Why join a club?
You know, I think I'm looking
for an answer to this very question myself. I haven't yet joined
an ATV club, but there is a likelihood that I might. I tend to be
a joiner, not a "lone biker of the apocalypse". I've visited various
club web sites and here are some of the things they have to offer:
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A club member is invited to
participate in riding adventures on a monthly basis with others of similar
interest.
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You can attend a monthly meeting
and pay a nominal membership due.
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The club tries to keep you informed
of recent rules and laws, what's open for riding and what's not.
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The influence the club brings
to bare on available riding venues is actually more impressive than individuals
in many instances.
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The Utah ATV Association has
a social conscience. They have an annual ride for Muscular Dystrophy.
I've never seen a web site of any of the land closure advocates, that proposed
doing anything for anyone but their cause.
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The club also promotes good
citizenship amongst its members, suggesting responsible use of riding venues,
and safety in riding practices.
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Service projects are also part
of most clubs activities. They have done work cleaning up sites like
Five Mile Pass and Simpsons Springs.
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The clubs offers a means of
selling off your old machine by advertising for you on the web site.
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The clubs also offers you a
newsletter.
I'll have to admit I do have
some reservations to joining a club. Its not likely that many would
have the same reservations, but these are mine.
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My brother was a member of a
Motorcycle club. They were out on a tour with the club and my brother
attempted a curve on a mountain road too fast. That's all she wrote
for my brother. He was likely trying to keep up with the other riders.
It was a choice we've paid for ever since. It would have been nice if the
other riders of the club in the front of the pack had just a bit more self
restraint and consideration for the group. It was their bad choice
that affected someone else to make a bad choice. They may have been
able to handle the speed safely, but someone else could not.
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As much as I love recreation
with ATVs, it is not a religion for me. If some people want to go
riding on "religious time" I suppose that is up to them. I don't
feel comfortable with that myself. I already have a religion and
I try to be dedicated to it. I don't want or need another factor
that would draw me away from what I consider to be most important in my
life.
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One more meeting. It always
starts out simple as one more meeting, and before you know it, I'm in charge
of something and it becomes something like a full time job, to do it right.
The perspective of home, family, job, church, politics and other diversions
tends to get things pretty jammed with activities. It is a matter
of priorities isn't it.
I've come to the conclusion
that clubs are a good thing. The greatest value they an offer is
an opportunity to educate and keep their members informed of important
new developments with the law and locations to ride. They can also
assist in keeping our opportunities to ride open by communication with
governmental agencies.
I think the majority of ATV
riders are not club members but are family and neighborhood riding associations.
That's how it has turned out for me. I'm thinking of the possibility
of forming my own club in order to share information with others on a regular
basis.
Sometime it may be fun to
have an ATV convention, where all the ATV enthusiasts can get together
and share their experiences, ideas and get some education from our governmental
and manufacturer experts. Doug Miller's "outdoor expo" doesn't fill
the bill. I just hate to pay good money for the opportunity of having
someone pitch their products at me.
In the final assessment,
everyone has their choice. Clubs with members that don't choose to
contribute to the overall welfare of the group are doomed to failure.
Were I to actually lay down the money to join, like everything else I do,
I'd try to be the best member I can be.