GWRRA SOUTH CENTRAL CHAPTER LA-M. CHAPTER DIRECTORS Mickey and Mary Searels

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1 APRIL 2013 GWRRA SOUTH CENTRAL CHAPTER LA-M REGION H CHAPTER DIRECTORS MICKEY & MARY SEARELS cd@chapterlam.com ASSISTANT CHAPTER DIRECTORS NEWSLETTER EDITORS ROBERT & JOAN PARTIGIANONI acd@chapterlam.com TREASURER TOM & NEVA REED CHAPTER EDUCATORS WAYS&MEANS COMMITTEE WELCOME COMMITTEE CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP ENHENCEMENT COORDINATORS TOM & SANDY WOODS PHONETREE COORDINATORS LINDA & GORDON MYRICK phonetree@chaterlam.com RIDE COORDINATOR TBA ACTIVITY COMMITTEE L ISA FLETCHER COODINATOR CHAPTER COUPLE OF YEAR Sherwood Pop Goins & BJ Berly WEBMASTER CHARLES & CYNTHIA SIMPSON Riding season is here!! CHAPTER DIRECTORS Mickey and Mary Searels Everything is in full bloom!! Not only spring is here, but we have sprung right into Rally Season,1st up Region Convention in Marshall TX, April 4th to the 6th. Then it will be on to Louisiana District Convention in Lafayette, it will be April 18th through the 20th!! And stuffed right in between there will be the Colored Ride!! Mike Jastrum has done a great job planning it., Last year there was a bottleneck getting in to eat but if you want to be seated quickly please bring to correct cash for the meal and drink. Credit Cards will go last sorry:( but it will speed things right along. If you made the last one you know we all had a blast!! So get on board and let's ride. We will leave on time from Dairy Queen, Stroll through Leesville and pick up our Leesville Bikers and Continue on please wear your bright HIGH VIS. riding shirt Everybody needs to get their 5 door prizes for our Rally in at our Gathering, we will be sorting them out toward the end of April!! We will have Live entertainment this year again I think you will enjoy them again!! I know several in the state has asked for them to return so we asked that they would come, and they have accept. Some changes in the work detail will be in the making so some one needs to go to the kitchen, Tom will need help with the Games. And we will be making a few changes, Mary and Joan are hard at work working with the Merchants around Deridder and Leesville, if you would like to help them give them a call. Dinner rides are in full throttle the road to and from Leesville is coming along real good, we had a great time at Eagles nest good food, good times, good, friends. See you at the Gathering Mickey and Mary Searels Our gathering place is being moved to the Catfish Hut at 181 Catfish Rd, North of DeRidder. Meeting starts at 6:30. Come early if you would like to eat. They offer other things on the menu besides seafood and catfish. There is an 18% gratuity on the bill

2 District Directors Merlin & Beverly Mayon Hello Louisiana Members April, The Convention season or Rally season if you prefer, is just a week and a half away with the Region H Convention being the first of the Year in our five state Region. It takes place in Marshall, TX this year and it is April 4-6. Let s go support the Region and Tim & Becky Dinnel the Louisiana District Couple of the Year competing for the Region Couple of the Year title. Remember the Louisiana District Team has some duties at the convention so come volunteer to help out, it would be highly appreciated. The Saturday following the Region Convention, April 13 th, is the 2 nd Annual Colors Ride. If you need any information on this fun ride contact Mike Jastram or Rodd Polk for details. Now comes Louisiana s big event, The Louisiana District Convention of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association. April 18 th, 19 th & 20 th, in Lafayette, LA come join in the fun at the Holiday Inn. We have been working on the schedule of events for the Convention and hope to have it complete and on the website in a few days. We have come up with some new seminars in both the Rider ED and The Leadership Training side so check them out and plan to attend them. We will even have a couple of Motorist Awareness seminars to help you stay current Level 4 s or to qualify you for Level 3 (a new requirement). In the vendor department, we will have a lot of our regulars and a few new ones too. As it stands right now we have 21 confirmed vendors and more that we are waiting on to commit. So plan on doing some shopping for that safety chrome or add a few pin stripes to your bike, trike or helmet. If you are in the market for a new trike we have vendors for that. A new bike, we have a vendor for that too. Even if you get cold while riding we have a vendor that can warm you up. Want a new look to your bike add some bling! Can t see thru your windshield come get a new one. Need a name tag, have them made while you enjoy all the other amenities of a typical Louisiana Convention.

3 Also join us for the Minute to Win It Games on Saturday. Win a registration for 2 for the 2014 Louisiana Convention and other prizes. It s just a dollar per ticket to have chance to be selected to play. Maybe you re number will be drawn. Come join us for some fun and laughs. Your ticket will serve two purposes; one is your chance to play the Minute to Win It games, second whether you get to play Minute to Win It or not your ticket will then be placed in the Grand Prize barrel for a chance for the Grand Prize at closing. Come One Come All Join in the Fun APRIL 18 th, 19 th & 20 th LOUISIANA DISTRICT CONVENTION Hope to see you all there in Lafayette. Your Friends for Fun, Safety & Knowledge Merlin & Beverly Mayon Louisiana District Directors P. O. Box 3527 Morgan City, LA C/

4 Bill & Dea Ann Gray Region "H" Directors Broken Arrow, OK RALLY the Troops! Finally! Spring has sprung and rally season is upon us. LET S RIDE and catch up with old friends. While you re are at it, find a new friend and invite them to join the fun. A few dates to put on your calendar: April 4 th, 5 th & 6 th April 19 th & 20 th - Region H Convention, Marshall, TX - Louisiana Convention, Lafayette, LA May 17 th & 18 th - Texas Convention, Wichita Falls, TX May 24 th & 25 th Arkansas Convention, Harrison, AR July 3 rd 6 th WING DING 35, Greenville, SC District, Region and National websites have flyers and registration forms. Links can be found at Chapter rallies, anniversaries, dinner rides, etc. are filling calendars as well! We encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities not only for the enjoyment of riding but for the camaraderie. Be safe, have fun and we ll see you somewhere! Bill & Dea Ann Gray GWRRA Region H Director

5 Gold Wing Road Riders Association Jack Wagner Region H Trainer Achieving the Vision the Final Installment This is the final installment of our exploration of the GWRRA Vision statement. There are two elements remaining. GWRRA provides a culture which fosters Members with shared values, team concepts and camaraderie. This culture also provides its Members with opportunities for personal development and achievement. Does this particular element sound like it could be part of the foundation for GWRRA's motto Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge'? Friendships usually form when people with shared values begin to associate with each other, resulting in a spirit of familiarity and trust, which is the definition of camaraderie. Another definition of camaraderie is the experience of good fellowship fun? And what results in more satisfaction than a bunch of friends working together as a team to accomplish a shared goal? The last element of the GWRRA Vision is an all encompassing statement of how GWRRA leadership functions to grow the Association. GWRRA s Divisions work harmoniously as a team to increase the membership base by creating an atmosphere that provides fun, promotes safety, heightens knowledge, and by offering a full range of desirable services and benefits for its Members. Divisions, now known as Programs, include Rider Education, Leadership Training, Membership Enhancement and Operations. Operations consists of the Directors and Assistant Directors who are the leaders (cheerleaders) of the team. Rider Ed and Leadership Training function to promote safety and heighten knowledge while Membership Enhancement focuses on the FUN not to say that participation in Rider Education and Leadership Training can't be FUN too. Another part of this Vision element involves the Member benefits, which are too numerous to detail here (check out Benefits under the Members tab of These Program teams all work together in an effort to make membership in GWRRA the best experience it can be keeping current Members and attracting new ones. A vision statement is a goal for the long term. It is an idealistic or aspirational planning tool describing lofty goals which may be unlikely to be attained. For Paul, Shirley and the others who developed the vision statement, these may have seemed like oversimplified goals in support of the mission to become the best motorcycle association of Friends sharing in FUN, improving the Safety of motorcycling and giving the Members Knowledge they can use every day. However, what may have appeared to be simple, have sustained our Association for over 35 years and will assuredly lead us into the future. Learn the Truth Then Pass It Along Jack Wagner Region H Trainer

6 ASSISTANT CHAPTER DIRECTORS ROBERT AND JOAN PARTIGIANONI Hello Mudbugs, It is now coming up to April and Spring is here even though the temps haven t warmed up early in the mornings. However, the days have been rather nice for riding. Mickey has already started our Thursday night dinner rides as Daylight Savings Time started. Tuesday night in Lake Charles, the Motorcycle Awareness Campaign (MAC) put on their monthly meeting at the Seafood Palace. Six of us made it down to the meeting and enjoyed a presentation by our own Mickey and Warren Broussard, the first President and Founder of the MAC Group. There will be a very large event in Baton Rouge on Sunday 28 April at 1200 Noon to 1PM at the step of the State Capitol. See the following website: Mickey said that we can do a Chapter ride for those that want to attend, so I will lead a group down. I went down there from Alexandria about 2 years ago and we had over 200 bikes that showed up at Renagade HD in Alexandria. We had a State Police Motorcycle escort all the way to the State Capitol Building. When we pulled up to the large parking lots there were well over 3000 bikes This e-

7 there from all over Louisiana and surrounding states. With Daylight savings time we should be able to leave DeRidder DQ that morning at 8 AM and arrive in plenty of time at the State Capitol Building. There will be many MC clubs and even a couple of Chapters of GWRRA there to show our support for the Motorcycle Awareness Campaign. We will eat lunch after the program and return in plenty of time before it gets dark. Mickey has a couple of Motorcycle Awareness events planned this year in DeRidder. Leesville/Fort Polk has started another Chapter of MAC and we will have a speaker at our next gathering for their leader. Robert & Joan Partigianoni Asst. Chapter Directors

8 Chapter Educator Charles and Cynthia Simpson TOPIC: How Are You Starting This Riding Season? Winter is finally gone, so let the riding season begin! Maybe you have recently taken a CPR/First Aid class or a seminar or two during this past off-season. This means you are better prepared to help in case one of your riding buddies has an accident or a health issue, or you are prepared to be a better co-rider. Now you are available to spend more time riding now that the season is here. Hopefully you have also taken time to make sure your motorcycle is ready to go, too. You may have done a T-CLOCS, or changed the oil, replaced worn tires, kept your battery charged, or discovered that you needed a new one and replaced it. There are other things that you can do to be at your best out on the road, too. Many of us will be out on the road before MSF or GWRRA Rider Courses are offered. So what else can you do to get in the right frame of mind and tune up your skills right away? There are a few things you can do as an individual or in a group (such as with your fellow chapter members) to be prepared to ride safely and with skill before the season is even two weeks old. First, you can practice your skills in an empty, quiet parking lot with smooth pavement that is free of loose gravel or sand. Find an empty church or a school parking lot, or some unused out-of-the-way space at a shopping center safely away from moving vehicles. Choose a time when it is unlikely to be busy, (e.g., a school lot on Sunday) as your safety is of the utmost importance. Work on braking, turning, curves, stopping while in a curve (remember to straighten the handlebars before braking!), and turning when pulling away from a stop. When you practice alone, always remain vigilant to vehicles encroaching on your space. Second, how about participating in a Parking Lot Practice? Also referred to as a PLP, this is an activity that many Chapters hold at the chapter level. The exercises in a PLP are all spelled out in the Cornering Practice Guide along with tips to execute the skills correctly. Talk to your Chapter Educator about holding a Parking Lot Practice for your chapter, or if there is a Facilitated Parking Lot Practice scheduled near you. Third, you can attend a Team Riding Seminar. This Rider Ed seminar is available for presentation at your chapter, and may be available at some District rallies. This seminar is particularly good to hold at your chapter because the folks who are normally part of your riding team can all hear the same Team Riding tips. Why would you sit through a Team Riding Seminar? One reason is because most of us ride to various places around the state with our riding friends. And if you know what to expect from the others in your group your team you will be more likely to trust them. You will trust them because you ll know they are all going to ride safely and predictably in a staggered formation. That is what the Team Riding Seminar provides you.

9 CHAPTER EDUCATOR (CON T) Getting back to the bike for a minute, if you have new tires on your bike for the new season, know that the tire manufacturers recommend that you take it easy on those tires for the first miles. That means go easy in the curves and easy on acceleration to prevent slide-outs. The reason is because the surface of the tire will be slickest (slippery) when new. There are a couple of common explanations why, but the result is the same reduced traction. The rubber will get scuffed and roughed up enough over that distance during normal riding and the tire s grip will improve. Be particularly careful with new tires on painted stripes and metal plates, and all surfaces that are slick even when your tires aren t. Remember that practice in a parking lot, by yourself or with others, is good for all of us after the long off-season. It is even more beneficial and important if you recently bought a new or used motorcycle. Get to know that new-toyou bike and how it handles in a safe environment. After brushing up your skills, you ll be ready to go out and enjoy a safe riding season!

10 SPECIAL RIDEs APRIL 13,2013 For those who do not know what a colors ride is, the answer is simple. Get a lot of goldwings together, group them by the color of their bikes, find a good place to eat, and then start heading that way. Just like last year, we will have one group meet in Hammond while the other group meets in Natchitoches. Both groups will be meeting for lunch at the Evangeline Downs Race Track in Opelousas for about 12:30. Important Bring cash if you want to eat first. Credit cards just take too much time with a large group like ours. You are welcome to use your credit card but that is left to you. We do ask that a person from each chapter collect the cash from each member and pays for their whole chapter at once. Cost of meal. $17.00 for meal and no drink. $19.00 for meal and drink. This includes your tip which is automatically added for groups. Hammond Group Meeting Place: PT Travel Plaza Arrive at 9:00am Depart at 10:00am S. Airport Road Hammond LA Exit 42 (east side of Hammond) Travel Plaza is located north side of I-12. It has plenty gas pumps and nice restrooms. There is a McDonalds across the street. It will take a little extra time to put bikes in groups according to color and go over riding instructions with road captains. I will be passing out riding instructions for the various road captains the day of the ride. We will travel by Interstate (I-12, I-10, and I-49) from Hammond to Opelousas where the Evangeline Downs Casino is located. Total trip about 120 miles. We will be taking a break at the Butte La Rose rest area (exit 121) on our trip to Opelousas. Should arrive at the rest area about 11:30 for those riders (chapter B) who may want to join us there. We should be eating around 12:30-1:00 at the casino. Contact Mike Jastram if you have any questions about the Hammond group wingitmike@aol.com Natchitoches Group Meeting Place: I-49 and Hwy 6 Arrive: 9:00am Depart: 10:00am Old Shoney s on the east side of I-49 Natchitoches, LA Break: Will stop at Robinson Bridge Road (3265 for a quick break) in Alexandria.

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12 MAKING MEMORIES

13 CHAPTER LA-M April 2013 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat April 2 Tuesday Gathering Cat Fish Hut 6:30 PM 4-6 Thursday - Saturday Region H Convention Marshall TX 11 Thursday Diner Ride Leaving DQ at 6:30 PM Fox's Pizza in Leessville 13 Color Ride Leaving DQ at 7;30 AM meeting our Leesville group at 8:AM arriving at the Old Shoney's in Natchitoches by 9:AM Louisiana Convention in Lafayette La 25 Thursday Night Dinner Ride Leaving DQ at 6:30 PM 27 Saturday Ride to be Announced OPEN APRIL BIRTHDAYS 18 April-Bruce Lehto 21 April-Willie Courtney 26 April-Jimmy Ashfield APRIL SNNIVERSARIES 20 April-Rodd and Bena Polk

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15 MUDBUG CONVENTION /RALLY MAY 11, 2013 ALL BIKES WELCOME!! AMERICAN LEGION HALL RIDER ED DRAWING!!! CHINESE AUCTION!!! OFF BIKE GAMES!!! SNACKS AND DRINKS!!!!! NON STOP ENTERTAINMENT BY OUR STAFF??? SILENT AUCTIONS DOOR PRIZES GALORE MORE FOOD THAN YA LL CAN FIN- ISH CHOICE OF CRAWFISH OR BRISKET W/ SIDES Pre-Registration is $17 Onsite Registration is $20 Non-Member Pre-Registration is $20 PRE-REGISTRATION ENDS MAY 06, 2013 CONVENTION REGISTRATION FORM MAIL TO: MICKEY SEARELS 404 HARRISON ST. DERIDDER, LA RIDER: CO-RIDER: GWRRA #: GWRRA #: ADDRESS: CITY: STATE: ZIP: PHONE: ( ) CHAPTER: MILES TO CONVENTION I/WE AGREE TO HOLD HARMLESS GWRRA, THE CITY OF DERIDDER, THE AMERICAN LEGION, LA CHAPTER "M" AND ANY PROPERTY OWNERS FOR ANY LOSS OR INJURY TO MYSELF OR TO MY PROPERTY AS A RESULT OF MY/OUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS EVENT. FUR- THER, WE AGREE TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY PROPERTY WHICH I/WE KNOWINGLY DAMAGE. RIDER DATE: CRAWFISH BRISKET CO-RIDER DATE: CRAWFISH BRISKET

16 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS FLO S CAFÉ 118 NORTH CEDAR LN. BURKEVILLE, TX SUPER Y RESTAURANT & GROCERY 7635 LA 26 DERIDDER, LA TEL#

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18 DERIDDER, LA REGION H Friends for fun, safety and knowledge