Why do we have to requalify for Jasmer challenges every month? Seems silly.

Question

We all have to deal with it. You're trying to solve a challenge on the first or second day of the current month and you suddenly un-qualify for a Jasmer challenge because you have not found a current month placement. In this way, those of us have "solved" the Jasmer dozens, if not hundreds of different times over. Technically, we all un-qualify for a challenge we've already signed, and therefore should have our smiley's retracted. Of course that's looney. That's my point.

The idea is to find the old ones, and I think that we should overlook the current month (or maybe the current three months, because COVID) and make it so Jasmer solvers still qualify for Jasmer challenges. If you've found everything back to May 2000, you should be a Jasmer solver regardless of the status of the most recent month or two. New months do not a Jasmer make.

Comments

For years, the only Jasmer month I was missing was May 2000. I finally found The Spot in April 2018.  I got an event on the 25th of that month and then logged two Jasmer challenges that same weekend, before the end of the month.

For the most part, my grid tends to fill in naturally, as I don't really pay attention.
 I also haven't really looked for more Jasmer challenges since then. If one was to pop up nearby, I would grab the couple months that I'm currently lacking (NOV 19 and MAR 20) and go for it.

But otherwise, its basically just planning ahead.  Most challenges are not a moving target.  Jasmer is one of the few exceptions, because most of the rest are grandfathered.  When virtual caches started coming out again with the first round of Virtual Rewards, I had to hurry up and qualify for the Virginia Virtual Challenge before new virtuals started popping up.  As it was I think I ended up having to get four or five new ones before finally closing it out.

Answer 1

Given how cache placement rates are increasing, finding a cache for the last month should be pretty easy, and the further you go though the current month the easier it gets. Covid does make things a little awkward, but luckily there are some countries that continued cache placements throughout April. So possibly to qualify for this challenge, as with qualifying for other challenges, you may have to go overseas. Once international travel is relaxed.

Project-GC's Hidden Months tool does ignore the current month and any checker requiring the current month to be included IMHO is asking a bit much. If the checker checks the current month and fails you on that then use the PGC Finds by Hidden Month chart as your qualifying proof.

Re qualifying at the time and later unqualifying, there are a number of stats that can be unwound - cache ratings can be changed, favourites removed, etc. These could all affect challenges. Except that they don't. All you need to do is provide proof that you qualified at the time.

Ignoring the current three months is pointless as by the time October comes around you would still have a hole in April.

And April 2020 should not be exempted from Jasmer!

Answer 2

Basically, you answered your own question when you stated, "If you've found everything back to May 2000, you should be a Jasmer solver regardless of the status of the most recent month or two."  This is true for the Jasmer challenge.

As I understand it, you do not have to qualify again once you have reached the goal of filling in each month all the way back to May 2000 and signed the challenge log sheet.  Save a snapshot of that achievement and that is your proof you accomplished it.

I think you are confusing the objectives of the Jasmer challenge with the Jasmer badge and they are different.  With the Jasmer badge and, assuming you have achieved Diamond level, to maintain that level, you just have to keep up with finding a current month published cache or attending an event otherwise the badge level will drop to emerald and continue to drop but only to platinum level.  See this link https://project-gc.com/w/The_Jasmer_Cacher.

Comments

That's true for that particular challenge. But in general, the Jasmer challenge is to have logged a cache for each publication month, not to have logged caches for some or most of them, even if that includes the most difficult ones.