Re: [RC] [RC] Scottsdale ride Cancellation - Barbara McCrary
This is not the first time in the history of ride
sanctioning that this problem has arisen. I was once, and for many years,
the sanctioning director of the West region, and it was difficult to spread the
rides far enough apart to please all ride managers. Try as I did, someone
would be angry. It's a tough job, but it's also unfair to set one's own
rides ahead of others to give one's own rides an advantage. 470 miles is a
suitable distance between rides on the same date. In the West, granted
serving a greater population than the SW, we set the distance apart as 150 miles
or a major geographical barrier, such as a mountain range. If you really
want to put on your ride, Rusty, I would go ahead and do it.
There WILL be riders who come to YOUR ride instead of some
other.
That is very, very sad. For a RM/sanctioning director to place a
2-3 week buffer around his rides is a disservice to riders. Here in CT
region, we have a lot of rides, and try to have rides just two weeks
apart if they are in the same general area (such as in Texas - generally just
a few hundred miles apart). We'll often even alternate weekends for
rides in TX and OK, since they, for the *most* part, attract different groups
of riders. That has worked well. Very few RMs in CT region have
felt the need to try and insulate their rides with "no ride" buffers of 2-3
weeks surrounding them...doing so reduces the number of weekends available for
rides, and hurts both riders and RMs...most RMs realize that. Your ride
sounded delightful...I'm sorry to hear that it won't happen this year due to
politics.
I regret to inform
you the Scottsdale ride that was to take place on November 1, 2008 has been
cancelled. Below you will find my email to AERC and a small taste of the
frustrating process I went through in trying very hard to get this ride to
happen again.
Rusty
Without
Prejudice
Dear Mike, Susan
and Kathleen,
I would like to
express my great dissatisfaction with the entire process of sanctioning the
2008 Scottsdale McDowell Mountain Endurance Ride (SMM).
I tried in vain for
two months to confirm several proposed dates for SMM, all of which were
refused because they were within two to three weeks of one of Mr. Eiland's
numerous rides (which appear to take place more or less on a monthly basis
during the southwest ride season). Mr. Eiland's closest ride is some 450
miles from SMM. Are there any other regions that use a 450 mile distance as
a reason for refusing sanctioning for rides that are at least two weeks
apart?
It gets better: I
was approved sanctioning for a date that turned out to be one week before
Marilyn McCoy's ride in Sonoita – a distance of 180 miles from SMM. This
seemed not to be an issue for Messrs Eiland or Taylor, but I chose not to
proceed with that date because of the proximity and out of respect for Ms.
McCoy. I was finally approved sanctioning for SMM for 11/1/08 only after I
made it known that I would start proceedings to protest the sanctioning
procedure.
Now, three weekends
after convention, I have now been notified that Moab Canyons Pioneer, a
first year three-day ride, has been sanctioned for the very same date as
SMM. This ride is 470 miles from mine and was, I assume, approved by Mr.
Eiland as a voting member of the Board of AERC in full knowledge that it is
on the same date as SMM. Should I conclude from this that there are two
different rule structures relating to sanctioning?
To say that I am
frustrated by this process would be an understatement. In fact, I am now
insulted. The most significant outcome of the sanctioning shenanigans is
that the AERC members have just lost a ride – a ride that that attracted
more than 115 riders and 30 volunteers last year.
If the Moab Canyons
Pioneer Ride is indeed to take place on 11/1/08, please be advised that I
have decided to cancel SMM and have notified Judy at the AERC office. I
refuse to participate in such a flawed process that does not serve in the
best interests of the rider membership of this
organization.
Yours,
disillusioned,
Rusty
Toth
M19810
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