Discussion: Why care about elite orienteering?

I figure the AP crowd can give me some helpful ideas. We are trying to pitch a revamped Canadian High Performance Program. For this to be successful we need to engage all levels of orienteer in supporting and encouraging the program. But why should they? What does the average orienteer benefit from an strong HPP?

Well, for one we can live vicariously through the exploits of athletes who are successful on the world stage.
Also, it is a long-term investment. Some of the successful orienteers of past years continue their involvement in the sport as coaches, event organizers and mappers. They bring their top level experience to their new roles to the benefit of us all.
True, some of these seeds have fallen on fallow ground but one hammer, shadow or upnorthguy is worth dozens of the others.

Developing elite orienteers as role models is important to the public perception of orienteering. If you took a poll among N. Americans my guess is that among the small percentage that has heard of orienteering most think it is some sort of map and compass exercise. Few would picture it as an exciting and competitive sport.

We need highly visible elite athletes to change this perception.

Why not create a benefit, by having HPP members help at one session of their local junior program, or do an interview with the press, or so forth, each year? The former could be neat for the local juniors (and perhaps a motivation for them), and the latter a help with local awareness of the sport. Or some similar ideas.

I suppose I shouldn't dredge this up again, but wisdom is for the ages and earlier thinking might illuminate our way. sammy has already provided a perspective on this in an earlier thread. Some of this may possibly be germane to your question?

Ye gods j-man, I had never read that thread in its entirety. Two hours of my life I'll never get back. :)

It's a difficult question to answer briefly and one that I agree with Gord can only sensibly be answered by taking a long term view. Sure, current elites put quite a lot of volunteer effort into orienteering but one could argue that there's no reason to think they'd necessarily stop doing so if elite programs weren't strong (or, probably more accurately, given that elite programs aren't all that strong). We need strong, highly visible elite programs that lots of people aspire to be part of in order to increase the number of highly technically competent orienteers with a strong commitment to the sport. Increasing that number should eventually result in more events being held on better maps with better-designed courses.