NMRCRC...are we dead in the water?

[Barnaby]

Sorry for airing dirty laundry here, but whateva.

We all know the NMRCRC website is as useful as tits on a boar, it was updated prior to our decision making meeting and hasn't been touched since...what was that, 3 months ago? We were scheduled to have a comp on June 10th, but that never happened. We have been trying to manage get togethers via email (and thankful phone calls from Kuen).

What's the status of the "club"? Where did all of our $35 club dues go? tennis balls? I'm failing to see much leadership in this.

And just so it's not complete bitching here...I propose ANOTHER meeting (maybe we could actually crawl at the meeting???) to redirect how this club is being managed. This isn't a slight against any individual since I know we are all busy, but it either needs to change or I guarantee the membership/participation will decline quickly.

I can be reached via PM on here, or my email tbarnaby@comcast.net or you guy shave my number at home.

Tim

[mrmaxxman]

this dude is right..... its really a team effort..when we got okrcrc going just a few showed for the
first gtg, but we all kept our plans and have had big growth in members since march,, the club will fall apart unless you guys stick to your gtg dates,,,,
we all have sacrificed weekends even points racing nitro buggy weekends have been blown off for a crawling gtg.....to go play, and now we all most always ready
to comp it out!!!!!!! some of our members even have to drive like 3- 4 hrs to comp but they show!!! we even do 2 day camping comp trips,, in fact our second one is july 21, at the rate we are growing now, we will have people at the nationals next year face it we all have jobs and family lives, and even the
wives and kids are jumping in,, i just built a 2.2 comp rig for my 7 yr old daughter and she loves the competition, especially when a 7 yr old girl can drive as good as some of the people on this board......to all you guys that dont show, you really dont know how much fun you are missing just trying to help him get you guys off yo azzez and go have some fun!!!!!

[Cloak]

Tim,

You're not the only one who feels this way. In fact pretty much everyone but the other 2 officers have complained to me about the group. I'm going to be on vacation next week, but I'm up for a restructuring meeting the week after. I'm making time to meet up with Avery to do some crawling next week while on vacation. He comes to every comp and makes that long drive. That guy makes a hell of an effort for the group and I'd like to try out stuff around his neck of the woods.

I personally should have pushed harder as elected Treasurer to not have Kyle directly take over the website or the money for the group. I apologize to the group for that. I'm pretty disgusted that it has all been pocketed and none of what we originally had planned for us as a group has come to pass. I'm down for scheduling maybe 2 series a year and monthly comps like we originally discussed along with some fun/practice get togethers.

We have some great crawling spots here in NM and we're pretty much wasting time going back and forth to the same 3. Plus we've not seen any of our camp-n-crawls come to pass except San Ysisdro.

I have picked up a storage trailer which I was planning on having available for the group when we need the extra storage space and eventually electricity.

On a personal note, thanks for stepping up and posting. All the previous complaints have sounded like they're coming from me alone and I was the one attacked for bringing it public. I've already mentioned to a few people what I'm doing to bring some good to the group.

So what do we say, the week of the 16th through the 20th? What day works for you guys? Wednesday? As of right now, I see a reorganization in order so the group as a whole can move forward.

-Pete

[Fox]

/sits on hands

[mrmaxxman]

also, maybe lose the fees!!! we dont have any,at all. we talked about it but for new up and coming clubs as ours, we didnt feel it would be necessary
yet.. that will prolly change once it gets bigger tho... not sure...this is all based on teamwork good luck guys

[Cloak]

Outside of the complaints, what do you guys want to see out of the group? What frequency of comps/get togethers? Do we want to see club shirts that actually reflect crawling?

I'm thinking we can get some work prior to the meeting, because I see the meeting being a big bitch fest which I'm not sure what will be resolved then. I'm very serious about us getting this group properly off the ground and moving forward.

We will probably have an opportunity to host a Southwest Series sometime around the begining of the year. I'd like us to have our act together so we can have a nice showing as a hosting state and make it lots of fun for the attendees.

[Fox]

Originally Posted by mrmaxxman

also, maybe lose the fees!!! we dont have any,at all. we talked about it but for new up and coming clubs as ours, we didnt feel it would be necessary
yet.. that will prolly change once it gets bigger tho... not sure...this is all based on teamwork good luck guys

After this "season" you are going to need to pry a dollar out of me for "group fees"

This club has not attracted ONE SINGLE NEW MEMBER since i have joined.

I am pretty much done with the club unless something big changes. I will probably snatch a few comp rigs off of the classifieds section and take some friends up White Wash.

[mrmaxxman]

we do a set weekend every month, it seems to make it a little smoother, cause some guys do points racing and such,,i think we are on the 2nd weekend of every month, it makes it so much easier to plan and have a good turn out....just trying to help you guys out

[Cloak]

Originally Posted by mrmaxxman

we do a set weekend every month, it seems to make it a little smoother, cause some guys do points racing and such,,i think we are on the 2nd weekend of every month, it makes it so much easier to plan and have a good turn out....just trying to help you guys out

Thanks for the suggestion. Something like that would work out great. It sets the timing so everyone knows when to expect it instead of random dates set.

[freetimecrawler]

I think I'd also skip the fee's if possible. I think Imo it may turn some off. let them go to Cafe Press and get shirts if they want them. Thats what we've done in MNRCRC.(see sig) I also agree with set date's/schedule.
We've grown from about 5-6 a year ago, to about 25-30 today. All in a non mountian state, with very limited prime crawling spots. We also have no club officers. Everything is voted on democratically. It's worked fairly well so far. Any member can toss out a voting thread/s, and let the disscussion begin.

[dezfan]

Originally Posted by freetimecrawler

I think I'd also skip the fee's if possible. I think Imo it may turn some off. let them go to Cafe Press and get shirts if they want them. Thats what we've done in MNRCRC. I also agree with set date's/schedule.
We've grown from about 5-6 a year ago, to about 25-30 today. All in a non mountian state, with very limited prime crawling spots. We also have no club officers. Everything is voted on democratically. It's worked fairly well so far. Any member can toss out a voting thread/s, and let the disscussion begin.

I agree, lose the fees, try to discuss club business after a comp or GTG, and keep things open.

Going to a meeting every month, just to discuss club "business" is to much like work IMO.

Also, if the club officers are not holding up to their responsibilities, elect new officers.

Remember guys, this is supposed to be FUN!

Good luck!

[Barnaby]

I"d like to see a 1 event a month schedule. Preferably comps, but GTGs are fine too.

If money's an issue, ask for donations. I would prefer to bring something to the comp as a donation. Tables, chairs, etc. I know others would be fine with that too. My concern is really the lack of any scheduled activity. If we fix that we can easily get past most other issues without much drama.

[mrmaxxman]

Originally Posted by Cloak

Thanks for the suggestion. Something like that would work out great. It sets the timing so everyone knows when to expect it instead of random dates set.

we started out like that with random dates then changed it real quick, we also discuss a lot of the meeting stuff at or after the comp/gtg,,and i agree with dezfan, why have a meeting and not go crawling at the same time? its just too hard to try random dates,,when this is all just basically toys and fun, we all have lifes priorities but why not have fun too....just got to schedule the fun in.....we did the shirt thing but was planned just as long as the event and we all pitched in and paid for them.. i personally am glad i did, i got 3 as a matter of fact.. we have talked about donations also, we came up with bring some spare parts with ya and use them for some give away's,, boobie prizes if you will..

i even supplied us with plaques for our first real turnout comp,,, and we all pitched in on that also... just some ideas guys no foul intended

freetime is right, i would have a hard time putting in a fee unless it was really big like nats when you have to think about stuff like insurance!!!!

[Fox]

man.. i would sure hate it if DJ or Kyle respnded in this thread.

[Cloak]

I spoke with Tim and I agree we (the group) will set a date to meet the week after I get back, sometime between July 16-20. Maybe that Wednesday.

Fox:

I'm thinking of going out crawling for a couple hours on Saturday at Whitewash. I'll figure out the time late Friday/Saturday morning. It mostly depends on how quickly I can get the new Super rig built.

[Barnaby]

I can make it up there in the early afternoon I think.

[Double J]

Off subject - being from the area and knowing a little about the people that live there. I figured you'd have big crowds in no time.

I also no that there are some really great crawling spots not just around Alb. but all around with different terains.

On subject - Loose the officers and the hiarcy that would become of it. choose a rep for National reasons and go from there.

WA doesn't have a set weekend for crawling but we give everyone a good amount of time to schedual around it. And more resently WA tried to make a long term scedual and voted on which weekends worked best for most everyone.
I also know how big of an area NM is and I'd try to find some crawl spots near some towns other than Alb. near the public, maybe some in Sante Fe and work your way down south as well if you're wanting to increase club participants.
I know if I was at something like the ceremonial at RedRock state park, the ballon festival, Goodyear Extreme Rock Crawling Championship in Farmington and saw a bunch of guys crawling the rocks with R/C's I'd stop and ask questions.

just my $.02

[ColquittCustom405]

No we are not dead.I would like to apologize for the broken promises and less than par attendance for meetings and events,not the way a President should be wroking. I was in Carolina/Florida for work and have been back and forth in Oklahoma handling a will from a death in the family (I will be leaving for the weekend again Sat. morning) .I've been in ABQ maybe two weeks total since May/June.As for Kyle summer is the busiest time of the year for his company,He works anywhere from 11-17 hour days.I've been in contact with him and he is not forgot about your $35 dollars for club dues.We are working on events in the city for the upcoming season. I ask that you be patience with both of us.You all know that crawling is in my blood and I'll never stop doing this.I'm just having a hard time getting my act together.If you are serious about dropping out please let me know what I can do to change your mind. Starting Monday I'll be in ABQ until something else happens.Again sorry for what has happened to the club,I will try my best to not let this happen again.

ColquittCustoms@comcast.net

[Barnaby]

So we can expect you to be at the meeting here in a couple week DJ?

[todd1803]

Teamwork will get things done for you guys. If people try to do it all themselves, it quickly becomes work, and not fun. A couple of suggestions

- I've seen the comment that people may be turned off by fees. This is true, but running comps or a website, or having prizes does take money. This is a sensitive subject, particularly with a new club. In WA, we are fortunate to have a very generous group who was more than happy to contribute during our formative months. We are now in our 3rd 6 event series, and have decided to implement a volunatary fee system. We borrowed the idea from ORCRC, but basically anybody can participate at club events for free at any time. If they choose to pay, they will be eligible for season points, nat's nomination, and any prizes or drawings we may have. The cost is only $10 per season, and we actually had several members donate quite a bit more that that, which was really cool.

Schedule - make it known as far in advance as possible. The more notice there is, the easier it is for people to schedule around it and attend.

Growth - it sounds like lack of growth is a concern. I've seen someone (FreeTimeCrawler I think) post in the past that they regularly search the RCC membership list for new members in the area, and send out a welcome to them with a link to the local club website and invitation to attend the next event. It's a great idea if you're looking to drum up interest.

Finally, leadership of a club can be a tricky subject. It's a fine line between the chaos of no real leaders, and people feeling like they have no say in the direction of the club. There are a lot of ways to go about this, but in our club, we've decided that having a small group to "steer" the club has worked really well. There's no one guy in charge or owner of the club making all the decisions himself. It's really important that the members are polled for their input frequently, and feel involved in the decision making process.

It sounds like you guys have some members who are really committed to the success of your club, and that's the first step to getting things rolling. In the end, it's all about the people, and having fun. Re-evaluate where you are now, and where you've been, what's gone well, and what could be improved, and you'll get things pointed in the right direction pretty quick.

Hope some of this was useful, good luck to your club