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Is Geocaching a sport/hobby/game?


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i do not think this word "archaic" means what you think it means.

 

I'm not a native speaker, sorry. :rolleyes:

 

Still I think that geocaching (at least: non-urban geocaching) triggers the same kind of fun our ancestors in the stone age had when they did a "hunt" for deer, water sources, useful stones etc. And our brains are very well setup for it (evolutionary heritage). While I often have trouble finding a certain piece of paper in the small confinement of my flat, I have no trouble at all to re-visit almost any of the geocaches I found so far - without a GPS receiver.

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Did I already mention "activity"

 

Thought so.

 

Flask: " if i like you i might bring you some of my black trumpets"

 

Oh yeah, baby!!!! And I will trade for King Boletes. Never have found black trumpets, and my spot for chanterelles hasn't been fruitful for several years. Found my first tooth fungi last year.

 

Oh, wait... the topic... OK... it's an activity. Like mushroom hunting. Did I already say that?

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Just my two cents.....

 

I think for most it is a Hobby - something we do to pass the time. For some though it is a game. Those who do Puzzles, and multi's and such could be considered Gamers.

 

then for a select few it has become a sport. How many can they find, or how hard can they make it to find a cache or going after the infamous 5/5 caches.

 

all in all I think it is a combination of the three. It is more of a Gaming hobby that involves some sportsmanship. I mean after all couldn't we just log the same 50 caches 100 times and say we found 5000 caches ??????? there is a degree of sportsmanship in the geocache society written or not.

 

So my final asnwer is ---- it is a Recreational Activity as previously stated :rolleyes:

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Many people refer to this as a sport, but I can't say that I agree with that...at least not yet. I would like to get input from members here as to what you view this as.

 

Even if you have over 1000 caches, I could see it being a game

 

Even if you are a hardcore hiker (I LOVE to backpack/hike and do it a LOT), I don't know that this "portion" of a hike could be a sport, EVEN if you consider hiking a sport...

 

I see it more as a hobby. This is something that I do when I get the chance, for fun, and I don't get too competitive with it (those who do could argue for the game designation).

 

so, vote, and give your opinions.

 

:anibad:

 

EDIT: So...this site doesn't let you creat polls :) ...ok, then just post up what you think it is and maybe I'll keep a running tally, :anibad:

 

It's a SPORT

Just look on the front page for this graphic

tagline.gif

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Many people refer to this as a sport, but I can't say that I agree with that...at least not yet. I would like to get input from members here as to what you view this as.

 

Even if you have over 1000 caches, I could see it being a game

 

Even if you are a hardcore hiker (I LOVE to backpack/hike and do it a LOT), I don't know that this "portion" of a hike could be a sport, EVEN if you consider hiking a sport...

 

I see it more as a hobby. This is something that I do when I get the chance, for fun, and I don't get too competitive with it (those who do could argue for the game designation).

 

so, vote, and give your opinions.

 

:anibad:

 

EDIT: So...this site doesn't let you creat polls :) ...ok, then just post up what you think it is and maybe I'll keep a running tally, :anibad:

 

It's a SPORT

Just look on the front page for this graphic

tagline.gif

Well, you have spoken.

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So what seems to be so wrong with "recreational activity"?

 

Too pedestrian? It wasn't one of the choices?

 

As far as I'm concerned, it covers sport, hobby, and game quite elegantly.

 

Pete

 

Absolutely nothing wrong with that definition...I think it fits quite well actually.

 

I couldn't post a poll so there really is no limit on what it can be called.

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It's a way to spend time with friends and family out of the house having fun, getting some sun, exercise.......just being together. We're fairly new to the "activity" and enjoy it, as a family! So to me, it's not a sport, game, or hobby. It's memories being made!

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It's like a box of chocolate.. :D

 

ha ha, it's obvious that Geocaching is many things to different people and that of course depends of the person doing it. To in answer to the OP it's all of these things and more.

 

For me personally it's another excuse to see places I have never seen before and I get a real buzz from looking for items hidden by other people and being part of something that most people are blissfully unaware of :laughing:

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Still I think that geocaching (at least: non-urban geocaching) triggers the same kind of fun our ancestors in the stone age had when they did a "hunt" for deer, water sources, useful stones etc. And our brains are very well setup for it (evolutionary heritage).

 

i think this is true. geocaching very closely mimics foraging, which has been linked in studies to mood elevation.

 

 

Best one I've heard is RASH. Recreatinional Activity Sport Hobby.

 

that's the WORST one i've ever heard, if the objective is communication.

 

"do you play any sports?"

"yes, i have a RASH."

"don't want to know about it."

 

i suppose it's a great term if what you want to do is create confusion and unpleasant associations that must be explained away.

 

It's definitely not a sport because a sport must envolve some form of competition.

 

that's just silly.

 

i'd have to say the COMPETITIVE sports involve competition, but there are plenty of sports that do not require competition. of course, if you're mentally stuck at american football, just wrinkle up your furry brow, shrug your massive shoulders, and wander off.

 

i'm pretty sure that mountain biking is a sport whether or not i've put on a number. interestingly, if nobody shows up to race me, it's not a competition.

 

granted, you can turn anything into a competition, which is how i got to the potato peeling biathlon. you can also compete over who can take the coldest shower or sleep the soundest. that doesn't make either of those things sports.

 

and the easiest way to get to my huge and reliable trumpet patch is over a mile and a half of rough mountain biking trail. i have yet to devise a really reliable way to transport them out of there without bruising.

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I think it is a bit dangerous to think of geocaching as a sport. In my mind, one of the key aspects of a sport is that all participants agree to compete according to the same rules. However, after reading a few forum posts, any geocacher would see that not everybody geocaches the same way. The forums appear to be full of posts of the form “I’m a better geocacher than you.” It is like the people on the highway who think they are driving in a NASCAR event. Those people are (literally) wrecking our commutes.

 

To me, thinking of geocaching as a game is a fine, if you think of it as a game between the hider and the seeker. The hider has challenged all geocachers to find their cache. I am pretty sure that rogheff thinks that way. It’s fun to be able to get in the heads of prolific hiders in your area.

 

Perhaps the most positive way to think of geocaching is as an opportunity. I’ve seen and learned quite a bit while geocaching. For me, the exploration around geocaches is a positive experience, the occasional animal carcass aside. Also, going off the highway to get a cache is a better vacation side trip than a very large ball of string.

 

BTW: A noncompetitive sport is called “transportation” or “exercise.” I suppose “very sweaty, sometimes brief vacation” could also apply.

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