Why don't we wheel...or at least do SOMETHING as a Chapter?!

SeeingSpots

SeeingSpots

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Bend, OR
I'm new and perhaps I'm naive but considering we live in America's playground state, we should be doing a lot more things together as a Chapter. I've had the chance to meet a lot of you guys one-on-one over the past 8 months, and I can honestly say everyone that I've met has been awesome and I talk to you guys regularly off the forum. Probably the best group of guys I've ever met - and I mean that.

And just so I'm on the same page as everyone else - What's the reason we don't do more as a Chapter? Are you guys burnt out on each other? Have you outgrown this hobby? Do we need more new faces to spice things up? Collectively, are most of us broke?

I think all of those are valid reasons; And I'm not trying to stir the pot, but I am trying to figure out what my NAXJA membership stands for. As a Newbie, I don't know how it used to be 5-10 years ago around here; but I do have eyes and I listen, and it appears that event participation has been on the decline lately. I'd like to know why. I figure as awesome as you guys are individually, how cool would it be to get us all together more than once a year.

Shit...my old Corvette club used to get together every month and do something.
If you missed two events in a row, you were out - No guff about it. "Thank you for your money, GTFO." And they could afford to do that because they were actively enrolling people, and everyone knew what the expections were of being a Member.

Anyways, if I'm overstepping my boundries just tell me to shut up - I wont get all butthurt. However I do want to know if my $35.00 gets me more than Red Letters on my Avatar and a cool sticker (which I haven't got yet). Are we funding an institution, or a forum for people to shoot the shit and sell things?

Just sayin...

Jim
 
Hey Jim....... shut up.

:D

You are completely correct Jim. Participation and at least "perceived" interest is at an all time low.

The majority of the reasons the BOD hears frequently is folks have no money to get out and 'wheel. Seems everyone has to work when we schedule meet-n-greets.

You having been a member of a large and active club will certainly know that the more that goes on with a club, the more interesting it is. The more interested the members are, the more likely they are to want to get together.

If the Chapter BOD decides to ever get with it....... ahem..... nudge-nudge, hint-hint..... and get my election established against Mr. Abstain..... It will be my objective to get a couple meet-n-greets scheduled for the remainder of this year, and then go ahead and get at least 4 meet-n-greets scheduled for 2014 and those dates/locations posted by Jan/Feb. Historically, trying to get these things organized a few weeks in advance never works.... so this time, it will be my suggestion that they be set for the year. Can't make any of the meets? That's a shame because you will have had plenty of notice.

I bought that RTI ramp with this in mind..... to have something that will add to the interest to get together.

We have the Colorado Staging Area forum for this very reason. Wanna go run a trail? Post it up and see who else wants to go.

Hopefully over time, we can get things back to being fun and active OFF the forum. :thumbup:
 
you kinda have to take the initiative for these wheeling trips ,and give a month or so lead, when i was a new member ,i did that and it worked out pretty good , just figure where you want to go and post your plan,, seemed the easier the trail the more participants .
 
Well, gee, we had a meet and great and a week long wheeling trip in the last 2-3 months with minimal participation. I can't even get the idiots who won stuff from 4wd Hardware to post up that they won, so I can send the stuff to them at no cost to them. I think it's a self-reinforcing thing, if no one participates, then no one participates.

IMHO, the chapter needs to look more to themselves, then the BOD.
 
Old guys are tired of putting forth effort to get no participation.
New guys don't want to step in to be guys putting in effort.
So no one does much of anything.

The people that usually wheel the most are currently rigless or don't come around here.

Big diversity of what to wheel to satisfy different folks. So trips are hard to plan.
 
screw that wtf were you people for colo fest?? don't blame the chapter
 
I wheel about every weekend. Well untill I leave the state in 18 days, that is why I personally don't put in effort and the other thing is that I out grew the Xj. I don't plan on ever owning one and really don't have Interest. I check on here frequently to see if stuff is changing or if it is still same old nothing.
 
1.) The majority of the chapter is now...ahem..."older" and doesn't "get out" as much anymore :D

2.) There seems to be a lack of new blood coming in (typically tends to be younger guys with less responsibility...like when I came in YEARS ago)

3.) Many of the guys out actually wheeling...aren't on a whole lot.

With that said...once my buggy is done...i'll be probably posting up trail rides I'll be going on very very frequently. Yeah some of those might be more hardcore...but there will be plenty like Chinamans, Kelly Flats, Moody Hill, etc.

I'd honestly have to say reason number 1 and 2, along with the fact that people in general maybe don't have to money or time to throw around are the biggest reasons. Some people "outgrow" it as time goes along. Me...nope. I haven't wheeled my own stuff in 5 years, and am more anxious than most to get back out there.

Difference I guess is for me this is a lifestyle...to many on here it is merely a "hobby".

People outgrow hobbies and move onto the next thing that interests them.
 
No one just gets out on here. And if they do people wana do super easy trails. There's a few amount of people who do get out and wheel, the few I still wheel with I'm good friends with and we all stick together. I use to always post trips up on here for people to join in and no one ever did so I have up and even trying to get others to wheel. Last years Colorado fest was one of the biggest, this year I heard wasent go big. Plus it was in the same place. Ya I know that's a good place to camp and all but you need different places to stay at and new places. That will attract the younger people and more people. I kinda gave up on trying to wheel with others on here. The few I know that wheel I have there numbers and we try to wheel, the others on here I don't worry about. I just cruise the site now and trying giving my input to others and answering questions. I have up my red letter membership because it was a waste....... I would love to wheel with you seeing spots. Shoot me a PM and we can talk. Me and a group are setting up a trip the end of September
 
Geeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzz!

I was married to a girl like that:
What's wrong?
What's wrong?
What's wrong?
What's wrong?
What's wrong?

Tell me five things that are right with this chapter!

The few boards that I frequent are less active this year. If you missed Slick Willie's first campaign for the White House: "Its the economy, stupid!"
 
I for one love to go wheeling with the guys from the chapter, but I'm one if those that currently doesn't have a rig, hopefully by next year that'll be fixed and I should have 2 or maybe 3 rigs at my disposal, and the money and time thing is also a big problem for me..... I seem to always have one or the other but never both! Lol.

I'd love to see this chapter wake up and get back do doing what we should be doin..... WHEELIN!
 
Coming from the MWC, I was headed out last year to see a friend. I tried to set up a meet and greet thread, with little interest. I wanted to meet a few of the guys but either they had plans or they didn't want MWC people in their state!(kidding :D). Whereas, here in the MWC, we try and get together as often as possible wheeling or not. I guess things are just different out your way. Hell, if my job tanks, I may just end up out there and y'all are stuck with me! :D

I'm not in here trying to stir shit guys, just giving an honest opinion from an outsider looking in.
 
I used to post up trips all the time with little success. One or two people would join up and that's fine. This year my XJ has been in pieces so I haven't been able to get out there. Now I have a new rig and will be selling the XJ once a few more things are finished up on it. With the new rig I'll be on here less and less.

I still want to get the bowling thing going for the end of the month. AdrenalinePirate has really stepped up on that one and I really appreciate it. Unfortunately nobody else seems really interested. At this point I don't care if its out chapter only or other groups join as well, I just want to see us get together for something again.

I didn't make COFest because it fell on the same dates as my Annual Training with the National Guard. Same thing happens every year unfortunately.

I'm going to hit up MSV/Coney on Monday to test out the new rig, you guys are more than welcome to join me. I'll post up more info in the appropriate section once I have them.
 
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The main thing I've noticed with people trying to set up wheelin trips is you can't get people to agree on stuff. One wants hardcore, three want scenic, two want mild and close to home, others want to drive 4 hours one way to a trail, etc.

I for one get out quite a bit. I don't ever post up where I'm going, or throw an invite out because quite frankly, I usually don't know until fairly late the night before I go. With a business, family, kid events, etc....it's hard for me to plan days or weeks ahead of time because it ALWAYS changes.

Another reason is I really don't enjoy wheelin with large groups of people. I used to wheel with a big group of 10+, and I got extremely fed up with it. I've been wheelin off and on for 20 years, and these days I enjoy just a small group of 3-4 rigs. It's just easier.... I've always found that with bigger groups, organization is a real bitch. You setup a time to meet, and over 1/2 the people are running late....then want to get coffee, or haven't brought a lunch so they have to stop somewhere to get food, etc....then you get on the trail 2-3 hours later than you planned.

Another thing that absolutely drove me nuts is there is always....always a few people that do ZERO maintenance or bring spare parts, tools, etc. Then it never fails, they are always the ones to break and turn a good day into a shit show of trying to patch them back together and get them off the trail. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind helping someone in need, but when you come on a trail 100% unprepared....it pisses me off!

I have my 3-4 buddies that I've wheeled with for years that are the ones I always go with. We know the in's and out's of each others rigs, know how they perform, know how everybody reacts to spotting directions, etc. One of my biggest pet peeves is when you are on a trail with a large group and you have 6 different people trying to spot you, and all of them are telling you different ways to go. When I have someone spotting me, I want to know I can trust them that they won't put me into a situation to either A.) Break my shit or B.) possibly flop my Jeep.

My main reason for joining NAXJA was back when I was first getting into XJ's. I didn't know crap about them, so I joined, and spent hours upon hours researching and reading. I really didn't even start posting in the Colorado Chapter until about 2 years ago. Now that I'm on my 8th XJ....I burnt out, so I don't spend much time on here lately. I still pop in every know and then to see what you guys are up to, but that's about it.
 
For me it's simple. I'm in college again and broke.

I'm trying to piece together my rig on cheap parts. I can't afford to be without a vehicle and do I say I was broke? :)
 
This is good stuff guys.

With many things in life, open dialogue is one of the most important aspects of moving forward. When people start clamming up about issues nothing ever gets resolved. This applies to business, relationships, and NAXJA. Being the strong silent type has its place, but when you're dealing with people (especially people with common interests) it always pays to work together.

My intention wasn't to ruffle any feathers; I just think that this Chapter has the potential to be great again and carry the flag for all of the other chapters. I don't think the national BOD would have given us our own State forum if they thought otherwise. We have such a great group of people and I'd like to hang out with you guys rather than have a virtual presence behind a computer.

Jim
 
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