Ross Burnett

Team: Orienteering

Year Received: 1997

Bio: Ross is one of the most highly regarded members of the Canadian Orienteering Federation (COF), and his experience as an athlete, coach, official and administrator place him in a very select group of people in the sport.

Born in 1959 in Ocean Falls, British Columbia, Ross has been a member of the COF since 1976 where he has served many capacities; Board of Directors, High Performance Committee, National Team Coach –’93 World Championships, and Team Leader –’99 World Championships.  As an athlete, Ross won three National Championships (’87. ’95, ’02) and was a member of four World Championship teams (’83, ’87, ’89).

Ross is one of the small numbers who have achieved Level 3 Certification in both the National Coaching Certification Program and the COF – Officials Certification Program.  His work developing new Course Structures and Standards in 1997 that are now used at all National Championships and ‘A’ sanctioned events was the most significant technical developments introduced by the COF in 15 years.  Ross first came to the Yukon in the summer of 1987 on a contract to make the first orienteering map of the Chadburn Lake area.  He moved here permanently in February of 1989 and has been making enormous contributions to the Yukon orienteering community since.  Ross has donated vast amounts of time to every aspect of the sport and has excelled as an athlete, coach, mapper, administrator and ambassador for the Yukon.