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I am ready with sections in Brimfield. The SMC has been working on sections and riding all summer to get ready to go when we can travel more easily between states. This year I am looking at June 6 or 13 for the Brimfield. There are many details that will need to be worked out to help us have a successful season. There will probably not be a meeting in January so this forum is a good place to work out issues and protocols for 2021.
Leo
As always checkers are going to be an issue. Perhaps even more so with eased but not eliminated restrictions. Could be the other way as well. No way to predict at this time. Certainly early season events will still have some restrictions. It’s worth considering protocols for possible scenarios and maybe a split season where the first half is all fun events and scored/points events are crowded into the end of the season. This could help smaller clubs who have considered hosting an event dip their toe in the water without the responsibility of an NETA points event. NETA could help promote the event web and email with the understanding it’s not an NETA sanctioned event. There are several new clubs that have sprung up who have had fun events and lots of new riders. This could be a window of opportunity to bring them into the fold.
I used the NETA mailing list & website last season to help promote some club events. This is something I think we'll definitely continue this year. Send an email to "webmaster" at "newenglandtrials" dot "com" with your request.
Also, I can create a forum for any local trials club that would like to have their own forum for communication and discussions. The Granite State MotoTrials group already have a forum. At this point, they are primarily a Facebook-based group. Looking forward, I think people will continue to gravitate away from Facebook.
As always checkers are going to be an issue. Perhaps even more so with eased but not eliminated restrictions. Could be the other way as well. No way to predict at this time. Certainly early season events will still have some restrictions. It’s worth considering protocols for possible scenarios and maybe a split season where the first half is all fun events and scored/points events are crowded into the end of the season. This could help smaller clubs who have considered hosting an event dip their toe in the water without the responsibility of an NETA points event. NETA could help promote the event web and email with the understanding it’s not an NETA sanctioned event. There are several new clubs that have sprung up who have had fun events and lots of new riders. This could be a window of opportunity to bring them into the fold.
One option might be to temporarily adopt the SSDT method of scoring. They issue riders individual numbers and checkers have clipboards with score sheets that correspond to the numbers. This at least eliminates close interactions (with maskless, out of breath riders) and handling individual scorecards. The method has it's drawbacks such as not being able to immediately verify your score and taking longer to record and post results. On the plus side, it might make recruiting checkers a little easier and it's a little safer for everyone. Just a thought...
I'll let others chime in from the Meriden club with any dates that are being proposed. I know that there is one date in May already booked with the AMA as it is a replacement for the 2020 event that was unfortunately paid for and then cancelled. Hopefully it'll be held this year to the standard NETA championship scoring guidelines, but if NETA decides not to have a 2021 championship I am sure folks with come up with something fun for everyone to do.
I think anyone that came to the Meriden fun events this year will agree they were as safe as they could be and complied with the various guidelines for social distancing etc. I had a blast and the self-scoring was a ton of fun.
I know I have talked to several folks in our trials community about alternative scoring if NETA doesn't hold any events in 2021 including moreland scoring gate trials, a trial like the SSDT or UTE Cup where time around the loop has consequences for scoring in addition to the usual dab scoring, pairing up riders to check each other and more. I will say that with checkers being the usual barrier, likely made worse now that folks have drifted away, that we may need to consider alternatives even with the standard scoring.
For example I read on ADVrider that New Mexico has the higher classes checking the lower classes in the morning, and then the lower classes check the higher ones in the afternoon (or vice versa). This can help solve the lack of checkers if you have a lack of non-riding volunteers. With that said, they aren't slouches - the trials get started at 9 a.m. in order to give everyone enough time to ride.
The SMC had voted to host a Trials at Brimfield on June 13, 2021. We are looking forward to hosting the trials as a normal NETA event. Should that not be possible with COVID and the various state restrictions I am looking at ways to make this a fun event. I am looking at options for online registration, online liability waivers and scoring. I think we can do on line registration fairly easily, waivers and scoring will be more challenging.
Below is a Facebook posting from a California club:
I am looking for suggestions. If there is good registration software solutions already available great. There is some time between now and June but if the details of how to do an event while COVID is still around are not worked out this spring we may not be able to hold the event.
Since money has to change hands it might be worth looking into something like Shopify or PayPal. Both of which have built in virtual contracts legally binding you to pay upon agreement to terms. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have the additional flexibility to add additional pieces to a purchase agreement that cover liability. If they do it’s pretty much a copy and paste of our current waiver with a check box that doesn’t allow payment to be received until checked. Just have to make sure that is acceptable to the AMA insurance carrier. Of course it’s going to require phone calls and some registered mail confirming what was agreed to on the phone. I suspect setting it up is the easy part. Getting buy-in in writing is gonna be work.
Thanks Dan; We are looking at PayPal for the entry fee. The waiver will take some extra work.
Leo
One thing that might go a long way to helping this situation is for everyone to get the AMA annual release card. Signing up for an event online can include a box certifying that you have an annual release card. That takes care of the AMA waiver. And at this point in the season there’s no reason not to get one so it’s not particularly burdensome to require one for on-line signup.
I am ready with sections in Brimfield. The SMC has been working on sections and riding all summer to get ready to go when we can travel more easily between states. This year I am looking at June 6 or 13 for the Brimfield. There are many details that will need to be worked out to help us have a successful season. There will probably not be a meeting in January so this forum is a good place to work out issues and protocols for 2021.
Leo
I mentioned this elsewhere but could there be a forum for proposing event dates? It might simplify things by separating the process from discussions about how to conduct them.
Well I just did the annual release online and it was pretty painless. There’s also a link on the bottom of the page for the waiver software the AMA uses so I suspect a club or NETA could put that on the website and waivers could be handled as part of online signup.
I am ready with sections in Brimfield. The SMC has been working on sections and riding all summer to get ready to go when we can travel more easily between states. This year I am looking at June 6 or 13 for the Brimfield. There are many details that will need to be worked out to help us have a successful season. There will probably not be a meeting in January so this forum is a good place to work out issues and protocols for 2021.
Leo
I mentioned this elsewhere but could there be a forum for proposing event dates? It might simplify things by separating the process from discussions about how to conduct them.
I'd rather to use a pinned topic titled something like "Proposed Event Dates" in either the "2021 Season" or "Upcoming Events" forum for this. I will create and pin the topic if this is acceptable to everyone.
I looked at the AMA ewaiver and it looks like it may help with riders but it would not work well for the checker and other guest at the event. Still open of ideas.
