12 hrs of Summit

[Bill Miller]

Stephen,

I don't disagree with you that the Regions need to think long-term, as does the entire Club (how long have we been waiting for that strategic plan?). I just don't think it's strategic when you make changes to something based on the wishes and desires of a group that's not paying for it, at the expense of those that are.

When I first started racing, if you wanted to run for series' points, you had to work a minimum amount of time at some specialty (tech, T&S, flagging, etc.). Personally, I think racers should be required to work the different specialties. They will bring a different perspective to the worker cadre, as many of the workers have never turned a wheel on the track.

I just don't get how people don't understand that it's the racers that are the reason for races, not the workers. Don't have enough workers? The racers will find some. And let's be honest, races are big social events for workers (not that they're not for racers). And I'm not saying that that's a bad thing. I love the social atmosphere at races, and I think the camaraderie is great. But this is starting to sound like someone that gets invited to a party saying they won't come if the host doesn't provide certain things.

And maybe I've just seen too many people over the years that volunteer (not just racing) that do it because they expect something out of it. Do it because you want to do it, and you get your own intrinsic satisfaction out of it. Don't do it and then turn around and say "hey, I'm volunteering". If you have to advertise that you volunteer, you're probably volunteering for the wrong reasons.

[John Nesbitt]

I think that we make a mistake if we try to argue that one group - drivers or volunteers - is paramount, and that the other group needs to fall into line (or quit). This is a symbiotic relationship - both groups are essential to make this thing work.

Remember that this is club racing. Nobody is doing this for a living. So it has to be enjoyable and worthwhile for both drivers and volunteers.

I understand why the poster thought that 200 seemed like a very large number of volunteers. It does seem like a large number. The thing is that it breaks down into individual numbers for a bunch of different specialties.

For example, we need an absolute minimum of 65-70 flaggers to staff the various stations and to provide a minimum of off-time for each volunteer. Fewer than that and you start getting the sort of burn-out I referred to in my first post. A barely-acceptable model is 2 hours on, 1 hour off. A better model is 2 hours on, 2 hours off.

The fact that there are a number of folks working some other specialty is interesting, but irrelevant. We can't say to someone, "Well, you signed up for registration, but you have to flag a corner." They will simply walk away.

The operative word here is 'volunteer'. The whole package has to be attractive enough for drivers to volunteer their entries and for workers to volunteer their time.