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]

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

History edit

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 edit

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 edit

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

References edit

  1. ^ "Member Federations". International Orienteering Federation. Archived from the original on 2009-07-17. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
  2. ^ a b c "Leadership". orienteeringusa.org. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
  3. ^ a b "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.

External links edit