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Re: MALIBU RIDE AND TRAIL INCIDENT



Sandy wrote:
>
> Consider the following scenario: 
>
> Rider with juniors on tow run a biker off the trail, biker is injured, 
> complains to the NPS who in turn not only will refuse to allow the ride 
> again, but partners with the injured rider in filing charges against ride 
> management for damages. Since this behavior is well known and in this 
> scenario, witnessed by another HORSEman (woman), it is pretty much open and 
> shut - no more ride, and charges upheld. Well, people, this incident on 
> Saturday put us HALF WAY there - if not 3/4 of the way. We don't know that 
> this woman won't complain or file charges. We don't know that the Malibu
Ride
>
> will be allowed next year - Karyne has a heck of a time getting it done
as it
>
> is. It is imperative that endurance riders - and RC - consider seriously
and 
> address this issue before we begin to lose trails and rides because of it. 


A lot of people have a pretty intense competitive spirit and, as one friend
told me, if you have that kind of personality, it's real hard to not get
caught
up in it once you're actually out on the trail.  The greatest majority of the
riders, however, will let common sense have an active role in their riding
when
these urges emerge...the sad part is that there are a few who don't seem to
have *any* common sense in this area!  I hear a fair amount of complaining and
a lot of concern that this type of behavior is going to ruin endurance riding
in various parts of the country -- and this is probably fairly accurate.  So
what should be done?

If you have a "competition", people are going to be competitive and if
anywhere
in the nomenclature it's termed a "race", people are going to race.  In the
situation such as was described, it's difficult for a lot of folks to approach
the perpetrator since it's not a terribly cut and dried situation, especially
since cautionary remarks from witnesses are often ignored and it's a
problem of
one person's word against another.  If you go to the RM, it's "ratting" on
someone in a small community, and then the RM has the dilemma of having to DQ
someone for an incident that may be up for personal interpretation and not
witnessed by the RM...and so on.  I know that "shunning" that individual has
been mentioned in the past, but that also doesn't seem to have slowed the
emergence of this kind of behavior.  It would be like the other
solutions...something that may or may not be able to be done and not *after*
the incident has occurred.  

In regards to LD (and I believe that this distance is the one with the most
complaints in this area) -- as long as there are placings, Top Tens, published
times, orders of finishers, and prizes awarded accordingly (in other words, if
it has all the earmarks of a "race"), there are those individuals who will
race.  Apparently the instituted "pulse criteria for completion time" isn't
enough to slow these people down.  At this distance, these individuals see the
"race" as having only *speed* as a component...*strategy* has yet to enter the
picture since the distance isn't long enough yet for this to be foremost in
their thinking. 

I whole heartedly agree with the RMs who only list LDs as completed and in
alphabetical order...and times should not be mentioned (other than "finished
within allotted time" or "overtime".)  I don't know how one would assess Best
Condition...or even if this is necessary for that distance (altho it's good to
impress on newbies the importance of this goal.)  If we don't want LDers to
race, we have to stop treating it as if it *is* one.  (If it looks like a
duck...<g>)  

The other option would be to institute a minimum time, but I'm not real sure
how I feel about that yet -- I've heard pros and cons on that step.  From the
sounds of it, if something isn't done pretty soon, we're in danger of losing
rides altogether.  I also feel that whatever is decided on as the next step
should be across the board -- effective for all rides as a standard of that
distance.

Sue



  



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