OUSA Teams
National and World

Each year a national team "TeamUSA" is selected to represent the United States at international orienteering events around the world. These athletes compete in numerous high-level international competitions including the World Cup, World Orienteering Championships, Junior World Championships and more. Athletes apply to be part of the national team on an annual basis. Applications are due at the end of December each year with the team being decided in January.

Athletes selected to compete for TeamUSA are grouped into three squads: Elite, Performance & Junior.  On occasion additional athletes earn a spot on on the National Team mid-season by qualifying for a specific international championship via team trials or petition process.

It needs to be understood that no one will just go to a couple of orienteering meets, have great race results and expect to be eligible for selection consideration to TeamUSA. 

OUSA has a National Team Selection Committee which determines the criteria for the selection of team members.

From OUSA's website the following are the criteria for USA National Team selection consideration:

USA National Team Selection Criteria, 2026 (updated Dec 2025)
1. The athlete must be an OUSA member.
2. The athlete must be a US citizen.
3. The athlete must have and utilize an Attackpoint log (minimally, auto uploading of training).
4. Submit a race or time trial result for 3k, 5k, or 10k from the past year. Include a link to results of an official race, or Attackpoint entry with GPS track for a time trial.
5. Consistent and high-level training as evidenced by logging in Attackpoint.
6. Show dedication to the sport of orienteering, through actions such as:
A. Volunteering at local and national events.
B. Helping the Team, via blog posts, arranging training events, fundraising, etc.
7. Demonstrating a sporting attitude, through actions such as: 
A. Supporting fellow team members.
B. Positive (and motivating) comments on social media and AttackPoint logs.
C. Arranging virtual training sessions.
D. Taking positive steps when you feel you or someone else has been unfairly treated
E. Welcoming and including new Team members.
4.  Team Squad Criteria
A. Elite Squad: should meet at least one of the following criteria or have an exceptional circumstance*
1. OUSA-ranked athlete with average ranking points of at least 92 for men / 85 for women.
2. IOF ranking score average of 1100+ in forest or sprint. (IOF rankings are based on top-5 scored races; athletes with fewer than 5 scores should still average 1100+)
3. Qualify for ‘A’ final in WOC or JWOC if rising senior.
B. Performance Squad: should meet at least one of the following criteria or have an exceptional circumstance*
1. OUSA-ranked athlete with average ranking points of at least 75+ for men, 65+ for women.
2. IOF ranking score average of 800+ in forest; equivalent or better sprint scores will be considered.
3. Qualify for a US team to WOC, JWOC, WUOC, or WG in previous year, in addition to coming close to meeting one of the other criteria
C. Junior Squad: must meet age criteria, and should meet at least one of the remaining criteria or have an exceptional circumstance*
1. Be younger than 21 for the entirety of 2026.
2. OUSA ranked athlete with average ranking points of at least 75 for males on M20 / 65 for females on F20.
3. Athletes who exclusively or almost exclusively ran M/F18 who had outstanding results.
4 . Qualify for JWOC or WUOC in previous year, in addition to coming close to meeting one of the other criteria

Note 1 - Athletes may submit results from non-WRE races at national or international levels against IOF world-ranked athletes for scoring (according to IOF and/or OUSA
algorithms) and consideration by the Committee. This is especially important for non-US-based athletes.
Note 2 -  Athletes will not drop off the Team or down from Elite to Performance after a year of few/no performances if due to *exceptional life circumstances, including a serious injury or illness, pregnancy/parenthood, major life changes (new demanding job or school, death of a family member, financial hardship, etc.). It is up to the athlete to alert the Selection Committee of such extenuating circumstances in the Team Application.
Note 3 - These are *guidelines* for the Selection Committee. While our main consideration are US and IOF ranking points, they are not strict cutoffs, and we will consider both trends in an athlete’s results as well as groupings (i.e., athletes who are close together in results and rankings will usually not be split). It is up to the Committee to make close calls based on everything they know about each athlete. These should, however, give an athlete an idea of where he/she may land on the Team, or if they’re not yet qualified to be on the Team. The Committee will consider mid-year promotions and additions to the Team, and any athletes who are named to an international team who aren’t already on the National Team will be added. 

Could you see yourself running for TeamUSA one day?
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