wademercer: Cache was missing.
PLAY A GOOD GAME! Easier said than done.
Looping the 81 DT grid involves getting a cache in each of the 81 dt combinations. One loop is achieved by filling in this grid once – a total of 81 caches, one in each of the 81 DT categories. Loopers are geocachers who work on completing this grid multiple times. Years ago this was something that took lots of planning and road trips, because some cache ratings just were not that common, and it certainly wasn’t possible to accomplish in a day. I remember driving to Austin for a cache that fit the grid. I remember checking for caches during road trips, just to get a cache that fit a specific grid combo.
Some cachers in the DFW area have made a mockery of this. They have stats that show, in some cases, hundreds of loops. These are the "Loopers", or perhaps better known as “Loop-Holers”. If you want to know who they are check out Project GC and do a search for the top loopers in Texas.If anyone from the DFW metroplex brags about having 50 or more loops … take it with a grain of salt … ask how many are real and how many are from these fake runs… read on …
The DFW metroplex seems to be littered with thousands of caches with false/fake ratings just for those who want to loop. Check out these series:
GC87KCF
GC7ABP8
GC79W4T
GC852P7
GC87V17
GC7QYFY
GC7PFQQ
GC7N5ZV
On a side note .. check this out too:
GC87V1C
Seems these caches (and many of the above caches too) were published under a sock puppet account, logged, and then the person who put the cache out transferred ownership back to himself… in essence logging his own cache. Not my idea of playing a fair game.
But back to Loopers… The series referenced above have, in my opinion, false ratings. The ratings they have are there just to fill in another loop. Yes, some are tree climbs, but is that really a 5?
Check out this video:
https://www.facebook.com/SocialACruz/videos/365217441088699/
it’s a video made while finding this 2-5 cache: GC80XA5
I just don’t believe this cache is rated properly. Same can be said with almost all of the caches in the series above.
What’s the Loophole with this? It seems Groundspeak doesn’t care about ratings. What has been done to falsely inflate stats does not violate ANY of the Groundspeak guidelines. We have a reviewer who claims he doesn’t like this, BUT doesn’t take a stand not to publish caches he knows are purposely overrated. Bottom line – Groundspeak doesn’t care how caches are rated. If you do, maybe it’s time to speak up. More on this later.
It seems reps on the TXGA board support this kind of play too. Check out a DAWG Monday night event. (ex. GC89CKY)
Yes, the DAWGS don’t publish them, BUT regularly attend them. They could take a stand and say that these events need to be properly rated, or they will publish their own events. I feel it is a mockery when events are rated just to give the "loopers' another needed DT. But the TXGA peeps don’t discourage this.
On the TXGA website (https://texasgeocaching.com/) their mission statement includes, “Our aim is to be the foremost advocate for Geocaching within the state of Texas..” I just wish they would add the word GOOD in there .. to promote good geocaching…
What can you do about this?
1. Decide you are going to play a better game. Avoid series of caches that are overrated for the loopers.
2. If you come across a cache you feel is grossly overrated, contact the cache owner! Share your thoughts and tell him why you feel the caches is rated incorrectly, and ask him to update the ratings. Perhaps there is a part you don’t know, and the CO will explain his rating to you!
3. Contact the TXGA board. Demand they promote a GOOD geocaching game.
4. If you are at an event and a Loop Holer is bragging about their hundreds of loops… call them out .. ask them how many loops are from accurately rated caches and how many are from runs planted to help the numbers.