Ridecamp: Re: [RC] [RC] Start

I go out of town for a few days & look what happens!
I've been hearing for years about how "nice" multi-day rides are. I  heard 
that they don't mind if you're a few minutes late finishing, it's okay if 
you're just a "little bit" lame at the end. But, I know how rumors are, and 
never got too wound up over it. But now I find (from the ride managers 
themselves) that I can change my mind about whether I really started or not, 
too. Can I go back & grab my other horse if I have one? No wonder these 
rides are so popular!
Yes, this goes way beyond any one rider or RM, it's apparently the ingrained 
culture of the multi-day format.
In answer to those who say "file a protest", who's gonna do that? I sure 
wouldn't want to see protest decisions based on postings to ridecamp! A 
protest would have to come from ride attendees, who obviously don't see any 
problem.
It just isn't acceptable for people to be competing for points & miles in 
the same organization under such different rules/policies. Just because a 
lot of people say they don't care about their points or records doesn't make 
it okay. It IS a competition, and if you're going to enter (or manage), you 
need to play as fair as possible. The integrity of AERC is greatly 
diminished by allowing this to continue. I'm sure when the rules were 
written it was never dreamed that "start" would have to be defined, but it 
is apparently time to do so.
Coming from the land of very small rides, leaving off a starter or two gets 
picked up pretty quickly, and the riders demand "corrected" results to get 
their points.
Also, remember who has said "$5/rider doesn't matter to AERC" next time the 
dues are raised. And yes, John, if it is deemed acceptable by the BOD to 
have such a flexible starting point, I see an increase of this happening. 
Why should certain regions of the country pay the piper while others "relax" 
and be nice to their friends?

Nancy Mitts



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