Around 120 of the 700 volunteers during WOC 2019 are youngsters aged 16-25. Out of the 120, 96 are involved in the project “Youth Volunteer”.

The Youth Volunteers have been gathered twice ahead of WOC, and they work and live together for the entire event. They will even meet once more sometime after WOC to evaluate the project. The project is backed up by money left by the Youth Olympic Games at Lillehammer in 2016.

WOC is helped to have a great event, and the youngsters get valuable experience for later events in return.

- The youngsters have put in a tremendous effort! The praisal is from the Volunteer Coordinator during WOC 2019 Svend Sondre Frøshaug.

- I think they are beginning to feel a bit tired and worn out. There have been a lot of work and long days. They live at a school. They have good morale. Only when they have little work, they sometimes get bored. They’re fantastic, Frøshaug says.

We meet three of the volunteers at the WOC Arena entrance on Friday. Amanda Skyttersæter Saugerud (18) from Konnerud and Amélie Felicia Aamodt (17) from Oppsal are working on collecting entrance fees, and Christopher Ladim (17) from Moss is there as morale support before his own job as a control guard in the forest begins.

- It’s tremendously fun to contribute at WOC 2019 We all live at Kruseløkka school in Sarpsborg and eat and go to the races together, Amanda says and continues: -Everything is arranged so that everyone who want can participate in the Norgescup races on Tuesday and Friday. We tried different working assignments in advance and many of us have tried many different assignments.

- It’s very exciting to help, Christopher says with a smile. -At times it’s tiring, but heaps of fun, Amélie says. – I get to work at places I normally wouldn’t get access to, like in the finish area and here at the entrance.

- Any complaints concerning the entrance fee?

- Some are a bit dissatisfied. But when we remind them that parking fees are included, they usually come around Amelie says.

- Most are happy to pay, to experience WOC up close is really big. I just had a few who’d never been to an orienteering race before. When they saw the broadcast on Wednesday they wanted to come and see for themselves, Amanda tells.

- The fee is for a good cause, Per Fosser smiles after he’d paid at the gate. The relay world champion from 1970, and grandfather of orienteering wonder kid Kasper Fosser, is happy to pay at the gate.

What has been/will be the highlight of the week?

- To control guard during the long-distance final, being that close to the runners watching them perform up close. Lundanes at full speed, sounding like a goose flock the way he was breathing. The medal ceremonies in Sarpsborg on Friday will hopefully be memorable. I’m really hoping for Magne Dæhli today after he was so heartbroken at the long-distance, Christopher says.

- There’s still two finals left, so hard to say what the highlight will be. But just to be a part of it and learn about everything that’s behind this event has been a blast. To work with my friends and close to the WOC organisation are highlights in itself, Amanda says.

- The highlight has been making new friends and experience the WOC competitions backstage, Amélie sums up.