Orienteering USA
# Orienteering USA

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. It was founded on 1 August 1971. Orienteering USA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. There are 68 current member clubs and over 1,500 members.

## 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.

## Organization

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

OUSA states that its mission is to:

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

## Affiliated clubs

| Club name | Locale | State(s) |
| - | - | - |
| Arctic Orienteering Club | Anchorage | Alaska |
| ARK-LA-TEX Orienteering Club | Ark-La-Tex | Arkansas |
| ARK-LA-TEX Orienteering Club | Ark-La-Tex | Louisiana |
| ARK-LA-TEX Orienteering Club | Ark-La-Tex | 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 |
| Delaware Valley Orienteering Association | Delaware Valley | Maryland |
| Delaware Valley Orienteering Association | Delaware Valley | New Jersey |
| Delaware Valley Orienteering Association | Delaware Valley | 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 |
| Hudson Valley Orienteering Club | Hudson Valley | 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 |
| New England Orienteering Club | New England | Massachusetts |
| New England Orienteering Club | New England | 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 |
| Possum Trot Orienteering Club | Kansas City Metropolitan Area | Missouri |
| Quantico Orienteering Club | Washington Metropolitan Area | District of Columbia |
| Quantico Orienteering Club | Washington Metropolitan Area | Maryland |
| Quantico Orienteering Club | Washington Metropolitan Area | 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 |
| St. Louis Orienteering Club | Greater St. Louis | 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 |
