Re: National Championship Ride

["Steph Teeter" <step@fsr.com>]

Ok John - here's the scoop on the National Championship (we might
even have an Icelandic award :)

When we (the competitions committee) tackled the issue of the
National Championship Series which has been dying a slow
death for the past several years, we agreed that what the
membeship really wanted for a National Championship was a
head to head race:  One race, designated as the National (AERC)
Championship race, and the winner in each weight division would
become the National Champion. In order to get this Championship
off the ground, we decided to basically make it open to all. We
agreed that some sort of qualification would be in order, but that
 it shouldn't be prohibitive. To finish top ten in a weight division is
not difficult. But it does require some sort of planning and intent
on the part of the rider.

So yes, it is possible (though HIGHLY unlikely) to get 360 riders entered
in the 100 and 50 mile championships.  Unfortunately the other
hitch in a single Championship race is geographic - the chances
of somebody driving from Vermont to New Mexico for a 50 mile
race are pretty slim. We intend to rotate the ride from region to
region. The current thinking is to hold it a year or two in once place,
and then move it. This would give others an opportunity to compete
at some point without the expense of a major trip.

So, that's why it is the way it is.

Steph

p.s. there is a lot of parking space at Timberon!


-----Original Message-----
From: Oldwaggy@aol.com <Oldwaggy@aol.com>
To: ridecamp@endurance.net <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Date: Sunday, January 17, 1999 5:24 PM
Subject: National Championship Ride


>Let me see if I understand this.  Ten riders each from four weight
divisions
>from each of the nine different AERC regions for each of two separate
rides?
>That's 720 riders!  In Timberon?  There haven't been 720 mammals over 3
inches
>tall in Timberon since time began.  Where will the ride banquet be?  On the
>airport runway in lawn chairs?  Randy will have to buy a factory in Mexico
to
>produce enough of the ride awards he likes to give out.  There aren't
enough
>people in Timberon to fix all the flat tires everyone always gets.   With
the
>inevitable backlog of flat repairs, it will take three weeks to evacuate
the
>place after the ride is over.
>
>I've got to see this.  With ten placings in each weight division, even
Trilby
>and I could probably qualify in some obscure 100 somewhere.  Can you
imagine
>1000+ people waiting for us for dinner?  Actually, if I go I think I'll
dump
>the horse in Alamogordo, fill the trailer up with ice and retire from all
the
>money I'll make selling it at the ride.  I think the citizens of Timberon
have
>already semi-retired at least from selling us riders ice at Randy's
multiday
>each summer.  This will be the endurance event of the century!  Go Randy!
>
>John Parke
>Solvang CA
>