Geocaching - Sport or Hobby?

[pjamesk]

A few of us were talking today and we could not decide if caching is a spot or a hobby.

Some are competitive others take a more leisurely pace or could it be both depending on the day or a FTF

[PrincessDiala]

I'm participating in the 10,000 steps program at work, geocaching helps me get my steps for the day.

[Richary]

Hobby is more appropriate for me as it isn't generally an organised activity with lots of rules and officialdom (at least not in the day to day finding). By the same token of course a lot of golfers would have it as a hobby rather than a sport - which is probably how I view my times when I used to play social golf. Just go out with a friend when we felt like it and hit the ball around.

To me a sport is more organised with regular "games" or competitions and officaldom such as umpires.

[Starruby]

Until Madame Starruby began to show a little interest in geocaching herself, she would only tolerate it because it looked like I might gain a fitness benefit from participating. This was particularly so in early caching days when I did some in New Zealand which involved quite an effort:

See Dart Patrol and my all-time favourite Desolation.

Recently, she has joined me doing bushy and beachy caches on the Mornington Peninsula when we have both had a day off without kids (both in daycare ). These outings involve lunch at a fine dining restaurant, without which visit the cache-play might not have occurred .

I love doing caches in the bush at night, as it reminds me of fun times spent night orienteering and army manoeuvres, a decade or so ago ...

[Yurt]

Some days it's a sport - when trying to knock off a good tally - but most of the time it's a hobby - a collection, if you will.

Of course the top level of geocaching would be a sport like rogaining or orienteering.

So I sat on the fence!

[Dippedidooda]

Feels like a hobby to me, even in a race to a FTF. That's just being competetive. You can be competitive in a Readathon, doesn't mean it's a sport?????????????

[Big Matt and Shell]

When on the interstate cache raids it's a sport, also when pushing to the isolated caches or trying to better our own daily records.

When we are just out to see a new spot it is a hobby, but it is a hobby that has taken us to some amazing places and we have met some great people.

So to us it's both

[La Kedi]

It's a spobby!

[Big Matt and Shell]

It's a spobby!

Or a Hort!

[CraigRat]

Nowadays I'd say Hobby,

In days of old I probably would have gone with spobby or spobsession but the obsession rate has dropped a fair bit for me in the last few years, relegating it back to hobby status.

[oldfella]

My wife thinks it is an obsession. Started off as thinking this activity was a hobby as it has the attributes of a hobby. An activity that involves thinking planing etc. Then at times it feels like a sport with things to do like wallking uphills mini marathons walking through the bush. But in the end it is an activity that keeps my mind active helps me to think and relieve some built up stress.

[PesceVerde]

Competitive hobby

[tronador]

When's the next caching game... then it's a sport!!!

[mickpc]

I'm planning to put a few caches on some of my mountain bike routes, so yea definitely a sport for me!

[SA_ParrotHead]

It starts as a hobby-out and about on your own then with the family for a Sunday outing. Then comes the bug to see how many you can do in a day and it becomes about the numbers and competition with others -a sport. Then you realise there are great people doing the same thing as you. You hold events, attend events, make friends, meet for lunch or coffee, have said friends around for a BBQ-discuss caching-laugh at the funny caching stories. Organise with friends to attend interstate events-get dressed up in funny outfits, take lots of photos, laugh a lot, join facebook to share funny photos and relive events and laugh some more.

It's a lifestyle.

Mrs P.