News

Motion Put To IRF Council

That the World Rogaining Championships shall be held every second year, beginning in 2019 or 2020 as decided by the IRF Council.

Proposed by: David Rowlands (AUS)
Seconded by: Miroslav Seidl (CZE)
Date: 16 June 2017

Summary

From 1996 to 2012 WRCs were successfully conducted every two years. At the beginning of the current decade, there was a flurry of interest in conducting WRCs from new IRF members which led to WRCs being held each year from 2012 until 2017. This demand has now subsided and there will be no WRC in 2018, due to lack of proposals from suitable hosts.

ARA’s Rationale

The Australian Rogaining Association (ARA) believes that the WRC should be conducted every second year, as it was until 2012. This remains a significant issue affecting Australian rogainers, which ARA has been requested to address. The IRF’s survey in 2014 and discussion with other IRF member countries indicates strong support from members in the southern hemisphere and many groups in the northern hemisphere.

IRF Policy

Currently, the IRF is holding a World Championship as often as once a year if there are acceptable proposals from member countries. However, the IRF Council has never established a formal policy for the frequency of WRCs. In April 2011, Members were asked to vote for a WRC in 2013 (which lead to WRCs in consecutive years 2012-2014). It was made clear at the time that this vote related to the 2013 event alone.

ACTRA hosted the 38th Australian Rogaining Championship near Cooma NSW on 6-7 May 2017. The "Ridgy Didge" event provided detailed spur gully terrain and open forest. Weather was fine but the night dipped below zero. The All Night Cafe's culinary delights were a highlight. There were 320 competitors in 140 teams. Julie Quinn and David Baldwin from ACT won overall by a clear margin, followed by Thomas Brazier and Paul Cuthbert also from ACT, then Paul Guard and Tony Scott from Qld.

Winners of the open categories were:

• Julie Quinn, David Baldwin (ACT), First Mixed
• Thomas Brazier, Paul Cuthbert (ACT), First Men
• Gill Fowler, Jess Baker (NSW), First Women

The Intervarsity Championship attracted 19 teams, and was won by Fergus Macleod and Max Messenger from ANU, who were also the top team in Mens U23. The Interstate challenge was won by ACTRA with a record score of 29.5 points.

The full results are now available on the ACTRA website.

"The Emperor" Australasian Championship was organised by NZRA on 11-12 February near Waikaia, on New Zealand's south island. There were 92 controls set on a 300 sq km mixture of open hills and farmland flats with pockets of native vegetation and scrub, on the most detailed map produced for a New Zealand rogaine. The weather was fine with cloud at night obscuring the full moon, and fortunately expected rain held off until the next day.
Clear winners were Greig Hamilton and Chris Forne from New Zealand, with Australians David Baldwin, Julie Quinn and Gill Fowler second, then New Zealand's Phil Wood and Ange West in third place.

Winners of the open categories were:

• Greig Hamilton, Chris Forne (NZL) - 1st Mens Open
• Tamsin Barnes (AUS), Janet Musker (NZL) - 1st Womens Open (also 1st Womens Veteran)
• David Baldwin, Julie Quinn, Gill Fowler (AUS) - 1st Mixed Open

Other Australian category placegetters:

• Coleen Mock, Colin Mock - 1st Mixed Ultra Veteran, 3rd Mixed Super Veteran
• Don Baker, Vic Sedunary - 1st Mens Ultra Veteran
• Mike Hotchkis, Walter Kelemen - 2nd Mens Super Veteran
• Marina Honey, Stephen Honey - 2nd Mixed Super Veteran
• Sue Clarke, Nihal Danis - 2nd Womens Super Veteran
• Andrew Baker, Kevin Humphrey - 3rd Mens Veteran
• Andrew Smith, Toni Bachvarova - 3rd Mixed Veteran

The results are now available on the NZRA website.

Entries for the 2017 Australian Rogaining Championships entries are now open. The event will be held on 6-7 May near Cooma, NSW. The 2017 Intervarsity rogaining championships will also be held in conjunction with the event.

Former world rogaining category champions, Ron Simpson and Jean Douglass, have set a course of very high standard. The area is ideal for rogaining: attractive open woodlands in spur and gully terrain, allowing fast and comfortable travel, with views towards the coast and back to the Snowy Mountains. You will see the remains of 19th century gold mining activity, and you may even hear or see the area’s famed bark-eating koalas!

The ARC 2017 website http://arc2017.act.rogaining.org.au is chock-full of information and photos, and this is where you enter. If you are a true-blue rogainer, you’ll get along to the Ridgy Didge 2017 Australian Rogaining Championships!

Entries for the 2017 World Rogaining Championship are now open. Enter before 14 December to maximise your chance of getting in. There won't be a WRC in 2018 so this will be the last opportunity to compete with the world's best for a while.

The WRC 2017 will be held on 18–19 August 2017 in Rāzna National Park. The website is at www.wrc2017.rogaining.lv

The list of pre-qualified entrants is available at http://pqe.rogaining.org/qualified.html