THSCC Forums

Trying....really.....hard......not....to......say.....something....asshole elitestish

First let me say that I have a great deal of respect for anybody who steps up and does all the extra work that it takes to put on autocross events, no matter what club they belong too. In fact I think it's probably much harder work to run a program in the other clubs because they don't seem to have the large volunteer base that tarheel does.

I know all 4 (oop's actually 5 now) of the NC clubs do a good job most of the time. I also know that Tarheel has run some events that sucked pretty hard.

The fact that we pick on other clubs at meetings is just friendly joking around. I think of it as a similar to a college rivalry, supporters of different teams often pick on each other but it's done in fun and based on the spirit of pride they have in "their" organization.

I agree with Ron Spencer that Tarheel is very lucky in that we have so many people who are willing to help out and take responsibility. Having been in a leadership role in the club for awhile I am often amazed that the willingless of folks to pitch in and help out. I can honestly say that Tarheel has the most involved members of any volunteer organization I've ever been a part of.

We are also lucky that because of all those folks we usually run a damn fine show. Entrants almost always get at least 4 runs and often either 5 runs or a ton of fun runs. I may be an elitist, but I'm proud of the events way we all work together to put on. I also believe that everyone who pitches in to help should also take a great deal of pride in the way our events usually operate.

Having said that we shouldn't go to other clubs events and complain that they aren't as good as THSCC events. Remember all these events are run by volunteers (ie people who don't have to be working right now, but are just so you can have fun).

Now having said all that politically correct stuff, which I do believe, I feel the fact that Tarheel is arrogant or elitist is somehow part of other clubs cultures?? That may be deserved or not? I know there was some "stuff" the happened way back in the day when NCAC was young that led to some bad blood between "us" and "them" and I think that culture has been brought forward till today

Oh and one last thing. Try not to be so sensitive this is supposed to be fun.

ps. I may be guilty of that Subaru comment cause I seem to remember saying something like that, and I was joking at the time.

pps. I'd also like to go ahead on record as saying I predict that something other than a Subaru WRX will win the STX national championship next year.

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OK so I'm back in. Now which tire should I buy??

Members from any club can be perceived as elitist. I remember one Triad event (my first with them I think, in my first year of autocrossing) where I got there early to get my tires changed, etc, specifically so I could lend a hand if they needed anything. When I went up to the then-president to offer, he looked at me and my offer of helping out like I was something he just stepped in.

I don't know whether he was having a particularly difficult morning or what, but it certainly didn't make me want to offer help again.

I also had the thought... "Oh, so this is what the older members of the club are talking about with Triad."

You guys don't realize how lucky you are to actually have this problem. There aren't many clubs up here that do autocrosses, and there seems to be even less crossover between who runs with each club. The 2 I am running with are both SCCA clubs (I gave up on the BMW club at their last event. They had a crossover (figure-8 ) in their course, with multiple cars on course at once. Yeah, we had them change that after a few near hits.) Anyway, the events in these 2 clubs are organized by the same group of 8 people. Be SOOOO thankful that you have 30+ people that help out with different things and that you're not trying to also organize Triad's or CCR's events at the same time. I don't know how these 8 people haven't quit over the years.

Diane ~ doing what she can to help those 8 people out.

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Diane (Hall) Bundas
1992 Spec Miata #48 - 1997 Chevy Tahoe - 2007 Honda Civic Coupe

Yea, that and the fact that Aaron and I are assholes

-Tom

Yeah but all that crap won't do any good if I can't figure out how to drive it.

I'm especially disappointed that Mike Whitney almost hit me with butter shot from a spoon at the last meeting.

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Has no responsibility whatsoever.

Are you disappointed that he missed?

I expect good drivers to have better aim than that, even if they're slapping a spoon on a table target-catapulting the old Land-o-Lakes at an ice cream bowl.

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Has no responsibility whatsoever.

(OK, I'm having one of those "I'm going to be an asshole" ranting bad days so I'm going to apologize in advance. Mike, I'm sorry for venting my frustration on you in particular )



Boo hoo for you. Am I supposed to be some pillar of the club's ethical structure? And am I supposed to feel guilty now for not pacifying you?

My opinion is - I don't have an opinion on how other people in the club act, look, dress, talk, or drive. And I don't speak for the club here.

As for picking on Triad, maybe you haven't heard all of the people on this thread talk about our good-natred rivalry. Crap, I went to University of Michigan and I make fun of the scumbags who graduated from Michigan State all the time. You know what? I married one of them. Good-natured rivalry, get it? (It does help that MSU graduates a goodly percentage of hot women, but I digress)

The Triad officers and I worked hard at the beginning of the year to kick off a site swap, Danville for Sanford. Do you think we really would work that well together if we hated each other? Hogwash!

And about my picking on other people and other clubs - I do it because it's fun and other people think it's funny. I make fun of Triad like I make fun of Rodney Wright's clear corner lamps on his BMW. Funny, get it?
(Now it just so happens that the last Triad event I went to, we got 3 runs timed on a stopwatch. How the hell am I not supposed to make fun of that when we have spent so darned much time and money on our system?)

An edgy, competitive, trash-talking public attitude mixed with generous dosings of hard work and truly helpful personality behind the scenes seems to be what this club is about. That's what I like about it. I get enough PC nonsense at work and elsewhere, it's great to hang out with friends here and not have to worry about what I'm running my mouth about.

If anyone out there needs to have _all_ of their interactions sugar-coated, I suggest you find another sport.

Sorry again for the rant.

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

Mike,

I don't mind you ranting as that is what is great about a board like this.

Quite honestly I was REALLY hoping that you were joking when you wrote that but I was trying to have a serious discussion (see how well that worked after adding some cowbell) and took your comment not with the lighthearted tone in which you intended it.

As a VP, you do set an example in my opinion and others do take note (even if they may not follow it.) Combine that with taking your tongue-in-cheek comment seriously and then you get my disappointment.

Of course you're not the pillar of the club's ethical structure! No one person can be held or looked upon as such although I think that club officers are certainly judged differently than regular club members. (Same thing goes for folks in office, remember the Cliton/Lewinsky scandal and being judged differently sorts of debates?)

That whole stopwatch thing...wow, I can't comment there but that's definitely not good! My only worry is about going too far with it all.

We have already given this more thought then it probably deserves.

So you really are worried about what other people think of us a group? You have way too much time on your hands. Why don't you spend your time worrying about something useful?

Honestly, it's been my experience in life that you will have more luck teaching a pig to ballet dance than you will changing other peoples opinion of you.

The officers and VP's of this club spend a lot of time and effort worrying about how to make this club better and very little worrying about how it makes the other clubs feel.


Too late

Sorry if this sounds harsh but it upsets me when I see people bi%^ing at our club officers over silly stuff that really doesn't matter.

Shawn

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OK so I'm back in. Now which tire should I buy??

I nominate Ron Spencer for President in 2005!!!

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

rant on:

Should one talk during a person's backswing in golf? No.

Should one talk to an autocrosser in grid working on a car? Again no. (see above, there's no mulligans in Solo II)

Should one complain about "illegal" cars on a public forum after an autocross? Again again no.

Should one have a preconceived notion and instead of addressing the individuals at hand post about their experiences *that they admittedly forgot about* on a public forum? What's that spell? N-O.

/rant

Hey, maybe I am an elite asshole ballbreaker, but this sport is all about having a good time, but what comes with that is a competitive attitude because of a desire to perform well. If you want to chat with somebody, do it when they're eating a sandwich, not doing a coursewalk or working when gridded up. You wanted serious responses? There you go.

really /rant

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Has no responsibility whatsoever.

Back to topic. I got curious, for I never saw the skit. For those of you that haven't, here it is: http://mknx.com/v/cowbell.wmv

It's well worth a look. - AB

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'14 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4WD
Super Westerfield Bros - '93 Integra - LeChump Du Jour
STX 93 - Scion FR-S

I wasn't going to reply but I will any way.


When I was active in the club I was put of sevral times by differnt people's attitudes and this was at our own autocross's, I know part of it was my fault as I used to try to hard to get to know people. There seemed to be sevral diffrent groups of "cool people" that did not try real hard to include people in other activities. I have been critized at times for not being more invloved with club activities when I was an active memmeber in autocross's. I tired volunterring for differnt things and when that did not work I took some other people's suggestionsand started doing stuff that I though need to be done that wasn't well apparently I stepped on some peoples toes, and got chastised for doing work that was assinged to others, maybe that was my fault for not asking first, but I was really just trying to help. After I while I got to know people pretty well and people got to know me pretty well, I got to know who I could talk to and who I could not.
I have always enjoyed autocrossing in genral and miss hanging out with everyone, but occsianally someones attittude would rub me the wrong way, and it had nothing to do with trash talk and such.

Of course I have also not been heavially involved since 2001 and I am sure a lot has changed, but when I see post's like Mike it makes me wounder espically when some of the people who's attidutdes rubed me the wrong way are still very active in the club.

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David Teague
2015 Lexus IS 250c
1994 Honda Del Sol HS 39
2009 Dodge Journey R/T
http://teaguefamily.us

I'm not sure if he was working on his car in grid or not; I suppose he was given his response. I suggest you ask Aaron. I apologized for bothering him as I would NEVER knowingly distract someone when it appears as if they are concentrating. I agree on the mulligans; "close" only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and thermo-nuclear weapons.



As I recall I made an inquisition about how something like that was handled because I didn't know and I thought that's what the forum was for. I was immediately and swiftly struck down that I was in the wrong. Lesson learned.



I did address said individual and the only thing I had forgotten were specific words. The experience is far from lost. After mentioning this to another club member, I thought that the whole attitude thing had merit; again from the responses it shows that I am wrong.




Point well made and I agree! But what if they eat salads while in grid and cookies while coursewalking? I'll be all confused.