Training Accomplished

Our safety training workshop was well attended and well received. Greg Sandstrom, Chapter 403 Sergeant-at-Arms, did an excellent job facilitating the workshop and sharing a wealth of knowledge acquired during his time as a Motorcycle Officer for the WSP.

We discussed issues pertaining to safety when riding in a group, as well as individual maintenance responsibilities, and overall considerations for the Road Captain and Tail Gunner before and during a ride. Many of us expected nothing more than a review of material we should already know, but came away from the workshop with one or two new pieces of information (like hot pipes can ruin some fine rain gear...huh Blaine?) and a better understanding of the effort required to maintain a safe edge whenever we are enjoying a ride. I am confident that this type of gathering will take place more frequently than once a year, and it will help all of us improve the quality of our motorcycling experience.

Richard Lamphere (Chapter 403 Shepherd) was the driving force to make this workshop happen, and he went above and beyond the call to provide a clean and comfortable facility for us, as well as providing an excellent feed for everyone attending.

”Well Done” to both Greg and Richard for your work on behalf of your motorcycling family. Thanks!

Note: Almost half of our attendees came from outside the immediate Chapter 403 area, and we greatly appreciate their friendship and support.

Safety Training

Our Road captain/Tail Gunner/group Riding Safety Training will be held immediately following our regular monthly meeting on March 15th.

Our meeting will be held at the Brother's Power sports (as it usually is), and we will proceed to the training location as soon as the meeting is over.

Directions to the training site are being emailed to the distribution list for Chapter 403.

February ride to 7 Cedars

I am just beginning to warm up after our ride to 7 Cedars Saturday. It was actually a beautiful day to be out and about, but a little nippy yet.

Of the eighteen members attending the February meeting, fourteen were able to join us on the ride. We stopped at the Hilltop 76 so a few of us could top off the gas tank, and then we continued on to the casino.

We decided to try the buffet because it was nearly empty, and it was easy for them to accommodate our group. Pete was very disappointed that they don’t offer a senior discount, but you can believe that he got his money’s worth.

If we were going to keep track, and list our favorite casino buffets and restaurants, this one would be on the list because it is next to a highway we will be seeing a lot of. The people are great and the food is okay, but I know some of us would prefer to stand in line at Little Creek. Just sayin’.

It was great to have Richard and Barb Gibson along with us. They are both very personable, and they jumped right into the conversation. Richard seems to be anxious to collect everyone’s thoughts about ways to improve our mutual experience with STAR Touring and Riding Association, and that reflects well on his position (he and Barb are the Washington State Directors for STAR Touring and Riding Association).

The ride home was a little warmer than the ride up there, but it was just a teaser folks. Another ten degrees and it will be perfect for me.

In the meantime, keep the shiny side up and be safe out there.

The safety class for March 15th is definitely on. I will send directions to everyone on distribution.

Some of the STARs

Our first meeting of 2008 went very well. We had twenty-one attendees with two new faces present (Greg and Patti Cryder). Ron Swift (Chapter 350 President and charter member of our chapter) was also with us.

Dick Lamphere brought in a white board for the use of chapter members. It will initially reside next to the door into the main sales floor of the Brother’s Power Sports, but will eventually occupy space along the large wall on that end of the building that will be dedicated to chapter issues, members, and events. The STAR accessories that currently cover that wall space will be moved into a separate parts area, leaving a lot of wall space for recognition of STAR Touring and Riding Chapter 403.

The Road Captain/Tail Gunner/Safety Training Class has been tentatively scheduled for March 15th, which is our meeting day for that month. Dick Lamphere will finalize the arrangements for a space to hold the training, and location information will be posted in all the usual places. Pete mentioned that we will have attendees from other chapters, and has suggested that everyone in Chapter 403 attend. We will be space limited, so please get your name on the list as soon as possible.

The charter reading and signing for 2008 is now complete, and we have moved into our second year of existence. Our chapter resolution for this year is to be infinitely more organized than last year, and to increase the number of events that will attract new potential members.

Ten of us gathered at Jimmy D’s in Belfair for a late breakfast after the meeting. We are all anxious to welcome some warmer and drier weather, and look forward to a very active 2008 riding season.

Stay Safe…

2008

Our January meeting is quickly approaching (Saturday, January 19), and I still don’t have a ride picked out for this coming season. I know we have a committee that is supposed to put together a ride list because I am on it, but we have been very lax about getting together. I hope there are enough suggestions by meeting time to actually get a list firmed up.

We have a lot of chapter business to take care of as we move into the 2008 season. Ride waivers need to be filled out by all members (you need to provide proof of current insurance, show the endorsement on your driver’s license, and show your STAR membership card with an expiration date that hasn’t happened yet), our charter must be read and signed, and the ride list for the entire season must be submitted for approval.

The artwork for our chapter logo has to be fine tuned and submitted for approval, and we have to resolve the issue of a chapter web site (will we or won’t we). Our charity committee has some work to do planning and developing an event to raise awareness and funds for Camp SeaStar, and the vast amount of other unfinished business that has followed us from 2007 is crying out for attention.

We might not be the quickest chapter to get things done, but we always have something to look forward to. Our main objective is to enjoy our affiliation with each other, so let’s get after it with a smile and a positive outlook (and don’t make me keep repeating all this until next January).

'Tis the season

The November meeting minutes were finally sent out to distribution yesterday. Thank you, Sue for getting them put together.

The December meeting / Christmas gathering will take place this coming Saturday (December 15th) at the home of Cindy Giese. Starting time is 6:00 PM, and directions were included in the minutes sent out yesterday.

This will be a pot luck event and b.y.o.b., so bring your favorite dish, a white elephant gift valued at twenty dollars or less, whatever you plan to drink, and a holiday attitude.

We have some things on the meeting agenda that have to get done. Your suggestions for the 2008 ride schedule will be collected so we can get that finalized and turned in to the STAR Touring and Riding Association Headquarters.
We also have a vote on the by-laws, and a vote for President and Vice-President.

January will be the beginning of our second year as an official chapter, and we all look forward to working out the kinks and watching our membership grow.

Have a great Christmas and New Year celebration.

Stay safe..

October update

Like most of you, my focus has been extremely scattered this past month. With the days getting shorter, it seems like I am trying to squeeze more agenda items into that diminishing block of time between sunrise and darkness. Needless to say, I am not getting as much done as I would like.
We carried a lot of action items from the September meeting all the way through to the October meeting, so we have a lot on our plate to finish out the year.

Our January meeting will mark the beginning of our second year of existence as a Chapter, and it has been a great start. We have participated in some memorable events and rubbed elbows with some new friends and acquaintances over the past year, and the agenda for 2008 promises to be even better.

On November 17th, the day our next regular meeting is scheduled, there will be a”Feed the Children” food drop at the White Center Food Bank. Our Chapter will meet up at the Kitsap Bank / Port Orchard Marina parking lot at 7:00 am, and then ride to the Southworth Ferry to catch the 7:40 boat to Fauntleroy. We will have our Chapter Meeting during the crossing, and then ride to Renton Motor Sports where we will form up with all the other participating chapters to escort the truck to White Center. This is one of the reasons we ride as members of STAR Touring and Riding Association, and I am looking forward to participating in this event.

We are in the process of considering nominations for our 2008 Chapter Officers, and have put together a nominating committee which will meet this week to offer a list of members’ names. Of course, any member can offer a nomination, so I encourage everyone to participate. (Update: We did meet, and I will send out a brief description of our discussion.)

If you have any warm blankets, sleeping bags, or coats/jackets/sweaters that you are no longer using, please drop them off with Cindy at the Brother’s Power Sports in Bremerton. Cindy is involved in feeding the homeless, and your donations will be greatly appreciated.

Much more to come.

Ride safely.