Printable View
What are you guys doing for the preferred worker assignments this year for SCCA???
I need to mail in the check, just seeing where the other Miata peeps may be this season. :wink:
If you haven't done it already and plan to runb the full season with SCCA take a peek at this deal.
Mick
I will again this year be stylin' in my prettybrite yellow cap, and working like a madman even when I am on the course - ahem...
I asked forWe'll see what I get...
- - 1st Choice: Timing and Scoring (Computer) - first heat
- 2nd Choice: Registration
- 3rd Choice: Any corner - first heat
There doesn't seem to be any benefit to asking for anything more specific, like "working whatever corner so-and-so is working in". POS and I tried that last year, both asking to work with the other, and we ended up working different corners. :? They probably knew better than to put us in the same corner... :wink:
Hey Worker Chief Dude I recall hearing we don't get to pick what heat we run anymore in SCCA. Are they officially going to a rotating class structure?Quote:
Originally Posted by Kestrel
I noted on the form there is not a place to select which heat you want to work just was assignment you would like to work.
I don't think you could pick what heat you got to work in last year, either... Pre-reg will get you toward the early heats, though...
The first event will be on rotating runs by class. What happens the rest of the season depends upon what happens on 3/21.
Well, I worked first heat corner 3 at every event last year. I'm fairly sure you were assigned both a "station" and a heat... otherwise, what's the use in pre-registering for the year? Not having to rush to stand in line (you had to be near the front or risk having to work 2nd heat :shock: ) was the only real reason to pre-reg.Quote:
Originally Posted by tailchaser
Well Mr. Worker chief Sir are you going to get all the pre-register names and requested work assignments and assign those positions?Quote:
Originally Posted by tailchaser
Did I mention you are the best worker chief the Texas Region has ever had! :salut:
Can you explain what this means.
Because if you have assigned worker positions it can blow that idea completely. It is something that would take a lot of planing. It would also mean your worker position could change from event to event?????Quote:
Originally Posted by tailchaser
The last likely plan discussed was as follows:
1st heat: Jr. Karts (+ some cars - this is where it gets hairy and I'm staying out of the arguing)
2nd - 4th heats: Groups A, B & C where groups are roughly A=Stock & SP, B=Mod and Prepared, C=STS, STX, SM, SM2
5th heat: Novice
All your runs occur in one heat of the five. You work one heat of the five. So yes, you probably wouldn't have the same work assignment every time unless you were assigned to work heat 5. Based on my read of the board, I wouldn't lose any sleep on this, as there is a contingent determined to make this plan fail.
If you are interested in seeing this plan succeed, please be sure to attend the next SCCA Solo II meeting on Tuesday, March 2 at the Super 8 Motel in Grapevine, Hwy 121 at Main Street.
Thanks for the clarification tailchaser. I like the idea of running all your runs in one heat with the others in your class. And if folks would only have to work one of the other sessions, it wouldn't really matter to me which session I worked as long as it was either right before, or right after running. The two things I (and I'm sure just about everyone else) want to avoid are:Quote:
Originally Posted by tailchaser
Don't have those two things, and it could be a great idea.
- - Splitting my runs up too much (like happens if you run 1st heat, work 2nd heat, run 3rd heat at ER events), and
- Having to sit around all day with nothing to do (like would happen if you worked heat 1 and then didn't run until heat 4 or 5).
BTW, I've added all the SCCA Solo 2 Meetings to the dfwmiata.com calendar. :wink:
I guess I will comment more on this since I have been there tried that, concept. A couple of years ago I tried to force that concept on ER events. As such, I was in-charge to make it happen. It was based somewhat on the Houston region heat system. The eventual goal was to have a two event concept like they have in Houston. A morning event and a afternoon event. The idea was that you would not have to be there all day. The classes rotated each event so a class like CS would not always have to run in the heat of the afternoon for each event.
So the heat/class list was created based on the previous years attendance. The concept was to have 4 to 5 heats. Well it happened that the turn out only allowed 2-3 heats and the class mix always got scrambled at the last minute to make it work. But the biggest problem we found was the quality of the corner working. We no longer had someone at each corner that knew what they where doing. It also made it hard to make sure everyone worked. (not saying that can't happen now)
Everyone seemed to like the concept but we also saw people where not happy how it worked. For example a lot of people wanted to work a corner with a spouse or a friend. It was not normally novice friendly in that respect. You invite a friend out to compete but you may never get to see them during the event because of the class they run in.
So I am not saying it can't be done because it obviously works at Divisional event and other clubs around the country. But you have to be prepared to hear people grumble when they don't like the work assignment they are getting. I personally found I liked talking to people in other classes but I would never get to communicate with them how they are doing or what they learned while out on course.
I bring this up more because many on this fourm have offered to be worker chiefs. You will be the ones hearing people complain and want their position changed at the last minute.
So in conclusion it works just fine if the turn out matches the heat requirements. It also has to have a good class mixing. ER adjusted the program after each event and could never get it just right.
Houston's class worker/heat assignment list.http://www.houscca.com/solo2/2004order.html
Since it is rumored the region is going to switch to AXware timing program it has a heat layout program. Maybe they can manage things with that program. Again my experience says not. But I will be :D happy to say I was wrong.
We have a strong Houston influence leading the SCCA Solo II bunch this year... We'll see what happens.
As far as worker chief's, it looks like we have 4. Hopefully between the 4 of us, our pants will be thick enough to endure the chewing. I hope.
I sure hope it works out! I liked it when ER tried to run that way, but I realize it's a nightmare to administer. I will not be one of the grumblers!
I liked ER's setup also!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark52
If I recall correctly the classes would rotate unlike the Houston setup where ES would never run at the same time as CS, I'd miss you guys. :cry:
Hey Mark52 how are you feeling???
We'll do lunch :wink:Quote:
Originally Posted by POS Racing
I did one regional, and this is the way they did it. I loved it and asked at the next meeting why we did it differently at the local level. "Never work" is all the answer I got.
I sure hope it works, and I will do everything I can to help it work. :salut:
If you like this idea (or even if you don't), PLEASE show up at the meeting on Tuesday, March 2nd. Your input is extremely important. There are some loud "It wil never work" voices. Mr. Ramey is loud, but I'm not sure he can be loud enough by himself.
What is Mr. Ramey plan, is it Status Quo, or does he offer an alternative plan?Quote:
Originally Posted by tailchaser
I’m not so sure I like the Novices at the end ideal, is designed to facilitate less novice participation?
Novices at the end ensures two things...
1: They can ride along before they run and they get to work the course to see how things work before they run
2: There's no potential for griping that "instructors" get a free look at the course if they ride with a novice at the end
Sounds OK for a Novices first event, but what about his 6th of the season, would this not create the potential for a really long day for anyone with an "N" on their car??Quote:
Originally Posted by tailchaser
We already have cases where folks (Novice or Not) will bail early because of boredom or fear wouldn't his escalate the potential??
Just playing the part of the Devils advocate. :twisted:
BTW. You didn’t answer my other question if Mr. Ramey plan offered an alternative plan? Or does he want to stick with Status Quo?
The last available SCCA "regional addendum" apparently states that Novices are out of the pool after they trophy the first time... Obviously, novice rules used by Texas Region the last 2 years more closely resembled ER's novice rules, but may revert to the printed rules this year.
3: It ensures Novices actually work (Novices -- particluarly the "one-event wonders" are notorious for coming out, getting assigned a late work shift, running their heats, and then buggaring off :? ).Quote:
Originally Posted by tailchaser
Forcing them to stay all day isn't going to cure that issue, and most folks including myself aren't keen on the ideal of “ride along” when I only get 4 runs at an SCCA event!Quote:
Originally Posted by Kestrel
How many novices do a one event and done, I’d imagine it is quite a large percentage. This new format scares them off before the even show up!
IMHO - YMMV :wink:
:?: Won't cure which issue? It certainly will cure issue #3. Like you (and I) pointed out, quite a few Novices come out once, and are never seen again. These folks don't really care about being disqualified at the end of the day because they didn't show up for their work assignment... they just wanted to burn off some rubber :roll: . If you have them run in heat 5, they will have to work before they run. So I get the work out of them before they have their fun. So the problem of them running and then leaving (before their work assignment) is solved.Quote:
Originally Posted by POS Racing
As for scaring them off before they show up, again I don't agree. It's not like most of them read every word on the SCCA website before hand. They just show up and do whatever they are told until they don't want to mess with it anymore.
- - So a few will show up and find out they run late heats and decide to just go home. Fine.
- A few will show up and not understand that late heat means 3:00pm. They'll sign up, work their shift and either race or go home. Fine.
- And the "hardy ones" -- the ones that are really interested to begin with -- will stick it out. And they'll either come back or they won't... just like Novices have for years (some take it seriously and want to be involved, others find something else to do)
So as you can see, I'm not too bothered about the Novices running last :wink: .
But I will agree that I'm less keen on giving "Ride alongs" at SCCA, since there are only 4 runs. Doesn't mean I wouldn't, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get someone to ride with me. On the other hand, you only have 4 "class runs" at ER too... (so you save those ride alongs for the PAX runs?)
All these reasons are why the non-competitive me will not be at SCCA autox's unless I am watching.
I like seat time and ride along time, SCCA is too little bang for too much buck. Plus I am SM2. :bom:
Chris
After a long day of driving in Paris, if I were to drive back to the Metromess, it would be to go to the Mavs game with my boss and his free tickets :cry:Quote:
Originally Posted by tailchaser
Can I give Tailchaser my proxy??? I like this idea, I have been to an event that ran this way - except I recall no novices, and I told Mr. Ramey at the end of last season I will do anything I can to support it. We need to give it more than one event to decide if we like it, can fix the minor problems, or want to go back to the old circus. Of course, being a well capped safety dude, I could run when ever in the old format. How's that going to work in the new is not important to me.
The intent is to cure some of that... Wouldn't it be a little easier on you if you didn't HAVE to sit around all day? If you know at the driver's meeting that you work 1st heat and run 3rd, you'll know what time you need to be there, and you're done by 1 - 1:30. If you work 1st and run 4th, you'd finish your work shift, have plenty of time to go for a long lunch and come back to run, especially if you can con a buddy in to ringing your cell phone when heat 4 started... This format has serious potential to alleviate some complaints from the 175+ entry fields SCCA draws. It's not for everyone... SCCA isn't for everyone. Transitioning to this format will help.Quote:
Originally Posted by Miatamaniac92
Personally, I'd like to see novices run with their respective classes. Then, at registration you'd find out that you (and everyone in your class) would work heat 1, run heat 3, etc. We'll see what happens.
I'm sure I'm just reading this wrong, so feel free to call me a$$h@#e again :roll: , but does this mean there wouldn't be any year-end Novice Trophy? Or maybe it means that if a new driver shows up at event #2, and wins the event, she will not be able to fight for the Novice year-end trophy (because she trophied her first event, she can no longer run in Novice Class). If that's true, it's better to place about 5th in each event in Novice class. That way, you are more likely to accumulate enough points to take a year-end trophy?Quote:
Originally Posted by tailchaser
Silly, and way too complex. :? Just let people run in Novice Class for one full season (9 events) and be done with it. But again, I'm probably just misreading what you are writing.
Anyway, how did the meeting go last night? I had planned to make it, but got stuck late at work...
You're not mis-reading. The regional supplements were last revised in 1999, and that's what they said. There shouldn't have been a season points battle in Novice. If you care about this issue, be sure to write your congressman.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kestrel
I think the meeting was fairly civilized last night, but maybe that's because John G wasn't there... There was some naysaying regarding the assigned run heats, but not nearly as vociferous as before. General Default showed up and I saw only minimal nervous twitching when we discussed the topic.
It looks like David D is going to scare up some cops for a Cop Challenge for the first event. You may want to wear your sunglasses, altiain, but I think I already mentioned that.
So what was the end result of this meeting? What will the format be for Event #1????Quote:
Originally Posted by tailchaser
5 heats, with kiddie karts and some sacrificial lambs in 1st heat (someone volunteered F Stock), Novices in 5th heat, and the rest of the cars running in Heats 2, 3, & 4. If I understood correctly, it appears that the 1st & 5th heats will be static, and the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th heats will rotate as the season progresses. You will be running in the same heat with the rest of your class, but you may not necessarily be working with them - this will give Lauren and crew the flexibility to fill in any gaps in the work assignments.
Yeah, the meeting was relatively civil last night. No chairs were thrown, and I think the most anyone got was a couple of small bruises. :wink:
By the way, it appears that my help will be needed more in tech this season than in the worker camps, so please remember to leave your $5 bills under the left windshield wiper when you come to Tech, as this will certainly help thing move more smoothly. A number of you forgot this at the S2k event, and I let it slide... this time. I won't let it slide again. :P
Iain