Rogaining Tasmania
Hit or Miss On-foot Winners Report (Euan Best)
Have you wondered how two teenagers managed to beat all the adults at the recent rogaine? Well wonder no more because Euan is here to explain how we did it.
We started off and immediately decided that the most important task was to hit the archery field. Through a democratic ballot, Niko 'Katniss' Stoner was told he had to do it, which was good as he then went on to score a massive 50 points. We then retreated to the back of the ute to plan our route. We started off by aiming to run both the south and north maps and net ourselves a swathe of points. Upon reflection (and the wisdom of a parent's sage advice) we narrowed this down to just the northern map. We also calculated that our original plan would have been closer to 80km!
Hit or Miss Mountain Bike Winners Report (Edwina Hughes)
After winning the overall Clarence Capers metrogaine in 2019, Darryl Smith and I decided to team up again on our mountain bikes to see how we would fare in the 2020 Hit or Miss metrogaine, located on the South Arm Peninsula, and taking in the spider-web like network of the Tangara Trail. The event was based out of the Hobart Archers Club at Roaches Beach, and fittingly, offered up to 60 bonus points if one team member was able to hit a target with a bow and arrow, across six attempts. I can't say I've ever started a race by firing an arrow, and wasn't feeling confident with my archery skills, so it was up to Darryl to take on this challenge. After an initial misfire, Darryl turned out to be Robin Hood in disguise, and fired nearly 5 bullseyes in a row, which gained our team 50 points before even getting out onto the course !
Setters and Vetters Report – Hit or Miss Metrogaine, Clarence, 29th November 2020
The competitors moved with such unseemly haste through the Tangara trails that we the setters and vetters had perused at our leisure and saw them in many hues. We paddled on the beaches and cycled with gay abandon through flood waters, stopped at the cafés and shops and found secret connections and community cared for verges, unique architecture and were chased by many backyard dogs. In short setting the metrogaine gave us an excuse to explore our own backyard.
The machine that is Rogaining Tasmania supported us every step of the way with a clear outline of what we ‘needed’ to do by when and help with all the little tasks that seemed to be beyond us as the event got closer. If you enjoyed participating in the event, and you have enjoyed a couple of the others in the past you are a prime candidate for taking your rogaining or metrogaining to the next level and organising an event. It does take time and a bit of commitment, but it is incredibly rewarding. Need a map - I can help. Need more helpers - Gary is great at finding people.
Hit or Miss Results
There was very close competition for top positions at the Hit or Miss. Results are now on-line at https://rt.asn.au/event-results. Congratulations to the organisers, all the entrants and category winners - especially to juniors Niko Stoner and Euan Best who won the on-foot category by just 10 points. On the bikes, Darryl Smith and Edwina Hughes were seriously challenged by John McComb and Ian Parker, but came out on top based on a late-penalty and finish time.
Photos from the event and of the category winners can be viewed here.
SAVE THE DATE: NORTH BRUNY 6 or 12 hour, 27 FEB 2021
Planning and course setting is well under way for our next bush event, on North Bruny Island, and we are delighted with the area. Most of the course is on Murrayfield Station which is a complex blend of sheep paddocks and lovely open forest. A highlight is the rarely-accessible east coast of Bruny, where rolling pasture drops abruptly into Storm Bay, but the course also extends to the west coast and the waters of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. The hash house is at Murrayfield homestead, near the red shearing shed in the photo. Put it in your diary!
