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There's no governing authority, so sure, whatever.

 

You don't really "find" an event, you attend it. And nothing stops you from getting there early, really early. Claim it if you like.

 

PS, first to reply. For what it's worth. EDIT: DOH!

 

A couple years ago I met someone who couldn't find an event. So I guess if you can't find it, then you can find it :laughing:

 

Anyway, since an event has a start time(or at least I've never seen one that doesn't) if there are two people there at 6:45 and the event starts at 7:00, they are at the event at same time(Since it's not an event until 7:00)

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Around these parts, event hosts are known to raffle off the FTF honors, which frankly doesn't make sense to me. FTF is a statement of a fact, not something to be arbitrarily awarded. I have always refused to do this at events where I am the host. FTF is First to Arrive, even though I really don't give a rat's patootie.

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Around these parts, event hosts are known to raffle off the FTF honors, which frankly doesn't make sense to me. FTF is a statement of a fact, not something to be arbitrarily awarded. I have always refused to do this at events where I am the host. FTF is First to Arrive, even though I really don't give a rat's patootie.

 

Raffling off FTF? I've heard some silly things involving geocaching but that comes close to taking the cake.

 

Anyway this got me to thinking, what if there are 20 people there before the event to help set up? When the clock strikes the event time they are there. Do they share FTF?

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Around these parts, event hosts are known to raffle off the FTF honors, which frankly doesn't make sense to me. FTF is a statement of a fact, not something to be arbitrarily awarded. I have always refused to do this at events where I am the host. FTF is First to Arrive, even though I really don't give a rat's patootie.

 

Raffling off FTF? I've heard some silly things involving geocaching but that comes close to taking the cake.

 

Anyway this got me to thinking, what if there are 20 people there before the event to help set up? When the clock strikes the event time they are there. Do they share FTF?

 

part of me would say yes, but part of me would say, who's first to log their name in the log book? I see it this way, If I go after a cache, and get there the same time as another group, if that group finds it before me, they get to log it before me even though I was first on location. In that case, I would not complain about not being FTF, I would be happy to log STF and get the smilely. Now if they were to offer the FTF prize cuz I was on location first, that would be ubber cool of them, but not expected. I do not nessecerly agree with the whole group FTF deal either, did the group all spot it, retieve it from its hiding spot at the same time? Probally not, just my opinion, for what its worth.

 

So without having cameras watching every square inch of the event area, there is no way to tell exactly who arrived first except via the log book by whos name is first in the list. However for an event, I would not award FTF or FTA anyway, as it is an event, not a race with an award at the end. If you gonna do that, why not take it a step further and see whos first to park, first to get out of their vehicle, etc. The question becomes when is enough, enough?

 

I have no problem acknowledging the FTF game with in geocaching, but can we leave events out of it? They are suppose to be a social gathering, not a container to be found even though like a cache, an event has a log book to sign.

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Around these parts, event hosts are known to raffle off the FTF honors, which frankly doesn't make sense to me. FTF is a statement of a fact, not something to be arbitrarily awarded. I have always refused to do this at events where I am the host. FTF is First to Arrive, even though I really don't give a rat's patootie.

 

Raffling off FTF? I've heard some silly things involving geocaching but that comes close to taking the cake.

 

Anyway this got me to thinking, what if there are 20 people there before the event to help set up? When the clock strikes the event time they are there. Do they share FTF?

 

No. You will have hold a raffle to find out who gets to claim the FTF certificate. :wacko:

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But you don't need a log for an event, so how can you verify the FTF? :unsure:

 

By who's first to log an "attended" log online for that event in the form of a 500 word min essay on why they started geocaching and why they are attending the event while drinking a glass of water singing their favorite song.

 

FTF honors may take a while to give out, but you will know who follows the rules. LOL

 

But seriously, The one event I got to attend AND meet some area cachers had a log book to sign that I signed. The other I was allowed to keep my attended log because I attempted to show up after work for the event, but noone was left at the location. I was able to verify I was on location by obtaining the resterants section number where the group was at.

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...who's first to log their name in the log book?

 

What if they sign simultaneously? Is the person who finishes his signature first the FTF? That would give an unfair advantage to those with short user names.

 

Unless there are multiple log books, I dont see that being much of a problem. But I guess it could be if you where at a Mega event or other event with a bunch of geocachers at.

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Around these parts, event hosts are known to raffle off the FTF honors, which frankly doesn't make sense to me. FTF is a statement of a fact, not something to be arbitrarily awarded. I have always refused to do this at events where I am the host. FTF is First to Arrive, even though I really don't give a rat's patootie.

 

Raffling off FTF? I've heard some silly things involving geocaching but that comes close to taking the cake.

 

Anyway this got me to thinking, what if there are 20 people there before the event to help set up? When the clock strikes the event time they are there. Do they share FTF?

 

At a recent event, someone posted a note prior to the official start time saying they were claiming FTF. Thought it was silly, especially since there were quite a few people who got there early.

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I wasn't expecting that much discussion of this question. I was sure I just wasn't understanding what was being asked. To me, asking who gets FTF at an event is like asking whether it's a good idea to use snow tires on a motorboat.

In our state we just call them 'Bumpers'.

You know, I thought of that, and I decided it made my analogy even better: it might almost make sense to talk about tires related to boats, but it still becomes a non sequitur to talk about snow tires and boats.

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...who's first to log their name in the log book?

 

What if they sign simultaneously? Is the person who finishes his signature first the FTF? That would give an unfair advantage to those with short user names.

 

Well, for people longer, perhaps Polish names, they could just put their initials! For example, briansnat, you could just write BS in big letters in the log book! tongue.gifwink.gif

Edited by ADKer
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I make an FTF certificate and that becomes a door prize

I once won a FTF certificate at an event. I counted the event in my list of FTFs simply because I never win door prizes and I thought it was a fun way to remember it. It also was a subtle statement about the absolute ridiculousness of FTFs since anyone can claim a FTF on whatever cache they want.

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Strange. I hosted 2 events I didn't attent. One I was 13 hours away.

Thinking about it, since the rules now say there can't be a requirement to sign a log book, I guess anyone can place an event cache even if they don't plan on being there. Probably needs a split off thread, but interesting point brought up there.

 

Yes this is interesting, but if I am going to take the time to create an event, I am going to take the time to be at THAT event. My name is not on it for no reason what so ever. It would take a family emergency to keep me from an event I plan. But I guess there are people who will do it just to bump their numbers.

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o

Strange. I hosted 2 events I didn't attent. One I was 13 hours away.

Thinking about it, since the rules now say there can't be a requirement to sign a log book, I guess anyone can place an event cache even if they don't plan on being there. Probably needs a split off thread, but interesting point brought up there.

 

Yes this is interesting, but if I am going to take the time to create an event, I am going to take the time to be at THAT event. My name is not on it for no reason what so ever. It would take a family emergency to keep me from an event I plan. But I guess there are people who will do it just to bump their numbers.

 

Well both events I ended up having to work. (I work a low pay job where I have to work whenever I can and still make less than $24 grand a year. I can't exactly afford to say no, even if they would let me) While I could have logged an attended to boost my numbers, I could do that with any event around the world. But I could also log powertrails without visiting the cache. I mean has anyone audited the online logs against the logbook in a 100 cache PT, let alone the ET power trail?

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Thinking about it, since the rules now say there can't be a requirement to sign a log book, I guess anyone can place an event cache even if they don't plan on being there. Probably needs a split off thread, but interesting point brought up there.

Has there ever been a requirement for a logbook at events? None of the early events I attended ever had a logbook, that seemed to be a relatively recent development.

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Since there is no official FTF rule related to geocaching, you can do whatever you want in regard to FTF at events. As with most things geocaching, and especially with spin off stuff like FTF, it depends on what the cachers in your region have established as common practice. In our area, many events "award" the FTF in some method (by drawing or whatever), but most events don't employ any aspect of the FTF side-game. Even the FTF drawing has seemed to taper off over the last couple years, so maybe it's going away.

 

I run an event every summer that has a notable caching game with a couple dozen daycaches and a race by multiple teams to get the most points. The FTF on each daycache gets the most points for that cache plus a prize. At the end of the game, the team with the most points wins. As part of winning that game, I always tell them that they can claim the event on their FTF list if they choose to do so. I don't follow other people's FTF lists, so I have no idea if anyone has actually done that. But that offer was born out of the fact that a lot of event did a random drawing for FTF and I figured people expected that. So, I changed it to making someone earn the FTF rather than having it be a random drawing. At least that made more sense to me.

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I will have to see what past events have done as to the "FTF" and do something simular as I am looking to host my first event this summer. I am going to have a few items to raffle off or give away or something... lots to plan and decide by event day.

 

I dont count my FTFs, but have gotten one every so offten when the publicition lines up with were I am at that time. So the FTF side game is pretty meaningless to me personally, but I will acknowledge it on the cache page when someone gets it since that seems to be the parctice in my area. Just not sure about events yet. I dont think they do anything for those, but I wont know till I ask.

 

And that would be my advice, find out what the common practice is in your area as to FTF for events, then if you choose to, do something simular. Talk to cachers in your area find out who tends to host the events for your area, and talk to them.

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Thinking about it, since the rules now say there can't be a requirement to sign a log book, I guess anyone can place an event cache even if they don't plan on being there. Probably needs a split off thread, but interesting point brought up there.

Has there ever been a requirement for a logbook at events? None of the early events I attended ever had a logbook, that seemed to be a relatively recent development.

I don't think it was ever "required" but certainly was standard practice. I believe the outlining the rules became an issue when some were having their attended logs deleted because the event page owners did not see them in a log book they provided. Therefore, in the old terms, the discussion of FTF at an event is not idiotic, even if a little silly among active cachers.
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