Courses, Classes, Eligibility
Friday is a stand-alone middle-distance National Ranking Event (NRE).
Saturday and Sunday are the Orienteering USA Junior Nationals. The standard slate of OUSA competitive classes will also be available for anyone not eligible for Junior National Championship classes.
Full eligibility details can be found in the OUSA Rules, particularly sections A.35 - A.37
Recreational courses are also be available on all three days. Pre-registration is required for all, including recreational courses.
Course / Class Mapping
Brown and Green courses will be split into variants on Friday.
Orange, Brown, and Green courses will be split into variants on Saturday and Sunday.
The course / class mapping used for all days is below. You will also find your course assignment with your packet, on your bib, and at the start. You are responsible for picking up the map for your assigned course.
| Course | Jr. Nationals Interscholastic Classes | Jr. Nationals Intercollegiate Classes | NRE Female Classes | NRE Male Classes | Non-Championship NRE Classes | Recreational Classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | ISPF, ISPM | F-10, F-12 | M-10, M-12 | MF-White | Rec White (Beginner) | |
| Yellow | ISIF, ISIM | F-14 | M-14 | F-Yellow, M-Yellow | Rec Yellow (Advanced Beginner) | |
| Orange X | ISJVM | ICJVM | M-16 | M-Orange | ||
| Orange Y | ISJVF | ICJVF | F-16 | F-Orange | Rec Orange (Intermediate) | |
| Brown X | F55+, F60+, F65+ | M65+, M70+, M75+ | F-Brown, M-Brown | |||
| Brown Y | F70+, F75+, F80+, F85+, F90+ | M80+, M85+, M90+ | Rec Brown (Short Advanced) | |||
| Brown Z | ISVF | F-18 | ||||
| Green X | ISVM | M-18, M50+, M55+, M60+ | M-Green | |||
| Green Y | ICVF | F-20, F35+, F40+, F45+, F50+ | F-Green | Rec Green (Medium Advanced) | ||
| Red | ICVM | F-21+ | M-20, M35+, M40+, M45+ | M-Red | Rec Red (Advanced) | |
| Blue | M-21+ | Rec Blue (Long Advanced) |
If a young child will have a safety shadow, they must register for a recreational class. This includes Interscholastic Primary - no shadows are allowed for Interscholastics competitors.
If you will participate as a group together on course, register for a recreational class. Max group size is 4 people.
Junior Nationals Championship Classes
| Class | Description | Course | School Grade-level |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICVM | College Varsity Male | Red | College |
| ICVF | College Varsity Female | Green | College |
| ICJVM | College Junior Varsity Male | Orange | College |
| ICJVF | College Junior Varsity Female | Orange | College |
| ISVM | Varsity Male | Green | Any grade through twelve |
| ISVF | Varsity Female | Brown | Any grade through twelve |
| ISJVM | Junior Varsity Male | Orange | Any grade through twelve |
| ISJVF | Junior Varsity Female | Orange | Any grade through twelve |
| ISIM | Intermediate Male | Yellow | Any grade through nine |
| ISIF | Intermediate Female | Yellow | Any grade through nine |
| ISPM | Primary Male | White | Any grade through six |
| ISPF | Primary Female | White | Any grade through six |
Junior National Championship Eligibility
Text on this website is provided as guidance. The OUSA Rules are the governing document of competition unless explicitly stated that competition rules deviate from the OUSA rules.
Individuals
To compete for OUSA Jr National Championship individual awards, competitors must compete in one of the OUSA Individual Championship Classes and meet all the following OUSA eligibility requirements:
- Meet standard Orienteering USA National Champion eligibility requirements (OUSA Rules for Competition A.12.2.1), namely:
- Is a regular member in good standing of Orienteering USA
- Is either a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States of America
- Meet standard Intercollegiate or Interscholastic class requirements in section (OUSA Rules for Competition A.35.3.1 or A.36.3.1).
Intercollegiate Individuals (A.35.3.1)
- Be a full-time college or university student. (Undergraduate or graduate as defined by the college or university)
- Have competed as an eligible Intercollegiate competitor in fewer than four Orienteering USA Junior Nationals (rule A.37.3.c).
- New 2024: There is no age restriction
Interscholastic Individuals (A.36.3.1)
- Be enrolled in a public or private school or be homeschooled.
- Meet the grade requirements listed in the Individual Classes chart.
Teams
Teams are 3-5 individuals. A team’s score is the best three individual scores. To compete as an OUSA Junior National Championship Team, including JROTC teams, all team members must meet the individual eligibility requirements above, with one change (A.37.4.b):
- Is either a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States of America OR be legally enrolled as a full-time student at a U.S. school, college, or university.
Intercollegiate Teams
There are three Intercollegiate (IC) Team categories:
- Team IC School Varsity
- Team IC School Junior Varsity
- Team IC Club Varsity
Teams are up to 5 competitors, any combination of men and women eligible in the IC Varsity classes for Varsity teams, or IC Junior Varsity classes for Junior Varsity Teams.
To be eligible as a School team all team members must be enrolled full-time at the same school, as demonstrated by a school ID for the same school, OR have an authorized exception, as demonstrated by an Orienteering USA School Team Exception Form. Intercollegiate team members must all attend the same campus.
Interscholastic Teams
There are eight Interscholastic (IS) Team categories:
- Team IS School Varsity
- Team IS School Junior Varsity
- Team IS School Intermediate
- Team IS School Primary*
- Team IS Club Varsity
- Team IS Club Junior Varsity
- Team IS Club Intermediate
- Team IS Club Primary*
- Team JROTC Varsity
- Team JROTC Junior Varsity
Teams are up to 5 competitors, any combination of students eligible in the IS Varsity classes for Varsity teams, or IS Junior Varsity classes for Junior Varsity Teams, or IS Intermediate Classes for Intermediate Teams, or IS Primary Classes for Primary Teams.
* Primary Teams are not an OUSA Junior Nationals Championship class, but we will provide awards for Primary teams.
To be eligible as a School Team all team members must be enrolled full-time at the same school, as demonstrated by a school ID for the same school, OR have an authorized exception, as demonstrated by an Orienteering USA School Team Exception Form.
JROTC Teams
All team members must be enrolled in the same JROTC unit in accordance with the host military service requirements.
JROTC teams may also compete as School teams if they meet the School team requirements above.
Club Teams
All team members must be primary Orienteering USA regular members of the same Orienteering USA sanctioned Orienteering Club.
The team must not be eligible as a SCHOOL or JROTC team.
The Coach of the Club Team shall provide a letter stating that all members meet the eligibility requirements.