1,570 Voted!!!

[renegade12@juno.com (Randy H Eiland)]

About 5,000 ballots were sent out and 1,570 ballots were returned!!  30%
voter turnout...Well, that 30% really surprised and disappointed me by
approving the Bylaws Change making 0 to 49 miles Limited Distance.  Joe,
tell me more about CTR..just kidding.

 I hope I am wrong, but a true Pandora box of potential problems may
occur because of this change.  Remember, since it is now a Bylaw , the
only way
we can change it is with another membership vote...not quite as easy as
changing a bad rule.    I am concerned with both ends of this change..the
less
than 25 miles and the more than 35 miles.  Here is why:

Although I have defended the $10.00 non member fee for LD,  in no way did
I
support defining less than 25 miles nor more than 35 miles as a LD ride. 
 This
new Bylaw can dramatically effect the 10 to 15 mile fun rides that some
RM's
need to help the ride event break even or, as is often the case, to be a
charitable
community fund raiser.  The additional fees which will be required could
be a
death knell for these rides.....and the real victim may be our members
who live in
less populated areas and attend small entry endurance rides that die off
because their profit margin has disappeared.  

I have given thought as to ways to circumvent the economic impact of the
new
Bylaw and  I believe that since the $10.00 non member fee is purely a 
policy, not a Bylaw or rule, the Board can further define this policy to
exclude certain distances.  I think the $4.00 rider/drug fee may fall
under similar
exclusion since these fees are a "policy" and not a rule.   Perhaps the
Board can
consider lifting these fees from the newly ordained LD Ride of 15 miles
or less. 

Another ominous possibility is the potential increase in protests that
may arise
over the large percentage of our "50 mile rides" that are actually 48.6
to 49.5
miles - now that they must be labeled LD Rides.  Remember, you don't get
points or regional-national mileage credit on a LD ride.  Already we see
many
riders carrying GPS units and I feel certain someone in the near future
will
dispute/protest the distance, especially if they have the wherewithal and
are
competing for National or Regional Mileage Awards.  Over the years I
can't
count how many really tough rides I entered where the management has
stated
the trail was measured by "wheel and it is actually slightly less than 50
miles". 
The Los Alamos 50 had over 10,000 feet of vertical climb and was known
as one of the toughest ride in the country and it was slightly less than
50 miles in
length..it is a good thing it died out after its 20th year because it
would be a
travesty to call Los Alamos a Limited Distance Ride.  Actually,  many of
the
toughest rides in many different regions are slightly less than 50.  If
you don't
believe this, then you have not ridden enough.   A friend of mine who
used a
GPS this last year has stated that less than 20% of the 1200+ miles he
rode
were 50 miles or longer, and he rode in several different regions.  

 Now that our Bylaws will define a ride of less than 49 miles as a
Limited
Distance  we may be seeing some traumatic events occur.  As an example,
we have seen in the last few years  *emergency trail changes* due to
weather, fire,
flood, etc.   These emergency changes resulted in both longer and shorter
trails
being ridden...now the shorter trail becomes a LD ride by definition
rather than
falling into a 50 mile category!!   Will Ride Management  take Pulse
Criteria of
60 for a completion?  Is there placing or completion only, or no
completions if the
Pulse was not taken at the finish?   What about points?  Will the riders
get mileage only,  as is mandated in LD?  I don't see how we can make a
rule to circumvent this occurrence since the Bylaws take precedent over
rules.  I realize this seems far fetched, but we all know stranger things
have happened.

Randy Eiland

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