Reviewer notes

5th Annual Texas Challenge
March 17th 2007 - Brazos Bend State Park
N29 22.886 W95 35.896

Results

1ST	CENTX	30450 points
2ND	NTX	28420 points
3RD	SETX	27570 points
208800 total points possible (if you got all punches, all evils, the puzzle and all FTF's)

Facilities & Camping

Texas Challenge 2007 will be held at Brazos Bend state park on March 16th, 17th, and 18th with the main event on the 17th.

Please make your reservations ASAP as this park fills up very quickly.

The cache page will be used as the primary source of information with only the registration for the event being separate. So please add this Event Cache to your watchlist as we will be posting a note anytime we make a change to the cache page.

For those camping at the park, make reservations as early as possible. As of Jan 10th, the reservation site listed the park as full, but keep trying. Sometimes cancellations occur. Also contact your local geocacher group. Someone may be willing to share a site. Lodging information outside the park is provided below:

R.V. Sites:

Additional Links:

Once at the event, pick up your name tag at the Registration Booth Friday from 4pm to 8pm or Saturday from 7:30am to 9:00am.
The Registration Booth will be near the Group Dining Hall (N29 22.886 W95 35.896)

Special Events

For those who will be at the park Friday night, the “ OVER THE HILL & Through the Woods ” event will help us celebrate the 40th birthday of a local celebrity, as well as the 5th birthday of the Texas Challenge. See GC10E6C for more information!

Saturday evening following the Challenge the San Antonio Geocaching Association will get jiggy with their “ Saturday Night Fever ” A retro themed get together where everyone is welcome too attend, regardless of what team you’re on, or who wins the Challenge! See GC115R5 for more information!

Then on Sunday SETX is hosting the “ Texas Geo-Family Pancake Breakfast ” for ALL to attend. We feel this is a great way to close a great weekend with our Texas Geocaching Family, a big ol’ fashion family breakfast. See GC10WNA for more information!

Word on the proverbial virtual street is that the famed Moosiegirl and The Outlaw (plus a few others) have offered to teach a GSAK class on Sunday after the Pancake Breakfast. They will cover paperless caching and will offer a bit of 1-on-1 for people who need a little extra help. I'm sure that some of you would find this workshop very useful. They will have flyers about the event at check-in because we didn't get it onto our schedule of events.

The Game

The Challenge:
The format is essentially the same as the TC06 format. The Challenge will be more about FINDING and less about LOOKING. All three teams will be going after the SAME set of caches and its each region's goal to get to as many of them as possible! There will be elements of speed, elements of strategy, elements of skill and brainpower and maybe a bit of fun thrown in there too!

Here is the approximate schedule of the Challenge (subject to change): At 7:00 am Saturday, the Regional Team Leaders will be given the waypoints for all of the caches in the Challenge. This will be in the form of a GPX file that was created from GSAK. It is up to each regional team to decide how to load the waypoints for their team. Regions can use this time to begin formulating their strategies, organizing into squads, etc. At 9:30am on Saturday morning, we will hold a BRIEFING to explain how to play the game and how to score points for your region. It is required that everyone attend this briefing. At this point, you will know all the rules, all the secrets, everything you would want to know about the game and how to accumulate points. At the end of the Briefing, regions will be handed crucial items that are required in order to earn points. The starting gun is fired the minute these items are handed to the regions and you will be informed of the time you MUST return your scoring items to the scorer's table. Late items will not score points for your team. Scores will be tallied while the participants are enjoying their lunch. Winners will be announced later in the day. See the finalized schedule of events for the weekend for exact times.

It is suggested that each region appoint a Team Leader. There will be a number of ways to earn points for your team. There will also be opportunities for lower-mobility cachers to contribute. On the course, you will see a cross section of what you normally find in Geocaching: some puzzles, some evil hides, some physical challenges, some 1/1's, some SURPRISES, etc. It will not be possible, or necessary, for each person to complete each cache, so you puzzle haters can breathe a sigh of relief!

So bring your team, bring your fun attitudes, water, deet, a snack, and don't forget your GPS!

The Teams:
The Texas Challenge competition is a competition between 3 teams. These teams are SETX, Centex, and NTX. SETX encompasses the Houston and surrounding areas, Beaumont area, and Pineywoods area. Centex encompasses the San Antonio and Austin areas. NTx encompasses the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. We realize that not everyone fits exactly into one of these areas, and in that case, you are free to pick a team. For that matter, if there is someone that lives in one of the defined areas, it's ok to compete on a different team if you have friends or relatives that you want to compete with, but most cachers do choose to compete in the area that they live. If you are unsure what area you want to compete, then you can let us know and we can wait until we have more of the registrations in and place you on a team that could use more hunters based on numbers.

The Event

Registration:
Adults and children over 5 that attend the event will have a $5.00 registration fee. There will be no additional charge for the children staying at Camp Lil Cacher during the actual challenge.

BBQ Dinner:(Order sent to caterer)
A BBQ dinner will be served just after the ending time for the challenge. The cost will be $8 per plate. The meal must be purchased before March 1st, as we have to commit a number to the caterer shortly after that deadline. The BBQ is being catered by Brookstreet BBQ from Sugar Land. It will include beef and sausage, 3 sides, iced tea, and all the trimmings.

News about Camp Li’l Cacher:
Camp Little Cachers (CLC) will be held during the challenge event and will be open to children of all ages. All children must be potty trained. There will be lots of fun activities that will keep your geo-kids happy and safe! Parents will need to supply snacks, drinks, and sack lunch for their children. Registration is free. Please indicate your CLC childs age on the registration form.

Event T-shirts and Coins:(Order sent to press)
The event coins and T-shirts can be ordered during the registration process. Coins will be $9. A limited number of coins have been minted. During pre-registration, only 6 per family may be pre-ordered. The T-shirts will cost $12 (before March 1st). After March 1st, the T-shirts will go up to $15. Sizes available are: Youth Medium, Youth Large, Adult Medium, Adult Large, XL, 2X, and 3X. (Youth Large and Adult Small are the same)

Stay tuned for more information about the "Official" Texas Challenge 2007 T-Shirt and Geocoin!!

The event organizers will not be responsible for trackables lost or missing in connection with this event.

• ABSOLUTELY DO NOT feed or annoy the alligators.
• Keep pets on a leash no longer than six feet. Do not throw objects in water for your dog to retrieve.
• Keep at least 30 ft. from an alligator – do not assume they’re slow-moving.
• Do not swim in or wade into any water in Brazos Bend State Park.
• If an alligator goes after a fish you have caught, cut the line and let the alligator have the fish.
• Avoid any alligator sunning itself in the middle of the trail or lake bank.
• Stay clear of grasses, twigs and/or soil near the side of a trail: it may be a nest and the mother alligator is probably close by guarding it.
• If an alligator opens its mouth and hisses, you have come too close. Retreat slowly; make no quick moves. Keep your eyes on the alligator.

* March/April is the begining of the mating season for Alligators. They will be more active during this time period. Be extra cautions with pets on trails surrounding 40 Acre Lake and Elm Lake.