THSCC Forums

Busted? No, my only point was to show that what you pointed out wasn't representative of the entire year.

I'd really like to see you give this a fair chance and give the current Novices a chance to provide feedback, since they are the ones that this program is tailored to.

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In need of car.

this discusion breaks down to two subjects as i see it:

first are we hurting the progress of novices with a year long class?

second are we hurting retention rate with a year long novice class?

yes and no to both as i see it. strong arguments against a noob with a car new to them on race tires. heard the explanation @ rockingham and understood it. does it apply to everyone? probably not. are the guys running at the top of noob class going to jump into open and whip up on some people? that is why we come back every year i would guess.

are we hurting retention? as intimidating as my first event or two were, sensory overload abounds, what kept me in it was first i got the bug, i actually got it last seaon as an observer at sanford. you either want to take the lumps or you want to dish the lumps. and the question is how well do you exist in the balance of those two. to truly appreciate a win i beleive you have had to lost a few times first.

am on page 12 yet? 3 days i been saying it. keep nov a season long class. tweak to attract new membership but keep it. steve.

alright another way to look at this.

let's say i joined THSCC and competed under the old system. one win or three and out. and lets say that after one win etc. participants were required to paint part of their car purple. ok, i say to myself, i like this so far and these are the rules. so off i go into the balance of the season.

painful? if you decide after a few events you really don't like pur;le, well there you are. do i really want to do this anymore?

it ain't been that painful so far this season, nainly because nobody is telling me where, when or how i need to be me.

on a side note i am taking opinions on whether i should paint the front fascia of the beemer and what color to paint it. steve (NOV 3)

WOW! Thanks Kevin. I've been struggling on what and how I wanted to reply with my feedback. Your post expressed my feelings perfectly. I have learned so much this year from so many people within the club. I joined the club last Oct, started attending the monthly mtgs (socializing) and going to the weekly lunches (socializing), helping with projects such as the bus (socializing), and even at autox events (when I'm not working on the PA system or working the course) I walk from worker station to worker station to talk to people (socializing) and watch to see how other drivers are going through the course.

In all honesty, I'm here to:
1-have fun,
2- always learn and improve my skills,
3-compete against other drivers,
and 4-SOCIALIZE (there's a theme buried in here!!)

I consistantly ask people in the club for help (e.g., let me ride with you, let me walk the course with you to understand how you analyze it, ride with me and give me feedback, etc).

If a person is not willing to ask for help, I truly believe that their journey to becoming a good/great autox driver is going to take much longer and be much more frustrating. I prefer the quickest route and that's why I'm always asking for help!! I owe many many many thanks to all of the THSCC members that have helped me during my first season as a Novice. I've enjoyed the Novice program and Novice school. I support it going forward and plan to help with the program in any way I can.

It's unbelievable the wealth of information that is available from the people in this club and the beauty of it is that it's free! All you have to do is just ASK FOR HELP!!!

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Rob Harvey
919-697-5485
1997 BMW M3
1992 Acura Integra (Simon)

EGADS, I looked at this thread when it was about 2 or 3 pages and then have been so busy at work that I haven't read the forum in 3 days and now it is 12 pages
I don't want to get into the yearlong Novice Class discussion at this point and its merits or not. That is a good topic to discuss and get input as to whether it is the best way to class Novices next year or not so a decision can be made for next year.

I can speak to the Novice Mentor program.

As Novice Mentors Graham and my goal is to try and match up mentors and novices as soon as possible. As events have gone on we are trying to get more organized and programatic about this and are trying to get to a point where it is not a mad scramble to mate people at the event. One step was that prior to the last event, letters were sent to club members asking if they would like to be mentors for the next event. I got 2 positive responses and about 5 (including Dustin twice ) who said they could not do it for this event (Danville). The rest were no response at all. With 3 confirmed mentors it just did not seem worth my time or Graham's to do a whole lot of statistical analysis on which Novices needed more help. I can count to 3.

Our eventual goal is to be able to email Novice mentors and Novices who have signed up for an event ahead of time so that they know what they are doing ahead of the last minute. This is not possible, however, if the club membership is not interested in being part of the program. That is OK, it is a valid decision. My experience from the feedback I have received from the Novices who have taken advantage of the mentors is that they got a lot out of the advice and appreciated it. It is also a lot less intimidating to have someone that they know they can ask questions to and not be bothering them. I know that when I joined, I knew no one in the club and was reluctant to ask for help.

If the novice mentors are deemed valuable and SUPPORTED by club membership, then constructive suggestions are appreciated. George's suggestion of buttons has merit (well, at least the front side ). We will certainly listen to ideas for improvement of the program.

Just my $.02

You mean that's part of the autocross program now? Wow!

Diane ~ who thinks Rob has a good point about participation from the mentor side, but also thinks that comment is hysterical.

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

That is pretty funny sounding.

One simple idea would be for the more experienced drivers to put a star by their name during the worker assignment sign-in. This way we could offer a buddy system for first timers to be paired up with people with the stars.

The newcomer could be paired up with the "vet" during their two morning runs, maybe just doing one ride along in each car and then they could be stationed with that person and be coached on what to do while working. After lunch, they're on their own.

There are only two compexities:

1. The pair would have to be in the same run group (i.e. Nov with stock class driver)
2. They'd both have to work in the morning run group to make it a half day thing. Most people wouldn't want to be having passengers during their afternoon runs, although it wouldn't have hurt me a bit at Danville because I couldn't buy a clean run!

I think it's critical that all first-timers get an opportunity to ride with a veteran driver just to see and feel the potential for a quick, smooth run. At my first event three seasons ago (the Sanford event with the radar in the slalom) I rode along with Shawn and immediately learned that all of the steering inputs I'd been doing that day were way to abrupt and made a few changes at the last Rocky Mount race. Fortunately for me he offered, but most newbies wouldn't ask to ride with any experienced riders.

I wouldn't mind helping out a novice or two in the future. If you want newcomers to return, you have to make them feel welcomed.

It doesn't seem that long ago when I was at my first event and didn't know a soul. When the first car took off, I though, what the hell have I gotten myself into? I just showed up and my Hype R and I got destroyed but it was a blast!

I was not an "official" novice mentor at Danville, but I did help PJ a little and a guy named Mike with an older Impreza a lot. Even helped him pump up his extremely under-inflated tires. I know a lot of people think they're too busy to be able to help a novice out, but it's a lot of fun talking to them & answering questions, seeing them get faster & "scaring them goofy" during their ride-along with you. I think I got another rallycrosser recruited with this one, too. I usually tend to be pretty busy taking pictures or whatever, but anybody who wants a ride can just come see me before I get ready to leave the grid. (just don't try to jump in while I'm in the short line waiting to run unless I already know you're on the way - I don't like surprises at that point)

** Keeps this in mind for the Subaru Allstar Challenge this year **



- brian

Yes Diane we are

We decided that just running around cones wasn't enough. The officers told us to increase Novice retention and they didn't care how. So we used the old sales tactic that works everywhere else

You picked the wrong time to move...

Btw, I hope it is not as hot as he11 up there. I'll be in Milford all week and would like to cool down a bit...

Graham

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http://www.greywinds.com

Milford, MA or NH?

You are in luck. Tomorrow it cools down to a high of 75, and the 10 day forecast has the highest high being 83.

Since I have no AC in my house.

Of course now that it's finally cooling down, I'm headed to Philly tomorrow evening to help Jason's sister move from there to Chicago over the weekend.

I'll PM you my ph# in case you need anything while you're up here. One never knows what'll come up.

The next auto-x is Aug 13th, so no luck on an event.

Diane

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

Well, one of our activities we list that THSCC does is social so I figured that would be the social part.

Milford, MA. Right down the road from you if you're still in 'Woosta'.

I can live with those temps.

I figured there would be no such luck that I would hit an autox weekend or I would come up early. Got the PM. Will give you a shout and see if we can get together while I'm up there.

Graham

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http://www.greywinds.com

Actually to sort of bring this back on topic...

We do have a solo board meeting Thursday night next week (8/4 7:30PM in Woosta)... I can find out if Eddie is going to make it (he's the Novice Chief) if you want to find out from the guy who coordinates it all up here the specifics of how this program works.

Just a thought.

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

As a Novice that has attended both schools (novice and Chicks) and attended four Autocrosses. I can firmly state that I have never finished any where near the top of the rankings. I go to learn and to enjoy the thrill of trying to go faster. I do not run against other people’s times as much as I run against my own. I am very grateful for all the help that is offered, but at the same time I am embarrassed by my lack of ability. It is hard for me to let someone see how bad I really am and it does keep me from asking for help. It is silly I know and I now feel differently. I know now that the mentors do not judge nor do they laugh at me. They have been kind and very supportive. I am trying to take the suggestions given to me and put them in to action.

The Novice class has also helped me make friends and that I am not alone in trying to understand all the nuances of Autocrossing.

In the future I am going to asking for more help and to let the mentors know how much I appreciate them.

Many thanks, to the officers and the mentors for doing so much to make things better for the Novice.

I am sorry that after all you’re hard work the only thing you get is flack.