Ride Development Program

[Susan Evans Garlinghouse <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

> Also, we should have the first two days of National Rider Development
> Program seminars ready for testing.  If there is enough interest, we
> might try to do the presentation the week before the Board Meeting at
> the same hotel.  Do you think we could get 20 to 30 riders from your
> area to attend?
> 
> Ramey


Ramey, just a thought---instead of trying to organize live
presentations, why not produce a series of good-quality
video-tape-and-syllabus-packages that can be obtained by anyone through
AERC?  Seems it wouldn't be difficult to rent the tapes out for a
nominal charge to cover the cost of production and administration, and
provide the syllabus at the cost of xeroxing and shipping.  That way,
any small group (or individual) could get the same quality of
instruction without a) having to get to a scheduled live seminar that
may or may not be feasible to get to, b) you don't lose alot in the
translation by trying to play post office and passing information on
second, third and fourth-hand, which IS what happens in
train-the-trainer format (we've tried this at Cal Poly, and the quality
of information breaks down VERY quickly) and c) the information is going
to be just as available two or three or five years down the road as it
is now---providing a live presentation is fine for someone interested in
it this year, but there are new people coming into the sport every day,
and I can't feasibly see a group of lecturers continually touring the
country.

And if anyone is saying to themselves, "fine, are you volunteering?",
well, sure I am.  Educational videos just aren't that hard to do well. 
Been there, done THAT, too.

Susan Garlinghouse