The maximum for a State Qualifier would be: Rookie 130, Cruiser, Girls, and Novice 170 and Expert 200.
The maximum for a local race would be: Rookie 120, Cruiser, Girls and Novice 150 and Expert 180.
Times: All qualifiers will be ran as follows: All on Saturday. Practice/registration: 12:00-2:00, Race: 3:00. Dates will be determined at the Jan/Feb state meeting. Two rain dates will also be determined.
Qualifying: The number of qualifiers is still up for debate. We did however decide to eliminate the min/max rule for qualifying. I want you to discuss this with your parent’s association and your riders and get back to me by the end of November.
Team Racing: Ran just like the Team NBL racing (refer to NBL rulebook)
Points Season/Championship: We need to agree of a definite starting and ending date for the points season and the State Championship race. It was stated that the season should start in mid April and end in August. There was some debate about this topic also. So once again discuss this with your parent’s association and riders and get back to me by the end of November.
Awards: It was discussed that for the qualifier awards a track T-Shirts or something that the kids can promote BMX at their schools would be given out and the Championship will have plaques and number plates. The plaques would have placeholders for the finishes at the State Qualifiers.
Registration: It was discussed that the State qualifiers registration cost will be $20 pre, $35 post. This idea was tossed around and kind of agreed upon only a $10 increase between pre and post registration.
Jerseys: In order to hold the State Championship earlier in the year, no jerseys will be given out at the Championship race. Jerseys will be for the President’s Cup race only. We will also be taking orders for racers to buy a jersey if they do not want to race the President’s Cup.
Track Compensation: The track hosting a state qualifier would receive a small percent of the qualifier’s registration unless that track held a Regional or National. In that case, the registration money would be split amongst all the tracks that were not hosting a Regional or National. The idea was to help grow the whole state financially instead of only a couple of tracks.
Sponsors: There were two ideas. First, have a State Series sponsor that pays for all the awards throughout the state series in return for their logo printed on all State fliers, on all State awards, on the State website, on the number plates and on the President’s Cup jerseys. Secondly, have each track find a local business to sponsor their State Qualifier by paying for the awards in return for their logo printed on the awards and on the number plates and on the President’s Cup jersey. The extra money can go back to paying for our kids to race the President’s cup or even go back to the tracks themselves.
Website/hotline: I do not know anything about who owns the State website or the hotline. It is my belief that our most useful tool, the website, is a complete waste. I will be trying to get the current site information from Sonny, but if he claims it as his own I will be getting a new site started. The hotline is kind of the same situation. I have heard from most of you that the hotline is a waste of money and that you have a track hotline. This needs to be looked at and if need be eliminated. Discuss this and get back to me.
State Banquet: It seems like the majority agreed with eliminating the State Banquet. If we hold the race a little earlier in the morning and then have each track responsible for a certain cover dish, we can have a picnic after the race with an awards ceremony after lunch. This will save everyone dinner costs and hotel costs, not to mention saving the State the cost per racer for the banquet meal.
2005 State Track Rules:
- Financial Statements:
All tracks and the state will need to provide a monthly financial statement starting at the Jan/Feb meeting. This will be to perform a check and balance for the state and to eliminate all financial questions.
- By-Laws:
Since all the tracks have just about had all their elections, I would like to receive everyone’s By-Laws by the first part of December. It was stated that all the By-Laws should be fairly similar from track to track. I will work on the State’s By-Laws and have them out to you by the first part of December.
- Monthly Meeting Minutes:
All tracks and the state will have monthly meetings starting in Jan/Feb. The minutes will be available to everyone. This will allow struggling tracks to learn from other tracks that are prospering and for prospering tracks to help the struggling tracks. The idea is for lines of communication among tracks to be open and we build Georgia BMX as a whole.
- State Big Event Planning Committee:
Prior to the 2006 National race season (I would say in June of 2005, if not even before then), two members from each track as well as the State Officers will get together to plan and to approach NBL about any Nationals and Regionals in the state. This will put an end to all the backstabbing and deal making going on in the State. We approach the NBL unified and in full support of the decision the planning committee comes up with.
- Competition Congress:
It is my feeling that the State (if we have any money left over) should pay for the registration fee for one member from each track and for the State Officers to attend Competition Congress. The individual tracks should pay for the travel expenses for at least one track officer to attend Competition Congress. This is totally up to you as a parent’s association, but it should be stated in your By-Laws so there is no questions or surprises later on.
- Local Racing:
Prior to the beginning of the State Points Series, all tracks are encouraged to race as often as possible. Once the Points Series starts, tracks that are grouped together only schedule a race one per weekend. The idea behind this is to hold less conflicting races and to have more racers at the races. This will build the number of racers per local as well as give your track’s volunteers more time to enjoy BMX with their kids. We are not Florida (yet), so the tracks that are close to one another need to grow together rather than compete against one another.
- Race fees:
This was brought up, but I forgot to bring it up at the meeting. All the tracks need to have a set race fee. From looking in the BMX Today, $6.00 for points only and $10.00 for points and awards seem reasonable.
- Sponsors:
The tracks need to find out the cost of putting on a race with trophies and approach local businesses for sponsorship. They will pay for one race in return for their logo on your track’s fliers on the trophies and for banners to line the track. Also on their particular race day invite them out and allow them to drop the gate or hang out in the tower and give them some free food from the concession. Make their race truly, "their race." If you have any other ideas, please share them with me so all the other tracks can possibly follow your lead.
- Extras:
- We need to change the version of the National Anthem that is played at the State races to a shorter version. It was stated that Jon Beachy record a version and we pay it at the races. That sounds like a plan, but we need more details as far as the costs involved.
- Each track should have an extra event added to the schedule per race, ex: relay races, pit bike races, big wheel races, foot down and boxer short races. Do something to get the whole family involved at the races.
- Each track should have two groups of volunteers. That way your volunteers do not need to be obligated at every race. And if at all possible, have your volunteers commit a month early at your monthly Parents Meetings. This way you know who maybe out of town or something and you can schedule for that race.
- Once a month, organize an after race picnic. This builds a larger volunteer base and camaraderie amongst racers and parents.
Please discuss all of these topics with your parent’s associations and the riders and email me back the responses. And please, if you have any other issues that have not been mentioned above add them to the email. We can make Georgia BMX extremely huge again but it will take all of us working together and focused on the same goal. This is just a start of what I see needs to happen in the State and then we build from here. I have not even begun to mention promotions and marketing. I will brainstorm on those topics and send you all emails in a couple of weeks.
Thanks,
Rob "Horseman" Potter