Welcome to Iowa's Winter Geocaching Olympics!

The posted coordinates are for the wind-up event at the Clinton, IA, Pizza Ranch on Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 2pm. The event marks the end of the Winter Geocaching Olympics. Anyone may log a “will attend” for this event without any participation in the Olympics or food purchase. Food is available at your own expense. 

The Winter Geocaching Olympics is a 9 week-long game ending with the event. The Olympics begin on Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 12:00am and end on Friday, March 25, 2022 at 11:59pm. To participate in the Olympics, post a note on the event page before 11:59pm on Friday, January 28, 2022 (this gives everyone one week after competition starts to opt in!)

Scoreboard will be updated periodically throughout the Olympics.

The Winter Geocaching Olympics is a fun competition to get you out and caching during the long cold Midwest winter! Designed for all cachers, the objective is to complete any twelve (12) tasks during the nine weeks of the Geocaching Olympics. This is not a race. Tasks have higher or lower points assigned to them. Read the task requirements carefully and choose wisely. You are seeking points, not completing the Games first. There is danger in waiting too long though! Even if you don’t get the high score, a strategic approach may still result in a prize. Posting a note by 11:59pm on January 28 lets me know that you plan to participate in the Olympics.

In order to claim a smiley for this event, you just need to attend the wind-up event.

RULES

Short Version:

• Claim 12 tasks in 9 weeks (January 22-March 25, 2022)
• Using the "write note" feature on this event page, report your claims with task number, GC code(s), points claimed, and any task-specific requirements within 7 days of fulfilling (or by 11:59pm on 3/25/22)
• Some tasks have outright points stated while others are dependent on the geocache found. Some offer positive points, some offer negative points, and some are the cacher's choice. Claimed point values must be stated on the note and cannot be edited. (I do get Project-GC edit notifications.)
• Watch for bonuses!
• Photos are encouraged! If required, it will be stated in the task requirement.
• Full rules are at the bottom of the event page.

Tasks:

Tasks may only be claimed once per participating geocaching login (single player or multi-player team)

1. Attend an event in costume: 5+D+T points, your choice positive or negative

• Dress in a theme that matches the event description. Photo required.
• The event can be published at any time (including after the start of the Olympics) and can be hosted by anyone.

2. Find three caches at sunrise or sunset: 5 points

• Log any geocache at either sunrise or sunset three separate times. Picture is required. These must be on three different days. They do not all have to be at the same time of day (may combine sunrises/sunsets.) 
• This task is exempt from any timeline. You can take the entire Olympics to find these three caches but you must claim the task prior to the conclusion of the Olympics and within 7 days of finding the last qualifying geocache.

3. Group caching: 5 points

• Go caching with a minimum of 3 other geocachers (minimum group size is 4.) These geocachers must have been registered on www.geocaching.com preior to the beginning of the Olympics. All caching logs must reference the other geocachers. The other geocachers do not have to be participating in the Olympics to qualify. Your task note must contain the names of the other geocachers.

4. Happy anniversay!: positive or negative points, one point for each year of the caches age

• Find and log any geocache on its birthday. If you find a 2020 cache on its birthday, it would be worth +/-1 point. If you find a 2010 cache on its birthday, it would be worth +/-11 points.

5. Write a 200 word log: 5 points

• Words matter and all cache owners like to read nice logs. Write an original (not just copy/paste blanket text) of at least 200 words.

6. Fancy Dress: (D+T) points

• Log any non-event cache while wearing attire that matches the cache's theme. Photo required.

7. Three by three: (highest D + highest T)

• Find, in a single day, three different caches each hidden in different years. 

8. Into the Dark: (2+D+T) points

• Log any physical cache that displays one or both of the "night cache" or "recommended at night" icon attributes.

9. Geocaching Reunion: 5 points, your choice positive or negative

• Locate a cache again that you first found at least a year ago. Write a note on the cache listing. In your note, describe how this experience was different tha your previous visit and/or how your geocaching has changed since you logged the find. Post picture of the log sheet. (Your original signature is not required to be shown but if it is still readable, please include it.)

10. Year of the Hide: 3(D+T) points, your choice positive or negative

• Hide a non-traditional geocache. 
• Your geocache must be listed at www.geocaching.com and must be published before the end of the Olympics. Points cannot be claimed until the cache is published. Please ensure you give adequate time for the cache reviewer to publish your hide.
• Bonus - if your non-traditional geocache was published on or before 2/14/22 and earns at least 5 favorite points before 11:59pm on 3/25/22, you may choose to DOUBLE your reward points! To keep things fair, the favorite points will only be counted if the person who gave them to the cache is NOT participating in the Winter Olympics. Your favorite points will need to be earned by people who are not part of this competition (and also not the event owner.)

11. Take a stroll: (2+D+T) points

• Log any physical cache that displays either the "medium hike (1-10km)" or the "long hike (10km+)" icon attribute. Please note rule #16 for any multi-person geocaching teams.

12. Lions and tigers and bears!: (D+T) points, your choice positive or negative

• Take a photo of a FOUR legged animal you saw at GZ. Both you and the animal must be in the photo.

13. Area Code: (2+D+T) points, your choice positive or negative

• Log any cache (see exceptions below) where the numbers of your area code appear in the given order anywhere in the published coordinates (not puzzle solutions or intermediate steps in multicaches) to claim the task. The numbers can run across the latitude and longitude. The numbers do not need to appear consecutively, but they need to appear in sequence.
• Example: N 41° 51.821 W 090° 16.257 would qualify for me as the numbers 815 appear in order, even though they are not consecutive.

14. Three By Ten Day: (highest D+highest T)

• Find 3 caches on the same day with a total of at least 10 attributes listed in total. None of the attributes may be repeated on any of those three caches.
• Example: 1st cache has 3 attributes, 2nd cache has 6 attriburtes, 3rd cache has 1 attribute and none of those attributes appear on more than one of the geocaches.

15. Dozen Finds Day: (4+highest D+highest T) your choice positive or negative

• Find exactly 12 caches in a calendar day (midnight to midnight.)
• Scoring example: Find 10 caches of 1.5/1.5, 1 cache of 5.0/1.0 and 1 cache of 1.0/5.0; therefore 4+5+5=14 (either positive or negative)

16. Cache with D/T Combination of 7: 10 points

• Log any cache (of any type) where the sum of the difficulty and terrain totals exactly 7.
• Qualifying examples: 2/5, 2.5/4.5, 3/4, 3.5/3.5, 4/3, 4.5/2.5, 5/2

17. Spelling Bee: (4+highest D+highest T), your choice positive or negative

• Find a total of 8 caches, using the first letter of the cache name to spell "GEOCACHE."
• Caches that start with numbers or symbols do not count.
• This task is exempt from any timeline. You can take the entire Olympics to spell "GEOCACHE," but you must claim the task prior to the conclusion of the Olympics and within 7 days of finding the last qualifying geocache.

18. Loyal Finder: (highest D + highest T), your choice positive or negative

• Find six geocaches hidden by the same cache owner. Caches must be found in a single day.

19. Series Cache: (D+T) points

• Log any one cache (of any type) that is part of a series. The cache title must clearly illustrate that it is part of a series. It does not have to be a multicache or a multi-part challenge to qualify.

20. Multicache: (2+D+T) points

• Log any multicache that has a minimum of 3 steps (posted coordinates, mid-point, and final location); there can be more than 3 but not less.

21. Unloved: 5/10/15/20 points, your choice positive or negative

• Log any physical cache that has not been found in the preceeding time period:
  • 180 days = 5 points
  • 365 days = 10 points
  • 2 years = 15 points
  • 3+ years = 20 points

22. Turn That Frown Upside-Down: 5 points

• Log a find on a physical geocache that you have previously logged a DNF on. Your DNF must have been logged and dated before the start of the Olympics. Your task note must include the date of your earlier DNF.

23. Bench-cache: 8 points, your choice positive or negative

• Hide a geocache of any type that highlights a benchmark. Include instructions for how to log the benchmark.
• Your geocache must be listed at www.geocaching.com and must be published before the end of the Olympics. Points cannot be claimed until the cache is published. Please ensure you give adequate time for the cache reviewer to publish your hide.

24. Active Streak: 0.5 points per day with a maximum of 10 points your choice positive or negative

• Find a minimum of 1 cache per day to create a streak of consecutive days. Maximum streak that will qualify for this task is 20 days (10 points.) Minimum streak is 1 day (0.5 points.)
• This task is exempt from rule #9; streak caches can be claimed for other tasks.

25. Host an Event: 4 points your choice positive or negative

• Your event must be listed on www.geocaching.com and must be published before the Olympics end. Your event can take place after the Olympics end.
• Note: According to geocache guidelines, event caches should be submitted no less than two weeks before the date of the event so plan accordingly! Also, please ensure you give adequate time for the cache reviewer to publish your hide.

26. Hide a Large Cache: 5 points

• Hide a large cache. A large container is described by Groundspeak as a "minimum of 20L (around 5 imperial gallons.)"
• Your geocache must be listed at www.geocaching.com and must be published before the end of the Olympics. Points cannot be claimed until the cache is published. Please ensure you give adequate time for the cache reviewer to publish your hide.

27. Bridge the (Age) Gap: 5 points

• Log any physical cache with a person who is at least 20 years different in age. This person can be a Muggle or a geocachers. Geocachers do no have to be participating in the Olympics to qualify. Your log must indiciate who you were caching with and contain a picture of the 2 of you while geocaching. If the gap is close, be prepared to provide proof of age!
• If you are a multi-person team, only one member of the team can be used for the age difference. Example: Dad (35) and Child (8) who both use the same geocaching name would not qualify for this task but bringing Muggle Uncle (40) would qualify for this task since Child and Uncle are more than 20 years apart in age.

28. Become Friendlier: 6 points

• Hide a minimum of 3 caches with the attribute of "recommended for kids." These caches should be easily found by children regardless of location. They do not have to be related to each other.
• Your geocaches must be listed at www.geocaching.com and must be published before the end of the Olympics. Points cannot be claimed until the caches are published. Please ensure you give adequate time for the cache review to publish your hides.

29. Wheelchair Friendly Cache: (D+T) points

• Log any physical cache that displays the "wheelchair friendly" icon attribute.

30. Complete an Adventure Lab: 5 points, your choice positive or negative

• As proof of completing an Adventure Lab, post a screen shot of the Adventure Lab showing your geocaching name at the top and the completed icon with with check mark on the page. This task may not be used in the spelling bee task.

Bonuses:

There will be both weekly and monthly bonuses. Any bonuses will be posted prior to the start of the active time period. Each participating geocaching ID may claim each bonus once. 

Weekly bonuses will be Saturday to Friday. This means you must find the bonus within the posted dates of the bonus (weekly or monthly.) Bonuses must be claimed by 11:59pm of the last day of the bonus window.

• Week 1 (1/22-1/28) - Write about your favorite milestone find. (Worth -2, 0, or +2 points)

  Post a “note” on this event page. Share the story about the milestone or the cache you found and why it is memorable for you.

• Week 2 (1/29-2/4) - When finding a cache this week, include a picture of yourself with a bag (paper, reusable, NOT plastic!) over your head. Include a picture of this with your log on the cache page as well as the note on your bonus claim. You may complete this bonus while completing a task, so this bonus is exempt from rule #9. (Worth +/- 3 points)

• Week 3 (2/5-2/11) - Commit one non-Geocaching Random Act of Kindness. You could make a donation to an organization. You could leave a large tip for your waiter. You could volunteer to help a neighbor or stranger in need. You could do something I haven’t listed here so use your imagination. Pictures are welcome but not necessary. (+/- 2 points)

• Week 4 (2/12-2/18) - Football Fever! Log any cache while tying it to a football theme. Wear a jersey, bring a football, Tebow with the cache container, use your imagination! You may use a cache you are also using for a task for this bonus.

  Bonus is worth +/- 2 points if logged on Saturday or Monday-Friday but worth +/- 4 points if logged ON Super Bowl Sunday!

• Week 5 (2/19-2/25) - BENCHMARKING - 3 points per photo, up to 9 points allowed (your choice +/-)

  Log up to three (3) benchmarks. While photos are not required to log benchmarks on the geocaching website, you must take a picture of the benchmark and your HAND and post this photo with your note on the event page to claim the points for the bonus. Please include the benchmark code with your note as well. (Remember, you can always look for benchmarks near geocaches by clicking the link on any geocache page just below the hint area that says FIND... "all nearby benchmarks.")

• Week 6 (2/26-3/4) - Thanks a Lot!

  Thank another geocacher. Send a note either through the GC messaging system or through email and thank another. Thank them for placing great hides, writing good logs, offering assistance, or something you have noticed that you appreciate. You do not need to post screenshots here but I would appreciate if you sent them to me (messaging or email) so I can give you bonus credit.

  Each “thank you” note is worth +/- 1 point and may be done up to three times. (Total +/- 3 points total)

  Do feel free to send more than 3 “thank you” notes if this inspires you to do so though!

Monthly bonuses will be for February and March. (Worth +/- 15 points)

• February - This month, increase your D/T grid in 8 contiguous squares by 1. The catch is that you cannot use the D-1, D-1.5, T-1, or T-1.5 rows/columns. Contiguous means they share a border, not just a corner. You may complete this bonus while completing a task, so this bonus is exempt from rule #9.

• March  - "When they go low, we go high." 

  Find two caches (hidden before 1/9/22) that have at least a 400 foot difference in elevation. The two caches do not need to be found on the same day but they both must be found in the month of March and before the end of the Olympic games (11:59pm 3/25/22.) To claim this bonus, please provide the GC codes of the two caches, the coordinates for each cache, and a screenshot or photographic proof of the elevations at each. You can use pictures of your GPS altimeter, a screenshot of a phone app, or information from Project-GC as examples. 

  This bonus is NOT exempt from rule #9, so you must find caches for this bonus that are not parts of your other challenges. Additionally, all caches used for this bonus must be ON THE GROUND, so tree-climbing does not gain you extra elevation.

Challenge

This challenge may only be claimed once per participating geocaching login and no substitutions/replacements will be allowed once claimed.

This challenge is exempt from rule #9 - your challenge cache can be claimed for another task.

Overview:

• Log a physical geocache and receive challenge bonus points based on specific air temperature ranges in degrees Fahrenheit. Challenge bonus point values can be your choice of positive or negative:
  • 50°F and above: 1 point
  • 35-49°: 3 points
  • 20-34°: 7 points
  • 5-19°: 13 points
  • 4° and below: 25 points
• This is a WINTER Geocaching Olympics - the biggest bonuses go to the heartiest of cachers... or are they the craziest?!?
• Please note that the temperature ranges are referencing air temperature, not wind chill.
• Your challenge note must include a screenshot of the temperature (weather app, website, thermometer, etc.) plus a photo of you at the cache (at least pretending to look happy!)
• This challenge must be claimed within 48 hours of logging the find. No going out when it's below zero in January and then waiting until February 28th to claim the find - there is a calculated risk with this challenge.
• This challenge can only be claimed once.
• This challenge may only be claimed on caches within Iowa or Illinois.

Full Rules:

1. The Olympics run from 12am Saturday, January 22, 2022 through 11:59pm Friday, March 25, 2022. 
2. Register on this event page by posting a "note" to let me know you will be participating. Event attendees can register up to the day of the wrap-up event.
3. Fulfill any 12 of the tasks listed above after the start of the Olympics. To complete the Olympics, exactly 12 tasks must be logged.
4. Caches you claim for the game must be logged on www.geocaching.com during the time frame of the game. No previous or late finds will be allowed.
5. Tasks must be claimed within 7 days of finding the cache and before the conclusion of the Olympics (tasks 2 and 17 are exempt from being claimed within 7 days, but must be claimed prior to the conclusion of the Olympics and within 7 days of finding the last qualifying cache.) The post must clearly state which task is being claimed, the GC code(s) of the geocache(s), the points being claimed, and how the cache meets the requirement (if necessary.) Post your claims as notes on this event page.
6. Geocaches found as part of these games must be published before January 9, 2022. Any task that requires new cache(s) to be placed (physical or event) does not fall under this rule.
7. Task that require caches to be hidden must be published prior to 11:59pm on March 25, 2022. Please plan accordingly and do not leave this to the last minute. By placing a geocache as part of these Olympics, you agree to follow all the guidelines set out by www.geocaching.com in owning a geocache.
8. Each task must be claimed on a geocache previously unfound by you (task 9 is exempt from this rule.)
9. Each task must be claimed against a different cache unless the requirement states otherwise.
10. Tasks, bonuses, and the challenge can only be claimed once per geocaching login (single person or teams.) Multiple claims against the same task, bonus, or challenge by the same geocacher will be rejected. *Exception: if your first claim of a task was rejected, it can be attempted again.
11. Once tasks, bonuses, and challenges are claimed, you may not substitute another.
12. Points vary by task, bonus, and challenge. These are clearly defined above. Some give participants a choice in point value, therefore you must clearly state the point value, positive or negative, when claiming a task. Once claimed, your point values cannot be changed.
13. There are multiple prizes for the players who compete in the Olympics. For those who complete 12 tasks, prizes will go for the HIGHEST, the LOWEST, and the CLOSEST TO AVERAGE. Other prizes could be possible.
14. In the event of a tie score, the earliest score will be used as the tiebreaker.
15. No "arm chair" caching is permitted. You can only use geocaches that you found, signed, and logged on www.geocaching.com. Claiming a cache that you found months ago and just got around to logging is not permitted in these Olympics.
16. Multi-player teams would be more than 1 person using the same name. All members of multi-person teams must meet the qualification of the task and must be present when claiming the geocache. Spouses/family members that occasionally cache with the primary cacher are exempt from this rule. However they will not be considered muggles either. If there is confusion, please ask.
17. All time stamps will be based on when I receive emails about posted notes.
18. Tasks will be accepted in the order they are submitted. No substitutions may be made once a task has been claimed. 
19. I, cneumann98, will administer the game and my decisions are final. I reserve the right to provide any clarifications of the rules at any point in the game.
20. Most importantly, HAVE FUN!!!