AERC Board Minutes

[Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>]

Actually, I do love awards.  Any award. Doesn't matter. If it's a bag of
feed for last place I'll out drag'em all. If it's a reflector for middle
of the pack I'll keep doing math trying to figure out how to get it. I've
never gotten rid of anything that vaguely resembled an award. I have a
3-oz. sample of Lexol that Joe Long gave for top 10 in 1988 in my trophy
bookshelf. I lost the metal pipe that Brian Bourne presented me with when
I borrowed his horse it over rode me at the War Eagle. I've never gotten
over that. >g< I am going to wear my AERC vest *somewhere* today. I have
on my jacket now. I sleep in the sleeping bag that Longleaf gave for top
10 on the 100 even though the other is warmer.  I went a long time
getting nothing but t-shirts. I've had a good horse for a few years. Do I
need or want more stuff? You bet! I've seen hard times and I know they'll
be back. If I  start a new horse that's a dud like the last one I had
before Kaboot I want to be sitting on an old 1st place ice chest when
everybody comes by to feel sorry for me when I get pulled AGAIN.

Forget any complaint I made. Just arrange more awards, 1st, last, middle,
anything...except for suck up awards. Those people don't need encouraged.
>eg<  Buckels aren't very good for me, because I don't wear boots any
more and I'm short, sorta dumpy. It's hard to bend over and tie your shoe
when you're puncturing a lung, but I've got a buckel I'm proud of of and
it sits in my bookshelf next to the Lexol so bring'em on.

Heck, I may not get a throw. I think I just squeaked into the standings
on the last posting and who knows there may have been a correction. I
*hope* I get a throw. I have a hole on back of my couch where my kids
used to climb up and jump over my head as I tried to watch TV.

I guess what I'm getting at is that I am in favor of awards.  Here in the
Southeast Nikki Young has been both FIRST AND SECOND in the points for a
couple of years. That's incredible to me. It deserves notice. We need to
see the standard set to have a goal to shoot for.  I like it at some of
the border rides I go to where I don't know some of the riders and they
wear their jackets. Then I can squint at the name and say, "Oh THAT'S so
and so"  When I was the one getting blown away on the trail I didn't mind
so much because "That's (enter name of top rider)!" I think of it sort of
as a Letterman's jacket in highschool. It gave me something to aspire to,
and pointed out the people to watch if I wanted to get there.

Enough said. I'll guarantee I'll like whatever I get. I appreciate those
who get for us. My daughter was up all night with a stomach virus and
I'll have it soon anyway...then none of this will matter to me any more. 
I'll be very very sick soon. So if you flame me and I don't answer, just
enjoy the fact that I'm probably curled into a fetal position on the
bathroom rug. 

Angie (not feeling optimistic)