2024 Orienteering USA
National Championships
Friday–Sunday, 11–13 October 2024
Scranton, Pennsylvania
A National Ranking Event and Championship
presented by Delaware Valley Orienteering Association
including two International Orienteering Federation (IOF) World Ranking Events
11 October — Sprint Championship at Nay Aug Park in Scranton, PA
12–13 October — Middle and Long Championships at Merli Sarnoski County Park, Lackawanna County, PA
Save the dates! Information will be added as it becomes available.
Registration is now open
Bulletins: Bulletin 0 is now available!
| Embargo | Schedule | Registration | Maps/Courses | Directions |
| Travel | Accommodations | Registration Options | Awards | Results |
| Safety | Event Officials | Partners |
Embargoed Areas
NOTE: Nay Aug Park and Merli-Sarnoski County Park (along with some surrounding private land) are embargoed until the event. See map below.
Schedule
Friday, 11 October
- Sprint at Nay Aug Park in the City of Scranton
- Open to the Public
- OUSA Championships
Saturday, 12 October
- Middle at Merli-Sarnoski County Park, Lackawanna County
- Open to the Public
- OUSA Championships
- IOF World Ranking Event (WRE)
- Dinner at Fiorelli’s Catering, 6:00–9:00 pm
Sunday, 13 October
- Long at Merli-Sarnoski Park, Lackawanna County
- Open to the Public
- OUSA Championships
- IOF World Ranking Event
Registration
Registration is via the Orienteering USA registration platform EventReg. Please read the information on this page to understand fees and options before starting the registration process.
| Register for NRE/WRE Courses and Options | Register for Recreational Courses |
| See who’s registered for NRE / WRE | See who’s registered for Recreational |
Fees
The following table summarizes the registration fees, with these notes:
- All amounts are in US Dollars.
- OUSA member discounts apply to members of all international orienteering federations as well.
- Registrations after 22 Sept 2024 will be accepted as long as there are available maps. (We will be sending map counts to our printer on 23 Sept 2024).
- REGISTER HERE for Nationals/WRE Courses, Dinners, SI-Air Rental or Purchase, Commemorative Shirts.
See below for Recreational Course registration.
| FEES | Adult Early | Adult Reg | Adult Late | Junior Early | Junior Reg | Junior Late |
| Deadlines > | after 30 June | after 22 Sept | after 30 June | after 22 Sept | ||
| Sprint | 40 | 50 | 60 | 20 | 25 | 30 |
| Middle | 50 | 60 | 75 | 25 | 30 | 35 |
| Long | 50 | 60 | 75 | 25 | 30 | 30 |
| 3 race package | 120 | 155 | 200 | 50 | 60 | 75 |
| OUSA member discount per race | -4 | -4 | -4 | -2 | -2 | -2 |
| Recreational White and Yellow | $10 per entry and $3 per additional map if pre-registered by 10/8/2024. Includes rental of one SI timing card. | |||||
| Day-Of Recreational Registration | $15 per entry and $5 per additional map for day-of-event registrations. Includes rental of one SI card. | |||||
| Dinner | $30 for adults; $15 for children age 10 and under. | |||||
| Electronic Timing Options: > SI Electronic Timing Card > SI-Air Card Rental > SI-Air Card Purchase | A standard SI card may be rented if you do not own one, at no additional charge. Select “yes” for “e-punch renting”. SI-Air is $5 per day. If you choose this option, DO NOT select “renting” on the first page of registration. It will be an option later. SI-Air purchase: Limited availability. $68 to purchase an SI-Air card while supplies last. | |||||
| Commemorative Shirt | $20 each (long-sleeved technical fabric); may be ordered now or at a later date | |||||
Registration Information
Recreational Courses
- There will be a Recreational White (beginner) and Recreational Yellow (advanced beginner) course available each day. These courses are non-championship courses.
- Pre-registration is strongly encouraged for the Recreational courses and will be available until 10/8/2024 (see link below).
- The fees for pre-registered Recreational White and Recreational Yellow courses will be $10 per entry. This fee includes the rental of an SI epunch if needed. Additional maps for those going out in a group may be purchased for $3 per map.
- Note that pre-registrations after 9/22/2024 will be accepted only as long as there are available maps.
- Day-of registration for Recreational White and Recreational Yellow will be $15 per entry and $5 per additional map.
- Day-of-registration will be available as long as there are available maps.
- Pre-register here for Recreational courses ONLY.
Sprint Courses
- The winning times for all sprint courses are 12-15 minutes.
- Registrations after 9/22/2024 will be accepted only as long as there are available maps.
- The following table shows the course/class assignments for Sprint courses.
- Depending on the number of participants, courses may be split.
Middle and Long Courses
- World Ranking Event (WRE) middle and long courses typically differ slightly from OUSA courses. The winning times may be a bit different, start times are somewhat rigid, and there may be quarantine requirements. Thus, we are offering non-WRE classes on Red and Blue for women and men who choose not to participate in the WRE for the Middle and Long; these classes are designated F-Red and M-Blue. The WRE categories are F-21+ and M-21+ for the Middle and Long.
- NOTE: All competitors on WRE courses must have an IOF ID to register. You may obtain an IOF ID through Eventor (there is no charge; you do not need an IOF license, just an ID).
- The OUSA Championship classes are F-21+ and M-21+.
- It is possible that X and Y courses will be combined and/or further split.
- The winning time for WRE middle courses, based on world elite orienteers, is 30-35 minutes.
- The winning time for all non-WRE middle courses, based on a 100-point OUSA orienteer, is 25-35 minutes.
- The winning time for WRE long courses, based on world elite orienteers, is 88-92 minutes.
- The winning times for non-WRE long courses, based on OUSA 100-point orienteers, are as follows:
- White 20-30 minutes
- Yellow 30-45 minutes
- Orange 40-55 minutes
- Brown 45-55 minutes
- Green 50-65 minutes
- Red 70-90 minutes
- Blue 80-100 minutes
- The following table shows the course/class assignments for Middle/Long courses:
Maps & Courses
Maps
- Nay Aug Park was established in 1893. The name Nay Aug traces its origin to the Munsee Indians, a sub group of the larger Lenape tribe. In their language Nay Aug means ‘noisy water or roaring brook.’ The Munsee settled along the banks of the Roaring Brook and were a peaceful group mostly committed to fishing and farming.
- Merli-Sarnoski Park, dedicated in 1978, is named after Lackawanna County Congressional Medal of Honor recipients Gino Merli and Joseph Sarnoski.
While there are no previous orienteering maps of any of the venues, Greg Ahlswede produced a Karttapulautin map of Merli-Sarnoski County Park and some surrounding private property, based on publicly available data. Since some people may have seen this map, for fairness considerations, we are posting it.
Note that there are also many publicly available maps of both Nay Aug Park and Merli-Sarnoski Park on the web; just search on the park names.
Please remember that both parks are under a full embargo until the event.
Terrain
Sample terrain photos, including some of the many mountain bike trails in the park, and cliffs and boulders!
Courses
Directions
Travel
Passports are needed to enter the United States. For visa information, please visit the federal travel website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas.html
Air Travel:
- The nearest regional airport is AVP (Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport). It is a 15-minute drive from the airport to Nay Aug Park and about a 30-minute drive to Merli-Sarnoski.
- ABE (Lehigh Valley International Airport) is another nearby regional airport. It is about a 1.5 hour drive to each of the venues.
- The nearest large airports are EWR (Newark Liberty International Airport, about 2 hours by car), PHL (Philadelphia International Airport, about 2.5 hours), and JFK (John. F Kennedy International Airport, about 3 hours).
Public transportation is available by bus to Scranton and then to Nay Aug Park from these airports, but there is no public transportation available to Merli-Sarnoski.
Accommodations/Camping
Note that the Steamtown Marathon is being held on Sunday, October 13. We recommend booking early as prices may go up and rooms—whether in hotels or AirBnB type places—may become hard to find.
There are numerous hotel options available in Scranton. Note that Merli-Sarnoski Park is to the northeast of Scranton, so options in that direction may make the most sense. We have secured the following group rates:
Fairfield and Residence Inns in Scranton: Last day to book is Tuesday, 10 September 2024. Group rates are available for Thursday 10 October only and for Friday 11 October through Sunday 13 October, 2024. NOTE: To reserve all three nights using the links below, you will need to make TWO separate reservations. Rates are the same for Thursday as for Friday and Saturday.
Book your Fairfield/Residence group rate for October 10 (Thursday night) ONLY
Book your Fairfield/Residence group rate for October 11-13 (Friday-Saturday nights) ONLY
- Fairfield Inn Scranton for $119.00 plus 13% tax per night
- Residence Inn Scranton for $149.00 – $159.00 plus 13% tax per night (Residence Inn rooms include full kitchen)
- Mention Delaware Valley Orienteering Association if you call the hotel directly. (Residence Inn: tel: +1-570-343-5121 | Fairfield Inn: tel: +1-570-346-3222)
- Parking fee will be waived.
Best Western Plus in Clarks Summit: Last day to book is Thursday, 29 August 2024. You can select either Thursday through Sunday (10-13 October, 2024) or Friday through Sunday (11-13 October, 2024). Be sure to select the dates you want.
Book your Best Western Plus group rate (two queen beds)
- Best Western Plus, Clarks Summit – Thursday night at $109.99 + 13% tax per night
- Best Western Plus, Clarks Summit – Friday and Saturday nights at $159.99 plus 13% tax per night
- Mentioned OUSA Nationals if you call the hotel directly. (tel: +1-570-586-2730)
Camping: There are several campgrounds within easy driving distance of the two venues. Lackawanna State Park is the nearest public park with camping. There are also several private campgrounds in the area.
Other Registration Options
Saturday Evening Dinner
There will be a buffet dinner on Saturday evening from 6:00–9:00 pm at Fiorelli Family Catering. They are located at 1501 Main Street, Peckville, PA. The buffet menu includes:
- Pasta with red sauce, with and without meatballs
- Roasted chicken
- Roasted potatoes, sweet kernel corn, salad, rolls and butter
- Ice cream parfait for dessert
- Coffee, tea and soda
Cash bar available (not included in dinner pricing)
You can purchase dinner tickets one of two ways: As part of the registration process, or using a separate link that will be provided at a later date. Dinner tickets are $30 for adults; $15 for children age 10 and under.
Commemorative Shirts
Commemorative t-shirts will be available for purchase for $20 each. They will be long-sleeve, technical fabric shirts. The design and sizing will be available shortly. You can purchase t-shirts one of two ways: As part of the registration process, or using a separate link that will be provided at a later date.
SportIdent Rental (or Purchase)
Basic information about Electronic Timing: In the traditional SI system, when you insert your SI stick manually into the control box, the box emits a beep and the control number and time are recorded on your stick and also in the control box as a backup. The SIAC (SI-Air) system is different in that the control box is in “beacon” mode and emits a continuous signal that is picked up and recorded by your AIR+ stick when it’s within about 2 feet of the control box. Your stick will flash and emit a series of beeps to let you know it’s recorded the control.
At this event:
- All courses will use SportIdent (SI) electronic timing (punching).
- All controls and the finish will be in beacon mode so that SI-Air cards may be used.
- Regular SI cards may also be used. They are available to rent at no additional charge. If you need one, please select “renting” on the first page of the registration form.
- SI-Air cards will be available at $5 per day. This option is listed as a special item when registering; DO NOT select “renting” on the first page if you wish to use SI-Air.
- We have a limited number of SI-Air cards that may be purchased for $68 each. This is also listed as a special item when registering.
Awards
Results
Safety
Event Officials
- Event Director: Sandy Fillebrown
- IOF Event Advisor: Takashi (Tac) Sugiyama (BAOC)
- Registrar: Patty Carrigan
- Course Design
- Sprint: Karl Ahlswede
- Middle: Greg Ahlswede
- Long: Glen Tryson
- Lead Vetter/Controller: Petr Hartman
- Starts: Steve Aronson
- Results: Sam Kolins and Lena Kushleyeva
- Refreshments:
- Awards:
- Media: Summer McGrane
- Event Webpage: Janet Tryson
Partners
