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The Winter Challenge has been extended through April 2.
The Winter Challenge is a members-only competition of 30 courses, distributed across 9 venues. There are no streamers in the woods for any of these courses. You can "punch" with O-range (on certain Garmin watches) or the Usynligo app (at 4 venues) ...or just use your navigation skills to be sure you're at the correct feature.
Set yourself a training challenge:
The Winter Challenge is a training activity for NEOC members. If you're not a member, join NEOC now, and details will be sent to you.
Thanks to Bridget Hall, NEOC and OUSA Junior National Team Member, for creating this challenge for our community! Please send any questions to
Orienteering USA seeks a person versed in Environmental and Land Access issues to serve both here in the U.S. and as a liaison to the International Orienteering Federation (IOF). Interested persons should contact
The Environment and Sustainability Commission (ESC) of the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) will be in direct contact with such persons in each National Federation. The main purpose is the establishment of a broad consultation network on sustainability issues, given the variety of social and environmental contexts in member countries.
In the near future, the IOF-ESC is planning a new edition of the survey Orienteering and the Environment, which was last carried out in 2012. A network of reference persons, appointed by each Federation, would make sure that the Survey provides reliable and useful results on which to base the future priorities of the IOF Environment and Sustainability Commission, and give feedback to all IOF members.
Congratulations to Bridget Hall and Keegan Harkavay of NEOC who are on the 2021 Junior National Team. Congratulations also to Bridget for joining the Senior team Development squad, and to Mori Finlayson for joining the Junior Development Team.
Read the full announcement on the OUSA site.
The JWOC Selection Committee will choose up to six young male and six young female athletes to represent the USA at the 2021 Junior World Orienteering Championships this July in Turkey.
Because of the lack of competition in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, selection of the 2021 team will be entirely by petition. Read the official announcement, containing a link to the selection criteria.
What a year we have had!! So much has changed, and much has been lost, but some new and different paths have been opened.
While we were not able to hold our traditional orienteering meets, we were creative in finding ways to get “out into the woods.”
The new model of printing your own maps at home and going out to courses, set by our fabulous group of volunteer course setters, has been a great success. I have seen people who were not able to attend weekend meets, for whatever reason, go out on a preset course during the week when they are able.
Missing the group aspect of the sport as we have had in the past is difficult. But with proper distancing, printing maps at home, and the wide opportunity to orienteer when you are able, many had a chance to continue with a sport we love. All in all, a much needed antidote to the limits in so many other aspects of our lives.
I want to thank the many members who pitched in to set up courses for BYOM events. The training events also were something we had never done before at this level. We introduced QR codes, and even got through an event with scheduled start times. All of that was due to lots of great work from club members.
I want also to personally thank the Board of Directors for getting the club to seamlessly pivot to the new formats of events. It has been a pleasure to work with the BOD members—they have made my job so much easier.
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Now, an update from our Mapping Group chair,