International Rogaining Federation

Newsletter Number 33, June 1997

PO Box 3,
Central Park,
3145, Victoria.

4th World Rogaining Championships

The last IRF Newsletter outlined procedures for awarding the 4th World Rogaining Championships. This newsletter outlines the selection procedure from here, and presents the bids from New South Wales and New Zealand. No further bids will be accepted for 4WRC.

The guidelines for staging World Championships are contained in the IRF Strategic Plan. For 4WRC selection:

  1. The IRF will not be organizing any open debate on this matter (but is not discouraging such). Every IRF representative is asked to advise or represent their member groups, and consult one another, as they see fit. This might include asking for specific details of either bid from the respective parties (email addresses are provided below).
  2. A simple vote amongst IRF representatives in early August will lead to one group being invited to prepare a more detailed submission (as was done by Kamloops Sage team for 3WRC). Those eligible to vote are listed at the base of this newsletter (with the provisos in points 3 and 4 below). The option will be kept open to call for more details from both/all groups if no clear decision can be reached on the information provided.
  3. IRF representatives from bidding groups will not have a vote.
  4. As IRF President I have offered my assistance to each group to prepare their submissions similar to 3WRC. I will not exercise my vote except in a tied situation. Voting will be transparent (i.e. available to other voters on the conclusion): voting should be by email or fax to myself with the options of: NSW, NZ, or neither: by 9/8/97.
  5. A successful bidding team will be asked to prepare a more detailed organizational plan.

4th World Rogaining Championships, 2000: proposal

From: New South Wales Rogaining Association

The NSW Rogaining Association (NSWRA) would like to host the 4th World Rogaining Championship (4WRC) in the year 2000. The international spotlight will be on Sydney in that year, because of the Olympic Games, to run from 15 September to 1 October. Other international sporting events are banned in NSW within 1 week on either side of the Olympics, but our proposal is to run 4WRC to avoid flight and accommodation problems or price rises. To be precise, we plan to run the centrepiece of 4WRC, the 24 hour event, from noon Saturday 15 July - noon Sunday 16 July 2000, with the full moon occurring on the Sunday 16 July, thus offering maximum moonlight from dusk to near dawn. This may still be sufficiently close to the Olympics to attract a few international folk to combine WRC4 with viewing (or competing in?) the Olympics.

The prime reason for the timing, however, is that WRC4 will follow 6 days after the Asia Pacific Orienteering Championships (APOC) being run by the Queensland Orienteering Association (QOA) from Saturday 1 July - Sunday 9 July 2000, just south of Brisbane. This event is expected to attract 1000 to 1500 competitors, most from Australia but also several hundred from New Zealand, around a hundred from the rest of Asia, plus other elite international orienteers. An Australia-New Zealand Challenge is planned as part of APOC, and we could run a similar Australia-New Zealand Rogaining Challenge. Discussions have been held with QOA (Eric Andrews) who are keen to include WRC4 as part of their program; in fact they had planned a two-day mountain marathon event for the weekend 15-16 July and WRC4 will fit that bill perfectly.

The planned location for WRC4 will fortuitously be very convenient to competitors from APOC, who can continue their journey south from Brisbane towards Sydney. The planned central WRC4 site and Hash House is a small country town on a major transport link (road and rail) between Newcastle and Brisbane, 4 - 5 hours drive from Sydney. Daily public bus and train services are available from Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane (though connecting shuttle services to the site may need to be arranged). A course of comparable size and style to that NSWRA set for the Australian Rogaining Championships 1994 is planned. The course will span an attractive hilly countryside, predominantly grazing land dotted with Eucalyptus trees, but including (negotiable) cliffs, rainforests, sand-banked creeks and gorges. Kangaroos will be seen by all teams, and some will spot wombats and echidnas. The average climate for the region in July is: minimum temperature 3C, maximum 15C, rainfall 46 mm. There will not be many wildflowers at this time, but acacia trees will be in yellow blossom. The Hash House, with ample camping ground, will be close to the course centre.

For fun, we would like to subtitle the event "Don Quixote Down Under", and use Quixote's epic adventures as a loose theme for the event. In particular, we envisage a logo with Quixote (with helmet and backpack) charging a windmill, from which a control hangs, and we will be sure to site a few controls on some of the old windmills on the course.

To date, NSWRA has organised about 60 rogaines, including annual 24 hour State championships since 1984. Membership at the end of 1996 was about 1200 people, and the average attendance for the 7 events organised by the NSWRA in 1996 was 280. A very experienced team would be assembled to organise this event. The event co-ordinator would be Stephen Castle, who has organised several "Paddy Pallin" rogaines attended by 600 people per event. He is also our current newsletter and web site editor, and would establish an event web site. The planned course-setters are Trevor Gollan (chief setter for 7 events, co-setter for about 3 other events) and Peter Watterson (chief setter for 2 events including the 1994 Australian Championships, co-setter for about 4 events). Experienced members (e.g. Gareth Prosser, Ian Dempsey) would check the controls, and independently Graeme Cooper (chief setter for 4 events) would vet the entire course. Julian Ledger (current NSWRA president) would manage the publicity, using the resources known to him through his job as YHA's NSW General Manager. Likely sources of sponsorship include the State government mapping authority (LIC), YHA and Paddy Pallin, but in any case the entry fee will be at cost and modest. An accompanying program would be organised, most likely including a bush dance at the event and a metrogaine around Sydney on Sunday 23 July. We are very confident that we can stage a successful championship event on a challenging, accurately set and attractive course. We hereby request the IRF's endorsement to our bid.

stephen@csdc.toshiba.com.au

4th World Rogaining Championships, 2000: proposal

From: Peninsula and Plains Orienteers, for New Zealand Orienteering Federation

New Zealand offers to host the 4th World Rogaine Championships, shortly after the World Masters Orienteering Championships in January 2000. The expected presence of 2000 orienteers from all parts of the world will greatly expand the number of countries taking part, will add to the stature of the event as a World Championship, and will increase the international spread of rogaining. New Zealand, though young in terms of rogaining experience, has expertise in similar events, and a rapidly growing expertise in rogaining events.

Expanding the Pool of Countries
The first two World Rogaine Championships attracted relatively few from outside Australia. The third event in Canada in 1998 will do better but Australia is likely to provide the only sizeable contingent from outside North America. International rogaining needs more countries. Certainly, a return to Australia for the third time out of four would demean the stature of the title "World Championship", notwithstanding the undoubted leadership of Australia. This fact was recognised in a 1995 decision of the ARA, which decided that in principle it would like a 1998 WC in North America, and a 2000 WC in New Zealand. At that time New Zealand could not offer a solution. However, the award in 1996 of the World Masters Orienteering Championships (WMOC) to New Zealand changes that.

The Pool of Participants
The World Masters Orienteering Championships will be held in early January, 2000. Based on a similar event in Tasmania in 1992, they are realistically expected to attract 2000 participants. Although the main event is for orienteers aged 35 and above, a supporting programme will be open to all ages. After the orienteering (in the south part of North Island) it is expected that many overseas visitors will want to travel to the outstanding scenic areas of the South Island where 'warm-down' orienteering events are planned. The WMOC organisation has endorsed the proposal to make one of these events a rogaine. Just as the "Most Awesome Rogaine" which followed a major orienteering carnival in British Columbia and Alberta was responsible for sparking rogaining interest in Canada, USA and New Zealand, so a New Zealand rogaine at this time will gain converts from many countries.

The Organisers
In the host city, Christchurch, there exists 31 continuous years history of a rogaine-like event: the Canterbury University Tramping Club 24-hour Walk, or "Twalk". A large number of the host club, Peninsula and Plains Orienteers (PAPO,) including members of the organising committee, have participated in and organised several TWALKs. The TWALKs have used areas and maps similar to rogaines, presented similar organisational logistics and required 24 hour catering for competitors. PAPO is one of the most vigorous orienteering clubs in the country and in 1997 has just run NZ's second rogaining championship. PAPO has significant experience in organising major events, including the 1992 NZ Orienteering Championships and the 1997 Australia New Zealand Orienteering Challenge. It also has a history of running mountain marathons in the UK style. After ten years of mountain marathons, PAPO organised its first rogaine in 1992. Four hours down the road is the Dunedin Orienteering Club (DOC) which ran NZ's first rogaining championship. Because of Cook Strait, these clubs will not be intimately involved with the main WMOC events. Rogaining is run with orienteering in New Zealand, by conscious decision of the country's participants and NZOF. A core of PAPO members interested in long distance navigation events will form the organising committee. Key members include:

Dave Laurie (Competitor WRC1, NZRC1, Chief organiser NZRC2)
Barry Kershaw (Former vice-president WARA, Planner 1990 WARC, competitor NZRC2)
Andy Buchanan (Competitor WRC1, NZRC1, Planner NZRC2)
Peter Squires (Competitor WRC1, WRC2, NZRC1, Controller NZRC2)
Jan Millar (Former committe member WARA, Planner 1990 WARC, competitor NZRC2).
They will be advised by NZ's two members on the IRF Steering Committee: Ken Dowling (organiser of the First NZ Rogaine Championship) and Michael Wood (participant in the Alberta Rogaine, WRC1, WRC2, and responsible for 6 rogaines in the North Island.)

The Venue
The South Island of New Zealand has a low population, and a number of areas have been selected for further examination. The area is likely to

In Christchurch, the South Island's gateway city, there is a wide range of accommodation available from basic camping grounds to 5 star hotels.
Conclusion
While New Zealand's rogaining experience is modest, it has internationally experienced competitors, and demonstrated large-event organisation ability. It intends to add to that expertise in the next two-and-a half years.

New Zealand has the terrain, and in January 2000 New Zealand has the participants to put on the "most international" rogaine yet. The time is right for WRC4 in Canterbury, New Zealand.

Stuart Payne
Secretary of the organising committee stuart_payne@stats.govt.nz

Neil Phillips 61-3-9572 2425 (ph and fx), neil.phillips@bigpond.com
President

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