PAGE 8 CIMARRON TRAIL ZONOTES By J on J ones Welcome to 2018! 2017 went by so fast, I can hardly believe it. The older I get, the faster time passes. When I was 15, I was complaining to my Dad one day about how slow time was passing waiting on my 16th birthday. “Just wait”, he said in that typical Dad fashion, “You’ll see the other side soon enough”. Pop of course was right, as I now know. In 2017 I completed a major-for-me project, the building of a 944 track car. As I approached the finish line, I was dreading that first turn of the ignition key, the first chance for the engine I had rebuilt to run. It is always a little scary, at least for me, but it started up and ran fine. An almost twoyear project was a success! I’ve had it out on the track at Hallett twice now, and I look forward to the DE season coming up. In 2017, I was also appointed the Zone 5 Representative. Zone Rep is not something you campaign for – PCA typically looks for people who are less concerned about being “on the National Staff”, than they are about believing in putting the membership first. I was genuinely surprised when I was approached by my predecessor, Lynn Friedman about the job, and I thought about it for a long time. Some truly wonderful folks supported my nomination, and I am honored by their confidence and support. As I continue to grow into the role of Zone Rep, I hope to do justice to that confidence and support. Prior to being Zone Rep, I hadn’t had much experience with how the club functions at the National level. I attended my first National Board meeting in February and came away very impressed. Impressed with the leadership of Caren Cooper and the rest of the Executive Committee. Impressed with the financial transparency and accountability – you might be shocked at how much money passes through PCA ever year – and impressed with the vision that the National Staff has for the future of PCA. PCA Parade is nearby next year, in Osage Beach Missouri, and if you are going I hope you will take the opportunity to attend the open-to-all-members Board Meeting. I think you will be impressed, too. Our Club is in good hands. Zone Rep is occasionally referred to as a “middle management” position. Not having much affection for the term middle manager, I prefer to think of it as an ambassador and an adviser – an ambassador for the EC and an advisor for the Region Presidents. I have no real authority to tell people what to do, only to coach them to do things the PCA way. In some cases this means pointing out when they are doing things wrong – so diplomacy is a must. Case in point – at a DE last year, I observed the event chair authorize drivers to go on track with their convertible tops down. Which is not in accordance with PCA DE Guidelines. “What are they gonna do, fire me?”, the chair replied when I asked him about it. We’re all volunteers – that is a common refrain by the way – but that is not the point. The point is our insurance program is precious, and all of us, not just the Zone Rep must be vigilant to Elements of Risk and minimize it wherever possible. Part of the role of Zone Rep is to visit all of the Regions in the Zone over the course of the year.
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