Contacts:
Membership & BAOC Magazine ("The Navigator"):
Fixtures:
Want to join up? Easy! Simply click here for the Membership Form (in Adobe PDF format), print the form, fill it in and send it to Calvin Routledge at the address on the form. The form will be actioned and your details added to our membership list (we are registered under the Data Protection Act).
This page is divided into two main sections beneath the Preface. You will find information about BAOC and Orienteering in general.
BAOC’s aim is to promote orienteering throughout the Army and to help us do this we maintain close links with both the Army Orienteering Association (AOA), which controls orienteering as military training and with the British Orienteering Federation (BOF) which controls civilian orienteering. BAOC provides a link into the world of civilian orienteering that enables you to compete at all levels. Membership is open to all past, present or even future Army personnel and all dependants. BAOC competes at all the major team events.
Please note that membership runs from 1 Jan to 31 Dec, unless joining after 1 Oct, when membership lasts until 31 Dec of the next year. Full BOF members then get a renewal notice direct from BOF at each year’s end, whilst club only members should renew direct to me at BAOC using the club form each December.
The majority of our members move regularly and therefore find it difficult to identify with a specific local club. BAOC, having members world wide, has methods of communication that are better geared to frequent movers. The largest proportion of our members are in the SCOA area, probably because this includes Aldershot, so we are affiliated to SCOA, but we also have members in every other BOF region, especially SEOA & SWOA. As a BAOC member you are permitted to join any regional association, whether you are living there, or not. You can also change your regional Association at any time by just informing BOF & BAOC. We also recommend that you join your local club as a 'club only' member for training, social & local information purposes.
If you are joining us as a full BOF member your application will go on to BOF, who enter your details on their computer and inform your region. They also confirm back to BAOC and yourself, once they have allocated you a BOF number. You will receive your membership card within a few weeks and if ordered, your Compass Sport magazine direct from the publishers. The magazine is highly recommended as it is the orienteers main source of information, especially about fixtures. If your region produces a newsletter you will also get this starting with the next issue. If you are only taking out BAOC club membership your details will obviously only be held by BAOC and as such you will get our occasional newsletter and regular ‘O’ Magazine 'The Navigator'.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any problems and we hope to see you at an event soon.
In this section you will find information on:
Orienteering has become an activity with a well defined structure of organisations both within the Army and outside. An orienteer in the Army can take part at many levels and must decide how involved she/he wishes to be. These notes describe the purpose and organisation of the BAOC, details of how to join and the advantages of club membership. They also cover the civilian orienteering scene, outlining the type of events available and how to progress to the highest levels in orienteering.
The part that BAOC plays within the Army has often been misunderstood. This has been due in part to the fact that the AOA was formed after BAOC. Prior to the AOA, BAOC was the largest formed group of orienteers within the Army that represented participants without regard to Rank, Corps or Regiment. BAOC members were involved in Army Orienteering and the impression arose that BAOC was the Army body for orienteering. Now that the AOA exists as a formal organisation, BAOC is seen in its original role, although due to the small number of active organisers etc. the same person could be found as a rep of the AOA, their Corps as well as BAOC.
BAOC is an orienteering club open to all serving members of the Army (which includes Regulars, TA, Reservists and Cadets), their families, MOD Civil Servants in the Army establishments, members of the appropriate defence industries and to those who were members before leaving the service. Membership is also open to civilians whose interests would be best served by BAOC e.g. members of the British community in Germany.
The club is principally concerned with the sporting aspects of orienteering, although the military side is recognised and fostered by the decision to introduce events that combine shooting and navigation i.e. Felthavellen. BAOC does not represent the Army, that is the role of the AOA. The club sits firmly on the fence between Civilian and Army orienteering. It is a British Orienteering Federation (BOF) affiliated club and is also represented at AOA meetings. The members take part in civilian events and BAOC enters teams in events in the BOF calendar. The club runs events in its own name, on behalf of the AOA, or BOF and its regions.
BAOC is affiliated to BOF through the South Central Orienteering Association (SCOA), but places its members through whichever region is most appropriate. This ensures that our members receive the regional newsletter and entrance to regional closed championships that suit their location. It also means that members do not continually have to change clubs on moving. In Germany it has become accepted that Army events can be designated as qualifying for the BOF National Badge Standard awards, this was arranged by a BAOC member.
The club serves it members by:
a. Placing membership through the region of their choice to avoid changing clubs on moving.
b. Providing a voice for the 'sport' in AOA and the Army orienteer in BOF.
c. Providing information and advice, normally through the club magazine 'The Navigator'.
d. Protecting the organiser of events in which civilians participate by registering the event as a club event in the BOF insurance scheme. THE MOD WILL NOT ACCEPT LIABILITY in most cases.
e. Opportunities to participate in civilian team events. Entry fees are frequently subsidised by club funds and sufficient teams are usually entered for all who wish to take part, rather than the select few.
f. We help juniors by assisting with expenses when representing the Army at home, or overseas.
The above details should have given an idea of the superb democratic organisation that exist to permit an individual to get wet, dirty, tired and also lost in a forest, correctly! Anyone wishing to orienteer purely at Army events or those who are members of BOF through another club are also welcome as club only members. Anyone wishing to widen their orienteering into the civilian side is advised to join BOF through BAOC. To join, download and print out the Application Form and send it in.
In this section you will find information about:
BOF is the governing body for orienteering in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It represents the UK in the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) and is responsible for all aspects of the sport, from the International Squad to beginners. BOF is organised in 3 tiers:
a. Clubs: At the lower level there are the affiliated clubs of which BAOC is one. Most of the clubs are based on a particular area or institution e.g. Southampton Orienteering Club (SOC) and the Southampton University Orienteering Club. Clubs run beginners and club events, larger events may be run either by themselves or with others. Club activities also include social, instruction, newsletter and information.
b. Regions: All clubs are affiliated to a region which has boundaries aligned to the Sports Council regions (see map). The region is run by a Committee of its constituent clubs which form the channel of communication from the club to BOF. Regions run training courses and major events in their own name or with other regions or on behalf of BOF. The principal communication with orienteers is through a regional newsletter.
c. BOF: The Council is the main body of the federation formed from elected officers and regional representatives and others supported by specialist committees and a small professional office. The major methods of communication are through the Compass Sport Magazine (8 issues a year) and the quarterly BOF News. BOF is responsible for national events which are delegated to regions for each particular year. The committees look after aspects such as coaching, competitions etc. They also form working parties for special projects. They are heavily involved with the Sports Council and sponsors for events and teams, plus many other activities involved in a growing sport.
The membership structure is somewhat complex for adults, the more you pay the more you are eligible to do or receive. Juniors have special consideration. Subscriptions are made of three components - Club, Region and BOF. The regional element varies. The BOF portion is not used to provide for the International Squad, they get their cash via the Sports Council, sponsors and self help. The terms used are:
Junior: A person ceases to be a junior on 1st Jan in the year of the 21st birthday.
These are graded so that a standard code is used throughout the sport as follows:
C = Cross Country, R = Relay, S = Score, N = Night, U = Urban, X = Closed (limited to a specific club/region)
1 = Champs, JK & International, 2 = National, 3 = Badge Standard, 4 = Colour Coded, 5 = Local/CATI
e.g. NC3 = night cross country event of Badge Standard.
Lists of events are published in both the BOF News and the Compass Sport magazine and generally take place on Sundays. At an event it is usual to provide a variety of courses. A badge event will usually provide two courses for every age class, one Long and one Short, and additional courses within the largest age groups. An M21 running a Long course at a badge event would expect his course length to be something of the region of 13 or 14 kms, M35 and M20 about 10.5kms and W19 about 7.5 kms. Most badge and championships events require entries in advance, for the larger events this can be 1 or 2 months ahead of the event.
As BAOC is open to anyone, including dependants and ex-military we are classed as open. A closed club is based on an institution which does not have outside members. Under BOF rules a competitor can only run competitively for one club each year, but BOF have agreed that BAOC members can run for another open club within the Compass Sport Cup as there is no way we can compete, as we do not cover all age groups.
Courses at badge events and above are split by age as follows:
W/M65 = 65 and >, W/M60 = 60 to 64, W/M55 = 55 to 59, W/M50 = 50 to 54, W/M45 = 45 to 49, W/M40 = 40 to 44, W/M35 = 35 to 39, W/M21 = 21 to 34, W/M20 = 19 & 20, W/M18 =17 & 18, W/M16 = 15 & 16, W/M14= 13 & 14, W/M12 =11 & 12 W/M10,10 & < W10
Change in class takes place on 1 Jan so a competitor who is 17 in September runs M/W18 from 1Jan of that year.
To encourage participation there is a badge scheme which provides 'awards' based on performance in championship and badge standard events. There are 5 grades of badge awarded within the BOF age groups.
Gold, Silver, Bronze & Iron: Awarded at championship/badge events. Competitors must compete on their own and reach the required standard in 3 events within 2 yrs. Full details are in BOF Rules. On long courses badges are awarded for performances as follows:
Gold Better than average of first 3 competitors, plus 25%.
Silver Better than average of first 3 competitors, plus 50%.
Bronze Better than average of first 3 competitors, plus 100%.
Iron Successful completion of a course