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Happy New Year from Orienteering USA! 2017 will be an exciting year for our sport as we position ourselves for the future.
Here's the news:
- A note from OUSA President Kris Beecroft
- Club Feedback Requested for 50th Anniversary Fund Programming
- Vote for Orienteering USA 2016 Competitive Award Winners!
- Iain Wilson Fund Award Applications due February 15th
- Junior National Team Application Process Open
- National Rankings Update
- Westward Ho! OUSA National Meet Schedule Heads West
- Change of Address/ Maryland National HQ to Close February 28th
... and much more.
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A note from OUSA President Kris Beecroft
I am sad to report that after many successful years as the Junior National Coach, Erin Schirm will be stepping down as full-time coach after next summer. In the four years that Erin coached the Junior Team, there has been a general trend of improvement for the team. Some of the Junior Team’s best results have been recorded, with more consistent high placings, and the depth of the team has increased in overall performance.
Erin won’t be totally leaving the Junior team as he has an interest in continuing to pursue areas of our junior national development and will be submitting a proposal on how he would like to stay involved.
The Junior Team ESC, together with the VP of Competition, Alex Jospé, and other members of the Board of Directors, will be working on the future structure of the Junior program, including how the coaching is going to be managed. Stay tuned for more details.
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Club Feedback Requested for 50th Anniversary Fund Programming
As the OUSA board of directors tries to fine-tune the spending of the 50th Anniversary Fund money, we would like some last minute input on how the money should be spent. The general plan is to:
- Help clubs develop more mappers
- Develop a website template for smaller clubs with technical support to help them upgrade or develop a user-friendly way to communicate with their members and the community.
- Work on providing tested ways to help clubs work with landowners to allow or keep access to orienteering maps.
The board wants to make sure we are not missing possible ways to invest the money wisely. The board will finalize the plan at their next meeting, so your input is appreciated. What are your ideas?
Send your suggestions to Peter Goodwin at pgwolfe66@gmail.com. He is the head of the 50th Anniversary Fund Committee.
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Vote for Orienteering USA 2016 Competitive Award Winners!
Hello OUSA members and friends!
Thank you for sending in your nominations. It is now time to vote for the top competitive orienteers in the US over the course of 2016.
Vote here by midnight on January 31st.
You can vote for your favorites in each of the following categories:
- Orienteer of the Year (This award is given to the U.S. orienteer who produced the best competitive results over the 2016 orienteering season.)
- Junior of the Year (This award is given to the U.S. orienteer aged 20 or younger with the best performances during the 2016 orienteering season.)
- Comet of the Year (This award is given to the U.S. orienteer who has made the greatest progress in their orienteering results during the 2016 season.)
- Team of the Year (This award goes to the best team competitive performance during the 2016 orienteering season.)
Each OUSA member can vote once. Votes are advisory to the OUSA Awards Committee.
Thank you!
Please contact Boris Granovskiy if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
OUSA Competitive Awards Committee (Susan Grandjean, Boris Granovskiy, Linda Kohn, Patrick Nuss, Ken Walker, Sr.)
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Iain Wilson Fund Award Applications due February 15th
Final reminder to apply for the Annual Wilson Awards.
Applications for the $1,000 Wilson Community Growth Grant are being accepted through February 15th. This grant provides funds to develop and implement programs aimed at expanding orienteering opportunities for children and youth. Applicants of all types partner with a local club or nonprofit to build creative, sustainable programming. Funds may be used for equipment, transportation and other appropriate uses. Full information about the Wilson Community Growth Grant is available at http://orienteeringusa.org/wilsongrant.
Now in its fourth year, the $1,000 Iain Wilson Character through Competition Award is also accepting applications. This award recognizes junior athletes who demonstrate a competitive spirit, friendship, commitment to orienteering, and other qualities personified by Iain. Funds may be used to support travel and training opportunities. Full information about the Iain Wilson Character Through Competition Award is available at https://orienteeringusa.org/wilsonaward.
These awards honor the memory of Iain Wilson. Iain was a dedicated orienteer whose spirit and dedication inspired those around him. Applications for both awards are due February 15, 2017.
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Junior National Team Application Process Open
The 2017 Junior program information has been published to the OUSA website with applications available at the link.
Please forward this to any juniors in your club who may be interested and ready to take their orienteering to the next level. Remember, everyone who applies makes one of the teams and gets connected to juniors around the U.S.
Here is the JTESC cover letter and rationale for some of the changes this year.
The Junior Team Executive Steering Committee (JTESC) would like to invite junior orienteers (born in 1997 or later)who are members in good standing with OUSA to apply for the 2017 US National Junior Program. The US National Junior Program (USNJP) consists of two teams, the Junior National Team (JNT) and the Junior Development Team (JDT). Membership on each of these teams is a 10-month commitment, from January 1 – October 31, 2017.
In 2017, all applicants who meet the basic criteria will be accepted to the JDT. JDT members who meet the JNT performance criteria will be given the option of joining the JNT. There will be no limit on the number of athletes named to the JNT.
This year, JTESC is introducing points for JNT membership to the JWOC Selection Criteria, as a strong incentive for athletes to commit to year-round training by adherence to the JNT membership criteria. US-JWOC team members will be selected from the pool of JNT athletes who have declared their intent prior to the JWOC team trials, based on the JWOC Selection Criteria.
Our goal is to build a large and strong base of American Junior orienteers from which the best JWOC team possible will be selected. We believe that the Performance Targets for membership on the JNT will allow athletes to demonstrate athletic potential and their commitment to the sport and their development as an orienteer. We further believe that a group of athletes who bond a community and train as a team will perform better than a group of individuals who come together to train for a short time immediately before the JWOC competition.
To help cover the costs of the Junior training program, we have instituted a graduated application fee of $100 for JDT membership plus an additional $100 when accepted to the JNT. JDT membership provides access to monthly team conference calls, weekly group training calls and course reviews at national meets. JNT membership further provides personal training plans from the Junior National Coach. JTESC will continue to subsidize national training camp registrations for JDT/JNT members.
Financial hardship should not be a reason not to apply to the Junior program. Athletes are encouraged to ask their local club for support, to hold a fundraising event, and to inform coach Erin Schirm or JTESC that financial support may be needed.
We expect members of the JDT and JNT will be committed to their improvement as orienteers, will follow training plans set by local or national coaches, will participate in team fundraisers and will contribute to their local clubs and OUSA. We ask local clubs to encourage their strongest athletes to apply for the USNJP, to help them find a local coach, to provide opportunities to contribute to their club, and to offer financial support to those in need.
Please contact US Junior National Coach Erin Schirm with any questions.
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Ranking Kings and Queens
It was an exciting year of racing, with the US Classic Championships and the North American Championships hitting on back-to-back weekends last fall in the Northeast. Here are your victors as of 11/15/16. Officially, rankings only apply to OUSA members.
F/M-10: Nicole Aleksieva (QOC), Mori Finlayson (NEOC)
F/M-12: Anna Campbell (QOC), William Mayland (DVOA)
F/M-14: Kirsten Mayland (DVOA), Keegan Harkavy (CSU)
F/M-16: Diana Aleksieva (QOC), Nathan Collinsworth (ROC)
F/M-18: Caroline Sandbo (COC), Aidan Minto (ICO)
F/M-20: Isabel Bryant (CSU), Anton Salmenkyla (CSU)
F/M-21+: Samantha Saeger (NEOC), Greg Ahlswede (DVOA)
F/M35+: Julie Keim (SVO), Patrick Nuss (OK)
F/M40+: Angelica Riley (DVOA), Francois Leonard (BAOC)
F/M45+: Kristin Hall (NEOC), Sergey Velichko (CTOC)
F/M50+: Pavlina Brautigam (WCOC), Gregory Balter (DVOA)
F/M55+: Karen Muffatti (WCOC), Tim Parson (NEOC)
F/M60+: Natalia Deconescu (CAOC), Charlie Shahbazian (CAOC)
F/M65+: Linda Kohn (ROC), Jeffrey Saeger (NEOC)
F/M70+: Sharon Crawford (RMOC), John Harbuck (EWOC)
F/M75+: Judith Dickinson (HVO), Hugh MacMullan (DVOA)
F/M80+: Donna Mae Gookin (SDO), Edwin Gookin (SDO)
DVOA leads the way with 6 age-group victors, followed closely by NEOC. Both F-10 and M65+ have very close races, with Nicole Aleksieva topping Una Young by only 0.69 points, and Jeffrey Saeger beating Stephen Tarry by only 0.7 points. The widest gap over second place comes from Mori Finlayson, 43.81 points ahead of Ryan Arsenault in M-10. Sharon Crawford also deserves a shout-out, for winning F70+ by 35.94 points over Reta Roe. Our largest class of ranked runners this year is M21+, with 39 ranked OUSA members. For the full rankings, please visit the rankings website.
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Westward Ho! OUSA National Meet Schedule Heads West
After a highly successful Georgia Navigator Cup, the OUSA national calendar moves west for the month of March. First up is the US Interscholastic & Intercollegiate Championships in Texas (hosted by NTOA). After a weekend off it is back to back national meet weekends in southern and north-central California (hosted by LAOC and BAOC, respectively). Precise dates and locations can be found in the event calendar below.
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Change of Address/ Maryland National HQ to Close February 28th
Effective March 1, 2017 please use the following new email and mailing addresses for Orienteering USA.
E-mail: contact@orienteeringusa.org
Mail: Orienteering USA, c/o: Sandy Fillebrown, 824 Scotia Rd, Philadelphia, PA, 19128
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Updated 2017 National Event Calendar
- March 3–5: US Interscholastic and Intercollegiate Championships (NTOA) – Sulphur Springs, TX (event website)
- March 18–19: US Relay Championships, US Trail Orienteering Championships (LAOC) – Mountain Center, CA (event website)
- * March 25–26: – O in the Oaks, US Ultralong Championships (BAOC) – Near Oakland, CA (event website)
- April 7–9: US Night Championships & Flying Pig XXI (OCIN) – Indianapolis & Columbus, IN
- April 28 30: US National WOC/JWOC Team Trials (MNOC) – Minnesota (event website)
- * June 23–25: US Individual Championships (CTOC) and AGM – Stanley and Ketchum, ID (event website)
- September 16–17: Letchworth Classic National Meet (ROC) – Letchworth State Park, NY
- October 14–15: Boulder Dash (UNO) – Burnt Mountain, Lebanon/Hanover, NH
- * November 11–12: US Classic Champs (QOC) – Triangle, VA
Soon in Sanctioning – 2017 West Point National Meet (planned for April 22-23)
Notes:
* = OUSA Board of Directors Meeting. All members are welcome.
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Sincerely,
Kris Beecroft
President
Boris Granovisky
Chair, Communications Committee
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