Newsletter Highlights

Issue 106  -  November 2004

The President's Report ~ November 2004
Just got back from the NSW Rogaining Championships. It rained most of last week, and pelted down on the way home after the event. But for the event itself - fine and sunny, if a bit humid from all the dampness in the ground. Good to see plenty of green grass in the Hunter Valley.

We were back at Gundy for this event. Since our Australian Champs there back in 2000, they've built a beautiful barbecue shelter with toilets and showers at Gundy Showground! You might think they built it just for us, it made such a perfect spot for the Hash House. Again we were made welcome by the local landowners.

The Hash House is where I was stationed for the event, helping a great team led by John Keats. From much past experience, John has the details of recipes and quantities calculated with high precision. He knows what rogainers are going to eat, down to the nearest potato. Participants also kept the All Night Cafe crew very busy, all night.

As last time, Graeme Cooper created a challenging course and made a beautiful map. Plenty of contours, that's what I like to see. I remember it well from last time, as that event in 2000 represented the pinnacle of my rogaining career. To date, that is.

My job included looking after water drops. Here I owe a few teams an apology. We were a little tardy in getting out to the drop in Oaky Creek. With the warmth and humidity, and all those contours you had to cover, you consumed nearly 200 litres of water by 7pm. I understand we were about Y:z hour late getting there with a re-supply. We replaced it all, checked again at midnight, only to find either you had given up drinking or you'd gone to explore another part of the map. Only about 50 litres went during the rest of the event.

We have a tight schedule for this newsletter, as the next event is less than 4 weeks away. So it's possible the NSW Champs results and other accounts will not make it to this newsletter. Please see our website for those reports (www.nswrogaining.org). Thank you to all who contributed to a great event. And congratulations to the overall winners Ian Brown and Parrish Robbins, who did justice to Graeme's course by nearly covering the whole map.

Winners and volunteers were rewarded with prizes donated by local farmer and writer Patrice Newell. Lovely biodynamic olive oil, made by hand from their own olives. And copies of her latest book The River, made by Penguins.

Quote of the month: 

"These rogainers, they're a very civilised lot" - broadcaster and local landowner, Phillip Adams, on visiting the Hash House at the NSW Champs.

The next event is the Socialgaine, a relaxed 6 hour event around the beaches, hills, bush and streets of the Terrigal area. See details within. Don't miss it.

The event calendar for next year is shaping up well, with 6 events organised by NSWRA. If you're able to help out at one of these, please let volunteer coordinator Phil Groom know.

On 21-22 May 2005, the Australian Rogaining Championships will be held in northern NSW, organised by the Queensland Rogaining Association. We're considering running a bus from Sydney for this. Please let Alan Mansfield know if you'd be interested in catching it.

Mike Hotchkis (m_d.hotchkis@optusnet.com.au). 

Nigel Aylott - 1996-2004
It's with sadness I report on the death of Nigel Aylott, in a tragic accident in an adventure race in the US on 22 September. Nigel was unfortunately struck by a large boulder while descending steep rocky ground. His team was leading the race, on a navigation leg of the Subaru Primal Quest, in the Cascade Range in Washington State. 

Nigel will be sorely missed by many. On behalf of the NSW Rogaining Association Committee and members, I would like to extend our condolences to his family and friends.

Amongst his many sporting achievements, Nigel was a champion rogainer with wins at state, national and world championships. He was an active volunteer who worked with great enthusiasm and energy for the Victorian Rogaining Association and the Australian Rogaining Association. Living in Melbourne, he was known to many in the rogaining, running and adventure racing communities across Australia and overseas. 

Nigel did extraordinary things, all with an unassuming modest manner and good humour. Things like paddling solo across Bass Strait. Winning team four times in Tasmania's 3 Peaks race, achieving the course record one year. Many many 100km races and ultra-marathons including the 6 Foot Track Marathon. Also many adventure races including placings in great international events like the Ecochallenge and Subaru Primal Quest. His successes led to his resigning his job at Telstra, aged 37, to pursue his sports full-time. Most athletes have long since retired at that age, but Nigel was just getting warmed up! 

I met Nigel on many occasions, at Australian and World rogaining championships and other events. It's been said, if you just mentioned a race to Nigel, then he'd be there. He thrived on the challenge. Back in 1997 I was looking for a partner for the NSW Rogaining Champs. Somehow I guessed Nigel wouldn't be put off by the long trip up from Melbourne. So we teamed up, and won by a wide margin. 

Sometimes seeing a track leading up a fine-looking mountain is challenge enough. I met Nigel once, half way up Whistler Mountain in the Canadian Rockies. Nigel was out for a jog up the mountain, a 1200m ascent. So was I. I couldn't help feeling that he and I were kindred spirits, to think of doing the same thing. This was just one week after he had won the World Rogaining Champs at Douglas Lake, British Columbia, in spectacular fashion, in near 40° heat, teamed with Finnish rogainer, liro Kakko. Following the event, various Aussie participants went touring, and Nigel and I just met by chance on that mountain a week later. 

When it came to rogaines, Nigel was on a long quest for his ideal rogaining partner - someone who could match his physical endurance. I'm not sure if he ever found that person, but in his quest he introduced a number of great runners to rogaining over the years. Although I wasn't a match for him fitness-wise, I thought some day we would team up again, and maybe have a re-run of the NSW Champs. Sadly his tragic accident has intervened. 

Mike Hotchkis