Junior Squad

The YBT Team 2014

The YBT Team 2014

Last Updated: Fri 17 Aug 2018

The Southdowns Junior Squad is the junior section of Southdowns Orienteers. The squad was formed in September 2013 and has members ranging in age from 6 to 20 years. The aims of the junior squad are to have fun in the great outdoors and to be a successful athletics club.

If you are new to the sport of orienteering take a look at our NEWCOMERS pages where you'll find loads of handy tips to get you started.

The squad meets for training on a monthly basis and competes as a team in national events. Southdowns Orienteers organise events most weekends and have activities on Tuesday evenings.

The junior squad team consists of Rob Lines (Head Coach), Alex Lines (Team Manager), Will Heap (Junior Development), Karen Ashworth (Safety Officer) and Clare Lines (Child Protection and Welfare), all of whom can be contacted via the contacts page. Scarlet Heap (W16) and Amelia Bartlett (W16) are the Junior Squad Reps and always happy to chat at events.

We always welcome new members - JOIN HERE.

Coaching

We currently aim to run monthly coaching sessions which are aimed at juniors of all abilities. Look out for those events with "and coaching" in the title. If you are brand new to orienteering then these sessions can be a great way to get started and meet other juniors and parents. We also provide excellent coaching for juniors and adults looking to improve their skills on any level of course. Karen Ashworth provides training for primary school aged children and Rob Lines and Will Heap provides training for anyone of secondary school age or above, who can run at least run an orange on their own.

Skills

To enjoy orienteering you only need to be able to recognise a few map symbols and be able to orientate the map to north. This will allow you to get around a Yellow standard course. The real fun of orienteering begins when you start to tackle the more challenging courses of Orange, Green and Blue. To be successful on these courses you will need to practise some of the following skills.

Equipment

You can successfully orienteer with just a map, but there are some really useful pieces of equipment that may improve your orienteering experience. 

Squad Kit

For SOGS and coaching you will need suitable clothes and shoes for running in forests or towns. Full leg cover will be required in the woods and remember to bring extra layers for coaching - the sessions are slower paced than competition running.

Competitions

There are loads of exciting opportunities and a variety of competitions to take part in as a junior orienteer. You can represent your club, your region, even your country!

Awards

Badges, certificates, medals and trophies are awarded throughout the year for club and regional competitions and major events like the British Championships.

South East Squad

The South East Junior Squad (SEJS) is one of 12 regional orienteering squads set up to further develop junior orienteering talent. It consists of juniors and experienced coaches from clubs around the SE of England. Membership is by invitation from the SEJS squad co-ordinator, Angela Darley (GO) and lead coach Carol Lovegrove (SN).

Safety

Safety is the junior squad's number one priority and this will be true at all events whether large or small.

Southdowns Orienteers is committed to ensuring that all young people and vulnerable adults who participate in orienteering have a positive experience in as safe an environment as possible. The Club has adopted the British Orienteering Policy on Protecting Young and Vulnerable People and is Clubmark accredited.

Links & Videos

There are loads of videos, books and articles out there to inspire and inform newcomers, juniors and seasoned orienteers. Here are just a few to get you started. Some of these videos have been made by members of the SO junior squad. Further useful links can be found in the information section.

Photo Gallery

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Come on SO!

Come on SO!

SO Team Spirit!

SO Team Spirit!

The YBT Team 2016

The YBT Team 2016

Running in a pair for the YBT

Running in a pair for the YBT