US Orienteering Team Competition Grant Program

Purpose

The Competition Grant program is a new way of encouraging US orienteers to attend international events, and encouraging competition within the US team to improve the competitive results of the team as a whole.

Winners (and perhaps top placers) in major US competitions (see below) will earn competition grant money. This money can be used to reimburse their costs incurred when traveling to and attending major international competitions.

Questions/Answers about how this works

• How is this different from past funding?
  • In the past, we have paid for shared and sometimes individual World Championships expenses. This is quite similar to giving a competition grant to each of the 5 men and 5 women attending the World Championships, in the amount of 1/10 of the Team Fund Balance.
  • This program concentrates some of our funding more on the very top performing orienteers, and through competition for the awards, creates a stronger, more competitive team.
  • Some of the very top orienteers in the US have chosen not to represent the US at international competitions, due in large part to lack of sufficient interest in paying most or all of their way to get to the competitions. This program should make top US orienteers more willing to travel to and compete in major international competitions, by allowing them to accumulate enough grant money to pay for an entire trip, OR part of several trips, at their option.
  • The competitive aspect of these awards should help to encourage top US orienteers to attend major US competitions and to train hard to earn a grant at those competitions.
  • Competition grants serve as clear, simply packaged items for Team sponsors to match or fund. For example, A-event hosts are encouraged to put $100 each into the US Team fund designated for both an M21 and F21 competition grant, for the winners of their A-event.
• What are the awards?
  • 2004: Competition Grants for 2004 are under discussion (in Feb. 2004)
  • We encourage the hosts of these US Championship events to contribute to the US Team Fund to enable Competition Grant awards.
  • We also encourage A-meet organizing clubs (or club members) to contribute $100 to the US Team Fund for each of M21 and F21 to fund competition grants for the winners of their A-meet.
  • Past Grants
    • In 2002, the US Team Fund, with the support of QOC, sponsored the following awards:
      • $300 grants to the winners of both M21 and F21 at the US Classic Championships, plus $150 for 2nd and $50 for 3rd.
      • $100 grants to the winners of both M21 and F21 at the US Short Championships and US Long Championships.
    • 2003: No Competition Grants were Awarded. However, the Bay Area Orienteering Club generously provided $3,500 in direct cash awards to the top 3 Men and Women orienteers at the US Champs.
• What events does the grant cover?
  • The grants may be used in connection with World Cup events, or World Championship events.
• What expenses does the grant cover?
  • Transportation to and from the competitor’s residence to the Event.
  • Room, board and transportation at the Event, not to exceed $100/day.
• When can the grant be used?
  • The grant can be used to cover events in the same Calendar year as the date of the award, or the Calendar year following the date of the award.
  • The grant can be used to cover past expenses provided they were in the same Calendar year at the event. This allows, for example, an orienteer who attends a World Cup event in summer 2002, to try to earn reimbursement for some of their World Cup costs at the US Champs in fall 2002. As another example, the 2002 US champs winner may use the grant for the 2003 World Champs.
• What if the funding goes unused?
  • If a funding recipient cannot use the funds within the specified time, the funds will be returned for general use by the US Team fund (including, possibly, future grants.)
• What about non-US winners in an event?
  • The places for US-eligible competitors will be used to decide to determine who can get a grant. Current, US-eligible means Permanent Resident or Citizen. (See below for further info on Permanent Residents.)
• What if the competitor knows they won’t use the funding?
  • If a competitor decides they cannot or will not use the competition grant, it will still be available for their use until it expires, and returns to the Team Fund.
• What if the competitor cannot use the funding, because they are not allowed to go to a World Cup / World Champs?
  • It is possible that a grant recipient may not be on the US Standing Team, and therefore may not be allowed to attend a designated major international competition. In many cases, e.g. if the grant recipient has just won the US Championships, the grant recipient may be immediately added to the Standing US Team. If not, the grant recipient may have to train hard and compete well in hopes of making the Standing US Team the following year.
  • In some cases a grant recipient may be “US-eligible” but not IOF-US-eligible, such as permanent residents. The grant will remain available for them, in case they become US citizens or otherwise become IOF-US-eligible before their Grant expires. If the Grant expires before they can use it, the funds are returned to the Team Fund for possible use in future Grants.

Revision History

• Updated 2/4/2004 - Historical/future grant amounts.
• Updated 11/12/2002 - Grants are non-transferable.
• Updated 3/29/2002.