Spotlight on our University Orienteering Clubs: Oxford University Orienteering Club (OUOC)

What made you want to start/become involved with your university orienteering club?

Samuel: I’ve been orienteering since 2012, so I was fairly experienced when I came to university, but I didn’t know many people outside of my home club. I met a couple of people at the 2019 British Middles and found out we were going to university together, and OUOC became a way to hang out with my friends from orienteering, as well as make some new ones! The university environment of having so many of my peers of all levels around me was also really great for training and improving my orienteering, and provided insights into training that I’d never have had otherwise.

Harry: I started orienteering at university after getting bored of running during the pandemic and giving the sport a go at the club’s annual cuppers competition. Given the collegiate nature of Oxford it also made it easier to meet others outside of the college bubble and engage in a sport with like minded people.

Typically, how often do you meet as a group? How do you factor things in like travel? 

S: The group has sessions most days for those who want them, with a variety of trainings aimed at different levels. Most of the trainings are based in Oxford, and so you can run or cycle to them without issue. When we go away to races or trainings outside of Oxford, the club can rent cars through the university sports federation at reasonable cost, to be driven by club members approved by SportsFed (only requires holding an offence-free drivers license for 12 months). Additionally, a couple of club members have cars of their own, and we are able to hitch lifts off members of the local club TVOC where possible. The club covers the costs of hiring cars through an annual SportsFed grant, and we split fuel costs between car passengers.
Typical training week (plus additional runs generally done solo or through the cross-country club):

• Monday – S&C (performance squad only) + women’s run
• Tuesday – rest day
• Wednesday – group interval session
• Thursday – easy club run + pasta social afterwards
• Friday – S&C (performance squad only)
• Saturday – technical training or race
• Sunday – technical training or race
  

H: We go on a club run at least once a week and also try and do some map work. There are a decent number of events local enough to Oxford and members of the surrounding public clubs willing to provide lifts that we are able to get to most local events without trouble. If we can’t easily get to events the club aims to organise something map based within Oxford or nearby Shotover.

What advice would you give to freshers/newcomers to the sport?

S: Stick with it, and come to as many socials & trainings as possible! So many of our new members this year had never tried orienteering at all until this year, and are now hooked on the sport. OUOC is a really friendly and welcoming club, and it really helps to have a close group of friends outside of your academic life to relax with.
You improve really rapidly too at the beginning, so even if it feel hard at first you should stick at it – one of my personal highlights from this year was bringing a fresher from no experience whatsoever all the way up to completing their age cat elite course at BOC!

H: OUOC has a fantastic balance of fresh starters and those who have been doing it since childhood. If you fear that you won’t be good enough because you’ve never run with a map before, or that you will be too slow to keep up on club runs then do not worry! We are a welcoming bunch and glad to have anyone come and join us, our club runs always go at the pace of the slowest member and we don’t drop people! If you’re an experienced orienteer then there’s a lot of opportunities to take part at a higher level – e.g. in BUCS (see below) and the annual varsity match against Cambridge.

Can you share any of your highlights as a club over the past year?

S: All trips away with the club are incredibly fun and great for socialising or making new friends. This year we ran our annual winter training camp along with CUOC in the lake district, the varsity match (OUOC vs. CUOC & JOK vs. DRONGO) in Dartmoor, and went to Cambridge for BUCS as well.

Often we will also have a group tour to S6D or Lakes 5, and to the JK. We also have tours to other countries; in the last few years OUOC has been to Czechia for the 2023 varsity match and Switzerland for the 2023 European University Championships.

H: Last year we competed in the European Unis Orienteering Championships in St Gallen, Switzerland which was a massive highlight and very different terrain to that of Oxfordshire! We also had a fantastic week in the lakes on a winter training camp where everyone bonded and got to know each other better.

What do you value most about being a member of your club?

S: Having friends close by to train with who understand orienteering is a major benefit of OUOC. It’s so much easier to stay motivated and do the necessary training when you have a good group with you who are all interested in the same thing.
Additionally, being a member of OUOC has given me the ability to meet so many of my now close friends in other clubs, through competitions such as BUCS, multidays, BOC etc, as well as through opportunities such as coaching at Lagganlia which I would have never heard about without OUOC.

H: OUOC is the best community I have encountered at university (and I’ve been here 6 years now…). Nowhere else have I found such like-minded individuals who are able to strike the right balance of friendliness and competitiveness. Everyone pulls together to help the club to run smoothly in all aspects from sport to social. Since the club is mixed gender and the vast majority of us don’t drink we are able to create a welcoming environment to anyone who wants to give orienteering a go!

Are there any key skills you have gained in being a committee member and a volunteer for the club?

S: Being president of OUOC last year has given me a much greater understanding of how to organise and manage a large group of people, that is applicable in many areas outside of orienteering too. It has taught me how to properly plan group trainings and coach a group at a high level.

Being on the OUOC committee has also allowed me to understand the logistics behind high level orienteering better in all areas, from event planning to kit design and suppliers!

H: I’ve learnt how to organise a large orienteering event. Or at least I think I have - come to the Oxford City Race on the 27^th of October to find out one way or the other!

The British University Orienteering Championships take place each year. Can you tell us more about your experience from this year’s event and why they are a great opportunity for university clubs across the country to come together to compete?

H: This year BUCS was held in Cambridge, with an unusual forest individual & sprint relay format. Overall OUOC had mixed results, with few people having good runs on both days, but we managed to hold off DUOC to keep 4th place overall thanks to strong runs in the women’s sprint relay. I personally has a solid run in the individual to be 1st Oxford and 28th overall and then torpedoed our chances in the relay, going out in 2nd after an excellent 1st leg by Tom Wood and making 4 minutes of mistakes by missing a control out and having to go back for it!

On the whole, BUCS is a great way to meet loads of new people in the university orienteering clubs and to test yourself against them to see where your ability is going into the major spring UK races. There is also ample socialisation opportunity, with a meal for everyone after the individual and a night out after in the hosting city if you’re interested!
BUCS also offers opportunities to qualify for the European (as a club) or World (as an individual) University championships, which can be a good stepping stone towards senior international competitions, especially for those who didn’t have the chance to run internationally as a junior.

S: While I was sadly too busy to compete personally in BUCS this year OUOC sent a large contingent of varying experience to take part in this year’s BUCS. Being able to take part in events is always a highlight and doing that around such a large group of similarly aged people only makes it better. It’s also an opportunity to forge new friendships outside of university and given the relatively niche nature of the sport they are people you will likely meet again in the future.

What are your aims as a club in the upcoming year?

H: As a club next year, OUOC main aim is to qualify for the 2025 European University Championships in Poland by coming 4th or higher as a club at BUCS. We also want to beat CUOC in the Varsity Match, which will be held in Dorset in February.

S: We’re running the largest Oxford City Race we’ve ever run which is a massive undertaking. We’re also aiming to do something involving a map every week and this might be my first year at the club where we completely beat Cambridge at varsity! If we do well in BUCS then we’re looking forward to the next European Unis championships in Poland later in the year too!

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Find out more about OUOC by visiting their website, where you will find all their details of the latest events and details on how to join. You can also follow him on social media via their Instagram and Facebook account.