November 8, 2011 / Eric Schudiske /

November Featured Geocacher of the Month Nominees – Add Your Comments

Every month the geocaching community nominates people to be the Geocacher of the Month – a geocacher who positively contributes to the community and stands out for his or her outstanding involvement in the activity. Groundspeak Lackeys choose three of the nominees and tell their stories here on Latitude 47. The community selects which of the three should be designated “Geocacher of the Month.”

Last month, geocachers awarded the honor to coast2coast2coast. More than 50 geocachers wrote in support of the winner. Coast2coast2coast has hosted multiple events, helped direct the Mid Island Geocaching organization, and is known for his dedication to the geocaching community. Congratulations to all those who were nominated in October.

Now it’s your turn to help select the featured November “Geocacher of the Month.” The nomination period is closed and we have whittled it down to the three geocachers featured below.

geocacherofthemonthGeocoin(anniephone) — Featured Geocacher of the Month Geocoin

Write a comment on this blog post about which of these three geocachers you feel should be November’s “Geocacher of the Month.” Those whose nominees were not recognized here are encouraged to submit their nominations again next month.

Some testimonials have been edited for length.

_JohnnyCache

( Member since 2007 )

Nomination by Bocco:

“_JohnnyCache has volunteered countless hours of his time as the president of the Maryland Geocaching Society for the past two years. In that position Tom has worked tirelessly to promote geocaching in our state. He also provides links for helpful information, and detailed instructions on how to use various GPSr’s, software, etc., in our organization forums. He has created a Maryland Geocaching Society fanpage on facebook, and a smartphone app for our forums. _JohnnyCache is not only an enthusiastic geocacher in his own right, who has hidden some of the most devious cache hides in the state, he gives back to our community of cachers. His efforts as president of our society have enhanced geocaching in Maryland enormously.”

Rokman4

( Member since 2008 )

Nomination by 2oddHOGs:

“Rod spends a lot of time helping new cachers learn everything from the basics of geocaching to more intricate hides. When I first met Rod, he was giving a talk at a small town library. Rod is enthusiastic and thinks nothing of going over to a person’s home to help them with a computer problem or to take them out to find their first cache. Rod was instrumental in setting up the first ever geocaching training ground, on a city owned recreational island, that will stay a training ground even now that the training event happened (close to 100 people attended). Rod spent a lot of time working to make a contact with the city, showing them what he planned for the island and getting the city’s support to hold the event and keep the island as the training ground. Rod is a terrific role model for those of us that are new the the game. ”

nicgeo

( Member since 2009 )

Nomination by Mickelic:

“Nicole is a geography teacher who uses geocaching to teach her students about latitude and longitude. She just wrote a grant for new GPS devices for her students and was awarded $500. Those who awarded the grant thought that her grant was the most unique and they featured Nichole in their monthly newsletter. I believe that she should be up for a nomination because, due to her excitement for geocaching, all of her students love going on field trips geocaching in our area. There is so much more about NicGeo which makes her the cacher of the month.”

Comment below to tell us who you think should be the featured November “Geocacher of the Month.” A panel of Lackeys will use your comments to help decide which geocacher is awarded the honor. Each featured “Geocacher of the Month” will receive an exclusive special edition featured ”Geocacher of the Month” Geocoin along with a Geocacher of the Month hat and a certificate acknowledging their contributions signed by 2 of the founders of Geocaching.com. We will be accepting comments for November’s award through Monday the 24th.

If you know an outstanding geocacher who should be the Geocacher of the Month, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@groundspeak.com.

Every nomination must meet the following requirements:

GCotM_geocoin — Geocacher of the Month Geocoin

Please include your name, the name of your nominee, their username, at least one picture of the nominee and a description (500 or fewer words) explaining why he or she deserves to be the Geocacher of the Month. Please inform your nominee that you’ve submitted them for the award. Nominations for the December Geocacher of the Month must be received by December 3rd.

Once we have received all of the nominations, we will choose the top candidates and post them on the blog. You will then get a chance to champion your favorite. Our goal is to involve the entire geocaching community in this process so we might learn from each other.

October 13, 2011 / Eric Schudiske /

Featured Geocacher of the Month Nominees – Add Your Comments

supergoober2 — September's Featured Geocacher of the Month, SuperGoober

Last month the geocaching community voted SuperGoober as the September Featured Geocacher of the Month. According to those who nominated him, “he is a model geocacher which all of us in the area and beyond can be proud of. He is always willing to lend advice/help to any cacher that approaches him or contacts him.”

The featured Geocacher of the Month recognition celebrates geocachers for their contributions to the activity. A panel of Lackeys had the difficult task of selecting three of the most outstanding nominees. Now it’s your turn to help name one of these nominees the featured October “Geocacher of the Month.”

Write a comment on this blog post about which of these three geocachers you’d like to see as the featured “Geocacher of the Month.” Those whose nominees were not recognized here are encouraged to submit their nominations again next month. Read the testimonials below and leave a comment with your suggestion. Some testimonials have been edited for length.

seping

(Member since 2007)

Nomination by Ceddy:

“seping is a very active geocacher, he lives in Catalonia / Spain, in his native [country] many geocachers know him! He has found more than 18,000 caches all over the world and has over 240 caches hidden!
seping also already has organized two Mega-Events, including the recent Mega Catlunya 2011, and brought together geocachers from around the world. I met seping. He’s a very friendly and helpful man, and I think that’s he’s seen similarly by many other people.”

coast2coast2coast + Zoe

(Member since 2002)

Nomination by adventureseeking3:

“They have hosted multiple events, hidden excellent caches, all at various levels of difficulty, and are always aiding fellow cachers when in need. Tom currently serves in the Canadian armed forces so not only is he promoting geocaching here in BC, Canada, but he is also contributing world wide. They head up a local organization, Mid Island Geocaching that just recently had a summer end event “The Geo-Poker Rally” which was held in conjunction with Our local BCGA year end Blitz. Even though he is currently overseas on a mission supporting world peace, he is still staying in contact and helping people back home who geocache. They are both very dedicated and very well respected in the community.”

bpp_picnic

(Member since 2006)

Nomination by Mrs.Hoagie:

“Around Chester County PA, caches by bpp_picnic are notorious for their unique locations and even more interesting camouflage. bpp_picnic hosts a great event at the Brandywine Picnic Park (his family’s place) every September, and though his park, Big Red (his truck), and the event were flooded out this year by all the rain in SE Pennsylvania, bpp_picnic was still gracious enough to feed those of us who showed up with his amazing bbq pork and brisket.”

Comment below to tell us who you think should be the featured October “Geocacher of the Month.” A panel of Lackeys will use your comments to help decide which geocacher is awarded the honor. Each featured “Geocacher of the Month” will receive an exclusive special edition featured ”Geocacher of the Month” Geocoin along with a Geocacher of the Month hat and certificate acknowledging their contributions signed by 2 of the founders of Geocaching.com. We will be accepting comments through Monday October 24th.

If you know an outstanding geocacher who should be the Geocacher of the Month, send an email to

geocacherofthemonth@groundspeak.com.

Every nomination must meet the following requirements:

Please include your name, the name of your nominee, their username, at least one picture of the nominee and description (in 500 or fewer words) explaining why he or she deserves to be the Geocacher of the Month. Please inform your nominee that you’ve submitted them for the award. Nominations for the November Geocacher of the Month must be received by November 3rd.

September 20, 2011 / Eric Schudiske /

Geocachers Care: Strength in Community

July 2, 2011 began similarly to any other day of geocaching for Mike (Radioman84) and his wife Iris (ikolor). Mike woke up, packed his geocaching gear, and hit the road. He drove three hours with his family to attend the SCGA’s 4^th Annual Geo-versary in Merritt Island, Florida. But on July 3, 2011, as he and his wife prepared to cache along the drive home, their lives took an unexpected turn.

radioman84&pole — Radioman84 out geocaching

As they were preparing to head out geocaching, Mike suffered from a massive stroke. Medical care workers took no chances. He was flown by a medical helicopter to the hospital in Orlando.

Mike was treated at the Orlando hospital for weeks. During this time, his wife Iris remained right by his side. According to Iris, “Mike and I spent three weeks in Orlando while he was in the ICU and the neurological floor of the hospital.”

Mike and Iris have been avid geocachers since November of 2009. Mike, a communications technician from Sunrise, Florida is known for his committed participation in the geocaching community and for his series of famous “What is that doing there” caches. Mike has found over 1,700 geocaches and attended around 19 events.

Once news of Mike’s stroke reached the Southern Florida geocaching community, they rallied together in support. Because Iris and Mike were staying in Orlando, geocacher friends organized a fundraiser barbecue.

According to friend and fellow geocacher Marty, the barbecue was to “help defray the high costs of Iris having to stay in Orlando as Mike recovers and other expenses that they will experience at this difficult time.” The barbecue consisted of delicious food, a raffle, and donated items to be auctioned off. Iris requested for geocachers to donate money and supplies to the Hubbard House, a charity that provides services for families of seriously ill people seeking treatment in the Orlando area. At the end of the day, more than $2,000 was raised.

radioman84&ikolor — Radioman84 and his wife ikolor

Although they were three hours away from their hometown, Mike and Iris felt supported because according to Iris, “Cachers from all around Florida visited with me and Mike while we were in Orlando. I actually was able to steal away some time and go caching with some of them that came to visit. It felt so good to take a break and get to do something I love to do.”

As of today, Mike and Iris have returned to their home in Sunrise where Mike now frequently visits a rehabilitation center. The center is surrounded by specially hidden caches and is often visited by local geocachers.

Iris says, “a poster was made and signed by all the cachers that love him” and it now hangs in his recovery room. Mike is still on the road to full recovery. Marty, one of the lead organizers of the fundraiser barbecue, says, “[Mike] is in good spirits and even attended We are a little cheesy #3 event.”

Through this challenging circumstance Mike, Iris, and the rest of the geocaching world have experienced the beauty that can be found in community. In response to the event, Iris says “The amount of love is incredible.”

radioman84CITO — Radioman84 and ikolor at a CITO Event

August 20, 2011 / Eric Schudiske /

Announcing the First ‘Geocacher of the Month’

Congratulations to all the Geocacher of the Month nominees. The geocaching community is comprised of inspirational individuals – who go above and beyond in geocaching innovation, creativity, respect for the environment and helpfulness. Each nominee should be congratulated as exceptional geocachers and individuals. We should all be proud that each of the cachers are part of our worldwide community.

The choice for the first Geocacher of the Month was difficult. A panel of Lackeys, relying on voting and community comments, could ultimately choose only one.

haksu10 is the August Geocacher of the Month. Dozens of geocachers wrote in to share stories about haksu10’s humble dedication to geocaching, geocachers and his local community. haksu10 created geocache.fi site, used by most Finnish geocachers daily. He also placed nearly a hundred creative and engaging caches. One of the most memorable is GC16QCH Haksulandia. According to a Finnish geocacher, “What makes it special, though, is that it is located at haksu10′s yard. According to the description, the cache is equipped with an electric outlet in case you need to charge anything. Call before you arrive (or just ring the doorbell) and haksu10 will make you some coffee.”

haksu10 will receive a collectors Geocacher of the Month geocoin, along with a Geocacher of the Month hat and certificate acknowledging their contributions signed by the founders of Geocaching.com: Jeremy Irish, Bryan Roth and Elias Alvord.

The other two outstanding finalists Dale & Barb and De broekies will also receive special gifts from Geocaching.com, and we hope the recognition from geocaching community for their truly outstanding contributions. We can all be inspired by reading the testimonials and comments about all the nominees from other geocachers in this blog post. Community members are encouraged to renominate those who were not awarded Geocacher of the Month.

If you know an outstanding geocacher who should be the Geocachers of the Month, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@groundspeak.com.

Every nomination must meet the following requirements. Please include your name, the name of your nominee, their username, at least one picture of the nominee and description (in 500 or fewer words) explaining why he or she deserves to be the Geocacher of the Month. Please inform your nominee that you’ve submitted them for the award. Nominations for the September Geocacher of the Month must be received by September 3rd.

Once we have received all of the nominations, we will choose the top candidates and post them on the Latitude 47 blog. You will then get a chance to champion your favorite. Our goal is to involve the entire geocaching community in this process so we might learn from each other.

August 12, 2011 / Eric Schudiske /

Geocacher of the Month Nominees – Add Your Comments

Geocacher of the Month geocoin front — Geocacher of the Month Geocoin

Groundspeak needs your help acknowledging a geocacher each month that stands out by inspiring other geocachers with their innovation, creative hides and/or logs, respect for the environment, and helpfulness. More than a hundred geocachers submitted outstanding nominees from around the world.

The Geocacher of the Month celebrates geocachers for their contributions. A panel of Lackeys had the difficult task of selecting four of the most outstanding nominees. You can help name one of these nominees the “Geocacher of the Month.”

Each geocacher you see below displays extraordinary geocaching qualities including generosity and inventiveness. Write a comment on this blog post about which of these three geocachers you’d like to see as the first “Geocacher of the Month.” All those not awarded or nominated are encouraged to submit nominations again next month.

Read the testimonials below and leave a comment with your suggestion. Some testimonials have been edited for length.

haksu10

(Member since 2006)

Nominated by ZeroOne: “When I read about your Geocacher of the Month project, I naturally started thinking who would be the most suitable Finnish cacher for the nomination. It took me a while because the person is so humble, but when it came to me it was obvious: username haksu10.

Haksu10 is extremely devoted to the Finnish geocaching community — I dare to say there’s no one more devoted than him. He has single-handedly created and is constantly developing the geocache.fi site, used by most Finnish geocachers daily.

I don’t know when, but in the middle of maintaining the site haksu10 also seems to find the time to occasionally go geocaching. Last summer it almost cost him his life, though. He was bitten by a poisonous snake and was hospitalized. Luckily he recovered in a few days and was back developing the site. Haksu has already found almost 2000 caches and owns almost a hundred caches. The most special of his caches is probably GC16QCH Haksulandia.. What makes it special, though, is that it is located at haksu10’s yard. According to the description, the cache is equipped with an electric outlet in case you need to charge anything. Call before you arrive (or just ring the doorbell) and haksu10 will make you some coffee.”

Dale & Barb

(Members since 2006)

Nominated by Joshism: “I am nominating ‘Dale n Barb.’ Dale and Barbara have been very active in geocaching for several years. They have organized or assisted in numerous events with both their Space Coast Geocaching Association and the larger Florida Geocaching Association. I live more than hour’s drive away, but still attend their events; I know many more who drive even farther. They have worked with parks and the geocaching community, including numerous CITO events. They are the owners of “A Cool Cache” (GC15RQB): the most Favorited non-Virtual in the state of Florida. They encourage others to “Take Pride In Your Hide” and live that motto, with thoughtful well-maintained hides that have never disappointed me. They are a huge asset to the Florida geocaching community in every way possible.”

De broekies

(Member since 2006)

Nominated by kdv, Marcel en Micha (and two others).

kdv writes, “I would like to nominate “De broekies.” They are spending most of their spare time helping the Dutch (and international) geocaching community enjoy their geocaching experiences even more. They run a successful geocaching website (www.globalcaching.eu) and offer a lot of functionality and fun to all its users and guests.

They often give away Geocoins and other stuff to visitors. Plus they often help out other websites too, hosting items that require special technical knowledge, for instance to run a Geocoin race. And I have never even met him in person! Robert is just a great person, and I can honestly not think of anyone more deserving of this title. Actually, Geocacher of the Decade would be even more appropriate!

Marcel en Micha writes,”With this email I would like to nominate Robert of the Broekies for Geocacher of the Month. The reason I would like to nominate him is for his outstanding commitment to the Dutch geocaching community. I think he is a good example of how to make the geocaching community a better place. Every country in the world should have a ‘Robert’.”

Geocacher of the Month geocoin front and back — Geocoin front and back

A panel of Lackeys will use your comments to help decide the Geocacher of the Month award on August 20, 2011 at the Geocaching Block Party in Seattle, Washington, USA. Each Geocacher of the Month will receive an exclusive special edition ”Geocacher of the Month” Geocoin along with a Geocacher of the Month hat and certificate acknowledging their contributions signed by the founders of Geocaching.com: Jeremy Irish, Bryan Roth and Elias Alvord.