Junior Development Squads

Junior Development Squad and Fees

The focus of the Junior Development Squad is to encourage junior members to get the most from the sport that they want to achieve personally, to help them progress in their capabilities by building their confidence and technical abilities, to ensure they enjoy themselves and to foster a long term commitment to the sport.

All junior LVO Club Members, irrespective of experience or ability, are eligible to sign up for the LVO Junior Development Squad. They must complete an application form and a parent or guardian must sign a permission slip. Once a junior has signed up then they can avail of the LVO Junior incentive scheme and will be included in all communications and invited to all appropriate training events.

The results of performances on races for all Junior Development Squad members will be monitored and this information is used to encourage juniors and to inform their selection for advancement into the Junior Talent Squad should they desire to do so.

There is no additional fee for joining the LVO Junior Development Squad but there is a small fee to join LVO. At each event there will be a registration fee, which varies, but for juniors this is normally very low and only a few pounds.

LVO Junior Talent Squad

The LVO Junior Talent Squad is by invitation only from the LVO Junior Development Squad. The purpose of the LVO Junior Talent Squad is to support those athletes that have demonstrated talent in the sport and that wish to compete as representatives of the club.  It is also an expectation that members of the LVO Junior Talent Squad will be seeking to gain a place or hold a place on the Irish or N Irish Junior Squads.

The LVO Junior Talent Squad forms the pool from which athletes are selected to represent the club at competition level events or in competition series. In such cases funding may be made available to support LVO Junior Talent Squad members in terms of the cost of competing.

Specific training is provided for the LVO Junior Talent Squad and this focuses upon helping members to achieve high competitive results.

LVO Junior Talent Squad members are expected to contribute to club life through engagement in wider activities such as, but not exclusively, helping to organise events, assisting control set out and collection, assisting new comers, providing coaching to other juniors and helping to plan courses.

Selection into the LVO Junior Talent Squad is by invitation only by the LVO Junior Development Officer. Those juniors wishing to be considered for selection into the talent squad must:

• Be in age group W/M 12 or older up to and including W/M18.
• Have reached a technical level where you are achieving consistently high performances on an age appropriate level from TD3 courses and above (orange and above). As a guide orienteering regularly at less than 15 minutes per Km (BOF Silver Racing Challenge Award level).
• Have demonstrated commitment to improve your orienteering. As a guide regular attendance at a variety of events.

LVO has a successful talent squad with juniors from the club representing Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Parental/Guardian Responsibilities

Parents/Guardians are responsible for signing permission forms and for authorising membership of the Junior Development Squad and Junior Talent Squad.

Parents/Guardians are responsible to the transport of juniors to and from training events and race locations unless otherwise notified.

Parents/guardians are responsible for covering any costs resulting from junior member participation. In certain circumstances financial support may be made available by the club to offset costs. Notification will be provided if this is the case.

For local race and or training events to which Parents/Guardians bring junior members then those Parents/Guardians are required to remain at the venue and may be asked to help support the activity.  Juniors are not to be left without the presence of the Parent/Guardian.