CLUB VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!! (First Frost Rally)

[STeveD]

SPDA is hosting our first Navigational Rally on December 5th, 2009.

We need club members to help in two roles:

#1: Competitors!! We want you to enter the rally and have some fun! We would rather that you enjoy competing in the rally than work it.

#2: Checkpoint workers. If you can't enter the rally for some reason, you can be a checkpoint worker. You sit in a toasty warm car sipping coffee with a charming fellow volunteer at the side of a lovely road. You write down the time that a competitor car crosses your bumper. The other person writes that time on a sticker and hands it to the competitor who comes up to your car window.

Yes, it really is that simple.

Organizer, Scoring: Stephen (STeveD)
Car Zero: Trevor (TrevorH)
Checkpoint Car 1: Paul Henshall
Checkpoint Car 2: Nuwan, Walter (dubya_rx)
Checkpoint Car 3: Ivano (Navigator), [Volunteer]
Checkpoint Car 4: Allan, Cam G
Checkpoint Car 5: Tashko, Goni (fuzzy)
Checkpoint Car 6: Maurizio, Maxine (Maxpie)
Checkpoint Car 7: Daniel, Rhys (Prefer to Compete)


Volunteers WILL receive the now-famous coffee-infused, chocolate chip laden brownies baked by my Mom to enjoy at their checkpoints!

Please post her or PM if you can help the club!


http://thezdmgroup.com/articles/FFNR_2009-copy.jpg


About Navigational Rally:

This driving event is on interesting roads in southern Ontario, designed for any street legal vehicle to pass safely. You will work as a two person team (navigator and driver) to interpret and follow a fun route. This rally was designed by two drivers, so expect the roads to be chosen for driver enjoyment!

You really need no specialized equipment for rally. A driver’s license, vehicle ownership in your name (or letter of permission), and valid insurance are required at registration. If you also bring a pen and a clipboard, you’ll be in great shape! Some people also like a calculator and digital watch for timing, and a GPS will help if you get lost. These latter items are not essential.

We will be running four classes to accommodate everyone: Expert, Intermediate, Novice, and Touring. Touring will have no navigational tricks, and will just be a beautiful, fun drive and a chance to see what rally is about.

If you want to enter Novice class and score in the Ontario Road Rally Cup Championship series, give these files a read. They are NOT necessary for the Touring Class, but if it’s your first Navigational rally, they’ll tell you what to expect:

http://kwrc.on.ca/events/snatr/Basic_Rallying.html

and the BASIC INSTRUCTIONS ONLY on this page:

http://www.torontoautosportclub.ca/articles/RallyMaster/index.html

[tashko]

I'll help out and I'm sure my brother will also. Maybe we can be a checkpoint team, or split us up.

[STeveD]

Thanks, Tashko! (And Goni!)

Since you guys know what is supposed to happen at a checkpoint, I may want to split you up. But if I have enough experienced people for each car, I'll put you together.

[AndrewR]

I'm in too anything to help.

[STeveD]

AndrewR wrote:
I'm in too anything to help.

Thanks, Andrew!

Are you sure that you wouldn't rather run in the rally?

[AndrewR]

LOL, either or - My wife has been pestering me about going again

[STeveD]

Thank you for the support, Andrew! If I had a wife who was willing to participate in the rally, I'd try to enjoy competing in it instead of volunteering. ;-)

[valheru]

Steve how far/long does it take to go to this rally, I might be interested in helping out depending on the time frame and wife points!

[STeveD]

valheru wrote:
Steve how far/long does it take to go to this rally, I might be interested in helping out depending on the time frame and wife points!

The Rally is NW of Toronto, so it's probably at least a 5 hour drive from Ottawa.

Checkpoint workers would have to be there by 10am to get their packages, and would be out on the route until around 4 or 5 pm.


Are you going to the MCO Open Road Rally in Perth this coming Sunday? Opal, Trevor, Ted and I will be there.

[maxpie]

Stephen,

Just to confirm, I will be volunteering at a checkpoint and I see you have me with someone who has lots of experience... :-) That is a good thing for sure, but I will be there.

Maxine

[maxpie]

PS. To anyone who hasn't given this a try, I highly recommend that you do!!! It is a lot of fun and can be as challenging as you want to make it. It would be great to have a massive turnout from SPDA for this event.

Maxine

[STeveD]

maxpie wrote:
Stephen,

Just to confirm, I will be volunteering at a checkpoint and I see you have me with someone who has lots of experience... :-) That is a good thing for sure, but I will be there.

Yup! The checkpoint that You and Paul are going to get is a ... uhmmm.... I'll tell you later. :-)

Yes please, everyone. We're happy to either have you TRY navigational rally and enjoy the event (and help the club break even), or work a checkpoint. Even if you can only do a few hours, not the whole six, it still helps out!!

There's two chaps from HADA who are coming out to do Touring with toddlers strapped in the back seat! We'll offer "First Frost" themed Ear Plugs to all parents registered with toddlers in Touring, and you'll get an automatic bump up the standing by one position for every toddler in the car!!!! ;-)

[BryceD]

I don't know if I can convince Rachel to enter with me. Is anyone else looking for either a driver or a navigator for this? I'd be up for either. I'm a total beginner though, so keep that in mind.

Also, my cars ODO is in miles, so I take it that I have to do all the converting on the fly?

Either way I've always loved the idea behind a nav rally, and this sounds like a blast!

[Navigator]

If there is some interest we can have a get together on a weeknight before the event to go over how Navigational rally works. This should be more then enough to help a novice understand and do really well at the event.

[SinglemaltWSKY]

Is any experience needed to volunteer? I may be able to help out.

[STeveD]

Bryce: Normally I recommend staying away from special tools for your first time out, but with your ODO, one would really help. See if you can borrow an old Palm from someone. I have an m505 and it works fine. There's free software for it that will do the ODO adjustment automatically for you.

http://www.brooke.net/rallycalc/calib.gif

There's an ODO calibration check at the start rougly 10km in. (The instructions will give you an exact measurement. You enter what your ODO shows in Miles at that point, then the rally distance in KM, and "Change Factor". Then what your Palm shows you is:

http://www.brooke.net/rallycalc/main.gif

So your navigator enters KM values in "Rally Dist" which will be in KM, and tells you the "Car ODO" distance.

The other option, yes, is just multiply all the KM distances by 1.61.


Jonas: Thanks Jonas! No, no particular experience is necessary. If you have two people at the checkpoint, it's rather simple to do. We'll try to put inexperienced people with someone experienced. It's typical though that the clubs train CP workers up 15 minutes before the rally. We'll also have written instructions in your package for what each person in the car is responsible for.

[SinglemaltWSKY]

OK - just got approval :-)

Count me in.

[STeveD]

Thank you Jonas!

[SinglemaltWSKY]

My father is coming out as well - so put his name down as another volunteer.

[STeveD]

Sure, thanks! But Jonas... since there's two of you, do you want to try running in a car together in the rally instead?

[valheru]

Well, upper management is saying that this is not an approved course of action for me... Sorry Steve!

[STeveD]

Thanks anyway, Denis. Hope to see you in Perth on Sunday if she'll let you out for that! (Check NCSC "Open Road" thread.)

[SinglemaltWSKY]

We could - however I have absolutely '0' experience in Rally.......new to all of this actually.

(reading the basics link you posted)

If you're able to show us the ropes - I'd love to try.

[STeveD]

Jonas and his Dad are going to enter the rally (YAY!) so are there any other club members who ran the OWR or some other rally in their past who can help out at CP's?

People who have never run a rally get a little overwhelmed trying to run a CP alone. Heck, even the experienced folks get overwhelmed at times if people are streaming across the board in succession. Having two people in the car would be ideal...

There were a few flubs last weekend from checkpoints operated by single people who knew nothing about rally. I'm REALLY trying to avoid that by having well staffed crews. Two inexperienced people can EASILY handle a checkpoint. One is pushing their capabilities.

In addition to the wonderful brownies, we'll also be able to help volunteers with some of the expense of helping out as a gas allowance. And you will, of course, have our sincere gratitude for helping us out making you feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

[Maurizio]

I forgot to tell you that I will be available to help at a checkpoint

[STeveD]

Thanks Maurizio!

Daniel and Rhys will work another one.

Cam arranged for a buddy to help him.

[dubya_rx]

Steve,
I should be able to help as well. (Complete Noob)

-Walter

[STeveD]

Thanks Walter!

If Nuwan doesn't bring Daniel, you can help him sort out the mess at the first CP! :-)

This is a great # of volunteers we're getting! The CP's are going to run smoothly, and we'll have enough CP's to really challenge the competitors!

[STeveD]

[tashko]

[dubya_rx]

[STeveD]

[dubya_rx]

I have a 175W inverter that plugs into a 12V car outlet. I'll bring it as well. Did you find a bubblejet? I have one.

[STeveD]

Thanks Walter! No, no bubble jet with ink yet! Could I swing by some time this week and borrow it for testing if you don't have it in regular use? Does it need black ink?

I DO have a massive inkjet for 13 x 19 paper that uses 47.7W while printing... hrmmm. Might work with your inverter!

[tashko]

I have a 400W inverter and just found my Canon bubble-jet 200ex which is compact. I'll try test it out today to see if it works...lots of dust on it at the moment!!