer for use in approaching your company, local businesses, or other potential sponsors. We welcome your ideas and help!
I am happy to announce that we have received a grant for half the cost of the team uniforms from Lemac Packaging. The company hopes that another sponsor will step forward to cover the remaining cost.
Thanks!
Barb
Junior Team Adminstrator
This year we will be expanding the official summer trip to expose our juniors to the high level of competition and training available in Europe. This kind of experience was strongly advocated by many of you when Erin was getting started in 2012, when we were looking at the best ways to develop our best athletes. We made it happen in 2013, and it will happen again this year. After a few days of training around Kuopio, we will have both a women's Venla team and a men's Jukola team. The group will train with the Helsinki club in Koli for a week, and then travel to JWOC 2015 relevant training terrain in Norway. That experience will be capped with the Norsk O Fest and a couple days of being hosted by orienteering families in Oslo. Along the way Erin and the team will benefit from advice and coaching from various European elites and coaches. In Bulgaria, the team will train together for a couple of weeks and then head into the world championships competition July 21-27.
To pull this off, we need financial support. Here is a flyer for use in approaching your company, local businesses, or other potential sponsors. We welcome your ideas and help!
I am happy to announce that we have received a grant for half the cost of the team uniforms from Lemac Packaging. The company hopes that another sponsor will step forward to cover the remaining cost.
Thanks!
Barb
Junior Team Adminstrator
Mar 24, 2014 8:42 PM
#
barb:
Wow, I am so proud of the juniors, after this weekend at the selection races!
- Participation: 11 junior US men and 9 junior US women taking the opportunity to experience high-stakes competition against the best in the US. Of the Junior Standing Team, we were missing only 3 due to injury, and 1 due to Science Olympiad.
- A 4th place finish behind Ali, Tori and Alex for junior Katrina Weinmann of COC in the sprint.
- We have a junior on the men's WOC team and another as alternate (who would be on the team but for (excellent) petitioners).
- Two junior women are just below the line for making alternate for WOC team, pushed down by a couple of (excellent) petitioners.
- Juniors came in 1st, 2nd and 4th amongst US runners in the Sunday morning men's sprint. And in the sprint relay: 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 12, ...
- Juniors came in 3rd and 4th (and 9th, 11th, 12th) in the men's WOC team trials.
- Some Canadian juniors! yay!
- And they're all such fine people.
Mar 28, 2014 1:26 PM
#
barb:
Newsletter: Selection races, JWOC selection, uniforms, JTESC news, WUOC, upcoming events.
Apr 12, 2014 2:00 AM
#
barb:
This week: West Point; airport hassles; GOAT camp; training camps; JST news; IOF rankings; upcoming events.
May 2, 2014 9:49 PM
#
Junior team bios (and other JST members too) are posted on the OUSA site as well.
May 3, 2014 8:15 PM
#
Excellent article conveying both what makes our sport awesome for kids and why Erin is making such a big difference in US junior orienteering.
May 5, 2014 7:13 AM
#
GuyO:
Competitors use compasses to locate “controls” along a fixed route
Winning a U.S. championship might net $500 or $1,000.
on the other hand...
The hard part ... is marketing to parents.A lot of kids are thrown into soccer or basketball [or lacrosse] at an early age. Getting them to gravitate to an activity that carries no hope of a college scholarship is a tough sell.
[comment] Did a little orienteering as a teenager. Very cool. You gotta read maps, have a sense of direction, do some quick math, and be fit.
Winning a U.S. championship might net $500 or $1,000.
on the other hand...
The hard part ... is marketing to parents.A lot of kids are thrown into soccer or basketball [or lacrosse] at an early age. Getting them to gravitate to an activity that carries no hope of a college scholarship is a tough sell.
[comment] Did a little orienteering as a teenager. Very cool. You gotta read maps, have a sense of direction, do some quick math, and be fit.
May 5, 2014 1:49 PM
#
A nice article, and a caution to everyone speaking to the press about the C-word.
May 6, 2014 11:47 PM
#
barb:
USA Junior Team: new cover photo; additional bios. I am psyched that juniors are so positive about the AZ training camp. I mentioned that to Erin and he said he thought it made a big difference in preparedness for Team Trials.
I think the AZ training camp also made a difference for Canadian Emma Sherwood in setting her sites for JWOC this year.
I think the AZ training camp also made a difference for Canadian Emma Sherwood in setting her sites for JWOC this year.
May 7, 2014 12:06 PM
#
barb:
We are hoping to use the junior team Facebook page to introduce our athletes, share the training that they are doing, and follow progress as they race in Europe this summer. Please encourage your friends to "like" the page so we get a broader reach, and have fun supporting the team! Today's bio: Julia Z!
May 15, 2014 3:58 PM
#
I like the cartoon that David did about Izzy's first white course. Success for them both. :-)
May 21, 2014 7:42 AM
#
bubo:
Yes, I too find them really interesting and inspiring to read.
You´re apparently doing a great job with all these kids :)
You´re apparently doing a great job with all these kids :)
Jun 4, 2014 11:51 PM
#
barb:
US and Canadian coaches Erin Schirm and Raphael Ferrand have been planning the joint training in Bulgaria. Raphael suggests designing exercises in response to the main problems they observe the athletes having during training. Because many of the juniors will be on a long training and racing trip, Erin has built in a relatively light day every 3rd day or so. For technical training, Erin would like to work a lot of the basics; in the USA coaching program, technical skills are broken down in to 5: rough and precise compass, rough and precise map reading, and distance estimation. Raphael would like to give strong technical work in the beginning of the month, decreasing slowly on physical volume as the World Championships approach, while increasing the level of "pressure to handle" in the trainings: more in-situ, less uncontextualised work, more contact with other runners, relay runs -- getting used to the sensation of racing around others, while keeping the focus. Start routines are important.
This discussion thread is closed.