If you're looking for a different outdoor sport to cover, look no further than orienteering. Orienteering USA has been hosting exceptional orienteering events for over 40 years and today we are over 55 clubs strong.
What is orienteering? Many say it is the perfect blend of an exciting cross-county race in a wooded setting with the added challenge of navigating on the fly using a map and your mind. For others, it's a relaxing family group hike down a scenic trail. Our New to Orienteering section of the website includes a wealth of info on the sport.
Orienteering USA President Kris Beecroft is available for interviews. Contact her at (president [at] orienteeringusa [dot] org).
Each year, Orienteering USA sends a team of young athletes (age 20 and under) to the Junior World Orienteering Championships, typically held in Europe. U.S. Junior Team Coach Erin Schirm is working hard (as are the athletes) to make podium appearances by them a regular occurrence. To find out about orienteering youth programs and teams, you may contact Coach Erin via e-mail (emschirm [at] gmail [dot] com).
For a local contact, visit our Club Directory page and find the orienteering club nearest you. Check their website for the local event calendar; orienteering season varies in different parts of the country depending on the climate. Note that where there's snow, there may be ski orienteering!
See our News page for the latest updates and developments. Note: Orienteering USA was previously called the United States Orienteering Federation or USOF. References to USOF are outdated, but the organization is the same.
The Silva Service Award recognizes the contributions of dedicated volunteers to their sport: Past winners
Read what others have written about orienteering.
Check out the Orienteering USA YouTube channel for some great orienteering videos.
View and order copies of Orienteering USA's promotional video.
More video links:
We really don't want to be the most fun sporting secret, and believe that by coordinating local events throughout the U.S. during the same week each year we can best reach the public and you. A great way to get a feel for the sport is to view our self-running 40-second NOW PowerPoint slideshow.
With over 30 states hosting NOW events, a nearby NOW event contact will be happy to provide you all the details about clinics and events in your area. Visit our Club Directory page to find the club nearest you and when they are planning their NOW events. You're also welcome to use our NOW promotional materials to support your story.
Sandy Fillebrown (contact [at] orienteeringusa [dot] org) - 215-482-9479
Chris Cassone (info [at] treasurehuntadventures [dot] com) - Special Projects Coordinator, 845-225-2539 (office/fax), 914-523-4081 (cell)
Janet Tryson (usofweb [at] gmail [dot] com) - Webmaster
Photos: Kathy Urban