Discussion: Dakota rogaine looks pretty darn tasty

So I'm really looking forward to checking out the Dakota rogaine. Unfortunately, it's on the same weekend as the CT A-meet, so there will be fewer orienteers attending than otherwise might have. But there are lots of things that made this rogaine un-missable for me, and a good model for how to put on a rogaine "right":

* Organization by Rick Emerson who has experience organizing major adventure races (notably Primal Quest).

* The enthusiastic cooperation of the park managers.

* Tasty and varied terrain: "from prairie to pinnacles and from canyons to mountains"

* Course consulting by Eric Bone

* Event consulting by veteran rogaine organizer Peg Davis

* Lots of wildlife (OK, that's a little scary but I'll bring a camera)

* Well-appointed hash house: free showers, picnic shelter with lots of tables for map work, ...

* A BBQ dinner served an hour after the event is over -- and with rumored vegetarian offerings :-).

* Training the day before for first-timers

* 4-hour course starting 8am Sunday, means shorter course runners finish the same time as the 24-hour competitors. Interesting 12-in-24 option, which is consecutive 12 hours starting when you like.

Agreed! More info is here.
http://www.peakassurance.net/Rogaine.html

Not to sound bitchy, but what does Peg have against Mother's day? She scheduled World Rogaining Champs on that weekend in 2003, too. This is supposed to be a family oriented sport and conflicting with that one takes the event out of play for quite a few middle-aged orienteers who are really the target market for this sort of thing. (I realize she may not have chosen the date either time, but as an event director/consultant, she certainly had input).

Maybe Anna Jarvis should have thought twice about picking a weekend day during the time of year when the weather is likely to be nicest. (But then again, she later regretted have started the whole thing at all.)

Mm, Peg had nothing to do with the scheduling. I think there were a number of other considerations to picking the date... Frankly, I like rogaining on Mother's Day. Seems like one of the best gifts I can get is time to do my own thing -- and I think Anne Jarvis would approve of that.

The terrain sounds great!

I sure hope that someday it will be part of a multi-day A-event that will reach a larger target market than the rogaine will.

...but not on Mother's Day weekend.

Hey, jj - A few years ago at a canoe-O that was held on Mother's Day, you expressed surprise that someone of my advanced age still had a mother to attend to. Well, she's still around, and not very happy about what WCOC has me doing on her day this year.

Looks a good event from here!

Jim -- bring your mother! Maybe I'll see if I can bring mine as well. (I spent a good chunk of today with mine, and we're content to have our time together not dictated by the calendar makers.) And it was surprise, but I was pleasantly surprised, to learn that your mom is still around. Glad she's still with us!

Frankly, I like rogaining on Mother's Day. Seems like one of the best gifts I can get is time to do my own thing

I'm sure my teammate from 2003 would agree (though she wasn't a mother yet then). However, that teammate is not my wife. Spending mother's day in the woods on the other side of the country with another woman the year my daughter was born, well, let's just say that burnt enough points on the homefront that I will never do it again.

Scheduling big events like rogaines and championships is never easy, and people are always going to have some kind of conflict. For some, mother's day is a problem, but for others there's a birthday, or an anniversary, or a religious holiday, or their kid's recital. I mean, really, you're never going to find a 'good' date for this stuff.

And consider that in some countries, the big orienteering festival happens on Easter.

Obviously the schedulers aren't consulting with Hallmark when they pick these dates.

... or maybe they are! After all, Hallmark's products are a start towards making amends.

... and don't forget conflicts with weddings -- including ones between orienteers. ;-)

Eric, I thought the same thing after I wrote that... miss the holiday? Now you need to send *two* cards, one for the event, and one apologizing for missing it. Plus a box of chocolates or some flowers. The list of potential conspirators is growing.