Club Future and Change

[Theodore]

There has been some talk recently on the forum about change and having autocrosses... people leaving and CSCC finding it's way. I thought I'd mention a few things for our members to consider.

1.) Running a College sports car club is HARD work. You are there for an education... anything else is extracurricular and takes up time that come between you and finishing at the grade level you wish. Since 1968, students and grads and a few locals have been there to keep the club going and active.
It is a REAL challenge considering that every 4 years, you lose 95% of your members. People graduate, get married, have kids, drop out of school, move away, develop other hobbies or change levels of participation. It takes time, commitment, planning and often is a thankless job. Lots of people to participate but often few to help put it on. We owe a great debt to past officers that worked hard and kept the club going and alive during tough times where support was nonexistent from many places that we had in the past. Thank you to last year's officers who made some REAL progress with autocrosses and car show... and to this year's officers for taking on new roles and responsibilities.
2.) Autocrosses - Once again... we can complain because we don't have autocrosses every two weeks on campus like we used to... OR we can focus on what we can do. There are plenty of opportunities for involvement in sports car competition and racing if you will look. SCCA South Carolina Region and Central Carolina Region are putting on events in Greenville area and there is no better site in the southeast than Michelin's Black Lake (2 day event next month). There are time trials being run where you can participate as a driver, or as a worker and run the PDX free of charge. (That can be as much as 100 minutes of track time per day for working the event. If you don't have the car right now, work the event for room and food and take tours of the track at lunch time in your car. Hang around people who are driving and listen and learn.) The Eagle's Nest Hillclimb coming up August 1st and 2nd- Free room and food in Banner Elk, NC, great racing in the mountains, great party and food, an exotic car show... get a group together, car pool up and work a Clemson Sports Car Club Corner. NASA has a number of great opportunities to run track days and help with events as well. You have a choice... curse the darkness or light a candle. Take advantage of the things you can do, get involved and work as a officer or as a member to make things happen. Right now, I would rather see ten CSCC members at a Black Lake with Tiger Paws and CSCC stickers on their cars, competing and representing and bringing home some trophies than having an event on campus.
3.) Future - if you want to get new members, you need to be preparing to go get them. A car show, a member drive for when school opens.... getting involved in THE parade... build a presence on campus. If you want to keep your past members involved, make an effort to keep them involved and let them know you appreciate their effort and service to the club. They can be a source of help, wisdom, dollars and support... or if you ignore them, they will disappear and find other things to do. Groups that appreciate their time and effort. We need new members... but we need to keep old members too.
4.) Represent - For those that think the CSCC is gone, or dead or everyone left, I would point out we have a LOT to be proud of :
TJ Theodore is leading CSP in SCCA SEDIV with a CSCC decal on both sides of his car.He has won several SEDIV track trials including setting a hillclimb record for CSP at Crow Mountain Hillclimb.
Ken Brewer is very active in NASA... most of you know about him and his accomplishments. You will see more in the future no doubt.
Rob Fogle has been doing great in CSP in SC Region. Looks like we can expect to see him time trialing and in hillclimbs soon. Every competition...he has his tiger paws on his car representing you guys.
Devin is working in NASCAR these days and you will see more of him in Nat'l competition at many levels no doubt.
Marc Osgood - still competing at National level and moving into Time Trial and hillclimb.
Zach, Keri, Matt, James, Nevitt, Shaun, Vinny Lee, Rob Sellers and MANY others continuing to compete and doing well. (sorry if I left some out. )
I am leading Specials class in SCCA SEDIV Time Trial for 2nd year... and the guy who won the SAARC Championship in Spec Miata last year was a past member of this club, Steve Bertok.

There's plenty more. We have a lot of members that are active in racing at many levels and doing well. Most of these would be glad to help you get involved or help in anyway if you just ask. USC Sports Car Club in Columbia has three or four members, has no lots to run, no money provided by the school and does not even have a meeting place provided by the school. You are lucky.

CLEMSON SPORTS CAR CLUB has been the springboard for many people to get their start in motorsports competition... that opportunity is still there. It may not mean bi-weekly autocrosses 400 yards from your dorm, free club cars to drive and all the tires you can smoke, or open wheel racing on weekends during your freshman year. It still can be a part of your key to the door if you want it. The more you give... the more you will get out of it...and you will find more hands there to help you out if you look.

[jedimario]

That's pretty much all true...cept Rob Sellers is attempting to compete would be more accurate

Something else I would add is don't let the summer get you down about the direction of this club. If I learned anything last time around, it's that not many spend time on this site during the summer and we certainly didn't do anything in person. That's only natural for a school club; it's summer, people are working and vacationing, and we're not all in one phyiscal location like we are the rest of the year. People will be back in August and we'll get the ball rolling again.

[1LapSRT]

You forgot me!

Undeated in RTA SFWD class. Went to Chicago last weekend and whipped the 2008 SFWD champion on his home track. With CSCC stickers on the car of course!


Anyone reserve the club space for the parade this year? Just a thought?

[CU ZCar]

jedimario Wrote:That's only natural for a school club; it's summer, people are working and vacationing, and we're not all in one phyiscal location like we are the rest of the year.

I thought there were going to be some summer events out in Anderson, how's that coming?

[jedimario]

Ask Ross?

[Silonius]

If my move to Colorado goes off, I should be getting dirty and slideways in their rallycross series, all in the name of Clemson Sports Car Club. Man I hope that all works out. I'll need some stickers too.

No autocross on campus =/= dead CSCC. We need to get involved with ICAR somehow.

And how could you forget Doug? I was re-reading the Sport Compact Car with the great pic of his Neon along with his 2nd place in class in the Time Attack series at Road Atlanta behind Rado's insane tC.

[Theodore]

I know... I wrote Doug and apologized... I know there are some more I left out too!

Sorry!

Keep 'em coming!
Ted

[CU ZCar]

jedimario Wrote:Ask Ross?

Well, how's that working out for everyone?

Not knowing the situation, I can't really say, but...if it is everyone's will to have an event, then hopefully there would be someone to tackle the obstacles preventing one from happening. It may be as simple as asking Ross how it's coming, maybe he has something in the works. It may mean asking if you can share or take the responsibility of getting an event to happen.

I'm not trying to pick on Robbie or Ross in particular, just making an observation. I know it's tough to reach goals like this as students, but in the end that kind of struggle is often worth the experience...looking back and remembering that you made events like the autocrosses or Motorsports Festivals happen, rather than simply attending.

[jedimario]

I think that Ross wanted to, but everyone has ended up working their tails off with class or way out of town.

I know I myself am in Ohio, can't speak for sure about anyone else though.

[93redfox]

i'd love to put together a summer event, but im working my ass off in school so i can stay

[1LapSRT]

Still curious if anyone signed up CSCC for the FF parade (which was overlooked last year).

[jedimario]

Overlooked again, due date was June 12. They still have the application up on the site though.

http://people.clemson.edu/~spirit/parade_app09.pdf

[straight four]

ok im sorry, but the parade was a HUGE part of whyi became a member of the club. It was what brought me to the club. ...

twice? jebus...

[jedimario]

I think that we need to establish (or re-establish?) who's responsibility it is to sign up for it since it's somethign you do (or can do) in the summer. Outgoing or incoming officers? I'll be sure to bring it up this semester.

[CU Nick]

That's really unforunate that the deadline was missed. I thought it was pretty cool seeing the cars go by my during my first days ever at Clemson. Any chance we could just park cars on Bowman insteas? Or are we already passed that deadline?