[ST] TSRA Rallyes

["Dan Wallander" <triumph99@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

There's been a lot of talk recently about getting rallyes organized on this
list and I am really excited about that.  There is really nothing like
putting together a package of your favorite roads and places and inviting
people from across the country to come and get a taste of what you sample
every riding day.  I would really like to attend an East Coast rally and a
West Coast rally this year.  It does sound like some of you out on the East
Coast are ready for this and I, for one would try to move the world to be
there.

The following explains how you can make this happen:


TSRA Rallyes 2004: Call for Coordinators

New Rules, Same Ol' Fun

Now that the organization has a few rallyes under its belt, we've seen some 
areas where we believe we can improve. First and foremost of those areas
for 
improvement is in the matter of selecting the rallye locations. In the
past, 
we've selected rallye locations by gathering a list of recommended places
to 
ride, having a vote, and then trying to find someone in that area who would
be 
willing to act as the coordinator. Sometimes we haven't been able to find a 
local coordinator, and a volunteer or a member of the Board of Directors
had to 
take additional time off from work to scout the area in advance of the
rallye.
To us, that seems a little backwards. The rallye coordinator (RC) is a
vital 
position with a lot of work and responsibility behind it, and the
groundwork 
that the RC does significantly determines how good the actual rallye is.
Most of 
that work is difficult or impossible to do from hundreds or thousands of
miles 
away. We believe that it is critical to first identify a local RC who is
willing 
to put in the time and effort to organize a great rallye.

With that understanding in mind, for 2004,  TSRA members can volunteer to
be 
a rallye coordinator by emailing  <blake@xxxxxxxx>. There will be a few
pre-qualification
 questions that the potential RC needs to answer satisfactorily. Once
that's taken care of, 
we'll post the list of potential rallye sites (most with multiple dates for
you 
to choose from) and have the membership vote. We will be employing a "rank 
order" (or Borda) voting system, where each member ranks each rallye option
in 
order of preference. The rallye option with the highest number of points
will 
win.

We are going to operate under the assumption that there is enough support
for 
both an East coast and a West coast rallye. As such, we will organize
separate 
votes for each. Volunteers need to complete the location screening form,
which 
includes the location and specific possible dates, by February 17th. Voting
will 
start February 24th and end February 28th. This will give rallye
coordinators 
and participants approximately three months to make their plans.
So what's an RC in for? The extended Board of Directors is currently
distilling 
their combined knowledge and experience from coordinating the previous
rallyes 
into an RC Guide that will provide detailed information on planning a
successful 
rallye. Until we've completed that document, though, here's a quick list of
an 
RC's major responsibilities:

  Determine Location. Seems kind of obvious; someplace with twisty roads
and 
  great views, right? Well, there's a little more to it than that. We all
need a 
  place to sleep and safely park our bikes, ideally with a group discount
and a 
  reserved block of rooms. This means that you need to act as the liaison
with 
  the hotel management. The hotel should also have a meeting room for
pre-ride 
  briefings, dinner, and socializing. Restaurants should be close by,
ideally 
  within walking distance. 

  Determine Routes. You'll need to identify routes that will suit riders of 
  various skill and endurance levels, then ride those routes and make sure 
  they're as great as you remember them. (Nothing like finding out your
favorite 
  road has just been freshly chip sealed with thirty of your favorite
motorcycle 
  buddies following you!) Talk with the state and local transportation 
  authorities to make sure the routes won't be subject to maintenance
during the 
  rallye. 

  Coordinate with Local Authorities. Yes, some places (like National Parks) 
  require organized groups to notify the authorities that an organized
group 
  will be making use of their resources. There are even fees associated
with 
  some areas that we'll need to know about in advance. 

  Coordinate with Local Dealers. I'm sure everyone remembers and
appreciates the 
  fantastic service and raffle items we've received from local Triumph
dealers 
  in the past. The RC needs to establish that relationship and ensure that
the 
  dealer feels like a welcome part of our community. 

  Hire the Caterer. Find someone who can show off some of the local cuisine
for 
  us on Saturday night. 

  Marketing. Flyers in the local dealerships and word-of-mouth have brought
us 
  additional rallye participants and new members. Its also a great way to 
  involve local riders whose knowledge of the area can be a great asset. 

There are additional tasks, like t-shirts and AMA event sanctioning, that
the RC 
will need to be aware of, but which the BoD will substantially handle.
So let's get to it?I want to go riding with everyone! Who'll be the first
to 
volunteer?


Organizers and attendees will have to be members of the TSRA.  To that end,
we have resurrected the web site at www.tsra.net.  The membership form is
what you will see there, but we are working on getting more content up
there soon.

So, is anyone game for this?  We are asking for proposals by April 1st. 
The basic proposal needs to have basic answers to the above questions. 
There is a html form that makes this job easier.  If you are interested in
doing this, please contact me and I will send you the form as this list
doesn't support html or attachments.

Dan    dan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dan Wallander
Albuquerque, New Mexico
www.danwallander.com 
Triumph Sprint ST :: BMW R90/6
TSRA-VP, ABC, IBA, AMA,HSTA




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