Re: Stag Club Northeastern USA

[Glenn Merrell <gmerrel@domain.elided>]

Hello All,
    I agree Mike, thankless tasks running the mundane club activities.  But, the
VTR also has a periodic publication, and it serves the US members I think better
than the SOC magazine.  My suggested  idea is to develop the reach of the VTR
regarding each marque, add those letters and pictures to the VTR publication and
the VTR web site.  The infrastructucture is there, it is the intent of VTR is to
support the notariety and upkeep of  Triumph marque cars, and it is a central
focus in the US for US owners to use as a single point of contact regarding each
marque.  The VTR Web site is already better than the SOC's Stag coverage with
more thorough technical Stag coverage thanks to Tim Buja.  Logistically and
support wise, any USA nationwide coverage of any Triumph model should be focused
within the VTR.  Richard Welty's Stag List is also a US supported venture.
Offshore will just not devote the support to our side of the pond that we need to
coordinate any activities.
    When I was at the Triumph 75th celebrations at Gaydon, the question was put to
me by an  SOC officer, "What can the TSR offer you with your membership?"  Now
obviously this person knew that I was a US SOC member and could not take advantage
of any of the SOC offerings provided for in the UK membership, and I wonder why
the US membership is charged an extra �5 ($8.10 USD) over what the normal UK
membership �25 ($40.50 USD)  is charged when the UK membership gets all the
benefits?  I fumbled terribly out of the question, having been placed squarely "on
the spot",  as I did not see that the 75th celebrations was the correct venue to
debate that issue. In short, We US members of the SOC UK support the events that
the SOC plans for its UK membership, and get a publication that is almost solely
devoted to SOC UK/Europe outings, adding one or two tech articles at best.
Legislation issues are also solely UK based, unless Dave Berquist's letters are
published in the Viewpoint section.  All of the Stag Advertisements are duplicated
in Triumph World.  Don't get me wrong, I throughly enjoy the articles of the SOC
magazine covering outings and regional diary musings, which I envy their
activities...all the more reason to get a more coordinated and active Stag outing
here in the USA.  But the point as relevant to the SOC official's question, TSR is
not promising me any great list of benefits that I can not use in the US, only a
focal point for technical support in buying and maintaining my Stag at a very much
reduced annual fee of �12, ($19 USD) from people in the know about Stags and with
direct contacts to ex-Triumph/BL  technical folks.  A response from Mike Wattam is
almost immediate, where the SOC may or may not respond within a month or two.
    The club fizzle effect is very real, again only as good as the persons
(plural) coordinating the activities and the interest of the owners and members.
If an enthusiastic core group can be formed as opposed to a single person trying
to coordinate everything, the events will happen more frequently and much
smoother.  I think an annual gathering of Stags at the VTR national convention is
an achievable goal, provided the logistics can be worked out for those that choose
not to drive the distance, and for those who wish to gaggle to the events.
Driving 2000 miles in some of the USA Stags is not a reality for some folks, but
200 miles may be more like it.  Also, classic insurance schemes here restrict the
annual mileage, so carriers may be an option here.
    The focus of my ramblings is that there is more that can be done to coordinate
increased numbers of various marques at Triumph events.  Bill Mayo and Walter
Holliday began  some of the initial Stag club involvement with a US chapter of the
SOC years ago, which seems to have fizzled terribly. From what I understand, they
were also frequent contributors to the SOC UK publication.  Lots of their effort
was documented in early VTR magazines, but when their interest dwindled, the
structure was not yet in place to carry on the momentum.  Again, it is the
interest of the members to carry on the work when the club begins to fizzle.
    At this period in time, I feel that the interest in Stags is growing, and
there are enough US Stag owners that can be linked using technology such as the
internet.  Years ago, calling cross country and trying to catch everyone in an
evening or two was a major task in itself.  With the internet today, a meeting can
be held online with a discussion group or video internet conferencing.  The
Illinois Triumph club already has an online area set up for this purpose.   I feel
that this is the very key to building a permanent infrastructure to a Stag
interest group within VTR and a central focus point to coordinate events and
technical sessions.  Low cost video options for a PC allows video conferencing to
extend to clubs and individual owners. For example, I currently am enrolled in a
distance learning program for an advanced degree.  If I have a question for the
professor, I send him/her an e-mail, arrange a video conference, and talk
face-to-face using MS Meeting, with the counselor in attendance also.  The toll
for this is my monthly ISP subscription.  We are all there at one time, get
solutions, and it is a done deal with one or two meetings online.

MMoore8425@domain.elided wrote:

> I live in California, and  try to keep track of the Stag owners I meet. I once
> met with Ken Hudson, President of SOC, and asked if they would entertain us
> forming a California (or US) Chapter of the SOC. (Not a separate club). The
> advantage would be that SOC already have a newsletter which could be the
> vehicle that binds the member ship together. Ken thought that could be
> approved by the committee. I didn't follow up on it, because after a while it
> seemed as though most Stag owners I knew belonged to SOC anyway. Many of us
> take the time to send in letters to the SOC about US activities, and when I
> sometimes get to the NEC show, I make it a point to drop inand tip my hat, as
> do others.
> I have seen a number of North America Stag organizations start up and fizzle
> the last 10 years. The problem is to get a newsletter out and have events
> consistently month after month. I can tell you that after 6 months, it is a
> burdensome and thankless task. And considering US Stags are so far apart, it
> is very tough to arrange any serious gatherings. My suggestion is to joint SOC
> and write frequently about activities of SOC members in the US. And show up at
> Triumph events.  The editor is pleased to print them.