snowmobile clubs

[Bullcheater]

Is it common practice for an all volunteer snowmobile club. To request its members and or potential members to fill out an application and have it reviewed and approved or rejected by its board members. Not the club members but the board.

 

[polarisrider1]

Is it common practice for an all volunteer snowmobile club. To request its members and or potential members to fill out an application and have it reviewed and approved or rejected by its board members. Not the club members but the board.

yup! Same as in most boat and motorcycle clubs. No diff. Oh and bring money for dues. Clubs are not free for the most part. They will want you to volunteer time also.

 

[LoveMyDobe]

club members

It might depend what their bylaws or constitution says and if they follow thru with them. JUST MY OPINION............

 

[pwolfy2003]

Polaris rider

You make it sound like that is wrong to collect dues and volunteer.... The dues go for trails , fuel etc. and every snowmobiler should be required to help so the 10 percent of us that do it all could relax a little more too.

 

[xcr440]

You make it sound like that is wrong to collect dues and volunteer....

I took it completely the opposite.

 

[polarisrider1]

You make it sound like that is wrong to collect dues and volunteer.... The dues go for trails , fuel etc. and every snowmobiler should be required to help so the 10 percent of us that do it all could relax a little more too.

Absolutely not wrong to collect dues and expect newbies to volunteer. I am the secretary of the RYC Yacht club and getting dues out of the tight azz boaters is un-belivable. I am also the Road Captain of the Eagle Riders 925 riding group in Grand Haven , MI. We make it known in that group that they MUST do 10 hrs. min. communitee time per yr. for the club to be in it along with dues , If not we vote you out. The clubs are what you make it. When we added the communitee time we lost half the members and some panicked. We now have a way better tighter club. 10 hrs. a yr. come on. Watching the door checking ID's for one night gets you 4 hrs. and 4 free drinks at the bar and the seat closest to the band.

Some people join and don't know why. Best an officer gets with them quickly and asks them their expectations from the club and then assigns them to an event or committee ASAP. Dead weight is not allowed in our Bike Group. The boaters, that's a different story. We try to get new members involved right away. Keep them busy in the club and they tend to stay. In our Boat club 6% cater to the 94% and I will be president in 2 yrs. in that club and it will change. In the Eagle riders we have 70% involved and 30% on the way out. Clubs need volunteers, that is what will make or break a club.

 

[polarisrider1]

I took it completely the opposite.

Thank you, I do a lot of negotiating and posturing, that is one thing I can do well. Just the smiley faces don't cut it to get messages across in type, but it helps. Thank you for getting what I was saying.

 

[edmarino]

Snowmobile club dues just about cover their cost to run a club, it usually takes a least one fund raiser a year to cover all expenses, and the volunteer help to run the fund raiser covers your volunteer requirement. It would help a great deal if you also helped to put in trail. All those stakes and markers you see on a trail do not appear by themself. And I just hate the hunters (if you can call them that) that have to shoot at our trail markers because they can't find any thingelse to shoot.
It takes time and money to replace the destroyed markers.

 

[Bullcheater]

I understand. what you say. but, They collect dues if you are accepted. Wich won't pay anything cuz its $5.00 per yr. My point is. If they don't run it before the group, and bring in new members the board never changes. Do most clubs board have complete control of all decisions . They had the members leave when they voted on the applicants. this club has less then 40 members. and less then 7 are active do too member fustrations. there seem to be problems in the club. I just hate too see them lose there trails too other clubs. And have 30+ yrs gone.

 

[Bullcheater]

we offered to help in any way. But were asked questions to see if we would rock the boat. hence my wondering

 

[lenny]

You make it sound like that is wrong to collect dues and volunteer.... The dues go for trails , fuel etc. and every snowmobiler should be required to help so the 10 percent of us that do it all could relax a little more too.

required? wow,, think about that for a while.

We already have a law that says we MUST purchase a trail permit, which permits us to ride the trail. Should we also be required to join a club. I am a club member and volunteer groomer operator by decision.

Would it be more accurate to say you think more people should help out?Requiring is a strong word, maybe just semantics?

 

[polarisrider1]

required? wow,, think about that for a while.

We already have a law that says we MUST purchase a trail permit, which permits us to ride the trail. Should we also be required to join a club. I am a club member and volunteer groomer operator by decision.

Would it be more accurate to say you think more people should help out?Requiring is a strong word, maybe just semantics?

Why bother joining a club if not participating? We put a 10 hr. per yr. required volunteer clause on at our Bike group to weed out the whiners. If someone does nothing in the club why even belong is our thought. 10 hrs. is a joke. I put in a hundred plus last year in ea. club I belong to (2). It is as simple as collecting tickets at your pancake breakfast or watching the gate at an event. easy to do stuff. The ones who do not help out cry the loudest, who needs that in their club?

 

[lenny]

Why bother joining a club if not participating? We put a 10 hr. per yr. required volunteer clause on at our Bike group to weed out the whiners. If someone does nothing in the club why even belong is our thought. 10 hrs. is a joke. I put in a hundred plus last year in ea. club I belong to (2). It is as simple as collecting tickets at your pancake breakfast or watching the gate at an event. easy to do stuff. The ones who do not help out cry the loudest, who needs that in their club?

what? Joining a club is participating! It costs $25 to join the Superior Snowmobile club. Many out of state people join the club and support it by financial means, it helps. It goes to whatever the needs of the club are and trust me, 2 transmission failures this year hurts. We are grateful for our club members no matter what means they participate

 

[xcr440]

what? Joining a club is participating! It costs $25 to join the Superior Snowmobile club. Many out of state people join the club and support it by financial means, it helps. It goes to whatever the needs of the club are and trust me, 2 transmission failures this year hurts. We are grateful for our club members no matter what means they participate

I agree with you both, the $25 memberships with no help are needed, just for the funding. This would be your IL or WI members being generous and joining a MI club just for the sake of the donation.

But time is key, as usually its all volunteers running the clubs, and their equipment.

 

[dcsnomo]

But back to the original question...is it SOP for a snowmobile club to have "membership review", like a yacht club or country club?

I was surprised that your club has this membership review. I always viewed snowmobile clubs as much less "clubby" than a country club, because the mission seems to be so different. But I have only belonged to two snowmobile clubs, both of whom had no membership review.

 

[pwolfy2003]

Sorry

Polarisrider , sorry I took it the wrong way, Lenny, we have a lot of members that just pay their dues and nothing else. At least they do pay unlike a lot... Im finding out that if we just ask there is alot of people that are willing to help once they join but sometimes people are scared to come to a meeting and see what its all about. We(I) have met a bunch of new people through the snowmobile club and have done alot of things in the off season ,(CAMPING ,BOATING, MOTORCYCLING,ETC.) Cant wait to have Skidoodragon and Laura up to the camper this summer. We met by Joey coming to a meeting and introducing ourselves and he started asking how they could help and have helped out considerably. It is a cool experience . So i guess if more people join and become active the possibilities are endless.

 

[einne]

gee PR1 - sounds like i may need to cancel my two out of state memberships. 1 in WI. and 1 in MI. no i have not been able to volunteer, but i do volunteer my dues every year. sure thought for a out-of-stater that would count for something. spend my $$ wisely please. aint got no whining out of me. a quiet donation being made every year.

 

[lenny]

Polarisrider , sorry I took it the wrong way, Lenny, we have a lot of members that just pay their dues and nothing else. At least they do pay unlike a lot... Im finding out that if we just ask there is alot of people that are willing to help once they join but sometimes people are scared to come to a meeting and see what its all about. We(I) have met a bunch of new people through the snowmobile club and have done alot of things in the off season ,(CAMPING ,BOATING, MOTORCYCLING,ETC.) Cant wait to have Skidoodragon and Laura up to the camper this summer. We met by Joey coming to a meeting and introducing ourselves and he started asking how they could help and have helped out considerably. It is a cool experience . So i guess if more people join and become active the possibilities are endless.

I agree and am all for seeing more help. A big part of the difference for our club is that many Ill, wi, mi people come up and brush trails, fix signs and it's all done on a single weekend. Don't get me wrong, much more goes into a club than brushing, signing and grooming. help is greatly appreciated and necessary. many people cannot afford time so they donate. You'd be surprised how many local businesses join our club for advertising and being known as a club supporter, the help goes along way. Summer trail maintenance has been a huge success here in da UP. We often have lots of people and it's usually easy going, at least the 4 years I have been involved. We need both kind of people and just seems wrong to require more of them then they are willing to offer. Asking and making known the needs sounds like a very important aspect to getting the necessary help

 

[jd]

"I would never want to be part of a club that would have me as a member!"

Ok old timers, who coined that phrase?

By the way, I am a member of the Valley Snowdrifters via financial methods only, wish I had the time to be more active. I am also on the board of directors of the Keweenaw Trails Services and Keweenaw ATV Club and plan to join up with them good folks just south of us.

-John

 

[lenny]

gee PR1 - sounds like i may need to cancel my two out of state memberships. 1 in WI. and 1 in MI. no i have not been able to volunteer, but i do volunteer my dues every year. sure thought for a out-of-stater that would count for something. spend my $$ wisely please. aint got no whining out of me. a quiet donation being made every year.

hold on,,,,, what you do is very important and is appreciated. Our club has many supportors just like you and we are gratefull for people like you.