entrant retention and the case for YLN

JasonWatts · **Posted:** Wed Jan 11, 2012 1:42 pm

jeremy gast wrote:

Wendy has been racing with me as long as I have been with the club 2004 ruffly and UNTIL the chicks school a few years ago she has always felt like an outsider!

Jessie fits into the same boat with a few exceptions. and her attendance has declined for 2 reasons... 1 of them being this.

steve remchak · **Posted:** Wed Jan 11, 2012 1:52 pm

c'mon Rodney. it's January, i'm bored and it is almost a tradition that this discussion be started up again.

YLN has its merits in retention of newbs IMO. it brings people together quicker IMO. it allows a newb to gauge their progress against other newbs.

one and done throws you into open classing. so does anyone have any thoughts on last seasons' one and dones? how many of them returned and ran in open class? how many of them said " i'm gonna get killed in open class, this isn't any fun"

and please kids, i am not anti-AutoX. it's just that you guys are way too sensitive and it is way too easy to get people furiously firing back. :lol:

steve remchak · **Posted:** Wed Jan 11, 2012 1:55 pm

RobLupella wrote:

jeremy gast wrote:

I think as a club as whole we all could work on being nicer and more open to working with "newbs".

While this is always true, I do think we have done a reasonable job of making people feel welcome. Not all the people who keep coming back are placing in the top tier. (Hell look at me, I generally suck but I keep coming back, but it could be cause I have no friends :-(

)

All amateur motorsports (and pro) are facing a decline. (the Lemons/chump is up because of the small numbers of participants).

Steve, sarcasm and drunk posting aside this topic was discussed in the other thread, if you want to keep discussing it :deadhorse:

can you at least stick to one thread

no Rob. you just need to multi task better. besides this post is about YLN.

Steven Carter · **Posted:** Wed Jan 11, 2012 1:57 pm

Ah....OK, so I'm dense. YLN = Year Long Novice? I have no problem with this.

edit: As a follow-on to this and the general idea of Novice Coordinator, could it be proposed that members volunteer to be autoX mentors for novices? We would do ride-alongs, talk them through course walks etc, as an adjunct to the NC coursewalks and advice-giving.

I am not all-knowledgable, but think I could help a couple novices through the season get the basics under their belt. I suppose it should be limited to people who are more than casual about autocrossing (ie attend more than 3-4 events)

anyway, just a thought....

jeremy gast · **Posted:** Wed Jan 11, 2012 1:59 pm

I agree!!!

Steven Carter wrote:

Ah....OK, so I'm dense. YLN = Year Long Novice? I have no problem with this.

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:11 pm

JohnByers wrote:

Personalities play into this as well. When I came to the club I knew 4-5 people. I am the type that "has never met a stranger" and will talk to anyone

.

I agree with John. "Friendly" comes easier if you are in the extrovert category, in which John clearly falls. In my experience extroverts tend to stay together as do the introverts. I know I'm 'not a fan' of shy types, even though they can't help it I suppose. I guess I'm just fortunate to be in the extrovert category allowing me to have met lots of friends (like John) through the club.

Hell, I'm even friends with Remchak though he is still holding a grude because we fired him from our Lemons team. Actually we didn't fire him, but he is on layoff. :wink:

steve remchak · **Posted:** Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:26 pm

Vincent Keene wrote:

JohnByers wrote:

Personalities play into this as well. When I came to the club I knew 4-5 people. I am the type that "has never met a stranger" and will talk to anyone

.

I agree with John. "Friendly" comes easier if you are in the extrovert category, in which John clearly falls. In my experience extroverts tend to stay together as do the introverts. I know I'm 'not a fan' of shy types, even though they can't help it I suppose. I guess I'm just fortunate to be in the extrovert category allowing me to have met lots of friends (like John) through the club.

Hell, I'm even friends with Remchak though he is still holding a grude because we fired him from our Lemons team. Actually we didn't fire him, but he is on layoff. :wink:

it's not nice to mess with a man's seat-time. :lol:

Andrew Jonell · **Joined:** Mon Mar 23, 2009 6:43 pm **Posts:** 1350

My car has always been either underprepped or misprepped for whatever class I run. I really don't care about season points or PAX nonsense. I like to run because it's usually fun to burn a weekend at autocross.

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:36 pm

steve remchak wrote:

it's not nice to mess with a man's seat-time. :lol:

You broke it, so you lost your seat time. Seems fair to me!

Ryan Holton · **Posted:** Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:57 pm

jeremy gast wrote:

The difference of folks talking with you when your driving a mid to low pack car(my 90 corrado) to having a top pack car(ugly miata) is totally different.

Hey, I resemble that :lol:

I didn't have any VW parts to sell or any knowledge of VW's. :lol:

RodneyWright · **Posted:** Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:07 pm

In regard to the “one and done” from a novice perspective, what does it really matter. Not every novice knocks it out of the park their first time out. If they do, then I think they do need to go open class to be pushed, it makes you a better driver. There is no hard and fast rule on having to run open class after a win in novice. As you said Steve, this has been brought up before. I say leave it up to the novice driver whether to stay in novice or go open class.

In reply to your statement of having to run with high waisted pants old farts with fancy cars in open class and away from the hip and terminally cool novice class, you assume every novice is fresh out of the drivers license office. I didn’t start getting into cars until later in life and I joined the club when I was 44. It really didn’t matter to me where I ran because I sucked. Running w/ better drivers and riding w/ better drivers made me better.

THSCC is and always will be a volunteer amateur sports car club. You get out of the club what you put into it. I sincerely hope folks don’t leave because they feel out of place, but it’s just a matter of getting to know members of the club. It’s simply human nature to shy away from folks you don’t know.

I’ve tried to be personable to everyone, but at times you have club issues or driving issues to address that may make you come across as an ass and I’m sure I’m guilty of that. As for noobs, I’ve tried to go out of my way last year to recognize the novice drivers at meetings and trophy sessions in hopes they will return and bring their friends.

Steve Remchak, you are now in charge of finding the great solution that will forever benefit the club in regard to novice retention. Congratulations.

steve remchak · **Posted:** Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:38 pm

you must really want me to quit Rodney.

RodneyWright · **Posted:** Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:56 pm

steve remchak wrote:

you must really want me to quit Rodney.

Lord no.... I offer you a purpose and something to take ownerhip of.

jeremy gast · **Posted:** Wed Jan 11, 2012 4:51 pm

and i bet if you ask his wife he runs away from anything like that.

RodneyWright wrote:

steve remchak wrote:

you must really want me to quit Rodney.

Lord no.... I offer you a purpose and something to take ownerhip of.

RobLupella · **Posted:** Wed Jan 11, 2012 5:04 pm

Steven Carter wrote:

Ah....OK, so I'm dense. YLN = Year Long Novice? I have no problem with this.

edit: As a follow-on to this and the general idea of Novice Coordinator, could it be proposed that members volunteer to be autoX mentors for novices? We would do ride-alongs, talk them through course walks etc, as an adjunct to the NC coursewalks and advice-giving.

I am not all-knowledgable, but think I could help a couple novices through the season get the basics under their belt. I suppose it should be limited to people who are more than casual about autocrossing (ie attend more than 3-4 events)

anyway, just a thought....

Graham and I actually tried that a few years back before he got to be a crotchity track snob ;-)

There are some logistical issues with it, but I think that a list of people that are willing to help by riding with /giving rides to novices is a good idea.

And Steve - yes, I , like Steven missed the YLN is Year long Novice. I thought it was another one of your chain pulling anti AX rants so sorry :oops:

It was just one of your normal drunken stupor rants :-P

BTW I agree that trohying should not kick you out of novice class. Liz and I can discuss both these ideas and see if we can get a way to make them work.

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entrant retention and the case for YLN

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