SOUTH EASTERN ORIENTEERING ASSOCIATION
Minutes of the SEOA Committee Meeting on 8thDecember 2016 at
43, Brewery Road, Woking, GU21 4LL
1. Present
Simon GreenwoodSAXSEOA Chairman
David SaundersHHSEOA Treasurer
Keith MarsdenHHSEOA Meetings Secretary
Neil Crickmore SOSEOA Competitions Officer
Angela DarleyGOSEOA Junior Training Officer
Rowan PurkisSAXSEOA Secretary
Philip GristwoodMVSEOA Fixtures Secretary
Mike ElliotMV
Catherine GalvinLOK
Jon DarleyGO
Mark AdamsHH
Andy RobinsonSLOW
Andrew Evans DFOK
Alan WallisSN
Linda PakulsGOJK2017 Coordinator
Apologies for Absence
Susan MarsdenHHSEOA Membership Secretary
Janet BiggsHAVOC
Judith HoltBritish Orienteering
2. Minutes of previous Committee Meeting
CG said her recollection was that the action wrt BOF Insurance (Item 3.0) was solely for the Chairman and not on LOK.
With this amendment the minutes of the meeting held on 8th September 2016 were accepted asa true record.
3. Matters Arising
As nothing had been done the Chairman agreed that he would take up concerns regarding Insurance with British Orienteering.
Action; SG
4. Update from the Board
The Chairman noted that the reason for the absence of Judith Holt was that our meeting clashed with a Board meeting. He hoped that the Board meeting would finalise how the Board was to communicate with the Regions. He had said that an annual visit by a Board member should be sufficient, assuming that questions recorded in the minutes were addressed.
Action; JH
There followed a discussion regarding a number of aspects of British Orienteering strategy especially with regard to the development of the sport.
The following points were mentioned;
-we are a cheap sport and perhaps unsustainably cheap, The fact that the EGM voted for the highest membership option perhaps indicates an acceptability of higher membership fees.
-Some people had some concerns over the cost to newcomers and that BOF should reconsider the membership/fee structure.
-There is a problem if the other Home Countries are measured on membership and sportEngland uses participation
-It was felt that English regions are under represented on BOF Committees and Groups and have been for 5-6 years.
-There was concern about the way that year end renewalsare treated. Someone joining in October receives only 3 months membership for a full year’s subscription whereas someone joining in November gets 14 months membership.
-Should levies be graded according to level of event.
-Should there be a meeting arranged to agree the (English) Associations point of view.
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5.Major Events
JK 2017
The JK2017 Coordinator had circulated a report prior to the meeting and this is attached as Appendix A.
She began by summarising the key points of each day;
Day 1; Ideallythere is a requirement to close a road. Without it the area available is much diminished, however it is unlikely that we will get permission for the closure and therefore the Elite will be restricted to one side with all other competitors having a ‘timed-out’ crossing.
We are still awaiting final permissions.
Day 2. The map is finished and the courses drafted.
The walk to the long start crosses a field and permission for this has not yet been received.
There is a draft plan for the arena layout
Some felling of diseased Oak has occurred on Woolbeding. Although Ambersham is not adjacent there is a concern
Day 3 Day 3 is running furthest behind of all the days.
Permission is still awaited from the office at Bedgebury. Is this just bureaucratic delay or something else?
Mapping is progressing but is the prevailing issue.
The walking route to the start may not be feasible and needs to be reviewed.
Day 4Looking OK!
The Coordinator then went on to outline her key issues.
Isuue 1Sponsorship
A small amount of sponsorship has been secured via Alan Leakey and Keith Tonkin and the orienteering suppliers, Ultrasport and Compasspoint have agreed to supply prizes.
The Coordinator felt that we needed to engage a bigger supplier and she sought suggestions. When asked how much she was seeking she suggested around £1500.
She added that Keith Tonkin has drafted an e-mail which could be usefully used if anyone had any suggestions.
Suggestions were;
Skipton BS – who seemed to be seeking local opportunities
Taylor Wimpey – who supported us at British Sprint Champs
It was suggested that the companies that supplied benefits to BOF members eg Cotswold, ought to be approached.
Action; LP
Issue 2An ‘Equipment Coordinator’ is required.
The Coordinator said that a job description is available and that perhaps the current job title is not indicative of the role.
It was suggested that a request be sent to Club Secretaries.
Action; RP/LP
Issue 3The Team Leaders are mostly named but now is the time for them to pull together
their teams, in order that such things as food vouchers can be arranged..
The Secretary is to write to Club Secretaries asking for the names of helpers so that start times can be allocated.
This should not stop people entering the event
Action; RP
Keith Marsden had submitted a request that the Entry Script should include an opportunity for entrants to give a voluntary donation to Junior Regional Orienteering Squads (JROS)
This was agreed.
The Coordinator asked that Nick Green, JK entries Secretary, be kept informed of all details in that
area.
Action; KM
Pre-O
The contact details for the Warden of the proposed area are now known.
Southern Championships (2018)
There is still some debate over the most suitable date for the event. It was said that 4th February was questionable and that 25th November was probably more suitable.
A decision needs to be made and British Orienteering informed by the new year.
Action; PG
Philip Gristwood has been appointed as controller. The use of an ‘in region’ controller was questioned but it was said that no other could be found.
The Fixtures Secretary noted that ideally a level B event should be available on the day before – possibly the Southern Night Champs.
SN are taking the lead on this event and their representative approached the land owners in February but it does not seem to have progressed since then.
If a meeting is needed then Mike Elliot is available for consultation with Natural England or the National Trust.
Action; SN
BOC 2020
The idea of hosting it in Wales seems to have faded away due to the additional cost of volunteers accommodation away from home.
Hosting it in AshdownForest is a possibility. It was felt that a small group be established to review the possibilities.
Action; NC/PG
It was felt that we might prefer an earlier date especially as if Ashdown was an option then the event would have to be in February and British Orienteering needs to be consulted in the near future.
Action; PG
It was felt that this was a priority – but after JK2017.
Junior Interregional Championships (JIRC) 2017
Day 1 SN will lead on the first day (Individual race)
Permission is agreed for the use of Winterfold. The planner is named.
The next step is the confirmation of parking as most attendees will arrive in minibuses or cars.
Day 2 GO will lead on the Relay day, which it is hoped will be on Blackheath although permission
is still outstanding. There may be a need to flatten bracken especially around controls and change-over area.
Accommodation; The Coordinator, Phil Conway, is talking to a local school. In particular there is a need to sort out catering for the weekend.
The next step is the appointment of Controllers to the event.
Action; AD/NC
CSC Final 2019
This is a Level A event. One possibility for the venue is Pippingford as it is unlikely to have been used between the JK 2017 and CSC 2019 because of event cost.
6. Officers reports
6.1 SEOA Chairman
The Chairman had nothing to report not covered elsewhere.
6.2 SEOA Secretary
The Chairman welcomed the Secretary to her first meeting.
It was reported that little had been done to progress the new SEOA web site.
The Secretary commented that the next step was the creation of a story board and she suggested that looking at the NWOA web site was a good starting point for gaining ideas.
Action; JD/RP
6.3 SEOA Treasurer
The Treasurer presented a report (Appendix B) showing the Income and Expenditure position as of 30thNovember 2016.
No payment had been received from either the British Sprint Champs or the British Middle Champs.
It is believed that the accounts for the British Middle Champs are now complete but that there is still some expenditure outstanding on the British Sprint Champs.
It is hoped that both sets of accounts will be completed soon, hopefully before the end of the year so that both SEOA and British Orienteering can close their FY 2016 accounts.
Looking forward it was pointed out that JIRC will be in the SE Region in 2017 so it is expected that expenditure will be lower than in 2016. The expenditure needed to send a team to the JIRC in Aberdeen was higher than most other years.
The Treasurer noted that over the years the rules for the provision of grants by SEOA had been amended and he had therefore produced a consolidated summary. (Appendix C)
These rules were agreed and it was emphasised that grants will only be made to requests that have been made in advance of the expenditure, not to retrospective requests.
It was also pointed out that some grant funding may be available from outside the sport.
6.4 SEOA Membership Secretary
The Membership Secretary had submitted a written report (Appendix D). It was noted that there was a slight increase in 2016 in membership, but not as large as in 2015. It was also noted that membership renewals and new members in November 2016 was down on the comparable period in 2015.
It was noted that payment to the SCOA comes from the club rather than the individual.
There was a question whether there were participation numbers available as well as membership numbers. It was suggested that James Crawford had done some work in this area. PG to enquire what was available.
Action; PG
6.5 SEOA Competitions Officer
The Competitions Officer had received another application as a Level C Controller from David Frampton(HH). Once again the Competitions Officer was reluctant to recommend this and it was therefore deferred.
It was decided to ask the Chair of HH, Mark Adams, to discuss with the Competitions Officer.
Action; NC/MA
Andy Robinson’s application to be promoted to Level B Controller was recommended by the Competitions Officer and therefore accepted by the SEOA Committee.
The Competitions Officer had previously circulated an updated document (Appendix F) with a Confirmation of the rules of South East Competitions.
6.6 SEOA Junior Training Officer
The Junior Training Officer had submitted a written report (Appendix E)
Responding to a question regarding the JIRC result Keith Marsden said that SEOA had not been able to put out a girls team for a number of years and that it was some 8-9 years since SEJS had had a full complement of girls.
6.7 SEOA and BOF Fixtures
The Fixtures Secretarysaid he had no additional comments with regard to the Major Fixtures.
As regards other fixtures he is seeking a host for the Southern Night Champs in 2018.
It was suggested that Tilgate may host the Harvesters Relays in 2018.
Further comments; SEOA has the following Level B events scheduled
- in 2016-17 8 events
- in 2017-18 8 events
- in 2018-19 5 events so far
In 2017 4 GLOSS events are booked. Two further dates are available if clubs wish to host a GLOSS event.
There is also the need for YBT round to be scheduled (date and venue) in 2017.
7. Development in SEOA
Andrew Evans reported that he had attended the Clubs and Association conference but that minutes were not available from British Orienteering but he will produce a set for the next meeting.
Action; AE
SYO was seen as an example of success in the development of a club – although it was recognised that all clubs are different.
SYO had developed by concentrating on family and junior development with lots of regular events in urban parks. They also said it was important to have a volunteer who is fully committed in time and energy to a three year programme of development. They had also made money available from their ‘big’ events.
A question was asked about Xplorer. Little was known although it was understood that some Xplorer events were happening in 6 London Boroughs. However there had been no contact with clubs and all expressed concern that a parallel activity was taking place without their knowledge.
What is happening? What is the success of Xplorer?
From SEOA’s point a view it was felt that we should consider employing a Development person.
It was suggested that we hold a meeting devoted to Development in the South East or clearing some time in the Committee agenda to discuss Development in greater depth.
We could then consider what is the best model for Development whilst recognising that each club is different.
8. Any other business
Alan Wallis asked if SEOA intended to actively verify Organiser and Planner grades.
The Competitions Officer said that there was no formal checking but that he felt so long as sensible things were being done and Risk Assessments were being prepared and checked it was sufficient.
It was more important that sensible steps were being taken rather than the level doing them.
It seems that Event Safety Workshops are happening and Risk Assessments are being properly signed off.
Are there any SEOA Controllers who have not attended an Event Safety Workshop? Competitions Officer will check.
Action; NC
Alan then turned to the matter of whether the members of the Association were clubs or individuals. He raised this as he wondered who had liability if the Association went into debt.
The SEOA Constitution was quoted but without conclusion as to Alan’s question.
It was felt that the JK and BOC would be treated in the same way as any other Regional event.
There was a debate with no firm conclusion.
It was agreed to send a copy of the SEOA Constitution to Alan.
Action; KM
Alan then asked for permission for SCOA to use areas in Surrey for the JK2019. This was agreed.
There was a short discussion regarding the cost of First Aid cover. It was generally agreed that you paid for what you got especially with the use of 4-wheel drive vehicles.
9.Date and Venue of next meetings
9th March 2017. (Christchurch Conference Centre, Woking, tbc)
8th June 2017 (with AGM)
14th September 2017
APPENDIX A
This is the outline plan for the upcoming JK and a status against all the categories. I intend to maintain this now to the event, so any updates will get reflected here.
The big news item is that we have made a decision to use mixed punching with SIAC and traditional dibbers being used on the same courses and control boxes. This has been controversial, and we have a plan to trial it in the SE at the SO Brighton event, The Kent Night cup, the next SLOW event and perhaps others. I am please to say that this is also being adopted across other regions and clubs and so I am very happy with the decision.
Event Day Statuses
Day 1 Brunel – Helen Errington
Main issue is over road closure, which is holding up the production of the courses.
Mapping: Sprint Map done, planners updates will be completed by Paul T.
Planning: Still considering road crossing issue, courses not finalised
Temp-O: Stu - status of Pre O map - waiting for Paul to decide if using over the road
Permissions: University on board but as yet no formal signed written permission
Parking: On site & plenty, Team Leader appointed
Start: Team Leader identified
Arena: Has been identified. Awaiting uni to confirm that access to various indoor spaces is ok.
Helpers defined: LOK & CHIG & HH members been advised that will need their help on the day. Named individuals tba.
Juniors: tba
Safety: Workshop held in early December SAG submission being prepared and awaiting road crossing decision. SAG contact identified. All officials have completed safety workshop. Karen has visited site.
Upcoming:
- Jan on site meeting with planner & Univ to agree control sites.
- Ongoing building work in university to be included in planners updates
- Need Arena TL - have 100 crowd control barriers from the university.
- Need Download TL - expect it will be Kevin Parkes if not needed elsewhere
Issues:
1.Road closure decision required to complete courses.
2.Permissions (for use and buildings) required from Univ.
Day 2 Ambersham – Linda Pakuls
Fair state of readiness. Surveying delayed over the bracken height. This has now been completed. Helpers now need to be drawn into plan.
Mapping: Initial draft used for planning. Survey and OCADcompleted.
Planning: Draft courses submitted for review. Final courses now being completed with updated map.