Off to the desert for muddy pair          UPDATE CLICK HERE
Ontario women head to Morocco

Female rally tests map-reading skills

NIKA ROLCZEWSKI
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
 

Susan Sneekes and Christy Geddes like to get their off-roaders muddy. But sandy? They'll find out this month.

The two single moms, members of the Tri-City Jeep Club in Kitchener, are off to Morocco to compete in the women-only Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles through the African desert.

They'll be among 80 pairs of women from more than 15 countries, and they will be the first Canadian team outside Quebec to compete in the 16-year-old contest.

It's not a race, but a 1,200 kilometre off-road navigational rally that can stretch to double that distance if the navigator doesn't do her job properly.

Sneekes, from Woodstock, is the navigator that Geddes, from Fergus, will be relying upon.

Sneekes is a rookie to the sport, introduced to off-roading last year when she attended the Camp Northern Lights Charity Trailfest at Minden. It was there that she and her "Jeep buddy" Dan Plestch won the "Muddiest Jeep Award."

"He broke a U-joint on the trail," she explains. "When we got back to camp he had the drive shaft on top of the white Jeep and you couldn't tell it was there with all the mud on everything. I had so much fun I knew I had to be a part of it."

She's in deep now alongside her friend Geddes, who says she's not afraid to get her Jeep dirty. A parts manager for a local Chrysler dealer, she sometimes needs to order parts for her own vehicle. Last year, for example, her Jeep was only one of a few that made it through the mud at a club event without being winched out.

"During the run I dug up a huge log with my front tire and dented up a rocker panel."

The Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles is intended to "open the door to the sport of rallying" for women, says Isabelle Comtois, a former participant and now the Canadian team manager.

The event lasts for eight days and travels in a series of stages from the southern city of Ihandar to the town of Foum-Zguid.

Geddes and Sneekes will be driving a four-wheel drive Isuzu D-Max King Cab, rented in France for the competition. The price of entry is not cheap: up to $50,000 for all fees and expenses. Though they have some sponsorship, the women are paying most of their travel and preparation costs out of their own pocket.

"We got the opportunity late and it's given us very little time to get some funding for our trek," says Geddes.

But it is much more than a trek.

Comtois knows first hand what an adventure this rally is. The biggest challenge she sees the women facing is the incredible heat: temperatures as high as 52C can wreak havoc on the human body. "Drink plenty of fluids" she urges.

She also talks about the solitude. Even with your partner, there is a certain loneliness in the desert, where being isolated under the stars can offer a whole new experience.

Organizers don't give advice about this, but they do try to cover everything else. All competitors, known as "gazelles," must provide medical certificates that state they are capable of surviving the ordeal. A check list in the required medical kit includes a venom sucker in case there's a meeting with a snake; neither Geddes nor Sneekes have yet found one to buy.

The rally has always paid attention to the Moroccans who live in poverty along the route. Last year, for example, the medical caravan, which is a real clinic on wheels, performed 1,500 consultations, as well as providing almost 1,200 treatments and filling 5,000 medical prescriptions.

"Participants are encouraged to donate to help the rural population," says Comtois. "In the last two years, both an elementary school and a kindergarten have been opened in southern Morocco, thanks to the donations from the teams."

It's a mad dash for the women to get ready. Aside from all the paperwork, neither woman has travelled much and so they're focusing on the physical and the mental strength they'll need.

"This is my biggest challenge," says Geddes, 23. "I need to gain weight so I don't get sick over there. Since I'm the driver, it will take a big toll on my upper body, and building muscle tone is important."

Sneekes, 40, has a greater challenge. She was injured years ago at work and suffers from forms of tendonitis and tennis elbow.

"I knew driving would be too much for me this trip but I can read a map, so I offered to navigate," she says.

"There has been so much negativity in my life and it has definitely affected the kids and stressed them out. Hopefully, it will be a bit reforming and healthy for them to see something so positive — a new me in my daughters' eyes."

She'll be completing an eight-hour navigation course before the rally begins April 20, though there's no substitute for experiencing the real thing: sand storms and camel herds can be dangerous distractions. They will drive over sand dunes, through rocky coves and dry lake beds in the foothills of the Moroccan Alps. How will they handle the course?

"I am going to point and Christy is going to drive like it is stolen," says Sneekes.

"We're both adrenalin junkies looking forward to a challenge. We plan on doing our best — and we are not as inexperienced as some might think, so don't count us out".

They have big shoes to fill. The Canadian team of Annie LaPointe and Brigitte Saucier finished first last year in the four-wheel-drive category. In the past five years, Canadian teams finished first in 2002 and third in 2001 and 2003.

They both agree they will return as different people.

"It'll be an experience I'll never forget and I'll learn so much from it," says Geddes.

"Not just driving skill, but I'll grow as a person. I'm not so much scared as excited for this adventure.

"I'm a very determined person and when I have a goal set, I'm bound bent and determined to accomplish it — and I always finish what I start."

Sneekes smiles over at her driving partner. "Christy and I are still in a state of disbelief. We are running the gamut of emotions," she says.

"We will give it our best shot and come back with stories about our adventures. And if we can get more gazelles interested for next year, then we've done a good job."

SOME FACTS:

The RALLYE AÏCHA DES GAZELLES is a land navigation event for women.

Sixteen years in existence

It takes place on board motorized land vehicles.

Approximately 80 teams from around the world have registered for 2006

It is open to teams of two women

It consists of six stages, including two marathons (two days without returning to the bivouac, sleeping under the stars). The Gazelles will leave IHANDAR in southern Morocco, to finish eight days later at FOUM-ZGUID.

The course is approx. 1200 Km but competitors can run double that if they make errors in navigation
 

To complete a stage in the allotted mileage is a zero. Points are added for each kilometre added as a penalty.

Each end of a stage at the bivouac a group of mechanics double check the vehicles. Repairs are made if necessary. If repairs are needed on the course a penalty is given.

The ‘team registration fees’ are 13 500 €uros (thirteen thousand five hundred Euros) excluding tax per team of two competitors. This does not include cost of vehicle, travel and personal expenses.

For more information and to follow the competition: www.rallyeaichadesgazelles.com

he Gazelle is an endangered animal in Morocco.

Tri-City Jeep Club:

- founded in 2004

- costs $10 to join

- 103 members

- family oriented with many social as well as competitive events throughout the year.

- Have a “buck-a-stuck” program whereby a member has to donate a dollar to the Children’s Wish Foundation for every time they would need to be pulled out of mud.

- Tri-City Jeep Club is a member club of the Ontario Federation of 4 Wheel Drive.

http://www.tricityjeepclub.org