The Shelbyville Rogaine Participants Information 29th March 2014

Transcription

1 Thank you for your entry in the Shelbyville Rogaine. A team list is attached showing your Team Number and entry details. This information is provided participants who have given us their address. Please ensure all of your team members have received it. Preamble There are always many people who assist in the organisation of a Rogaine and in this case if you have any complaints, thanks or comments, talk to any of Liam, Brenton or Merrick. A special thank-you to Geoff Peck who prepared the very detailed map, Ryan Langley, Tony Howes and Tom and Julie Leung who field-checked access into the forest near the construction area and all the other helpers that made the Rogaine possible. The event is sponsored by Wildfire Sports who are regular supporters of Rogaining Queensland. Note that if there is extreme rainfall, storms or bushfires in the area just prior to the weekend of this rogaine or this is highly likely during the running of the event then the event may need to be postponed. If this is the case a notice will be posted on the QRA website not later than 12 Noon Saturday. INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS Getting There (Note it is not proposed to put out Rogaine Direction Signs as the start is at a landmark location.) (Allow 40 minutes driving time from the Brisbane GPO) Find yourself by heading south on the Centenary Highway. Don t lose yourself by taking the first exit to Springfield. Keep on driving until the second exit which takes you to Springfield s arch-rival, the imaginary town of Shelbyville. Find the disused monorail which starts from the Robelle Domain. Google Map: Parking: Those Shelbyvillians can be annoying and charge for parking at the Domain. Bring some coins. There is also free parking at your own risk on David Henry Way off Sinathamby Boulevard. Page 1 of 11

2 VIEW FROM HASH-HOUSE The mountains in the background are where the majority of the Rogaine will be held. Location within Robelle Domain We will be set up at the White Gum Lawn, also known as the White Gum Meadow and White Gum Terrace. There is a big round lawn in the middle of the Robelle Domain. Head North. Find us. A link to more specific directions is here: arkid=452 Page 2 of 11

3 Is there a chance the track could bend? Not on your life my Hindu friend! Event timetable for ALL Participants Time Activity Note there is no camping available at this event. Saturday 29 th March 1:00 pm Administration opens for team changes and registration. 2:00 pm Issue of maps, checkpoint descriptions, course notes and indemnity forms 2:30 pm Novice briefing, adjacent Admin 2:50 pm Final briefing 3:00 pm Event START 6:00 pm Three Hour Event FINISH and Hash House Opens 7:00 pm Three Hour Event prize presentations 9:00 pm Six Hour Event FINISH 9:40 pm Hash House Closes 9:45 pm Six Hour Event Prize Giving 9:55 pm The fastest Rogaine pack-up in living history. 10:00 pm Due to Park restrictions goodnight, goodbye, amen. FINISH NOTES 10 Points lost for every minute late Course Closes ALL points lost if you finish after 6:30pm on Three Hour Event or after 9:30pm on Six Hour Event All participants are requested to assist with packing up the Hash House due to park requirements to be departed by 10pm If everyone assists we can ensure we have use of this area in the future. Page 3 of 11

4 What to bring Comfortable non-smelly clothes to change into afterwards. Water and energy foods to munch on during the event. Torch and spare batteries and bulbs regardless of which event you are doing for safety reasons. Lighting is mandatory for all competitors. Pen to mark up checkpoint sheet if any NavLight punches are faulty on course (an unlikely event but better safe than sorry) Walking gear - pants, loose fitting cotton shirt, hat, gaiters and comfortable walking shoes. Full body cover is recommended. Expect feet to get wet if it has been raining so if susceptible to blisters consider spare socks or bandaids. Day pack with toilet paper, toilet trowel, rubbish bag, first-aid kit, water (minimum of 2 litres per person recommended). There are likely to be only two but at most three water points and you may or may not visit both of them. At a minimum you should anticipate being able to carry water sufficient for approximately 3 hours walking in case you only visit one of these points. Map equipment - biros, highlighting pens, scissors, ruler, measuring string, sticky tape, clear contact (or a large plastic bag - A3 sheet protectors sealed with electrical tape work well), a folding chair and folding table for map preparation. Compass, whistle for your own and others safety, a watch and a soft pencil. Eating utensils (plate, bowl, cup, knife, fork & spoon) plus a tea towel Folding chair and table (for map preparation and eating, relaxing after event) Toilets Toilets are available at the start in Robelle Domain. They are also available in the small suburban corner of the map as marked on the map. If you need to "go" while you are out on the course, please ensure that all waste matter (including paper) is adequately buried. Novices A briefing for novice teams will be held thirty minutes before the event start near the Briefing area. Page 4 of 11

5 Emergency Procedures All teams should carry a first aid kit and all competitors must carry a whistle. Mobile phone coverage is intermittent and phones should be carried but not relied upon. Using phone GPS (or any other GPS) to assist during the event is strictly against the rules. SAFETY BEARINGS The EMERGENCY SIGNAL is six blasts on your whistle, repeated at intervals. If you hear this signal on the course, please go to the assistance of the caller. In the event of an accident or illness, make the patient warm and comfortable, then take a SAFE route to the Hash House and inform the organisers. If you feel you cannot make it back to the Hash House you can wait at either a water point or on a major track and send a person to the Hash House for assistance. Assistance may not arrive until after the completion of the event so this is not a good option! The general safety bearing for the entire area is North to the Centenary Highway which you cannot miss or suburbia. A number of major tracks lead in this direction. The Map The map is 1:15,000 scale with 5 metre contours, indexed at 25 metres. It will be on an A3 sheet. Be sure you have clear contact, a map case or an A3 Sheet protector to protect your map! Magnetic (and not True) north is shown on the map sheet. The Area The area consists of private land (5%) owned by Springfield Land Corp which they have kindly granted us permission to use, suburbia (15%) and the remaining land is known as the White Rock Conservation Area which belongs to Ipswich City Council and the Department of Environment and Resource Management. The organisers are very aware that lantana has a reputation for being prevalent in this area and every care has been taken to avoid low lying areas and creeks. A large uncontrolled fire swept through the map a little over a year ago. The regrowth in the period of time since this fire event, of gum and other saplings, has been exceptionally vigorous in places. Page 5 of 11

6 The majority of the map has been taken from detailed orienteering maps used in the area, including one map recently prepared for last year s state orienteering championships. As a result, vegetation is quite reliable but should not be assumed to be exactly correct. Dark Green indicates likely areas of dense vegetation which is frequently impenetrable. Competitors are strongly advised to not attempt to cross areas of dark green. BE WARNED! Light Green is generally thick areas of saplings or patchy lantana which are passable but slow. White on the map generally means open forest however the speed of runnability will vary depending upon the rockiness underfoot, thickness of regrowth and fallen timber and grass height which are all different across the map. The vast majority of the White Rock area is good for walking but cannot be considered as fast as there is extensive tree cover and it is often rocky under grassy patches. The grass is enough to hide the rock but is not high and there are almost no grass seeds. However, long pants and sleeves are strongly recommended. The organisers have not sighted too much lantana away from the watercourses. No CPs are located in lantana thickets! We have written all that bad stuff to set your expectations really low but then hopefully after the event you will think, hey that wasn t so bad after all. White Rock has some lovely areas with open (track-like) running on ridges and oftentimes views of Brisbane. There are also numerous interesting rock features and good wildlife. There is a very good network of fire-tracks and should you wish a relaxed evening this will give you the opportunity to have a low stress but interesting Rogaine. Access though the Construction Area Springfield is always in a permanent state of construction, as development continues further South. There is a very long uncrossable fence on the Eastern side of the map on the outside of this construction zone. The ONLY access into the forest beyond the construction zone is marked on your map. Should you find a break in the fence elsewhere, you are NOT ALLOWED to cross. Please bear in mind that Springfield Land Corp is a very generous supporter of our activities and it is very important for so many reasons that we do not attempt to wander through construction zones other than at the allowed locations. Page 6 of 11

7 Communication There is good but not continuous mobile phone service on the area, in particular on the ridges. Reception may depend upon your carrier. Landowners and property Please remember: All areas outside the mapped area are out of bounds. Do not leave the mapped area! Please respect homeowners in suburban areas by avoiding their property and not being loud during the later parts of the evening. Be careful at fence crossings go under where you can to avoid fence damage. During course setting we saw a number of kangaroos, goannas, snakes and other wildlife. Treat them all with respect. All rubbish must be returned to the Hash House or placed in public bins or taken home with you. No pets, no matches or fires, no smoking, no litter. Do not harm or remove any animals, birds or plants. Water Water supplies will be provided at the Hash House and at least two locations on the course (marked on the map). Note that should your course involve the small suburban corner there are a number of water points marked on the map. NavLight System This event will use the NavLight System for recording teams visits to checkpoints. Details on the system and its use are included in this information sheet. Page 7 of 11

8 Indemnity forms Your Indemnity Form will be handed out along with your maps. It must be completed and returned before you will be allowed to start. Please attend to this with Administration as early as possible. Rogaining Rules This event is being conducted using the Australian Rogaining Association (ARA) Rules of Rogaining. A copy of these rules is included at the end of these instructions. Please ensure you read these and note in particular rules R10 and R16, these are the essence of safe, fair rogaining! Make sure you read the rules before you come to the event. They will be strictly enforced and claims of ignorance will not be accepted! In particular 1. Members of a team must remain in verbal communication and approach a checkpoint together (within 5 metres) 2. GPS units may be operated only if no display is showing and not to be used for pace counting or tracking locations; i.e. so you may know where you went AFTER the event but not DURING. Results Hanging After you have completed the event, check your NavLight printout and once you are satisfied it is correct, please write your score on the results slip for your team and hang it in the appropriate place with the event results. Checkpoint Marker Collection and Hash House Pack-Up We have put a lot of work into putting this event together so no matter what occurs on the day you will love this event (well that is what you will tell us!). We are also looking for all the participants to support us by helping us packup from the park as quickly as possible. If you are able and willing to assist in control collection the day after, please Brenton@wildfiresports.com.au. Page 8 of 11

9 Using the Navlight Electronic Punch System We are using the NavLight electronic punch system, owned by Queensland Rogaine Association Inc, and partially funded by a grant from the Queensland Gambling Community Benefit Fund. How to Use It At each checkpoint, a battery operated punch (that looks like a small single battery torch) will be attached to the checkpoint marker. Two members of each team will be issued with a wristband and receiver (similar to a wristwatch) which they must wear for the entire event. At each checkpoint location both of these team members must place the electronic punch into their receiver. A successful punch is acknowledged by flashing red light. Note that each team member s receiver MUST record each checkpoint in order for the team to gain the points for that checkpoint. Please be careful punching If a flash of red light is seen, your visit has been recorded and you can move on to the next checkpoint. A briefing punch will be located at the admin area. All team members with a Navlight tag must punch the BRIEF punch when the team hands in its Indemnity Form, which will clear the device in readiness for the start. If a punch fails No conventional pin punches will be used. If a punch fails, write down the 3 letter code (e.g.; YKK) which is visible inside the head of the electronic punch. The Checkpoint Description sheet is set up for this for this. Write down the 3 letter code here NavLight No YKK Checkpoint No Description Location Points 70 The Watercourse The Gully Lower Part The Watercourse Junction 70 The devices have both a CP number and a 3 letter code inside the device head. Do not mistake the CP number on the punch for the 3 letter code. To Finish: When finished, report to Admin and ALL team members must use the FINISH punch. A print out will be produced listing the checkpoints visited by the team, the time between checkpoints, total time, penalty points, and total points. Please examine this printout and go to the enquiries person if you have any questions about the score. Page 9 of 11

10 Rules of Rogaining Competition Rules 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. Definitions 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 by the organisers for non-competition use, for example for parking or camping. Event site includes the course and any administration, access and non-competition areas. Entries R1. A team shall consist of two, three, four or five members. R2. A team that has a member under fourteen years of age shall also have a member eighteen years of age or over. R3. Competition placings are awarded in several sections based on the age and gender composition of teams. Each team shall be deemed to be entered for all sections of the competition for which it is eligible. R4. 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 R5. Competitors shall respect public and private property. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) Competitors shall not cross newly sown ground or growing crops, except if specifically permitted by the organisers, or any area deemed out-ofbounds by the organisers and shall keep a reasonable distance from dwellings and stock with young. Competitors shall take due care when crossing fences, crossing at corner posts, solid posts or between wires wherever possible. Each team shall leave gates in the same state as they were found. Competitors shall not discard litter or light fires at the event site nor smoke on the course. Competitors shall not unduly damage or disturb native flora or fauna. Dogs and weapons of any kind, including firearms, are prohibited at the event site. Conduct of Competitors R6. Competitors shall not enter the course until the official start is signalled. R7. 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. R8. The use of computers for course planning is prohibited. R9. Competitors shall travel only on foot. R10. 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. R11. Organisers shall issue checkpoint recording devices, which shall be a scorecard &/or an electronic recorder to one or more members of each team. Electronic recoding devices shall be attached to the competitors by a tamper-proof device, such as a wrist band, before the commencement of the event. Tamper-proof devices shall only be cut or removed by event officials. R12. A team shall surrender its recording device(s) to any event official, and shall advise their team number to any event official or other team, on request. R13. A team shall not accept assistance from, nor collaborate with, other people, nor deliberately follow another team. R14. 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 discarded on the course unless retrieved by the team during the event and brought by the team with them to the finish. R15. Competitors 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 R16. All team members shall simultaneously approach to within 5 metres of each checkpoint for which points are claimed. R17. In order to gain points for a checkpoint teams must record their visit to that checkpoint using the recording device provided by the organisers in the correct square, where a scorecard is used. If a team punches an incorrect square, they must notify the organisers of the details of this immediately upon returning to the administration to be eligible to be credited with that checkpoint. R18. Where more than one electronic recording device is provided to a team, all devices must record a visit to a checkpoint to gain points for that checkpoint. R19. Teams shall 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. R20. If a recording device is lost, a team may present in its place a record of punch marks or a record of the electronic punch human readable backup codes on any single sheet. The organisers will accept this single sheet from the team provided that the punch/record marks are discernible, and the team can identify to the organisers the checkpoint number for each of the marks. R21. Competitors shall not deliberately rest within one hundred metres of a checkpoint unless the checkpoint is also a water drop. R22. Competitors shall not adversely interfere with a checkpoint, water drop, any other facility placed upon the course by the organisers, or the equipment of any other team.

11 Rules of Rogaining Administration Areas R23. Whenever a team visits an administration area, all team members are required to report together to the organisers and surrender their team s scorecard and/or check-in their electronic recording device(s). The team shall only collect its scorecard and/or check-out their electronic recording device(s) immediately prior to leaving that administration area. R24. A team shall finish by all of the members reporting together to the designated finish administration area and surrendering their recording device. R25. 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 R26. The penalty for breaching these rules is disqualification except for rules R16, R17, R18 and R19 for which the penalty is the loss of points for the checkpoint under consideration. Any team disqualified under this rule shall be recorded as DSQ. R27. 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 W/D. R28. Within forty-five minutes of the nominated finish time, a team may report in writing 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. Scoring R29. The event shall end at precisely the set number of hours after the actual starting time, both times as defined by the organisers clock. Where multiple timing devices are in use, the organisers shall ensure all clocks used to record finishing times are synchronized. 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. R30. 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. R31. In the event of a checkpoint being damaged or deemed misplaced or missing by the organisers, teams shall be awarded the checkpoint score: a) If the punch is missing or damaged but the team has a correct record on the intention sheet. b) If the punch is missing and there is no intention sheet, but the team can satisfy the organisers that they visited the correct site. c) If a checkpoint is missing or misplaced but the team can satisfy the organisers that they visited the correct site. d) For a correctly recorded visit to a misplaced checkpoint. e) If an electronic "punch" fails but the team has either (where applicable) a punch on a backup control card or record of the human readable backup code for that checkpoint. General 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.