As someone who spends more time working corners than racing, I'm apalled at the idea of charging folks to volunteer. When I go from my home in western NC to CMP or to Road Atlanta to work a weekend, it costs me at least $100 in expenses (food, gas, lodging if needed, snacks, etc.). Regions often talk about paying for a lunch or two and mention the social as perks. After working corners for four years and getting event shirts at every one that I worked (for the most part), I've begun donating shirts to Goodwill, the local shelter, or wherever. Harkening back to my days as a Psychology student, "a reward is only a reward if the person receiving it feels it is rewarding". Another white t-shirt to go with the 50 I have at home just isn't a reward anymore. Also, I don't drink so the biggest expense of the social is wasted on me. As far as the "free lunch" goes, I've bought my own meals on one or two occasions because the stuff that the track/region served was too nasty for me to eat.
For most races at CMP, the region(s) will pay for a motel room at the Colony Inn. Not the nicest place, but WORLDS better than the Scottish Inn down from Road Atlanta. Atlanta Region has given out $20 gift cards to the workers. IIRC, San Francisco region has "worker bucks" that they can redeem for any number of things. When I work for PCA, it's $75 per day. When I worked for Road Atlanta, it was $10 per hour. I do enjoy working corners. I don't enjoy it as much as driving. Considering that I could be at the race spectating, eating, moving around at will, hanging out with friends, and all of the other things that non-workers get to do, I don't consider volunteering my time to work F&C (or any other specialty) as a perk in and of itself. I don't know what the answer is to getting workers to the track. I don't think it's money. The one thing that I can say for myself is that a feeling of being appreciated for taking my time, effort, and money to be there is a MAJOR factor in my working with that group/track/region/etc. again. Just my $0.02 worth.
Scott Franklin
www.NutDriver.org
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