Thanks and thoughts from TWS

All of our staff, with the exception of Nancy, is VERY part time. They can all assure you it cost them a great deal more to "work" a race then they
are paid by us, the CMRA.

Part of their compensation is the fact that they
LOVE working the races. When ever they seem short
with someone with questions, it's not because they are mean or a ***. It's because they have
answered that question 100 times a year, every year. Take a look at the TWS info thread in the
anouncements section. None of that is new news.

Be easy with the assumptions about nonflexability
on the part of operations of a race day. Most people you deal with in a CMRA officials shirt have been doing this for 10+ years and they do what they do because it works. Things always change and will. Be assured they have thought
everything they do through and continue to every
weekend every year. No one wants a race day to
run more smoothly then the people in charge of
making it so.

Thank You to ALL the CMRA officials. Your passion
makes ours obtainable.

The problems last Sunday were because of crashes requiring transport. Most of us don't like laps being reduced and Walter doesn't want to shorten races anymore than you do. He knows there will be things outside of his control on race day but he doesn't have a crystal ball, he can't predict the injuries and clean-up time required to continue the day.

I'm not questioning why riders this past weekend were transported, if you have all of your faculties about you this is between you and the EMT’s. I would only like to ask all of us to consider what goes on inside an ambulance.

EMT's are always going to take a better safe than sorry approach which is what they are supposed to do and we thank you for that. If your lungs are filling up with fluid better let them take you to the hospital.
However if you are stable but still require a visit to the hospital hopefully you have someone who can take you there so the races can go on. I've seen countless racers crawl out of the ambulance and have a friend take them to the hospital. Bottom line is if we run out of professional EMT’s and transports the races grind to a halt period.

I would say that cutting lunch for those poor corner workers is out of the question. I think about them from time to time, maybe while going through their corner (hmm, might be why I'm not going faster).
They get there at the crack of dawn and the only break they get at all is at lunch. We have all sat in a corner at one time or another. I remember what a long day it was.
I raced #19 last weekend, sure it was late, but it wasn't near as late as #22.
It's all relative I reckon.
I want 6 laps too (unless I ever do get a holeshot, then I want the checkered right off). It's all a big fat trade off to have road racing fun.
I will be holding WEEBLE class at Hallett for those who want to see the light on staying upright. It too takes compromise, in my case in the form of slowwwwwwwwwwwwwww lap times. But I hate pain, suffering and fixing broken bike parts.
I am a pilot thus I am lazyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Edit for poor spelling and Rosy who didn't show, again! Where are ya Rosy? Come out and play little buckaroo.

Cliff notes: what Walter said.

Buck, put a sock in it. Touch minis and you're dead. [img]/ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif[/img]

Chuck notes: what Yuliya said!

Comments: All you people should start treating Walter like the First Sargent that he is. He should make it clear that if you have a problem that he has to deal with himself, the only guarntee is that YOU will not like how he handles it!

Comments on comments:

1. Race day - if you have any problem, talk to at least 1 CMRA offical to see if can be resolved without bothering Walter. Those officals will know what to do, and if it includes bothering Walter they will see to it that his time is conserved.

2. Race day - I suggest the Club provide each current and former member of the Board with a modest banner indicating their status and that that banner be displayed in their pit area. And that these folks agree, constrained by their own needs in the pits, to take time to answer questions from other (new) racers.

3. On this message board - Have an informal policy that Nancy and current board members and CMRA officals reply such as they always do. And that Walter generally let these well qualified folks explain reality. That is, we should all be able to ask questions and get answers without expecting Walter himself to give the same answer over and over. Actually, I like the way Nancy explains how dogs hunt!

4. On a lighter note - Nancy, how does Bill manage to pass me on the inside and the outside at the same time?

Chuck

Yeah,

What Cathy and Yuliya said.
Leave it to the ladies to be all reasonable and stuff ( _most_ of the time, anyway)
[img]/ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif[/img]

Status Quo... nothing changes, call it a rotting horse and forget it. I feel for Walter too, I've spent more than my share of Sunday evenings to help roll up the air fence and get the show packed up.(pretty much anytime the airfence was deployed for the last two seasons, except Hallet) Have any of you chiming in? Don't recall seeing the faces associated with the names. I guess it's the management guy in me that sees if you put the mini's last on Sunday, the workers from T4,5,6,7,8,& 8a could help roll up the airfence, clear the back section corner stands, and get Walter on the road home sooner. Only for the TWS 8hour of course. I'm not at all complaining about the way Walter runs the show, simply looking for ways to make it better for everyone and easier for the Big Guy. Lighten up folks, without discussion of ideas, we might all still be part of Mexico, or heaven forbid England. Hey Cathy, got any scientist or free thinkers we can burn at the stake like the good old days?

thats a pretty good idea buck. escecially for the 8 hour weekend when we are squeezing in a few more races into an already busy sunday. cheers to walter for still putting on a great show no matter what the day brings. see yall at hallett

Quote:

saying it won't work & its been tried before, is a lame anwser

So, the suggestion is that we forsake the advantage of Walter's MANY years of experience and start from scratch each season? Yeah, sounds like the key to success to me.

PO'd 'cause Walter doesn't take/waste the time to explain the literally hundreds of bits of data and experience that factor into his decisions? He's given summaries for lots of 'em and always gets 'bit' for it because someone doesn't accept the summary as an indication of the much more detailed evaluation that goes into things which would take pages to explain. Bottom line - either you trust that Walter is open to the bona-fide good new idea or you don't. And if you think that for some perverse reason he would not try to utilize a good suggestion you are nuts.

The military analogy is good. Walter's not like a 1st Sergeant ... he IS the General responsible for the whole shebang. Ya'll are damned lucky that you have Omar Bradley, the GI's General, and not Westmoreland.

Respectfully, Buck - you have not done "more than your share" of airfence rollup - even if you have helped a lot, and any help is appreciated I'm sure. The reasons given to me for not having CW's or a novice crew pack fence ASAP upon last race end is that 1) if rolled wrong it doesn't load right in the trailer or deploy right at the next race (huge PITB), and 2)Walter needs a chance to look it over so he can see what needs to be pulled from the trailer and repaired/maintained by HIM before the next race. Maybe you would like to propose, organize and be 1st Sergeant for a crew dedicated (consistent race-to-race)and trained for the role (roll?) of packing airfence after Walter has had a chance to look 'em all over post event?

Air fence and trailer packing, like many of the logistics chores Walter takes care of, require skill and knowledge that are not practical to re-train someone to do each weekend - perhaps you all have experienced the situation where it is ultimately more work to let some well-intentioned nimrod "help" than it is to do the work yourself? Walter accepts that as a part of his job to help you race.

From my observations, the one thing that could help him at event end is a small (3-5) crew of folks that are consistent race-to-race to do tote-and-lift work at his direction. Consistent is key so they can learn the ropes. There's a certain amount of 'wait' time involved just because things have to go into the trailer in sequence and it can't be rushed - so they gotta be able to stay late and tolerate the fact that some of that late time Walter spends taking care of his own family and other matters.

I'm not suggesting that folks shouldn't make suggestions - I'm suggesting that you consider and make suggestions without demanding to know why they may not be acted on but with faith that they are properly considered in light of the whole objective of the event.

There have been many, many changes in the way races are run and supported in the short last 3 years I've been hanging around - many "invisible" to racers but all contributing to make it possible to handle the diverse interests of what is now regularly a 600-700 entry event while keeping safety paramount, staff numbers (and therefore fees) as low as possible, all with extraordinary overall success by any measure.

Is it perfect? No, this is a human endeavor. But your race director is almost superhuman in his skill and effort. "Almost" - human and therefore capable of error. But anyone who suggests that any action by Walter is "lame" or that he is refusing to try new ideas for any reason other than because his GOOD JUDGMENT tells him it is not in the overall interest of the RACERs needs a serious reality check.

rant over - flame on

I have to ChaChaChime in.
How can the schedule improve??? On this fact, we all want to utilize the past experience/expertise of the CMRA staff in conjunction with what may be brilliant suggestions from riders/racers. Certainly there are always ways to improve. Racers by nature are passionate about what we do and so the words we write here get misinterpreted and flare tempers. I know Buck is trying to improve what we all do. We just need a civilized discussion on this point. And I know General Walker orchestrates one hell of a show but IMHO he does need more trained troops to wrap up the show on Sunday Night (yes, I have stayed and helped on occasion). Perhaps a few folks who can stay and do it Sunday night at their home track. (TWS for me).
Where do we discuss these issues??? What is the mechanism for a club member to make a suggestion that can be taken seriously and acted upon??? Certainly not the message board. Hell, it would be a full time job just to read way too many posts to be meaningful. JJJJust a few thoughts... I do want to help make the club better.