Rules for Participants:

Rogaining is the sport of long distance cross-country navigation for teams travelling on foot. The object is to score points by finding checkpoints located on the course within a specified time. Checkpoints may be visited in any order.

Definition

"The course" means anywhere a team travels during the time of the rogaine but specifically excludes the access road and areas in the proximity of an administration area designated for non-competition use by the organisers, for example for parking or camping. "Event site" includes the course and any administration, access and non-competition areas.

Entries

B1.  A team shall consist of two, three, four or five members.

B2.  A team that has a member under fourteen years of age shall also have a member eighteen years of age or over.

B3.  Competition placings are awarded in several sections based on the age and gender composition of teams. Each team is automatically entered in the Open section and all other sections of the competition for which it is eligible.

B4.  No member of a team shall have been involved with the organisation of the rogaine so as to have a prior familiarity with the rogaine course or the fieldwork of the rogaine map.

Respect for Land and Property

B5.  Competitors shall respect public and private property.

(a)  Competitors shall not cross newly sown ground or growing crops, except if specifically permitted by the organisers, or any area deemed out-of-bounds by the organisers.

(b)  Competitors shall keep a reasonable distance from dwellings and stock with young.

(c)  Competitors shall take due care when crossing fences, crossing at corner posts, solid posts or between wires wherever possible. Each team shall leave any gate in the same state as it was found.

(d)  Competitors shall not discard litter.

(e)    Competitors shall not light fires at the event site.

(f)    Competitors shall not smoke on the course.

(g)  Competitors shall not unduly damage or disturb native flora or fauna.

(h)  Dogs and weapons of any kind, including firearms, are prohibited at the event site.

Conduct of Competitors

B6.  Competitors shall not enter the course until the official start is signalled.

B7.  The only navigational aids that may be carried on the course are magnetic compasses, watches and copies of the competition map. The possession of other navigational aids, including pedometers, altimeters and GPS receivers on the course is prohibited.  The possession, at the event site, of maps that provide additional information not shown on the competition map is prohibited.

B8.  The use of computers for course planning is prohibited.

B9.  Competitors shall travel only on foot.

B10.         Members of a team shall remain within unaided verbal contact of one another at all times whilst on the course. A team shall demonstrate compliance with this requirement to any event official or other team on request.

B11.         A team shall surrender its score card to any event official, and shall advise their team number to any event official or other team, on request.

B12.         A team shall not accept assistance from, nor collaborate with, other people, nor deliberately follow another team.

B13.         No food nor equipment shall be left on the course before the event for a team's use, and no food or equipment shall be left on the course.

B14.         Each competitor shall carry a whistle at all times whilst on the course. In an emergency a competitor shall give a series of short blasts on their whistle.

Checkpoints

B15.         All team members shall simultaneously approach to within 20 metres of each checkpoint for which points are claimed.

B16.         In order to gain points for a checkpoint, teams must punch the scorecard provided by the organisers in the correct square with the punch at the checkpoint marker and fill in any intention sheet at the checkpoint with the time of arrival, the team number and the number of the checkpoint that they intend to next visit. If a team punches an incorrect square, they will still be eligible for the points for that checkpoint provided they notify the organisers immediately upon returning to the administration.

B17.         In the event of the scorecard being lost, a team may record punch marks on any single sheet. The organisers will accept this so long as the punch marks are discernible, and the team can identify to the organisers the checkpoint number for each of the punch marks.

B18.         Competitors shall not deliberately rest within one hundred metres of a checkpoint unless the checkpoint is also a water drop.

B19.         Competitors shall not adversely interfere with a checkpoint, water drop or any other facility placed upon the course by the organisers.

Administration Areas

B20.         Whenever a team visits an administration area, all team members are required to report together to the organisers and surrender their team's scorecard. The team shall only collect its scorecard immediately prior to leaving that administration area.

B21.         A team shall finish by all of the members reporting together to the designated finish administration area and surrendering their scorecard.

B22.         If a competitor wishes to withdraw from a team for any reason, the entire team shall return to an administration area and notify the organisers. The original team shall be deemed to have finished the event. If a new team is formed it may be admitted to the competition at the discretion of the organisers but no points shall be credited for checkpoints already visited.

Penalties and Protests

B23.         The penalty for breaching these rules is disqualification except for rules B16 and B18 for which the penalty is the loss of points for the checkpoint under consideration. Any team disqualified under this rule shall be recorded as disqualified (DSQ).

B24.         A team may voluntarily withdraw, by advising the organisers immediately upon their finish, if they have breached any rule for any reason and shall be recorded as withdrawn (W/D).

B25.         Within forty-five minutes of the nominated finish time, a team may report to the organisers about any team thought to have breached these rules, or may protest in writing to the organisers about any actions of the organisers that they consider made the competition unfair.

B26.         A team that is not satisfied with any decision of the organisers may appeal in writing to the committee of the organising association within seven days of the publication of the official results. This committee shall have the power to overrule the organisers and to amend the results accordingly. No further appeal is permitted.

Scoring

B27.         No team shall start until the organizers announce the start. The event shall finished at the advertised finish time as determined by the organizers' clock. Teams finishing late will be penalised at the rate per minute or part thereof specified in advance by the organisers. Teams finishing more than thirty minutes late shall be deemed ineligible for a placing and their result shall be recorded as LATE.

B28.         A team's score shall be the value of the checkpoints visited and correctly verified in accordance with these rules, less any penalties. The team with the greatest score, or in the event of a tie the team that finished earlier, shall be awarded the higher placing.

B29.        

a)      If a checkpoint is misplaced, teams who recorded a visit to the misplaced checkpoint will receive the points for that control and teams who can satisfy the organizers that they visited the correct site will also receive the points for that control.

b)     If a checkpoint punch cannot be used, teams will receive the points for that control if they can satisfy the organizers that they visited that control (preferably by writing on the intention sheet if there is one).

General

B30.         Any team hearing a distress signal must abandon their course and help in any way needed. No team shall be penalised for any rule breached in the course of giving such help.