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| Sport | Orienteering |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | United States |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Affiliation | International Orienteering Federation |
| Regional affiliation | North America |
| Headquarters | Arlington,Virginia, United States |
| President | Clare Durand |
| Official website | |
| orienteeringusa | |
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Orienteering USA (OUSA), formerlyUnited States Orienteering Federation (USOF), is the nationalgoverning body fororienteering in theUnited States. It is recognized by theInternational Orienteering Federation and theUnited States Olympic Committee.[1][2] It was founded on 1 August 1971.[3] Orienteering USA is a501(c)(3) non-profit organization. There are 68 current member clubs and over 1,500 members.[2][4]
The first known competitive orienteering events in the U.S. were held from 1941 to 1943 inNew Hampshire by aFinnish army officer named Piltti Heiskanen. There were military orienteering events atWest Point Military Academy inNew York state by 1966 and atQuantico Marine Base inVirginia by 1967, where the Marine Corps Physical Fitness Academy's first public event was held on July 12, 1968, on Harald Wibye's colororienteering 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. TheNorwegian Wibye also hosted the first known public competitive orienteering event in the U.S. atValley Forge inPennsylvania 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, wasBjorn Kjellstrom, a 1930sSwedish orienteering champion. From his events withscouts 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 inWestchester County, NY had competitive orienteering courses added in 1968 by Wibye. Bill Gookin's first events in 1969 in theSan Diego area were the earliest known competitive public orienteering events west of theMississippi. 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 theNew England Orienteering Club, the largest in the U.S. from the late 1970s through the 1980s.[3]
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:
| 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 |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
