New readers start here: so what is Points East, and why has it suddenly arrived on your door mat? The front cover provides the clue: this is the newsletter of the East Anglian Orienteering Association. Look inside and the Minutes of the AGM tell the whole tale. Last June the existing membership of EAOA (members of EAOA clubs who were also members of BOF) voted to alter the membership structure so that all members of East Anglian clubs became members of EAOA, so you get Points East as a member of an EAOA club.
Points East has a large number of regular features. There is always an Editorial (normally somewhat more controversial than this one!), a Chairman's Chat, a Mapping Corner, a Junior Points East, a shortened version of the Committee minutes and a Fixtures List. Frequently there are notices of courses being put on in East Anglia: for 2000 we have a free Planners' course coming up in April, a free Mappers' course at the end of the year and probably a heavily subsidised First Aid course later this year - why not make up your mind to improve at least one of these skills? We also have letters to the Editor, or at least the parts that the writers consider to be fit to print, so write in (address opposite) and let rip - others do!
This time, in addition to the above, I am including the Minutes of the 1999 AGM, ready for those of you who are going to be flocking to the 2000 AGM but no room this time for the new Constitution to help you to understand what you have been joined to. To be honest, though, I have to admit that I think that Points East will give you a much better idea than these of what is really going on in East Anglian orienteering. Read the Committee Minutes to appreciate the amount of work that your representatives put in on your behalf: we have 4 Committee members who serve on BOF committees, which normally meet at Crewe which is quite a journey from EA! The EA Committee itself meets in Newmarket on a Friday evening - a long drive for many of your reps.. There is not always the space to spare, but this time I was particularly anxious to list both those Present and those who sent Apologies so that you would know which member(s) of your club are representing your views on the Committee - tell them what YOU think; they would love to hear, or tell me - my back is broad!
As you read Eleanor West's Junior PE over the months you will soon come to appreciate the considerable success of our steadily improving Junior Squad. Last year they pulled themselves convincingly off the bottom of the placings in the Junior Inter-Regional Competition (more than one regional newsletter referred to the 'much improved' East Anglian Juniors!): this year, on 1 and 2 July, the Competition comes to East Anglia so they have the advantage of running on their home ground. We have very high hopes. In this issue of Junior PE there is an article by one EAJS member who represented England at the Junior Home International and news of further representational selections.
Those who have been reading PE over the past year will not be surprised to hear that the most exciting news for me is that, thanks to Andrew Cordle of SOS, East Anglia OA has submitted a lottery application for SportIdent electronic punching. Details are in the Committee Minutes (bold is mine!). If our application is successful we shall use the kit for the Junior Inter-Regional Competition, having first practised with it for our Short Race series: then it will be available for use by all EA clubs. Keep your fingers crossed!
I have included a somewhat shortened version of a proposal by Andrew Kelly, the English Development Officer, to change the competition structure for Juniors. Comments, please to your Club rep. before the next EAOA Committee meeting on 3 March, or to Points East by the date below.
Next copy date is 17 March 2000.
Ursula Oxburgh (WAOC)
u.oxburgh@ic.ac.uk