REGION H OCTOBER 2011

Transcription

1 REGION H OCTOBER 2011 Hey Mudbugs!! GWRRA SOUTH CENTRAL LA-M CHAPTER DIRECTORS Mickey and Mary Searels You were all over the state this month!! Three Chapters were visited in September, District Gathering for the Chapter Directors in Lafayette!! WE heard the Hot Dogs were good at Motion Cycle Awareness Day. There were 27 Chapter members in attendance, and Thank you John and all the staff at our dealership for all the fun we had. We went to Chapter E and enjoyed being with them at their gathering, we enjoyed the games and the fellowship, and food. We are working on a ride this month with Chapter E and Chapter C if it all works out!! We also made Chapter C Gathering, we went by and met Gary at Hwy 6 and 49 and we rode together to Chapter C great to visit these Chapters this month. We visited Chapter J and the food and the fellowship was fun, great new meeting place!! Thank you Gail and Rickey, for all the laughs and the ice cream you bought!! Yes Claudia bought Ice cream with the cash she won!! Speaking of which, as we were coming through Dequincy, the funniest thing happen to us, concerning somebody we all know!! So if you want to know we will see who is reading our newsletter just give me a call!! October is here, our ride to Arkansas will be a blast, we asked Stan Salter in February to plan the ride and he has done a great job!! Stan and Randy went and rode the ride two weekends ago and has got it all laid out and will be letting us know all about it at our Gathering. We are now in the planning of our next year Chapter Ride to another place that I know you will enjoy!! Times, Date's, and location to be announced soon!! We enjoyed the group ride with Chapter J great job and a lot of fun. The food and the place were outstanding. Our Chapter Gathering will be shortened to 30 or 40 minutes for two Seminars we have a visiting Seminar Presenter coming Cheryl Wilkerson from Chapter J will be the Presenter. The Seminars will be Co -Rider and Mature Rider come and enjoy them if you re not a co-rider came and set through the Seminar and see how they think. This will be good for all those that are going to Arkansas. Time remaining and if the Chapter wants A ride we will have one after the Gathering. Hobo Stew will be at Jimmy and Bj's home on the 29 th it will be discussed at the Gathering. I want to take the time to say thanks to all the Chapter Core team you are making the Chapter run so smoothly, Great Job. We will be having a Chapter Core team meeting soon, time and place soon to be announce. Thank you Again LA-M Chapter Directors Mickey and Mary Searels

2 District Directors Merlin & Beverly Mayon Hello Louisiana Members Well, last month I said it s time to cool off a little, and it finally did after Tropical Depression Lee and the weather has been perfect for riding. The temperature in the high 60 s in the morning and the highs only in the mid 80 s during the day. Hopefully this will last awhile so everyone can get in some riding. Last month Beverly and I, along with Robert (Red) & Brenda Roussel, made the journey to Eldorado, Kansas for the Kansas District Convention where we met Allen & Amy Strain. The Convention was fun since we didn t have to work to put it on, although Allen & I did judge the light show. Every year the bikes/trikes get more and more lights, making it harder to judge. Some of these guys take lighting their bikes seriously. Allen even took some Kansas money home by winning part of the 50/30/20. One of the high lights of the Convention was the Rider Ed mock crash scene. They had a wrecked car and wrecked bike to make up the crash scene, placed out in the empty lot next to the Convention Center. They even took the time to jack-up and block the car for a person to crawl under it as one of the victims from the accident. Bikes arrived first on the scene to make the calls for assistance and take control of the accident scene until the Troopers arrived. There were fire trucks, police officers and ambulance medics responding. Kansas put on one heck of a mock crash scene for everyone there. Fun was had by all at the Convention, and we only made 2 trips to the Dairy Queen across the street. I d like to say THANKS to all the Chapter Directors and the participants who helped me with the MOU s that I needed for the District files and were also sent on to Region. THANKS AGAIN I m still not finished making up the files for each chapter and will need more paperwork later. Remember Directors, every new officer needs an Appointment/Change Worksheet plus a signed MOU & Oath of Office. I ve been hearing about Chapters around the state holding seminars and promoting safety, Beverly and I even assisted with Chapter K s Bernie Caruso giving the Road Captain Seminar. Chapter H in Houma put on an ERC course for bike and a trike course for trike riders either to learn or to maintain their Levels. There were 9 bike riders and 8 trike riders that took the courses. Chapter Educators if you want to put on a bike or trike course just get in touch with Rodd Polk to get it scheduled. All this helps GWR- RA promote their motto, Fun, Safety & Knowledge. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. Then the last Convention for the Region will be Oklahoma in October. It will be in McAlester, Oklahoma on October 27 th 29 th at the Southeast Expo Center. They will have their Halloween Costume party again this year, which is a lot of fun.these are the last two Conventions that are close to us in Louisiana, so if you are still missing any courses or seminars, this might be your last chance this year to get them. Now that the weather is getting right to ride, nice and cool in the mornings not to hot during the day, maybe we all can get out and ride a little more and enjoy our bikes. See you all soon.your Friends for Fun, Safety & Knowledge Merlin & Beverly Mayon Louisiana District Directors P. O. Box 3527 Morgan City, LA H/ C/

3 Hello Everyone, From: Rodd Polk, La District Educator October 2011 Hello everyone! Well, winter is coming upon us very quickly so your riding habits will change and the danger will increase so everyone please take care. Just a quick Note, there is a lot of training going on in La. Please read Chapters News letter for the information. Thoughts for safe Riding for October TIPS Cold Weather Riding Knowing Your Limits For Cold Weather Riding Here it is, October already and our winter riding season is upon us. Well, winter riding season for those of us that are adventurous enough to ride when the temperatures are a little less than desirable. I happen to be one of those riders that tries to squeeze in a ride even when the weather is a little less than desirable. I have been riding for a few years and have learned what I am capable of and how far I can go. Every person who rides needs to be aware of their own personal limits and riding skills. When you know what your capabilities are, ride within the window of those abilities. Always try to improve your abilities, but do so safely. One thing that I have learned is that these limits will change from year to year. Also the older you get the more your tolerance for extremes will change. What do I look at before I venture out for a winter ride? First is road conditions. I don't go out if I know that the roads are slippery or going to be slippery. If we have had a recent snow storm and the roads have been salted I'll wait for a few days to let the four wheelers soak up most of the salt and sand that the road crews have thrown down. The second thing that I check is the projected weather. I look at the fore casted temperature, and anticipated precipitation. I normally will ride to work, which is about a 25 minute trip. The trip isn't very long but long enough for the toes and fingers to start to feel cold. When you check the morning weather forecast your looking for the current temperature, the fore casted 5 p.m. temperature and weather. Is it supposed to be clear, flurries or stormy during the day? During the winter months if there is a chance of inclement weather the Wings will just have to stay home or you have to drive the dreaded four wheeler. I don't ride with any electrical body warming devices. My normal riding attire is a pair of pants that I bought from Wal-Mart, a warm insulated jacket and a neck gator to keep me warm, warm leather gloves, warm socks and winter boots.. Layering your clothes is the best way to preserve your body heat, by using the air gaps between layers for warmth. Thus far, I haven't had the need or electric vests or gloves and such, but I will admit that I don't venture out very far when it is really cold. If I am out on an extended winter ride, I let someone know where I am going and how long I plan on being gone. I also carry a cell phone with me in case I get into trouble and need assistance or will be later than planned. If I get cold I will stop for something warm to drink and give the body a chance to get warmed up. This is when I normally need to call home to let my better half know what is going on. The one thing that I must caution everyone about, is those four wheelers, and semi's that we share the roads with. If you think they don't see us during the summer when we are out in great numbers, they aren't even looking for a motorcycle during the winter. As a result, we have to be very aware of what is happening around us, and ride like no one sees us. Wear clothing that is bright and easily seen from a long ways off. There are some that think riding a motorcycle in the winter is crazy. There are many nice days during the winter months that can be ridden safely if you know your limits and plan ahead. Plus, I don't worry about storing the Wing in some obscure corner of the garage during the winter months. Remember, Ride Safe, Have fun!

4 Gold Wing Road Riders Association Steve & Carolyn Cotton Region H Trainer By The Book Delegation A few months ago (in the April 2011 By the Book ), I discussed the traits of an exceptional Chapter Director (or District or Region Director). One topic that is worthy of a more in-depth look is delegation. We are all aware of the concept, and the general approach of how this works. Let s discuss delegation a little deeper. When we decide to delegate, we typically approach it from the realization that we cannot do it all ourselves. So, we select things that need to be done and choose people that we think will be successful in doing those tasks. We try to use all that we ve learned about delegation and human interaction to get someone else to absorb those tasks. We ask them, rather than tell them; we compliment them on their skills or talents, let them know how we depend on them, and thank them for their commitment and dedication. When a member of my team approached me with an idea, it was an opening for me to delegate that task to them, because they have already bought in to that idea as being good, and they feel an ownership to see it is done. All of this is appropriate (assuming it is sincere), but let s back up a few steps to the WHY we delegate. There are more good reasons to delegate than just sharing the workload. What about development? Skillful delegation can assist in developing other individuals to become more skilled at a particular task, or to assume more responsibility in the future like becoming the ACD or CD! If these Members are already a part of your team, use them that is why they assumed that position on your team, so give them some things to do! The common pitfall is we can probably do it better and/ or faster ourselves. But, this is only true because we were afforded the opportunity at some point to better ourselves. The person that afforded us the opportunity was probably better and faster than we were, but did so for our development. So how can we expect someone to get as good as we are if we never give that person the chance?

5 BY THE BOOK (CON T} There is a risk to delegating for development, however. Delegation for development must be accompanied with the appropriate amount of oversight and guidance. The less experience someone has, the more oversight and assistance we should be ready to provide. If we don t provide the appropriate assistance and guidance, especially the first time someone attempts something new, we might unknowingly be setting them up for failure. We must remember, however, not to take over! Let them be responsible for their assignment. The second time this person is assigned that same task, we may only need to be a consultant to them. After executing this task a few times, this person will become quite skilled. We need to entrust this person with the task (i.e., let go), but be there to help to the degree required. A final thought on delegation. There is satisfaction associated with accomplishment. People are typically willing to contribute in an area where they already have skills because they are certain that they will be successful, and hence realize the accomplishment. What if someone is willing to help, but we don t know what his/her skills are? Simple we can let them choose what is delegated to them as it supports our objectives. Then we can use delegation in the best way possible to provide satisfaction to others. A successful Director may not actually do many tangible things herself or himself, but they will be developing their team and providing satisfaction while doing very little. In summary, use your team to help you as the Director meet all the objectives for our Members. By doing that, it will also be helpful to you by preventing your own burn out, while sharing responsibility and preparing your team for future teamwork. Learn Something New Then Teach Someone! Steve and Carolyn Cotton

6 ASSISTANT CHAPTER DIRECTORS ROBERT & JOAN PARTIGIANONI It was good to see a real good turn out for the Motorcycle awareness day at Motion Cycle in Rosepine. Chapter M was there in numbers, and Chapter J had one couple. The real gains was with the number of people that stopped with other motorcycles or to check out what was happening with our tent. We were able to talk with these people that came inside and to eventually get them over to "Pop Goings", for him to do his magic. Mickey and Mary had to go out of town for a District meeting, so it was left up to the Chapter to pick up the slack. I personally want to thank Tom, Neva and Kevin for doing all the real work. They kept the food coming and did all the pre-setup like buying the food and drinks, bringing the tents, table and chairs. Stan and Brenda were out of town, as they headed up to Hot Springs to set up a route for the stops for food, gas and rest. Once they got there, they did the routes that we will get to take in our group rides. We are looking forward to this particular long weekend of fun, fellowship and riding. Robert and Joan Partigianoni Asst CD Chapter M CHAPTER DIRECTORS MICKEY & MARY SEARELS (337) cd@chapterlam.com ASSISTANT CHAPTER DIRECTORS ROBERT & JOAN PARTIGIANONI TREASURER TOM & NEVA REED treasurer@chapterlam.co. CHAPTER EDUCATOR SANDY & TOMMY WOODS PHONETREE CORDINATORS GORDON & LINDA MYRICK phonetree@chapterlam.com RIDE CORDINATOR GEORGE & CLAUDIA CRUMP (337) rideco@chapterlam.com cwousa55@aol.com WAYS & MEANS COMMITTEE WELCOME COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP ENHANCEMENT CORDINATORS TOMMY & SANDY WOODS NEWSLETTER EDITOR JOAN & ROBERT PARTIGIANONI newsletter@chapterlam.com ACTIVITY COMMITTEE LISA FLETCHER CORDINATOR CHAPTER M MEMBERS ARE THE COMMITTEE CHAPTER COUPLE OF YEAR 2011 RICHARD & SUSIE DAVIS WEBMASTER CHARLES & CYNTHIA SIMPSON webmaster@chapterlam.com

7 CHAPTER EDUCATORS SANDY & TOMMY You re out riding on your bike and you have an accident and become unconscious or incapacitated. Paramedics or the undertaker arrives. Who will they know to contact??? ICE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY (ICE) - is a new proactive effort designed to provide emergency personnel with next of kin contacts via a patient s mobile/cellular phone in emergency situations. It s a free tool that can save your life. Choose a phone number for your emergency contact that is easy to reach them by. Remember: home phone numbers are not useful during the day if they are not actually at home. Day and evening numbers should both be listed. If you add more than one ICE contact, then add a numeric order, such as ICE1 for the primary contact, ICE2 for the second, etc. Use full names, not nick-names like wife or dad. ICE should be used by everyone with a cellular phone, including those traveling or living alone. ICE is becoming more of a common practice - so don t forget to add it to your cellular phone right now. Spread the word of ICE to family, friends, coworkers and fellow bikers, so they can use this important tool. You ll be glad you did. The life you save may be your own!!! Tommy & Sandy Woods Chapter LA-M Chapter Educator

8 CHAPTER RIDE COORDINATOR GEORGE & CLAUDIA CRUMP Mud Bugs calendar of events / rides report for September 2011 Wow what a great and busy, and fun month we had, starting off on 1 Sept. Thurs. With an all Biker Dinner ride to Mustard Seed Restaurant on entrance road to Fort Polk. 3 Sept. Sat. Was our Chapter Gathering. A lot of good information was put out by our Chapter director. We also discussed the Sept. Ride schedule and what's coming up on next quarter ride and event calendar. 9 Sept. Fri. Our all Biker Dinner Ride was to Kenny's Kat Fish Restaurant in DeQuincy to meet up with Chapter J ; we took over half of the restaurant with a total of 30 family members from both of our Chapters. And as always, we had a great time. Also we welcomed a new rider Lynn Thompson's brother and wife, Tommy and Bobbie Thompson. 10 Sept. Sat. A CD breakfast ride to FLO s Café, located near Burkeville TX and then a ride on 11 Sept. Sun. To Lake Charles's in support of the Patriot ride for the 10th anniversary of 9/ Sept. Tue. A Team Ride to attend Chapter E Gathering at Ryan's Restaurant, in Pineville, La. 17 Sept. Sat. We had a great showing of 27 old and new members of our family for Support Motion Cycle day. And Tom and family did a great job cooking the hot dogs. 20 Sept. Tue. We had 11 family members from Chapter M to make a ride to Sulphur, La. and visit with Chapter J at their Gathering. We had a great time with a lot of laughs with our Gold Wing friends. Claudia won a clock as a door prize and then the drawing which she graciously offered part of the winnings to buy ice cream at DQ in DeQuincy on the return ride home. Now that's where the real fun began, while entering DeQuincy with blue lights flashing, Barney from the local Sheriffs department chased down our lead white bike, because he had all of his green lights on, after much discussion and laughs, he let us go with a warning and a escort with again blue lights flashing out of DeQuincy. 24 Sept. Sat. Another fun day and ride for us and Chapter J to the Picket House Restaurant in TX. We had a total of 33 family members from both of our Chapters. 29 Sept. Thur. Our all biker dinner ride to Fox's Pizza in Leesville. This concludes my report for the month of September. Take care and keep the shiny side up. Chapter M. Ride Coordinator George and Claudia Crump

9 JUST A FEW PICTURES OF THE EVENTS WE HAVE ENJOYED THIS PAST MONTH!!!

10 CHAPTER LA-M October 2011 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Oct. Sat. Chapter Gathering At Bailey s and CD Ride / Safety Training 4 Oct. Tue. Beauregard Parish Fair Parade. Time and place for meeting (TBA) 6 Oct. Thu. The All Biker Dinner Ride is canceled, due to the Chapter leaving for Hot Springs Arkansas, early Friday morning 7 Oct. 7 Oct. Fri. Chapter Ride to Hot Springs Village in Arkansas. 7-9 Oct. Time for leaving 13 Oct. Thu. All Biker Dinner Ride. Leaving at 6:30 PM. 13 Oct. Thu. Mississippi District Rally in Tupelo, Miss. From Oct. 15 Oct. Sat. Ride the Eagle Trail sponsor by the Boy Scouts of America. Leaving at 7:00 AM. 20 Oct. Thu. All Biker Dinner Ride. Leaving at 6:30 PM. 22 Oct. Sat. Red Dirt Ride sponsor by Miche Lodrige and Pop Goins. Time for leaving. (TBA) 27 Oct. Thu. All Biker Dinner Ride. Leaving at 6:30 PM OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS NONE OCTOBER ANNIVERSARY STAN & LISA FLETCHER OCT. 6

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13 GWRRA SOUTH CENTRAL LA-M CHAPTER DIRECTORS MICKEY & MARY SEARELS 404 HARRISON STREET DERIDDER, LA REGION H