tony kic
to answer your question, yes... the board of directors IS the mediation plan. the knowledge, experience, and common goal of the group provide the necessary elements to deal with issues such as this appropriately. more structure to a promoter penalty system would be pointless- the framework OBRA has designed for race promotion is thorough enough that shortfalls such as this are uncommon. as for your final comment, i disagree. from every angle; insurance, equipment, officials, fee structure, and communication, i've experienced nothing but support and helpful feedback (even when i've made mistakes), and it's safe to say that after organizing, co-promoting, and volunteering at over 40 events i have a well formed opinion.
Date: Mon, 8 Oct 2012 10:14:12 -0700
From: rickcjohnson1@gmail.com
To: obra@list.obra.org
CC: bendcycling@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Done Wrong? - CORacing's 1 year OBRA ban
The question I have is this: Does OBRA
have a mediation plan for dealing with promoters when race
standards are not met? Are there steps leading up to the "off with
their head" punishment that help resolve the problems in a
constructive manner or is the only solution punitive?
This is a very key detail not well explained in the story. If OBRA
has such a program and Matt did not make use of opportunities to
develop corrective measures with assistance from OBRA then the ban
could be considered fair. However, in the absence of such
assistive solutions leading up to sanctions I think the ban is
excessively punitive.
Unfortunately it is easy to assume "big city" solutions but the
fact is that Bend is a small and somewhat isolated environment to
put on lower tier races. We don't have a PIR for weekly races. We
don't have an Alpenrose. Even industrial area space is limited.
Therefore every event has to occur somewhere that somebody will
object to. Northwest Crossing is no exception and I can tell you
with certainty that some people that live there have no patience
for putting up with a bike race. It may well be that nothing short
of the Police would have prevented the course incursion incidents
that occurred.
Matt is also up against some tough competition when it comes to
getting volunteers. In fact the disparity created when large
promoters come from out of town to our small community works
directly against Matt - in a manner of speaking they "suck the air
out of the room" when it comes to getting volunteer help. To cite
my own example in previous years I have provided up to 18 hours of
volunteer time to the Cascade Classic alone. When that happens it
directly affects my opportunities to get out for other things I
also care about - such as helping with building and maintaining
local trails or supporting other events. There are many other
people here struggling with the same balance. That is not
something Matt has control over.
The Mission Statement of OBRA says, "The mission of OBRA is to
promote and develop the sport of bicycle racing in Oregon by
providing the tools and resources necessary for competition. OBRA
values safety, participation, sportsmanship, teamwork, camaraderie
and fun."
So, it seems to me that the action here regarding Central Oregon
Racing falls short in several areas of OBRA's mission.
Specifically, driving away from OBRA through sanction one of the
few local promoters willing to take on the regionally specific
challenges does not best serve bicycle racing in Oregon generally.
This action does not promote or develop better bicycle racing. It
also exhibits shortcomings in providing resources and displays a
lack of teamwork that I find disturbing.
--
Rick Johnson
Bend Oregon
* * *
On 10/7/2012 11:04 PM, ottolf91 wrote:
A penny (actually a $50 gift cert comment contest) for
your thoughts...
Do you think the ban was too harsh? How do you think it
impact Central Oregon racers? Does an event having or not
having OBRA's sanction influence your decision to
participate?
Post your comments at the website:
http://www.bikearoundbend.com/2012/10/done-wrong/
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