Curious what other pulling organizations do to for track help and tech officials. We currently have one tech guy that gets paid based on the number of hooks for the night and use members for track help. Would like to find out how others handle it, because this model hasn't been working out too well for us the last few years and would like to improve it.

Thanks for any (helpful) input

Alan

Are club has two flagers and two to hook unhook.Get payed each night.We have are own sled.So the sled guy and his wife get payed to run sled and scales and for grader drivers up to fairs or wherever.

We have volunteers do flaggin and track work. Usually they are from the club, we have a couple guys that just like to help and almost always do all the flag work.

As for tech officials, each class elects two people from the class to tech for the year. Obviously the board has final say if there are any questions or concerns but this seems to work very well. Keeps everyone honest and there are no secrets for the most part. However, we all get along pretty good also.

Good luck, you will never get everyone to agree on the same thing.

James

www.badgertruckpullers.com
www.dons-auto.com

I belong to 4 clubs of which the N.E.W. Club, STPA club, WUMPA club use the volunteer system. And it seems the same 6 guys volunteer all the time. Its funny we can have 60 to 70 members in the club but the same 6 guys are always there to help when the call is put out. In the Pullers Inc. Club they have there flag guy set, but usually need volunteers for hooking and unhooking, I got to drive the leveler one night at there pull, I put on a good show till I learned the tractor. I tend to be as active with each Club I belong to. I announce when ever possible and will flag, hook or unhook, and can work the scale when asked. (Dont really like the scale)



Dan

When I was involved with the Colorado Association, they ran with this set-up:
The board hired a tech man at the beginning of each season and he was paid for every pull he attended--he was required to attend all pulls and board meetings. As tech official, he was also the end flagger on the track. We also paid a hook person (affectionately called the "hooker"), a line-up person, a sled driver, a laser operator (for distances), a scale operator, the secretary of the association (sign-ups, distances, payouts), and the announcer. Some weren't much - like $50 per night. I think the announcer was the highest paid at $300 to $400. And, like someone else mentioned, we owned our own sled. We also paid someone to transport the sled/scales to and from events. All of these fees were bundled together into a "base fee" that we charged every promoter.

Our tech official did not pull a vehicle so that made it a bit better with rule enforcement.

I'm not sure what happened this year as I didn't pull at all.
Hope that helps, Alan.
Glen

We have the same problem Dan that is why I'm exploring other options. We have a paid tech official, but he wasn't at all the pulls, and that presented a problem a few times. Glen what did those fees add up to? I think around here the announcer gets $150-$200 and the tech guy gets $2.50/hook but isn't required to flag. Every other position except the secretary/treasure is a volunteer position.

our club had the same problem the same people working pull after pull. we came up with a points dock for the people who did not help out . now evey body work 15 to 30 min no more problem!

This would be for the 2008 season (not sure what changed in 2009). The base fee was $2600 for each event. Also, we had a $200 sanctioning fee that was charged at the time of the contract. On top of that, we had the purse which ran about $8000 for 8 classes. We had three tiers of classes: the lowest paid $200 to win down to $50 for 6th; the middle was $300 to win down to $60 for last; and the top tier was $400 to win down to $40 for 6th. Typically, each sanctioned event cost the promoter about $12,000 including mileage. Our group didn't charge an entry fee for sanctioned classes (did charge a $15 registration fee that went into a points fund) but every single adult, including the driver, paid a $20 pit pass to get into the pits. That money (usually about $1000) was credited to the promoter. Some people like getting free pit passes with their entry, but I think it was the difference between the promoter breaking even or losing money at about half of our events. The promoter also kept all gate, sponsorship, and other monies they generated. About 75% of our events made money, and some made enough to purchase large ticket items for their organizations. Our average attendance in 2008 was just shy of 1,000 people per event. Some, especially the ones near Denver, could reach 2,500 spectators pretty easy.

Hope that helps.

Wow Glen, ITPA is less than half that including the sled. We are also finding that we are booking fewer full shows as fairs have less money to spend so they pick the classes with the most trucks, then they add a couple local brush classes.

Alan

I like the docking points & (holding checks- that seemed to get people working.)

I think you would have enough track help if you allowed non-club members to help. I have personally seen help get turned away at several pulls. I think what you will find in indiana is that on any weekend in the summer you can throw a dart at a map and chances are there is a pull going on there, so people are not going to pay big money to watch a show unless it is a big time show. From a fairboard standpoint, you can only break even or lose money so many times before everyone involved just says to hell with the big show lets have some brush classes and beable to relax and actually not have to gate $12,000 just to break even... my 2 cents...

The reason you have to be a member to work the track is insurance. But yes it is hard for these small fairs to pay more for fairs to pay more to clubs so the can hire workers. I just think if Someone wants to pull they should also be willing to work. Because Someone worked for them to pull . But as long & as many clubs as we have pulled with even the mini rods people are just to lazy to work.

there is anouther aspect to look at. our show quality gives a much better appearance when you can hire officials to work the track. Simple as a uniform shirt for flagsmen/techs. What kenten did, paid 2 officials head tech was also end flagman, tech are incharge, sometimes a volunteer would watch the scales under their guidance. paid laserman, announcer, and sled.

track groomers were ussually guys from sponser tractor dealership, which was great, becuase they were experienced after they did it for awhile they knew what we wanted done and how fast etc.

but the show looked beter to the fans, when the guys wth the flags had shirts on and looked official.

The last pull I went to I had to pay 90 bucks for one hook and drive almost 700 miles. It doesn't seem right that You would also have to work.

did you at least get a kiss afterwards dug?

sean

"there is anouther aspect to look at. our show quality gives a much better appearance when you can hire officials to work the track. Simple as a uniform shirt for flagsmen/techs. What kenten did, paid 2 officials head tech was also end flagman, tech are incharge, sometimes a volunteer would watch the scales under their guidance. paid laserman, announcer, and sled.

track groomers were ussually guys from sponser tractor dealership, which was great, becuase they were experienced after they did it for awhile they knew what we wanted done and how fast etc.

but the show looked beter to the fans, when the guys wth the flags had shirts on and looked official."

I agree 100%, our problem though has been getting someone that will step up and commit to being at all the pulls. We have even discussed having 2, one for the north end of the state and one for the southern end, but can't seem to get the help, and as I said earlier, our tech man gets paid per hook so the more trucks that pull, the more he gets paid.
I like the idea of having the promoter responsible for help for the scales, hitch checker, but I am reluctant to have unexperienced volunteers hooking and unhooking or flagging due to the liability. So far the association has not had to provide help to grade the track, which is a good thing.

AP

when i go to a pull i want to go,pay my money,and pull......not work the pull.

i dont agree with unexperianced help, it can cause problems,if they make a bad call it will blow out of proportion.

with my daughters pulling club we are having all of these same problems

It seems that many organizations are experiencing the same issue and don't have a solution. Seems like it's a double edged sword to me. On one edge, the pullers don't like working and it's usually the same 10% that works and on the other, the promoters don't want to pay an additional fee or increased sanction fee to cover help. The large organizations like PPL or NTPA have hired officials, but charge in excess of $8500 (not including the sled) and that is out of reach for most fair organizations.
Would it work to require the promoter to have all help except for the flaggers, then the association would only have to provide 2 flaggers?

Alan

I have seen it where the fair or promoter provides the help and it always sucks! Those people have no idea what they are doing. The best help are pullers. They know what to do and have done it before. The members of the association need to realize that they are the association and without them nothing gets done. I don't know why people have such a hard time figuring that out. Good luck Alan. It is people like you that keep different associations running because you actually care about what happens and are willing to put a little time and effort in to help out.

James

www.badgertruckpullers.com
www.dons-auto.com

I agree not all help is good, but to say that the pullers knows what is best is a pretty bold statement. If you go around telling everyone that helps that they are a bunch of dumb ass's i'm sure that will help your cause a hell of alot. We had a puller tell our track help they were not grading the track right once and i still have to fight to get everyone on the commitee to have the ITPA back... So i guess my advice is to take what you can get, grin, be happy and pull...

How many members are in your club? How many hours dose your pulls last? Would it kill you to help out say 15 min? I work the track before I pull you can get a lot of info, it helps me out.

I too like being on the track before I run. Watching a few classes go before mine is a great way to assess the track.Dale, I know this year, I have had to talk to a couple of guys on the tractors this year because they either weren't getting theholes filled in or they were dropping the grader and backing up which was digging in and then they'd lift, drop, dig.. and in the process create a wash board. Now I have always approached them in a nice way, but none the less they had to be talked to. I've even seen some that had the front V digging and the back not touching the ground and some where the front was in the air etc. All of the guys preping the track are trying to do a good job, but just need a little instruction and practice. It's one of those things where just because you know how to drive a tractor doesn't mean you know how to grade a track. I will say that I have never had a problem spotting the ones that know what they are doing.AP

Pullers workin the track brings up a whole nother subject. How well they do for each puller. I have seen pullers runnin the grader, and do twice the job when their friend is up then they did for everyone else.

Since I've been with ITPA, we have not had pullers running the track prep equipment. It's always the promoters responsibility to provide that help. We have 2 pullers flag (2 flaggers on the track) 1 hook, 1 unhook, 1 on scales and 1 to check hitches, and they only have to do it for one class if everyone shows up so it shouldn't be that big of a deal, but apparently that's asking too much.

Alan

Can a pullers pit crew help or only association members. I'm speaking insurance wise. And when asking for help is everybody asked or just the "good ole boys"?
'.

I agree alan, it is easy to spot the ones that know what they are doing, and most of the time guys don't take instruction well. I guess you'll have to make helping mandatory?