Newsletter Number 42, June 1998

PO Box 3,
Central Park,
3145, Victoria.
neil.phillips@bigpond.com, 61-3-95721784 fax
President: Neil Phillips

IRF Meeting: Kamloops

The organizers of 3WRC have offered their full assistance in the scheduling of an IRF meeting to coincide with the world championships. We have tentatively scheduled Sunday in Merritt immediately before the rogaine as the probable time for an IRF meeting. Expressions of interest in attending this meeting are sought, and the meeting is open, i.e. to rogainers whether or not officially affiliated with the IRF.

I have advised the organizers of 3WRC that I am unable to attend the Kamloops rogaine, and that Nigel Aylott will chair the meeting and help with agenda items beforehand. It is not too early to send suggestions of matters that need addressing at this meeting. These can be sent to Nigel or myself but note that Nigel leaves for Canada on 10 July so responses need to be fairly prompt. After that I can forward ideas via Kamloops.

4th World Rogaining Championships: NZ

The first flier has arrived for 4WRC! Giving full details of this event on 15-16 January 2000, it also provides an overview of the countryside and likely weather conditions for this major rogaine in South Island, New Zealand. Now is the time to add this rogaine to the long-term calendar and publicize it to your friends.

The International Rogaining Federation

The International Rogaining Federation was established in 1989 as an organization focussed on promoting rogaining at the international level. It has operated successfully as a group of senior rogainers representing the various facets of the sport, without formal elections nor constitution, nor with independent finances. Instead, it has collaborated with state and national rogaining associations to achieve its various goals of publications, uniform rules and major rogaining championships. The various representatives who form the key players in the IRF are either elected officers of national and state rogaining associations, widely recognized national representatives, or senior rogainers offering specific expertise in publicity, publications, courses or other niche areas of the sport.

Next year the IRF will celebrate a decade of successful operations. I would encourage the sport, and especially the 3WRC IRF meeting in Canada, to consider a succession plan that includes a new IRF President, possibly a new group of senior officers, and even a whole new way of IRF operation, by the 4WRC in January 2000 at the latest.

Our IRF priorities remain making 3WRC a resounding success, ensuring the organization leading up to 2000 makes 4WRC even better, awarding 5WRC for 2001 or 2002, and retaining an international code of uniformity within the sport of rogaining. We also need to foster further co-operation with orienteering and other related sports, publish the next book on rogaining after Cross country navigation, and update the Strategic Plan for Rogaining that has served us well since 1994 but needs revising to take us into the next millenium.

Neil Phillips

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24 hour rogaines: study

Ivana Cicchelli is undertaking a study to better understand what attracts people to 24 hour Rogaines as part of her MBA Research Project: she is calling for input to this study.

Summary of the Field Investigation Project

This Field Investigation Project will conduct a Market Research study on behalf of the Victorian Rogaining Association (VRA) in order to understand why there has been a declining participation rate in 24-hour rogaines despite an overall trend of increasing participation rate across all event types. This information will aid the VRA Committee in deciding which strategies will attract numbers of rogainers back to 24 hour rogaines.

Background to Event Participation

Up until the mid 80s, the duration of events were either 12 or 24 hours. In this period, the number of participants per annum grew steadily from 400 in 1976 to 2000 in 1984. Since then, shorter events of 6 and 8 hours have been introduced. The overall participation rate since 1984 has remained steady at between 2000 and 2500 p.a. However, the number of participants in 24-hour events has dropped from an average of 800 p.a. in the early 80s to an average of 250 p.a. in the early 90s. This trend is a concern for the VRA both because many see the 24-hour event as the "core" event, and because a further drop in 24-hour participation may test 24-hour viability.

There are many ideas on how to address this situation. Some members believe that the decline in 24-hour participation is directly attributed to the introduction of the shorter events and that by not offering the shorter events, participation in 24-hour events will go back up. Interestingly, the Western Australia Rogaining Association (WARA), which only runs longer events, has very high participation rates relative to Victoria's longer events.

Others believe that if the membership has a preference for the shorter events, then the VRA should accept the "market demand" and modify its event offerings accordingly. It is argued that the high participation rates in the early 80s might be misleading as many participants might have preferred to do a shorter event if one had been offered.

Has the mix of people within the membership changed such that those who prefer the shorter events are now predominant?

The Research Objectives

The key objective is to profile the type/s of participants attracted to 24-hour Rogaining events and in particular:

• Assess whether there are any external factors such as changes in society that have contributed to declining participation rate and determine whether these trends are likely to continue.
• Evaluate how they differ, if at all, (age, sex, life cycle, motivations, and competitiveness) to participants attracted to the shorter events.
• Assess any substitution between events.
• Review the factors that may be considered "roadblocks" for potential 24-hour participants.
• Consider the repeat participation patterns.
• Determine how participants can be targeted.

Hypotheses

Several hypotheses will be tested, i.e. The 24-hour participation rate has declined because:

• the VRA membership is ageing and this event predominantly attracts younger people without family commitments,
• people are working longer hours and have more time commitments in the 90s'
• if shorter events are eliminated or reduced, 24-hour participation rates will increase.

Sources of Data

Existing published data on social and demographic trends will be accessed through government reports. Other sports such as endurance running and triathlons will be investigated to see if there are similar trends. Other state associations, in particular, the Western Australian Rogaining Association (WARA) will be studied to see if there are any correlations. Existing VRA data from the membership database, from event participation history and from a previous survey conducted in 1992 will be accessed.

Research Method

A two-stage research study will be conducted. The first stage will be a qualitative study involving three focus group sessions. The outcome of these sessions will then form the basis of a quantitative study in the form of a questionnaire, which will be put to a representative sample of the VRA membership.

Ivana's e-mail address is ivanamartin@bigpond.com.

New addresses since last IRF Newsletter: Ken Dowling, PO Box 12001 (not 12002); Jim Fulton email: jhfulton@wkpowerlink.ca; Bob Reddick rogainer@xoc.net, fax 1-425 4872253.