Gimmick Rallye Timeline

Though this checklist for "In Real Life" rallyes is worded for the first time rallyemaster, consulting it should keep any rallyemaster from forgetting anything important and help the rallye stay on schedule. More detailed instructions are in the Rallyemaster Handbook. There is also an "Online Gimmick Rallye Checklist".

Before the Rallye

9 months prior

• Sign up to write a rallye
• Decide the type of rallye you will write, theme of rallye & if it will be a rethrow, a partial rethrow or a new rallye from scratch
• Join the TRC-RM mailing list
• Choose a mentor
• Start writing the rallye

6 months prior

• Consult with mentor. Discuss concepts, basic gimmick ideas, flyer, route, etc.
• Try to assure no major (traffic-causing) events will occur along the route. Check that Shoreline Amphitheater will not have an event on rallye night if you are going anywhere near it.
• Continue writing rallye.
• If you want to finish at the San Jose Round Table Pizza (4400 Stevens Creek Blvd. between Lawrence & Keilly), you can reserve rooms only 1-3pm, 3-5pm, 5-7pm, or 7-9pm or 9-11pm. This means that best rallye finishes are 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 PM, though 2-3pm, 4-5pm, and 8-9pm should not be heavy traffic times to precede your reservation. Reserve the room by calling their toll free San Jose reservation line 1-866-642-8950 (before publishing a flyer, if it specifies the finish location, rather than a generic "local pizza parlor" or "local restaurant").
  • Ask them to reserve the large rooms ("rooms 3 and 4").
  • Tell them this is for "The Rallye Club" and our reputation should keep them from requiring a $50 or more deposit (actually, a minimum purchase amount).
  • Remind them that managers Butch and Eric grant us a 10% discount (because we bring about 50 people).

If a rallye is ever cancelled, we need to assure our reservation is, too. It costs $200 to reserve the room for an extra 2-hour time slot, and reserving an extra slot using a different name is forbidden by their contract.

4 months prior

• Prepare flyer including your monYEAR@TheRallyeClub.org E-mail address and send it to webmaster per instructions.
• Also provide artwork for the postcard mailings. The area for the artwork is about 1 inch by 2-2/3 inches. This area can display a single image with an aspect ratio of about 3:8, or a combination of text/fonts and image(s). Email it to the board.
• Decide if you will create your own rallye announcement web page or have someone else create it for you.
  • If the latter, send a copy of the flyer and a copy or pointer to all its graphics to TRC's board, asking them to create it.
• Send mail to <webmaster> asking him to put you on the monYEAR@TheRallyeClub.org mailing list. You may have more than one person get this mail, but probably want to agree who will answer, so questioners don't get duplicate or conflicting responses.
• Finish writing rallye
• Either start attending monthly General meetings to give updates or email updates to TRC's Secretary at least 4 days before meeting.

3 months prior

• Arrange for precheckers.
• Get first prechecks done; make corrections to rallye as needed.

2 months prior

• Order Par Plaques & Awards (optional).
• Arrange checkpoint workers, if needed.
• Assure that the Insurance Chair knows, at least 3 weeks before the rallye:
  • The name and type of rallye
  • Its date and start time.

(Telling the board 2 months prior is the easy way to communicate this info.)

2 weeks prior

• Prepare checkpoint crew instructions.
• Obtain equipment (marker parkers).
  • If you are using signs (e.g., [CMs) and have never done so before, get a lesson in using the "marker parker" tools to erect and remove signs using the techniques you will use.
• Arrange for printing
• Choose scoring method (by hand or by computer)
• Contact Finish location (San Jose Round Table gives us a 10% discount. Ask for it, and then mention it in your final traverse or at the end of your GIs.)
• Devise a map and RIs for your "rallye school" for beginners.
  • For a CM rallye:
    • assure the SUPP/SI page has what you need for the school. (This is trivial if the map is a piece of the actual rallye.)
    • If you want to change a SUPP or SI, be positive it isn't also used by another CM that needs the original.

1 week prior

• Conduct final pre-check.
• Double check the critique is up-to-date and correct. Examples
  • Assure the finish points added bring the score to 1000.
  • For an A/B rallye, assure the Critique has every answer correct——reasoning and answer.
  • For a CM rallye, assure that no letter(s) inadvertently are repeated.
  • Double check your manual or computer scoring is correct, for "typical" as well as perfect rallye score sheets.
• Confirm workers.
• Email preliminary GIs to the webmaster so they can be posted on the web site. (If they are not identical to the final GIs, label them Preliminary.)

File naming convention

Mail your preliminary GIs as a PDF attachment named yyyy-mm-dd-PreGI-NAME.pdf where:

• yyyy-mm-dd is the date the Rallye was run
• PreGI is just like that (and case matters)
• NAME is the name of the Rallye

For example, the preliminary instructions for Ghostchasers, a rallye to be run on October 6th of 2012, use the preferred filename 2012-10-06-PreGI-Ghostchasers.pdf

3 days prior

• Send your materials for printing if you're having TRC handle it.
• If you're printing, print 20 extra registration packets (without score sheets) for back seat passengers.
• Give or email any checkpoint workers their instructions, so they have time to read them and ask questions.
  • If checkpoint instructions are lengthy, also give a brief list to refer to while they are interacting with rallyists.
  • Include a list of all the papers, slips, giveaways, and etc. they should have at the CP.
  • Also your critique (or all your materials), so they understand how the gimmicks work or are scored.
• Gather ideas for SIs you might post at the start:
  • Differences between the PGIs and GIs (unless the PGIs said something like "to be provided").
  • Streets that have more traffic or some other concern.
  • Mention of rotaries (roundabouts, traffic islands), if they will be encountered.

1 day prior

• Notify the police of rallye cities (or county sheriff) that the rallye is tomorrow.
• Send email with electronic copies of the rallye materials.
  • If the registration workers are competing in the rallye, then they will need PDF copies. This allows them to spend two hours plus driving the rallye before registration opens, to make up for the two hours plus they lose working registration (counting driving from the course to the start, setting up, packing up, and returning to the course). You may want to mention when you expect the course markers (if used) should be erected for the first portion of the course and what rallye portion(s) should not be attempted until the checkpoint is staffed.
  • If Michelle McGrew <michelle@TheRallyeClub.org> is competing in the rallye, then she will need plain text soft copies.
• Obtain the password for TRC's Twitter account
  • Test your ability to send a rallye day notice by sending a night-before or day-of reminder (advertisement).

The Day of the Rallye

Before the start opens

• First thing (or the night before), E-mail a registration packet to the one staffing your registration table, so he/she/they can start the rallye before the start opens, to compensate for leaving the start after the start closes. Tell him/her/them if a CP will change things, if necessary. Do not send the critique or CP worker instructions, as that would be an unfair competition advantage.
• Post signs, if used.
• Call Finish location and remind them, but not during their lunch rush. (If finishing at the San Jose Round Table, remind the manager of our discount so he or she can check into it before our rallyists arrive asking for it.)
• Assure your phone is on, your ringer is loud, and you allow calls to ring even when not from one of your contacts.
  • Have someone at the start (not in your contacts), place a test call to you.

At the start

• Arrive at Start 15 minutes before opening.
• Check with Registrar. Let them know any special instructions for giving out packets
• Instruct workers (checkpoint, registration).
• Start answering rallyists' questions.
• Do Q&A session and rallye school

After the start closes

• Remove all posted material at the start
• Drive route: check posted signs & check in with CP workers

During the Rallye

• You will get questions in person at the start (and perhaps at the checkpoint).
• You will also get phone calls from confused rallyists.

At the finish

• If you have a finish reservation at the San Jose Round Table, someone must arrive and claim it within 15 minutes of its start time.
• Arrive at the Finish at least 15 minutes prior to Finish opening
• Display flyers, evaluation sheets, and protest forms.
• Setup scoreboard (whiteboard or computer cabled to the TV's HDMI input).
• Answer rallyists' questions.
• Collect score sheets and give Critiques and Eval forms.
• Begin scoring.
• Update scoreboard.

After finish closes

• Start marking score sheets as late.
• Start reading protests.
• At last call, stop accepting score sheets.
• Announce that deadline for protests is coming (e.g., 10 minutes before and 5 minutes before).
• Give any extra registration packets and critiques to the treasurer (or registrar) to sell.
• Re-score score sheets as necessary.
• Post scores adjusted by decided protests (in red).
  • State gimmicks given to all rallyists on the score board.
  • Be sure to record on the score sheets the score after protests so you need not reconstruct it to publish results.

• Presentation and Announcements (need not be done personally by the RM):
  • Announce awards.
  • Thank workers and rallyists.
  • Announce next month's rallye.
  • Announce that additional registration packets and critiques are for sale ($1 for the combo) and any leftover par plaques are for sale ($.50 each).
  • We issue any first-timer cars (that finish) a "Welcome to Beginner Class" free rallye coupon.
    • Enter the date, your name as issuer, and their name(s).
  • Remind rallyists to please fill in and return their evaluation sheets.
  • Someone should issue the RM a free rallye coupon as a thank-you gift (though it isn't signed and active yet).
• Clean-up:
  • Give the start box keeper any unclaimed awards.
  • Give the start box keeper any extra registration packets and critiques.
  • Give the start box keeper the flyer rack.
  • Give the whiteboard, stand, and markers to TRC's Equipment Chair.
  • Give the checkpoint signs (and any other TRC signs used) to TRC's Equipment Chair.

After Rallye

Within 2 weeks

• Send results to TRC-Talk and webmaster and BCC your rallyists.
• Remove all rallye signs, if used

• Seek reimbursement from TRC's Treasurer
  • Provide a list of what you want reimbursed (typically by E-mail, in advance of the next business meeting)
  • Provide receipts to the treasurer (scan and E-mail or bring to business meeting)

• New: Email a soft copy of the whole rallye to the webmaster for the club archive.
  • The club archive will be made available to someone willing to rethrow someday, but not to rallyists in general.
  • We prefer editable copies and PDFs, if possible. Include Registration Pack, CMs or other signs, Critique, and any maps (e.g., where to post CMs).

Before the next TRC Business Meeting

• Add those who gave their email address and checked interest in TRC Events to the trc-events mailing list, if willing.

• Return TRC rallye equipment (checkpoint signs, scoreboards, marker parker) to the Equipment Chair, typically at the next business meeting.

• Give score sheets to TRC's Database Chair to add to the database (and mailing list, if necessary).

• Prepare a brief report on what went well and poorly, interesting protests, etc.

  Then E-mail the report to the business mailing list

  or give the report in person at the next business meeting.

• Email both editable (Word-compatible) and printable (PDF) rallye materials to the webmaster:
  • Flyer, Score Sheet, GIs, RIs, Critique, any maps, CP slips or handouts, CP instructions, special signs
  • For a CM rallye: Supp/SI page if used, CMs, and maps
  • Report of what went well or poorly and of any protests (which might indicate bugs to fix if this rallye is ever rethrown or a sequel is planned).

• While fresh in your mind, add your lessons learned to our Advice for New Rallyemasters.

• Start planning next rallye.