How do teams work.

[+GeoRaptor]

I see lots of groups named "Team This" or "Team That". How does the "team" thing work? Can you have multiple players on the same team working different parts of the country? Does the "team" get credit for the cache? Hardly seems fair to me. I would think that the creator of the team should be required to be on every find. Anyone know for sure?

[+Team Rusch]

I can only speak for myself but I am a member of Team Rusch. This consists of my brother, myself. We do live in different towns but in the same state. The majority of our finds are done together, however we have logged some that were found when only one of us was there. I don't see this as being that different than a husband and a wife who might not always be together when they find a cache.

[blahginger]

Being 'Not fair' would to imply that there is some advantage to having a high found count. I contend that this is not the case. If you want to make it a competition you will have to be wary of comparing your 'score' to anyone with Team in thier name...I guess.

 

____________________________

The true traveler is he who goes on foot, and even then, he sits down a lot of the time.

- Colette

[BassoonPilot]

My daughter is the only "regular" member of her team ... the rest of the team is comprised of any of her friends (and sometimes their moms) who care to tag along.

 

I agree that the "Team Leader" should be present for every find.

[+Team Tecmage]

Tracy and I are a team. The name reflects the fact there is more than one person Geocaching under our account. This has been OUR thing together. Of our 200+ finds, there has only been one find where one of us was not present.

 

I have a trip out of town soon and SWMBO has given me permission to Geocache without her. For us, this is going to be strange.

 

Richard

[FISUR]

We sign all our logs as "Team FISUR" which is made up of my wife, our three children (ages 3 to 12), and myself. Out of 58 caches, the entire team has been on 56. My oldest child and I have been to every one. I've always intended to be present with at least one family member. However, when/if I pass away, I hope other geocachers wouldn't mind if Team FISUR continued with a new leader.

[+nscaler]

When I geocache with another person, geocacher or not, I am a team. If we contribute together, one GPS or two, we are a Team. If we both have accounts, we both claim a find. But if someone on my team finds a cache by themselves, I do not claim it. If a team member who helps me is not a geocacher, I put their name on my log as an assistant.

But if one member of a team (like the one above) finds a cache alone, that is okay.

But two "team" members who do not even hunt together, but claim the other member's cache find are cheating no one but themselves. They have to live with it. Just the same as others who claim caches they don't find.

It's not like this is Olympic skating...

Oops..

 

nscaler

"Anyone not here, raise your hand!".

[+Team StitchesOnQuilts]

I don't know about "required"; who would check on that, anyway?

 

Basically, what we do is to cache as a team (although my oldest son has his own account). We log our finds as a team. Since we are married, and live together, and cache together, it is most comfortable for us to log our finds this way. Our youngest son is also part of the "team".

 

What we do with the older son is that if my husband or I find the cache, we silently signal the other person that it's found. If the older son finds it without any help from us, he gets to log the find. If he doesn't, he doesn't.

 

I help him sign the logbooks, since he has a mild disability that makes it hard for him to sign for himself.

 

Personally, I like the idea of families caching as a team, and I see no reason, really, to insist that one particular member of the family must be "captain" and must be present at all finds.

 

This is supposed to be fun (a RASH?) and a way to get exercise and enjoy the local parks. I have no desire to put the whole family on hold just because the "captain" can't get away to cache right now.

 

Shannah

[Seeker BP]

Our team is a ragtag group of river rats and backpackers who have used the E-Trex for our travels. Now we have a sport which just adds to our adventures. If you see our logs, we all have our own accounts, but some are more loyal to this "Caching" than others. I for one spend every chance that I get to discover caches. But my team mates do not get credit for what I have searched for unless we do it as a team. Just cannot see myself taking credit for a find if I was not part of the team effort. Seeker BP (Team E-Trex)

[+Team Golden]

I used to compete in Flyball with my Golden Retriever. With Geocaching I do the ones I can with him but most places don't allow dogs or too much bushwhacking so he stays home most of the time. I still consider us a team in life, competition, and playing so team golden carried over from that.

[+Wander Lost]

Misguided One and I refer to ourselves as Team Misguided. We have log book stickers, logo's on t-shirts and on trade packs that all say Team Misguided.

 

We do log seperatly because MG1 likes to do harder caches and I usually have Lost One & Little Lost One with me so I stick to the easy urban caches.

 

As far as teams logging together or seperatly, I guess it only matters if you think the stats matter. I don't care about numbers so I don't worry about it.

 

If ignorance is bliss, why aren't there more happy people??

[solohiker]

I would guess that a lot of teams are friends of someone who owns a GPS. If you enjoy geocaching, but don't own a GPS then you better get on someone's team.

 

I see teams split, presumably when the other team members purchase their own GPS.

[+TeamJiffy]

Hi -

 

We're a team - as Fran puts it, "we are stuck with each other - so we have to get used to doing things together!"

 

We don't do caches without each other - I suppose if for some reason we did one or two, we'd log them as "Joel and Fran" but put a "Joel only" or "Fran only" comment in the log. (And then, the other would try to find it to keep us in sync, then we'd edit the log and remove the "only" comment.)

 

Now, about "fair" or "unfair" - I view it this way: It's just like a 5k run: If you are trying to be in a select small group, at the very front of the pack, then all the rules apply - and apply stringently. If you are one of the many in the pack (like Fran) or one of the losers in the back (like me, Joel) well, who really cares what time you achieve? The goal you are trying to achieve is a personal best (like Fran) or just claim, by gosh, you FINISHED the thing (like Joel), and that's that. But, in caring or not caring, don't give the impression that you're in the 'select group up front' if you are not.

 

Applying this logic to geocaching: As long as we state in our logs if its just one of us (assume both if nothing said) and don't really get out of sync by more than a handful or so either way, we are doing everything right. I think anyone who worries if our "20" logs contain a solo visit or two is worrying a bit too much about nothing, if you see what I mean. Now, if for some reason we showed "100 caches in one month!" and bragged about it and really it was 50 Fran, 50 Joel solo caches, well, then, there is a fair complaint...

 

-Joel

[+TeamJiffy]

Hi -

 

We're a team - as Fran puts it, "we are stuck with each other - so we have to get used to doing things together!"

 

We don't do caches without each other - I suppose if for some reason we did one or two, we'd log them as "Joel and Fran" but put a "Joel only" or "Fran only" comment in the log. (And then, the other would try to find it to keep us in sync, then we'd edit the log and remove the "only" comment.)

 

Now, about "fair" or "unfair" - I view it this way: It's just like a 5k run: If you are trying to be in a select small group, at the very front of the pack, then all the rules apply - and apply stringently. If you are one of the many in the pack (like Fran) or one of the losers in the back (like me, Joel) well, who really cares what time you achieve? The goal you are trying to achieve is a personal best (like Fran) or just claim, by gosh, you FINISHED the thing (like Joel), and that's that. But, in caring or not caring, don't give the impression that you're in the 'select group up front' if you are not.

 

Applying this logic to geocaching: As long as we state in our logs if its just one of us (assume both if nothing said) and don't really get out of sync by more than a handful or so either way, we are doing everything right. I think anyone who worries if our "20" logs contain a solo visit or two is worrying a bit too much about nothing, if you see what I mean. Now, if for some reason we showed "100 caches in one month!" and bragged about it and really it was 50 Fran, 50 Joel solo caches, well, then, there is a fair complaint...

 

-Joel

[+OzzieSan]

Just our family.

 

Five of us. Look theres the cache. Oh!

 

Team 5-oh!

 

No competition, just enjoying the outdoors...

 

[+OzzieSan]

Just our family.

 

Five of us. Look theres the cache. Oh!

 

Team 5-oh!

 

No competition, just enjoying the outdoors...