Moto Trials is now underway for 2011. May the year go without a “hitch”?
It is the last year of my tenure as commissioner and I have been contemplating my options. MNZ will be advertising to appoint a new commissioner this year but have also asked if I am interested in reapplying.
For me the last year has been one of “much dialogue and little achieved”. I have tried to facilitate resolutions. I am not sure if facilitating is what you want [or need]. With the limitations of most communication being of email/web type it is difficult to bring consensus to the level where clubs are eager to “get behind” a common theme. In fact the converse seems more likely.
I have a feeling that a more dictatorial approach may be simpler and more effective but it is not an approach that comes easy to me. In fact, for the time I have been doing the job I have spent most of my efforts trying to “adjust” your systems to suit your desires [by majority].
I have some more years left in me and could continue to work for you and by now you will know what you are getting [in me] BUT if there is another candidate for the job I urge you to seek support of your peers and put your name forward. An injection of enthusiasm is often ‘very good medicine’ and being replaced may well be the tonic that I need as well.
As I previously stated: Mostly I have been trying to ascertain what it is that most of you want and trying to document that facet of the sport. It seems to have been a long time achieving little. I started out trying to streamline communication and then tried to introduce you to MNZ web [I don’t think many of you read here] but if I am about to be replaced I want to draw your attention to the REAL problem the sport faces before I fade into obscurity. That is:
“Where have all the young ones gone”? Used to be the name of a song but now something we need to talk about. The demographics again for those who may have missed them in the past newsletters:
We [in Moto Trials] have:…. approx 20 riders under 17 years old
Approx….. 25 riders between 17 and 35 years.
Approx…. 30 riders between 35 and 45 years.
Approx…. 70 riders between 45 and 55 years.
Approx…. 25 riders over 55 years.
The above should worry anyone who is concerned about the future of the sport. If you asked anyone what sport was involved with demographics similar to above they may answer a Golf Club. They would not link it to a national figure of what some of us consider ‘extreme’ motorcycling.
I will still be your commissioner at the AGM workshops on May 20 – 22 and our feature topic will be…”Growing our sport”. Please consider coming to Palmerston North and making a contribution to your sport.
Jim Henderson