This topic contains 6 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by 
jodibee 4 years, 9 months ago.
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This question may take a little digging for those already on the BOD but the question is this:
How many WGA events have you been to and what is the furthest you have traveled for one? Location or mileage from home would be good answers.
BOD, if possible post how many you attended before your election onto the Board.
Following the signals from space.
I love the WGA events! To date, I have attended 31 WGA events – from picnics, campouts, mid-summer meet & greet, chili event, LCG event, Pancake breakfast. Since I live in SE Wisconsin, most of the events are some distance away. We did get the WGA campout down near me in 2016 – and so that was about a 25 minute drive. Other than that, all other events are at least an hour away. The 2019 WGA Fall Campout was at Lakeview Park in Rib Lake which was 259 miles away. I was unable to stay overnight and so I left my house at 5:00 in the morning and got back at 11:30 p.m. just in time to pick up our Exchange Student from the Homecoming Dance! On average, WGA Events are about a 2-hour drive for me.
The views expressed here are that of myself only and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA board.
I’ve been to 15 of the 87 WGA events, my first being in 2014. In the last couple of years I’ve been able to attend more farther away with and without the kids.
The farthest away to date was the 2019 spring campout at Gov Thompson. 202 miles.
I look forward to attending more WGA events.
Please note: my comments are mine alone and may not necessarily reflect an official stance of the WGA Board of Directors.
To date, I have been to one WGA event which was the Film Festival Event in 2019 and it was about an hour (give or take because my friend and I cached our way to the event) for me.
To be honest, events had been something I tended to shy away from because I didn’t know a lot of other cachers (which goes against the whole point of attending, I know…). I didn’t really know what event caches even were when I first started playing the game. I’m not proud of my number of WGA event caches, but in the spirit of full disclosure, I will provide it. What this does allow for is opportunity. I’m running for the board because I want to learn. Just because I have a lower number doesn’t mean that I haven’t seen things that I think can work for the WGA. Perhaps an outsider’s perspective could be beneficial.
I have attended several smaller events in my area hosted by some fantastic cachers in my area, several of whom are currently running for the board as well. Attending events, whether hosted by the WGA or not, have allowed that human element to the game for me. I look forward to taking that connectedness, sharing it with other and perhaps newer cachers, and keeping that train moving. I wish I had known about events (or at least about how fun they can be) sooner! I can’t change the past, but I can change what I do.
If elected, and even as a cacher in general, I commit to making those events a more regular part of my caching diet.
The views expressed here are that of myself only and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors
We have attended 7 WGA events, with our first being in the fall of 2017 at Whitefish Dunes. I say “we”, because the awhips love to attend these events as a family. There are so many fun things to do as a family. As a matter of fact, the fun we had here played into our decision to purchase a camper and schedule a campsite for the next spring at Wyalusing.
The spring of 2018 event at Wyalusing was definitely the most memorable. Not only was it the first trip with our pop up, but our little Brit fell into the fire pit at Hamfam’s campsite. She was quickly swooped out of the burning inferno by Superman and all was well except some singed hair. Wyalusing was also our furthest WGA event we have attended (208 miles from home).
We have already reserved our site for the 2021 spring picnic at Yellowstone Lake and are looking forward to seeing everyone! Chris, thank you for asking a question that brought back some great memories.
Thank you for this question because participation in WGA events prior to becoming a board member is so often over looked for its importance. I get it, change is good, but I also feel people need to have been involved and have seen what goes into a WGA event before the tables are turned and you go from being a participant to being a planner and implementer.
Looking back, yes, I had attended many WGA events across the state before I became a BOD member. It was and continues to be a great way to visit different areas of the state and to meet geocachers I otherwise might not have crossed paths with.
Over the years, I can count the WGA events I have missed, perhaps even on one hand. And, they were missed for a family wedding, illness, or because the date lined up with my annual Aquatics conference which meant I was traveling out of state. I did miss one that was held very far north because of work, I was not able to get the day prior off to make the long road trip for a picnic.
WGA Campouts – attended from 2004 to 2020, having only missed 2017.
WGA Picnics – attended from 2004 thru 2020, having only missed 2007 and 2017.
WGA Chili Feed – attended since its inception from 2010 thru 2020, missed 2018.
WGA West Bend Pancakes – attended since its inception from 2011 until the last one in 2019.
Plus the various GIFF events, some CITO’s, Lonely Cache Game events along the way too.
I have been from Interstate State Park up on the Wisconsin/Minnesota states border, to Bong Recreation area to the far south-east, to Lake Wissota, to GreenBay Bay Beach to the Kettle Moraine – I have many great memories!
I have to admit that I’ve only been to 1 WGA sponsored event…the Pancake breakfast at West Bend. It seems like they are often on a family weekend or someone’s wedding, etc., and my husband does not cache. They sound like a great deal of fun, and if elected to the BOD, I would obviously be involved and attend. That being said, I have participated in many regular events, including hosting CITOs, Meet & Greets, and Geocaching 101 events at libraries and churches.
Outside of Geocaching, I have also been on the Leadership Team for Relay For Life for 16 years, which definitely requires a lot of planning ahead and making adjustments on the fly (yes, the one in 2020 was the most challenging!). I have also worked with Scouts with Special Needs for 14 years, including planning annual camporees…ask me sometime about the night cache route that I set up where the trail turned left, but the group turned right – into the swamp! Everyone was fine and the mud washed off. 🙂
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
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