Convention Notes

[Greg Amy]

Shamelessly lifted from the Wheel-to-Wheel list. Did anyone from this forum attend and could add relevant notes?

Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 21:27:09 -0600
From: "Will & Kelley Huxtable" <[email protected]>
Subject: Convention Tidbits (long)

Here's the address for Thursday and Friday's newsletters. It looks like
the Saturday and Sunday editions haven't been posted yet.

http://www.scca.org/news/convention/index.html

Here's a few highlights from those editions:
Saturday -
Rally/Solo Awards:
* Solo Driver of the Year - Matthew Braun, Detroit Region
* Solo Driver of Eminence - John Thomas, Mississippi Region
* Solo Divisional of the Year - Reno Region, NorPac
* Solo Rookie of the Year - Sean Mundis
* RoadRally Region of the Year - Oregon Region
* RoadRally Division of the Year - Northern Pacific
* National Tour Rally of the Year - Rallymaster: Jon Emmons, Land
O'Lakes
Region
* Gervais Award (National Course Rally of the Year) - Steel Cities
Region

Strategic Plans:
Colan Arnold (Solo Events Board), Ralph Kosimedes (Performance Rally Board), Tim Craft (RoadRally Board), and Kurt Weiss (Club Racing Board) presented the results of the Strategic Program Project Plan. These
presentations were an overview of where the programs are today, with a good forward look at where we want to be in about five years. Each program evaluated itself based on input from the members and the members of the program boards looking at the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and
Threats.

The boards operated within the guidelines of the Vision, Mission, and Position Statements given to the by the SCCA Board of Directors:
Vision Statement: To be the premier organizaiton of choice for automotive and motorsports enthusiasts to engage their passion.
Mission Statement: To consistently provide fun, fair, and safe activites through diverse opportunities for automotive and motorsports enthusiasts.
Position Statement: The Sports Car Club of America is the leading membership organization providing safe, diverse, and satisfying participation opportunities for automotive and motorsports enthusiasts.

If you would like a copy of the PowerPoint presentation outlining the strategic plans, send an e-mail to Howard Duncan at the National Office.

One of the most entertaining sessions of the convention was an Oral History of the SCCA. It began with a video tape of a conversation with the late Ted Robertson who was the founder of SCCA. The second segment was a taped conversation between Bill Milliken and Cameron Argetsinger surrounding the organization of SCCA's first sanctioned road race in Watkins Glen, NY. During this conversation, many images from the Watkins Glen races were shared in a slide show format. The third section of the program was a panel discussion with Ted Goddard, Frank Manley, Marc Gerstein, Oscar Koveleski, and Anatoly Arutunoff. The moderator, Costa Dunias, asked each of the
gentlemen to share with the crowd a story or two regarding why they joined the SCCA. The session was scheduled for an hour, and it ran a little longer, and continued well into the evening in the bar.

Pete Hylton announced a project in conjunction with Turner Publishing Company to produce a 60th Anniversary pictorial history of the SCCA. Additional information on how to purchase the book will be forthcoming on the website and through direct mailings.

Sunday -
Safety Symposium:
From all accounts, these sessions were very informative and extremely well received. Morning presenters were Arnie Kuhn from SFI, Hubert Grambling of FIA, and Dr. John Melvin. After the luncheon, additional presenters were Dr. Bob Hubbard (inventor of the HANS device) and Carl Schroth (seat
belts).

Club Racing Luncheon:
* Outgoing Executive Stewards Jack Marr (Southwest Division) and Mike West
(Midwest Division) were recognized for their service.
* Outgoing Club Racing Board members Tom Howen and Bob Lybarger were recognized for their service to the club.
* George Snively - Dr. John Melvin
* Jim Fitzgerald Rookie Driver of the Year - Matt DiRenzo
* Kimberly Cup - "Suzuki Jon" Goodale, Colorado Region

Annual Awards Banquet:
* Pete Hylton presented another retrospective look at the history of
SCCA. With some of the wonderful photos from the archives, it was a great look at
where we've been.
* The keynote speaker was Brian Redman. He entertained the audience with his tales of his early driving career. A quote I particularly enjoyed was:
"The poor young racing driver is the poor OLD racing driver of tomorrow."
* Outgoing directors Kathy Barnes (Area 1), Bob Schader (Area 8), Ken Patterson (Area 5), John Martinsen (Area 13), and Dan Sherrod (Area 7) were recognized for their service to the club over the past several years.
* Solo Cup - Roger Johnson, Houston Region
* Robert V. Ridges - Ted Goddard, New England Region
* Ralph Kosimedes presented a new award on behalf of the Performance Rally community. The award will be known as the Bill Bradshaw Cup, and it represents significant contribution to the Performance Rally program. The initial recipient was Bill Bradshaw of the Glen Region.
* David Morell - Rob Walker, San Diego Region
* John McGill - Phil Creighton, Atlanta Region
* President's Cup - Rennie Clayton, San Francisco Region
* Woolf Barnato - Marc Gerstein, Philadelphia Region
* Steve Johnson announced the formation of the SCCA Hall of Fame. The first class will be inaugurated at the 2005 National Convention.

Kelley Huxtable
"Worker Bee"
Des Moines Valley Region

[Knestis]

It would be interesting to see the list that appears under "W" in that SWOT analysis. It's been my experience with that process - in a variety of organizations - that unless there is substance there, any "change" will be cosmetic at best.

K

[pgipson]

<The boards operated within the guidelines of the Vision, Mission, and Position Statements given to the by the SCCA Board of Directors:>

I have personally favored the VSPT approach; Vision, Strategy, Project, Tactics.

[KelleyHux]

Thanks to Greg for posting the information I shared on W2W. Even with the risks that a) things can be taken out of context, and things can be misinterpreted, and c) most importantly - this is a WORK IN PROGRESS, I will share one slide from the Club Racing portion of the presentation:

Strengths
* Quality of Events
* Diversity of Members
* Organization
* Worker Base
* Safety
* RunOffs
* Diversity of Vehicles
* Diversity of Categories
* Expertise
* Technical Department
* History
* Prestigious Venues
* Friendly Members

Did I mention - this is a work in progress?

Weaknesses
* Lack of Spectators
* Complexity
* Organization
* Worker Base
* Response Times
* RunOffs
* Diversity of Vehicles
* Member's Sense of Entitlement
* Flexibility
* History/Tradition
* Public Doesn't Know What Road Racing Is
* Cumbersome Rules
* Diversity of Categories
* Lack of Promotion
* Accessibility
* Communication
* Intransigence

Opportunities
* Sports Compact Car Popularity
* Current Auto Trends
* Media Focus
* RunOffs
* Pro Road Racing Sanctioning Weakness
* Diversity of Vehicles
* World Challenge Success
* Solo 1 in Club Racing
* Car Control Clinics
* Logical Progression of Classes
* Worker Training
* Cable TV
* Web Forums
* Information Age

Threats
* Other Sanctioning Bodies
* Single Marque Club Racing
* Economy
* Aging of Our Members
* Limited Spare Time and Outside Interests Competing for Racing Time
* Web Forums
* Litigation
* Intransigence - Stuck In Our Ways

Again - disclaimer - please keep in mind, a) this is a WORK IN PROGRESS, the information above is only one piece of the overall presentation, and c) don't shoot the messenger. The eagle-eyed among you have probably noticed that some items end up in multiple categories. That's not too unexpected given the diversity within our programs.

TTFN ...
Kelley Huxtable
Des Moines Valley Region
"Worker Bee"

[lateapex911]

I raised an eyebrow when I spotted "Web forums" in "threats".......

Thinking further about this, I wonder if the IT.com site is high on their list of enenmies. Seems to me that the guys on the ITAC are doing a great job of utilizing the medium to create allies, or, at worst, to provide a little sunshine on the process.

------------------
Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

[Knestis]

When I work with evaluation client organizations, I use a facilitated process in which stakeholders chase out what we call "antecedent conditions" of the problem that a given social or educational program is intended to ameliorate.

It is never the case that what they initially think is the problem IS the problem, in terms of where issues are rooted.

It would be an interesting exercise to pick any of the listed Weaknesses and ask, "why does this condition exist?" - extending a root-like structure as the same question is asked for each brainstormed conditions. That list, by the way, looks like a good start to me...

Ohno's writing about quality control posits that it takes fewer than a half-dozen repetition of that question to get to the bottom of things, or at least to a list of possible bottoms of things.

Kirk (aka web forum threat monger third class)

[Banzai240]

Here is the link to the actual STRATEGIC PLAN that was presented to those in attendence...

It's a Power-Point slide presentation that is suppose to be web friendly, but I'd suggest right clicking then "download target" or "save target" and then run it directly with Power-Point...

Not quiet the detailed plan I expected, but it does seem to lay out a vision... A lot of work ahead folks...

Here it is:

http://www.scca.com/news/convention/04conv...tegic-Plans.pps

------------------
Darin E. Jordan
SCCA #273080, OR/NW Regions
Renton, WA
ITS '97 240SX

[cherokee]

Originally posted by lateapex911:
I raised an eyebrow when I spotted "Web forums" in "threats".......

Thinking further about this, I wonder if the IT.com site is high on their list of enenmies. Seems to me that the guys on the ITAC are doing a great job of utilizing the medium to create allies, or, at worst, to provide a little sunshine on the process.

I could not agree more. I don't think that they are talking about this site or the prod site. I have one in mind....

[gsbaker]

Originally posted by cherokee:
I could not agree more. I don't think that they are talking about this site or the prod site. I have one in mind....

Aw c'mon, which one is it?

Gregg

[gsbaker]

Never use a verb in a mission statement.

[B Schley]

This forum is very mild and done very well. My guess for the most threatening.....well, lets just say its initials are D A .com

[Mattberg]

Did you ever stop to think that perhaps the reason significant action is being taken to make some real change is because sites like driveradvocate.com aren't afraid to bring out the problems and sometimes, the dirty little secrets that threaten our club? Does anyone think the massive movement to make long overdue changes in IT isn't the result of pressure from these sites and the exposure of protectionist policies adn status quo operation?

Many officials would be more than happy to operate as we have for the next twenty years without change and tell us we should be happy with that while they do as they please and keep us all in the dark. Sorry, it's a new day and age and there is a new level of accountability. For one to consider accountability a threat is abhorrent.

To consider a website a threat is absurd. It is simply the same ol' boy network that wants to keep it all the way it was, operate in secrecy and make sure they can do things the way THEY want without scrutiny. Anybody who considers a website a threat dreads communication and examination among a constituency and either has something to hide or wishes to operate without anyone questioning their actions>

It is a weak and scurrilous character that wishes to quash or diminish the lines of communication. It is the same character that would have us eliminate freedom of speech as well. To consider websites a threat to an organization is to say nothing more than we want to operate behind closed doors and keep the membership in the dark.

A website is a valuable asset that allows communication and the exchange of ideas. A smart official would realize that and act upon it and maximize the resource. Instead some want to call it a threat. Those who consider it a threat most likely see it as a threat on a personal basis. That's the sad part because presenting it as a threat to the club is yet another manipulation in a long history of the same.

[planet6racing]

Oh cheeses. Here we go again...

People, seriously. Go work on your cars. If you don't have anything to do, come work on mine. I have 5 new gauges that need to be wired along with warning lights. I'll gladly pawn that off on someone else...

Let's just pretend the above post doesn't exist. It's almost as bad as the other conspiracy...

------------------
Bill
Planet 6 Racing
bill (at) planet6racing (dot) com

[Geo]

Originally posted by Mattberg:
Does anyone think the massive movement to make long overdue changes in IT isn't the result of pressure from these sites and the exposure of protectionist policies adn status quo operation?

And here I thought it was because someone penetrated the offices while the black helicopters were in the shop.


------------------
George Roffe
Houston, TX
84 944 ITS car under construction
92 ITS Sentra SE-R occasionally borrowed
http://www.nissport.com

[This message has been edited by Geo (edited February 12, 2004).]

[JohnRW]

"What is the sound of one hand patting it's own back ?"

Old Zen master, twisting an old saw, when faced with self-adoration, Feb. 2004

[Mattberg]

The only ones patting themselves on the back are those proud of themselves for taking my comments out of context and taking the opportunity to take shots at myself and Driver Advocate while ignoring the reality of the situation.

These movements for change and the pressure to bring club operations out from behind closed doors started long before Driver Advocate ever existed. The internet brought us communication among club members as a whole and made it possible to find out what was going on a club wide basis and national level BEFORE it was a foregone conclusion printed obscurely in Fastrack three months after the fact. Even Fastrack itself is now available almost immediately and is constantly a topic of discussion on every site.

Bottom line is that technology has opened up the club and allowed members to be informed and kept up to date on a national level versus a regionally contained grapevine system. It has introduced a new level of scrutiny and accountability for those in power that should have always been in place but never was. For anyone to consider that a threat is, as I said, abhorrent and indicates a desire to operate without accountability. And, that's all I said. Neither I, nor Driver Advocate take any credit for such and never have. That credit belongs to those indivduals that use the medium to speak out and/or bring important issues to light.

[ITSRX7]

Originally posted by Mattberg:
Did you ever stop to think that perhaps the reason significant action is being taken to make some real change is because sites like driveradvocate.com aren't afraid to bring out the problems and sometimes, the dirty little secrets that threaten our club?

Originally posted by Mattberg:
Neither I, nor Driver Advocate take any credit for such and never have. That credit belongs to those indivduals that use the medium to speak out and/or bring important issues to light.

Seems like you are saying two different things here, Matt. First it IS because if sites like DA.com then it isn't.

You are right in that these changes have been underway for a LONG time. It take a while to turn this ship we call the SCCA. I can tell you that DA.com is widely perceived as a forum for extreamist bitching and moaning and not one of action. Boardering on COUNTER-productive due to the nature of the organization - VOLUNTEER. Sorry if you disagree but that is the perception.

AB

------------------
Andy Bettencourt
06 ITS RX-7
FlatOut Motorsports
New England Region #188967

[planet6racing]

Hmm... Interesting site. Can't imagine why it is viewed poorly.

As of this post, Mr. Weisberg has 30% of all posts on that site...(317 of 1055)

------------------
Bill
Planet 6 Racing
bill (at) planet6racing (dot) com

[Tom Donnelly]

That is an interesting site. There are so many things I want to say but I am at a total loss for words.

except..

Matt, you kinda scare me. You remind me of Joe McCarthy. I don't doubt your sense of integrity or purpose, or doubt that you have good interests at heart. Or that you may be right about some of your points of view.
But,have you ever shot anyone who disagreed with you?

Tom

[Joe Harlan]

Look guys, I don't agree with half the crap said on most any forum. But the facts are this.
If you look at the plan that has been laid out and then go look at the forums all over the web. This one included. The Buzz words come from what the BOD and the CRB ect. are getting fro reading these sights. I get just as tired of all the arguing and bitching myself, But I have to tell you change doesn't happen if nobody says anything.