2026 New England Orienteering Championships

October 10-11, 2026

Hosts: New England Orienteering Club (NEOC)

Up North Orienteers (UNO)

Program:

  • Saturday: Classic at Joe English Reservation 
  • Sunday: Classic at Groton Town Forest

The New England Orienteering Championships brought 150+ athletes from near and far to the beautiful Northeast, where races were technically challenging, beautiful, and extremely enjoyable. 

Event website

Results, Maps, and Media

Photos by Bridget Hall here.

Photos and videos by Riley Family available in this album.

Videos:

https://youtube.com/shorts/esJCwJ70Fpk
https://youtube.com/shorts/CRUz7edJy2Q

Edited by Oriana Riley

Meet Your New Orienteering USA Communications Team

We are so excited to join Orienteering USA as your new National Communications Team! We share a love of the sport, a love of adventure, and a passion for telling the Orienteering USA story.

Thank you to Cristina Luis for two years of great work as National Communications Manager. She leaves big shoes to fill, and we’re grateful for everything she’s done.

Angelica:

I’ve been orienteering since I was 14, when a local club coach introduced the sport in my geography class. Geography was my favorite subject, and I loved the challenge right away. I’m lucky that my entire family shares my love of orienteering.

I like orienteering for many reasons. It’s never boring, and it always challenges you, no matter how well or how poorly you do. But what I like most is that it’s a Forest Meditation. When you go for a regular run, your mind wanders off to random thoughts. When you go orienteering, you only think about where you are and where you’re going. Your mind shuts off everything else, and you’re in the flow. It’s the best feeling in the world.

I worked as a reporter in Ukraine and love making documentary films, so I’m looking forward to sharing Orienteering USA stories with you!

Oriana:

I’m lucky to have parents who met through orienteering, so I grew up on maps and in the woods.

I’ve pushed through challenges and several extra kilometers spent lost in the woods to grow to love orienteering, and have had the honor of competing as part of the national team for the last four years — representing the USA at one JWOC, one World Cup, and three WUOCs.

Other than orienteering, my primary passion is storytelling, which has taken many forms: novelist, journalist, poet, and marketer. I’m so grateful to be telling OUSA’s story with the woman who took me orienteering, even before I was born ;). 

The best stories in orienteering come from the people who live them, so we would love your suggestions, recommendations, and contributions. Whether it’s a story idea, a photo or video from your last event, a club milestone, or a feature you’d like to see, we want to hear it. Together, we can tell the story of orienteering in the USA!

Get in touch.

You can reach us anytime at communications@nullorienteeringusa.org.

We look forward to serving you as your communications team. See you out on the course!

Oriana and Angelica Riley

A New Route Choice for Communication at Orienteering USA

After two years as your National Communications Manager, I’m passing the torch. Taking over will be the mother-daughter team of Oriana Riley and Angelica Riley, who will bring energy and expertise in areas I have always felt could use more love than I could give them. Look for a more robust social media and video-filled OUSA presence in the coming months!

While I will be stepping away from the formal Communications Manager role, I am not leaving orienteering. Instead, I plan to focus on the areas where I feel I can make the biggest difference: hosting events, making maps, and growing the sport locally. It has been a privilege to travel the country telling OUSA’s story and meeting orienteers from all corners, and I hope to continue the relationships this work has sprouted.

All three of us will be working over the month of October as we make the transition. During this time and always, you can reach the communications team at

communications@nullorienteeringusa.org.

Please join me in welcoming Oriana and Angelica!

2026 Masters Nationals Event Recap

September 25-27, 2026

Host: Northeast Ohio Orienteering Club (NEOOC)

Program:

  • Friday: Corn Maze Challenge at Derthick’s Farm and Corn Maze
  • Saturday: Masters Nationals Day 1 at The West Woods, Geauga County
  • Sunday: Masters Nationals Day 2 at Big Creek Park, Geauga County

This year’s Masters Nationals (what used to be the Classic Champs) took place east of Cleveland, with challenging courses, glorious weather, and a bonus corn maze orienteering race! At this event US Champions are crowned in each age class based on the combined total time for two days of classic racing.

Event website

Winners in F65+, from left to right: Sue Kuestner (bronze), Pavlina Brautigam (gold), and Peggy (silver) Dickison. Photo by Stephanie Ross

Photos by Nadim Ahmed

Results, Maps, and Media

Photo album by Nadim Ahmed

Photos from NEOOC

Video from the corn maze

Short interview with event director Jonathan Boyer about corn maze orienteering

All results from host

Orienteering’s Olympic Ambitions and How You Can Help

A note from OUSA President Tori Campbell

Following up on my last note about Orientación México, the International Orienteering Federation’s new 2026-2030 Strategic Directions mark an exciting shift: a renewed push to bring orienteering to the Olympic Games.

While that might sound like a long shot, the landscape is changing fast. Better TV coverage, improved drone technology, and a growing international competitive field (especially outside Europe) make our sport more broadcast-friendly and globally viable than ever. Sprint Orienteering is a prime candidate for the Summer Games, while Ski-O continues to gain traction for the Winter Games.

How does this impact Orienteering USA?

(more…)

Orienteering at the 2026 Scout Jamboree

Setting an orienteering course on a reclaimed coal mine presents some unusual challenges. At the
Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia, many of the terrain features that normally give an
orienteering map its character simply aren’t there.

That was one of the challenges faced by Orienteering USA at the 2026 National Scout Jamboree,
held July 22–31 at the Summit. More than 400 starts were recorded on three courses: White for
beginners, Yellow for intermediate orienteers, and Green for more experienced orienteers.

(more…)

September O Forum: Radio Orienteering, the Thinking Harder Sport

The next OUSA Forum will be on Tuesday, September 15th at 8:30 pm ET and will cover and introduction to Radio-O!

Radio-O is an international sport with National, Regional, and World Championships. In Radio-O, the control locations are not marked on the map and competitors must use their map and radio signals to locate them. Each of the five controls has a small radio transmitter that transmits for one minute before handing off to the next. Using a directional radio receiver, you take bearings on the signals to locate the controls. You make your initial decisions with very limited information; only the start and finish. As you move through the forest, you take bearings to the controls while they transmit, accumulating information to make route choice decisions to find the controls.

This OUSA Forum will cover Radio Orienteering race formats and how to use the receivers to find the controls.

Photo by Alan Murray.

Join us on Google Meet on Tuesday, September 15th at 8:30pm ET.

Add to Google Calendar.

Support Orientación México!

A note from OUSA President Tori Campbell

It’s been quite a summer for orienteering, with plenty of opportunities across the USA and abroad to experience old favorites and explore something new. Part of my summer agenda was shaped by attending the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) General Assembly. Besides having the opportunity to spectate Sprint WOC (the knockout-sprint is really fun to watch–and challenging to organize!) and cheer on our National Team members, I joined IOF Council members and representatives from 80 member federations to vote on business that moves orienteering forward internationally. Over the next few newsletters, I’ll share some exciting insights from the IOF’s new strategic directions that might open up opportunities for Orienteering USA.

I want to begin with some good news beyond just strategic planning, however. On June 8th, the IOF General Assembly voted to confirm Orientación México as a new provisional member, adding another nation to the competition list for the North American Orienteering Championships. Some of you may know former OCIN member Isis Espinosa, who represented Mexico at WOC 2026 and is a driving force behind spreading a love of orienteering in Mexico City. She shared ways we could help support our new orienteering neighbors:

  • Get the word out! Follow Orientación México on Facebook. If you know Mexican citizens abroad who might live in places with orienteering already established, please pass this message along to help Orientación México grow.
  • Represent México! Do you know a citizen of México? Orientación México is particularly hoping to connect with Mexican orienteers who might be interested in representing Mexico at international championships – email orientacionmexico@nullgmail.com to learn more.
  • Share resources. Whether you’ve got extra equipment that you might be willing to donate, online resources, expertise or volunteers who happen to be traveling south of the border, we’re putting together a list of people and resources that we can share. Can you be a point of contact for something that might help? Share your contact information and ideas.

We look forward to seeing orienteering continuing to grow in North America. Welcome, Orientación México!

Nominations sought for 2026 Silva & Golden Service Awards

The 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Orienteering USA will be held in Dragoon, AZ (during NAOC) on December 31st, 2026. One of the highlights of the AGM is the announcement of the annual Silva & Golden Service awards. These awards recognize individuals who have contributed to our sport both at the national and club level. Nominations are now being accepted for both of these prestigious awards and are due by Tuesday, December 1st.