|
This
is the seventh in a
series of talks regarding Group Riding. For the upcoming BMMC
breakfast meetings, you can expect to get a short message from me
or another Ride Captain.
The BMMC
Riders Guide pamphlet that was created in 2007 is a great
document and I certainly hope that you have a copy, have read it,
and have it available for reference. It covers so much ground,
however, that it can be difficult to keep it all correctly in
mind. Just as airline and corporate pilots must undergo refresher
training regularly – Recurrent Training, it’s called – to be
reminded of information they already know, so also may we benefit
from being reminded of what’s contained within the Guide. You
unlikely will be hearing much, if any, new information, but rather
a revisiting and emphasizing of what you already know.
The topic for today is Ride Captain Prerequisites.
Our club is blessed to have nearly forty (40) Ride Captains as of
the start of 2009. Usually, enough members of that group attend
the various club riding events that having sufficient Lead/Sweep
teams is not a problem. However, sometimes we do indeed come up
short-handed and need to twist some arms to get enough RCs to
participate on a particular ride. The more the merrier! By having
an even larger pool of RCs, fewer arms will ever need twisting and
each individual RC will not be required to “work” as many rides.
In the BMMC Ride Captain Guide as well as in the BMMC Riders Guide
– both available for download from the website, remember – the
Ride Captain Prerequisites are listed. I won’t take our time now
to review each and every one of the nine requirements listed –
look ’em up on the site – but I do want to highlight the fact that
you need to have at least one year of membership under your belt
and have passed the MSF’s ERC (Experienced Riders Course).
I got a chuckle from a story related to me by another member
during last month’s Eloy ride. Turns out that, in a previous life,
he had gone on a couple of rides hosted by another motorcycle club
in the Valley. He said that the only time he was really with his
fellow riders was at the start and at the finish. The rest of the
time, it was basically a testosterone-fueled challenge as to who
could get to the destination the fastest. He said his speedometer
rarely read less than three digits and he still was outrun by most
of the others! Man! I’m glad that we’re “an eating club with a
riding disorder” instead of a bunch of frustrated Superbike
racers!
Being a rider who is capable of going fast is great. It’s fun to
whip the throttle to the limit on the straights and then be able
to judge when the throttle comes off and the brakes come on such
that the corner being approached can be negotiated well, near the
limits of traction…during a Track Day at Firebird Raceway, say. To
have that type of skill in reserve when riding the highway is a
wonderful confidence-instiller. But, friends, needing those types
of skills on a BMMC group ride is not a prerequisite of a Ride
Captain nor of any other group member!
Much more important than being a fast rider is being a safe rider,
one that is always aware of his/her surroundings. One that “SEEs”
what is going on as he/she Searches the landscape ahead, Evaluates
the hazards that appear, and Executes the maneuvers needed to
remain safe.
It’s also important to have the desire and ability to know where
the hell we’re going! Although GPSs have made that task mighty
easy for many of us, there is still nothing wrong with a
well-previewed map and simple distance/turn directions written
large where you can see them while riding. (How many remember the
old grease pencil on the windscreen trick?)
Another important part of being a RC is being friendly: Making the
new members and guests feel welcome and being sure they meet their
riding colleagues. Years ago I was taught the old adage that the
prettiest word in any language is one’s own name. Making a real
effort to know the names of those in your group and using their
handles when appropriate sure goes a long way to ensuring a sense
of group connectedness and closeness. (I know none of us can match
the phenomenal name-retention skill of a Vickie or a Ron, but we
can work at it little by little, eh?)
So, to those of you who already have stepped forward and become
BMMC RCs, I extend my thanks, appreciation, and respect for the
job you’re doing. To the rest of the members, I ask you to examine
your riding background, your availability to participate in our
rides, and your desire to help the club. I know there are some of
you listening to me today who know that you meet the requirements
yet, for a variety of reasons, have not yet offered your services
in this manner. Please, please, let me know if you’d be willing to
join the RC ranks. You’d be truly welcomed! See me, call me, drop
me an email. If you are not yet qualified in all respects, it’s
still OK to let me know your wishes and we can work together on
clearing the remaining hurdles.
As we begin a new year, 2009, I look forward to many fun,
interesting, and safe BMMC group rides. I hope to see more of you
riding with us!
. |