Orienteering USA

Last updated
Orienteering USA
Orienteering USA Logo.jpg
Sport Orienteering
Jurisdiction United States
Founded1971
Affiliation International Orienteering Federation
Regional affiliationNorth America
Headquarters Arlington, Virginia, United States
PresidentClare Durand
Official website
orienteeringusa.org
Flag of the United States.svg

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]

Contents

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

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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.