Bay Area AX's: this saturday, GGR AX#5 @ Alameda Options

[nebreitling]

get your cars ready now and come out to play!

http://www.pca-ggr.org/archive.html#msg436

who's in?

demick? howard? grant? trekkor? birgit? andrew? steve? gwen? ANDY (back from vacation?)? jenny (tranny?)? anthony? greg? mueller (bring the tail dragger?)? albert? chris? randal? ken? rob?

let's make a showing...

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beerchug.gif) n

[Steve_7x]

Instructors/Rides etc...

I think it is hard sometimes to know who is an instructor and who is not. At the Z7 school there were so many folks that I didn't know... so we need to concede that it is hard to tell.

I also believe that the Grid workers need to take a more active role here... Grid is more then shuffle the cars so they can go on course and provide car #'s... they should check to make sure that helmets are strapped on? driver (and passenger) seat belts are on? if 2 people are in the car, that one of them the instructor? Simple... but rarely done.

At smaller events like at many Zone, or LPR, Redwood or SVR - it is clearer on who is 'certified' and who is not. I have stopped a few violaters over the years. If you see a violation of the rule... call the person on it now. The rule should be stated at the Drivers meeting - but we all need to help enforce it.

Do some folks get away with it...? Yep... most certainly some do... but they could really ^&$% it up for all of us if something where to happen.

Workers:

I have proposed that we increase the duration between cars... frankly at Alameda where the distances are large, and intervals between cars is ~ 20 seconds, it is very dificult to get to the car in time and get back to a safe place.

Relief Workers:

We all should do our part and pay attention and go relieve early... unfortunately good karma will not always get you relieved on time. So 2 solutions...

1- Some clubs have designated course worker positions that are numbered and have signs. When you check in you are given a station number. You don't walk around asking if someone needs relief etc... you go to your station. You will also get relieved since the person keeping track should ensure that each station has folks (or folk) assigned.

2- If all stations have not been relieved - stop the event... Yes - stopping the event sucks - but there has to be a consequence to those show up late etc... Heck if having a run group pissed at you for holding the show up - perhaps we should a one second penalty to their best run of the day.

I think we all need to concede that running a volunteer group of well over 100 individuals, with all types of personalities and levels of rationality, sanity and scrupples is very, very difficult and daunting. Considering this - the events are still fairly safe. I say fairly because with safety there is always room for improvement.

On a side note - I was told that all that the chairs has gotten is support for what they are doing - very little if any constructive criticism. We need to bring issues to Doug and Dana, but we also need to recognize that we also need to bring solutions to the discussion. I think we should take Dan's advice and highlight the issues to Doug and Dana when it happens so it can get addressed. If it is not done to satisfaction - please escalate to Competition Director, etc...

Steve