poor show

Duncan · #1 07-09-2014

So it is a very nice sunday and my son who is nearly five as he like to tell me wants to go racing with me. As he has never raced before i chose a track that was in a field and would not be very busy so there was plenty of room for him to ride his bike if he got board . this track has a gap of 1/2 hour between rounds so i thought this would be a good opportunity to let him have a go when i can help him and not feel rushed. he had a go for ten minuets and had a wail of a time , i then went to book in for my race and i asked if it was ok between rounds that he could do some practice laps. The response was as he does not have a BRCA card NO he can't do any practice laps. This took my head off and i took back my money and left with my son in tears. now i understand this person was probably right but at least i could of been told as you have come all this way have a go but next time please get his membership sorted.
How is the sport going to attract new kids with this attitude.

fletcher · #2 07-09-2014

I understand your point totally. But what if your son hit someone trackside? There's no cover and its the club that is going to get a huge fine. I work in a model shop and if I recommend a customer to start racing I tell them to get a brcs licence before they go as they may not be able to race. Ita not fair to blame these sort of people for making it difficult for new comers. When they are looking out for there club.

Ritchie T · #3 07-09-2014

Aren't you covered for 3 races before you have to join? Or did they do away with that?

mattr · #4 07-09-2014

Driving around between heats = Not racing = Not covered = World of pain for the club if there is an incident involving the nearly 5 year old.

mattr · #5 07-09-2014

TBH I'm not even sure if he'd be allowed to just drive around as a brca member unless he was entered in the event

tdach · #6 07-09-2014

I think I would have done the same. Every club I've been to let's you race for 3 meetings without a license. And encouraging new kids/people into the hobby seems to be a big priority. I assume you weren't planning on leaving him unsupervised, and most transmitters/ esc's can have the throttle settings turned down if the club was concerned about him driving a fast car around.
I understand insurance issue in this time of over-hyped health and safety but surely there's a point of common sense and a safe way for your son to play with what is basically a toy car in between rounds could have been found.
I agree, poor show.

Dazzler · #7 07-09-2014

As I understand it, non BRCA members who have not raced before are allowed to race at an event without joining the BRCA for a maximum of 3 club meetings. So your son should have been fine.. It's a shame both you as a BRCA member having received a BRCA handbook and race control were not up on the BRCA rules.

See page 20 of the handbook.

http://www.brca.org/sites/www.brca.o...2014%20(1).pdf

rdr · #8 07-09-2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duncan

So it is a very nice sunday and my son who is nearly five as he like to tell me wants to go racing with me. As he has never raced before i chose a track that was in a field and would not be very busy so there was plenty of room for him to ride his bike if he got board . this track has a gap of 1/2 hour between rounds so i thought this would be a good opportunity to let him have a go when i can help him and not feel rushed. he had a go for ten minuets and had a wail of a time , i then went to book in for my race and i asked if it was ok between rounds that he could do some practice laps. The response was as he does not have a BRCA card NO he can't do any practice laps. This took my head off and i took back my money and left with my son in tears. now i understand this person was probably right but at least i could of been told as you have come all this way have a go but next time please get his membership sorted.
How is the sport going to attract new kids with this attitude.

Name and shame Duncan, how are newcomers coming into this hobby going to see if they like it other than trying it out.

Jim Spencer · #9 07-09-2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdr

Name and shame Duncan, how are newcomers coming into this hobby going to see if they like it other than trying it out.

Hi

Erm No, don't..
Educate them instead?

Point them gently in the direction of this thread to make sure it doesn't happen again?

The person at the club got it wrong - but we've all got something wrong haven't we?

Anyway
The above folk all have it right - it's '3 visits' to a club, to try the sport.
- or any other event for that matter, it also works for public "Have a Go's" too, right up to the large events (at major public Venue's) we take the demo fleets to.

Anybody has any queries you can always drop me a note

treasurer@brca.org

rdr · #10 07-09-2014

Erm YES........

If the "person at the club" didn't see the dissappointment on the boys face, maybe the crying might have given it away. Unless of course, the possible power trip of being a club official hadn't been clouding his judgment.

If this "person" can sit back and see a child so devastated and not think anything of it, then i doubt a bit of "educating" will make a slight bit of difference.

MEMBER@BRCA.cheesed off

Peakey · #11 07-09-2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdr

Name and shame Duncan, how are newcomers coming into this hobby going to see if they like it other than trying it out.

+1 on that name and shame

so we can have a good old fashioned lynching

Jim Spencer · #12 08-09-2014

And add another Club to the list of the ones closing through having nobody to run it..

Been a sad year on that score, one near me has loads of racers, plenty of money and has shut - Nobody willing to run it caused by a few very vocal people on the web giving them loads of grief.
Chatted to several others this year too..
And it's a major problem in our Association (and lots of others I talk to too)
"Why would you volunteer to do anything and then just slagged off all over the Internet?"
Was a word for word response to a question the other day..

Be carefull - or be willing to do it yourself.

Moss Models · #13 08-09-2014

To be honest there is so much wrong with this sport when it comes to attracting youngsters.

I fail to understand why we don't do more to attract young people to what is essentially toy car racing. From attitudes to entry fees more needs to be done.

Tayter · #14 08-09-2014

I agree with what moss Models says above, i have raced for nearly 4 years with my son who is now just turned 13. Only very recently at Bury Metro have we had reduced(infact free for being a member) race fees. This was discussed on the nitro forum and TBH reduced fees isnt the main put off for me or him , it is the attitude of the people he races against.

I have seen kids reduced to tears, fathers nearly fighting and all the swear words you can think of. This is much more apparent at the bigger meetings when some people seem to leave their senses at home and become idiots on the rostrum. Remember we were all pretty awful when we started and we make and still make mistakes, to be sworn at and made scared to race is disgusting and the people involved should be ashamed of themselves. Do any clubs have club equipment to loan kids wanting to try the sport out I have never seen one that does (sorry to those that do).

As for keyboard warriors it is riduculous the amount of flack some people have had to take for what? Organising a venue or race event for us all to show up and hopefully have fun at. In my opinion dont critise on an open forum take the organiser to one side and tell him to his face what is bothering you because if you dont, we may not have any venues to go to soon.

Coastal · #15 08-09-2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Spencer

And add another Club to the list of the ones closing through having nobody to run it..

Been a sad year on that score, one near me has loads of racers, plenty of money and has shut - Nobody willing to run it caused by a few very vocal people on the web giving them loads of grief.
Chatted to several others this year too..
And it's a major problem in our Association (and lots of others I talk to too)
"Why would you volunteer to do anything and then just slagged off all over the Internet?"
Was a word for word response to a question the other day..

Be carefull - or be willing to do it yourself.

So true - running a club can be soul destroying, people need to think before posting/moaning - many don't realise how much time and effort club officials put in to keep clubs running.

markwilliamson2001 · #16 08-09-2014

I have a strange opinion on this... from having been involved in a number of clubs over the years...

Yes the club could have let the lad have a few laps with dad driving/helping.
They are also allowed as others have mentioned 3 goes before BRCA membership.

However, I have seen many newcomers to the sport who were totally disinterested in the running of the club, and that existing members were there to serve them up a track and put it all away again at the end of the night...

Literally just sitting and watching myself and a few other dedicated members unroll carpet, tape it down, come up with a track design and setup jumps and the temp rostrum.

P***ed off was not the word, and scarpering off early before everything was being put away just was the cherry on top!

I have been to a few clubs like this, and often the driving standards of said people was also rediculous and daft!

I hope that the thread starter is not of this mentality and that he understands my post with a view from both sides of the fence. I also like to think that many hands make light work, and that if we all did a little the kit gets setup out away easily and quickly, and we all have some respect for the other club members...