The Youth Mapping Program May Map of the Month is Abrams Park in Ridgefield, WA.
This map was created for the city of Ridgefield. Since then, the city has hosted orienteering events and Boy Scout trainings in the park, and even installed a permanent orienteering course!
Interested in having a map made of your school? Learn more about the program and apply here.
This is a transcript of an interview with Kris in May, 2025. It has been edited for clarity and length.
Cristina Luis: Kris, thank you for talking to me and answering my questions. Right off the bat, I know that you have a fun orienteering origin story.
Kris Beecroft: I do.
Now’s your chance to tell the whole world that story.
My mom was Norwegian and she wanted one of her children to know what it was like to live in Norway, and they chose me. I don’t know why.
So I went over in June of ‘75 and …
How old were you then?
Was I 12? [mental math] No, I guess I was 13.
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45th Billygoat Run!
The May Forum will be all about how your club can create and foster an online community! Hear from QOC members Sharmagh Yepremian and Kathleen Lennon as they talk about how they use social media in their club, and give tips for how to do it in your own.
Join us on Google Meet on Thursday, May 22nd at 8:30pm ET.
Add to your Google Calendar.
This summer Orienteering USA is providing support to 30 National Team and Youth Development Program athletes participating in events in Europe. Some, like Ali Crocker (CROC), are veterans competing for the last time at the World Orienteering Championships. Others, like youngsters Kendal O’Callaghan (RMOC) and Alex Eriksson (ICO), are part of OUSA’s first officially supported team to the European Youth Orienteering Championships. All of our athletes are training hard now and preparing for their summer competitions and training camps, and we’ll keep you updated on all the action.
Here’s a schedule of events featuring Team USA orienteers this summer:
In addition to cheering these athletes on from home, you can also lend a hand financially. Help these athletes reach their summer fundraising goal of $6,000 ($200 per athlete)!
Make a donation by using via OUSA’s donation page (select “4 National Team”) and then share the image above on social media to get others to pitch in!
Rochester hosted an Ultralong NRE course with wave starts. This enabled a mass start experience with the people in your own age class.
Host: Rochester Orienteering Club (ROC)
Venue: Mendon Ponds Park, Rochester, NY
Event Director: Rick Worner
Course setter: Sergey Dobretsov
Two Sprint NREs in one day in the western NY city of Buffalo.
Host: Buffalo Orienteering Club (BFLO)
Venues:
Event Director: David Cady
Course setters:
All photos by Evalin Brautigam.
Photo album from Evalin Brautigam
The OUSA April Spotlight is on National Team member (Elite Squa) Keegan Harkavy, from Cambridge, Massachusetts. This is a transcript of an interview with Keegan in April, 2025. It has been edited for clarity and length.
Cristina Luis: Welcome Keegan! I would like to hear how you got your start orienteering.
Keegan Harkavy: I had always known what orienteering was because I grew up next to Barb [Bryant] and growing up next to Barb, it’s kind of a foregone conclusion that you’ll know what orienteering is. I think somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I remember Barb always trying to get me and my two sisters to do it.
But it really started in sixth grade when she came into my school to teach us orienteering. And I can’t really remember what we did. I think we did some maze-Os, maybe some grids, but I remember really enjoying it. I was quite good at it and as a hyper-competitive sixth grader that was something that was exciting. I remember just having a good time and, Barb being Barb, she got really excited about this and pushed to get a team from Cambridge Street Upper School to go to Junior Nationals.
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