18-year-old senior selected for U.S. junior orienteering team
Nathan Ohrwaschel
COATESVILLE — A Coatesville teen found his niche in orienteering, competing at a level that has brought him national recognition.
Nathan Ohrwaschel, 18, a senior at Coatesville Area Senior High School, has been selected to join the United States team for the Junior World Orienteering Championships to be held in Kosice, Slovakia, from July 7-13. He will join a team with five other males and a female, who will compete against more than 300 participants from 37 different countries.
Ohrwaschel was introduced to orienteering in 2007 through his Boy Scout troop. As his passion for the sport intensified, he joined the Delaware Valley Orienteering Association. Orienteering began in Scandinavia in the 19th century primarily as a military training event. In 1919, the modern version of orienteering became a competitive sport in Sweden before coming this country in 1946. Participants rely on a map and compass to find their way to various checkpoints.
The sport has enabled Ohrwaschel to find his way across the country. He has competed in North Carolina, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Washington, and California. In 2011 he took first-place for varsity males at the U.S. Interscholastic Championship in California.
“Like all of our athletes, Nate is a great example of the best of American orienteering,” said Glen Schorr, executive director of Orienteering USA, in a press release. “We are thrilled to have him as part of Team USA.”
To learn more about orienteering, visit www.orienteeringusa.org. To participate in a local event, visit DVOA.org.
