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Erick
Kobres of Georgia wins $5,000 in Geocachings first cash tournament.
Geocaching goes Bigtime--the MBNA
Foxhall Geocaching Challenge is the sports first official prize money
event.
By
Jack W. Peters, June 6, 2001
Atlanta Georgia, Memorial
Day weekend, the Foxhall Farm came alive with treasure seekers from all
over the eastern half of the United States. The four-day event was May
3rd through May 6th. Spectators watched GPS packin
treasure seekers from as far a way as Texas, compete for over $6,000
in cash and prizes.
radio controlled improvised explosive device Geocaching
is a new high-tech treasure hunting game invented after the government
removed Selective Availability from GPS in May of 2000. (That
was the scramble device that made the receivers inaccurate up to 100 meters.)
Now that accuracy has been improved to a few meters, it is now possible
to provide coordinates for treasure hunting. The sport was invented in
Oregon, and is now played around the world. Enthusiasm for the game has
quickly spread as participants combine their love of the great outdoors
with the use of high-tech GPS. The goal is to locate hidden treasure
from Latitude/Longitude coordinates found on the Geocaching.com web site.
The treasure consists of neat stuff in zip lock bags, stored away in a
hidden GI ammo can. Treasure seekers take something, leaving something,
and then sign the caches logbook.
The Foxhall
Challenge worked the same way. Participants worked as individuals, families
and teams, but were limited to only going after one site at a time. Players
reported in every morning for coordinates that lead them to their next
hidden Geocache site. Participants accumulated points, then clues to
find the grand prize, a suitcase filled with $5,000 cash. One of the
event organizers, Daniel Goodwin states, We are trying to make this a
family oriented event that requires players to have a mix of skill and
luck.
Top Finishers
First
Place Erick Kobres, Georgia $5,000
Second
Place Paul Schmidt, Vermont $550
Third
Place Sanders North Carolina $325
Foxhall is
a unique equestrian farm along the Chattahoochee River (yes the same one
Alan Jacksons been singing about), 15 minutes from Atlantas Hartsfield
Airport. The playing field is 800 acres of lakes, streams, fields and
rolling countryside. Sounds like a perfect venue for the first ever event
of its kind.
For
more information, check out Foxhalls website, http://www.foxhallcup.com/geocache/
or email Daniel Goodwin at
or phone (770) 319-7400 x 233.
For
more information on Geocaching, check out our article GPS now a sport?
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