US Junior National TeamApplication Information for 2016

(Please Read Carefully)

The Junior Team Executive Steering Committee (JTESC) would like to invite junior orienteers (born in 1996 or later) to apply for the 2016 US Junior National Team (JNT) – the new name for the Junior Standing Team (2013-2014). The team will consist of approximately 10 young men and 10 young women committed to training at a high level for the sport.

The Junior National Team is not the same as the team which will represent the USA at the Junior World Orienteering Championships (aka the JWOC Team). Furthermore, one does not have to be a member of the JNT to be selected for the 2016 JWOC team. However, the JNT will prepare athletes well for JWOC, as well as other competitions, and is designed to help athletes get the training and coaching opportunities to become internationally competitive athletes. For more information on the JNT and JWOC Team selection, please see the Orienteering USA website. You may also contact US Junior National Coach Erin Schirm with questions (erinschirm@gmail.com; 845-364-1752).

Selection of the JNT will be conducted by JTESC, which will use the performance targets described below as guides to selecting qualified juniors.

Performance Targets

Navigation:

Racing Performance: Have a ranking and/or experience racing on advanced level courses (Brown, Green, Red and Blue courses are advanced level in the US)

Navigational Skills: Be able to apply the five skills of precise and rough map reading, precise and rough compass bearings, and distance estimation, on an orienteering course

Technique Knowledge: Have some understanding of the following terms: handrails, catching features, collecting features, attack points, relocation, and route choice identification

Physical Fitness:

You should be able to run for at least 50 minutes continuously, be comfortable doing physical training at least four days a week, and meet one of the following fitness standards:

Time (minutes)Distance Men Women1 mile 5:10 6:303 kilometers 10:15 12:555 kilometers 17:50 22:15

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These times should be from an official race on the track, a USATF-certified road race, or cross country race, to insure that the distances are accurate; or by time trial with a coach present.

Please note if you have not yet met the times above, the JTESC and Coach Erin encourage you to apply for the JNT anyway.

Athlete Expectations

Athletes on the Junior National Team will be expected to perform the following tasks:

1. Have an up-to-date training log on Attackpoint.org at the end of every week; for this purpose, each week will start with Monday and end with Sunday.

2. Have a personal coach and follow a well laid out training plan approved by the Junior National Coach (JNC).

3. Communicate immediately with the JNC if you cannot train due to injury, sickness, or any other reason.

4. Participate in one monthly team conference call.

5. Participate in weekly training group calls.

6. Perform course reviews at local meets or training events with juniors running white, yellow and orange courses when asked.

7. Help at Team fundraisers as requested by the JNC and organizing volunteers.

8. Write public communications and blog posts as requested by the Junior Program publicity Coordinator or JNC.

9. Set courses, training exercises, or lead orienteering educational activities at one event per year.

10. Fill out an athlete profile form which will be provided by JNC.

Additional responsibilities for JNT members chosen to be Captains:

1. Encourage teammates in their training.

2. Keep an eye out for teammates’ behavior that could result in violations of IOF, OUSA, and JNT policies. Proactively help these athletes make better decisions before damage is done. Consult JNC as needed.

3. Remind team members of their training obligations and goals in the context of the growth of the team.

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2016 Application

Athlete Information:

Name:First M.I. Last

Street Address:

City State Zip code

Date of Birth: Gender (M/F):

School: Grade / Year:

Home Phone: Cell Phone:

E-mail Address:

Primary Orienteering Club: Orienteering USA Member #:

Parent / Guardian Information: For duplicate information, write “same” or “same as …”

Name:First M.I. Last

Relationship:

Street Address:

City State Zip code

Phone #s - Home: Cell: Work

E-mail Address:

Other Parent / Guardian Information: For duplicate information, write “same” or “same as …”

Name:First M.I. Last

Relationship:

Street Address:

City State Zip code

Phone #s - Home: Cell: Work

E-mail Address:

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2016 Application(continued)

Current / Recent PerformanceIf you do not know your numbers, you may leave the answer blank; include what you do know. Feel free to provide any additional information that you think is relevant. For running times please provide date, race location, and name of race.

Track /Road Running Times: 1 mile 3 km 5 km

On which class(es) do you have an OUSA ranking?

On which courses do you compete at national and/or club events?

Orienteering Reference/Coach: If one is a parent /guardian, please enter in next section

Relationship:

Name:First M.I. Last

Street Address:

City State Zip code

Phone #s - Home: Cell: Work

E-mail: Primary O-club:

Secondary Orienteering Reference:If a parent /guardian, just enter relationship

Relationship:

Name:First M.I. Last

Street Address:

City State Zip code

Phone #s - Home: Cell: Work

E-mail: Primary O-club:

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2016 Application(continued)

Please respond to the following questions:

Q1. What personal outcome and process orienteering goals do you have? What would you like to accomplish as an orienteer on the Junior National Team?

Q2. Describe one training camp you have attended and what you learned at the camp.

Q3. Describe a race that did not go well. What did you learn about yourself from that race?

Q4. How much time are you willing to dedicate each week to becoming a better orienteer?

Q5. Describe the physical training you have been doing? What is a typical long run for you?

Q6. Have you attended any international orienteering events? Have you attended national events (formerly known as A-meets)? What did you take away about your ability to compete?

Q7. If you have had injuries that have prevented you from training recently, please describe here.

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2016 Application(continued)

Do you participate in any other sports? If not, skip questions Q8 – Q10. (Be sure to answer Q11.)

Q8. In which sports besides orienteering do you participate, and at what level of competition?

Q9. How will your other sports impact your orienteering training and competing?

Q10. Please provide the contact info for your coaches in other sports. (The Junior Team Coach may contact them to find out more about you, let them know about your desire to be on the JNT, ask for their support, and see if we can work something out.)

Personal Statement

Please provide a personal statement (100-200 words) to help the JNC get to know you. Discussing this with other orienteers you know might help you develop your thoughts.

If you are not a 2015 National Team member, you might wish to address these questions: How has orienteering benefited you since you first tried it? What could you offer to your orienteering club and the O community? What do you dream of accomplishing in orienteering? What else would you like the JNC to know about you?

If you are a 2015 Junior Standing Team member re-applying for 2016, please address these questions:

Describe how you have impacted the team and the Team has impacted you. What goals did you accomplish this year? In 2016, what would you like to improve for yourself and what would you like to see

improved on the team?

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Please type on the page below

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Athlete Contract

In order to be considered for selection to the US Junior National Team, you must agree to the following conditions. Please initial on the lines provided to indicate such agreement.

If you are using the Word version, please type your initials (UPPER CASE).

Initials

1. I agree to train each week based on the volume and specificity in my personal training plan.

2. I agree to run in enough nationally sanctioned races to maintain a USA ranking score. (four individual nationally sanctioned race are required for an official ranking)

3. I agree to adhere to all IOF and international rules of competition for the sport of orienteering. I agree to adhere to all OUSA safety and behavior policies at official team functions, camps, events, and on all official team trips. I agree to abstain from taking illegal drugs and participating in any illegal activity while on the US junior national team. The following are links to the IOF rules page orienteering.org and the OUSA safety handbook http://www.orienteeringusa.org/us-teams/junior/junior-safety

4. I agree to proactively work with and communicate with my teachers and school administrators, employers, and secondary sport coaches, as applicable, so that I can uphold my commitments to the US JNT.

5. I agree to perform all requirements as described above in the athlete expectations section of this application

6. I acknowledge that failure to comply with the above conditions may result in consequences meted out by Orienteering USA and/or the JNC.

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Signatures

By signing below, I attest that the information being submitted on this application is substantially my own work, and is a truthful representation of my ambitions and my character. I further attest that I am familiar with and agree to all the conditions, as initialed, in the Athlete Contract.

If using the Word version of the application form, sign by typing full (first middle last) name on the signature line and leaving the printed name line blank.

Athlete

Signature: Date:

Please print name:

If athlete is under 18 years of age:

Parent / Guardian

Signature: Date:

Please print name:

Submission

Please submit the application to, Erin Schirm, US Junior National Coach, by any of these methods: Mail it, with a postmark no later than Monday December 21st , to:

Erin Schirm107 Elizabeth WaySan Rafael, CA 94901

Scan it, and e-mail it (preferably as a PDF file) to erinschirm@gmail.com, no later than Monday December 21.

If you are using the Word version of the application form, e-mail the completed form as a Word document (.doc, .docx) file to erinschirm@gmail.com, no later than Monday December 21st.

Please feel free to contact Coach Erin Schirm (erinschirm@gmail.com or 845-364-1752) at any time with questions, or if you are having trouble completing the application.

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Addendum 1

Permission to Traveland

Medical and Emergency Contact Information~ In the case of siblings, please complete one form for each athlete ~

Section A: To be completed for all participants:

Orienteering is an outdoor athletic activity. Athlete has the following special allergies or medical problems:

________________________________________________________________________________________

__________

Athlete’s Hospitalization Carrier and Policy Number:________________________________________________________

TWO parent/relative emergency contact phone number(s):________________________&_________________________

Section B: to be completed for all participants under age 18. At least one signature is required:

______________________________________________________________________, the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) name/s

Parent/Legal Guardian of _________________________________________, hereby authorize(s) (Name of Athlete/s)

junior national coach and OUSA officially designated coaches and adults to chaperone their son/daughter during national

(Name of Athlete/s)

orienteering training camps, trips and races, which may include interstate and international travel.

______________________________ ________Signature of Parent or Legal Guardian Date

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Addendum 2

Parent / Guardian Volunteering Opportunities

Please review the following list of areas in which help is needed for the Team, and select at least one in which you would be interested/willing to contribute:

Enter “X” to select

Team fundraising

Organizing team travel arrangements for races.

Team publicity and media communications

Other (please specify):

Notes (anything you wish to convey):

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Addendum 3

2016 Team Calendar

April 22- 25 2016 JWOC team Selections – Locations TBD (Mandatory Event)

May 19-24+ (24-30), 2016 National Training Camp 1 – Colorado Springs (important if competing at JWOC)

June 14-24, 2016 National Training Camp 2 – Finland, Jukola relay and JWOC 2016 Training

July 2-8, 2016 Pre-JWOC training – Camp Engadin Valley, Switzerland (JWOC Team Only)

July 9-15, 2016 JWOC Competition week – Engadin Valley, Switzerland (JWOC Team Only)

September 23-25, 2016 North American Orienteering Championships – Hanover NH (Mandatory Event) October 13-17, National Training Camp 3 – MN/Wisconsin near Minneapolis.

Regional Training Camp Schedule

Jan 2016 – BAOC training camp, Anza Borego (TBA)Feb 2016 – Vancouver Sprint Camp TBAFeb 2016 – West Coast Regional training camp, Tucson, Arizona (Tentative/TBA)

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Addendum 4Financial Considerations

When you are considering applying for the JNT you should consider the financial commitment. The expectations of an athlete participating on the JNT are:

1. Maintain a national ranking which includes a minimum of 4 race days2. Attend Team Trials3. Attend NAOC4. Attend at least 1 training camp

With this in mind, getting to one A meet and NAOC would give you a ranking for 2016. If you are trying out for the JWOC team, the ranking period is from April 2015 up to team trials 2016. If you have no ranking races from 2015 and you think you will need a ranking score to make the JWOC team you may need to factor in two A meets in spring 2016 before team trials. NAOC will have 3 race days which will count towards JWOC 2017 trials. The following table is a general breakdown of high and low prices for each event. Please note that these prices are subject to change depending on your location, changing costs of housing, transportation, and board coasts.Training Camp/race

Travel to location

Accommodation Transportation at location

Equipment or entry

Food Coaching Total

Team Trials

$250-400

$0-20 $20 $30-40 $60 - $380-540

Colorado Training Camp

$250-350

$30-40 $50 $30 $100 $25 $485-595

Finland Training Camp

$800-1400

Based on a price of $80 a day

$1600-2200

JWOC $800-1400

Based on estimate $1000 for athletes

$1800-2400

NAOC $250-400

$50 $30 $30-50 $70 - $430-600

Minnesota Training Camp

$200-400

$0-40 $50 $30-40 $100 $25 $405-655

Other A meet

$250-400

$0-50 $20 $20-40 $60 - $350-570

Total $2,800 – 4,350

$5450-7560

Please note: JWOC is not mandatory. The price per athlete at JWOC is based on two weeks and may be reduced with significant fundraising.

For the Finland training camp the best estimate at this time is $80-90 a day. The price reflected in the table is $80 per day.

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The total is based on doing everything. You can factor out each event and see what is manageable for you.

There may be local options for training camps and races which would make costs cheaper. Again these are rough estimates and may change depending on when you make travel arrangements, availability of free or cheeping lodging, and transportation costs in a given area. Another financial Consideration is uniform costs. In this case if you have a uniform from last year you do not need to purchase a new one. You can buy pieces to replace old ones. If you are new to the team you will need a basic uniform of pants, socks, shirt, and jacket. Looking at costs from last year roughly the basic uniform will be $120-150 and more if you are purchasing additional items.

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