Edinburgh University Orienteering Club is the most successful University Orienteering Club in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, winning the JK or British relays 15 times in total. It's also recognised by the abbreviation EUOC. Students from
Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1582 ...
,
Heriot Watt University
Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequently granted univ ...
and
Edinburgh Napier University
, mottoeng = Without knowledge, everything is in vain
, established = 1992 – granted University status 1964 – Napier Technical College
, type = Public
, academic_staff = 802
, administrative_staff = 562
, chancellor = Will Whitehorn
, ...
are all allowed to join the club. After graduation, old members are allowed to join AROS (Auld Reekie Orienteering Society), a club for past students.
History
Edinburgh University has been an important club throughout the history of Orienteering in the UK. It was founded in 1964, which was 3 years before the formation of the
British Orienteering Federation
The British Orienteering Federation Limited, generally known and branded as British Orienteering, is the national sports governing body for the sport of orienteering in the United Kingdom.
The federation was founded in June 1967, and is a memb ...
in 1967, making it one of the first orienteering clubs in the UK.
The university won the first men's relay at the JK Orienteering Festival in 1969; The event was held in
Kielder Forest
Kielder Forest is a large forestry plantation in Northumberland, England, surrounding Kielder village and the Kielder Water reservoir. It is the largest man-made woodland in England with three-quarters of its covered by forest. The majority ...
,
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
. The club then went through a period with little domestic success.
The next win at the domestic relays was the
British Orienteering Championships
The British Orienteering Championships are the highest level of competition in Orienteering in the United Kingdom, along with the Jan Kjellström International Festival of Orienteering, JK Orienteering Festival.
1967 saw the first British Champion ...
in 1991, where the women's team won, retaining their title a year later. The women also won the JK relays that year and in 1996. During this time
World Champion
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
Yvette Baker
Yvette Baker (born Yvette Hague, 1968) is Britain's most successful orienteer. At the 1999 World Orienteering Championships in Inverness she won the short distance event.
Orienteering
Already at the early age of 15, she won the Elite class ...
was a student at the university, and in 2011 she was inducted into the Edinburgh University Sports hall of fame.
Recently, the club has experienced its most successful period, winning the JK Relays 5 times between 2000 and 2018, and winning the British Championships twice in a row in 2016 and 2017, their first victories in the event, ending a 48 year wait.
Recently, the club has had a fierce rivalry with Sheffield University, which was also very successful, winning the British Championships 5 times and the JK twice.
Edinburgh University regularly sends a team to the Jukola relay in
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
.
Important Members
Please note this list is incomplete and only shows athletes with recognition from the university or domestic success.
*
Yvette Baker
Yvette Baker (born Yvette Hague, 1968) is Britain's most successful orienteer. At the 1999 World Orienteering Championships in Inverness she won the short distance event.
Orienteering
Already at the early age of 15, she won the Elite class ...
Matthew Leitch
Matthew Leitch (born 19 March 1975) is an English actor, known for his portrayal of Floyd Talbert in the award-winning HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers''. He also starred in the 2006 action film ''The Detonator''.
Biography
Leitch started hi ...
Orienteering
Orienteering is a group of sports that require navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a s ...