Capertee National Park – a masterclass in course setting.
After 20 years rogaining I am finally putting pen to paper on my first ever ‘blog’ to congratulate the organisers/setters of the NSW Championship held last weekend at Capertee National Park. The weather was perfect, warm but not hot, and apart from the occasional spikey acacia and blackberry bush the forests understory allowed easy travel. […]
VETTING “THE EDGE”
It’s always frustrating — and humbling — to make a navigation blue right at the start. No, I’m not talking about a recent rogaine, but my experience while vetting the forthcoming course for the Oz Champs at Goobang NP and adjacent farmland. For those not familiar with the process, the purpose of vetting is basically […]
Children and Rogaining
– by Brett Davis Children have a special place in rogaining, especially in NSW – and they don’t even have to obey the rules like everyone else! The “Rules and Regulations” page of the New South Wales Rogaining Association (NSWRA) website states that “Rogaines in NSW conform to the Competition Rules and Technical Regulations laid […]
Beyond the first rogaine: how does one learn to love the sport?
Each year we have several first timers at our NSW rogaining events, but we fail to get many people returning, particularly to the longer, bush events further away. Why is this? It’s been much discussed at various times, with suggestions that the sport should adapt by offering GPS categories so as to not become obsolete […]
My Wrap – 30th Lake Macquarie
I was really looking forward to the Lake Macquarie rogaine. It felt like forever since the last Lake Macquarie rogaine, in fact the last Lake Macquarie rogaine was two years ago today. The organising team has had a rough time with Covid cancellations and then storm damage in the Watagans which saw the last two […]
Keelan’s Wrap – 30th Lake Macquarie
I thought i’d write some thoughts/analysis. It’s all ‘what-ifs’ of course but i think lessons can be learnt from post-race analysis. Most important was to have fun (which was achieved!!). I enjoyed having a different approached to route planning with my partner generally running 1min/km slower than i usually do. I also lead/naved 95% of it […]
Time to Lose Control?
By Brett Davis In rogaining, the terms “control” and “checkpoint” are pretty much interchangeable, with both used to describe those often elusive points on the map that we have to find. Orienteering began in the late 19th century, and was the first sport to use the term “control point”. In the early days, control points […]
The Top NSW Champion
Thanks to Covid disruptions, the NSW Championships haven’t run since Yengo 2019, which means we are greatly looking forward to a 24-hour event this year, using a new and exciting area in the far north-west of the state. Thinking of the long history of the Championships, since the original event in Bungonia 1984, a question […]
Dinosaurs, Morse Code and Rogaining
Navigation Today Don’t get me wrong, I love rogaining, but I am starting to wonder if, like dinosaurs and Morse Code, rogaining might have had its glory days, unless we adapt. I am a keen bushwalker and I am partial to off track walking, so I used to rely heavily on my map and compass […]
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Rogainer: the Search for the Perfect Partner
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Rogainer: the Search for the Perfect Partner by Brett Davis Rogaining is a team sport, and most people seem to rogaine with the same partner or partners in every event they enter – like Quinn and Baldwin, Taib and Williams, Field and Dearnley … Ideally, you want your partner […]