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Frequently Asked Questions
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What
is the Old Timers Reunion and TRA?
The Old Timers Reunion or more commonly know as OTR is the
largest gathering of cavers in the US. It meets annually
in West Virginia at the TRA campground. It's a chance
for cavers to get together and visit friends, do some caving
and participate in typical caver activities. OTR is
strictly a volunteer event, and relies heavily on the
strong bond between cavers to work together to make each years
reunion become a reality. OTR typically consists of
about 2,200 cavers and guests. Our largest reunion was
the 50th reunion in 1999 which had 2,408 attendees. For
more information on OTR see:
The business end of OTR is The Robertson Association or TRA.
TRA is named after Robbie Robertson who started the first OTR.
As OTR grew over the years, it became necessary to create TRA
to handle the business and financial issues surrounding the
reunion. Everyone that attends OTR, must be a TRA member
or a guest of a TRA member.
While OTR has a chair and
co-chair, TRA has trustees. There are both permanent
life trustees, and elected trustees. Life trustees are
typically previous OTR chairs, Once someone
chairs a reunion they are eligible to be a trustee.
Elected trustees are voted in by a majority vote by the TRA
membership. There are four elected trustees who hold the
position for two years. They have the same rights and
responsibilities as the life trustees. Each year as two
elected trustees retire, there are two more people elected to
replace them. These elections are held during OTR.
All trustees are expected to attend the TRA meetings
and represent the general TRA membership for items requiring
voting.
There are elected officers within TRA filling the titles of
President,
Vice President, Treasurer, etc. Any TRA member is eligible
to hold an office, but only the trustees vote during these
elections. The TRA board meets twice a year.
Elections are held during the fall meeting which occurs during
OTR. The spring meeting is held around March or April.
The general TRA meetings are open for any TRA member to
attend. For more information on TRA see:
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Where
and when is OTR held?
Old Timers Reunion is a private party, occurring once a
year at The Robertson Association Campground in West
Virginia. Because, OTR is a private party we are not
allowed to publish the dates or location of the reunion.
You can find this information by contacting your local grotto
or caving group. Many of them are regular recipients of
the OTR Information Update. If you have attended a
previous reunion in the last 15 years, you should have a good
idea where and when it is. For a list of local grottos
visit the National
Speleological Society. |
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How
do I become a TRA member?
The TRA application fee is $10 and if approved, it is good
for a lifetime membership. You must be a caver or member
of a recognized caving organization to become a TRA
member. You will need to fill out the TRA
application form and mail it to the . Details of TRA membership are
available on the membership
page. |
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Why
is it so crowded when I arrive?
OTR typically has about 2,200 attendees. Everyone
wants to be able to camp with their friends, and would like to
make sure they are able to find enough space to set up their
camp. Unfortunately we have a finite amount of land, and
as we get older, our camp sites tend to grow. We are
bringing more guests, our families are growing. When
groups arrive and they expect their friends to be camping with
them, often they mark off large sections of ground for their
friends to set up camp when they arrive late. They have
good intentions, but they make it difficult for others. Some people
have actually arrived the week before to mark off space.
Starting in 2002, OTR has decided that there will be a no
early arrival and no roping off policy, any area roped off may
be removed.
So if OTR doesn't open until noon Thursday just why is it
so crowded, and why are there people camping before OTR
opens? You will find two types of people at OTR.
There are those who will do everything in their power to make
OTR a success. They volunteer their time throughout the
year to keep the site maintained, to set up the site before
the crowds arrive. These are the people who should be
there before you roll up Thursday noon. You will
probably find them out digging ditches, putting the finishing
touches on the outhouse, setting up registration and filling
the hot tub. Without them OTR wouldn't happen. The
other type of people you will find are those who just want to
get there early and set up before everyone else. These
people are NOT welcome, and should not be there.
Unfortunately, since OTR is not fully staffed before
Thursday. There are only a few people that are available
to act as gate guards. OTR is a joint effort, and to
make it work we all have to work together. If you are an
early arriver, you will be asked to go somewhere else until
noon Thursday. A list of alternate camping sites will be
provided. If you are at the campground before noon
Thursday, you MUST be on one of the valid work crews, or you
will be escorted out, with the possibility of sever penalties.
Don't ruin it for everyone.
For those who arrive, and can't find a place to camp, OTR
sets aside the South East quadrant of the campground each year
for late arrivers. If you get in after OTR has opened, you
might wish to check the scheduled opening of the overflow area
to see if you would be happier camping over there. For
more information on early arrivals and overflow camping see:
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How
much is OTR registration this year?
The OTR registration fee is based on which day you arrive,
whether you are a TRA member or guest, and whether you are an
adult, junior, child or infant. For a complete list of
fees see the OTR
registration fee schedule. |
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Where
is overflow camping and when does it open?
Overflow camping is the South East quadrant of the TRA
campground. It is usually opened in stages to allow late
arrivals a chance to find places to camp. The schedule
varies from year to year. For this year's
schedule, see:
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What does it mean if I'm a guest?
Being a guest means that you have been invited by a regular TRA member
to attend OTR for one year. You will have the opportunity
to enjoy the camping facilities, and if you have registered for
a full day or more you may stay for the party on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday. You may not vote for TRA members
during the election, and your sponsor is responsible for your
behavior. OTR is a gathering intended for cavers, so we
discourage TRA members from inviting non-caving friends.
With that in mind it is understandable that guests will have to
pay more than TRA members to register. Our facilities are
of limited size, but if you qualify as a caver you are invited
to join TRA. See the
membership information. |
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How do I reserve camp space?
As of OTR 2002 you are no longer allowed to reserve space.
It's plain and simple. If you are physically at OTR you
should have a place to camp.
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What events will there be at OTR?
OTR has many activities. Most of them have a caving theme
to them. The
speleo-olympics allow cavers to participate in contests that
require vertical rope techniques, crawling through mud,
surveying, caving history quizzes, fun-run, etc... These
are available for both adults and kids. The doo-dah parade
is a chance for you to get dressed up in outrageous costumes,
and parade around through the campground along with many other
people. If you aren't in the parade you should make it a
point not to miss watching it. A caver auction,
yard sale,
and vendors provide you a chance to buy and sell your caving
equipment. For the younger kids there is the kiddie-corral
which has a park like equipment for kids to play on. A
Volleyball court is available for the occasional game. The
river nearby has been know to host a number of parties, and
float trips (depending on the water level). The sauna area
provides a secluded area of activities quite unlike you may have
seen anywhere else. In the evenings and on into the night
(Fri, Sat, Sun) OTR hosts a party. Music, dancing and
refreshments (beer and soda) are available. The night sky
is lit up by the bonfire where people enjoy socializing.
These are just a few of the activites available at OTR, but
mostly, it's a chance to visit with friends. Also see:
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Are there any activities for kids?
There are a number of activities for kids of all ages. For
the younger kids there is the kiddie-corral which has a park
like equipment for kids to play on. Please be aware that
the kiddie-corral is not supervised, and parents are responsible
for their children. During the day there are sometimes
organized activates in the pavilion for children. Contact
Skye Replogle for more information. Older children
may be interested in participating in some of the
speleo-olympics activities. Be sure to check the times
in the program when they will be run.
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How do I become a vendor?
Cavers who sell, buy, and trade
caving related merchandise are invited to setup at OTR. However,
there are some rules. First, you must be a caver. Second, you
must get permission from the vendor coordinator. Third,
you must pay a fee. Fourth, the vendor coordinator will
designate you an area. Please do not set up outside that area.
Fifth, the fee that you pay is based on the size of the selling
area you use not the volume of business you do. All disputes are
settled at the discretion of the vendor coordinator. As OTR gets
larger, we receive more requests from new vendors for space. So
contact the vendor coordinator early to make sure you can get a
space. |
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How do I get to have space on vendors row?
As with camping space, space on vendors row is very limited.
We have many more vendors today than we had in past years.
It's important that you coordinate with the vendor coordinator
to find
a place to set up. It will depend on availability, your
space requirements and how much you bribe the vendor coordinator
as to where you will be able to set up. |
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What do volunteers do?
In short, volunteers do everything! Everything you see at
OTR has been done by volunteers. The buildings, roads,
landscaping, etc. Throughout the year the TRA volunteers
will get together to work on the sight. For more information
about work weekends, please contact the TRA
Vice President through
the Contacts page
During OTR you will find a different group of volunteers.
These are the people who make OTR run smoothly. They
handle your registration, pour your beer, fix you up incase of
injury. They make sure the porta-pots have toilet paper,
maintain the bonfire, keep the sauna clean and hot. During
OTR each of the individual groups have their own volunteer
signups. Check the
contact page if you would like to volunteer for one of these
groups. |
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When are the work weekends?
Work weekends are determined during the TRA board meeting each
year at OTR. If you would like to find out more information
about the work weekends please contact the TRA
Vice President through the Contacts page.
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Who do I contact?
All of the main points of contact are listed on the OTR web site
under "contacts". During OTR, check the program
for a list of names of people with various responsibilities. When
in doubt you should contact the TRA
Vice President for any
activity before or after OTR regarding the site, during OTR you
should contact the OTR
Chair
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What is a TRA Board Meeting?
The business side of OTR is The Robertson Association (TRA).
To attend OTR you must be a TRA member or guest of a TRA member.
The TRA Board consists of a group of past OTR chairs and elected
trustees. It is their responsibility to handle all aspects
surrounding the campground, buildings, plumbing, electricity,
water, funding, disciplinary measures, etc. The board
meets at least twice a year, more often if necessary to discuss
and vote on issues under it's control. It's during these
meetings that an exiting OTR chair person is voted into becoming
a life TRA trustee. The two meetings are open to the
general TRA membership. One meeting is usually held during
OTR at the campground. The second meeting is in the Spring
sometime. Check the web
calendar for date and location. For more information
see:
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What is the meaning of the dots and stars on the
badges?
Many people like to decorate
their nametags. Feel free to do so. An unofficial,
accepted practice that has been adopted is to indicate the
number of OTR's you have attended by pasting dot and star
stickers on your nametag. The following chart
describes their meaning:
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Red Dot = 1 Year, |
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Blue Dot = 5 Years, |
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Gold Star = 10 Years, |
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What is a COOT
or a ROOT? If you meet the
following criteria you qualify as a COOT (Certified Original Old
Timer)
- Attended an early OTR,
- Attended more than 20 OTR's,
- Made a significant
contribution to caving early on.
For many of us it will be the 20
OTR's that makes us a COOT
The classification of a ROOT (Real Original Old Timer) is new
to 2001 OTR. This classification is being used to try and
distinguish those people who have truly been part of the OTR
celebration for a long time. To be considered a ROOT you
must have attended 40 Reunions. This is not an easy task, and really a position of honor for those who have. Here
is a list of the current R.O.O.Ts |
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