I need your support to improve the DSCC

[GeorgiaSnake]

TC I'll be happy to assist in digging up events that we can participate in. I may even go so far as to help organize our own events.
I'm soon to be an empty nester, which is one of the reasons I'm building my car, free from the 8 months a year watching my son play baseball. He will only be playing 4 months out of the year now.
As far as dues - I don't think they will increase attendance one bit. Email is free, works well in conjunction with the forum and I would guess 90 percent of the members have one or the other. If they don't check the forum are they going to pay dues - I doubt it. Will someone attend an event 500 miles away because they paid $25 dues ?

People attend things if they sound fun are resonably close by and work within their schedule.

Randy

[CobraDan]

Randy,
As you know I have tried to answer ever new question that comes up, I just hope that I don't actually piss anyone off but me and that everyone continues to post as it is the only way to find out what the club wants. Now lets get back to the internet. Right now I have a list of about 20 members who can't be reached because of a bad email address. It seems most people change their email address every six months without enforming our club. We had another 20 with names only and bad email addresses, those are no longer on our list. I personally at my cost and time sent out post cards useing the snail mail addresses that I had for those 20 members to try and get their new email address as the ones we had were no good. I got emails back from about half which cost the member nothing. Because I resently cleaned house, we are at 345 members, we would have been well over 400 but of course they were really not members but numbers. Actually mass emailing is a pain in the $#@%. I actually emailed everyone individually to find out if the address was good. When you have a bad email in mass emailing it would not send until you found out which email was bad and pulled it from the others. I also found that a lot of our members read their email about once ever 6 months and of course what ever you were informing them about is already over by the time they read their emails.
Dan

P. S. My wife and I found the Silver Springs event better than every other Cobra event that we have attended together, sorry again DV because your event is still coming, see you next month. It was not that I put the event together that we liked it but it did turn out to be one for the family. My wife as she has posted as CobraJean will tell you she is also glad that I'm no longer involved except to pitch in and help Ed where I can.

[Jerry Cowing]

Sorry guys if I sounded short in my last e-mail. I have a tendancy to get right to the point and don't put any fluff in it.

The point I was trying to make was that I think dues will drive people away and the club doesn't need to be changed because it is functioning very effectively.

I feel that Dan did an excellent job in setting up the Silver Springs event. I know it's a lot of work because I've set them up many times myself, once for this club and many times for other clubs. Dan, I really appreciate the work you did as I'm sure everyone else did, even those that couldn't attend.

I still beleive that having the club event in South/Central Florida made it very difficult for members in N/S Carolina, N Alabama and Louisiana to attend unless they took vacation. Most of these people would have had to travel two days each way to attend this event. Also, the event wasn't held on a national holiday weekend this year (3-day weekend) which many people use to save their vacation time. Dan, as you said, I would have attended this year if I didn't have to go to the Yuma Proving Grounds to work -- it didn't rain there either . Ocala is about an 8-hour drive for me from NW Florida and about the same distance anywhere in our club's area so the location isn't as improtant to me as it is to some of our other members. I was just trying to express what I've overheard people saying. Just trying to lay everything I've heard out on the table for an open discussion.

Gatorac, I agree with you that the location is not the only reason that some of the 168 Florida members and another 150 out-of-state members didn't show up. However, I also don't think we (the club organizers) should take that as an insult or consider it a failure or be concerned about it. In the large organizations I've been associated with in my many years, we considered ourselves very fortunate to get 20 percent turnout to any particular event like a Christmas party, retirement ceremony, etc. In a smaller organization, turnout is usually above 50 percent. I think the best way to look at these events (races, shows, meetings) is that we give people opportunities to attend and we should be proud of ourselves for giving them the opportunity. I also think it's wrong to expect everyone to attend just because we put a lot of effort into setting it up. To put this in other words, be kind to yourself, don't beat yourself up or others up over non-attendance, lets just have fun and be carefree.

I think the area club organizers in each state and the DSCC officers are doing an excellent job in giving our club members lots of opportunities to join into the fun and we shouldn't change because of low attendance at a few events -- let's just keep plugging away doing the great job that we're currently doing.

[CobraDan]

Jer,
Fluff is what I was looking for, in fact any comment, hell I can't read minds. As far as it being to far away one of our members who also hasn't posted resently Fred Rice, drove all the way to the Texas Clubs annual meeting. Fred belongs to both our club and the Texas club and he lives in Tennessee, his drive to Texas was through ice and snow(remember this past winter) and when he got there with the 73 total Texas club attendees, as it was a Cobra event it rained the whole weekend. Fred would have been at Silver Springs but he was going to a SPF owners gathering witch was scheduled the same weekend (mothers day weekend). I'll talk to him in London Ohio, picking a SPF outting rather than one from the DSCC.
Dan

[Flyin_Freddie]

Sorry I had to miss the Silver Springs event...and even more so when I read the turnout was so poor. I would have been there, but with our spring SPF owners open track event scheduled for the next weekend, and with my wife at home with two 3 1/2 year old twin boys, I figured it was pretty near impossible to get the official oakie-dokey to be gone two weekends in a row. Plus, with the time required to put the car back into 'street mode' from 'track mode', I'd actually be tied up for over 15 days....not conducive to longevity on the marital front, if ya catch my drift.

So...lesseehere.....open track at Virginia International Raceway....or Silver Springs, Florida...... hitting the apex of turns at the maximum limit of adhesion.....or hitting the salad bar at the Bonanza....150+ MPH at 6850 RPM......or less than 25 at less than 1000 RPM......waiting for my turn to start on the Hot Grid.....or waiting for a table at Bob's Big Boy....hmmmmmmm.....let me see.....Oh, I know......RACING!!!! EVERY STINKIN' TIME.... (sorry, guys, I'm just like that. )


So far as dues are concerned....hell, here's my thought while I'm all wound up. If the 'exec' says dues are what's needed to keep this club viable and in business, then I'm in....you say it and I'll pay it, as Jimmy Buffet says in one of his songs. It's difficult to run a club and organize events on promises, and out of your own personal funds...and we all know that. If it takes dues to keep us together, then hell, let's get on with it.

Now, stand by for our own mini-impromptu Deep South Cobra Club get together in Germantown, Tennsessee - just east of Memphis - this past Sunday, 6/29/03, when participants in the Great Race came through town and did an overnighter in Germantown. We had eight Cobras show up...! We were the center of attention as the car show organizers, the Germantown Police Department, placed us right at the entrance across from the Ferrari Club. They had some nice cars there, alright, but the boys from DSCC outdrew them at least 10 to 1 all afternoon. I'll post pictures in the next day, or so... It was impressive....even had a very nice DSCC sign made my the G'town Police listing the DSCC club name, etc. Hell, we LOOKED like we knew what we were doing...! I'll post the pictures under a new thread to get everyone's attention.

HEY....WHAT's UP WITH THE WEBSITE....are we down? Just had someone try to join and got a bad URL returned...what's up with that?

[terry lee]

[quote]Originally posted by Flyin_Freddie




So...lesseehere.....open track at Virginia International Raceway....or Silver Springs, Florida...... hitting the apex of turns at the maximum limit of adhesion.....or hitting the salad bar at the Bonanza....150+ MPH at 6850 RPM

FF,
You make me on what has been a bummer of a day.
At least they had nice weather at Silver Springs
You really think you can get 6850 rpm out of that 393?
Thanks for reminding me, I promised Ruble I would send him a check for voluntary dues.

TL
I'm not today

For those DSCC members who haven't heard, we lost one of our brothers, Ronnie Reed - Doug's brother, yesterday. This has been a hard day for me, as I had grown to know and really like Ronnie over the past year + as we put together my SFP.
A finer gentleman, I shall never know.

[CobraDan]

Fred,
I know that our sign up must give some the impression that it's not sending on the info, but I did get two new members from TN. We have Brian Sullivan and Ray Mears as new members to our club.
Terry,
I knew Doug Reed from McDonough GA., but never met his brother Ronnie, my condolences from the DSCC.
Dan Wulff

[WBofTN]

Dan:
Do you show me on you list???
I signed up 2 weeks ago thru the DSCC site.
I live in the Memphis Tn area and have recently
purchased a Cobra.

Wes Banks

[Charlie]

Ed,
You would never guess it by my past attendance, but I fully support you and Dan’s efforts to get this club more involved. Even though I haven’t yet been to a DSCC event, I believe I can guess what has caused the low turnout. Consider these impediments.
1. Distance: We are more spread out than any other club listed, except the Australia club. It takes all day just to drive the length of Florida, either North-South, or East-West. Add in the other states and there is a vast distance between us.
2. Weather: The southeast has the most unpredictable weather I know of. Rain? . . . usually . . . except when they predict it. . . and always if they say it won’t. Many folks don’t have tops or windows.
Those are the big problems that face us all. But those issues are not what kept me from the Silver Springs event. I have a top now and side-curtains, so sporadic rain doesn’t worry me any more. There is a bigger issue for me, and I don’t think I am alone here:
3. Security: I won’t park my expensive car in a hotel parking lot overnight. I know it isn’t nearly as expensive as the Mercedes that is parked right next to it at the hotel, but Cobras draw people like a magnet, and that includes the unsavory types. If some hooligan is out there looking for an expensive car to vandalize to make up for his low position in life’s food chain, which one do you think they will pick? The Mercedes, or the pretty Cobra? I know that Silver Springs had locked gates and security over night, and nobody had any problems. But I have never been there, and I didn’t know how good that security was going to be. I had heard something negative about the security at the previous Atlanta event, so I wasn’t going to risk it sight unseen.

So what to do about it? Well, someday I will have an enclosed trailer, and something to pull it which. That will solve ALL of the above issues for me. No more problem! But what about in the meantime, and what about those who can't ever get a trailer? We must ensure some kind of overnight secure parking, preferably enclosed. Maybe one of the local members has a company where we can park in his warehouse. Or perhaps someone’s securely-fenced backyard. Or perhaps get a weekend special rate to park several cars in mini-warehouses for the weekend. There are several possibilities. That might help ease people’s minds about over-night events and bring greater attendance. I am curious how this was handled at the DVSF event. How did everyone get their cars there, and where did 285 Cobras park for the weekend? I was really impressed at the way the Californians got their cars there in a big-rig transport. Very secure and insured. I would certainly pay several hundred dollars for transport and peace of mind. We could probably learn some valuable logistical lessons from DVSF.

If you ever have an event in Jacksonville, I would be happy to offer up my 2 acre yard for car parking, or trailer parking. There is plenty of room. And I hope to make it to your next event.
Respectfully,
Charlie

[CobraDan]

Wes,
You are on our list, sorry if I didn't send you an email to confirm.

Charlie,
You speak of distance then you mention the guys coming from California. Last year I met those that came from Alustralia to Ohio. Leave your Cobra at home and just come you won't have to worry about any of the above.
Dan

[terry lee]

Dan, Ed,
Why don't we just schedule the events at Charlie's ? Remember he has 2 acres for parking. I can see it now, all the motor homes, the cars with trailers, and then the tents, oh and the Jiffy Johns. I hope he has great neighbors, I've heard this group can get alittle rowdy. I wonder if he has enough room to set the band up too.
I'm having too much fun just thinking about his generous southern hospitality.
Sorry Charlie, I just couldn't pass this up.
TL

[Charlie]

Terry,
No offense taken. I would invite the neighbors too! Jiffy Johns won't be necessary, most people just pee back behind the barn.

Dan,
I don't mind driving all day to an event, Silver Springs, or Lutz, or wherever. That isn't the issue with me since I have a top now (just finished). I was only saying that it may be an issue for many others, especially the waxers, and that could be why you are getting low turnout. With me it is the overnight parking that I worry about.

We have to face the reality that the DSCC is really spread out. If you have a trailer that is great, but what about the rest of the people. That is why I suggested that there could be some lessons learned from the DVSF. I would still like to know how some of the logistics were handled, I wasn't there. Dan, I think you were there, correct? How did most people get their cars there . . . trailered? And where did everyone park them at night . . . at hotels? Or was there a separate guarded area for parking?

Not trying to be a whiner, just trying to help get to the root of your low turn-outs.
Charlie

[CobraDan]

For the long hauls from Ohio most brought them in by trailer, open and inclosed. They had one guy drive all the way from California and back in his Cobra, 2,400 miles each way. He had a stone come up and crack his windshield and driving has to be the place where most accidents would happen. Most of the Cobras were at the motels and they had a guard but most of the drinkers were out all night keeping track of the Cobras. Actually looking after your Cobra at night is normally not a problem.
I had it set up so you could have parked your Cobra behind lock and key with a guard in the park at Silver Springs, the only problem you couldn't get to your Cobra either until morning. Most parked their Cobras at the Holiday Inn as did I. I have been to more Cobra gatherings without my Cobra than with my Cobra. It's getting together with fellow enthusiasts with or without their Cobras that counts. I have been to Ohio for all 3 meetings but only brought my Cobra once. I ment it when I said leave your Cobra at home but make it to our gatherings.
Dan

[terry lee]

Hey Dan,
You forgot the most important thing that brings us together as a group "THE CAR". But then you are getting senile
True it is easier to go place to place and not drag the trailer, but then you don't get the chance to see and be seen. Just think if we had a get together and nobody brought their cars
The Cobra Bash wouldn't have been near the fun without the cars. Or the track events??????????????????????
I trailer mine because I like the creature comforts of a/c, stereo, etc., etc. Plus the trailer does give me a sense of security in the motel parking lot. We didn't have any problem at Gainesville last time we were there, and the motel was filled the middle schoolers. Ruble's, Chuck's, Dan's and several others were out in the open all nite Friday and Sat.
I think security is personal thing that can be achieved by chains or cables and locks, alarm systems, you name it. Hell, we could make an old fashion "wagon train circle" with our trailers and put the driven cars in the middle.

I SAY THIS: PLEASE ATTEND AS MANY DSCC FUNCTIONS AS YOU CAN, BUT PLEEEEEEEEEEEEZE DON'T LEAVE THE COBRA HOME.

I'll show you MINE, if you show me YOURS.

Amen

TL

[CobraDan]

Terry,
If you had not come to my home before you bought your SPF, you might still be Cobraless. I was at the DVSFIII without my Cobra and there was 283 Cobras to look at. You better bring your Cobra you have an inclosed trailer and a wife that will tow the Cobra as you sleep in the back.
Dan

[EarlsflyinCobra]

Hi Eng. Ed,

How do I join your club?? Do you have any members / cordinators in the Daytona Beach Area??


Thanks, Earl

[EarlsflyinCobra]

Hi Ed,

I found the DSCC web site and will be joining as soon as I can get to a computer that works right.

Thanks, Earl

[terry lee]

Ed,
You've got mail x's 2
TL

[EarlsflyinCobra]

Ed,

I tried another computer. Still not sure if my application for the DSSC was sent? Who should I check with?

Thanks, Earl

[aumoore]

Earl
I did not get your info so you can just send it directly to aumoore@aol.com

Everyone Else

If you have a new e-mail address please send it to me so I can update the member list.

Thanks

Ruble Moore