ROAR Elections for President
10-07-2010, 07:05 PM
#136
Tech Regular
NV State RC Club
VOTE DAVID LARRY, ROAR PRESIDENT!!
10-07-2010, 07:58 PM
#137
The Choice?
Steve Pond!
Steve Pond!
10-09-2010, 05:52 AM
#138
Mr Pond,
I like the vision you have for ROAR and think this is what ROAR needs, Thanks for taking the time to tell what you would like to see happen. With your previous history in the industry I think you could do alot for ROAR. Good Luck.
I like the vision you have for ROAR and think this is what ROAR needs, Thanks for taking the time to tell what you would like to see happen. With your previous history in the industry I think you could do alot for ROAR. Good Luck.
Landscaper - here's something that I posted in response to another question about how I would go about promoting RC racing and attracting more newcomers to our hobby. you'll have to forgive me for the long-winded responses, but I feel it deserves my complete attention. It's an essential but often overlooked aspect of where experienced racers and officials can look beyond whether a body is 3mm too low and all the other minutia that seems to dominate the discussions. These are some of my ideas to help racing become more popular, and I hope it helps to answer some of your questions. -Steve Pond
• Location of events – One thing that has always stuck with me is how I was introduced to the RC hobby. I was visiting my Grandparents in NYC, and my father took me to the New York Auto Show afterward at Madison Square Garden. This was some time in the middle 70's. On the second or third floor was a lot of noise from a PA and lots of people gathered around a fence. It was a 1/12-scale race before the days of rechargeable batteries. I must have sat there for four hours, FASCINATED by how fast and nimble these cars were. I'd seen and driven the toy RC cars, but these were light years faster and they were racing them! That one moment is what has led me to a 35 year hobby and a 25 year career in the business. The value of doing what we do in plain sight of others that have never seen it, is under-rated. It's paramount to the success of our hobby.
• Partner with popular full-scale events - This is what got me started in RC, and I don't think enough attention is paid to where the races are held. Typically our races are held in a remote location, hidden from the view of anyone that might otherwise be as fascinated as I was many years ago. This would mean going from a permanent and probably more suitable permanent facility to a temporary one. I recall attending the '91 IFMAR 1/8 Fuel On-Road Worlds in Austin, TX, and the track was basically in a parking lot. It wasn't at the center of town where it could be seen, but nobody had a problem with the location. If we could just get that in the middle of a busy area, filled with people that are pre-disposed to liking this type of thing, then I think we'd attract a lot more newcomers. for on-road races, perhaps we go to an auto show, or the Petite leMans, maybe Mid Ohio, Limerock Park, Holmstead or Indy. There are many locations where people would be blown away to see what these cars can do. For off-road, I've already talked to a friend of mine who's involved in the SuperCross series. I asked him if it would be possible to set-up a track using the same dirt as they use for the SuperCross track, just outside the pits for the motorcycle races. I think most SuperCross fans would like to see the buggies and truggies flying. We could even look into a short course race. In either case, we could arrange the schedule so the finals happen just before the start of the host event. That way, Incoming spectators would be able to see a battle of the best drivers in the country, and perhaps when the final is over, the racers could get admission to the host event. It would take a lot of work, willing minds, and able volunteers, but it could happen and I'm certain that it would do well to promote RC Racing.
• Member benefits – I'd like to invite manufacturers, distributors and dealers, to work with ROAR to create a system of incentives that I believe would help grow membership and it would be a win/win for everyone. I'd like to talk to some of the larger retail affiliates and see if we can work out an additional 5 to 10 percent discount for ROAR members. This would help members by saving them a little extra money, and the retailer would hopefully benefit from adding a few thousand customers, which would improve their bottom line and they'd be supporting ROAR at the same time. It has to make sense for the people offering to partner in this regard or it won't happen, so who knows what the outcome will be. The only thing I know is what the outcome will be if we never have the discussion. It's going to require some discussion, but I think this will have a positive effect on membership from within the RC community and it will create stronger bonds between ROAR, retailers and customers/racers.
• More visibility – I've already talked with Brandon at LiveRC and we're both of the mind that we want to work together and be sure that we broadcast as many National events on LiveRC as possible. Perhaps we could even work something out in the aforementioned paragraph where ROAR members get a membership upgrade, or something else of value, so we can encourage more people to participate in the events that aren't able to attend.
• Promotion through hobby shops – The video shot at the races for LiveRC could also be re-purposed and burned on to a DVD that we can send to hobby shops. There are many that have video monitors in the shops as part of their marketing, and I think footage from a variety of National competitions would be very compelling and exciting for their customers. We could brand it with ROAR and LiveRC, and run commercials promoting RC racing and the benefits of ROAR membership. We might even get some manufacturers to sponsor the DVDs as a way to offset the cost.
• Promote through product sales – we can negotiate with manufacturers to include promotional material that can be included in box with some of the more popular racing vehicles, or even with RTRs. This could introduce organized racing to people that might not have otherwise ever known about it, and point to some of the membership benefits that would result from their membership.
• Rich content on the ROAR Website – This is up my alley, having been part of the media for so many years. We can post articles and videos filled with useful information on the ROAR website. This would help to answer many of the typical questions a new racer may have before attending their first event, and perhaps some expert advice on the procedures of a typical race, so they'll come prepared and more confident. It can be intimidating for a new racer to visit the track, and the more knowledge they can gain via the website, the less stressful their first visit to the track. We can also include other content, such as how to tune an engine, gear a motor, charge a battery, etc., etc. Anything that will be helpful in their pursuit to join organized racing.
• Mentor program – I would like to see experienced racers or mechanics make themselves available at the track, so they can help a newcomer to become more comfortable with all the new challenges they will face as they learn the racing side of the hobby. It can be overwhelming to a first timer, and the guidance of a good-natured racer to show them the ropes and help them with any one of the various issues that may arise, would be of great value to encouraging new racers. Perhaps we can provide them free membership or admission to the nationals of their choice with verification from someone that's helped them become a member of the local racing scene. The devil is in the details, but I like the concept of experienced racers helping newcomers, rather than yelling at them to get out of the way.
• Create more entry-level, cost controlled classes – these are the lifeblood of RC racing. As racers, we tend to forget how intimidating it can be to visit a race track for the first time, only to realize that your car doesn't run ANYTHING like those things on the track. We tend to push rules to allow bigger, faster, better and more costly hardware in the pursuit of victory. I'm one of those people. But, I recognize that my personal desires aren't always the best idea for the wider market. It's not healthy for every new class to be attacked by racers that just want to go fast with a new style of vehicle. ROAR is full of go-fast classes that are almost unlimited in the amount of time, horsepower and money one can dump into their machine. We need to capture a few classes that got started as an inexpensive alternative, and KEEP THEM THERE. 2WD and 4WD short course could have been a perfect candidate for that in the off-road, but I feel we've allowed too much power, technology and expense to creep into those classes, and they went from a great entry-level class that's inexpensive and readily available, to just another racing class, almost overnight. 1/10 nitro and electric sedans were the same thing. Both came from humble beginnings as an alternative to costly and technical racing, but as soon as they caught the eye of some hardcore racers, they went from selling millions per year to selling in the very low thousands.
We ALL have to recognize the need to attract new people, and it starts with not wanting to dominate every class with the biggest wallets. I'm a big advocate for having classes that will allow newcomers to get their feet underneath them without a fully modified version of their car blowing past them at triple the speed.
Anyhow, I have a lot of ideas that I've refined over the years in the media, because we always had that thread in common – how to get more people involved. It has to start with all of us racers realizing that we need to encourage newcomers as much as possible, and reward those that help people to become involved. The more experienced people we have that are helping newcomers to achieve success, the more RC racing grows. It's one of the most unique a rewarding hobbies in the world. It's fun, you learn things in days by doing that take engineers years to conquer, and it gets you and your kids outside and out from behind this damn computer screen. I'm outa here! LOL
PS, I would certainly encourage anyone with a well-thought out plan to post it or send it to me. I'm very open-minded about how we can go about making RC even better and more popular. I've always said that it's the best kept secret in the world, and I'll be the last one to say that I've got all the ideas. There are a lot of smart and skilled people that could help in this pursuit. I'd rather talk about how we can get things done, rather than the obstacles.
• Location of events – One thing that has always stuck with me is how I was introduced to the RC hobby. I was visiting my Grandparents in NYC, and my father took me to the New York Auto Show afterward at Madison Square Garden. This was some time in the middle 70's. On the second or third floor was a lot of noise from a PA and lots of people gathered around a fence. It was a 1/12-scale race before the days of rechargeable batteries. I must have sat there for four hours, FASCINATED by how fast and nimble these cars were. I'd seen and driven the toy RC cars, but these were light years faster and they were racing them! That one moment is what has led me to a 35 year hobby and a 25 year career in the business. The value of doing what we do in plain sight of others that have never seen it, is under-rated. It's paramount to the success of our hobby.
• Partner with popular full-scale events - This is what got me started in RC, and I don't think enough attention is paid to where the races are held. Typically our races are held in a remote location, hidden from the view of anyone that might otherwise be as fascinated as I was many years ago. This would mean going from a permanent and probably more suitable permanent facility to a temporary one. I recall attending the '91 IFMAR 1/8 Fuel On-Road Worlds in Austin, TX, and the track was basically in a parking lot. It wasn't at the center of town where it could be seen, but nobody had a problem with the location. If we could just get that in the middle of a busy area, filled with people that are pre-disposed to liking this type of thing, then I think we'd attract a lot more newcomers. for on-road races, perhaps we go to an auto show, or the Petite leMans, maybe Mid Ohio, Limerock Park, Holmstead or Indy. There are many locations where people would be blown away to see what these cars can do. For off-road, I've already talked to a friend of mine who's involved in the SuperCross series. I asked him if it would be possible to set-up a track using the same dirt as they use for the SuperCross track, just outside the pits for the motorcycle races. I think most SuperCross fans would like to see the buggies and truggies flying. We could even look into a short course race. In either case, we could arrange the schedule so the finals happen just before the start of the host event. That way, Incoming spectators would be able to see a battle of the best drivers in the country, and perhaps when the final is over, the racers could get admission to the host event. It would take a lot of work, willing minds, and able volunteers, but it could happen and I'm certain that it would do well to promote RC Racing.
• Member benefits – I'd like to invite manufacturers, distributors and dealers, to work with ROAR to create a system of incentives that I believe would help grow membership and it would be a win/win for everyone. I'd like to talk to some of the larger retail affiliates and see if we can work out an additional 5 to 10 percent discount for ROAR members. This would help members by saving them a little extra money, and the retailer would hopefully benefit from adding a few thousand customers, which would improve their bottom line and they'd be supporting ROAR at the same time. It has to make sense for the people offering to partner in this regard or it won't happen, so who knows what the outcome will be. The only thing I know is what the outcome will be if we never have the discussion. It's going to require some discussion, but I think this will have a positive effect on membership from within the RC community and it will create stronger bonds between ROAR, retailers and customers/racers.
• More visibility – I've already talked with Brandon at LiveRC and we're both of the mind that we want to work together and be sure that we broadcast as many National events on LiveRC as possible. Perhaps we could even work something out in the aforementioned paragraph where ROAR members get a membership upgrade, or something else of value, so we can encourage more people to participate in the events that aren't able to attend.
• Promotion through hobby shops – The video shot at the races for LiveRC could also be re-purposed and burned on to a DVD that we can send to hobby shops. There are many that have video monitors in the shops as part of their marketing, and I think footage from a variety of National competitions would be very compelling and exciting for their customers. We could brand it with ROAR and LiveRC, and run commercials promoting RC racing and the benefits of ROAR membership. We might even get some manufacturers to sponsor the DVDs as a way to offset the cost.
• Promote through product sales – we can negotiate with manufacturers to include promotional material that can be included in box with some of the more popular racing vehicles, or even with RTRs. This could introduce organized racing to people that might not have otherwise ever known about it, and point to some of the membership benefits that would result from their membership.
• Rich content on the ROAR Website – This is up my alley, having been part of the media for so many years. We can post articles and videos filled with useful information on the ROAR website. This would help to answer many of the typical questions a new racer may have before attending their first event, and perhaps some expert advice on the procedures of a typical race, so they'll come prepared and more confident. It can be intimidating for a new racer to visit the track, and the more knowledge they can gain via the website, the less stressful their first visit to the track. We can also include other content, such as how to tune an engine, gear a motor, charge a battery, etc., etc. Anything that will be helpful in their pursuit to join organized racing.
• Mentor program – I would like to see experienced racers or mechanics make themselves available at the track, so they can help a newcomer to become more comfortable with all the new challenges they will face as they learn the racing side of the hobby. It can be overwhelming to a first timer, and the guidance of a good-natured racer to show them the ropes and help them with any one of the various issues that may arise, would be of great value to encouraging new racers. Perhaps we can provide them free membership or admission to the nationals of their choice with verification from someone that's helped them become a member of the local racing scene. The devil is in the details, but I like the concept of experienced racers helping newcomers, rather than yelling at them to get out of the way.
• Create more entry-level, cost controlled classes – these are the lifeblood of RC racing. As racers, we tend to forget how intimidating it can be to visit a race track for the first time, only to realize that your car doesn't run ANYTHING like those things on the track. We tend to push rules to allow bigger, faster, better and more costly hardware in the pursuit of victory. I'm one of those people. But, I recognize that my personal desires aren't always the best idea for the wider market. It's not healthy for every new class to be attacked by racers that just want to go fast with a new style of vehicle. ROAR is full of go-fast classes that are almost unlimited in the amount of time, horsepower and money one can dump into their machine. We need to capture a few classes that got started as an inexpensive alternative, and KEEP THEM THERE. 2WD and 4WD short course could have been a perfect candidate for that in the off-road, but I feel we've allowed too much power, technology and expense to creep into those classes, and they went from a great entry-level class that's inexpensive and readily available, to just another racing class, almost overnight. 1/10 nitro and electric sedans were the same thing. Both came from humble beginnings as an alternative to costly and technical racing, but as soon as they caught the eye of some hardcore racers, they went from selling millions per year to selling in the very low thousands.
We ALL have to recognize the need to attract new people, and it starts with not wanting to dominate every class with the biggest wallets. I'm a big advocate for having classes that will allow newcomers to get their feet underneath them without a fully modified version of their car blowing past them at triple the speed.
Anyhow, I have a lot of ideas that I've refined over the years in the media, because we always had that thread in common – how to get more people involved. It has to start with all of us racers realizing that we need to encourage newcomers as much as possible, and reward those that help people to become involved. The more experienced people we have that are helping newcomers to achieve success, the more RC racing grows. It's one of the most unique a rewarding hobbies in the world. It's fun, you learn things in days by doing that take engineers years to conquer, and it gets you and your kids outside and out from behind this damn computer screen. I'm outa here! LOL
PS, I would certainly encourage anyone with a well-thought out plan to post it or send it to me. I'm very open-minded about how we can go about making RC even better and more popular. I've always said that it's the best kept secret in the world, and I'll be the last one to say that I've got all the ideas. There are a lot of smart and skilled people that could help in this pursuit. I'd rather talk about how we can get things done, rather than the obstacles.
10-09-2010, 06:31 AM
#139
I see lots of great ideas and lots of talk about how things should change, but not one person has mentioned the most important thing to me. Make yourself accessible to the racers! Dawn Sanchez has been wonderful in this regards. I know if I have an issue or a questions I can pick up the phone and call her cell phone and she will answer. I can send her an email and in a matter of hours I have a reply. To me all the other stuff is nice, but knowing I can get answers quickly is VERY important to me.
I say this with reason, we recently got a new regional director in ROAR Region 5, I have called and sent emails numerous times trying to get questions answered and in one case we wanted to host a ROAR event and the new director simply WILL NOT RESPOND! So we blew him off and said screw ROAR guess they don't want to be part of our race. So as I said, a person with good ideas is great as long as we can get someone who is also willing to be available to the racers.
I say this with reason, we recently got a new regional director in ROAR Region 5, I have called and sent emails numerous times trying to get questions answered and in one case we wanted to host a ROAR event and the new director simply WILL NOT RESPOND! So we blew him off and said screw ROAR guess they don't want to be part of our race. So as I said, a person with good ideas is great as long as we can get someone who is also willing to be available to the racers.
10-09-2010, 11:01 AM
#140
Revo, thanks for the information. Your point is one that should go without saying. I can't speak for everyone else, but I will certainly make myself available as much as time allows. I'm already in the process of setting up a forum on the ROAR website to which all ROAR members will have access.
Of particular concern in your situation is, this is ROAR's primary function. As a sanctioning organization, requests to run a ROAR event is one of the first orders of business. So, this should have certainly elicited a response. I can assure you that won't be acceptable, and that I would certainly be available if you're unable to reach your regional rep in similar circumstances. I'll be available for any reason, but most certainly for situations like this.
Of particular concern in your situation is, this is ROAR's primary function. As a sanctioning organization, requests to run a ROAR event is one of the first orders of business. So, this should have certainly elicited a response. I can assure you that won't be acceptable, and that I would certainly be available if you're unable to reach your regional rep in similar circumstances. I'll be available for any reason, but most certainly for situations like this.
10-18-2010, 07:06 AM
#142
Hi Rich Taylor, I've never heard your name before . You were Region 12 director ? How do you feel that you can be the head representative of an organization when you can't even be bothered to represent your region at TWO nationals that were held in your region this year ?
10-18-2010, 02:37 PM
#144
Tech Elite
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Join Date: Sep 2001
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Revo, thanks for the information. Your point is one that should go without saying. I can't speak for everyone else, but I will certainly make myself available as much as time allows. I'm already in the process of setting up a forum on the ROAR website to which all ROAR members will have access.
Of particular concern in your situation is, this is ROAR's primary function. As a sanctioning organization, requests to run a ROAR event is one of the first orders of business. So, this should have certainly elicited a response. I can assure you that won't be acceptable, and that I would certainly be available if you're unable to reach your regional rep in similar circumstances. I'll be available for any reason, but most certainly for situations like this.
Of particular concern in your situation is, this is ROAR's primary function. As a sanctioning organization, requests to run a ROAR event is one of the first orders of business. So, this should have certainly elicited a response. I can assure you that won't be acceptable, and that I would certainly be available if you're unable to reach your regional rep in similar circumstances. I'll be available for any reason, but most certainly for situations like this.
Steve would have my vote!
10-18-2010, 06:17 PM
#145
Found this on SGrid today, from the three canidates. Intresting
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Podcasts/
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Podcasts/
10-19-2010, 10:08 AM
#146
Found this on SGrid today, from the three canidates. Intresting
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Podcasts/
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Podcasts/
Interesting.........made me even more sure of who I voted for
I came back to racing in 2006 and until the middle of this year I was not aware of any ROAR region 12 OFF ROAD races? What did Rich Taylor do for the last 4 years as Region 12 director besides have ON ROAD races? Not to mention that there was only a months notice that the race was being held so not a lot of people were able to make it or that it was on the weekend of a big Nitro race so there wasn't a lot of support from factory drivers. He may have done a GREAT job at taking care of the on road racers because I found evidence of quite a few on road regionals in various classes at several tracks throughout the region, but off road seems to have been the stepchild left alone in the corner. We need a President that's well rounded in ALL aspects of racing who is not heavily weighted to one type and is willing to put effort into ALL racing be it off road or on road. Just my .02
STEVE POND FOR PRESIDENT! He's been involved with the industry for 25+ years and has raced/built/played with every type of RC class. He doesnt run just on road or off road races. He has experience with the manufacturing side, the advertising side and the technical side of RC. He is well versed in every aspect of RC and has "seen it all" through the years. No other candidate has the long term experience that Steve Pond does.
Last edited by hopsing; 10-19-2010 at 12:20 PM.
11-01-2010, 10:31 AM
#148
11-01-2010, 10:38 AM
#150
Congratulations to all winners!
2010 ELECTION RESULTS
300 valid votes cast out of 3665 members ( 8.2 % of membership) This is SAD! only 8.2% voted!
Not counted were 15 ballots of non-members and memberships expired plus two
duplicate ballots. (on-line and mail)
President Votes
Steve Pond 159
David Larry 106
Rich Taylor 28
Write Ins 2
Region 2
Steve Mruk 7
Write Ins 0
Region 4
David Larry 43
Leon McIntosh 31
Write ins 1
Region 6
Ed Hill 5
Write ins 0
Region 8
Mark Zitzlsperger 6
Write ins 2
Region 10
Write In – DJ Clark 3
Write in Other (Various) 4
Region 12
Jimmy Wright 43
Robert Rodriguwz 40
Rich Taylor 16
Danny Alvarado 7
Write ins 0
300 valid votes cast out of 3665 members ( 8.2 % of membership) This is SAD! only 8.2% voted!
Not counted were 15 ballots of non-members and memberships expired plus two
duplicate ballots. (on-line and mail)
President Votes
Steve Pond 159
David Larry 106
Rich Taylor 28
Write Ins 2
Region 2
Steve Mruk 7
Write Ins 0
Region 4
David Larry 43
Leon McIntosh 31
Write ins 1
Region 6
Ed Hill 5
Write ins 0
Region 8
Mark Zitzlsperger 6
Write ins 2
Region 10
Write In – DJ Clark 3
Write in Other (Various) 4
Region 12
Jimmy Wright 43
Robert Rodriguwz 40
Rich Taylor 16
Danny Alvarado 7
Write ins 0