General Discussions

Given some of the recent chatter I wanted to throw in my dos centavos on the Lambretta Jamboree, 2024. (Note, this will be long, because I'm a verbose MF "I'm long, and I'm strong. And I'm down to get the friction on" Background: I had met Will and Dave when I was living in Colorado - I was on the Western Slope so my first year there I went to the Colorado Springs Rally (2016? 2017?). That's where I also met Randy and a few others. Will and I stayed in touch and he convinced me to go to the Jammy in S. Dakota, where I really became friends (they'll deny) with Dave, Chase, Will, Blair - and re-engaged with people I had known from back east (like Mike Lam, and others). And of course got to see my 2006 Cannonball buddies Stan and Kieran - and a host of others I had lost touch with after leaving DC in 2011 and moving around (CA, MT, WV, CO - staying in each place just shy of about 3 years each). The SD Jamboree was great - brought my wife and our 9 month old, up 11 hours from Montana. The town was great, the motel (though we stayed down the street a bit (9 month old) was great. And it really reinvigorated my love of rallies, and especially the Jamboree. FF to this year - Will and Dave and I all left CO around the same timeframe and ended up back East. I learned they had put in a bid and won to host in Bristol. I had grown up in N. GA so knew the roads were going to be great and was really curious to see what kind of rally they'd put on. Due to my procrastination I missed pre-reg, with two kids under 5 it's always a gamble of when I can get away, and we had just gone for a weekend in FL for a family thing, so my wife wasn't up to the task of a rally (though she loves and misses them) and I was flying solo - rented a great loft AirBnB in downtown Bristol (seriously amazing place), showed up early Thursday afternoon (after driving my Expedition, with the dl hanging off the back on a hitch hauler, the entire 50+ miles of 421 from Sugar Grove, NC to Bristol (hint, while an amazing road on 2 wheels, a full sized Expedition Max with a scooter hanging off the back made for a white-knuckle drive). I even remarked to Will when I got there: you're taking them on that road? Someone's going to die! But seriously, great great road as long as you know your limits, and all the rally sponsors were very clear at the rider's meeting that it was very technical, people had to be careful, and they'd be stopping at a point just before the Snake portion of 421 to break up the group for safety - which was really good planning and insight. More background: I helped start the Scootergate (Washington, DC rally) way back in 2006, and kept it going a few years until clubs from DC, Baltimore, and Philly got together to see what we could do to ease the travel and weekends full of rallies, and instead of having to choose where to go as we all got older, needing more sleep, and settling down - if we couldn't combine our efforts for one bigger rally in the style of the UK beach weekend ride-ons (something the SoleRunners had been doing in Asbury for a number of years - can't count my SoleRunner Ride-On Weekender shirts and patches I still have). East Coast Classic was born. Also in 2009 I started the CORSA: IFP, which is now in its 15th consecutive year (with a gap year due to Covid). CORSA: IFP is kind of like LJ: It has rules, it has standards, but the host each year really chooses the place, the route, the hotel, and runs it within the right and left limits established by a group of us in the beginning). I helped plan ECC for a few years before I moved to Coronado, CA, and others ran it successfully until 2017. I just say that to say that I know a -bit- about what it takes to start, plan, get consensus, and run a rally, anywhere from 50 to 200+ people. It sucks. At most you get personal satisfaction and a day after the rally with your fellow planners to relax, recap, have a beer. Maybe a few people will say "great rally" if they know you and your involvement. There will be a few posts on Social media by people who had a good time. But all in all it's pretty thankless. And busy. While everyone's having fun, you're running back and forth making sure everything is going to run smoothly, fielding questions, working with staff at venues, making sure people aren't being too out of line, etc. Anyone who has managed a rally knows that you have to get satisfaction personally, because the few pats on the back sure aren't going to make up for the months of planning, coordinating, promoting, begging, borrowing, stealing to get everything in place so that it runs pretty successfully. And Bristol was very successful - really successful. There was but one snag I know of, which was no fault of the rally planners - the staff at the Marina (where we were to have lunch after riding the Snake) decided to corral everyone under a single hot tent outside, with tables to hold maybe 40 people (when we had 150+), no fans, one person to take drink and food orders from everyone. The planners were pissed because that is not what they had come to an agreement with months prior. It was a last minute change, and a crappy change at that. To make matters worse, the covered food and bar area, which had been promised, was empty but for a couple tables of people who had arrived the same time that the first group of riders got there. No amount of talking to management by the planners got the person in charge to change her mind. At one point I did a quick calculation of the amount we'd spend on food, drinks, and tips and flat out told her "You realize you're about to lose around $10k today, right?" She said "Well these tables will be full later and we will make it then." "Yes, you can make it then, and you can make this extra now!" Nope. So leadership decided to leave if people wanted to. A few people who had arrived earlier (there was a straight ride to the Marina for people who didn't want to go on the long ride) had already ordered drinks (me included), so they were kind of stuck there but what was great about what happened next? The majority of hot, tired, hungry riders got behind the leadership and decided to leave on principle alone. That meant going to find somewhere else to eat. I think that point really showed how people can come together (ummmm rally?) behind an idea and support the people who very rightfully felt betrayed and let down by a venue they had an existing agreement with. So most people just left. There was going to be no monetary award for the venue for changing on us and sticking 150+ people under a hot tent outside, with room for maybe 40. Screw the management but most of us felt rightfully bad that the servers were going to miss out on a ton of tips. I think I even told the manager: This isn't a group of .50 cent per drink tippers - these are a lot of working stiffs, most have been in the Industry, and we tip well. Very well. Deaf ears. Hotel: While I didn't stay at the rally hotel, I was there the majority of the time. My interaction with staff was pleasant. The hotel was really really great (though if it would have had a pool would have been better (anything's better with a pool!) but I didn't see any hotels downtown that had them, and you really wanted this rally to be downtown for the history and convenience). They got Bristol to close down main street for the show and shine. Anyone who's run a rally knows all about the perrrrrrrrmittttttts required when you want to do anything outside of a parking lot. The city closed the street, that's above and beyond because we certainly could have done Show and Shine in the hotel parking lot - that would have been the easy thing to do. They didn't do the easy thing, they did the memorable thing. I won't go into Bristol TN/VA - you can google it. It's a really great town, lots of unique history (I mean there's only one place you can go in the country to see the last place Hank Williams Sr. was seen alive), there was a lot to do for families who came, Middleburg is just up the road aways which is where the landed gentry go to antique. The raffle scooter was brilliant. The banquet was really great (if you like meat!) and they had a Veg/Vegan option too, which probably had to be explained to the folks providing the food (yeah, no, really, there will be some people here who don't want BBQ and we want to accommodate them. Yes, that means they don't eat meat. No I'm not an alien, I'm being serious!). Everything, apart from the marina, which was completely out of the planners control, ran as well, or better, than I've seen at dozens and dozens of rallies all over the country. And I'm not just saying this because I spent 4 days away from my 5 and 2 year olds. Promise. _____ Now onto my personal thoughts on this VP thing. I'm not involved in LCUSA leadership or its expectations. From reading some comments it seems that it may be unclear what the expectations are for leadership, especially from a "do they have to go to the LJ" standpoint. My suggestion? Make it clear what is expected (with obvious caveats for emergencies, unforeseen circumstances). IF the President is expected to be at LJ, put it in the bylaws. Same for VP, and any other positions. And if one can't make it, then try to set up a video call, or a phone call during the banquet/awards ceremony to let them speak. We're all used to video calls now, when a situation arises, have the leadership join on a video call, doesn't take much to Zoom someone in for 15 minutes and let them talk. Also, from running many rallies as a club - once the place is decided on, then that is the place. The club backs it, even if they don't like it, even if their choice was shot down, even if this, even if that. It has happened with my club. And when it does, even if they don't like it, they are expected to double-down and support the rally. Period. Full stop. If they don't want to? We will accept that you don't want to be a member of the club anymore. Thanks. Note - I'm not privy to the run-up to Bristol and meetings, expectations, etc. I was moving (again) and laid low for awhile and out of scootering between LJ in South Dakota and ....now. My thoughts are just based on what I expect as club leadership (which I've been), my clubs, and having to manage when we choose a rally, an event, a hotel, a band, a DJ, food, or anything that some members of the club don't agree with. Disagree and list your reasons and rationale. Let your thoughts be heard, but once the club moves in another direction you move with us or you're out. You are 100% behind the rally and doing your part, or you aren't. That's a club. That's the expectation. I don't know the VP, I don't know what occurred. All I can see and sense is that people who put in a f-ton of work feel like leadership didn't support their rally and efforts to the point it's become more than whispers, but a full-blown....thing. Another leadership bird dropping: Communicate, communicate, communicate. Leaders can't over communicate. It's almost impossible. They can over manage, and micromanage, but they can't over communicate. Most vastly under communicate, or communicate only when something's going wrong. If there is friction between clubmates, Leadership should always make the first move to smooth it out. Email, pick up the phone, meet for a drink or dinner if you're close, etc. One of the best things anyone in leadership can do (whether it's at work, in your family, in a club, etc): Catch people doing things approximately right. If you only speak up when things go 100% brilliant, or things go wrong, then your people (family, etc) will usually only hear criticism (because things go wrong way more than they go 100% right). Leadership (parents, spouses, best friends, club mates) should always try to catch people doing things approximately right, and commenting right then and there. "I read your email to head of the Paper Mache department, you really captured our thoughts on the project. Good job!" Second best thing a leader (parent, spouse, best friend, teacher, etc) can do: Catch yourself doing things wrong and let people know you caught yourself doing something wrong. "Hey, great question in the meeting today, I know you didn't get the answer you wanted from the CEO, and it seemed like she dismissed you, and I failed to speak up on your behalf. I'll speak to the CEO if you want me to, and I'm sorry I didn't do it right then and there. Let me know what you think." 99% of the time the response will be "No need to talk to the CEO, but thanks for reaching out, means a lot" and that person will follow you for as long as you'll have them. Mike's Leadership Class over.... Bottom line. Bristol was as good or better than rallies I've attended everywhere in the country, whether vintage or mixed, Lambretta only or not. And I'd be proud to have the team involved in planning and throwing the Bristol LJ involved in any event I dream up. Great seeing old friends, meeting new ones (even met Zachary who lived in Montana and we both talked about the same places we've been), and being part of LCUSA eventing again. Until the next time, ride your Lambretta, show off those banners, participate in events (even if it's just your opinion), and lets make sure that there's another generation of people riding, working on, and gathering together with these old Skirtbikes. PS the rally swag was excellent! That little cooler bag was awesome, love how the logo tied in the racing NASCAR heritage of Bristol, and that keychain - pride of place with my scooter keys. Mike