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eNews MayG'day [FIRST_NAME] [LAST_NAME],A quick review of recent events and what's in store for Winter 2024 Paddy Pallin 6hr - Enter here:
We are heading back to Rydal, 22kms west of Lithgow, for this year's Paddy Pallin 6hr. It's been 17 years since we held the 2007 Paddy Pallin event at Rydal.
Rydal is an interesting area and the surrounding forest is a great place for rogaining. It is mostly clear of troublesome undergrowth. There is an extensive track network. The course is quite compact. With shorter distances between controls and relatively open terrain, with a good track network to use to re-orient if something goes wrong, it is an ideal location for novice and less experienced or occasional rogainers. Experienced, competitive rogainers will have a reasonable chance of clearing the course. Fortunately the area was untouched by the Gosper's Mountain fires of 2019. We have booked the Rydal Showground for the occasion and you can camp the night before the event. Rydal is a quaint little village with a long history. First settled in the 1820s, Rydal was located on Major Mitchell's main road to Bathurst, and was a busy village through the mid-1800s and early 1900s. The Great Western Highway by-passed Rydal in 1929. There is a hotel/pub, providing accommodation, meals and coffees, and open over the weekend, but no other shops. The main Western Railroad still runs through Rydal. If you haven't been there before both Rydal and the bush around Rydal are worth checking out. (Editor's note - I have very fond memories of the 1996 Cox's Crossing Upside Down rogaine, which started at mid-night on the Saturday.)
Tristan White and Ivan Koudashev took out 1st Place in the wet and wild "Kariong Up the Coast" 12hr Autumngaine. Here's Tristan White's Washup of the 2024 "Kariong Up the Coast" Autumngaine
During the week leading up the Autumngaine, I had feelings of doom and gloom every time I looked at Weatherzone's forecast for Gosford; with 40-80mm of rain planned, and wished I had time to buy a snorkel and flippers to add to the packing list. My first memory upon arrival on a dreary Saturday was seeing coordinator Robin Cameron in intense discussion with several organsers, indicating that there were indeed serious challenges presented by the weather. As it turned out, the southern crossing of Kariong brook had been totally flooded, thereby closing the main link to make the course basically a loop, and two nearby CPs 25 and 55. Memories of the 2015 Mill Creek AG, which I helped set, came flooding back to me where the main arterial watercourse near the HH turned into a river by the end, leading many teams to almost get washed away at the end, so I have no doubt that was the right call. Fundamentally, it turned the event into two long out and backs - the south eastern size heading down towards Mt Wondabyne, and the south western side going down the Great North Walk towards Wondabyne station, including a cluster of low pointers. After some quick measurements, teammate Ivan and I decided that the SE side was more lucrative to start out with. The other key feature of the event was seeing how close to tracks most of the controls were, however, after the siren sounded, it was very clear as to why – the bash between 77 and 58 would have been only about 200m off track, but it felt closer to 2km. Quickly, Ivan and I resolved that we would remain on tracks as much as physically possible! The first 7hrs were uneventful, were the weather in fact dried up and aside from the sodden tracks (which I joked should have been redrawn as watercourses!) it ended up being a lovely day for running around the SE section. It was apparent our main competition were Paul "Olley" Olsen and Andrew Renwick, and Keelan and Annabelle ("Testing the Date Night Limits!"), who we passed many occasions. I encouraged Andrew and Olley to stop and enjoy the view at Mt Wondabyne as we hustled by them (sadly they did not heed my advice and ran by us several times). I was grateful to have packed my running vest, since we were jogging the bulk of the event and able to leave most of my food at the car which we passed at about 6pm (and also able to grab some chow at the HH en route through). We made a dach for 50, 93, and 40 in the dark, and managed to get as far as 29 on the GNW, with about 90 minutes to rush back. We fumbled at finding 34 in the dark, rain and scrub, but managed to clamber up the watercourse to 60 and down to 33, before a quick, unsuccessful search for 52 before getting to the finish with about 3 mins to spare. Feeling a bit demoralised that we fluffed two controls in the final hour, confidence for an overall ranking had faded, until our names were called out to claim the overall 12hr win. Although the bush was far from pleasant when off track, I really enjoyed the course area, esepctially the rock formations in the SE corner and on the GNW south of Girrakool. And I felt really good physically for the entirety of the event, which made it much more enjoyable. Kudos to Robin and her crew for making the Kariong crossing out of bounds. Whilst I highly suspect the crossing would have been fine by the end, the blanket closure of this section of the course made it a level playing field with no compromise to safety. And thanks to Ivan for his once again great planning and execution. Now looking forward to the Rydal PP, which, with its open bushland will be a very different course area to the event just past. I've teamed up with Olley again (having both trained in electrical engineering), naming our team "Path of Least Resistance". See you there! Editor's note: I am not sure how many of our younger rogainers realised, but the name and layout of the web page for the "Kariong up the Coast" event was paying homage to the "Carry On" series of 31, funny, but crass and misogynistic movies developed in the 60s and 70's. Read more here: Strategic Plan ReviewWe know that you've been on the edge of your seats waiting for this. The 2024 and onward NSW Rogaining Strategic Plan is available now to review.
The plan is the result of a workshop attended by a cross-section of rogainers of varying age and experience levels on a hot afternoon in December 2023. Don't expect earth-shattering revelations or insights - but it might make you think about where we're going and what's important for making sure we get there. There's a bunch of specific actions that the Committee will be taking up in the short and medium terms - some that you can help with are the formation of two sub-committees that will look after Event Planning and Marketing. These groups are not Committee positions, but will report to and take some guidance from the Committee. Stay tuned also for an annual Members' Survey that will allow us to directly connect with all members and gauge attitudes on a range of topics. There's more info and a link to the plan in Graham's Blog entry here. We welcome and encourage comments on any aspect of the plan and if you'd like to get involved directly or nominate for one of the sub-committees, please send an email to Graham at president@nswrogaining.org. Navigation workshop
NSW Rogaining are, for the first time since 2018, running a Navigation Workshop. This workshop is open to all current and future rogainers. Even the best of us can sharpen our skills. Everyone will benefit from the expert advice and a chance to practise skills outside of the heat of competition. We are working hard to prepare an enjoyable and worthwhile workshop to help new and experienced rogainers alike improve their skills and abilities. Participants will be split into smaller groups and coached by some of the best rogainers in Australia, and also have the chance to make new friends and gain tips and insight into this obscure but wonderful sport, set around lightly wooded village of Rydal. If you are keen to improve your off track navigation skills and your skills navigating at night then this is the place to be in June. The Paddy Pallin 6hr on the Sunday (also at Rydal) will be the last coaching exercise Entries are closing very soon here:
NavshieldThis year's Navshield is taking us to the Mid North Coast, about a 3.5 hours drive outside of Sydney (near Gloucester). The course has a mix of farm pasture, open forest, and gnarly gullies - plenty of lawyer vine to persecute you. As usual, the event is likely to challenge even the most hardened rogainer, but there's plenty of sights to see for those less confident in their offtrack skills.
Registrations are now open, but they won't be for long. You can register here: The Festival of Rogaining (.. or, for the traditionalists, The 2024 NSW Championships.)Event Coordinator Richard Sage gives us the heads-up and the low-down on the main event this year. You may have noticed a name change for the Capertee event coming up in September. One of the suggestions that came out of the strategic planning meeting that was held in December last year was to reshape the NSW Championships event to sound less elitist and more family friendly. Having said that, Rogaining is far from an elite sport. I am not a competitive Rogainer, and I have participated in championship events in Finland, Spain and New Zealand, as well as in other Australian states. And thoroughly enjoyed the experiences. Back to the Festival of Rogaining, and yes, we will hold the Championships. This is important; we have a whole swag of trophies that must be given a new home for 12 months. But we're also bringing back the 15 in 24hr Event. If you're not familiar with this, then this is how it works: it starts and finishes at the same time as the Champs, but you're only allowed to be on the course for a maximum 15 hours. Within the 24 hour period you can return to the Hash House to eat, rest and sleep. You can do this as many times as you like. You must just let Event Admin know when you are 'on-course' and 'off-course'. This event is ideal if you'd like to try some night navigation but don't want to be out all night, if you prefer a more leisurely pace, or if you're a family team with shorter distance and time requirements. We like to give our events a name, and this one will be A Cup-of-Tea in Capertee.
You will have seen that we are offering a Navigation Workshop in conjunction with the Paddy Pallin event in June. The Festival of Rogaining is intended to build on skills learnt at the Workshop by providing opportunities at all skill levels and we strongly encourage everyone to attend. Although the Festival of Rogaining is a bit of a hike from Sydney (3.5 hours?), it is set in beautiful country on the west of the Main Divide. We're expecting warm, fine weather and we will be providing a great camping area and great catering. Mark it in your diary. It will be a weekend to remember. Just a heads up: in giving us access to the area, NSW NPWS require each team on-course to carry a small trowel to bury waste. It's likely to become a regular requirement of future events. If you don't have one, get one. A great present if the opportunity offers itself. See you there. Richard Sage Brush up on the Rules of Rogaining
We take them for granted, but the Rules for Rogaining are something that you all agree to when you participate in an event. Recently, there have been a few instances where competitors have both intentionally and unintentionally broken the rules and whilst (hopefully) isolated incidents, it's a wake-up for everyone in the sport that we are not immune to cheating. The Rules of Rogaining are not onerous – they set out a competition environment for the safe and fair conduct of events nationally. They are written by seasoned rogainers and maintained by the Australian Rogaining Association. The rules cannot possibly cover every nuance and situation, therefore when apparent breaches are detected, there is a designated group formed consisting of those directly connected with the specific event (Organiser, Setter, Vetter, Admin) and representatives from the NSWRA Committee to review. Whilst not going into specific detail, incidents over the past year relate to the conduct of teams where they have intentionally gone into designated out of bounds areas, where there are unregistered participants, and in one case totally missing participants! In this case, the rules in question relate to what happens when a team member drops out through injury, fatigue or just being fed up! In such cases, the team must stay together and all return to the HH and forfeit all points collected so far – they can then form a new team and head out again. A bit harsh? The reality is that we need to know how many people are out on the course so that if there is an incident with a missing team, we know who we're looking for. A team member returning solo, injured or not, is a big risk, even though they might think that they are OK. If the team takes that member's tag or continues with less members than they started with, they will be disqualified and potentially be subject to disciplinary action, that may include being suspended from future events. What do you do if you see someone possibly breaking the rules? They are probably unaware that they are, so a gentle word to explain the possible breach will probably set things straight. You can also talk to the event admin when you get back to the HH – any such approach will be noted and followed up confidentially. There will be a link to the rules in each event's Final Instructions, along with the waiver form. You can also read them any time on the ARA Website here: https://rogaine.asn.au/documents/rules-and-standards/rules-of-rogaining-and-technical-regulations-2023. If there's something in there that is unclear or you need guidance on, just ask at the Event Admin on the day or drop an email to info@nswrogaining.org.
Not quite a Rogaine, but also not your average Orienteering event. Entries open 1 June for the Sydney City Race weekend, 12th and 13th October 2024. The Sydney City Race is a long distance navigation race within the Sydney city and harbourside areas on Sunday 13th October 2024, with $1,000 men's and women's first place prize in the 15km race. There is also a warm up short distance event at Pyrmont on Saturday 12th October 2024. Both days have varying line course distances, and a Score course, all of which can be done individually or as a Team. All the details are on the website www.sydneycityrace.com.au. Preliminary Event Details are also on Eventor. Entries for the weekend will open on Saturday 1 June 2024, and can be done directly through the website or via Eventor. Entries are strictly limited in the 15km Sunday Sydney City Race as there is a very special, limited time only, checkpoint site that has to be seen to be believed! Entries will close as soon as the limit is reached, so enter early if you want a chance at the $1,000 first place prize! Entries for all other distances are unlimited. Weekend Race Director, Sheralee Bailey, , sheraleebaileyonsw@gmail.com 2024 CalendarHere's the calendar for the rest of the year - lock them into your schedules.
We always need your helpDid you know that when you sign up to volunteer at an event in any capacity, you'll earn Reward Points that accumulate for up to two years. When you have more than 100 points, they can be used for entry to an event or even payment towards an approved training course, like First Aid. Some volunteers will never have to pay for an event entry again!
But it's not just about the free entries - volunteers get their reward through being part of a team that brings a rogaine to life. New volunteers are not expected to do anything they might be uncomfortable with and are mentored in the roles where specific skills are needed. If you'd like to Volunteer in any capacity but are unsure about what you can do, drop an email to our Volunteer Coordinators Robin & Katherine at volunteer@nswrogaining.org or just talk with any hi-vis, official looking person at an event. Our next volunteering challenge will be to mobilise for the Festival of Rogaining (aka NSW Championships) in September - specifically we need helpers in any capacity for the Catering of this important event. If you can help in any capacity of know of a catering team that can take charge of the whole show, please get in touch. Thanks again for your continued support this year and looking forward to seeing you at our next event - the Navigation Workshop and 61st Paddy Pallin on 15th and 16th June at Rydal.
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