Discussion: USOF to become Orienteering USA

Glen Schorr, Executive Director of USOF > Orienteering USA, has announced the renaming of the US governing organization and revealed its new logo.

Read the announcement

The awesome part is the bottom of the announcement that says "back to USOF home" =)

Very nice, looks like things are going forward. So when do we see the unveiling of the new webpage to rival the one just presented by Orienteering Canada?

Later this year.

I'm working with others [edit: all but one are USOF members ... oops, I mean OUSA] who have more knowledge than me in a number of areas; we'll let you know when it's ready.

Changing USOF to OUSA on the current site will happen only if the board requests it. Be patient; we think you'll like the new site.

Interesting, O continues to follow the progression of cycling (albeit 20-30 years behind) in this country. However, I recall that USCF rebranded themselves Cycling USA after the big membership boom (which has yet to materialize for O). And, as long as we're looking at parallels, does Samantha's entry into the top 100 equate to George Mount cracking the pro ranks in 1978 with the first American win in nearly 100 years? We eagerly await...

At EIGHT syllables, "Orienteering USA" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. "USOF" was only four syllables.

Too bad we can't think of a universally understood abbreviation of the word "orienteering" as "bicycling" has..."US Cycling Federation."

Maybe this is the time to seriously adopt the term Oing?

"OingUSA!" I can see the publicity flyers now: "I'm going....Oing!"

"Oing" ....Sounds new and sexy to me..

USOF is generally pronounced with only 2 syllables. I don't think one can expect a commonly understood abbreviation to exist unless the activity itself is commonly understood. Expanding the acronym to actually name the sport makes a good deal of sense to me.

However, I recall that USCF rebranded themselves Cycling USA after the big membership boom (which has yet to materialize for O).

Yeah, but they rebranded themselves from ABL to USCF prior to the boom. (I raced in the ABL, but not the USCF, I believe.)

Hm, OUSA is four syllables if spelled out, just like USOF... and neither of them, when pronounced that way, mean anything to more than a handful of people...

At EIGHT syllables, "Orienteering USA" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. "USOF" was only four syllables.

Apples and oranges. You should be comparing "Orienteering USA" to "United States Orienteering Federation".

So have we gone from YOU-SOFF to OO-SUH ?
Or should it be OW-SUH ?
How about YOWZA ?

I think the short answer is "yes"... (eta: to your original question, anyway...) (O-U-S-A)

I think we need to add a control.

O-control-U-S-A

Let's add a tree in there, too.

O-control-U-tree-S-A.

You should be comparing "Orienteering USA" to "United States Orienteering Federation".

Or maybe "Orienteering United States of America" to "United States Orienteering Federation"?

Or maybe "Orienteering USA" to "US Orienteering Federation"...

Yeah, well it wasn't my intention to make any sort of precise comparison. I was merely suggesting a shorter, easier way to verbally identify our organization and sport....as bicycling has.

I think the reason no one likes "O-ing" as a brief and unique way to identify our sport is because newbies often refer to orienteering as "o-ing."

But I think it is precisely BECAUSE it is a term newbies tend to use, that it makes sense for us to adopt in our common language...aren't we trying to appeal to a lot more newbies?

And the double-entendre we get for free...

I've never heard a newbie refer to orienteering as O-ing, but if you say so...

I call it "Teering", and I've also used "Roaring and Tearing"

Re the logo, I'd like to see a light or dark blue needle in the compass - the white space is a tad too empty for me.

I've never said "O-ing" aloud. But I've used it when IM-ing or Facebooking. "You going O-ing this weekend?"

I've never heard a newbie say it, and if I did, that wouldn't stop me from continuing to use it in the limited usage that I'm already using it.

Re the logo. Is the the red circle definitively a compass? Think about what else the circle could represent, and then reconsider if there should be a needle in there.

Or, if you really really really want to put something in that circle, you can put whatever image you want in there.

I don't think anyone say's "O-ing". I know I don't, and know I won't, even if the board or some survey proclaims it to be a good idea. I don't even say "orienteering" to non-orienteers; I say "adventure racing" instead, even tho I have never done an adventure race in my life. I find I get a much more interested and understanding response to that term.

Jargon is for insiders, the best word choice possible is for outsiders. Mostly I need to communicate with doctors and PT people the nature of my activities, and I wouldn't ever think of using "O-ing" or "orienteering" to those outsiders. The idea is to actually describe what you do in as few words as possible to outsiders, who have very limited attention spans, and a different semiotic frame. We'll see in 5 years whether the outsiders I speak to are then fluent in terms like "O-ing" and "orienteering", and look at you like you are from mars when using terms with the words racing or running in them. (This being the opposite of the state of affairs now, at least in my experience, which is obviously different than Clark's).

As for the logo, to me it looks like compass parts (moreover, keep in mind that compasses are what come to the mind of many outsiders I know who hear or see the term "orienteering"; I think they tend to construe to familiar terms such as "oriented" or "orientation", or remember "orienteering" as a summer camp or boy scout pace and compass game). I'm trying very hard to refrain from further comment on both the process and outcome re the logo. All I say in response to the above comment is that the vast majority of those who see symbols do not have forum posts to help them interpret them. Interpretation remains a role of the reader problem, and authors cannot intervene in most instances. The purpose of effective symbology is to obviate such need across as wide a frame of reference spectrum as possible. If the first impression is a compass, then it is a compass in that instance.

I do like "Orienteering USA" better than "Untied States Orienteering Federation". I prefer "USOF" to "OUSA", however. The visualization and internal verbalization of the "OUSA" symbol is too close to the "LOUSY" symbol for my petite symbol processing brain. To make the symbol more palatable, my recommendation is this: O-USA (you can only do so much with what you have to work with :))

It would have been oh so sweet if we could have come out of this process without the word "orienteering" at all (a word that only insiders seem to correctly understand), but it was not to be. Perhaps next time.

oh-OOO-sah. Like one of those old-timey car horns!

USOF.
What does "USOF" stand for?
Orienteering USA.
But that doesn't--
Trust me.

Probably my warped mind, but all the pronunciations so far of OUSA (ooh-saah, eww-saah, oh-OOO-saah) sound like something you'd hear at the end of a cheap Asian porno movie....Not that I've ever seen one.
I'll probably still use USOF (ewe-sof) out of habit and the lack of ambiguity. And then switch to O-U-S-A unless I hear a better one.

The vast majority of those who see symbols do not have forum posts to help them interpret them. Interpretation remains a role of the reader problem, and authors cannot intervene in most instances.

Agreed. All I'm saying is that I'm not adding a needle because someone sees a compass. And I'm not adding a feature if someone sees a control circle. And I'm not adding sprinkles if someone sees a donut ;-). It is what it is, and can interpret as you wish.

---

In print, I call it O-USA.

In voice, I spell it out. (oh-you-ess-ay)

And when I'm driving my old- timey car, I'll just honk. Hilarious!

Don't you think all of these acronyms, however you say them, makes this lesser-known sport seem impenetrable to newcomers?