March O Forum

The next OUSA Forum will be on Tuesday, March 3rd at 9:00 pm ET and focus on ski orienteering. 

In this session we will connect live with the US SkiO Team, racing at the World Ski Orienteering Championships in Japan, and hear about their experiences. We will learn some basics of ski orienteering, including tips for making good route choices, as well tips to take your ski orienteering to the next level. We will also explore how a club can develop a skiO program, drawing on the successful example of Grizzly Orienteering, and how that can help a club to recruit skiers to try foot orienteering. We will end the session by learning about tips to help your club organize a skiO race.  The session will be lead by Carl Fey, Coach, US Ski-O Team with input from several other US ski orienteers.  

Join us on Google Meet on Tuesday, March 3rd at 9:00pm ET.

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February O Forum

The February Forum, “How to be a world class orienteer” will take place on Saturday, February 21st at 4pm ET. In this forum we’ll hear from Alberto Mínguez, PhD, former Spanish national team member, high-level coach, and author of the orienteering technique book El entrenamiento del corredor de orientación. What does it take to become one of the best in the world? Come find out!

Join us on Google Meet on Saturday, February 21st at 4pm ET.

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January O Forum

The January Forum, “Beginner Courses that Spark Joy”, will take place on Tuesday, January 27th at 8:30pm ET. Cristina Luis will take you through designing competition White and Yellow courses, fun courses for youth programs, and alternative offerings for adult beginners at local events.

Join us on Google Meet on Tuesday, January 27th at 8:30pm ET.

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December Forum: Introduction to Trail-O

The December forum will take place on Thursday, December 18th at 8:30pm ET.

Did you know that OUSA is hosting the World Trail Orienteering Championships in November 2027? It’s true! This means there’s no better time to dive into the world of Trail Orienteering than right now! If you’ve been curious about adding Trail-O to your club’s programs, this is the perfect time to try it out.

Join us on December 18 for an introduction to Trail Orienteering. We’ll talk about the core formats, walk through real examples using the TempO Simulator, and help you get a feel for what makes Trail-O both challenging and fun. The simulator is currently running its festive Christmas Cup (December 1–24), so consider logging in ahead of time to try a few problems before the forum.

Join us on Google Meet on Thursday, December 18th at 8:30pm ET.

October Forum: Athlete’s Primer to “Forest” Orienteering Maps

The October forum will take place on Thursday, October 23rd at 8:30pm ET on Google Meet.

Join members of Orienteering USA’s Mapping Committee, Jon Campbell, Jon Torrance, and Cristina Luis, for a presentation and discussion of the kinds of things a non-mapper might want to know about the mapping standards for forest (non-sprint) events (ISOM 2017-2 for those of you keeping score at home).

Experienced O-mappers know the specifications and notice map details that you might not know are “a thing.”  Every orienteer, from novice to seasoned champion, can learn something about an O-map that can help them navigate well and compete better.  What’ll you learn?

Join on Google Meet on Thursday, October 23rd at 8:30pm ET.

September Forum: Silva O Camp

The September forum will take place on Thursday, September 25th at 8:30pm ET on Google Meet.

This July, three Youth Development Program athletes attended Silva O’ Camp, an IOF-endorsed orienteering camp with over 200 athletes held in the Czech Republic. The athletes trained seriously and got up to some serious fun! Join us for this forum to learn more about the camp and hear directly from athletes and coaches.

You can read a bit about the US experience here.

Join on Google Meet on Thursday, September 25th at 8:30pm ET.

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August Forum: VR Orienteering Demo

The August forum will take place on Wednesday, August 27th at 8:30pm ET on Google Meet.

Join Elias “Eli” Jimenez, founder of VentR-out, for a live demo of a virtual reality orienteering simulation grounded in the fundamentals of the sport. Drawing on past experiences competing in and organizing adventure races, he sees VR’s potential for simulating outdoor experiences in a new way. This early-stage project highlights VR as a promising medium for orienteering training. Get a first-hand look at what’s possible, where it could go next, and how you could help shape its evolution.

Join on Google Meet on Wednesday, August 27th at 8:30pm ET.

July Forum

The July OUSA forum will be all about beginner events!

On Tuesday evening Ron Birks of GPHXO, Blaik Matthew’s of FLO, and Kathi and Jim Mullin of MNOC will be presenting on how their clubs put on events to introduce orienteering to beginners. This forum will be useful for anyone looking to expand their club offerings and get more newcomers involved in the sport!

Join us on Google Meet on Tuesday, July 22nd at 8:30pm ET.

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June Forum

The June OUSA forum will be all about permits!

OUSA will host a panel discussion of the theory, practice, and recent history of working with land managers to obtain permission to orienteer. Panelists will be Jennifer Castelluccio of COC, Mary Frank of DVOA, and Joseph Huberman of BOK. This is a great chance to hear about some best practices for making sure you can host events (and continue to host events) in your favorite areas.

Join us on Google Meet on Wednesday, June 18th at 8:30pm ET.

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May Forum: Creating an Online Community for Your Club

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.

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