If I Were King I'd....

[14-H]

Okay, for all of the whining on this message board, I see little concrete thoughts on how anyone would improve anything. Here is your chance. If you were King (or Queen) of APBA, what would you do to improve the organization? Door is open for anything and I really do want to hear what you have to say.

Couple of rules though:

1) Don't give me your particular brand of class combinations. I've heard them all. If you think that would save APBA though, by all means, just post "class combinations."

2) "Fire Chairman Eddie" is NOT constructive criticism! Besides, I've heard it before and been sued for being the Chairman. I'm not going away.

3) "Make Mike Barrett President"... also, NOT an option (although I admit that this would be VERY intertaining).

4) "Lower costs" or "Remove barriers". This is what we conservatives call politically-correct psycho-bable. Be specific!

5) "Give me free entries (or equipment or beer)". No can do! That is why Obama is in the White House. Ask him. APBA cannot confiscate money from anyone like he can so it ain't gonna happen.

6) Ron Hill MUST offer constructive ideas within 24 hours of this thread opening or the whole thread will be erased. (and none of that rambling non-sense, Ron ).

That's it. Let's hear your ideas.

[MGallagher]

Ok, I'll have a wack at it.

Our ability to offer up a "show" and an interesting enough sport for enthusiasts to have any thought of getting involved is being comprimised by the current membership. Boat design, current courses, motor availability(current structure) and the current thought process of individual equipement preservation can and will destroy our sport.

If I were king...I would have any new and, some how, current members participate in a spec class that includes a hydro and a runabout class that can perform and compete in waters that we currently cancel a days racing over.

How can you market something that people can't get to easily or something that a racer can't easily invite his friends to come check out without giving that MAPQUEST directions to the race course.

Now, I know there is much more that can be said to solidify this rambling, but I've gotta get to work to pay for my Sidewinder, wink, wink.

[14-H]

oh, yeah, goes without saying: Don't hijack the thread!

[Fast Jack]

If it were me I would "..

Eliminate rules that are made with no solid data to necessatate them . Like 3 diffrent pickel fork roundings ??? Forcing racers to run a gearcase at 1/2 that was engineered to run at "0" ???.Having us add plastic to a life jacket to make it safer ?? why was it unsafe? Having a region with 1 race have the same vote at the national meeting as a region with 6 races . ( every 250 entrys in a region should get you 1 commissoner )Kind of put up or shut up!!!! Thats my kick to the hornets nest.. Shawn

[HRTV]

Clean house! fire the entire paid staff relief all comminsioners and presidents of their current duites.

Tear down the national HQ building and sell the brand to a private entity that has the ability to restructure and rebuild the brand.

http://www.coreform.lv/#/en/works/f1...skais-dizains/

http://www.coreform.lv/#/en/works/

* For any of you that might think my post is joke, please think again I am very serious.

[aojesus]

Discounted single event entry fees for potential new drivers. This topic was touched on briefly in another thread.
If we can get a potential new driver to a race site to give it a try, they have to pay almost as much in fees as what a first year membership costs. We could offer a discounted "weekend pass" to the potential member. If they like it and decide to commit to a full membership the money paid for the "weekend pass" could be applied to the balance due.

Safety gear loaner program.
If we all dug through our trailers we could probably find enough spare cut suits, e.t.c. to put a couple complete sets of safety gear together to travel with the region rescue boat. It would show up at the races and be available for the potential new drivers to use.

Remove or reduce cross over barriers.
Have the SORC and the MORC or whoever it needs to be get together and try to come up with a rule system that makes cross overs easier and less costly. (cock pit sides, sponson tips, impact material, e.t.c.)

O.K., I have rambled on enough.

[PopPop]

[QUOTE=aojesus;170567]Discounted single event /(weekend) entry fees for potential new drivers. QUOTE]
This is a simple enough idea to impliment, so why don't we ? My bold adds to the quote.

[Shep]

Develop a strategic marketing plan to promote sport and sell nation wide sponsorship. Hire or recruit a sales team to execute that plan on a commission only program.

Money is split up between categories based on total members in each category. Larger category member numbers receive more $$ for use in promoting races and recruiting racers.

Continue with current member fees for funding the front office the same as it is.

Put a rule freeze in place.

[sponsonhead]

Kill some trees

Bring back A REAL, PRINTED RULE BOOK that is provided to Members as part of their benefits of membership.

[bill van steenwyk]

My Two (2) cents.............

1. I agree with Dan (surprise) 100 %. Two many folks have had their chance for TOO LONG, and NO improvement in our membership numbers or our sport and the way it is run/administered. There have been MANY reasons given for this decline over the years. The reasons don't really matter at this point, the lack of action by APBA to stem the slide does. If you want to see how a boat racing organization should really operate, look at the Japanese model called Maris. (Used to be the Japan Motor Boat Association.)


2. IF #1 CANNOT BE IMPLEMENTED, BAR "EDDIE THE CHAIRMAN" FROM EVER HOLDING ANY MEANINGFUL OFFICE IN APBA AGAIN.

If you want a reason for number two, besides an outsized ego that prevents rational thought, anyone who suggests, even in jest, his suggested treatment of Ron Hill, has no appreciation for what someone who cares about our sport has really done for it. Ron has done more for the sport of boat racing, both on and off the water, in the last five years than Eddie has done his whole life.

[raceright]

Wow Eddie I find myself wanting to defend YOU.
King's list
1. buy a lake in every region so we could properly market and promote our sport.
2. tell God he has to have good weather on race day.
3. set up a system like NASCAR where drivers have very little say as to rules.
4. establish a monarcy to run races that only make money(no free lunch)
5. race boats more and have picnic's less
6. anyone that offers complaints instead of meaning full positive change has there tounge cut out and there fingers cut off.

Now that I have said all the things that will not and can not be done like so many others Good for you Eddie for having the guts to call spades spades.

I will be in your face at the National meeting and talk in person to SHARE MEANINGFULL IDEAS AND A FEW BEERS NO PUNCHES HELD, NO JUDGE AND NO SIDE BARS.

PAT WRIGHT

[B Walker]

Holy cow, first time I ever had the urge to defend Eddie the Chairman....

OK, Brad Walker is king of APBA for a day……

1) Reorganize the regions to better represent the distribution of the membership. There are 16 Regions. Currently we have one Region with no members at all (Region 15) and Regions 6 and 7 combined are 50% of the Stock, Mod, and PRO membership. I would create 3 or 4 Regions with roughly equal membership and adjusted every 5 years to keep equal representation.

2) Open up the books. I don’t mean a Profit and Loss statement or a copy of the quarterly. I mean full books available at the APBA website and available to any member. This empowers and encourages members to participate and be involved. It also keeps the ugly smell of favoritism and back room deals out of the room.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-book_management

3) Form a membership committee. How can any membership based organization not have a membership committee?

4) Form a long range planning committee. This will help to keep the constant influx of new leadership on track and establish goals not achievable in a one year time frame.

5) But most importantly: change the culture of APBA leadership and management to an organization that serves the membership as a whole, not individuals. If that could happen, everything else would take care of itself.

In other words, change the philosophy and outlook of elected leaders to make decisions for the better of the sport, not to make decisions for the individuals that voted for them into the elected office.

BW

[raceright]

[QUOTE=Shep;170573]Develop a strategic marketing plan to promote sport and sell nation wide sponsorship. Hire or recruit a sales team to execute that plan on a commission only program.

Money is split up between categories based on total members in each category. Larger category member numbers receive more $$ for use in promoting races and recruiting racers.

Continue with current member fees for funding the front office the same as it is.

Put a rule freeze in place.[/QUOTE

Shep
No worth while professionaly run Marketing company would touch our sport and certainly under your peramiters. We have non paid for the promotion people in place the last several years and look at the results. A good marketing company would first make us change so much we would loose most of our racers. Is there a common ground?? Maybe but I have run our sport past several real marketing pro's out of NYC and I will not insult you or us as to there opinion of Power Boat Racing. (maybe I just did)

Anyone who feels strongly about helping boat racing I recommend put up by coming to the APBA convention and share your Ideas and get involved.

Many people know me throughout APBA as I speak up and have ruffled some feathers over the last 10 or so years. I like to think that I have helped the Pro category and particuarly the classes we run.
Up till now I have helped all of APBA very little as I just like most of you do not know what to do to help enough. But maybe just maybe all this banter will have some positive outcome.

Pat Wright

[raceright]

Holy cow, first time I ever had the urge to defend Eddie the Chairman....

OK, Brad Walker is king of APBA for a day……

1) Reorganize the regions to better represent the distribution of the membership. There are 16 Regions. Currently we have one Region with no members at all (Region 15) and Regions 6 and 7 combined are 50% of the Stock, Mod, and PRO membership. I would create 3 or 4 Regions with roughly equal membership and adjusted every 5 years to keep equal representation.

2) Open up the books. I don’t mean a Profit and Loss statement or a copy of the quarterly. I mean full books available at the APBA website and available to any member. This empowers and encourages members to participate and be involved. It also keeps the ugly smell of favoritism and back room deals out of the room.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-book_management

3) Form a membership committee. How can any membership based organization not have a membership committee?

4) Form a long range planning committee. This will help to keep the constant influx of new leadership on track and establish goals not achievable in a one year time frame.

5) But most importantly: change the culture of APBA leadership and management to an organization that serves the membership as a whole, not individuals. If that could happen, everything else would take care of itself.

In other words, change the philosophy and outlook of elected leaders to make decisions for the better of the sport, not to make decisions for the individuals that voted for them into the elected office.

BW

Brad

If we have met ,sorry I do not remember.. Do you go to any USTS races??
How about the APBA national meetings or the Commission meetings held at the Nationals of your category? Your ideas I know are well intended but your
presence is needed to implement any of them.

pat

[B Walker]

Develop a strategic marketing plan to promote sport and sell nation wide sponsorship. Hire or recruit a sales team to execute that plan on a commission only program.

Money is split up between categories based on total members in each category. Larger category member numbers receive more $$ for use in promoting races and recruiting racers.

Continue with current member fees for funding the front office the same as it is.

Put a rule freeze in place.

This is the business model the PWC racers use. I have spoken with their promoters and even got one to come to a race. I was told in no uncertain terms what he thought of our form of racing and it was not complementary.

We race for ourselves at our own expense. Deal with it.

Reggie Fountain is the only person to actually make money from racing in the entire history of the sport and he did not make any of it from actually driving a boat.

Think about that.....

BW