Newsletter Number 47, November 1998

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

An important meeting was held at Wartook at the recent 24 hour rogaine involving the Victorian and South Australian rogainers. Neil Phillips, Peter Taylor and Nigel Aylott with Phil Holman discussed the recent options for rogaining internationally, and then supported the release of a message from that meeting by Peter Taylor, President of the Australian Rogaining Association. The message from Peter Taylor is reproduced below:

From Peter Taylor: " The outcome of this meeting is essentially summed up in the following message:

1. The upcoming ARA vote is likely to be split. It will either be tied or slightly in favour when counted by state. We all felt it was better to find a path that does not disenfranchise a major block of rogainers, and yet still lets us progress.
2. Peter Taylor was to explore further the options of collaboration with the IOF and this especially included the IOF recognizing the World Rogaining Championships. Peter was not confident the IOF would do this as they had not done so for other sports. Neil mentioned that there had been contact with the IOF since 1976 and that it had always been cordial, but the IOF had shown little inclination over this time to go beyond these cordial relations [for that matter, the VRA, ARA and IRF had not either]. The meeting did not agree with the idea of the IOF having a role monitoring or legislating on the rules of rogaining, nor rogaining falling under the IOF.
3. A complimentary development path would be pursued by Nigel and Neil who would address several aspects of the current IRF that Peter felt needed change. These specifically were:
   • a representative membership (so members can be voted out if necessary)
   • a financial system (raising funds from WRC and government)
   • legal safeguards (possibly to mean insurance and incorporation).
   Peter's suggestion that Richard Robinson be invited on as a third member, was supported. The matter of whether to move forward with everyone on side, or set up a viable structure and then invite groups to join a constituted IRF was discussed without being finalized.

   This path to be pursued by Nigel and Neil and other(s) would not hinder the discussions between Peter Taylor and the IOF. Instead, it would set up an IRF much more able to address and deliberate on proposals to do with the IOF.

4. A possible representative system for the IRF was considered to be:
   • two representatives appointed by the ARA
   • two representatives appointed by rogainers from other countries: USA, Canada, New Zealand, Czech. An executive selected by this panel who could come from anywhere within the sport.
5. Peter Taylor was going to write to States about the recent vote. It was felt preferable that this letter include paths forward rather than just reporting a split vote. In this regard, having endorsement of the letter from the Wartook group would be a considerable advantage in clearing some current uncertainties. Peter to decide whether to get this endorsement, and or countersigning, before the letter went out.

   … We felt that it would be useful to have the body suggested in point 4 above, even if only to negotiate with the IOF, in reality probably for much more." (from message by Peter Taylor, ARA President)

Summary: this agreement from Wartook gives the platform from which to build a representative, financially and legally sound IRF, and also to explore options for closer links between rogaining and orienteering. Since the meeting, Richard Robinson has accepted the invitation to join the group. Progress will be reported in forthcoming Newsletters.

Sporting participation

Sweeney Sports 1998 in Australian Leisure Management highlights some interesting statistics related to participation in various sporting activities. It reports that 45% of Australians are involved in swimming, and for other sports the percentages are: bushwalking 31%, fishing 27%, gym 26%, golf 22%, cycling 20%, running 20%, skiing 15%, orienteering and rogaining both below 5%. It was not clear whether combining the two would take rogaining and orienteering over 5%, but it was clear that the bushwalking audience was a group of considerable size and with like interests (a point already made by Ivana Cichelli in her rogaining related MBA research).

5th World Rogaining Championships

A formal call for expressions of interest in holding the 5th World Rogaining Championships was made in IRF Newsletter 45 in September 1998. The short list for expressions of interest closes very shortly. If you do not have access to Newsletter 45 or the website version, contact the IRF immediately and a copy can be faxed to you with details of 5WRC. We have an expression of interest from the Czech Republic already.

'Rogaining'

Associations and several individuals have been invited to contribute to 'Rogaining': a new book on the sport that will take the place of 'Cross country navigation'. Thoughts and ideas are still welcome, and the timetable is for these contributions to be in the authors' hands by the end of 1998. Rogaining associations and groups that run rogaines are invited to write a few sentences on the founding of their group and to list their major rogaines. Many parts of 'Cross country navigation' will be retained, other parts will be updated. It is expected that rogaining groups will have access to the book at reduced rates for their members as has been the policy for earlier books.

Neil Phillips