REFLECTIONS OF A VETTER

The Setting and Vetting Manual clearly states, in reference to the post-mortem newsletter, that one should “Never Let The Truth Get In The Way Of A Good Story”. So here goes……………….

PREAMBLE
A famous politician once said “Life Was Not Meant To Be Easy.” So it was with great heart, good faith and much delight that we agreed, when invited by Brian ‘2Ezy’ Wade and Jeff ‘The Legend’ Conrades [The Setters] to join them as Vetters in a rogaine event in which they proposed to contradict that point of view by making this the EASIEST rogaine ever set in order to celebrate the 30th ANNIVERSARY OF WARA.

…………read on……………

VERSION 1 – THE GOOD STORY
This was to be Rogaine Utopia. They painted a picture where controls were to be hung on apple and peach trees; all controls were 100 pointers; there were to be only gentle rolling hills in green pastures; tracks leading to every control; a food and beverage kiosk at every water drop etc, etc. Fools that we were for, after agreeing and signing on the dotted
line, their diabolical plan emerged.

Every control site was carefully chosen by them to be any one of the following; Obscure Saddles; Broad Knolls as wide as footy ovals covered in dense parrot bush; impassable unexplored Water Courses; insignificant Spurs; Gullies vague and shallow; obliterated Tracks; empty water bottles at Water Drops and a Hash House Site where vehicle entry was difficult even for experienced rogainers like “The Feral.”

Well, their plan failed [except for The Feral] because surreptitiously we, the Vetters, the unsung heroes of a rogaine, altered the control sites to be worthy of such a significant event. Of course, at the conclusion of the event when accolades were  being uttered by all competitors, the Setters came to the fore and ‘Easily’ received the praise, whereas we Vetters once again, merged into the background, finally realising that it was true – Life Was Not Meant To Be Easy.

VERSION 2 – THE TRUTH
It was a privilege to help with the site control of this event with two expert and professional rogainers like Brian and Jeff. Just for the record, the role of the Setters encompasses all aspects of rogaining, from liaison with land owners and other stake holders; careful selection of the HH site; addressing the duty of care to competitors with the choice of patrol roads as well as water drops and, of course, the original selection of the control sites [some “Too Easy” according to Brian] and, importantly, the allocation of points. They managed all of these duties with skill, efficiency and aplomb.

Our job as Vetters was merely to follow and assist them in their goal to provide the quintessential rogaine for this significant event. We knew they would be successful and fully deserved the commendations bestowed by competitors. We appreciated being part of a team with such specialist knowledge and great leadership. Well done Brian and Jeff.

THE EVENT
Saturday, October 23rd 2010, the day of the 139th Rogaine and the 30th Anniversary Event of WARA dawned bright and clear in the hills at Mornington. Everything was in place and we Setters and Vetters hoped that on the sounding of the starting horn at 10am the 170+ teams would appreciate this locale in the great outdoors as much as we had in the  preparation. The event was designed to be a real challenge for the experienced rogainer, but also to provide an encouraging challenge for the novice. 51 control sites were carefully selected and revisited several times to confirm their position and point-worthiness. Naturally, some tracks were deliberately omitted from the map to further the skill of navigation, including the inadvertent non-highlighting [Oops!] of part of a patrol road which required correction at map collection plus the non-intentional repositioning of a certain powerline near Control 32 [Double Oops!!]. The HH site proved scenic and spacious; the moon arose on time without cloud; the campfire was given the go ahead by the farmer and, best of all, all teams arrived back before the final horn sounded.

Of course, some controls proved difficult to find for some, but that’s rogaining – it’s a fun sport. For those who are statistically minded, analysis of the control records show that the most visited station [102 hits] was Control 45 on a fence corner east of the HH followed closely by Control 91 [99 hits] east of 45; the least visited was Control 42 [13 hits] a beautiful rocky knoll in the farmland in the extreme north of the map. The overall winners achieved 2500 of the 3000 points available. It is clear that visits were evenly distributed over the entire map, the average site visit being 42 hits indicating a well balanced map point allocation by Brian and Jeff.

FOOTNOTE
We would like to thank the rogaine family of volunteers who manage Admin; provide HH Hospitality; the Truckies; Medicos and, of course, those who help in the setup and demolition of Tentland. On behalf of the Association the Setters have expressed our gratitude to the various landowners; private companies and government organisations whose permission make our sport possible.

AN EXTRA FOOTNOTE
As Vetters we would personally like to thank those teams which came to the fore in picking up controls post event. We designated 18 zones for pickup and 37 teams volunteered. Your efforts were greatly appreciated. Finally, to those who may be contemplating vetting, you can take it from us [with thanks to our Setters] that in the end it was just “Too Easy.”

Ray & Dianne Parks
The Vetters