4 minute read
ADVOCACY
ZOOM WORLD
By Donald Amador
No, Zoom World is not a new Netflix streaming series. It is my term for the point where the virtual world intersects with the great outdoors. I know there are a lot of us in the powersports advocacy field that are
“zoomed out” and ready to get back to in-person field trips and key meetings. Don’t get me wrong, virtual or
“zoom” meetings have permanently changed the way we do business… and that, in many cases, is a good thing!
Zoom has shown us that much of our business can be carried out over the Internet in a productive manner that saves both time and money. It has created an opportunity for stakeholders to attend meetings, workshops and conferences that would have otherwise been cost prohibitive or too time consuming in the preCOVID world.
In fact, embracing the Zoom World concept has allowed me to get some valuable facetime with a widerange of OHV advocates, conservationists, industry representatives, policy makers and land agency staff that I normally would not have been able to meet at an inperson meeting. However, there still is really nothing like being outside when talking about land use issues.
A recent field trip to a federal recreation area in Central California reinforced a core tenet of mine: in-person meetings, and more importantly, field trips, remain vital to relationship building, meaningful communications, More than 30 years ago when I first got into OHV advocacy, I was under the false impression that most all of the important trail access decisions were made in Washington D.C. or in your state capitol building. While those departments are important and make key decisions, the real work gets done at the field level where clubs and local agency recreation staff work together on site-specific projects such as rerouting a trail, constructing a new route, installing signs, or clearing trees downed by winter rain or snow. Zoom zombies can shuffle past the real and immediate grassroots needs.
That on-the-ground work comes as a direct result of inperson activities. This field work is where relationships are developed and trust earned.
While virtual meetings are here to stay and will continue to enhance communications between diverse stakeholder groups, they will never replace — nor should they — face-to-face interaction that thankfully remains the foundation upon which the powersports industry is built.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled streaming service…
Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for almost 29 years. Don is President of Quiet Warrior Racing/ Consulting. Don served as a contractor to the BlueRibbon Coalition from 1996 until June, 2018. Don served on the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission from 1994-2000. He has won numerous awards including being a 2016 Inductee into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame and the 2018 Friend of the AMA Award. Don currently serves as the government affairs lead for AMA District 36 in Northern California. He may be reached via email at:
damador@quietwarriorracing.com
WIN ON SUNDAY… SELL ALL MONTH!
Samson Exhaust and hardcore specialty vehicle builder Spevco have partnered together for three years sponsoring two-time National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Top Fuel Harley (TFH) champion Tii Tharpe. Now they’re jumping in to help the class, sponsoring the ground-pounding, flame-throwing nitro Harleys at NHRA’s FourWide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina.
Tharpe isn’t just a rider, he’s also the Spevco president. He and Samson president Mike Baverstock both agree that putting their companies’ money into NHRA TFH isn’t some charity deal just to support the class—it’s good business. “Mike is really, really good about keeping metrics,” said Tharpe. “And he knows that when we race on Sunday, he sells on Monday. If we win on Sunday, he sells more on Monday.”
“We’re focused on NHRA,” agreed Tharpe. “They have a good platform, with TV and thousands of fans, that really helps us.” Tharpe’s Jay Turner Racing teammate Randal Andras and his AB Steel company will sponsor the Houston race, Tim Kerrigan’s TKR and Associates will sponsor Indy, and AMRA racer John Toth and his company JT’s Auto & Cycle will sponsor Maple Grove. Tharpe’s Spevco will be going all out, representing themselves and Samson Exhaust on the zMAX midway with a private 3000 square foot hospitality center, providing a luxurious space and advertising both companies’ products. — Tim Hailey
