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President's Message
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 --by Bill Dally,
GGR President
What do you want from your club?
As a club, PCA/GGR strives to serve its members. However, it's hard for us
to do that unless we know what you want from your club and unless you get
involved.
It is clear that different people want different things from the club. Some
want the excitement of competition with autocross or time-trial. Other
members want opportunities to socialize with others who share their
interest in Porsches, perhaps through tours, Friday-night socials, club
picnics, or tech sessions. Yet others are interested in concurs or rallys.
There tends to be at least a little positive feedback in how the club
operates. If we meet the needs of one segment of members, they tend to
become more engaged with the club leading to more events of a particular
type. For example, after an autocross, I can see that we are meeting the
needs of the participants when I see the smiles on their faces or hear the
excitement in their voices while they review the day with some bench
racing. These people then become regular participants and eventually
volunteer to help put on the events, leading to a strong competition
program.
What about the members that don't come to an autocross or a time trial? or
the Porsche owners who are not members? Are we serving these people? or has
our focus on one aspect of the club caused us to be less effective at other
aspects?
The GGR board would like to serve all members and to create a club that is
attractive enough to convince Porsche owners who are not yet members to
join. However, two things are required to make this happen: volunteers and
participation. In recent years almost every proposal for an event that has
been put before the GGR board has been approved. However, there is no tour
this year because no one has stepped forward to propose and organize one.
If our region appears to be competition-heavy compared to others it is
because we have a strong corps of volunteers who have been willing to step
up and organize these events. We can have just as strong a series of other
events if people are willing to come forward and put them on - and if people
attend.
At this point some of you are probably thinking, "gee, I'd really like
to see a Porsche trivia contest [substitute your favorite event here], but
there is no way I have time to step forward and organize it." There
are two bugs with this way of thinking. First, if everyone thought this way
we wouldn't have a club. To make things work, people have to make the time
to step forward and many do. We need even more people to volunteer - not
just the same ones over and over again. The second bug with this way of
thinking is that it ignores how much fun it is to put on an event. You get
to work with a lot of really super people and then enjoy the praise when
participants tell you how much they enjoyed your event. So what are you
waiting for, step forward and create a new event.
Participation is key to the success of an event. After a great deal of hard
work on the part of several volunteers, we recently cancelled our beginning
driver school because only a handful of people had signed up (including my
18-year-old daughter). This school was a great idea - give newly licensed
drivers some car control skills so they can get themselves out of difficult
driving situations - yet it drew only a few participants.
Sometimes when an event is poorly attended, the cause is clear - it was
cold and pouring rain, and so only a few crazy people (like me) showed up
for the autocross. For a new event, however, the cause is less clear. Was
there adequate publicity? Was the target group large enough to sustain the
event? Was it scheduled at an inconvenient time? For new events (and
especially new types of events) we need to be willing to (budget allowing)
ride through a few lean events as we make adjustments to find a winning
formula. People attend events that they are familiar with and new events
often take time to build a following.
The club is putting on its first ever family picnic on July 27th. This is
certain to be a fun event with barbecue, games, and a low-key concours. I
am cautiously optimistic that this will be the first in a long series of
club picnics - with attendance increasing each year.
As odd as it sounds, there are people who own a Porsche who are not PCA
members. Why is this? Clearly these people don't realize that much of the
fun of owning a Porsche is interacting with others of similar interests at
club events. One possibility is that they don't know about the club - or
perhaps they have the wrong idea about the club. (Perhaps someone told them
that PCA is about street racing and side shows.) All of us can work to
address this issue by being club ambassadors. If we see someone driving a
Porsche - perhaps at work or at the mall - we can introduce ourselves, ask
them if they are a member, and tell them what a great thing the club is.
Another possibility is that these people do know about the club and have an
accurate idea of what we do, but they are looking for something else. For
these people, we should find out what they are looking for. It may be
something the club should be looking in to - if we can find volunteers and
participants. While we all tend to find comfort in the club putting on
familiar events, the world is changing and the club needs to evolve to meet
a changing environment and a changing membership. Putting on new types of
events and modifying our existing events is required to adapt to the
changing environment.
So, what do you want from your club? We have received a number of e-mails
with suggestions ranging from a once a year printed Nugget, to tech
sessions, to numerous social events. Keep the ideas coming, but also
realize that you need to volunteer to follow through to turn your idea into
an event.
Porsches are a great deal of fun, and sharing the experience with other
enthusiasts is even more fun. That is what the club is about. But its your
club - to make it work we need both your ideas and your involvement.
If you are willing to help turn your ideas into events, please let us know
by sending us e-mail. You can email me or email the board.
Bill
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Letter from the Editor
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--by John Celona, Nugget Editor
Membership Confusion Alleviated (Perhaps!)
If you're reading this, you've either subscribed to The Nugget or purchased
a pirated copy on a recent trip to China. Subscribing to The Nugget is
easy: just click the "Join our mailing list" button right at the
top. And, thanks to The Miracle of the Internet, it's free! If every Porsche
owner on the Earth and near planets decided to subscribe we might have a
problem, but we're not near that (yet!).
However, there's apparently been some confusion in that people who
subscribe to The Nugget also think they've joined the Porsche Club of America.
In truth, the confirming message that went out to new subscribers was
confusing. After a brief adventure with the technical support people with
our mail service, that message has been corrected.
Allow me to make this clear: there is a separate step to join the Porsche
Club of America. Click here to join. Make sure you
indicate "Golden Gate Region" as your preferred region.
Otherwise, you'll be assigned to a region based on your mailing address.
The benefits to being a member are huge. You get to participate in GGR
events. You get a $10 discount at autocrosses. And you receive the
award-winning PCA magazine Panorama in snail mail each month. Plus
it comes in a discrete white envelope(!).
Check the stack of magazines in your bathroom. If there isn't a Panorama
there, you probably haven't joined. And the cost is a grand total of
$42/year--less than the cost of filling up your tank these days.
Join now and join the fun.
Cheerios,
John
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Competition Corner
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--by Dan Thompson, Competition Director
It is now time for all of our competitive folks to peruse the current rules
and submit rules proposals to me so that the DEC (Driver's Event Committee)
have a chance to review your suggestions and then act on them
appropriately. Please make sure that your proposals not only make a
suggestion for a change, but make sure that you indicate what particular
portion of our rules it would effect and also give your reasoning for the
proposed change. Later in the year, probably October, there will be an open
meeting to discuss all of the proposals in a direct face to face format.
If you make a proposal, please plan on attending the meeting to give your
proposal it's due.
If you have not made it out to one of our DE/TTs or AXs, you are really
missing out on some great opportunities to drive your Porsche in a safe
controlled environment, to is fullest potential, OK, maybe to what you
think is it's full potential.
But the point is that there is no other club in northern California that
gives you more opportunities to drive your car the way it was designed to
be driven. So what is keeping you from joining in on the fun?
Also of note, this is my last year as Competition Director and GGR will be
in need of a dedicated person that is interested in the competitive events
and aspects of our club. Please, if you enjoy our competitive events
and have been looking for a way to step up and "give back" to the
club, now is the time. You can email me at any time to get more
detailed information about the posititon.
See you at the track.
Dan
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Board of Directors
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--by John Celona,
GGR Secretary
GGR Board of
Directors Meeting
After a whole lot of calendar contortions, the May and June board meetings
were combined on May 21 (which was reported in the June Nugget), and the
next meeting will be held July 23 at the residence of the president, Bill
Dally.
People wishing to add items to the agenda should email him.
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Membership Report
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--by Jeff Kost, Membership Director
Total Members: 2521
Primary: 1471
Affiliate: 1049
Life: 1
New Members: 23
Transfers In: 3
Transfers Out: 8
New
Members
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Daniel Barrett
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Sunnyvale
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2007 Boxster
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Christopher &
Sarah Beauchamp
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Los Gatos
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2008 911 Turbo
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Don Cabaluna
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San Lorenzo
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Patty Chan
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San Francisco
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Al Chow
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Sunnyvale
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1979 911 SC
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Claudia Davis
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Mountain View
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1998 Boxster
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Leonardo Denaro
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Santa Clara
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2001 911 996
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Payton Dobbs
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San Francisco
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2001 911
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Jennifer Emmer
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Saratoga
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1995 911
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Sean Farrell
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Livermore
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Damian Fernandez
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Saratoga
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Erin Fogarty
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Mountain View
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Monica Garza
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Sunnyvale
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2001 Boxster
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Gretchen Gibson
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Oakland
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Matthew Hough
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San Francisco
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1988 911
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Peter Jan
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Santa Clara
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1973 914
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Tero Koivunen
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Mountain View
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2002 911 Turbo
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Patrick Krause
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San Mateo
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1986 951
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John Lawrence
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Escalon
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Tony Le
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Sunnyvale
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2008 Carrera
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Charlie
Lehuray-Jones
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San Francisco
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1987 911
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Lisa Mepham
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San Jose
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2007 Boxster
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Gilles Merkel
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Danville
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1997 911
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Martin Morris
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Redwood City
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2008 Cayman S
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Daniel Moseley
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Scotts Valley
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2008 Carrera S
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Cliff Pepper
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San Francisco
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2002 Turbo
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Guy & Linda
Plummer
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Morgan Hill
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2007 Boxster
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Gregory &
Kristin Quinlan
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Los Altos
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2005 911
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Wei-Lii Tan
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Menlo Park
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Gwen Trappe
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Forestville
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Stephen Zadig
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Palo Alto
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2008 997
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Anniversaries
45
Years
40
Years
35
Years
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Charles Johnston
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Alameda
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1972 914
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Daniel Macdonald
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Novato
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1959 356A
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25
Years
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William Kinst
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Cupertino
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1970 914/6
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Sergio Meza
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Dublin
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1970 911
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Edmund Ong
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San Francisco
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1976 911
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Nancy Lee
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Saratoga
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1974 914
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20
Years
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Rick Brown
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Loomis
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1980 911SC
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15
Years
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Anthony Heyer
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Mountain View
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1989 944
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Monica Kost
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Pleasanton
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2007 GT3 RS
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10
Years
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Jim Coon
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Clovis
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1997 Boxster
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Allan Grimm
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Piedmont
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1997 C2S
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Mark Hutchinson
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Oakland
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1974 911
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Robert Lawrence
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Escalon
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1981 911
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Robert Sutton
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San Francisco
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1989 944
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Doug Williams
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Cupertino
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1970 911
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Lou Bell
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Half Moon Bay
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John Kloosterman
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Oakland
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1969 911 T
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Albert Norris
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San Francisco
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1984 911
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5
Years
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Andrew Amon
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Campbell
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Guy Apple
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Palo Alto
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2004 911
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Heather Busby
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Mountain View
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Susan Collins
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San Francisco
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Alexander Ho
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Fremont
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