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PNWSEC - what is to become of this club???


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http://www.drivingsports.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3550

 

There are no goals...

 

There is no 'drive'...

 

club basically has no function now

other than a once per year bash.

 

anyone have ideas on what to do

and how to bring it back to ...

 

"just a bunch of subaru clowns hanging out"

 

there are so many diversified subaru cliques....

need direction, or i feel the club should fold.

 

your input????

 

Jamie

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I like the once a year show. This year's was a fun shindig, would like a repeat. But pizza meets and carting aren't so important to me.

There are more diverse groups than there were when we had troubles before.

Now there are the WRXclubs who separate themselves from the GCers who don't have a lot in common with the outback and forester types who don't have anything in common with the older 70-80s gen. (Who are separated by ea81 and 82 types, split into on and offroaders)

 

Would be cool to get more of the new types to do more camping and offroading like the Hatch Patrol does. Outdoorsy stuff. Even if they only wanna leave their cars at the parking lot, there's always empty seats for passengers. To do is to become a believer. I think that if you can afford 25k for a car that you're gonna spend 1-5k modding, you'd be able to find 1500 bucks to completely build an older one.

It was a really happy occasion to see a Forester join us at the last campout at Evans Creek. We were ecstatic.

 

A good way to get folks to get to know eachother or become more diversafied would be to refer pnwsec to the usmb rather than an impreza-only board. Maybe drop the "P" and make the club more general.

 

 

This year's RallyX season has attracted a lot of us USMBers, we probably number 30 in cars that show. You know as well as anybody how Subaru dominated the Rally events are, by numbers, not necessarily ranking.

 

If we only meet to park the cars once a year, that's cool. You seem to have a great handle on how to throw a good party and get a whole bunch of folks to show up.

*************

$.02, also lke Roy's ideas.

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I thought about this couple of times since the show. I was surprized that Nick never sent me the e-mail he said he would about the dues, is he still in charge of that?? I think the one thing that has killed the club is the fact that everyone wants something to happen, but very few, and always the same few, are willing to make it happen. I think our weather is against us a few of the months that could have something going on. Eric is right about the RallyX scene here in the Northwest (read that as Oregon) becoming a meeting event for the NW USMB people. Heck, this year the winningest and faster car was a Subaru Justy, the SUV class is mostly made up of Subarus (mostly USMB members, 3 from one family). A Show'n Shine is great, but if it is the only event??? It is too bad that we could set up a RallyX and AutoX at the same place on the weekend. That way the asphalt guys can have their fun and the dirt guys their's, heck, they may even try the other event and get hooked there too. A few of us post on the NASIOC board, but not that many, and some of us (like me) not that often. I would love to see a club participation in the performance rallys that we have around here as volunteers. Corner marshalls get a great view of the cars, and sometimes they are in places where no one else is allowed. I don't know what it take it ignite a fire under such a diverse group of Subaru owners that will cause them to come together as a club.

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There's too much diversification from what I can see to easily have one club for everyone. First you have two major groups - the gearheads, and the show-n-shine people. Now - the gearheads are split into two more groups - the dirt people, and the track people. And each of those groups is split into new gen and old gen. The show-n-shine group is mostly new gen, and they don't like to get dirty, so most of them are track types as well - if they even participate in that. Now these are of course broad generalizations, and not everyone fits into a clear cut category - and there's some people that have multiple cars, and are in several categories. Also - these are just MY personal observations, so may be wrong to some small degree, and indeed may be wrong to some *large* degree, but I can't help observing, and this is what I see. A lot of the show-n-shine people could care less about the race events, and the older gen stuff, so it's no good cramming it down their throats. They need their own show events, and it's no good dragging the old gen people along when there's no event and barely any awards for them as well. Now this works in the opposite direction too - the old gen and the dirt guys want rally events and to play with their cars, but the show people aren't interested in bringing their cars around a bunch of mud and dirt if there's no show event for them too. Like the RallyX - if I had a show car, I don't think I would have even driven it into the parking area it was sooo snotty.

 

I think what I'm trying to get at is that we are so diversified that if you want to do one big yearly event, it's going to have to incorprate all of us. I don't think you can take just one "direction" and expect to have enough people turn out to make it a reality. And as for people being involved and helping out with the event, you would obviously draw from a larger crowd of people if you were to cater to more than just one group.

 

It has been my feeling that the PNWSEC has catered mostly to the new gen group in the past. At WCSS5 everyone seemed very "suprised" at how many of us old gen guys showed up, and there were very few awards for the old gen class compared to the new gen classes. This was just the feeling I personally got from the show. I did have fun tho - met a lot of cool people, and will definately be at the next one. Hopefully there will be more old-gen-centric planning going into it than last time.

 

GD

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i'm not soliciting what needs to be done

to make the next wcss better...

 

i'm basically saying i'm done.

i've got other things to do....

 

and i just dont feel rewarded by pnwsec anymore.

it's got no direction, no real benefits...

no solidity.

 

really? i'm not sure we'll do anything with it.

annual meet is great and all that...

 

back to your points

regarding the old schoolers...

1 year they show up... the next they dont....

 

how are we to know what to expect from "them"?

100$$$'s were spent on trophies that were

simply trashed as nobody showed....

 

then there are complaints as there arent enough

awards when they DO show up....

 

personally the club has never intended

to CATER to anyone or the other...

 

this...

is why i'm frustrated to the end...

and not sure what, if anything should be done.

 

you guys want the club back for your own?

more than happy to sign it over to the old schoolers.

that's where it came from anyway

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Yea, I guess Nick is too busy, but at least he could have replied to my e-mails. Last time I checked, I was one of those who volunteered (Dr. RX, aka Corky) and helped pull off last years show. I also know the unbelieveable amount of time that you personally put into the effort of running the club, and I thank you for that. But it might be time for you to move on. If the PNWSEC fades into the sunset, so be it. It is just too hard to try to please all the diverse interests in Subarus in the NW today. You can never please them all, someone will always feel left out. The idea of a Pacific North West club may have been the right thing 6 years ago, but a lot has changed since then. For the Impreza crowd, there is the NW Imprezas Club chapter of the NASIOC, which also includes members with Legacys and other newer models. May be PNWSEC should go to the pre 90 Subaru owners who are not off road enthusists, but if no one steps forward, let it die.

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Jamie, I can really appreciate your position. For the last couple of years we have been trying to recover from WCSS4. It was really unfortunate about how things went down. I think that is the perfect example of how things/people/groups have grown up and apart.

 

PNWSEC(The Club) was first established as/by old school groups. It grew in size and stature. Came up with an event that is second to none. Now comes the problem. We have several different groups that want to "belong" to this group. Unfortunately, the focals from each group do not neccessarily have the time to contribute to one club let alone two or three clubs.

 

The diversity is the biggest and worst attribute of this group. A round table of members from every group will have to come together at some point. Be it at this time or another. Maybe a round robin type deal for hosting an annual show by the clubs of the NW. This should also include Oregon and other states.

 

As far as what to do with this club in my opinion. No one with Subaru knowledge(history, lineage and such) has stepped forward to assist or even take over. I would like to see the club live on but I do not know if it is feasible at this time.

 

As far as the show's future. I have been working on a few things and may have some options. This may have beneficial effects on our future. Without one group taking the heat for the show it could in the future be better.

 

Let's see what the rest have to say and see if there is any future.

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Jamie-

I can understand your frustration, but you have to realize many of us old gen's opinions over the years have been ignored. The PNWSEC has catered to new "Parking lot" vehicles with no benifit to the rest of use who wanted to coninue weekenders. It sounds like the mebership interest has dwindled in direct relation to those of us who are not interested in parking our cars for 3 hours then driving back home.

 

I personnally appreciate your work in the past and it is sad that we have such a rift between old and new. After all, we all drive performance!

 

Good luck on whatever the outcome.

 

Kurt

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post i made on the nasioc site:

 

I'm a Hatchpatroller. I'm also a PNWSEC member. My experience has been a lot better with the old school group, than the new.

 

One, i don't feel connected in anyway to pnwsec except for the card I have in my wallet. Even if i had phone numbers, i don't think i'd call anyone from it, expecting to get help, borrow a tool, or make arrangements for a get together.

 

I can pickup the phone right now, and call 3, 4, 5 different people, all Hatchpatrol members and know, for a fact, that the person on the other end is going to try and help me, invite me over to change my axle in his garage, or want to drive up into the mountains for a bbq.

 

What i'm trying to illustrate here, is that PNWSEC seems to be too big to get that personal feel that I get from the Hatchpatrol. This personal feel is what every car club should be about. How can we, as subaru enthusiasts, make PNWSEC personal? Can we make it perfect for everyone?

 

There are lots of informal groups here that have this personal feel, don't think that I don't understand that. Everything seems to be working on this level. Groups of people getting together and having fun. PNWSEC shouldn't be one think trying to mesh all these groups into one, its done that, and has been broughten to its knees.

 

I propose we divide. Each group that decides to step forward as an informal entity should. Hatchpatrollers, GC8er's, Show&shine people, etc. Each group will do its own thing, organize its own outings, get togethers (as we pretty much already do now anyways). The change is, that instead of one huge get together we try and every 3 months have one big get together. The informal groups will draw out of a hat for which one they will "host."

 

There is no requirement for what should be done at these huge get togethers, no mandatory monetary investments. Everyone doesn't have to show up, if you do, great... you'll have a blast. If you miss one, no big deal.

 

For Example:

 

Hatchpatrollers organize a campout and trail run for a weekend.

 

Show&Shineer's organize a carshow/bbq, perhaps to benefit a charity (already been done)

 

WRXer's organize a massive install day.

 

GC8er's organize a track day.

 

If we all take it upon ourselves to do these big things, in our little groups, we can actually get them done. Its not the same people planning everything. If you plan it, and no one comes, maybe it was bad timing, or it was too exspensive. If you plan it, and tons of people come, it will be a great experience.

 

Thats a lot of rambling, some good thoughts though.

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I have a good ideal, since our club is so diversified, and it's a huge load on Jamie, etc...., how about we kinda splut the club into several "chapters", have some of the NASIOC guys take care of teh new gen chapter, and some of us take care of teh old school stuff. I'm sure if we split the responsibility up, and I'm sure there are people on here who are willing to help, since it's really too diversified for 2 or 3 people to manage. I just think it'd work better that way.

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I've only been to one meet, so I wasn't aware of the comming / going nature of the old gen crowd - sorry to hear that. I don't blame you for not expecting us to show - I wouldn't have done any different in your position.

 

The failure of the PNWSEC is not your fault, and I don't think anyone is blaming you for it. Maybe it was just too ambitious.

 

I don't think you could just "sign it over" to the old schoolers at this point - it's now too ingrained upon the new gen crowd, and it basically IS primarily their gig. As everyone has noted - there's the Hatch Patrol, and the Oregon Off-Road Subaru Club, and the RallyX meets that have become the new meeting ground of the old school types.

 

I would still like to see the once yearly show - but maybe as others have pointed out, it should be a group effort between several smaller groups. The only problem then is that each group needs a point of contact - someong who can speak for that group. I don't know who those people would be - but maybe you ( Jamie ) could be a contact for whichever group you are most involved in, and just close up shop on the PNWSEC as it stands now.

 

GD

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