Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

While I haven't run a ride in quite a while - and whining because of 
shirt size was a contributor to that - I can tell you the Tee shirt 
issue is one that takes an inordinate amount of time.

First you don't know the distribution of sizes that are going to show. 
Second even if you did you don't know the distribution of the sizes that 
are going to finish. Given that there are a few tiny hinies that gets 
religion and donates the shirt to her crew - usually a X-large  ;-) .  
If you guess wrong you have a bunch of small and mediums left over and 
not enough larger sizes.

Riders tend not to pre-register and the shirt makers tend to want the 
order finalized a month prior to the ride so unless you close your ride 
entries a month prior you are only still guessing at size and number.

A rider can always wear a size too big - they can't wear a size too 
small so there is incentive to get more large and X-large. Some smalls 
are too small - even for many juniors so some ride managers don't even 
mess with smalls since they would be stuck with them. Most ride managers 
plan to have to have more shirts than they will use just in case and eat 
the extra cost.

On the other hand, riders seem to like Tee shirts more than any other 
completion award. Ball caps would be a lot easier.

All the ride managers I have seen bust their butts to put on a quality 
ride. Most do well to break even financially and that's still with 
eating all the cost of their gas to run around find prizes, marking 
trail, etc and that can mount up at 3 bucks a gallon. The first priority 
is accurately measured and well maked trail and a sufficient number of 
good vets. Everything else is gravy.

I really like rules Megan Davis uses on her ride. She has two rules. The 
first is NO WHINING. The second is if you ever think about whining see 
the first. It makes for a much more pleasant weekend that way. Speaking 
of Megan's ride - I also really like her "hold block" concept.

Cheers,
Truman

Alexa Olney wrote:

> I know that it is upsetting when there aren't any
> shirts in your size at the end of the ride.  But isn't
> the saying to finish is to win.  Having been ride
> managment if your biggest problem is not enough of the
> right sized shirts you are really happy.  Anyone who
> has not done ride management has no room to talk. 
> Shirts have to be order way ahead of time and you
> don't know how many riders you are going to have. 
> Many of the entries, deadline or not, change and
> arrive in the last week.  If someone at the printing
> shop messes up there is no time to fix that seeing
> that ordering is put off to the very last minute which
> is usualy about a month before the ride.  Please thank
> your ride managers don't put them down for trivial
> things like this. It makes them not want to do this
> again because believe me their thoughts after the ride
> usualy include: why did I do this and I'm never dpoing
> this again.
>
> Sincerely,
> Alexa Olney 
>  

>  


--

"Mathematics may be defined as the subject in which we never know what 
we are talking about, nor whether what we are saying is true."  - 
Bertrand Russell




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