Controversial??

[Wellardmac]

Bingo!

Nick nailed it. 10% of membership showing up to an AX event would put us in a very different place than we are today.

AX is failing upon hard times, the turnout is bordering on pitiful. Soon Porsche will be the minority marque showing up to run if we carry on the way we are doing. If only the AX program were in as good a shape as DE, then we would all be better for it, certainly the club would be.

A few of us are trying to change that and not only are we talking about it, but we're putting boots on the ground and putting energy into that effort. I'm not one to whine about anything, I put actions to words and make things happen - no empty words come out of this body. I say what I mean and mean what I say.

Honesty, integrity, action.

We would all love to see a well rounded region of DE, AX, rally and social. We have a ways to go. As a new member I look at our region and to be honest all I see is DE and some things that need the support of their members. That's sad. I know I'm not in the minority when I talk to members who have no interest in DE and wonder what the club has to offer. We have over 1300 members and only a fraction bother to turn up for events - that's a real crying shame and needs to change for the club to remain healthy. A club does not prosper when the majority are apathetic to the activities of the few. Look around and think about it... turnout for the banquet, picnic, AX, you name it, it's the same bunch of people. If that's not a situation crying out for change, than I don't know what is.

You want controversy, that is it in a nutshell. Nothing is more controversial than the truth.

[Brian Minkin]

1st let me chime in that the demographics of members who participate in events are in line with national statistics. Almost every region regardless of size finds that about 10% of their membership is active in some type of event.  Actually when you look at the total participation of our membership in all types of events, DE, AX, social, touring, Rally ect. we go well over 10% for all events combined. I would venture a guess that its more like 20%. But the club is nothing without benifiting its membership and we are always trying to get more members involved in some way.

The hard times AX is experiencing are predominatly due to the cost of viable sites.  When Nick ran the AX program yes it was profitable.  His site cost was less then 10% of what a site cost today.  The number of drivers coming out to the events that Nick ran averaged around 60 cars (I think I can remember 70 once or twice) and they where not all Porsche cars.  Getting 10% of the membership involved in AX would be wonderful.  Getting AX to a break even point is the goal of the exec. 

AX has remained fairly static as to the number of participants.  The faces change but the number of participants does not. Many members have experienced AX as a stepping stone before moving on to DE. As I said in my earlier posts it would benefit these drivers to continue to be invloved in both programs. 

[Wally]

betegh9 wrote:

When you design a course with ALL the million cones available, making it like a cattle shoot, and have other DE guys get lost on the "1st or 2nd gate", there must be something wrong with the course designershock: AND THE DE DRIVER.
In reality, too many cones do not aid a driver ed driver, because all they see is a sea of cones. Track guys have to keep going around and around all day so they can memorize the course on the track.
So, OK. You say that AXers have ADHD, but you, and specifically YOU, and everybody knows who I am talking about, have such a LOSS of memory, that you have to keep on repeating the same moves over and over AND OVER AGAIN. You need a paved path to the magic kingdom

ouch!hock:

Side note Nick, I've participated in or worked every AX and DE the last two years.

I was inactive for about fifteen years, but started up four years ago.

Wally

[Wally]

Nick,

We have more in common than you think.  Hopefully we can

connect at vendors night at Dougherty's.

Wally

 

[APXD 30]

Okay, I'm not exactly new to the PCA or events.  This marks my 4th year as a member joining at 26 and I attend various events.   I've attended AX too, and frankly I think it real benefit for my time as you spend a full day to run 4 or 5 times.

Yes, the cost is low and not having to pre-register is nice, but it's still alot of time committed for hardly any track time whereas DE is 2 or 3 days worth which equates to at least 1/hour per day of seat time. 

Frankly, I'm surprised to find that this is such a controversial topic.   What am I missing?

[catchacab]

DE  is like the Love I have for my wife, it is long and I don't want it to end.

AX is like S _ _, I just want to get to the finish line.hock:

[Tony356993]

Seat time and the continual training of your senses are priceless.

+1

Almost every region regardless of size finds that about 10% of their membership is active in some type of event.  Actually when you look at the total participation of our membership in all types of events, DE, AX, social, touring, Rally ect

+1

Brian is right on about this issue. He has first hand knowledge of DE and AX and the fiscal situation for the club.

Look around and think about it... turnout for the banquet, picnic, AX, you name it, it's the same bunch of people. If that's not a situation crying out for change, than I don't know what is.

Mac- I agree with your evaluation that it is the same folks generally participation at the RTR events. I think the one huge difference in this region and others is that the RTR DE people begin to develop a friendship at the track that leads off the track. When the guy parked next to you for a 3 day DE has car trouble or needs a tool, there is no hesitation in helping him/her out. When you see the same folks at the track over a number of years, you know they are committed to the club and it becomes much easier to invest time & energy into a new relationship when you think the other people are in it for the long haul too. How do we get this kind of people relationship into AX?

 

I've attended AX too, and frankly I think it real benefit for my time as you spend a full day to run 4 or 5 times.

Josh - my feelings are the same as yours.  There is a lot of waiting around.

 

Can we combine the AX with an ongoing social event? AX w/ a BBQ? AX with a Wahs and Shine? Larger space for more driving time/day?m Moonbounce for the kids?

I started with the club in 1989 and the only thing I did was the social stuff since I did not want anything to happen to my baby. I went rallies and wash and shines and we even had a wine tasting. I think our social has really suffered and the DE folks have basically recreated the social and molded it into the DE weekends. We often caravan to the track together, have meals outside of the track together, bbq at the track together.

If we could increase our social program it would lead to more new members having a chance to get involved in a club that has become DE heavy. I think the new folks are also more likely to get involved in AX initially then they would in DE. They will not give AX a chance if they never met anyone in the club. They won't meet anyone in the club if the social program is lacking. Get my drift?

How about spicing up the meetings and having really good guest speakers (i.e. David Donahue, David Murray, etc)? How about having meetings at a social venue (i.e restaurants, Cart Tracks? Dave & Buster's, Amusement Park, etc)

I think the key to a good club is involvement of its members. Members should not get involved because the should. They should get involved because they want to be involved. Let's try and help the exec with sound ideas to make the new folks want to get involved. If they attend a social event and meet a few folks like themselves, maybe they will ask about AX. Maybe they will attend an AX. Maybe then they will sign up for an AX.

Sorry for the rant.

I might just bring the 356 back for another AX. This time with radials.   

[Brian Minkin]

Tony,

Interesting Rant. And its exactly what the Exec is focused on this year.  More social events, touring, rally.  The type of evetns that more members are likely to try to see how they fit in the club. 

Now my rant.  To run more of these type of events takes volunteers to organize and lead them.  The exec is already stretched in the amount of volunteerism required of them.  We need members to come forward and help with the organization and leadership of these events.

One interesting note of where the core of the volunteers for all types of events comes from.  The entire Exec except one are all DE people past or present.

[Wally]

APXD 30 wrote:

Okay, I'm not exactly new to the PCA or events. This marks my 4th year as a member joining at 26 and I attend various events. I've attended AX too, and frankly I think it real benefit for my time as you spend a full day to run 4 or 5 times.

Yes, the cost is low and not having to pre-register is nice, but it's still alot of time committed for hardly any track time whereas DE is 2 or 3 days worth which equates to at least 1/hour per day of seat time.

Frankly, I'm surprised to find that this is such a controversial topic. What am I missing?

I would say it's like the Army-Navy game. A lot of posturing and trash talk, but

in the end only one allegiance. All of us are trying to make the club more responsive

to the members, even if it takes controversy.

[Tony356993]

One interesting note of where the core of the volunteers for all types of events comes from.  The entire Exec except one are all DE people past or present.

Very interesting. This is a call to bring in a new way of thinking and a new breed of non-de thinkers. Those heavily into de know that 6-8 weekends (or sometimes 16 ) per season requires many more days of prep & coordination to pull off those weekends. Therefore time left over is minimal.

A non-de participant inherently would have more time to dedicate & organize some events.