All Aboard for Middle Magic
Twelve months later than expected, we were able to put on a quality event in our best area, as FVO hosted the 2026 Scottish Middle Championships in the Trossachs, then dominated the medal tables with 19 gongs.
We were denied permission in 2025 for a SOL race, due to concerns over areas of Special Scientific Interest, but planner Paul Hammond worked his way around these with courses that avoided the affected areas. The Trossachs at any time is a serious undertaking, but the recent rains have seen the heather grow like a teenager's hair, and the junior courses had to be taped in places to prevent small people being permanently lost in the brush.
After three hours of racing, the medal ceremony took place on the deck of the SS Sir Walter Scott, perhaps the first time orienteering medals have been awarded while afloat, and nearly a third of the FVO team on the day was amongst the medallists.
One of the great things about a new season is seeing how far on youngsters have come since their last championships, and as it happens, they've come on great. The Howell family only joined the club last January, and didn't race in the 2025 championships, but Mirren and Duncan have made an immediate impression on their debuts, Mirren taking a sensational win on W10 (23.03) and Duncan, who still has four years in the division, coming away with the M10 bronze (41.16). Archie Short's 22.50 on the Yellow course would have won him the M10 silver.
Ethan Baikie had no challengers as he added the M12 gold (60.33) to the two under 10 titles he already holds, and Isla Cheyne is off home with the W18 silver, coming back in 74.06. Meanwhile, Hannah Inman's unbeaten record in the event now stretches back to 2022, as she claimed the W14 crown in 20.04.
The only real question in M16 was what order our young men would finish in, and Lucas Baikie tops the class in 48.24, with James Edward (52.15) and Fraser Cheyne (55.27) making up an all-FVO podium.
In the older classes, we have four of the six HyperVet medals, where Liz Godfree (92.59) got in ahead of Lindsey Hensman (93.57) for a 2-3, and Brian Bullen (53.26) and Geoffrey Hensman (58.29) duplicated the effort on the men's course.
We've won the Veteran Men class in each of the last six years at the championship, and this year was no different. There are seven FVO vets in the top 10, and Will Hensman (29.25) had a 6 1/2 minute lead over Steve Feltbower for another 1-2 and the preservation of the 100% record. Fiona Berrow hasn't raced in the Middle since 2019, but having moved into the Women's Vet class, she was handy for a bronze medal in 54.55.
No flies on Jennifer Leonard, who improved her previous best by seven places to take the win in Women's SuperVet (46.13) and Rona Molloy finished strongly to take back 16 seconds in the finish tunnel and get a share of the bronze medal. And last but by no means least, Vicky Thornton celebrated her first year as an UltraVet by winning the class in 42.05.