Orienteering Development Model
The Orienteering Development Model (ODM) is Orienteering USA's framework for how people grow as orienteers over a lifetime. It is based on the TeamUSA American Development Model, which promotes healthy sport experiences and age-appropriate development across all levels of participation.
The Five Stages
The ODM defines five developmental stages. Each stage is described by three verbs that capture the mood and approach.
| Stage | Name | Age | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Experience, Explore, Play | 0+ | Safety, experience, relationship, location, direction |
| 2 | Interact, Develop, Challenge | 6+ | Building a foundation |
| 3 | Collaborate, Elevate, Train | 12+ | Team orienteering |
| 4 | Participate, Master, Lead | 15+ | Contributing to the community |
| 5 | Inspire, Support, Share | All | Giving back |
A key principle: beginners at any age start with Stage 1. A 12-year-old who has never tried orienteering still needs to experience, explore, and play before moving into skill development. The stages describe readiness, not age brackets.
Four Dimensions of Development
At every stage, the ODM tracks development across four dimensions:
| Dimension | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Individual | Personal growth, self-awareness, confidence, independence |
| Physical | Movement skills, terrain comfort, fitness, coordination |
| Technical | Navigation skills, map reading, decision-making |
| Social | Collaboration, communication, competition, community |
This is an important lens for the Navigation Games curriculum. A PE teacher might focus on the Physical and Technical dimensions. A camp director might emphasize Individual and Social. The same activities serve all four.
How Nav Games Maps to the ODM
Stage 1: Experience, Explore, Play
Our K-2 curriculum and Camp Intro progression live here. The ODM describes this stage as introducing people to orienteering through games, fun activities, and play. Our activities at this stage include:
- Boundary Run and Gathering: comfort and familiarity with the space, developing spatial awareness
- Explore & Find: physically exploring a bounded area to discover what is there
- Animal-O (early introduction): learning through games and imagination
The ODM emphasizes that Stage 1 should not feel like instruction. It should feel like play. Our activities are designed this way: kids are running, finding things, and having fun before anyone says the word "orienteering."
Stage 2: Interact, Develop, Challenge
Our 3-5 and early 6-8 curricula live here. The ODM describes this stage as moving from exploration to regular skill development. Key areas of learning include reading maps, connecting map to terrain, staying oriented, and decision-making through a variety of activities.
- Geometric-O: connecting a map to physical space, staying oriented, fixing mistakes
- Map Walk and Symbol-O: reading a variety of map types, associating symbols with real features
- Score-O: decision-making, strategy, personal challenge
The ODM's "Challenge" dimension is important here. It says challenges should be game-based, focused on personal improvement, and team-oriented. Our activities do this naturally: students are trying to beat their own time, find more checkpoints, or complete a harder course.
Stage 3: Collaborate, Elevate, Train
Our 6-8 and Camp Skill Development progressions begin to touch Stage 3, particularly for students who return year after year. The ODM describes this stage as expanding skills through team activities, harder training, and competition.
- Route choice and advanced navigation skills
- Compass work
- Competitive formats with reflection
- Analyzing performance and setting goals
Stages 4 and 5
These stages describe elite competition, community leadership, and mentoring. They are beyond the scope of our school and camp curricula, but they represent where orienteering can lead for students who continue in the sport.
Key Principles
The ODM is built on the TeamUSA American Development Model's five principles:
- Universal access to create opportunity for all
- Developmentally appropriate activities that emphasize motor and foundational skills
- Multi-sport participation
- Fun, engaging, and progressively challenging atmosphere
- Quality coaching at all age levels
These principles reinforce what Navigation Games already believes: orienteering should be fun first, skills develop through play and challenge, and every student should be able to participate at their level.