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TRANSCRIPT
October 2016
Volume 7, Number 10
Gold Wing Road Riders Association — www.gwrra-region-e.org
REGION E TEAM
Directors Bob & Nicki Fowkes
Assistant Directors Jere & Sherry Goodman
Assistant Directors Webmaster/Newsletter Editor
Don & Cheri Walloch [email protected]
Assistant Directors Bob & Diane Phelps
Membership Enhancement Steve & Diane Gottschalk [email protected]
Leadership Trainers Bill & Nancy James
Rider Educator Greg Hayes
Motorist Awareness Coordinator Michael Olson
Treasurer Glenn & Carol White
Medic First Aid Mike & Jan Buzick
Patch Shop John & Nancy Hofmann
Photographers Walter & Jean Potwora
COUPLE OF THE YEAR Bob & Renae Hicks
INDIVIDUAL OF THE YEAR Jim Rivord
From our Directors By the time you read this another summer rally season in Region E has come to an end. It’s been a lot of fun traveling to your rallies this year and meeting so many members from your part of Region E. I must say thank you to all of our volunteers that helped sell raffle tickets at Wing Ding. This was our first year at this assignment and thanks to Bob Phelps, Jere & Sherry Goodman, and all of you, it ran smoothly. Nicki & I were involved in the Couple of the Year selection and we were not able to be invested in the project as we normally are. Have you heard Wing Ding is moving to Grapevine, Texas, for next year’s national rally? So start making your plans now to join us in what I think is the world’s largest family reunion. As the rally season winds down, many officers in chapters and districts start thinking about a change. Change is good for any organization because it brings fresh energy and ideas to the leadership roles that many of us have. So when you are asked to take part as a leader on your chapter’s leadership team or district’s team – say yes. People close to you have seen you in action and believe you have that special gift they are looking for to make their team outstanding, and you will be off on a new adventure.
Be safe out there. Bob & Nicki Fowkes
Region E Directors
October 2016 Page 2
The Region E Fall Operations Meeting is on October 15, 2016 We will gather at the Reinig/Toledo Civic Center in Toledo, Iowa, which is next door to the Designer Inn & Suites. The $67.50 dollar per night hotel reservations can be made by calling 641-484-5678 or 877-484-5678 and ask for the block of rooms reserved by Bob Fowkes – Region E. The purpose for our gathering will be to pass on any new information from our National Team, reacquaint ourselves with end-of-the-year reporting procedures, and review the Officer/Appointment worksheet and appointment process. I guarantee the day will be full of fun and new experiences, along with getting to meet new friends and reacquainting with old friends. The Region will be providing pizza for lunch to help offset your travel expenses. If you arrive on Friday, be prepared for fun and laughter with all of your Region friends. This is a great time for anyone planning on being part of a District Team or is already on a District Team to meet all of the friends they will have supporting them as they pursue another great adventure. One of the best things about the Reinig/Toledo Civic Center is its location, size, and flexibility to have several discussions going on at the same time in separate rooms to accommodate each division (Rider Education, Leadership Training, and Membership Enhancement), having their own breakout sessions if necessary. But sometimes it’s nice for the Directors to hear what the Treasurers or Rider Educators are being instructed to do, etc. and that can be arranged as well. Everyone is welcome, so please pass this on to your District Team and others. All I ask is a headcount so I get enough pizza for everyone. Bob & Nicki Fowkes
Region E Directors
October 2016 Page 3
Jere & Sherry Goodman Region E Assistant Directors
NE/SD/Wing Ding Extravaganza Sherry & I had a blast traveling to Billings, MT for Wing Ding. Our trip started with attending the Nebraska/South Dakota Rally in Wall, SD. We are both partial to South Dakota and love that part of our great country. Rick & Robin Saunders, along with their team and the support from the chapters, showed everyone an excellent time. This was truly a “riding rally” and many took the time to ride the scenic South Dakota roads. The scenery changes drastically heading from East to West as you approach Chamberlain, SD and the views are spectacular, especially getting into the “Badlands.” Sherry & I did the Badlands loop from both directions and made it to Custer State Park as well. The trip would not be complete without a road side visit from the bisons in the park, and they did not disappoint us. NE/SD was the start of a super trip and we left for Billings on Sunday morning. Our route would take us on Montana’s 212, a road that looked a tad desolate on the map. We were getting a little hungry before our journey began on 212 and I assured Sherry there had to be places to eat. I hate to admit it, but I was WRONG! Route 212 was a beautiful road, just nothing there! We both enjoyed a good laugh when we saw a sign for “Chief Dull Knife College.” By the way, this route takes you through two Indian Reservations. Back to the Chief; guess he got his name for failing to maintain a sharp knife! As to our hunger, fortunately we had snacks that would last us for 200+ miles thinking that when we got back onto Route 90, civilization would appear. Wrong! Oh well, Billings was not too far! Made it to Billings without any problems and had a fun-filled time that week. Sherry & I were responsible for heading up the Region E responsibility for Ticket Sales/Poker Run as Bob & Nicki did a wonderful job representing our Region in the International Couple of the Year selection process. Both Sherry & I want to personally thank all of the volunteers who gave up some of their time to help us with the ticket sales and the Poker Run. Region E came through big time and so did the Couples of the Year. We also had support from folks from other Regions who just wanted to help out. A special thank you goes out to Bob Phelps (Assistant Region E Director), Ron & Ruth Foster (Region L Directors), and Jean & Walter Potwora (Region E Photographers). Jean & Walter prepared all of the next day 50/50 tickets for us so we were ready to go! Everyone had a good time volunteering and meeting new folks. Some have already mentioned that they will be there to help next year in Grapevine, Texas. Speaking of Grapevine, I was last there in 2004 and the property is magnificent. Looking forward to returning in 2017 and hope many of you will have an opportunity to attend. Fall is around the corner and there are still more exciting events to attend. Ride safe; be well. And, as always, remember that fun shall be the last word—so HAVE FUN!
Jere & Sherry Goodman
Region E Assistant Directors
October 2016 Page 4
Don & Cheri Walloch Region E Assistant Directors Webmaster/Newsletter Editor Wow, another riding season is just about compete, at least for us northern folks. It has been a great riding year for us. We enjoy gong to different rallies, especially the ones within our Region. It never gets old to us because we may look at rallies and the GWRRA experience a little different than most. We set out to get the most out of GWRRA as possible when we joined. What does that mean you might ask? Like we said, since we have joined we travel all over the country and listen to what members have to say. This includes comments such as, "GWRRA never gives anything back," or "rallies are boring, there's nothing to do," or "it's the same ole thing." Our question to you is, what do you want from GWRRA? Do you want a free membership and then purchase the Wing World magazine through a subscription fee? Or do you want the freedom to purchase the Gold Book on an annual basis? Would you rather pay a higher entry fee to attend Wing Ding? Do you want GWRRA to charge you when you attend GWRRA sponsored seminars? We would think and hope the answer to those simple ques-tions would be no. Our experience with GWRRA has been fantastic ever since we joined. We don't sweat the little things and appreciate the low cost of becoming a member of GWRRA. We don't mind that our Chapter has to pay a charter fee once a year and appreciate what we get in return for our membership fee. We enjoy and appreciate all the programs that GWRRA offers and the seminars they provide at no additional cost. Programs such as Membership Enhancement that gave us the opportunity to be selected as a Couple of the Year and meet a couple from Italy who we now call our friends. Our return from GWRRA is attending rallies throughout the country and meeting new people that enjoy the same thing we do, riding a motorcycle. That is very special to us, something you cannot put a price tag on. So when someone says to you that GWRRA doesn't give back, just think of all they give to you through your annual membership fee. You get the Gold Book, Wing World, you're able to take advantage of all the discount programs they provide, and educational seminars. Most importantly, you get to meet new people you would not have had the opportunity to meet if it weren't for GWRRA.
Don & Cheri Walloch
Region E Assistant Directors Webmaster/Newsletter Editor
October 2016 Page 5
Greg Hayes Region E Rider Educator I am very sorry to say that we lost a good man in September. Doug Boemecke, the Iowa District Senior Educator, died in a motorcycle accident in Custer State Park in South Dakota. One of his sons was also injured but is recovering. They were both on motorcycles enjoying the scenic roads through the Black Hills. I was Assistant District Educator under Doug for a number of years and I enjoyed working with him. He was a Level 4 rider and very committed to rider safety and education. He was also a Chapter Director, a leader on many rides, and participated in the Patriot Guard. I don’t mean this to be a eulogy but I did enjoy his level of commitment, his leadership, willingness to step forward when needed, and his sense of humor. It was a pleasure knowing him and I know a great many people will miss him. My main message I want to bring up stems from my being totally shocked that it was Doug who had this accident when I received the message. I have said it before that “accidents usually occur when we least expect it.” It also seems that accidents happen to people we don’t expect to have them happen to. But, nobody is immune to being in an accident. We can reduce the probability in being in one, but not eliminate the possibility, by using good motorcycle strategies, such as using Seek-Analyze-Act, riding within our limits, making sure that both our motorcycles and ourselves are in the proper condition to ride, and so on. We can also reduce the possibility of being injured by wearing “all of our gear all the time.” Doug, of course, was wearing a helmet in his accident. But, although a helmet can significantly reduce the possibility of suffering from a head injury, it cannot eliminate that possibility. This is not just an issue with motorcycles, but we run a risk to ourselves whenever we ride any type of vehicle, from bicycles to semi-trailers. Most of us probably know of someone that was seriously injured or killed in a vehicular accident. However, we do run a somewhat higher risk when on a motorcycle. So what do we do? Sell the motorcycle? That is not the answer for me. I truly enjoy riding and am willing to accept some risk for that pleasure. But, I am going to do so with the intent to reduce my risk to be as minimal as possible. There is a three-fold strategy on reducing risk. As mentioned earlier, there are the riding strategies, such as SAA, riding within my limits, and so on. Second, we can reduce the potential extent of injuries if we were in an accident by wearing our gear. Thirdly, we should self-examine our riding behavior. We tend to think we are all very committed to our own safety but once we start looking honestly at our riding behavior, we may find that we all have areas where we may fall short. This is probably a good topic for a future article so I will stop there. But, if I could have one more comment before I end this article, it would be that it would be nice if almost every member in GWRRA would take the time to be trained in CPR and First Aid, and to always carry a First Aid kit on their motorcycle. It is bad enough to come upon a serious accident but then to have nothing you can do to help an injured person would make the situation much worse. Please consider getting trained, unless you just physically cannot do that. Thanks for listening to comments. Let’s be safe out there.
Greg Hayes
Region E Educator
October 2016 Page 6
Yep, you read it correctly. The announcement was made at Wing Ding that in January the Motorist Awareness Division will change and become its own program. There is excitement building with this move, and there will be more information forth-coming in the near future. Yes, there is that word “change.” Some people like change; some don’t like to have to deal with it. Barri & Mike Critzman, the National Directors of Motorist Awareness, have been hard at work getting all the necessary protocols and information lined up to make the change scheduled for January. There is a great deal of preparatory work, adjustments, and changes when making a move such as this. One of the ideas being discussed to improve MA is to have people help with building a library for Motorist Awareness. This library would be accessible to all for use to help with educating the public. So, if you see something such as a video on YouTube, an article on the internet, or read an article that you consider to be beneficial for Motorist Awareness in helping educate the public about motorcycles, please share it with your MA Coordinator at the chapter, district, or regional level. Please keep your eyes and ears tuned to videos, information, and articles. Send them to your coordinator and they can forward it up the chain. Remember: “Share the Road” is our motto and "To Facilitate a Reduction in Motorcycle Crashes with Other Motor Vehicles” is our mission. You can do that as an individual by talking to family and friends about actively looking for motorcycles.
Michael Olson
Region E Motorist Awareness Coordinator Share the road; save a life.
October 2016 Page 7
Steve & Diane Gottschalk Membership Enhancement Coordinators Greetings from Southern Illinois GWRRA TERMINOLOGY As with any organization, there are terms you will hear which may be new to you or may have some unique meaning within GWRRA. We've attempted to identify and define some of these. However, if you hear something not described in this guide, feel free to ask your Chapter Director. Charity or Toy Run: You will find that people in this Association have a big heart and like to help the less fortunate. Many times a "charity" or "toy" run is held where you will meet at a pre-arranged point with a new toy. With the assistance of the local law enforcement you may be "escorted" to a children's hospital or ward to deliver toys to children with critical and even terminal illnesses. Visits are also made to nursing homes, homeless shelters and other similar places to share some joy and happiness. Couple of the Year: The Couple of the Year Program was started in 1988 as a way to recognize couples that best represent the qualities and ideals of GWRRA and its Members. The program starts with the "Chapter Couple of the Year" and proceeds to "District Couple of the Year," "Region Couple of the Year," and finally "International Couple of the Year." All are based on a friendly selection process and the Couples of the Year serve for one year. At the International level, the selection process at this level includes Region Couples of the Year from both the United States and Canada. Beginning in 2013, GWRRA instituted an Overseas Couple of the Year program to represent the Countries outside the United States and Canada. For more information, please see the "Couple of the Year Manual" available from your Chapter Director, or go to the Membership Enhancement Program website at http://mep.gwrra.org. Dessert or Ice Cream Ride: This is similar to a "dinner ride" except, as the name implies, a stop is made for some sort of dessert like ice cream since most GWRRA Members love ice cream! Dinner Ride: Most Chapters schedule dinner rides (year around by bike or, in bad weather, by car) to their favorite restaurants. Normally these rides will be published in the Chapter Newsletter or in the "Annual Ride/Activity Schedule." These rides will start from a designated point and may be a short ride or a longer ride with a final stop for dinner.
Field Events: These events can be either on-bike or off-bike. On-bike events are done at low speed within a designated area and are designed for fun! Off-bike events are similar to on-bike events except they are done off the bike. Plaques, trophies, certificates, or other forms of recognition may be given to recognize the winners within each event.
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October 2016 Page 8
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Fifty-Fifty (50/50): To help fund expenses, tickets are sold (where legal) and are based on a random drawing. Half the money (50) is given away, typically in increments of 25, 15 and 10 and the other half (50) is deposited into the treasury. 50/50 tickets may be sold (where legal) at Chapter Gatherings, Conventions, and other Events. Poker or Observation Run: A Poker or Observation run may serve as a fundraiser for Chapter, District or Region. There are many formats, but these are basically conducted as follows: You sign in, pay a nominal fee and receive a set of directions for a scenic ride. During the "Poker Run," you may be required to stop at certain checkpoints and draw a card or draw all your cards at the end of the ride when you check in. As in poker, the best hand wins a plaque, trophy or certificate. An "Observation Run" is similar, but requires that you answer questions about sites along the route. The person who answers the most questions correctly wins. The above was copied from the GWRRA New Member Orientation Guide Rev. 11-2015. Ride Safe and Have FUN!
Steve & Diane Gottschalk
Region E Membership Enhancement Coordinators
October 2016 Page 9
Bill & Nancy James Region E Leadership Trainers
Region E 'Rocks'
Wow- what a month! Lots of rallies and Wing Ding. At Wing Ding, Iowa and Illinois received Excellence in Training Awards for all their hours of training. This is an honor that goes to all of IA and IL and especially to those presenters and directors who promote training in their states/districts. Congratulations to IA and IL - you worked hard for it and you definitely deserved it. Maybe next year we will see more states in our Region also receiving those awards. The award is based on number of hours of training done and the number of people receiving training. I challenge all of you directors and presenters to get the word out and do more training.
All of Region E efforts were not forgotten. Region E received the Excellence in Training Award based on all the great training done by you, the presenters of seminars, during 2015. Another great honor that hasn't happened in the past to our knowledge. Way to go presenters, directors, and chapters - Keep it up!
Now that Wing Ding is over it is time to look forward to what is in store for training. The 30-50 new modules are still waiting for the copyrights to be completed. Once that is done, they will be available for instruction by certified instructors who have gone through the Instructor Training and Certification Program (ITCP) to give these new modules. Region E currently has six Certified Instructors to give these modules and three more that will be certified soon.
Now for those of you - that means ANYONE interested in becoming an instructor - who wish to get certified, the process is pretty simple. FIRST off, please send us an email telling us that you want to become an instructor. THEN we will tell you how to get started and will get the ball rolling. Just email [email protected] and tell us you are interested -- see simple!
Let's clear up two myths about GWRRA University and presenters/instructors.
1. YOU can KEEP doing what you are doing with presentations without any further training. Just keep your renewal dates current like you always should have been doing. YOU DO NOT NEED to take ITCP to continue to present seminars.
2. As of October 1, ITCP is replacing the previous University Trainer Development Program (UTDP). Please contact us if you wish to become an instructor for modules and seminars.
Again, CONGRATULATIONS to IOWA, ILLINOIS, and REGION E - YOU ROCK!
Bill & Nancy James
Region E Leadership Trainers
October 2016 Page 10
Bob & Renae Hicks Region E Couple of the Year Since we are approaching the end of the riding season in the “great frozen north,” we will continue with our travel log. Even though we ride through October, the days are becoming shorter and a little cooler in the morning and evening – we got used to the extended daylight hours of summer and the warm riding conditions. In late August, we headed to the big Gold Wing party in Billings – Wing Ding 38. Our travel plans had us going through Wall, South Dakota – gotta stop at Wall Drug if you are traveling in the vicinity. Since we were in Wall, we also planned a stop at the Nebraska / South Dakota District Rally. We got caught up on some news while visiting with our friends. Bill James was presenting the new training modules and debunking some myths and hearsay about the new training. Our next stop was in Sheridan, Wyoming, for the Wyoming District Rally. Most folks were out on a modified scavenger hunt, but we talked a little “shop” with the folks holding down the rally tables. We made it to Wing Ding on Monday afternoon. We wanted to get settled in and kick back before Tuesday’s Couple Of the Year Day Camp in the morning and then the International Couple of the Year selection in the afternoon. Since we will be “competing” in 2017 in the International Couple of the Year process, we were interested in the Couple Of the Year process at Wing Ding. The COY Day Camp was interesting – we always pick up some nuggets of info at the training sessions. During the International Couple Of the Year selection, all the couples represented their Regions well on the big stage in Billings. At the end of the selection process, Steve & Carolyn Cotton (couple from Region H) were selected as Gold Wing Road Riders Association International Couple of the Year. We had previously met Steve & Carolyn at the Region E Rally – who knew they would be selected International Couple of the Year. Being selected as the Couple of the Year is an honor bestowed on the Chapter members. Then being selected at the Chapter, District, or Region is a bonus. It all starts at the Chapter level, assisting the Chapter Director and chapter members. At the District and Region, it's all about recognition and “participation, participation, participation” in programs and events tendered by Gold Wing Road Riders Association. We are having so much fun in the events offered by GWRRA. Looking back, we should have bought a Gold Wing earlier, but we are trying to make up for lost time. We are just doing what we do! We enjoy meeting people and having them be our new friends, as well as getting caught up with some old friends.
Bob & Renae Hicks
Region E Couple of the Year
October 2016 Page 11
DISTRICTS IN REGION EDISTRICTS IN REGION EDISTRICTS IN REGION E
District Directors Contact Info Website Illinois Mary Adams [email protected] www.gwrra-ildistrict.com
Iowa Tom & Sue Wright [email protected] www.gwrra-iowa.com
Minnesota Joe & Jan Marek [email protected] www.mngwrra.us North Dakota
Missouri Les & Sara Gibson [email protected] www.mogwrra.org
Nebraska Rick & Robin Saunders [email protected] www.gwrrane.com South Dakota
Wisconsin Jerry & Marge Hempe [email protected] www.gwrra-wi.org
Region E Bob & Renae Hicks Jim Rivord
2016-2017 Region E 2016-2017 Region E
Couple of the Year Individual of the Year
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