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On behalf of the SAOF Coaching commission we are pleased to announce that:

1)      The SAOF management committee has agreed to accept the recommendation that completion of the UK Coaching Certificates (UKCC) qualification will be granted equivalence in SA and thus individuals completing the UKCC are awarded the SA Orienteering Coaching Certificate (SAOCC)

2)      The licensing of the following assistant coaches and coaches is effective October 2013

The following applications to be registered as assistant coaches has been accepted:

Karen Chambers,
Ashley Coetzee,
Michael Palombo,
Anthony Stott
Pieter Swaneveld

These individuals  successfully completed their SAOCC  level 1 and have agreed to abide by the coaches code of conduct.
They coach the entry level skills and deliver their sessions in schools/ small parks

The following applications to be registered as coaches have also been accepted:

Margaret Archibald,
Zoe Brentano,
Lisa de Speville,
Bruce Meier,
Sarah Pope,
Craig Ogilvie,
Tania Wimberley

These individuals  successfully completed their SAOCC  level 2 and have agreed to abide by the coaches code of conduct.
They coach across the whole spectrum of skills and deliver these in any area, including more technical and remote terrain

More information on the coaching structure in SA, and how it fits into the South African Long term Coaching Development framework can be found here https://www.orienteering.co.za/technical/coaching/licensed-coaches/

Having commenced with their Level 2 UK Coaching Course in October 2012 our group of 8 coaches have spent the last year working their way through various home study tasks covering topics such as coaching philosophy, physiology, nutrition, and skills development as well as ensuring that they delivered 6 specific progressive practical coaching sessions. All of this formed part of the build up to the final assessment which took place between 25 August and 8 September 2013. After a skiing accident put Pat Mee (our initial intended independent assessor) out of action we were thrilled that Lynne Walker gave of her time to travel from Scotland to put us through the steps of the final independent assessment.

Lynne is very involved in the coaching scene in Scotland and also in the rest of the UK, recently chairing the orienteering coaching committee. She is an active orienteer, controller and planner and has been heavily involved in the organisation of the Scottish 6 day for many years. Her profession was in outdoor education followed by teaching in a secondary school until she took early retirement and now amongst other things she carries out tutor education for sportscotland. So we were in very safe hands.

Whilst it all boiled down to a 45 minute coaching session much time was spend preparing for the big day beforehand, and much time was spend afterwards with Lynne going through the final self evaluation and reviews. Lynne shared generously of her time and enthusiasm for orienteering, drawing on her years of experience as both a coach and a coach educator.

The Gauteng based Youth and Junior Squads were invited to be the participants for the Jo’burg assessment and they spend the weekend receiving 5 intensive sessions. The only consolation for them as they ploughed their way over some rough Highveld terrain was Lynne’s presence as a reminder that it was the coaches and not the athletes that were being assessed on this day.

Unfortunately one of our coaches had to be hospitalised the day before his assessment but the rest were pleased that all the hard work paid off and that they have been assessed as being competent Level 2 UK coaches.

In the weekend between the Cape Town and Jo’burg assessments Lynne and her partner Paul managed to take in some of the sights SA has to offer and to try tackle some of the challenges of SA orienteering. But we also managed to persuade Lynne to deliver a Level 1 UK coaching course. This course equips coaches to guide participants up to an orange level course, where the coaching takes place within the safe confines of parks and schools. (By way of comparison the level 2 coaches are equipped inter alia to coach across all the technical difficulty levels and in more complex terrain). Our 5 coaches learnt much over the intensive 2 day course and are equipped with new learning’s to deliver their sessions to their athletes in the future.

Our heartfelt thanks are extended to the British Orienteering Federation (BOF) for partnering with us in this initiative, to members, Lynne Walker, Hillary and John Palmer and Pat Mee for so generously giving of their time and energy to work with our coaches and finally to the BOF CEO Mike Hamilton for allowing us to build the SA orienteering coaching model on the UK system. Undoubtedly this initiative will have a long lasting positive impact for orienteering in SA.

Having commenced with their Level 2 UK Coaching Course in October 2012 our group of 8 coaches have spent the last year working their way through various home study tasks covering topics such as coaching philosophy, physiology, nutrition, and skills development as well as ensuring that they delivered 6 specific progressive practical coaching sessions. All of this formed part of the build up to the final assessment which took place between 25 August and 8 September 2013. After a skiing accident put Pat Mee (our initial intended independent assessor) out of action we were thrilled that Lynne Walker gave of her time to travel from Scotland to put us through the steps of the final independent assessment.

Lynne is very involved in the coaching scene in Scotland and also in the rest of the UK, recently chairing the orienteering coaching committee. She is an active orienteer, controller and planner and has been heavily involved in the organisation of the Scottish 6 day for many years. Her profession was in outdoor education followed by teaching in a secondary school until she took early retirement and now amongst other things she carries out tutor education for sportscotland. So we were in very safe hands.

Whilst it all boiled down to a 45 minute coaching session much time was spend preparing for the big day beforehand, and much time was spend afterwards with Lynne going through the final self evaluation and reviews. Lynne shared generously of her time and enthusiasm for orienteering, drawing on her years of experience as both a coach and a coach educator.

The Gauteng based Youth and Junior Squads were invited to be the participants for the Joburg assessment and they spend the weekend receiving 5 intensive sessions. The only consolation for them as they ploughed their way over some rough Hiveld terrain was Lynne’s presence as a reminder that it was the coaches and not the athletes that were being assessed on this day.

  President’s Report

After another eventful year it is instructive to look back at the progress that we have made   since the launch of our Long-Term Participant Development (LTPD) model in September 2011.  From this I believe we can all derive a great deal of satisfaction for what has been achieved.  I also hope that this will fill us with renewed motivation to sustain our efforts into the future.

Our retrospect should begin with a reminder of our vision and strategy that was developed in conjunction with our LTPD model.  The SAOF’s vision is to make Orienteering a national sport accessible to all South Africans. Our mission statement:  Development Growth Excellence  reflects the belief that in order to grow the sport, development and roll-out of education pathways is required to reduce the inherent barriers to entry. With this we also recognise that excellence, which includes being internationally competitive at the highest level, will not be possible without the foundation of development and growth of the sport.

The SAOF’s strategy reflects the belief that in order to grow orienteering in South Africa we need to continue to provide education pathways to enable more people to become competent in the making of maps, in the coaching of participants and the in organising of events.

The short-term objectives set as part of the LTPD project are as follows:

Short-term objectives 3-5 years (2014-2016)

• Deliver an Awareness program to educate the SA Orienteering community about LTPD.
• Active Orienteering clubs in 5 provinces (as of 2011 we are active in two provinces)
• Improve participation Levels across all demographics.
• Target World Games Performance Improvement (2013)

Thus far we have probably fallen short of the first objective.  However, development efforts in Kwazulu-Natal and recent nascent orienteering activity in Limpopo are cause for encouragement.  Whilst club membership and participation at club events has shown slow growth of PDI members, PDI participation at schools league events is growing.  As for the World Games, it is important to emphasise that were it not for Michael Crone’s first-ever qualification for a WOC final in 2012, SASCOC would not have permitted Orienteering to participate.

These achievements represent good progress towards achieving our short-term goals.  What is even more pleasing is the progress that has been made in the development of educational pathways and provision of education opportunities.  We have established a formal agreement with British Orienteering to modify their coach education system.  Their support has culminated in the qualification of seven Level 2 orienteering coaches and five Level 1 orienteering coaches.  At the end of 2012, two Level 1 mapping courses were held and a number of the participants have gone on to make maps.  Not to be forgotten is the IOF Event Adviser course, which resulted in the accreditation of two further Event Advisers.  It is important to continue with these activities as this will underpin the sustained growth of orienteering in South Africa.

It is important to recognise the contribution of Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) and SASCOC to our efforts.  Their leadership in the LTPD and SA Coach Framework projects (SASCOC) and financial support (SRSA) is taking sport in South Africa forward.  Our active participation in these projects, not only makes sense for the development of orienteering, but also strengthens our standing within them.  This is crucial if we are to continue to develop and grow.

As a final note, it is important to recognise and acknowledge the contribution of all the volunteers that give life to our sport.  From the mappers, to (increasingly) the coaches, the administrators to all active club members who all work tirelessly to present a full calendar of orienteering events, we thank you. Lastly, I would like to convey on behalf of all orienteers thanks to the SAOF’s management committee and support personnel for their selfless work.

I look forward to working with you all in 2014 to take Orienteering in South Africa to new heights.

Garry Morrison
President SAOF
September 2013

Follow this link to read the SAOF’s 2012/13 Annual Report.

A score-orienteering activity was featured at Dainfern College’s annual Founder’s Day on Friday. Although the sport is not new to the school, many of the participants (children and a few parents) were first-time orienteers. 42 students took part, most in pairs. (more…)

On the 17th of August the Polokwane Orienteering Club together with the Mphachue Orienteering Club jointly hosted their first event at the Seshego Campus of Capricorn FET College.

Utilising the club starter kit provided by the SAOF and the map drawn by Ephraim Chuene two courses were on offer to the 28 participants.  Most of the participants were from Mphachue Secondary School together with a student teacher from the University of Limpopo, with a few from the college and a nearby school.

Mphachue Orienteering Club coach, Mary Makhobotlwane was very pleased with how the event went.  As well as praising Ephraim for the map and organisation, she also commended Mphachue learners Jill Mokonyama and Tebatso Ramodike for their help on the day, but also for their dedication in organising orienteering activities at their school.

Ephraim made it a special occasion for all the participants awarding medals to the first three on each course and a trophy to the winner.

The map for the event was drawn in OCAD by Ephraim Chuene.  It was transcribed from his hand-drawn version completed earlier in the year.  The maps are presented below for comparison.

Ephraim’s hand-drawn map of the Seshego Campus

Ephraim’s OCAD version of the Seshego Campus

The SAOF looks forward to helping the two clubs with their plans for the rest of 2013 and 2014.  The SAOF would like to acknowledge both the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and the Department of Sports and Recreation South Africa for the financial support that makes these projects possible.

The World Games 2013 has started and the orienteering events start next week! The World Games is like an ‘Olympics’ for those sporting disciplines not represented at the Olympics. 2013 World Games in Cali, Colombia from 25 July to 4 August. (more…)

The recent Gauteng Orienteering championships were held in faraway Haenertsburg in the Limpopo province. At the GOC champs there were encouraging signs of orienteering beginning to take root in the Polokwane area.
Participating in the championships were, twelve learners from nearby Mphachue Secondary School, their orienteering teacher, Mary Makhobotlwane, and former pupil, Ephraim Chuene. Ever since the SAOF Teachers’ training course held in Polokwane in August 2011, Mary and Mphachue Secondary School have embraced orienteering. Not only is orienteering offered as part of the Life Orientation syllabus as Mphachue, but it is now an official sport at the school.
On the way through to their final controlling visit to Haenertsburg, AR club members Nicholas de Klerk and Garry Morrison picked up Ephraim Chuene in Polokwane. This was an ideal coaching opportunity as the pair confirmed and marked control sites for the GOC championship events.

OCAD for Ephraim

At the end of the first day of control-site checking in the forests, Nicholas and Garry put on their SAOF hats and presented Ephraim with a laptop computer, loaded with the Starter edition of OCAD 11.

Since his introduction to orienteering at the Teachers’ training course presented by the SAOF in Polokwane in August 2011, Ephraim has taken to the sport like a fish to water.  He has shown a particular passion for mapping and has produced some fine hand-drawn maps.  Inspired by his attendance at the SAOF Introductory mapping course in December 2012, he has since produced a number of additional hand-drawn orienteering maps.  Some examples are reproduced in this post.

Now armed with a laptop loaded with OCAD the SAOF is supporting Ephraim in his mapping efforts.

Club Starter Kit

A selection of Ephraim’s Hand-drawn maps

At the GOC champs prize-giving ceremony the SAOF presented Ephraim with a club starter kit.  With this we aim to support Ephraim towards his goal of starting an orienteering club in Seshego.  Seshego is a suburb on the outskirts of Polokwane where Ephraim attends college.  He has already mapped the college campus, where Nicholas and Garry have already completed a course set on Ephraim’s hand-drawn map at the end of their scouting weekend.

The SAOF is also in the process of providing a club starter kit to Mphachue Secondary School.  Their orienteering coach, Mary, is keenly assisted by a number of learners who have now attended both the SA O champs in September 2012 and the GOC champs in 2013.  Their enthusiasm and Ephraim’s talent for map-making means that, with the support of the SAOF, we are witnessing the birth of regular orienteering in the Polokwane area.

These initiatives are part of the SAOF’s projects to grow and develop the sport of orienteering more widely within South Africa.  The SAOF would like to acknowledge both the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and the Department of Sports and Recreation South Africa for the financial support that makes these projects possible.

This is an article from an issue of Orienteering World magazine, published in late 2012. (more…)

We’ve had a busy few OSL days with the annual Orienteering Camp this past weekend and the Orienteering Schools League Final on Monday afternoon at the lovely Kloofendal Nature Reserve. (more…)