Re: RE: NC ride

["Heidi Smith" <heidi@sagehillcmk.com>]

> Maybe so...but attending the Annual Meeting is not practical for most of
> us. It's difficult enough to find the time and $$$ to attend the
> Convention. I've only managed to do that once.

Jim, the Annual Meeting is AT the Convention.  What is sad is how many
people come to convention and don't bother to come to the Annual Meeting.

And on the topic of the NC ride--sorry, but the NC ride does NOT represent
ALL endurance riders (have to agree with Kat here), and as such, I really
don't care to fund it.  AERC did not subsidize rides back when the NC was a
cumulation of points for all season--all they did was buy year-end awards.
There are a great many "championships" within AERC, and I strongly support
AERC offering awards for those championships--mileage, family, stallion
mileage, pioneer, BC, etc.  To a great many of us, those are the "real"
champions--not the winners of one ride.  I have no problem with AERC
offering a "championship" in a single-ride format, PROVIDED they keep in
mind that that "champion" is only the "champion" of that one format, and
that it is something that has meaning only to those members who desire that
sort of a format.  A great many of us wish AERC would still recognize an
overall points champion (as they used to), even if this award would no
longer be billed as "THE" AERC Champion.  There was no need to "kill" this
award, just to set up other formats.

That said, I support AERC buying awards for the NC ride, but beyond that, it
needs to stand on its own merits, just like any other ride.

Heidi (who chaired the 1997 Pan-Am Championship, with a budget over
$100,000, and it came out in the black.  If we can do it, they can, too.)