The Junior Squad is for all members of TVOC who are aged 18 or under. We compete in various regional and national competitions each year and have occasional training sessions.
In July 2024, we finished second in the national final of the inter-club Yvette Baker Trophy (YBT) competition for junior orienteering squads. The final was held at Northaw Great Wood near Potters Bar, where 14 members of the Squad competed against other teams (and battled against the torrential rain and thunder). We were one of six larger clubs from across the country who qualified for the YBT national final through different regional heats held throughout the Spring.
This photo, courtesy of David Dixon, shows the TVOC juniors who managed to stay for the 2024 YBT prizegiving (once the sun had come out) with their 2nd place trophy.
In July 2023, we also finished second in the YBT national final that was held in Doncaster. This means that the TVOC Junior Squad has now finished second for the second year in a row! Only beaten by a much larger squad from South Yorkshire.
This photo, courtesy of Wendy Carlyle, shows the TVOC junior squad with their 2nd place trophy at the 2023 YBT final.
As a result of competing in a regional qualifying round in March 2025, the TVOC Junior Squad have qualified for the YBT National Final in July 2025 – this is the fifth year in a row that we have qualified for the YBT final.
The 2022 YBT final was held at Irchester Country Park in Northamptonshire, where we finished 6th overall; and in 2021 it was held at Westonbirt Arboretum, where we finished 5th overall.
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In September 2023, we competed in the Peter Palmer Relay, which is a night/day team relay event for junior squads. All competitors stayed overnight together on the Saturday and then the relay started before dawn on the Sunday morning, with the first two legs undertaken in the dark and the next four legs as the light increased.
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Juniors who have participated in 3 colour-coded course events in the last 12 months are eligible for a club top, which can be exchanged for a larger size when out-grown. More details can be found on the TVOC clothing page.
The Thames Valley Junior Orienteering League runs in conjunction with TVOC’s Saturday Series. All juniors, whether members of TVOC or not, will be included in the 2025 Junior League when participating in Saturday Series events throughout 2025 (on Yellow, Orange, Red, Light Green and Green courses, when available).
To find out more about the Junior Squad, contact Nathan Taylor, Junior Rep, via email.
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Once juniors are competing on Orange courses on their own, we encourage participation in the South Central Orienteering Association (SCOA) Junior Squad training sessions, along with juniors from other regional clubs.
SCOA Junior Squad
The SCOA Junior Squad welcomes any enthusiastic TVOC junior who is at least competent on Orange courses and attempting to improve at Light Green courses. We generally meet monthly on Saturday training days and focus on specific navigation skills. Typically, the training days start at 10:30 with a warm up jog and a stretching session. There should then be about an hour’s rest for a packed lunch, and the session should finish by 15:00.
AIMS
• To help SCOA junior athletes to maximise their potential through squad orienteering coaching.
• To motivate junior athletes and coaches by creating an atmosphere that stimulates enjoyment from training, coaching, competition and meeting other juniors with similar orienteering interests.
• To provide British Orienteering and UK Home Countries with talented and motivated junior athletes.
SCOA juniors take part in several national competitions each year and can be selected for summer tours in the UK and overseas. More information can be found on: https://www.jros.org.uk/
Please contact Simon Kippin by email if you want to know more.
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Photos courtesy of Wendy Carlyle and Paul Taylor