Marshalling - Is it right that we insist?

[Andrew G]

So to summarise a couple of the recent points it sounds to me like "Sod it I don't care, let's just keep having the same people have to do the work and we can have a jolly CR and ignore everything else".

What if the Club Run Captain and VCs decided they didn't want to continue to volunteer and give up their time for a CR?

As I pointed out a CR is an organised club activity the same as one of our race promotions, I'm trying to unify not divide. Why should it all be take and no give, and there's precious little that is asked to be given.

How many people know about the rule? It is in the club rules (which every member is sent by Phil) and everyone signs up to adhere to them when they join the club, it's your responsibility to read something and agree to it when signing up to it. They are also stated time and again when people are trying to get some help.

The AGM is open to every member of the club to propose and/or vote on anything they don't like, it gets very few attendees as...people can't be bothered to go.

Why would it so bad to lose some members who don't contribute anything to the running of the club and ignore rules that they signed up to?

"Something's got to be done".
"We need to change the situation"

How about something constructive then rather than just saying that asking people to help out clubmates very occasionally is unrealistic?

[EDIT: Sorry Aodan crossed over with your very good post]

[Paul H]

Great idea Aodan (cant imagine it will be allowed though)

Ill help you out.

Perhaps you could add something about the sportive as well.

[Elliot M]

i agree with all that aodan. i don't like the term "mission statement" but seems getting a (re-)clarification of what the club is for is a very good idea.

just a quick one but a standard way of increasing survey returns is to offer significant incentive, e.g. a raffle all responses for £250+ GB vouchers.

[quote]Why would it so bad to lose some members who don't contribute anything to the running of the club and ignore rules that they signed up to?

[Amy]

Just a little interjection here - thought I'd point out that triathlons (I don't think) come from the same background as cycle races. After all racing on the road was illegal for awhile, hence the reason for volunteer helpers and secret codes for courses. It would be nice to continue the tradition of having willing volunteers come out and help keep cycling races cheap(er).

As far as I'm concerned helping out is all part of a cycling club ethic, and could be seen as a way to get people into riding races and time trials or even just getting people into riding a bike, like family members.

Could those with nasty wives offer to bring the kids out with them and then go off for a day down the seaside? It's not far from Broadbridge Heath. Helmet, check; ditch, check.

PS - I don't think Mr Ingram has a nasty wife - Chloe enjoys coming out! Or was it just the getting up early?

[David.Hilbert]

[quote="Paul H"]
Im playing devils advocate here but I notice that you intend to compete in over 40 races this year and the events you do are cheap because they get free marshals. If you had to pay Triathlon prices who do not have the luxury of free marshals, you would have to pay at least another £1000 a year to race. If you look at it the other way, some could argue you want people who have no interest in cycle racing to give up their valuable time so you can race on the cheap.

I dont know if you can appreciate this, but I know some people with kids and horrible wifes who get so much stick if they spend anytime away from their family. If their only escape is the occaisonal CR then thats alright with me.

[Amy]

It's no good, I'm just gobsmacked over this. It's such a simple - well, I think it is - thing to do and it's putting something back into cycling - and there was me thinking that by having non-racers volunteer we could have more racers out there. And I have absolutely no interest or intention to race - team time trials a rare exception

Personally I don't mind if those racing in ACC colours don't marshal as they're out there raising the profile of the club as a whole - and it says to the rest of the cycling world that not only can the ACC field a decent number of riders but we can back them up!

PS I know I do complicate things by needing a lift to help out at most of the events...

[Elliot M]

[quote]What you're asking is that all the people in the club who have no interest in racing give up their time to enable ACC to put on races .

[Ivor]

[quote]I propose a survey of the current mebership list to see what everybody actually wants to do.

[Jon C C on a Bianchi]

[quote="David.Hilbert"]
What you're asking is that all the people in the club who have no interest in racing give up their time to enable ACC to put on races .
Why not just make it mandatory for people that race , to marshal one or two events a year and just let people on the CR do their thing and not have to marshal? Maybe there are not enough racers for that to work, I don't know.

[Snoop Doug]

...and for goodness sakes - this is NOT about trying to throw anyone out.

We clearly have a lot of different views which is to be expected.

Methinks Aodan's idea (which is v similar to something Kieran suggested a while back apols I never got round to helping him kick it off) has a lot of merit. And as Ivor says it would be a useful bit of comms to boot.

I'm getting bored with using the word...encouragement. I think it's interesting that a lot of this thread has turned out to be about making excuses why folk can't help rather than a larger group of voices saying yup - I'll chat to my club mates about this and encourage them to get involved too. That speaks volumes to me.

[Alan M]

Having skimmed through much of this I can't in honesty see much light being shed the problem, or even if there is a problem. I think there will always be a set of people who to do stuff voluntarily because they want to or feel they ought to. Often the same people feel aggrieved that others don't participate in a similar way. Likewise there will be a group who don't care to participate in these ways who may or may not feel guilty about it - our lives are different and what is a pleasure or even a duty to some is an inconvenience to others. The energy expended in creating and enforcing rules of participation is really not worth it. We can and do publicise some minimum standards to which we hope/expect that others will adhere and we make the right sort of noises to create a climate of dutiful participation. More than this really isn't worth the effort because creates unpleasant feelings and resentments that don't really belong in what is after all a leisure activity. If activities fail to happen because of a lack of support then self evidently we don't care enough about them collectively to prioritise their support. It is sad but true that things that were once held important no longer are. But, if we create a good vibe and stress the enjoyment to be had by membership and participation in its many forms then the pay-off is more members with greater fellow feeling with whom to share the load. Maybe we should revisit the spirit of celebrating what we can and do achieve and stop giving ourselves guilt trips and festering resentments of others.

[Brian Robinson]

Some of this makes depressing reading

I don't get out to cycle much (if any) at the moment because between family and work I personally don't have much time. In fact the closest I get to cycling at the moment is reading the forum and Cycling Weekly. I was hoping I might be inspired to get out for an hour at the weekend but now I am feeling rather uninspired.

I think that there are many reasons why some people can't support the club in terms of marshalling, life is complicated! Sure there may be some people who are perceived to take more than they give but even then it's not always black and white.

I absolutely appreciate that there are people in the club who do a fantastic amount of work and they should be thanked for there time and efforts, they really do a great job. And there is no doubt that the rest of us should try and support where we can. However, I think that beyond good communication and some gentle encouragement it is difficult to take the more aggressive line. If you do then I think the club will suffer significantly as a result. I've always believed in:

"1 volunteer is worth 10 pressed men"

I've done my fair share of marshalling when I was a regular. But if get out on 1 or 2 club runs this summer I want to enjoy the club run and not be worrying about whether I've hit my marshalling annual target!

Brian

[Snoop Doug]

[quote="Alan M"]if we create a good vibe and stress the enjoyment to be had by membership and participation in its many forms then the pay-off is more members with greater fellow feeling with whom to share the load. Maybe we should revisit the spirit of celebrating what we can and do achieve and stop giving ourselves guilt trips and festering resentments of others.

[Andrew G]

I appreciate what you say Paul and that you're playing the devil.

In the rules the marshaling commitment comes in with your second year of membership and there is no expectation upon you to do anything in your first year. My comments may have come across as draconian and weren't intended to be completely that way. I was referring to those who have been members for a number of years without contributing, not just on the basis that someone has been a member for 13 months and not been a marshal.

Re the number of races I do and that I gain from free marshaling, yes I do. However that is spread over a large number of clubs who are promoting the races. A club promotes a race and provides the helpers and everyone can race, mutual benfit for every racer in cycling as your club promotes a couple of races and it gives you a complete calendar of events to attend. It may not be perfect or meet everyone's ideal but it does (and has for a long time) provided a full sporting calendar of hundreds of races covering the entire Country that isn't subject to sponsorship or economic highs and lows.

I also appreciate people have other commitments, whether they be family or something else. As I said earlier though a small handful of hours in an entire year is not a lot.

David - The rules state that racing members cover two duties a year so they are obliged to cover twice as much as non-racing members.
[quote="Amy"]It's no good, I'm just gobsmacked over this. It's such a simple - well, I think it is - thing to do and it's putting something back into cycling