With the success of NAUCC 2006 fresh in the minds of several hundred
people, I thought I'd take this opportunity to start thinking about
what we can do to ensure that 2007's convention is just as good. It's
also a good time to start thinking about little tweaks ('creative
adjustments'😉 based on things that didn't go as well as we'd have liked
in past conventions.
I'm hoping to host an NAUCC in NY in the near future, so I'd like to
know what we should try to replicate and where we can make things work
even more smoothly. Here, then, are my two categories: KEEP JUST AS IT
WAS and COULD BE EVEN BETTER.
In the first category, here are some things I'd try to copy from NAUCC
2006 or other past conventions. This is my KEEP JUST AS IT WAS
section:
1. The 20-mile Coker- and guni- ride the first morning of the
convention. This was a total success, and it was wise to keep it a few
days ahead of the track events so that riders had time to recover. The
hill challenge made it even more fun. Tom Maxwell's leadership helped
tremendously (for example, it was really important to take frequent
breaks). The ride also made fast friends of everyone on it.
2. The Downtown fun ride was perfect, too. Again, it was great having
the expertise of the MUC members who accompanied us. It was nice that
the ride kept the pace of its slowest riders (who happened to be my
daughter and her friends). We got to see some neat places, and everyone
really seemed to have a great time. In contrast, the downtown fun rides
in Toronto and Seattle a few years ago were also great but were
completely different. There were enough riders that the rides broke
into several sections depending on what riders wanted to do and what
they could handle. I guess that's the ideal way to go.
3. The trials competition was well organized. I'm not much of a trials
dude, so I can't speak to the specifics of the obstacles laid out, but
it's always nice to have a car to hop on, and the other items (like the
bleachers) looked excellent and seemed plenty challenging. The score
cards were great, too. Some MUCsters told me that at the last second,
they realized the need for some easier sections, so they created a few
beginner areas -- another great idea!
COULD BE EVEN BETTER:
1. I loved the trials area, but I remember being concerned for safety
at a few places. Perhaps we should ask hosting-club volunteers to act
as spotters, or perhaps we can ask the riders to act as spotters for
others who are attempting the same obstacles.
2. 10K races always seem to have confusion about the course. We need
volunteers at critical junctures (like where the race turns around to
double back) so that people don't ride off the course. This has been a
problem at every 10K I've ridden or heard about. I'd also suggest a
specific color code for arrows used to mark the course. The color
doesn't matter -- as long as we know what to look for. [I loved what
one man said about how it can be hard to get permission to paint arrows
on a road course: It's easier to get forgiveness that to get
permission!]
3. We can run the track events a bit more efficiently. I have some
ideas that I'll post in a separate thread.
Please add your ideas to both categories. The more information we have,
the better we'll all do in future NAUCCs.
I want to stress that the 2006 event was excellent and that everyone
seemed to have a great time. I've participated in 6 conventions so far,
and they always leave me wanting more and looking forward to the next
one. I can't wait till NAUCC 2007!
Great job, Memphis Unicycle Club!
--
David_Stone
Dictator for Life,
NYUC
Check out my blog (or else):
http://newyorkunicycle.blogspot.com/
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