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March 2010 Newsletter

Visit DtRC on the web at: www.downtheroadcorvettes.org
Visit the Rocky Mountain Region NCCC at www.rmrnccc.org
Visit NCCC on the web at: www.corvettesnccc.org

Next Meeting: 4th Thursday of the month.  March 25th, 7 PM Go Chevrolet - 7320 North Broadway near I-25 and the Boulder Turnpike.
Guest Presenters - Limit of 2 presentations per meeting, please make arrangements with the President at least a day in advance to be placed on the agenda and to see if the limit has been reached for this month.

2010 Down the Road Corvette Club Officers
President John Maxwell
303-237-8582
Vice President Don Roach
303-375-1453
Treasurer Gail Krusen Secretary Joan Breher
Governor Nancy Burritt
(303) 465-4664 vintageslots@hypermall.net
Board Members Mike Kelley
Roger Less
Joe Breher

 

Newsletter Info (Deadline the 15th)

email: grandsport5@comcast.net
303 469-1521
Official Club Address
Down the Road Corvettes
13902 Detroit St.
Thornton, CO 80602

From the Prez....

Well happy March All,

It's been a very quick year so far with very little Corvette weather. ;-(

I would hope that we can all get out and enjoy the weather soon and play with the rally! Don't forget the run through on March 28th, which is the Sunday immediately following the meeting.

I know I need to blow the dust off and get out and enjoy it. We'll have a good, fun lunch afterward so make a date and we'll see you there.

Let's not forget that our club has a great ability to raise funds, and there's still many folks out there that could use help, we need to talk about options for us. I would hate to see us give up completely. Let's mould it into something that we all like, not just something that we tolerate.

Keep the faith and we'll make it fun again!

Save the wave, and see you all soon.

John Maxwell
President, DtRC

Miscellaneous ramblings from the Editor:

Well, events at the last club meeting must have rubbed pretty much everyone the wrong way. Not only has the President recognized that something is off and needs addressing, but there is also an excellent article sumbitted by Bill Schultz below.

What I want to know is: what happened to our club?

When this club was founded 10 or so years ago, it was about making sure that everyone (including the participants in our events) had a good time and everyone felt as much a part of every event as they wanted to feel. This is not to say that everyone wanted to be deeply involved in every event, but that they felt as if they had something to offer at each event. It has been this feeling that the events are theirs that has made this club what it has been. No idea has ever been too far fetched to explore, no participation has ever been unwanted or desired.

I am very sad to report after the last meeting, it's very clear that somehow the spirit that made DtRC what it was, seems to have left the building. The phrases "I won't" and "I can't" which were used so emphatically so many times at the last meeting must be purged from our club or it won't survive. In all honesty, I'd rather the club die than to allow those phrases to overtake it.

In OUR Corvettes club, we must not tolerate this This club is about relaxing, having a good time with good friends and celebrating the common love we have of all things Corvette. If someone feels so strongly that they can't or won't do something, instead of proclaiming "I can't" or "I won't", offer them  assistance in exploring that new idea. The idea might actually be great for the club even if it's not for you.That spirit is what has made this club one of the most respected and innovative clubs in the area - if not the country.

One other thing that was stated and reiterated at the meeting I find extremely disconcerting. The need to have all of our events include NCCC points.

This club was a far more enjoyable group before we somehow got the mindset that if we don't have NCCC points events associated with them, no one will come. We used to get way too many Corvettes to attend our April Fool's rally. Then, we started having these silly card game "car shows" for NCCC points. The participation levels in the rally have dropped every single year since we started that. I totally reject the statement that "if we don't have points events, no one will come". This need to have points events to draw NCCC participants has caused us to loose focus on havng fun and caused us to lose participation of the non-NCCC clubs in the area - which just to remind you - make up the vast majority of Corvette club members in the area. Personally, if the only reason you are participating in the April Fool's Rally is to get NCCC points, I'd just as soon you not come. Based on the way the meeting last month went, I will be making a request at the next meeting to cancel the points events that are part of the rally. We instead need to reach out to the non-NCCC clubs and make sure they know they are not only welocme, but appreciated at our event.

Hope to see all of you at the meeting.

Tim

Minutes of February 25, 2010 Meeting

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS

    Alex Nelson of Rocky Mountain Corvettes.

VISITOR PRESENTATION

    Alex gave an update of all his new programs. June 20th is the Father's Day car show at Heritage Square with proceeds going to Make-A-Wish.

QUORUM

    A quorum was present.

APPROVAL OF PUBLISHED MINUTES

   A quorum was present.

TREASURERS REPORT

The books balanced and the report was approved.

GOVERNORS REPORT

Nothing to report.

a.BANQUET SIGNUPS 6 people signed up for the regional banquet.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT

A new directory was available.

MERCHANDISE COMMITTEE REPORT

A sample of the new shirt was available, everyone needs to get Mike or Martha their size. The name tags are still pending. The new banner arrived, it is very nice. The board approved the extra costs for banner.

NATIONAL CORVETTE MUSEUM AMBASSADOR REPORT

For the month of Feb. a family could join for the cost of a single.

AUTOCROSS COMPETITION DIRECTOR REPORT

Frank will be able to call on March 2nd for open dates at CSP track. The club will investigate other tracks and working with TORCA next year.

DRAG RACE DIRECTOR REPORT

The races start 4/30, please e-mail Joan with any questions.

SOCIAL COMMITTEE REPORT

Thank You Mike and Martha for the snacks. Still need chairperson for this committee.

OLD BUSINESS

a. RALLY Signup sheets were available. Next meeting we talk about a raffle and the use of any money this raises. It was decided that we will give as many door prizes as available. Practice runs will be 3/14 & 3/28, John M. will e-mail info.

CHAIR HEADS ARE:
Parking and Tech: Frank A.
Registration: Nancie A. & Gail K.
Checkpoint #1 : Mike Perito
Checkpoint #2: Tim B.
End: Nancie A., Gail K. & Nancy K.

NEW BUSINESS

Next meeting it will be decided if the money from the club raffle will be used for Tim's Challenge or something else. Mike Davis will check with Jay's on dates for the annual car show. Also ask if dealership is interested in a show.

Meeting was adjourned.

submitted by Joan B.


Club News:

April Birthdays:

Frank Arco
April 3rd

Project C5X - Update

By Roger Less

My new car - Project C5X is going to be on the cover of the cover of the May issue of Corvette Fever magazine! In addition, there wil be a 7 page article on the car even including a (small) picture me. It's too bad that I won't be at the March meeting to sign autographs, but be sure to pick up a copy and check out the article. By the way, GRANDSPORTS RULE!

PASSION OR COMRADERY?

By Bill Shultz

pasˇsion

Noun

1. any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.

2. strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor.

3. a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything: a passion for music.

4. the object of such a fondness or desire: Accuracy became a passion with him.

5. an outburst of strong emotion or feeling: He suddenly broke into a passion of bitter words.

6. the state of being acted upon or affected by something external, esp. something alien to one's nature or one's customary behavior (contrasted with action).

comˇradˇery

Noun

'kóm,ra-d(u-)ree [N. Amer], ,kóm'rey-du-ree [Brit]

The quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability - chumminess, camaraderie, comradeliness, comradeship, good-fellowship

Over the years, Cathy and I have had the pleasure of belonging to a few different clubs: GWTA- Goldwing Touring Association, HOG- Harley Owners Group and DTRC. Each “club has its own interesting aspects and members.

Each club, we have found, has one unique issue, poor participation by some members. I am sure all clubs in general share in this issue. It seems that it is always the same members that participate in certain events much more than others. Based on my observations, Down the Road Corvettes has always been fortunate to have a “larger than average participation percentage”, still the same issue exist in our club.

I have talked to many of our members the past few months regarding this issue. I could not arrive at an answer to my satisfaction. Finally, I had the opportunity to have lunch with the HR/councilor of a major company and client of mine. Our “one hour lunch” ended up becoming a several hour meeting. While at lunch, I ask him his opinion on the participation issue of most organizations, companies or clubs. The following is his opinion.

“People in general have primarily one “passion”. This passion provides the person with many opportunities to branch out in differing areas to share this passion.” Example, I have a real passion for Corvettes. “This passion has led me to join a Corvette club so I may share this obsession with others suffering the same ideals.” I naturally assumed that everyone in our clubs shared that same passion. Nothing could be further from the truth. While it is obvious that we all share the same <strong>interest</strong> (Corvettes), we by no means share the same passion. Look around the club as it exist today. I is fairly obvious which members are passionate about their car and which have other passions. Some members join for the <strong>comrodery</stong>. Why join a Corvette club for comrodery you ask? Many people have a passion completely separate from Corvettes or cars in general. They may be passionate about fishing, skydiving, knitting etc. More often than not, these people own a Corvette and find that a Corvette club has members not only with the similar interest but more than that, most members are of the same age bracket, same financial responsibility, same “class” to be politically incorrect. Some people are passionate about organizing events, their reward is a well run function that everyone enjoys. Others may be passionate about fast cars or racing, not necessarily Corvettes but fast cars in general. The list can go on forever. All these varied passions may draw people to the same social group.

So where is the problem you ask? “There really is no problem, only conceived problems.” Everyone in our club has heard statements from time to time concerning lack of participation or taking control etc. These are “conceived problems”. A person that is passionate about Corvettes may get involved with events simply through a feeling of obligation. By no means is this person totally committed to that event therefore their participation my be perceived as less than desired. (“Some unfortunate people may not be passionate about their jobs. They show up for the paycheck or they have been there along time so they feel obligated. These people may be very good at what they do but without passion, others may perceive them as less than stellar employees. These people may look for excuses to miss work, decline extra hours work load etc”).

Bottom line, you will probably find yourself enjoying your club more if you realize that the Corvette owner sitting next to you enjoys sharing your interest and company but they may have a different reason for being a member, perhaps for the comradery. I personally don’t believe that any passion is more relevant than any other in our club. If we were all the same it would be very boring to say the least. “Any two people with the same passion working together on one project may omit sparks!” If you show up at a event in your freshly shined Corvette and another member shows up in a SUV, don’t sweat it, they may be interested in being part of the club or the event that is happening at the time, but passionate about something completely different. Be truthful about your passion. I will be the first to say that I am passionate about the Corvette. Shows, races, etc. are lower on my list. I live to get the Vet out for a ride!! I may be going to a show or just a road trip, the fun is the car (for me). When I hear someone say they haven’t touched the Vet for several months or they wear “low mileage as a badge,” I go crazy inside until I remember, Their passion is different than mine----Their interest is the same!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Save the wave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Upcoming Events

Rather than try to put the entire schedule in here, I've opted to include items both NCCC and otherwise into a close up schedule. If you want to see the entire NCCC schedule, please go to the Rocky Mountain NCCC regional site at http://www.rmrnccc.org/

Date

Event

Sponsoring Club

Mar 6th

RMR regional Awards Banquet

RMR-NCCC

Mar 28th

Triple low speed Auto-x - Fruita

CWC

Apr 11th

April Fools Rally

DtRC

Apr 24th

Auto-X Driving School

CSCC

Apr 25th

Double low speed auto-x - PPIR

CSCC

May 8th

Fun in the Sun Concours Show

CSCC





Committee Updates

Social Committee

From the unfilled Social Committee

The new club directories are available at the meeting. Maybe we'll even have new phone cards. (Ed.)
If you are interested in being on the Social Committee, just mention it at the meeting. I'm sure we'll take you up on it. (Ed.)

Governor’s Report

By Nancy B.

Hi Everyone,

Great news on Frank getting the track for July 17th - that will be a blast. The first autocross of the season is as usual - in Fruita - on March 28th. So here are some pre-season reminders so that you don't get to a race and be disappointed. 

-- Helmets must be no older that 10 years from date of manufacture.  Many of you started about the same time Dave and I did.  We have one season left on our helmets - and then they will be more than 10 years old.  So check your helmet tags now in case you need new ones.

-- Our RCD is strongly recommending that all clubs jack up all cars to check the wheels this year - instead of just tugging on them while sitting on the asphalt.  All four wheels off the ground.  They had several cars at convention fail that part of tech - including our RCDs car.  So two things - before the season starts - you might want to check the car yourself or have someone else do it.  Also - at events - while the host club will have jacks there - it is expected that for liability reasons that the car driver/owner jack up the car - so you will want to know how to do that, and be dressed appropriately.

-- At the last meeting the RCD mentioned that exhibition class has gone away.  I scanned the rule book online on the iPhone on the way to Vegas and still saw it in there - so I need to investigate further.  I'm not sure if he meant this year or next year.  But be prepared for it.  Of the club cars - I don't think anyone has modified theirs such that they won't fit in some class - but all class 2 and higher cars need to have an appropriate fire extinguisher (or fire suppression system), no more getting out of the safety equipment requirements by running exhibition.  It is quite easy to put an extinguisher in most cars, and easy to take back out if you don't want to leave it there.  Just remember it must have metal bracket and strap, and a gauge to tell if it is full - not a push button.   If you aren't sure - please check the rulebook before you buy one or let me know you have questions, and I'll read it more thoroughly and get back to you.

Check out the calendar on the regional website.  Casper is hosting many more autocrosses this year - and they have a couple of different venues.  Torca is hosting their first sanctioned autocross (they've been having club only ones for a couple of years now).  CSCC has added at last one extra gimmick rally (early May), etc.  So some new events that weren't there in previous years are now on the calendar.  Lots of chance to go show off your car and have some fun.

If you have any questions let me know

Drag Racing Report

By Joan B.

First test 'n tune is April 28th. First Club Clash is April 30th. Remaining Club Clash dates are: 5/21, 6/4, 7/30, 8/27, 9/10, and 9/24.

Come out and support our racers. If we can get a field of 5 club cars to run the entire season, I'll bet we would sponsor a Club team next year. (Ed.)

AutoCross Committee

By Frank A.

We have reserved the Colordo State Highway Patrol track for an auto-x July 17th. (Ed.)

Merchandise Report

By Mike and Martha P.

New shirts are coming soon! (Ed.)

NCM Ambassador’s Report

By Richard Loch

For the latest news and events at the museum go to http://www.corvettemuseum.com/.


Want to Advertise?

If you are a member of Down the Road Corvettes, you may place a For Sale or Wanted Ad for any Corvette related items in our newsletter for free. Submissions must be received via  E-mail to the editor no later than the 15th of each month.

Disclaimer: All prices listed here are not guaranteed. You will need to confirm any and all prices with the selling party.

Advertising
*************************************************************************************

*** Member Ad ***

For Sale:

1980 Corvette 4 Sale, Automatic, 60K miles. glass tops, Silver / Dark Blue,True Spoke wheels & new tires, + original wheels.

Original and stock.  Good condition. Tell me what it's worth.

Bruce Kinney

(303) 543-1238
 

*** Member Ad ***

For Sale:

2003 50th Anniversary Corvette convertible, 52K miles. 2 more years on GM bumper to bumper warranty.

Going cheap - $24K.

Mike and Jackie Malouf

jmmalouf@yahoo.com 


*** Non-Member Ad ***

1969 Corvette Sting Ray

Black Paint (painted last summer)

Red interior (needs carpet kit. Interior is not bad being its still original)

T tops, rear window removable

Small block 350 motor, Automatic transmission (motor and transmission have been rebuilt, it runs GREAT)

94,000 miles on odometer

Air conditioning

Phone 970-402-6060 for more details

Make offer.

 


 

2010 Committees:

Dealer Rep

    Mike K.

Membership & Directory

    Cathy S. / Nancy B.

Social Committee

    Mary Kay, Mary and Cathy   

Merchandise Committee

    Mike and Martha

Rally Committee

    Nancy B.

Show Committee

    Open

Corvette Museum Ambassador

    Richard Loch

Webmaster

    Mike P.

Newsletter

    Tim B    

Drag Racing Competition Director

     Joan B.

Autocross Competition Director

    Frank A.

Tim's Challenge Representative

    Open

Sno'Big Deal Extravaganza

    Open

Roving Reporter/Photographer

    Bill S.