2024 OUSA Nationals

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

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Save the dates! Information will be added as it becomes available.

Registration is now open

Bulletins: Bulletin 0 | Bulletin 1 is now available!

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Embargo	Schedule	Registration	Maps/Courses	Directions
Travel	Accommodations	Registration Options	WRE	Safety
Awards	Results	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. In addition, the road that runs along the northwest edge of Nay Aug Park is embargoed.  In particular, Arthur Avenue, between Roselynn St and Olive St is off limits.  See map below.

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Schedule

Friday, 11 October

• Sprint at Nay Aug Park in the City of Scranton
  • Open to the Public
  • OUSA Championships
  • Start window: 1:00–3:00 PM (Tentative)
  • Race time limit: One (1) hour

Saturday, 12 October

• Middle at Merli-Sarnoski County Park, Lackawanna County
  • Open to the Public
  • OUSA Championships
  • IOF World Ranking Event (WRE)
  • Start window: 10:00 AM–12:00 Noon (Tentative)
  • Race rime limit: Two (2) hours
• 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
  • Start window: 9:30–11:30 AM (Tentative)
  • Race time limit: Three (3) hours

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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. Dinners and shirts can also be ordered separately (see below).
  See separate link 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. To order dinner separate from registration use this form.
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 as you register or at a later date

Registration Information

Full refunds minus a $10 processing fee will be given up through September 22. After that, decisions will be made on a case by case basis.  Please contact the event director.

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:

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Maps & Courses

Maps

Nay Aug Park

• 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 County Park

• 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, and/or click on the underlined headings. Please remember that both parks are under a full embargo until the event.

Map Scales and Contour Intervals:

• Sprint at Nay Aug: 1:4000 with 2.0m contours for all courses
• Middle at Merli-Sarnoski:
  • 1:10,000 with 5m contours for all classes on M21E, F21E, Blue and Red
  • 1:7500 with 5m contours for all classes on GreenX, GreenY, BrownX, BrownY, Orange, Yellow and White 
• Long at Merli-Sarnoski:
  • 1:15,000 with 5m contours for all classes on M21E, F21E and Blue
  • 1:10,000 with 5m contours for all classes on Red, GreenX, GreenY and Orange
  • 1:7500 with 5m contours for all classes on BrownX, BrownY, Yellow and White

Model Events

• There is no model event for the Sprint.  There will be a map available at registration of the small area of the park and neighboring streets available for warm up.  
• There is no separate model event for the Middle and Long available ahead of time. A small area of Merli-Sarnoski Park has been set aside as a warm-up/model area; it will be open starting early Saturday morning. The area will include a few controls and the ability to test the SportIdent electronic punching system that will be in use. In addition, a portion of the map used for the Middle will be available as a warm-up/model area on Sunday. Maps for these warm-up/model areas, at all scales in use that day, will be available at registration each morning.
• These very limited warm-up/model areas illustrate the mapping style used although not necessarily all types of features found on the courses.  In particular, there are no large stands of mountain laurel which is prevalent on most long courses.

Terrain

Nay Aug Park: Nay Aug is an urban park with open grassy areas, open areas with trees, a few buildings, and other man-made features such as statues and playgrounds. The map is bordered on the south by a steep hillside leading down to Roaring Brook; the hillside has a network of trails through very thick woods and large cliffs.

Merli-Sarnoski County Park:  The terrain at Merli-Sarnoski park varies considerably. There is a large lake roughly in the center of the map surrounded by hillsides, with several smaller swampy areas scattered throughout. Some sections include intricate rock and cliff detail, other sections have open woods and little ground cover, and there are less-open areas. There are many sections of varying densities of mountain laurel and rhododendron.  Some areas contain artifacts from past coal mining operations. The trail network is moderate .

Sample terrain photos, including some of the many mountain bike trails in the park, and cliffs and boulders!

Starts

Start information by day is described below. Specifics about the organization of the starts will be posted at a later date.

• Friday, October 11th – Sprint at Nay Aug Park
  • The Start location is the same for all courses.
  • Start is 50m from one end of the arena which is also the main parking area, warmup area, and model area.
  • There will be no clothing return from the Sprint start.
• Saturday, October 12th – Middle at Merli-Sarnoski will have two separate start locations.
  • There is a one start for White, Yellow, Orange, BrownY, and BrownX. From registration, it is about 700m total. The first 350m is a gentle downhill on a trail and will be streamered through the woods. The rest is on a flat road or grassy area.
  • There is a second start for GreenY, GreenX, Red, Blue, F21E, and M21E. From registration, it is about 1200m total. The first 825m is flat and/or downhill on a road, followed by 375m on a narrow, twisty trail that is mostly flat but has a few small ups and downs.
  • There will be clothing return from each Middle start to the arena.
• Sunday, October 13th – Long at Merli-Sarnoski
  • The Start location is the same for all courses.
  • From registration, it is about 850m total, with the first 700m on a road, followed by 150m on a grassy area or wide trail, all downhill or flat.
  • There will be clothing return from the Long start to the arena.

Courses

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World Ranking Events (WRE)

Start times for Middle and Long WRE courses will be assigned according to IOF rules. We will use World Ranking Points as of September 23, 2024. Competitors will start in reverse order of their IOF Ranking; unranked competitors will start in a random order at the beginning of the start window. The WRE starts will be the first starts each day. There will not be a quarantine.

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Parking and Directions

Parking at the Venues

Friday, October 11th at Nay Aug Park

There is a large parking lot where we will try to fit all competitor vehicles. Car-pooling would be appreciated! If the lot fills, there is an overflow area that we will use about 1/2 mile away. See the map below (click for larger view). Once the lot fills, there will be someone at the entrance to the park directing you to the overflow lots. There will be an area designated for drop-off/pick-up if we need to use the overflow lots. While it may be possible to find parking on the nearby streets, note that many streets are permit parking only and you park at your own risk. Please use the marked route when walking between the overflow lot and the park before you run.  The park between the overflow lot and the main lot is part of the embargoed area.

Walking route from overflow parking to Sprint arena
Click on image for a larger view

Saturday and Sunday, October 12-13th at Merli-Sarnoski

While there is considerable parking at Merli-Sarnoski, it is likely that we will be required by the park officials to use offsite parking and buses for competitors to avoid congestion at the park. If so, we will be using the Lakeland School District parking lots (https://maps.app.goo.gl/AdKsfkMB18qJHeCt9). It is about a 15-minute bus ride and buses will leave approximately every 10 minutes during the morning rush. A more exact schedule will be posted closer to the event.

Directions to Parking

Friday, October 11th at Nay Aug Park

If you enter “Nay Aug Park” into your GPS, you will be directed to a park entrance that is in the embargoed area. Please use these coordinates instead:  41.402755, -75.642673  This is at the intersection of Arthur Avenue and Olive Street and is the entrance to the park that we will be using. To avoid the embargoed section of Arthur Avenue, the best approach is along Harrison Avenue and then turn onto Olive Street.  NOTE: If you are directed to the overflow lot at the East Scranton Little League Park, see map above to access the venue.

Below are directions from I-81 (note: there may be faster ways to get to the park using back roads and city streets depending on where you are coming from)

• From I-81 south, take exit 184 for Moosic Street and then turn right onto Moosic Street. At the second light, turn right onto Harrison Avenue. Cross the bridge, ignore signs for Nay Aug Park, and turn right onto Olive Street.
• From I-81 north, take exit 184 for River Road and then turn left onto River Road. Turn right onto Meadow Road and then left onto Moosic Street. At the first light, turn right onto Harrison Avenue. Cross the bridge, ignore signs for Nay Aug Park, and turn right onto Olive Street.

Saturday and Sunday, October 12-13th at Merli-Sarnoski

The Steamtown Marathon is being held on Sunday, October 13 and there will be many closed roads along the route. The race route begins in Forest City, goes through Carbondale, Jermyn, Jessup, and Dickson City before crossing under I-81 and heading into Scranton. (See the generalized map below; click on the image for a larger view.) Thus, regardless of where you are staying, we recommend making your way around the marathon route and approaching the park and parking from the north.  

From the general Scranton area (and the event hotels), take I-81 North to get past the race route.  From I-81, take exit 197 and turn right onto PA 632 East or Commerce Drive. In approximately 2.5 miles, turn left onto Green Grove Road. In approximately 0.5 miles, turn left onto PA 247 North or Lakeland Drive. The Lakeland School District is on the left after approximately 2 miles.

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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.

Training Opportunities:

• Permanent Courses at Hickory Run State Park:  About an hour Southeast of Scranton, Hickory Run State Park has a beginner, intermediate and advanced permanent course. The map for these courses can be downloaded here: https://www.dvoa.org/learn/perm/Hickory-Run-OPC_2020.pdf There is a small parking area near the start/finish of the advanced course and a very large parking lot near the start/finish of the beginner and intermediate courses. The last few controls of the intermediate course could be combined with some of the advanced controls to make a course starting from the larger parking lot.

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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 this form. 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. 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.

• Description: 4 oz micropoly interlock performance long sleeved shirt, stain and snag resistant, 44+ spf UV sun protection (click image for a larger view)
• Sizes: Available in Unisex and Women’s sizing (width and length dimensions are for a shirt lying flat)
• Ordering: If you’ve already registered for the races and would like to add a shirt, please use the order form

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.

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Safety

Climate:  

• According to the national weather service, temperatures for this weekend in October range from lows of 43F to highs of 63F with a mean of 53F.  
• Average precipitation for the month of October is 3.7 inches (94mm) with an average of 11 days with wet weather.

Hazards:  

• There are no known unusual hazards. However, these are Northeast Pennsylvania woods so there is always the possibility of seeing a black bear. There are also ticks, so be sure to check when you finish your courses.  
• There is no hunting allowed inside the park boundaries. However, it will be bow-hunting season on Saturday and courses will go near private property. Participants are encouraged to wear orange or other bright colors. There is no hunting allowed on Sunday even on private property.

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Awards

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Results

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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
• Media: Summer McGrane
• Event Webpage: Janet Tryson

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Partners

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