Tweet
This year, at membership renewal time (today,) I've decided to retire my Sound Control license and switch my National F&C to a Senior license.
I've been Chief of Sound Control for Alabama Region SCCA for about 15 years, as well as helping Atlanta Region and others, filling that role intermittently during that period. The first few years were fun. There were always at least two of us working the specialty at each race, and, despite being anchored in some of the least-interesting portions of the race tracks, having company made it bearable, at least, and usually enjoyable.
For most of the last 10 years, I've been alone on site; setting up, calibrating, gathering data, and reporting and posting results. This has gradually devolved into a duty, an obligation, a job with lousy pay, with little connection to the reason I came to the track in the first place: they joy of showing up and watchin' 'em run.
I and others have tried to recruit more people for the specialty, but nobody else has stayed on for more than a year or three. No incentive seems to work: free autocross entries, cash money to cover expenses, discount PDX entries, etc. Everybody wants to stand in a corner, sit in the climate-controlled tower, or hang around the scales talking about cars.
Concerning the F&C license, I've only needed the National license once, when the DA couldn't make it to Barber. I wasn't satisfied with my performance as Flag Chief, then, and probably never will be, because I'm not naturally a people person. I don't remember names and faces well, and don't know most folks well enough to confidently position them for the job, especially since I've been stuck over by the back straight for 15 years.
All of this is not to say that I don't appreciate the SCCA. I will be renewing my membership, after all. Since my first NASCAR race at Watkins Glen got me thinking about how to get into the track for free, SCCA has made that possible, in ways I didn't know existed at that time. I've driven Solo II, Solo, RallyX, HPCCC (remember those?) and PDX events, getting to experience the fun challenge of wheeling a car at speed in a (relatively) safe environment. I've enjoyed the challenge of F&C, and the knowledge gained from my SCCA on-the-job training has helped me be part of some great pro motorsports events.
So, as of now, if you see me at the track, I'll either be flagging or carrying a camera. Somebody else will need to take over the sound meter.
I've been Chief of Sound Control for Alabama Region SCCA for about 15 years, as well as helping Atlanta Region and others, filling that role intermittently during that period. The first few years were fun. There were always at least two of us working the specialty at each race, and, despite being anchored in some of the least-interesting portions of the race tracks, having company made it bearable, at least, and usually enjoyable.
For most of the last 10 years, I've been alone on site; setting up, calibrating, gathering data, and reporting and posting results. This has gradually devolved into a duty, an obligation, a job with lousy pay, with little connection to the reason I came to the track in the first place: they joy of showing up and watchin' 'em run.
I and others have tried to recruit more people for the specialty, but nobody else has stayed on for more than a year or three. No incentive seems to work: free autocross entries, cash money to cover expenses, discount PDX entries, etc. Everybody wants to stand in a corner, sit in the climate-controlled tower, or hang around the scales talking about cars.
Concerning the F&C license, I've only needed the National license once, when the DA couldn't make it to Barber. I wasn't satisfied with my performance as Flag Chief, then, and probably never will be, because I'm not naturally a people person. I don't remember names and faces well, and don't know most folks well enough to confidently position them for the job, especially since I've been stuck over by the back straight for 15 years.
All of this is not to say that I don't appreciate the SCCA. I will be renewing my membership, after all. Since my first NASCAR race at Watkins Glen got me thinking about how to get into the track for free, SCCA has made that possible, in ways I didn't know existed at that time. I've driven Solo II, Solo, RallyX, HPCCC (remember those?) and PDX events, getting to experience the fun challenge of wheeling a car at speed in a (relatively) safe environment. I've enjoyed the challenge of F&C, and the knowledge gained from my SCCA on-the-job training has helped me be part of some great pro motorsports events.
So, as of now, if you see me at the track, I'll either be flagging or carrying a camera. Somebody else will need to take over the sound meter.
Comment