How come???

[hatfieldcb]

Originally Posted by Texican

A......guess they thought big tent=registration....

Butch

Even though we have a big sign saying "REGISTRATION". Ah, you gotta love it. They probably heard your tent was where all the beer was.

Was it one of these guys?

Chris

[atoyot]

Did he make it? Hu hu?

[ginericLC]

NW Cruisers has a 3 function rule. Basically you show up to 3 functions and pay your dues and you are in. We are looking at reducing the number of functions or eliminating them completely this next year, due to some folks outside of the Boise region. Originally the club was going to be real exclusive, 40s only. This was as a result of a falling out with a multimake SWB club. However, it was changed to be Toyota 4 wheel drives with emphasis on the older models. I was the first person to pay dues to the club, I was scared they wouldn't let me in. At the time I only had my 60. The first year there was only one other wagon owner, a 55. It took 3 years before a mini truck joined. We've never had a 4Runner member. I think next year the doors will be opened up for more Toyota 4wds to join.

Tornado Alley is easy. Join TLCA, pay your dues, and have fun!

LSLC is the easiest, and they have the coolest logo!

[pjohnson]

MTA has requirements to join. You must attend 3 out of 4 straight club meetings and attend 3 overnight runs. Also, TLCA and CAL4Wheel membership is required.

There are two primary purposes to membership requirements: first is to give everyone a chance to get to know each other. The prospective member may not like the "culture" of the club or it's politics. The club may decide the prospect doesn't fit in. May sound harsh, but it's reality. Second, is committment. Meeting attendance requirements shows a minimum level of committment to being a member.

Membership fluctuates around 18 - 22 families with friends and guests welcome as much and often as they wish. Heck, the father of a guy who actually got booted (yup, it happens) is a member of another club, drives a J@@p and attends every meeting. He's a great guy and always welcome.

Phil

[TRT2]

I envy the commitment MTA members have to their club.

Because of the commitment Phil notes, when MTA puts its energy towards a task (be it hosting their event Frolic or volunteering to help another event or simply participating in a local run or charity drive) there is exceptional turnout from all members.

I know when we (Roger and I) initiated our Club in the North Bay, I called many Chapters listed in Trails and MTA was the only one who really took the time to answer my questions about what worked and what did not work. While we chose different membership requirements, we did borrow lots of stuff from MTA, primarily their BoneHead Award (PMC Terminology, forget what MTA called it) and its been a lot of fun.

back to my original point, by utilizing membership requirements, MTA (and other Clubs) ensure member commitment to the club and I do believe that's important.

[pjohnson]

Originally Posted by TRT2

I envy the commitment MTA members have to their club.

Because of the commitment Phil notes, when MTA puts its energy towards a task (be it hosting their event Frolic or volunteering to help another event or simply participating in a local run or charity drive) there is exceptional turnout from all members.

I know when we (Roger and I) initiated our Club in the North Bay, I called many Chapters listed in Trails and MTA was the only one who really took the time to answer my questions about what worked and what did not work. While we chose different membership requirements, we did borrow lots of stuff from MTA, primarily their BoneHead Award (PMC Terminology, forget what MTA called it) and its been a lot of fun.

back to my original point, by utilizing membership requirements, MTA (and other Clubs) ensure member commitment to the club and I do believe that's important.

Thanks for the kind words Tony. We still have challenges sometimes with finding volunteers, but it may be a bit easier. IMO, over time, the committment also tends to result in closer ties to other members in the club.

FWIW, our bonehead award is called The Bell. It's a hand bell about 8" tall. The Bell can be bestowed upon a member for any number of stupid moves except trail breakage (unless said breakage was predicated by incorrect re-assembly or somesuch). It is required to be visibly hung in the recipient's 4x4 vehicle where it can swing freely for the duration of possession. If, at any time, another club member finds The Bell improperly displayed, the owner of The Bell must buy the member a steak dinner. There have been times when The Bell has escaped and been found wandering many miles frome home. Last year The Bell took a vacation and provided periodic e-mail updates describing the exotic locales it was visiting. Over the years The Bell has also been kidnapped and held for ransom (typically a steak dinner) numerous times.

Phil

[cruiseroutfit]

Originally Posted by pjohnson

... Also, TLCA and CAL4Wheel membership is required...

That is awesome CAL4Wheel does alot of good things...

[bad_religion_au]

our 4x4 club in aust, cowboys from hell 4x4 club requires nothing to join, except knowing us. our last club run was a year ago, at the moment i think we have 5 trucks spread over 4 members, along with plenty of cars, and the occasional member that is purely a member by buying a used truck off one of us, and forgetting to remove the windscreen sticker... at the moment we got my 40 and 45, a mates 75 tray on 35's. a huge 4runner with IFS and 33's and a massive patrol shorty on about 38's, and no front CV's (don't laugh he makes it further than all us in 2wd). guy used to run 36's on a 40 before he A. rolled it, B snapped the chassis doind a mono in third, then C smashed it into an immovable object at about 80 k's an hour.


ohh, membership usually involves buying a windscreen sticker if we ever have any in stock...

[trainrech]

Well, judging by the posts I've read, our club is the easiest to be a member of. Have a Toyota (not sure if we included selectable) 4WD and pay $10 per year. We only have a single meeting per year. We do require TLCA membership, but don't immediately bounce someone if/when it lapses.

That said, our regulars at events are pretty small in numbers.

[72cruiser]

sup fellas,

yeah, i think the majority of those requirement things are crap. if i wanted requirements or checklists so i could be a member i would go back to kindergarten and put name back on the shiny sticker star board...

i don't even think you 'have to' have a toyota to join upstate cruisers (just tryin to back up my club, ha ha). i know a couple of guys are members, and they just come and hang out with their buds that have the cruisers. we have one 'big' meeting a year and we meet at various local sonics once a month or there about...none of those are required, but it sucks to miss em

also, abt the website for us, i don't know what all's goin on with that. i think it pretty much sucks b/c nothing is gettin done with it... we have a domain, but nothing is on it as of yet. (and i just checked it, and i get a 404...crap. it used to be www.upstatecruisers.org )

i know that i showed up for my first meeting in a buick le sabre, ha ha, and i had a great time.

they encourage membership in TLCA, but don't require it really.
10 or 15 bucks a year gets a couple stickers and you get put on the email list, and get a newletter.


oh, and todd, you should mos def come down and hang out with some of us sometime. it'd be a blast, and i'm sure we could get into some wheelin if you'd like...
there are 4 or 5 of us that go to school at clemson (or just live near by) and get together to wrench of wheel quite frequently.


have a good one y'all,
malphrus

[fj40charles]

I guess you could run your club like a college fraternity where you are voted in by the members. I don't think I want to join a 4x4 club where you have to be voted in. Good chance I would not voted in anyway based on my viewpoints and how my junk is setup.

Even the 3 trail event requirement would disqualify me for membership since I can't always make them. If the club requirement become so stringent, then the best alternative is to join a regular 4x4 club where you don't have to have a particular brand of offroad rig to be a member.

I like the way the LSLC runs their club... laid back. I guess this might explain why it is the largest TLCA chapter in the USA. Just be careful of the wise OLD fart red neck president, Butch..

[Texican]

Originally Posted by fj40charles

Good chance I would not voted in anyway based on my viewpoints

F A C T !!


I like the way the LSLC runs their club... laid back. I guess this might explain why it is the largest TLCA chapter in the USA. Just be careful of the wise OLD fart red neck president, Butch..

Cause he will bitch slap ya' back in line......

Butch

[fj40charles]

Originally Posted by Texican

Cause he will bitch slap ya' back in line......

Butch

Better be careful what you say or Rick D. might slap you too...... I'm not your bitch Butch...

[woody]

it's not the bitch slaps from Butch that scare me...it's the nipple twisters....OUCH!!

[Texican]

Originally Posted by pjohnson

MTA has requirements to join. You must attend 3 out of 4 straight club meetings and attend 3 overnight runs. Also, TLCA and CAL4Wheel membership is required.
Phil

"So this means that MTA gay meetings don't count? And then combined with overnight runs?" Maybe they are only straight at the meetings and on the overnights watch out!? And they are in Kalifornia where a lot of funny people live

Butch

[nuclearlemon]

Originally Posted by Gumby

Wasn't Windy one of the biggest at one time? before clubs started springing up all over.

when it was first started in 92-93 wclc was the fastest growing club in tlca...we went from the three founders and two members to over 60 in a little under 8 months. here's a flyer from the very first wclc event. lane winter, steve hanson, and i got the addresses of all the 58-90 land cruisers that were registered in illinois and either mailed them flyers or lane would stick them on windshields while he was at work (he installed cable, so he drove all over the place). i still have all the original bylaw crap that we were required to come up with to become a chapter of tlca...up til then, we just met at a local restaurant and bs'ed...only requirement was that the restaurant served liquor.

[nuclearlemon]

Originally Posted by hatfieldcb

Anyone outside our area can join Rising Sun as an Associate (non-voting) member. We'll let you in Butch!

See our website: www.risingsun4x4club.org/joinrs.asp

Chris Hatfield

hey chris, i think you got a few too many fingers in that solute to butch.