Published 8th July 2019

On Sunday 7th July our 50 strong team of juniors travelled to Sandringham, home of the Queen, to compete in the final of the 2019 Yvette Baker Trophy. 

It was an early start from Sheffield but the coach made good time and by 10.30am the team were setting up camp in the assembly field ready for the competition. While the juniors chilled and prepared for the races with nail and face painting, the adults rushed straight to the start to complete their runs prior to the start of the competition. Sandringham is a lovely woodland with very little bramble cover but the heavy rain followed by warm sunshine over the past few weeks has provided very fertile conditions for bracken growth! What would be a very easy control normally is significantly harder when you need to navigate your way through head high bracken and a number of the adults recorded some rather long times! At least we could console ourselves that we were creating elephant tracks for the juniors!

Our first juniors started just after 12.30 and it wasn't long before our yellow runners began streaming confidently into the finish, followed shortly by the first of our orange runners. As time passed we had lots of yellow, orange and even green course finishers but no light green competitors! Eventually though, to our relief, they started to return. The light green course was incredibly challenging in the bracken and early light green runners did not have the elephant tracks that the green competitors had. Towards the latter end of the competition the times speeded up thanks to the early runners forging the trails to the controls!

By 2.30pm all our runners were safely back and there was just time for ice-cream before the start of the prize giving. The Shield competition for smaller clubs was won by SOS with PFO in 2nd and HOC in 3rd. Then it was time for the trophy results......HH were announed 3rd in with 862 points, SO in 2nd with 880 and......for the 3rd year in a row.....SYO were announced as champions with a score of 897 (out of a possible 899)! 

As soon as the prize giving was over we bundled onto the coach for the long journey back to Sheffield. However, the celebrations continued on the coach with lollipops (thanks Dave) and the purchase of a new club mascot - Billie the Bee!

Congratulations to our 9 scorers:

Isabelle H - green girls - 100 points
Imogen - light green girls - 100 points
Freya - orange girls - 100 points
Charlotte - yellow girls - 100 points
James - orange boys - 100 points
Caspar - yellow boys - 100 points
Euan - green boys - 99 points
Anna - orange girls - 99 points
Freddie E - orange boys - 99 points
Ella (yellow girls) and Isaac (yellow boys) also scored 99 points but we did so well their scores weren't needed!

However, a huge well done must go to the whole team because even if they didn't score directly for SYO they helped push down the score of our competitors. Perhaps the most impressive statistic was that we didn't have a single retiral or mispunch and every single junior completed their course! 

Thank you to all the parent supporters and particularly team captain Jacky. Next year's final will be held in the South West on Sunday 5th July 2020.

Check out the Trophy in our Trophy Cabinet!

Published 1st July 2019

Here's Part 2 of our reports from the World Schools Champs in Estonia back in May. Our thanks to Nick Lightfoot and the Team for putting this together...

Pictures can be seen on the High Storrs Website

BACKGROUND

Orienteering, the sport that combines map reading and running, is becoming increasingly popular with school children across South Yorkshire with thousands getting a taster in school, and hundreds competing regularly in the popular schools league. Earlier this year a team of 40 youngsters, 12 of them from Sheffield, travelled to Estonia to represent England in the World Schools Orienteering Championships. Six of the team were from High Storrs and they’ve been describing their experiences including how team member Euan managed to win two Gold medals!

INTRODUCTION

Following encouraging results in the British Schools Orienteering Championships in 2017 a group of High Storrs pupils set out to see if they could qualify for the 2019 World Schools Championships in Estonia. The boys team of Euan, Jamie, Olmo, Dylan, Alfie and Benjamin were joined by Alex who was aiming for an individual place in the senior girls team. This is their account.

REPORT

Although Euan, Jamie and Alex were experienced orienteers, the rest of us had rarely competed outside of Sheffield so the selection race at Tockholes in Lancashire was going to be a challenge. We are all members of the local club South Yorkshire Orienteers who run weekly club nights with a mixture of running training and map exercises based at High Storrs in the winter and local parks in the summer, and monthly coaching sessions practising more advanced map reading skills in local woods. In the run up to the selections we got together for extra coaching from Jamie’s Dad (Nick), and Alex’s brother (Ryan), a High Storrs Sixth Former. We had indoor sessions looking at relevant maps and playing a new orienteering simulation game called Virtual O, plus some forest training. The practice paid off we all managed to finish the selection race and this combined with wins for Jamie and Euan at the British Schools Championships were just enough to see off challenges from Torquay Grammar and Ulverston High, so we were selected to represent England in the Junior Boys School class. Alex also did enough to win a place in the Senior Girls Select class along with 4 other girls from schools throughout England. Unfortunately we found out that only 5 of the team could travel to Estonia so Benjamin generously offered to step aside as his music commitments meant he didn’t have as much time for training.

Estonia was going to be an even bigger challenge so as part of our preparations we met with former GB internationals Rachel Rothman and Oli Johnson who’d competed in the same forests at the European Championships in 2006. They told us all about the terrain in Estonia and international competitions generally and gave us tips for training and competing. Sheffield has a surprising variety of woodland so we were able to practice in terrain with similar challenges to Estonia as well as resuming the indoor map sessions this time looking at Estonian maps. Alfie became a bit of a beast at Virtual-O, which added to our confidence!

Ahead of the competition we met up at Sheffield station wearing our smart new England tracksuits and travelled down to Birmingham Airport to meet the rest of the team for a 6am flight to Estonia. The team kit was useful for the coaches to keep track of us and a good advert for orienteering as people asked us what we were doing. The tracksuits inspired the name of our WhatsApp group – ‘Team Penguin’. We just managed make it through Frankfurt airport despite Euan getting stopped in security with a bottle of iced tea in his luggage and when we bumped into the Austrian and Spanish teams on our connecting flight we realised this really was a real World Championships. On arrival in Estonia we piled into a coach for the two hour journey from Tallinn the capital to Otepaa the ski capital of Estonia and the venue for the competition. Estonia is similar to Sweden, the home of orienteering, quite flat with loads of forests and the occasional lakes. Otepaa was a bit hillier and there were a few patches of snow, which excited the Brazilians, but no mountains – turns out they do cross country skiing and ski-jumping. The journey turned into a race to our hotel with the Austrian and Spanish coaches which we lost but made up for it by getting into dinner first – a feat which we mastered for the rest of the week.

Our first full day in Estonia included a model event in forests adjacent to the competition where we could check out the maps and terrain. Some bits seemed vaguely familiar from our map sessions back home but now we could really check out runability of the forests and marshes and which features were included on the maps. Later on all the teams assembled in the local sports stadium for the opening ceremony – 600 competitors from 24 countries including teams from China, Russia, New Zealand, Israel, Brazil and all over Europe. The flag parade was followed by some traditional local dancing, which is a big thing in Estonia and was actually pretty cool especially when viewed on the big screen from the overhead drone. Finally after a few speeches an Olympic style torch formally opened the event. Turns out even the opening ceremony was being streamed live on the internet so Mums and Dads could check we weren’t picking our noses or anything!

After nearly a year of planning and training the morning of the first big race finally arrived – the coaches kept telling us to relax, which we seemed much better at than them, although Euan was a bit quieter than usual – apparently he was getting into the zone or something. Before the start we all had to hand in our phones and go and hang out in the ‘quarantine’ area at a local school so late starters can’t get advice from early finishers (orienteering is a time trial and for big races you start at 2 minute intervals to discourage following). Jamie was the first of the team to start and at the finish he had the fastest time of the early starters so got interviewed on the TV – something we hadn’t practiced but he was pretty good. The rest of the team finished one by one with tales of tricky control points but all enjoyed the challenge of running in foreign terrain - we joined the spectators waiting for the climax of the race and the later starters which included Euan.

Due to a technical hitch Euan had no early split times from radio controls but just when we started to worry he appeared in the distance and finished in just under 31 minutes – fast enough to take the Gold medal by 45 seconds. Euan managed to dodge the post-race interview and we all went to get our lunch before Euan had to go and drown in flowers and flags at the medal ceremony. Jamie ended up in a creditable 19th position out of 75 competitors and with Olmo, Dylan and Alfie all posting good times the team was in 6th place with just the Middle distance to come. Alex was happy to complete her first international competition with a mostly clean run and without getting distracted by other runners finishing 56th place.

The next day was supposed to be a ‘rest day’ but after the usual 7.00 knock on the door and hurried breakfast we piled into the coach and headed to the university town of Tartu for a bit of culture. It was actually quite fun with a couple of hours in a really cool science museum after which they gave us an iPad with a special orienteering style app which took us on a rain drenched tour of the city asking questions as we went – the coaches also took part but cheated by taking our Estonian guide with them to help with the answers. After lunch each country set out stalls and shared traditional snacks, orienteering maps and other information so we could learn a little about each other’s countries. The cultural day ended with a 5 minute performance by each country including the French lads doing the can-can, some cool Belgian chanting, Finnish jenka, New Zealand haka, and a mass Macarena. The Scots insisted on wearing skirts as usual and we managed to pull off some quite intricate dance moves and stick bashing thinly disguised as Morris Dancing.

The temperature dropped dramatically for the Middle Distance race and there were flurries of snow, presumably arranged by the organisers to impress the Brazilians. The courses were shorter but trickier than the Long Distance. Jamie and Olmo had a few more problems but Dylan managed to avoid any big mistakes and finished before the fast Fin who started 2 minutes behind him. Alfie had another confident run with just one big mistake and although Alex couldn’t better her Long Distance result she enjoyed her first international race and proving her skills in the challenging foreign terrain.

Once again it was Euan who was last of the team to start, and if anything seemed even more quiet and focussed before the start. This time he was picked out by the commentators with fast times at the radio controls, but could he hold on for the win. With the technical challenges and mental pressures in orienteering it’s rare for the same runner to win twice in a row in major championships, but Euan pulled it off sprinting in to take double Gold – a first for the English Schools team. Despite Euan’s heroics the team slipped back a place to 7th but still an excellent result from a young and inexperienced team. Afterwards Coach Nick congratulated us all, especially Alfie who in just a year had progressed from novice courses in Sheffield parks to racing at a World Championships.

With the serious competitions out of the way, the last day was the highlight of the week for most of us, kicking off with the Friendship Event where we teamed up with runners from other countries for a mass start race in which teams of three had to visit all the controls between them as fast as possible meeting up at two intermediate checkpoints and the finish along the way. It was great fun work together with people from different countries instead of competing against them. Afterwards there was a mass kit swap with much haggling led by Jamie who managed to secure one of the coveted black New Zealand tops from the guy he’d met at the Long Distance race.

Back at the hotel there was time for a sauna and swimming in the lake and we played football and basketball against some of the other teams. It was especially sweet to beat the Fins after they’d dominated our class in the orienteering! In the evening the Estonians unveiled yet another venue, a massive brand new sports hall at our hotel complex which hosted the closing ceremony and party. We had to endure more speeches and dancing (this time modern stuff) but got to cheer the England Senior Boys team who beat the Scandinavians to take the overall Gold medal – respect! Eventually we all piled, shoes off, onto the dance floor with 600 other kids with Dylan and Euan were crowd surfing whilst the rest of us leapt about using up our last bits of energy. A memorable end to what had been a fantastic week.

We brought home memories of orienteering challenges, sharing in Euan’s success, meeting people from all over the World, learning a little about other cultures, and, of course, having fun. We’d like to thank all the organisations who supported us including South Yorkshire Orienteers, YHOA, Jack Bloor Fund, BSOA and Orienteering Foundation and especially Dave, Mel and Pauline for organising things, and Nick and the other coaches for help along the way.

Published 13th June 2019

Model Event – Tuesday 30^th April   (Dom D)

Before travelling to Estonia, all the team were able to look at maps online (map-geeking), but it was difficult to judge what the areas for the races would be like, with the biggest unknown being the vegetation, and how it was mapped. The day before the official races began, we had the opportunity to check out the terrain in a specially organised Model Event. As well as a chance to run on very similar terrain, we could also see how things such as the start and finish would be set up. We went round the ‘score’ style course both in groups and individually, allowing us to meet up with our coaches to discuss what we found along the way, which helped us to develop our plans for the Long and Middle. We quickly realised the importance of avoiding even “light green” forest due to its density, and this was the main point we took away to bear in mind for the following days. There was a real mix of vegetation with coniferous and deciduous forest – some incredibly runnable, and other parts, such as the marshes, less so! For some members of the team these were the first controls they’d ever found abroad, and it was to be the start of what was a great week of orienteering and memory-making!

Long Race – Wednesday 1^st May  (Alex C)

After months of excitement, preparation and waiting, I was finally at the start line of the long distance race – my first run at the World Schools Championships 2019. After the previous day’s training on similar areas, I had already got a feel for the terrain and the map although, as prepared as I was, I was very nervous. The course started straight up a huge hill, which was both a technical and physical challenge but I navigated well and managed to keep running (pretty much) all the way to the top. The rest of the course went pretty smoothly and I made few mistakes, the terrain wasn’t very runnable but I really enjoyed my course. Running into the arena was an amazing experience and nothing like anything I’d ever done before, with live coverage of the whole event and an amazing atmosphere.

Middle Race – Friday 3^rd May  (Max M)

On Friday, the Middle Distance took place. Unfortunately, the weather changed dramatically from 21 degrees on the Long to 2 degrees and snow for the Middle. Luckily the quarantine was indoors. The wood was filled with small paths crisscrossing between small hills. It was really enjoyable but needed concentration. I had a great run coming in 1^st after around half the competitors! After a nice risotto for lunch, I just had to wait to see how I had done. Amazingly I came 6^th – which is on the podium. England also had 3 more podiums with Euan winning M2 School, Jim taking 5^th on M1 Select and Flurry taking a 2^nd on M1 select. Overall it was a great day for the English team! And as we were all tired, the rest of the day was spent relaxing.

Closing Ceremony – Saturday 4^th May  (Dom D)

Sadly, all good things come to an end, and so following the inter-country top swapping we headed back to our accommodation to get ready for the closing ceremony… and farewell party! The other members of my team had put in some fantastic runs in the Long and Middle Races, placing our M1 Select team 1^st overall. The overall prizegiving was incorporated into the closing ceremony, along with the expected speeches, and a slightly less traditional performance by a dance troop, including one where the dancers portrayed a snooker game! Alas, it was the end of World Schools 2019 – but there was just time for the Farewell Party – complete with a live Estonian singer and band, who performed a mix of originals and covers (thankfully!)

A huge amount effort was put into the World Schools Orienteering Championships 2019 – complete with Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and live results and streaming to those back home – and so we’d like to thank the organisers for putting on such a great event, and our England team managers for making it all happen.

Equally our thanks go to the Jack Bloor Fund, Yorkshire and Humberside Orienteering Association, and SYO for their financial support.

Overall a fantastic experience, making memories that will last a lifetime!

 

Link to archived World Schools - Estonia page

Published 7th June 2019

Well done to all the SYO Juniors who have been selected for Summer Orienteering Training Camps!

At the start of the summer, around the Scottish 6 Days, the JROS Lagganlia and Deeside camps will take place up in Scotland. The juniors off to those are:

Lagganlia - Alex C, Imogen & Jamie (with Ryan & Dom coaching!)
Deeside - Alex E & Max

Particular congratulations to Euan who has been selected for the BOF Talent Squad Badaguish Camp.

Then at the end of summer, Ryan & Dom will head off on the JROS Gothenburg tour, but will be joined a week later in Sweden for the YHJS Squad Tour to Stockholm, that 17 SYO Juniors will be part of.