Alcatraz is an evasion exercise for teams of Leaders, Network, Explorer Scouts and Scouts over 13½, that takes place over a 24-hour period. The maximum team size is 6 – minimum 4. The only restriction is that Scout teams must be capable of navigating at night, and one member must have the Explorer Award as a minimum. The Start, and the area of operation is one of the most closely held secrets within the District – being announced only a week before the event. What is known is that the start will be within 2 hours travel time of Ormskirk District.
The teams are set off at 12 noon on the Saturday having been informed of a checkpoint location, which they must pass through between set times on the Saturday evening. At the checkpoint, they are informed of the finish – at which they must arrive within a 10 minute window around 12 noon on the Sunday. As a rough guide, the total, most direct, distance is around 25 miles with the checkpoint roughly halfway. However most teams will have walked around 30 miles. The challenge of the competition is such that all teams who finish experience a high feeling of achievement.
Catchers (in catching teams – minimum 1, maximum 4) are set off one hour after the teams and also work throughout the night. Teams start with 10 lives, and lose a life each time they are caught. There are “safe” periods after being caught to enable teams to make a clean getaway. Lives have a value – the first life being worth 4 points – down to the 4th and subsequent lives which are worth 1 point. Catchers generally are either Leaders coming specifically to take part in the event, or drivers who have brought teams. Minimum age 21 years.
It should be noted that there will be no facility to move competitors’ vehicles from the start to the finish – nor to move competitors back to the start at the end of the event. Drivers of vehicles dropping teams off at the start who intend to return for collection at the finish will be given sealed rendezvous instructions to enable collection.
The winning team is that which gets to the finish within the allotted time window having lost the least lives. In the event of a tie, the team caught last wins – and if still a tie….. the team that arrives at the finish earliest within the time window. There are trophies for Explorer Scout and Network sections, and for overall winners (Yes…. some years the Scouts have beaten the Venture Scouts!).
A trophy is awarded to the winning catching team which accumulates most catching points.
