A0040409P
Newsletter Number 66, February 2001
PO Box 3,
Central Park,
3145, Victoria.
neil.phillips@bigpond.com, 61-3-95721784 faxIRF Executive
President: Neil Phillips
Secretary/Treasurer: Rod Phillips
Promotions and Development: David Stephens
World Rogaining Championships Manager: Gordon Birch6th World Rogaining Championships
This Newsletter contains the three full bids for the 6th World Rogaining Championships. These bids are being widely distributed for review. Interested rogainers are encouraged to direct any queries that they have with a particular bid to the proposers (not to the IRF). Electronic copies of bids should be available from the proposers including extra photographs of the proposed rogaine areas. It is expected that formal voting on these bids will take place in May 2001 by which stage the full list of IRF Council Members eligible to vote will be known. This list of Council Members will be published in advance of the formal vote to allow all interested parties to make any representations they consider appropriate.
World Rogaining Championships Manager's end-of-2000 Report
In August 2000, Gordon Birch was appointed the IRF World Rogaining Championships Manager, and in November joined the executive team.
The WRC Manager has been in contact with the Czech team organizing the 5th World Rogaining Championships in 2002. Early focus of discussions has been on the proposed course area. No visit to Czech is planned until May or June 2001 when weather conditions will be closer to those expected during 5WRC.
The 5WRC organizing team have a map on their web page which shows a portion of the area that they intend to use. The WRC Manager has received a copy of a hiking map of the area which is in the process of being updated. The area selected for 5WRC has never been used for a rogaine before.
The map indicates that the area is of rolling hills, with no dangerous gullies and many hand rail navigation features. There are no excessively high hills with the highest being 900m above sea level. The "bush" area indicated on the maps is mainly open forests and cross country navigation in a straight line should be possible.
There are some issues on which the WRC Manager would like Members' and Observers' feedback:
-The organizers have stated that all streams are drinkable and are not planning water drops at this stage.
-They are planning to use sportident electronic software. The organizers have been asked to verify that WRC5 will not be the first time they use the system. If anyone knows the system and has useful ideas, please discuss these with Gordon Birch. gordonb@supernova.com.au.
The plan is for the WRC Manager to visit the Czech Republic in May-June 2001 and attend an event on the 6th of June to see the organization at work. This will also be an opportunity to assess facilities for accommodation, travel to 5WRC site, and learn if any facilities will be available at the course for international visitors, e.g. a changing area.
Tucson, Arizona, USA
Bid for the 6th World Rogaining Championship
The Tucson Orienteering Club, Arizona, USA, would like to host the World Rogaining Championships in 2004.
The Tucson club has been holding rogaines since 1991. From our initial eight hour event, we have held 24 hour events annually since 1997. Our 1997 rogaine was also the North American Rogaining Championships. We have received many compliments on the quality of our rogaine maps. We have a history of never misplacing a control and no course challenges at our rogaines. Our past rogaines have been entirely staffed by club members, with over 20 working on our 24 hour rogaine in 2000.
For the 2004 championships, the course setter would be John Maier and the meet director Peg Davis. John has set four rogaines and Peg has directed one. We have set and directed many multiday orienteering events. This year we will be setting and directing the May 2001 Arizona Rogaine. This event will also serve as the 2001 North American Rogaining Championships. Both of us have served as Tucson Orienteering Club board members for the last 10 years. We have also competed in rogaines around the U.S. southwest, with some wins.
The WRC location we propose is in north central Arizona on the Mogollon Rim. We have held rogaines on other areas of the rim in 1998 and 2000. The mountains and canyons of the Mogollon (pronounced: muggy - own) Rim were formed by two periods of volcanism, followed by earthquakes which caused faulting, creating the 1500 foot drop to the desert floor to the south. The rim floor is formed of limestone with sandstone exposed by erosion at the edge. Most commonly seen wildlife include deer and elk, with some bear and javelina.
The weather in May is pleasant: snowfree, unlikely to rain, with highs around 25 degrees C. The terrain is open and runnable Ponderosa pine forest with only a few tiny cacti. We have found several areas with the qualities we like for rogaines: gentle rolling hills, an occasional deep canyon for a navigating challenge and only a few dirt roads. While there will be some running water on the course, we prefer to set out several water drops for competitors' health and convenience.
The competition map will be based on a United States Geological Survey map (1:24,000 scale, 6 or 12 meter contour intervals) with the setters' additions and corrections. Past Arizona rogaine winners have not found all 50 controls on the 150 square kilometre map.
We prefer to hue to the simple and elegant traditions of the sport. Historically, we have scored cards by hand, holding the award ceremony within 60 minutes of the finish. Believing that rogainers know best how to feed rogainers, outside professional caterers have been avoided. We have prepared food simply and copiously on site. Besides the rogaining community, our events draw orienteers, ultramarathoners, and adventure racers. Each of the USA rogaining committee of Bob Reddick, Eric Smith, and Clinton Morse have attended Arizona rogaines and could be contacted directly for their opinions on Arizona rogaining.
Camping and hash houses are always centrally located. There are motels within 50 km. Any site will be accessible by passenger car and within three hours of the Phoenix, Arizona airport with the most flight connections in the state. A shuttle from Phoenix will be arranged if participants express interest.
We are hoping that a nearby orienteering club will hold a two day event the weekend before or after our rogaine to provide more entertainment for rogaine participants. However, Arizona itself offers plenty of wonderful opportunities for visitors: the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert for geology, the Hopi Mesas, Navajo reservation, and Anasazi ruins for anthropology, and Sedona for New Age acolytes.
While our rogaines have met with the approval of experienced and international rogainers, we will make every effort to fulfill any other requirements for a World Championship level event. The International Rogaining Federation technical rules will be used and we would consult the rogaining community to solve any issues.
We are very happy to have been invited to enter this bid and believe that beautiful Arizona would be the best place to hold the 2004 Championships.
Peg Davis, Meet Director
2241 East Parkway Terrace
Tucson, Arizona 85719
Phone: 520-628-8985
Email: pegdavis@u.arizona.eduJohn Maier, Course Setter
1133 West Rim Road
Benson, Arizona 85602
Phone: 520-586-7300
Email: wolffsongg@juno.com
South Australian
Bid for the 6th World Rogaining Championship
This document proposes that the 6th World Rogaining Championships (6WRC) be organised by the South Australian Rogaining Association (SARA) in 2004.
Event LocationSARA proposes that 6WRC be staged in the northern part of the Flinders Ranges. The Flinders Ranges are world-famous as one of the most beautiful of Australia's arid-zone mountain regions. Their best known landmark, the vast cauldron of Wilpena Pound, continues to achieve high international exposure as a tourist destination. Other parts of the Flinders Ranges are less well known and much less accessible, but no less beautiful. For example, anglo-saxon explorers did not enter the Gammon Range region (northern Flinders Ranges) until the mid part of the twentieth century.
The gateway to the Flinders Ranges is the town of Port Augusta. Farther north, the towns of Quorn and Hawker are rapidly developing a reputation as centres of outback tourism. There are also significant tourist developments at Rawnsley Park and Wilpena Pound.The 2002 Australian Orienteering Championships will be held in the Flinders Ranges. This event is scheduled just a few days before the World Masters Orienteering Championships (WMOC), which will be held in Victoria. Consequently many international orienteers and possibly rogainers will visit the Flinders Ranges as part of the WMOC carnival. SARA sees this as a prime opportunity to impress an international group of competitors in the navigation sports with the standard of the area. We believe that most of the orienteers who visit the area in 2002 will leave with a positive experience of its grandeur and uniqueness and, consequently, will advertise the virtues of coming to compete in a world rogaining championship, as WRC6, in this area two years later to fellow rogainers.
Terrain & Animal life
The terrain of the Flinders Ranges is unique in Australia in terms of its suitability for championship rogaines. The ranges contain intricate spur-gully terrain which has sections of native Cyprus pine, mallee (low growing trees) and other eucalypt species. Many watercourses wind their way through the rolling hills and the area is capped by rocky quartzite outcrops and mudstone shale on the lower slopes. In most places the vegetation cover is sufficiently light that it poses no obstacle to the progress of rogainers.
SARA's two previous Australian Championship rogaines, at Wyacca Creek in 1991 and at Arkaba Station in 1997, have both been held in the Flinders Ranges. This illustrates the vastness of the area. The Wyacca Creek event has become famous as arguably the sternest navigational challenge that has ever been set at an Australian rogaining championships. It was also one of the most beautiful courses. Its park-like south-east corner in particular has been remembered by all competitors who visited it.
The rogaine at Arkaba Station was held in the "Valley of a Thousand Hills" between the western wall of Wilpena Pound and the Elder Range. It, too, was a navigationally complex rogaine with very fast terrain, well-remembered for the perfect moon and weather conditions which allowed the winners David Rowlands and Andrew McComb to “clean up” (collect all controls) the course with just a few minutes to spare. The second-placed team was a fair way behind. For the World Rogaining Championships, SARA has selected an area farther north into the heart of the ranges which has extremely complex contour features at the scale at which the map will be prepared.Animals you would expect to find in the area include kangaroos and native friendly reptiles. There are no wild animals.
MapThe map will be based on a 1:50 000 existing state topographical map with 10 metre contour intervals and with appropriate corrections. With constant ongoing mapping programs in these areas and the digitizing of maps onto CD Rom, a world class event map can be assured.
The Organising Association
The South Australian Rogaining Association has a history of supporting the world rogaining championships. For one of Australia's smaller associations, the number of SARA members that have travelled to all of the WRCs has been impressive. On the competitive side, SARA won the interstate trophy competition between Australian states at the first WRC in Beechworth and its members have achieved placings at every world rogaining championships since that event. The womens and mixed open champions at the first two WRCs were South Australian.
SARA will be able to draw on a wealth of knowledge and experience to host a world-class WRC. It has continued to have a strong and capable committee. The previous two presidents of the ARA serving terms totalling eight years were SARA members. The proposed course setters and vetters for the WRC have each set the Australian championships, more than one South Australian Championships and a number of other rogaines.
This wealth of knowledge and experience outlined above ensures that SARA is more than qualified to host an event of such calibre.SARA’s Working Team for the WRC6
Setter #1: Ross Dawson
Ross has competed in twenty 24hr Rogaines, including 3 Australian Championships and 4 WRC. He achieved 2nd in Mixed in Aus champs (1998) held in Qld. He has set ten 24 hr events, 7 in both WA & SA, including the SA State Champs in Burra (1995) and Terowie (2000), and the National Champs in Arkaba, North Flinders SA (1997). He was a committee member for SARA from 1996-98.
Setter #2 & Coordinator: David Nicolson
David Nicolson has won the last two SA Championships. He has competed in 3 World Rogaining Championships and 4 Australian Rogaining Championships. In various capacities, David had been involved in the organisation of a number of SARA rogaines. He is the manager of an Adelaide bushwalking & adventure store, a position which has provided him with extensive commercial contacts locally and overseas. In addition to his setting the rogaine, his marketing skills will be invaluable for the organising committee.
Vetters: Peter Taylor and Christine O’Keefe
Peter Taylor has competed in over sixty 24hr rogaines, including 11 Australian Championships and 3 World Championships. He has achieved placings at the former and at South Australian and Western Australian State Championships. He has been involved in the organisation of at least ten rogaines, including being a setter of the 1991 Australian Championships at Wyacca Creek, a vetter for the 1997 SA Championships at Hallelujah Hills and running the hash-house at the 1994 SA State Championships at The Battery. He was President of the Australian Rogaining Association for six years up to 1999 and has been President of SARA for the last eight years.
Christine O’Keefe has competed in more than twenty 24hr rogaines including 3 World Championships and 2 Australian Championships. Competing in womens teams, she won the second World Championships in 1996 and the Australian Championships in 1993. Christine has vetted several rogaines including the events held at Rockleigh in 1999 and at Parawa in 1996. She is currently a committee member of SARA.
Administration: Steve Cooper & Christina Sickert
Steve Cooper is a two-time SA men’s champion and the current SARA Treasurer. His experience in rogaining spans 16 years, having recently competed WRC4, and 2 Australian Championship events. Steve has a wealth of experience in rogaining administration and computing. He has been treasurer of SARA for 5 years and carried out administration tasks in 5 rogaines.
As the SA State Landcare Co-ordinator for Primary Industries & Resources, Christina Sickert manages a half a million dollar budget. She has experience in administration of rogaines in both SA and Victoria. She has been participating in rogaines for the past 7 years and has achieved placings at several events.
Hash House: Sandra Worsfold & Frank Breen. Sandra has worked as a chef in Australia and London. She was also Second Chef at the South Australian Jockey Club, catering for the weekly race meetings, as well as functions such as the Adelaide Grand Prix. At these functions she would cater for groups of between 10 and 10,000 people, ranging in style from cafeteria, to a la carte, to buffet style menus. Recently, both Sandra and Frank catered for the 2000 SA 24 Hr State Champs Rogaine held in Terowie, 3 hours north of Adelaide, and received outstanding feedback on the appetizing menu.
Publicity and Marketing: Sandra Afnan and Heather Smith
Sandra Afnan is the current SARA Secretary. She has been rogaining for seven years and has achieved a number of honours including winning the SA Championships and being placed at the Australian Championships. Sandra has a Marketing Diploma and hands-on experience in all relevant areas of marketing, sales and computing.
Heather Smith is a current Australian and SA womens champion. She has represented Australia 3 times at World Orienteering Championships and has fifteen years experience in orienteering and rogaining. She is an electrical engineer who works for the Office of Energy Policy in SA. Her project management skills and web design skills will be invaluable for the team.
Web Page Design: Kate Kennedy
Kate designs and maintains web pages for the consulting group that she works for at the University of Adelaide, and will bring a wealth of knowledge and skill to promoting the event on line.
Organising Committee: Lewis Carter, Rob Tucker and Peter Milnes.
Lewis Carter has been rogaining for over six years, during which time he has achieved placings at a number of events, including the 2000 SA State Championships at Terowie. He is currently the SARA Newsletter Editor and has growing skills in computer and publicity matters.
Like Lewis, RobTucker has been rogaining for a number of years and achieved success at a number of events. He was the setter for the 1998 Spring 12hr event at Monarto. As the Director of the SA Coastal Protection Board, his management skills and government contacts will prove invaluable in the organisation of the event.
Peter Milnes, has been a rogainer for 7 years and is currently an active SARA committee member. He set the 1998 SA State Championships held at Princess Royal and, together with his wife Sue, vetted the 2000 SA State Championships in Terowie. Peter is the person responsible for compiling the SARA event setting and vetting manual.
Timing
SARA proposes to set a date for the rogaine between the months of July and September 2004, depending on the dates which will be most convenient for international competitors. During these times the climate of the area is at its most suitable for rogaining, with mostly sunny days with a temperature up to 20oC and cold but clear nights with temperatures falling to as low as –5oC. These months also represent the peak times for viewing native flora (plants) and fauna (animals). The display of native wildflowers that emerges as spring approaches is particularly beautiful, and creeks will be dry.
Event FinanceSARA has a stable financial position that will enable it to absorb reasonable early costs before revenues for the event start coming in. It will look to gain sponsorship from supportive and commercial bodies to enable it to set a high standard event that is still affordable for all competitors.
Promotion
The Flinders Ranges is already a recognized world class travellers' destination, offering fantastic cultural and environmental experiences. It is supported by a strong regional tourist association and is an attraction in its own sense. In conjunction with the appropriate tourist authorities SARA will directly target all potential participants world wide.The Flinders Ranges has magnificent sunsets and dawns and navigating by moonlight in between.... an experience not to be missed!
The SARA Committee
February 2001
Sandra Afnan ruhi@senet.com.au
People's Republic of ChinaBid for the 6th World Rogaining Championship
When you are tired, go back home, a poem sentence has ever been bestowed to me by a poet. The home referred to in the poem is my hometown in Qiandongnan. That is the afterbirth land of my life. It is said UNESCO has finally confirmed that the two best areas for touring after their frequent inspection in China, one is Tibet, another is Qiandongnan. I haven't seen the exact word, but I firmly believe it is true. Each mountain, each river, each grass and each tree completely incarnate the magic creation of the great nature, and the splendor in this specific clime.
Qiandongnan is a poem, beautiful and emotional. Qiandongnan is a song, ancient and elegant. Qiandongnan is the most ancient ballad preserved by human being, it is the last homestead for our exhausted souls.
1. Introduction about Guizhou, Qiandongnan, Leishan and Xijiang.
Many foreign friends who are familiar with China must know the best wine of China is Maotai, the largest and most spectacular waterfall is Huangguoshu, and the turning point of China's Long March is Zunyi. All of them are in Guizhou Province in southwest China.
Guizhou possesses 8 national scenic spots, 5 national natural reserves and 24 provincial scenic spots. Our rogaining event will be held at this Province of Parks. Where to hold the 24 classic rogaining of this 6WRC? After the careful inspection, comparison according to the requirements set by IRF for the championship, China International Sports Travel finally decides to choose the magnificent Qiandongnan in southeast Guizhou Province.
"Qiandongnan is my hometown, I am a little bit more familiar with all the grasses and trees. Really, the water and soil of my hometown is so memorable, the custom of my hometown is so fascinating, the culture of my hometown is so proud! From the bank of Qingshuijiang River to the top of Mt. Leigongshan, from the side of Wuyang River to the foot of Mt Xianglu, the high mountains intervening, the rivers run vertically and horizontally, the soil is fragrant, the dense forest makes the land so green, the natural beauty can be found everywhere. Whoever is old or young, everybody can sing and dance, everybody has the gift of gab, you could not help admiring till you see with your own eyes. The selfmade rice wine is delicately fragrant, guests will be blockaded on the road to villages, if you are reticent, you will be inebriated. The simple and unsophisticated Lusheng dances will make you joyful and you itch to try. The touching love songs will hold your souls on the scoop by the springs and under the trees. And the history and migration, however, are the numerous stories, grand and heroic.
"Qiandongnan" means southeast Guizhou. It is a Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture established in 1956. The area is 30300 square kilometres with population of 4 million of which 75% are minority people, while Miao minority accounts for 68% of the total population in the prefecture. The minority custom is unique. Until now, Miao and Dong minorities here still keep hairstyles of Chinese Tang Dynasty, clothes of Song Dynasty, lifestyles of Wei & Jin Dynasty, architectures of Ming & Qing Dynasty. And the minority festivals are very richful and colourful, over 300 festivals can be seen annually. So the land is called the minority singing and dancing pool, and it is regarded by UNESCO as" the mecca for back to the nature".
The exact location for the 6WRC is in Qiandongnan's Leishan. The county has the population of 140,000. China International Sports Travel has best selected around 200 sq.km from the county's 1218 square kilometres. It is from Paiyang in the north to Datang in the south, from Langde in the east to Fangxiang in the west. In the contest region, we could see the beautiful mother river of Miao minority, the Mt. Leigongshan nature reserve with over 1900 special plants, rare species and wildlife. The Hash House is set at hospitable Xijiang, the largest Miao village (around 5000 people) in China. The electricity comes to Leishan county in 1980s, the television can be seen here in 1990s, the county opens to the foreigners in mid 1990s, the mobile phone will come here in 2001. In this land of unpolluted ecological and culture of the human being, every rogainers will have much surprising and exciting discovery. CIST suggests the 6th World Championship in Leishan county in the Spring of 2003 or 2004. The average temperature in Spring is 15.8 degree centigrade.
2.Government Support
1) China International Sports Travel is a partner of 2008 Beijing Olympic Bid Committee, CIST now is organizing a historical and transnational self-driving automobile event this June and July from Beijing to Moscow.
2) CIST has profound and direct and unbroken relations with the national sports officials, for we are a part of China National Sports Administration. This will offer us greenlights all the way all the time for the 6RWC.
3) We have already arranged special person in charge of the liaison with Leishan county government to get the necessary materials for the 6WRC as time goes by.
3.Technicial Support:
1) CIST will continue to make all required maps & topographical maps with contour for the championship. If China gains the right, we will make the best maps with all update technologies.
2) CIST has a dozens of professionals on orienteering. This will make rogaining operation in China ease.
3) Make the invitation: Direct guidance all the three or four years from International Rogaining Federation and friendly cooperation with South Australia and Arizona USA, and all the world rogaining bodies to make the 6WRC the very successful one ever.
4. Logistics:
1) Transport at present.
a) Xijiang/Leishan: 2 round mini-bus daily.
Xijiang/Kaili: one round bus daily.
b) Leishan/kaili: every 15 minutes, a round bus.
c) numerous trains/buses between Kaili and Guiyang.
d) Flight destinations departure from
Guiyang:Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hongkong, Shenzhen, Jinan, Qingdao, Shenyang, Chongqing, Wuhan, Xian, Haikou, Nanning, Guilin, Shantou,
Nanchang, Zhuhai, Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Zhanjiang, Sanya, Luzhou, Kunming, Chengdu, Xiamen, Changsha, Fuzhou, Nanjing and Zhenzhou.
e) Arrangement of working vehicles at all necessary places during the 6th World Rogaining Championships.
2) Medical and security
a) Some best doctors will be invited at Xijiang on duty.
b) Our quickest way to send any wounded rogainer to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hongkong within 8 hours if required.
c) There are necessary good hospitals in Leishan (40km), Kaili (75km), and Guiyang (270km) from Xijiang.
5. Good Advantages (if given to China)
1) Rogaining will become popularity in China soon, China Rogaining Association will be established and funded, the 6WRC working group will be formed, and China International Sports Travel will open and develop the rogaining branches all over China.
2) Translation and publishing all the rogaining books into Chinese.
3) Introduce International Rogaining Federation and all the rogaining organizations all over the world on televisions, radios, newspapers and internet in China.
4) A chance to have Chinese rogainers to attend all the rogaining events all over the world every year.
5) Government support:
a) Best background
A. This year2001 is a sports (health & fitness) tour year in China.
B. Beijing is bidding for the Olympics 2008.
b) If given the chance, the rogaining will be most successfully and most smoothly promoted in China in 2001.
6. Fund
1) China International Sports Travel can get the great support from Chinese government.
2) CIST will also seek sponsorship from the society.
3) Our company can hold the 6th World Rogaining Championship with our own economic ability.
7.The Reasons to Bid
1) Rogaining is a very new sports. It can help the people to gain the survival skills in this modern society. CIST also wants to develop the sports in China. Rogaining will begin to come into China officially from the moment when China is given the right to hold the 6WRC, otherwise the sports will be too late starting in China from after 2003 or 2004. Almost four years later from now.
2) China has never held any rogaining event yet comparing to all the other rogaining organizations, almost no Chinese knows about this new sports. But Chinese people are very open-minded to learn very quickly from IRF and all the rogaining associations and all the rogainers around the world to make 6WRC the most successful one ever. Our decided rogaining
matches are in September 2001, April 2002 and September 2002. Welcome any rogainer all over the world to contact CIST to tour and see Leishan County any time. Your footsteps there will be forever recorded in the history of rogaining in China.
Never neglect the Chinese market with over 1.2 billion people!
Mr.Zhang Jianping(Manager)
China International Sports Travel
Address: 4F.No.3C Longtan Road, Beijing, 100061 China
Tel:86-10-86761039, 67117514
Fax:86-10-67117370
Email: cist@china.com