Orienteering USA
SportOrienteering
JurisdictionUnited States
Founded1971
AffiliationInternational Orienteering Federation
Regional affiliationNorth America
HeadquartersArlington, Virginia, United States
PresidentClare Durand
Official website
orienteeringusa.org
United States

Orienteering USA (OUSA), formerly United States Orienteering Federation (USOF), is the national governing body for orienteering in the United States. It is recognized by the International Orienteering Federation and the United States Olympic Committee.[1][2] It was founded on 1 August 1971.[3] Orienteering USA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. There are 68 current member clubs and over 1,500 members.[2][4]

History

The first known competitive orienteering events in the U.S. were held from 1941 to 1943 in New Hampshire by a Finnish army officer named Piltti Heiskanen. There were military orienteering events at West Point Military Academy in New York state by 1966 and at Quantico Marine Base in Virginia by 1967, where the Marine Corps Physical Fitness Academy's first public event was held on July 12, 1968 on Harald Wibye's color orienteering map, the first such map in the English-speaking world. This was also the origin of the Quantico Orienteering Club, currently the largest and most active club in the US. The Norwegian Wibye also hosted the first known public competitive orienteering event in the U.S. at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania on Nov. 5, 1967. From this event would emerge another large club in the U.S., the Delaware Valley Orienteering Association.

The most influential early benefactor to and promoter of U.S. map and compass use and orienteering, and easily the most well-read author on these topics, was Bjorn Kjellstrom, a 1930s Swedish orienteering champion. From his events with scouts as early as 1946 to his guidance and support in the 1990s, he provided impetus and inspiration. His map and compass events from 1965 to 1967 in Westchester County, NY had competitive orienteering courses added in 1968 by Wibye. Bill Gookin's first events in 1969 in the San Diego area were the earliest known competitive public orienteering events west of the Mississippi. Kjellstrom assisted several Quantico officers is establishing the U.S. Orienteering Federation in 1971. The early 1970s would see the founding, in part, by orienteering book author Hans Bengstsson, of the New England Orienteering Club, the largest in the U.S. from the late 1970s through the 1980s.[3]

Organization

Orienteering USA is predominantly a volunteer-run organization. It has a board of directors, officers and numerous committees and task forces.[2]

OUSA states[5] that its mission is to:

  1. Increase participation in the sport.
  2. Teach map reading and navigation skills.
  3. Promote enjoyment of, and respect for, the environment.
  4. Establish world-class competitive excellence within our national team programs.

Affiliated clubs

Club name Locale State(s)
Arctic Orienteering Club Anchorage Alaska Alaska
ARK-LA-TEX Orienteering Club Ark-La-Tex Arkansas Arkansas
Louisiana Louisiana
Texas Texas
Austin Orienteering Club Austin Texas Texas
Backwoods Orienteering Klub Raleigh–Durham–Cary North Carolina North Carolina
Badger Orienteering Club Madison Wisconsin Wisconsin
Bay Area Orienteering Club San Francisco Bay Area California California
Bluegrass Orienteering Club Lexington Kentucky Kentucky
Buffalo Orienteering Club Buffalo New York (state) New York
Cambridge Sports Union Greater Boston Massachusetts Massachusetts
Capital Region Nordic Alliance Capital District New York (state) New York
Carolina Orienteering Klub Charlotte North Carolina North Carolina
Cascade Orienteering Club Seattle Washington (state) Washington
Central Ohio Orienteering Columbus Ohio Ohio
Central New York Orienteering Syracuse New York (state) New York
Central Virginia Orienteering Club Richmond Virginia Virginia
Chicago Area Orienteering Club Chicago Metropolitan Area Illinois Illinois
City of Trees Orienteering Club Boise Idaho Idaho
Columbia River Orienteering Club Portland Oregon Oregon
Delaware Valley Orienteering Association Delaware Valley Delaware Delaware
Maryland Maryland
New Jersey New Jersey
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania
Eastern Washington Orienteering Club Spokane Washington (state) Washington
Empire Orienteering Club Capital District New York (state) New York
Florida Orienteering Club Orlando Florida Florida
Greater Phoenix Orienteering Club Phoenix Metropolitan Area Arizona Arizona
Gold Country Orienteers Sacramento California California
Green Mountain Orienteering Club Burlington Vermont Vermont
Grizzly Orienteering Missoula Montana Montana
Houston Orienteering Club Houston Texas Texas
Hudson Valley Orienteering Club Hudson Valley New Jersey New Jersey
New York (state) New York
Illinois River Valley Orienteering Club Peoria Illinois Illinois
Indiana Crossroads Orienteering Indiana Indiana Indiana
Long Island Orienteering Club Long Island New York (state) New York
Los Angeles Orienteering Club Los Angeles California California
Miami Valley Orienteering Club Dayton Ohio Ohio
Minnesota Orienteering Club Minnesota Minnesota Minnesota
Nashville Orienteering Nashville Tennessee Tennessee
Nav-X-Sports Santa Rosa California California
New England Orienteering Club New England Connecticut Connecticut
Massachusetts Massachusetts
Rhode Island Rhode Island
North Country Orienteering North Country New York (state) New York
North Eastern Ohio Orienteering Club Cleveland Ohio Ohio
North Texas Orienteering Association Dallas Texas Texas
Orienteering Club of Cincinnati Cincinnati Ohio Ohio
Orienteer Kansas Lawrence Kansas Kansas
Orienteering Louisville Louisville Kentucky Kentucky
Orienteering Utah Utah Utah Utah
Possum Trot Orienteering Club Kansas City Metropolitan Area Kansas Kansas
Missouri Missouri
Quantico Orienteering Club Washington Metropolitan Area Washington, D.C. District of Columbia
Maryland Maryland
Virginia Virginia
Rochester Orienteering Club Rochester New York (state) New York
Rocky Mountain Orienteering Club Denver Colorado Colorado
San Diego Orienteering Club San Diego California California
Southern Michigan Orienteering Club Southern Michigan Michigan Michigan
St. Louis Orienteering Club Greater St. Louis Illinois Illinois
Missouri Missouri
Suncoast Orienteering and Adventure Racing Sarasota Metropolitan Area Florida Florida
Susquehanna Valley Orienteering York Pennsylvania Pennsylvania
Truckee Orienteering Club Truckee California California
Tucson Orienteering Club Tucson Arizona Arizona
Up North Orienteers New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire
Vulcan Orienteering Club Birmingham Alabama Alabama
Western Connecticut Orienteering Club Western Connecticut Connecticut Connecticut
Western Pennsylvania Orienteering Club Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Pennsylvania

References

  1. "Member Federations". International Orienteering Federation. Archived from the original on 2009-07-17. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
  2. 1 2 3 "Leadership". orienteeringusa.org. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
  3. 1 2 "The History of Orienteering in the U.S." Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  4. "Clubs". Orienteering USA. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  5. "Board of Directors". Orienteering USA. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
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