BALLOTS MUST BE TURNED IN BY SATURDAY, JUNE 30^th TO VOTE FOR THE 2001-2002 BOARD OF DIRECTORS. Susan Danvers is running for Vice President and Mason McCombs is running for Secretary ALONG WITH THE INCUMBENTS CURRENTLY LISTED ON THE BALLOT (I didn’t find out until the ballots had been mailed out!) Write either one of these folks in if you would like to vote for them. DON’T FORGET TO TURN IN YOUR BALLOTS !!!

I am happy to report that the ORCCC Prez, Tom Hitchcock, is well on his way to a complete recovery. Tom almost scared us silly by experiencing a couple of heart attacks within a couple of weeks! After much prodding and poking and testing, the doctors have his situation under control by switching medications and ordering an exercise regimen to undo the damage the last medication caused. Thank heavens and congratulations to Melanie for not becoming a crack addict during this most stressful time. We are pleased that Tom and Mel are going to stay with us, but I want to personally ask everyone to take it easy on them both. They have Tom’s health as their number one priority. Please air all your complaints and less than cheery comments to another board member and give Tom and Melanie a break from the depressing stuff! Welcome back ya’ll and long live the R/C King and Queen!!

Our last meeting was held on 6-21-01 and was attended by Susan Danvers, Mason McCombs, Carl Ross, Mike Gitchell, Matt Mosieur, Christian Ginter, Danny Hitchcock, Bill Hamilton, Fletcher Grosz and myself. The next scheduled meeting will be held on July 19^th at 7:30 PM at the A2Z Race Park. Plan to attend.

We found out during the meeting what Tom had been up to during his recovery time…making notes to whip this club into shape! Tom sent Mason McCombs to the meeting in his place armed with a list as long as Santa’s "naughty" list! Many good points were brought up for discussion and I think we covered everything Tom brought up and made many decisions to help keep the ORCCC the best little R/C car club in Ocala!

1. The club needs backup personnel to handle the jobs required to run a successful club race. We should all be able to take the day off or at least part of it, knowing the races will go on. Positions necessary include: computer operator/scorer/race director (Bill’s job), at least 2 concession folks (usually Melanie and Susan and sometimes Marija and myself) and general all-around race dude (Tom does this). The club is looking for folks with a general knowledge of the club and how the races work, willing to work periodically, pro bono to give these folks a break. Let one of us know if you are interest!

2. Since very few racers are willing to assist us around the facility and the few that help are just flat out exhausted, the club is going to start paying for services needed to keep the track in tip-top shape. We considered raising the race fees to off-set some of these expenses. After much discussion and deliberation, we have implemented a few minor changes to race fees and membership. The ORCCC will now only offer 3 forms of membership, new memberships are $29 per year; renewals are $25 per year and lifetime memberships are $100. We will no longer offer the 3 and 6-month membership. On-line race registration fees will no longer be $1 cheaper than registration at the track.

3. The board voted against purchasing a lawn mower/tractor rig. The cost is too high and you still need operators to work the equipment once you buy it! Tom located a very reasonably priced lawn dude that will cut the entire A2Z site on a per cut basis. Melanie, Susan, Fletcher, Danny and Tom were really tired of being responsible for this task, while their own lawns grew over their heads! Now that the club has the resources to pay for outside assistance, we don’t need to cut corners and burden our race folks. The lawn fellow will be starting this week!

4. Pit space rental was discussed and dismissed. We do not want to charge folks for their permanent pits. It seems the real reason for this suggestion was to offset the hassle of a few pigsty pits. IF YOUR PIT IS FOUND TO BE DUMPY, MESSY AND GENERALLY UNSIGHTLY, the board will notify you in writing and if the problem is not fixed within 10 days, the ORCCC will charge a flat fee plus a per diem fee for each day the pit is not in compliance. You will not be allowed to race until this fee is paid. PRIVATE PITS ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PIT OWNER REGARDLESS OF WHO USES THE AREA. Remember, private pits are a privilege. Help us keep the race park beautiful and the bookkeeping easy by avoiding this problem all together!

5. We need signs explaining our set up to new folks! We know what’s going on, but no one else does. The signs voted "most necessary" at this time are: Days and hours the track is open; "Racers ONLY on the Driver’s stand"; Spectator parking signs and basic rules of etiquette.

6. Folks are interested in seeing monthly financial statements at each meeting. Consider it done. This is why the bookkeeping has been done using QuickBooks for the past three years!

7. The club will hire contractors to handle the big jobs that the work crew can’t get done quickly, in the few hours between their job and home life.

8. Turn marshalling is thought to be voluntary to some of our racers! To avoid the hassles associated with getting mandatory turn marshals to take their position, the club is going to start enforcing the standing rule of DOCKING A LAP IN THE MAIN FOR EACH RACER WHO DOES NOT SHOW UP FOR HIS OR HER MANDATORY TURN MARSHALL TIME. Volunteers will still be needed from time to time to help out, so feel free to volunteer whenever you can and whenever you are asked.

9. Upgrading the transponder system is on the "to do" list. Bill is getting together all the specs and prices for a completely new Windows based system. The club is saving up to purchase the necessary system and hopes to recoup some of the expense by selling the current system to a fellow club.

10. It seems the folks want to show off our site and skills during a really big race! We will submit for the 2002 Region IV race and have already procured the first race of the 2002 Florida State Off-Road Series in January. We would like to host our very own special race, but each month of the year is full of various series races. Many attendees brought up the idea of hosting a class of race that no one else currently caters to, like 1/8 scale Nitro. Let us know if you have an idea or are interested in pursuing the 1/8 deal. We’ll get with the proper parties to see what an exclusive race entails.

There were very few things to discuss that Tom didn’t already have on his list! I must admit that an outline is a nice guideline to keep the meeting going!

The attendees voted to change the race order to make the races run a little smoother. Nitro Truck, if applicable, will always be the first class run. All non "A" mains will be run prior to the A mains. The A mains will be last. ALL NON "A" NITRO TRUCK MAINS WILL BE 6 MINUTES IN LENGTH.

Trophies and race numbers will no longer be produced and manufactured by Bill Hamilton. With the number of races we are running on a weekly basis, the chore of keeping these items well stocked is a 3-4 hour per week job (on top of the millions of other weekly club tasks)! We are currently looking for a vendor to supply us with products similar to those we created, at a cost effective fee.

Attendees voted in favor of sponsoring the Lake Weir High School Dazzlers for their bid at the National Dance Team Championship to be aired on ESPN. Club advertisement on the Dazzler T-shirts and club advertisement on the Lake Weir High School sponsorship board is included in the Gold sponsorship program for $200. Just think, 30 talented and beautiful young women will be seen on national television sporting the ORCCC name! Hold on gang, we’re going GLOBAL!

The drivers’ stand supplied by Easy Street Family Fun Center is now for sale to an R/C club that can use it. Their management is offering the pressure treated wood structure for $250. If you know of a club that would be interested, let us know and we will assist with the arrangements.

Attendees voted in favor of upgrading the club’s new message board to a Diamond membership. Instead of the free membership that we currently enjoy, the Diamond membership is only $5 per month. For this incredibly reasonable price the club is guaranteed a "banner free" website as well as many features not currently available.

New and renewal memberships since the last time I remembered to put them in the newsletter include: Jonathan Hicks; Jack Reedy; John Carman; Bruce Davis; Mike Martin; James Tate; Kevin Sherlock; Ray Carlisi; Jason Devilbis; Bret Martin; George Renzi; Rich Blaize and Joe Boyle. Glad to have all you folks on board.