J Rat's Digging Award Evening 2012

[The Old Ruminator]

He has spies everywhere.  8)

 

[estelle]

I dont think that the essence of the thing was ever meant to be a strict competition. I dont even think folk expected it to last four years. It was started as a tribute to J'Rat and only two basic rules applied. The passage had to be found and surveyed in the same year Oct - Oct. People are now talking of runners up, subsidiary awards , calibrated lists of entries and whatever. It was all meant to be a bit of fun and a piss up and something true to the nature of J'Rat himself. The two " judges " are two of Mendip's most trusted cavers and their decision was final. As it was I don't think there was any  other group even close to the eventual winners. Yes. A bit of fun. Not The Oscars or Crufts. Lets keep it that way.

totally agree. 

 

[whitelackington]

Totally disagree,
you can't have a competition without knowing who are the runners.
Can you imagine an election, where somebody in the know says, all you idiots need to know is what we tell you  :-\
and you've been told who won, now move along.

 

[cavermark]

Are you saying there was a discussion about whether to record the entrants, and a decision made not to? 

My theory is it was just general slackness from the judges in failing to write a short list of cave names and numbers down?

I'd love to know how far behind the scottish entry was etc.  - it's the sort of thing that inspires us to "keep on digging"

 

[mrodoc]

We weren't inspired to dig because of the Jrat award. The dig was started well before that (1951 to be precise ). Jrat did say to me some time before he died that the Cheddar Catchment was the new Klondike.

 

[droid]

Totally disagree,
you can't have a competition without knowing who are the runners.

Totally disagree.

It isn't a competition, it's an award.

 

[cavermark]

Totally disagree,
you can't have a competition without knowing who are the runners.

Totally disagree.

It isn't a competition, it's an award.

An award which goes to the competitors who survey the most cave. The surveyed lengths of all the entrants must have been given to someone/people - how else did they know which was the longest? 
Do the judges not even have a memory of a ball park figure for the runners up that they could disclose?
I'm also asking if this information could be recorded in future.

 

[cavermark]

We weren't inspired to dig because of the Jrat award. The dig was started well before that (1951 to be precise ). Jrat did say to me some time before he died that the Cheddar Catchment was the new Klondike.

(speaking from personal experience..)
A bit of competition can be what inspires a team to finish the survey off in good time though, or do those extra couple of kibbles when the pub is calling....

 

[droid]

I doubt very much that diggers have the JRat award in the forefront of their minds when digging...

 

[cavermark]

I doubt very much that diggers have the JRat award in the forefront of their minds when digging...

I wasn't saying it was at the forefront, possibly just nestled in corner with a flickering light somewhere, behind the 20ft high images of beer and naked ladies....

 

[mikem]

The other problem is many Mendip diggers didn't submit their results once they heard how much had been found in Reservoir, so the list wouldn't be correct anyway...

Mike

 

[cavermark]

The other problem is many Mendip diggers didn't submit their results once they heard how much had been found in Reservoir, so the list wouldn't be correct anyway...

Mike

That is a valid reason, fair enough.

 

[graham]

The other problem is many Mendip diggers didn't submit their results once they heard how much had been found in Reservoir, so the list wouldn't be correct anyway...

Mike

And there's me thinking it was compulsory to lodge all results with the MCRA lest your digging licence be revoked. 

 

[estelle]

the way it sounded on the night was that the Appin diggers had the award heading back to GSG again until Reservoir Hole leapt into the lead a few weeks later. While I am sure there may have been other digs who had achieved the minimum surveyed 50m and some of the digging teams had put presentations up on the boards, i think those two sites were the only two seriously in the running this year. I think the importance of the Jrat Diggers Award evening is to celebrate the life of someone who inspired many of us to be cave diggers and use the opportunity to show off your digs and enjoy the results of others over a few beers! 

 

[cavermark]

Thanks estelle. 
I think as I couldn't make to the event    I was just keen to get an idea of what else was in the running besides Reservoir. However, I've just seen in a different post that a full report is going to appear in Descent so perhaps this will do.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

I am sure nothing is hidden here. I dont think either of the adjudicators visit forums much though one has just become a joint Descent Mendip correspondent and as was stated may well do a J'Rat report there. I was only aware of us , Scotland and Upper Flood and will admit there was a flurry of activity near the end of the digging year. That mainly hinged on the fact that anything found had also to be surveyed to a correct standard in the same year or the find disappears into limbo. Its all a bit of fun and I do hope it never gets too serious.

 

[And]

Maybe there should be a correction factor for each caving region.  The amount of cave found could be divided by the total cave length known in that area. That'll give Scotland a better chance 

 

[mikem]

Scotland won last year as nothing over half a kilometre was found on Mendip...

Mike

 

[cavermark]

We might not need any correstion factors thanks. Join the mendip migration to Sutherland at the end of April and you might see why....

 

[And]

I wasn't being serious! Well, perhaps just a little. Just a little bitter that our Appin finds were unofficially in the lead until those pesky pensioners broke through in Reservoir Hole   

But, yes the Applecross find was amazing. Mendip has had some spectacular finds in recent years too. Advances in digging techniques, or perhaps an increased focus on digs in the largest catchment area?


Mark, I'm going to Mendip Migration next year. See you there! I was briefly at MM last year, and will probably be up in Assynt at the weekend. Yes, a breakthrough into several km in Campbell's is imminent!