NEWBIES TO THE CREW!
If there is anything that separates our club from the rest it’s our willingness to bring in new members. I believe the best way to get new people involved is to allow them to drive over rock without making them jump through hoops or off cliffs. Who wants to sit in a meeting with people you don’t know and possibly don’t like. I would equate it to being taken to a AMWAY meeting where they try to convince you to sell toilet paper to your friends. Not so much fun and for those who don’t understand it’s about the fun.
I’m a firm believer the best way to teach new people the sport is to give them a healthy respect of fear, a stock rig and a competent spotter. A competent spotter is a person who has as much concern about your rig and safety as you do. Let’s face it not everyone who barks out orders on the trail knows what they're doing. This is even obvious to the beginners when they get to experience their first trail idiot. A trail idiot is the same as the village idiot but you don’t know them. I generally like watching these fools but I never listen to them. They are only useful for entertainment and that’s if they’re not annoying or dangerous. I have plenty of stories but a full explanation is not really necessary however it can be a great learning experience. You just can’t pay for this stuff. This was a lesson are newest members will not forget.
We had a really good time yesterday showing the newbies the ropes. They got to learn what their rigs could do, some proper technique and what a trail idiot is. They also learned how to turn fear into fun. I’m pretty sure they will return for more because their smiles said it all. I hope that Tim, Will, and John had a good time. We didn’t make them jump off any cliffs but if I was selling AMWAY underwear yesterday I might have moved up in the pyramid. Maybe I should go to one of their meetings, not!
