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Virtual club proof for members at Rally

cycleman2 -

True, but if you walk up and register and indicate your a member of Airheads Beemer Club and they don't find you on a list and "deny" your membership, while it doesnt' really matter a hill of beans, it kind of is a slap in the face that you belong but you don't "belong". I've always just written "214" on the form at the registration tent and moved on. Aren't we all good citizens and BMW people? What, me lie??
 
So, now that I think about it. the MOA itself is a virtual club and should probably win for the virtual club with the most members. the MOA is a recognized club. what is the MOA club number to enter on the form? Who from the MOA is going to verify membership for Tally and Awards.

Josh
 
The MOA is not listed among the Charted Clubs on the website. Maybe it's sort of like America is not a state, but it contains 50 states. :dunno
 
If it's the same format, then why the email from Don Hamblin and the need for membership listings to be available at registration?
 
I'm guessing it's a courtesy from Don. The rally award rules are always published in an Owners News article prior to the rally. Still, some clubs in the past have not brought the required documents.
 
Seems pretty straightforward

There still appears to be some confusion here. There is NO information taken from the registration forms to be used by the Awards and Tallies committee. The only way Awards and Tallies committee get information is if a club leader, however you want to phrase that, approaches the Awards and Tallies booth in the MOA building and reports in. These requirements are not new, they have been the case for several years, although it sounds like there has been some confusion. It appears Mr. Hamblin's message was an effort to deal with this confusion both here on the forum, in the Rally section of the MOA website, and soon to be in the BMW ON. I for one can't think of any other way to get the word out to the membership.

If you want your club to be in the running for an award, you should go to the Awards and Tallies booth (not registration) with a list of your club's membership and a list those members are at the event and do it prior to the Saturday afternoon deadline. It seems they are willing to accept and hold your club's sign up sheets there at the booth for your club members and/or you can do the groundwork yourself to ensure completeness. Seems pretty straightforward.

Why not use the registration forms? I can think of at least one good reason. The amount of time and effort to simply do the data entry, much of it for clubs that are nowhere close to being in the running, is a large waste of effort and a big expense. This way, only the clubs that are interested and feel they have a shot at an award are involved, and most of the work is the club's, which is how I believe it should be. Too many of us forget this is a volunteer based club and seem to expect "someone else" to do the work. If no one in the club is interested enough to take the ball and run with it, then that club won't be considered.

I'd like to thank Don Hamblin for taking on this committee job, and applaud him for his effort to get everyone on the same page of understanding how the Awards and Tallies work.
 
bikerhiker04 -

This is certainly news to me. I can see for awards such as oldest rider, oldest combo, farthest distance, etc....sure go by the awards/tallies area. But for what club you belong to?? That takes no extra time...I do all the work...there's a spot for it on the form. Why has it been on the form for umpteen years if it's not being used?
 
bikerhiker04 -

This is certainly news to me. I can see for awards such as oldest rider, oldest combo, farthest distance, etc....sure go by the awards/tallies area. But for what club you belong to?? That takes no extra time...I do all the work...there's a spot for it on the form. Why has it been on the form for umpteen years if it's not being used?

News to you doesn't mean it's not been the case for several years. That's probably why Don put out the "reminder" as to how it's been done, due to some folks still not cognizant of the details. As for the club awards, there's no requirement for each member to go by the Award's booth. If a club leader gets everyone in attendance on a list, they can turn both the membership list and attendance list in at the same time. I know from personal involvement that the Indy club has done it this way since it was required. One of the Indy members takes it upon himself to bring a list of members, and to write up a list of the members in attendance, then turns it in to the Awards and Tallies booth.

Unfortunately I can't answer why it's been on the registration form for umpteen years. Someone thought it was a good idea at the time, and it's not been removed. I can imagine when there were only 600 riders showing up at the National things worked a bit differently, but as you're well aware, times change and some things don't keep up or the fall through the cracks.
 
Virtual Clubs

Like Chuck said earlier, the email's are a courtesy and award "rules" will be published in an upcoming issue of the BMW Owners News. And as a current / former BMW MOA / Chartered Club Officer and President (along with having been a BMW MOA Rally participant since 1977), I have found myself not being armed with everything I should have when showing up at events. So we on the Awards Committee want to be as sure as we can that nobody is left out in the cold if we can help it. We also want to be sure that awards are judged as honestly and fairly as possible. So after discussing these "rules" with a number of interested parties, we have "cleaned up" the process:

"Virtual or Special Interest Clubs" would be those clubs that carry on the majority of their activities via an internet website or email list. *While they might have a number of face-to-face activities, the majority of member interaction is in a virtual setting. *

Understanding the vast differences encountered with clubs that do the majority of their member interaction in a virtual setting, we will ask that a club leader / moderator / list owner / representative assist in compiling a a list of their members in attendance. *We can have blank sign in sheets available at the Awards Booth for your members to sign in, and individual club representatives will be responsible for assuring their members have been signed in either with them or at the Awards Booth prior to 1:00 pm on Saturday of the rally. A membership roster will not be required for virtual clubs. *

As loyalty is an important benchmark of the BMW MOA community, rally participants will be allowed to register as a member in attendance of only one Traditional Club and One Virtual Club." *

We are hoping that this will make applying for an award as enjoyable, painless, honest, and fair as we can.

Don Hamblin
Awards Co-Chair,
41st Annual BMW MOA "Beemers, Bigfoot and Blue Skies" International Rally
www.bmwmoa.org
(816) 600-2475
Cell: (256) 479-5606
BMWScooter@att.net
 
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