GWRRA PA District Chapter Y Harleysville, PA Volume 4 January 2018 Issue 1

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1 GWRRA PA District Chapter Y Harleysville, PA PA District Chapter of the Year Volume 4 January 2018 Issue 1 CHAPTER Y STAFF CHAPTER Y GATHERING BLUE COMET MOTORCYCLE FACILITY 4042 Mensch Road Skippack, PA Our Next Gathering January 27, :00a.m. Table of Contents Chapter Y Staff 1 Upcoming Events 2 Thoughts from the CD 3 Chapter Rider-Ed 4 Motorist Awareness 5 Roll For Dough 6 From the Web Side 7-8 PA District Directors 9 PA District Educator PA Chapter B Flyer 12 PA District Flyer PA All Chapters West Flyer PA All Chapters East Flyer Wing Ding Chapter Directors Peggy & Ron Kratz Chapter of Year Coord. director@gwrrapa-y.com Assistant Chapter Directors Bob & Elaine Williams assistantcd@gwrrapa-y.com Treasurer Jeff Kratz treasurer@gwrrapa-y.com Member Enhancement Coordinator Pam Kratz mec@gwrrapa-y.com Sunshine Jane Youells sunshine@gwrrapa-y.com Goodies Store Barbara Silverman Rider Education Director Motorist Awareness Coord. Doug Little rider-ed@gwrrapa-y.com Couple of the Year Coordinators Doug & Lee Little coy@gwrrapa-y.com Couple of the Year Bob & Elaine Williams Roll For Dough Coordinators Bob & Elaine Williams rfd@gwrrapa-y.com Newsletter Editor Joan Cope newsletter@gwrrapa-y.com Web Master Dan Reisinger webinfo@gwrrapa-y.com GWRRA PRESIDENT Anita Alkire president@gwrra.org Home Office, Phoenix, AZ PA DISTRICT DIRECTORS Harold & Diane Jackson Jackson2@zoominternet.net Friends for Fun, Safety & Knowledge 1

2 ***************************************************************** JANUARY UPCOMING EVENTS Chapter Y Events JAN 1 JAN 6 JAN 17 JAN 27 JAN 27 New Year s Day Luncheon Limerick Diner, Limerick, PA Y Staff Meeting 2 pm Kratz s Home ICE CREAM MEET 7 pm Dairy Queen, Rt. 113 & 663 (near TSC) Y Gathering Visitors: PA Chapter A Chili Cookoff Montgomeryville Cycle Center 11 am 2 pm Around the District JAN 13 PA-S 4:30 pm Appetizers, 5 pm Dinner & Entertainment After Christmas Party Williamsburg Farm Complex Building, Recreation Drive, Williamsburg -- $15 pp RSVP 12/30/17 JAN 20 PA-I 5:30 pm Appetizers, 6 pm -- Anniversary Dinner 1 st Church of God, 201 Freedom Lane, Brookville -- $18 pp RSVP 1/10/18 JAN 20 PA-T After Holiday Party, Somerset Country Club, Somerset 5pm MAR PA District COY Weekend Comfort Inn, Duncansville, PA APR 14 PA Officer Conference Trinity Methodist Church, Clearfield MAY 12 PA-B Spring Fling Lancaster Central Park, Lancaster MAY PA District Rally Park Inn, Uniontown JUNE PA All Chapters West Bear Run Campground, Portersville JULY PA All Chapters East Old Mill Stream Campground, Lancaster Other Districts ***FEB 8-10*** WINTER THING, Ocean City, Maryland District Rally Clarion Resort Fountainebleau Hotel by 1/19 Pre-register to insure banquet seating with your chapter see flyer on GWRRA MD website 6 Y members have reservations contact Peggy or Bob W. for details SNOWBIRDS.. MAR Quacker Dynasty Florida District check website APR NJ State Rally North Wildwood, NJ JULY NEW ENGLAND Districts Rally Southbury, CT SEPT. NY State Rally, NY TBA National.. WING DING 40 Knoxville, Tennessee 8 Y members have reservations at LaQuinta Inn & Suites Knoxville Central Papermill, 1317 Kirby Road, Knoxville, TN Check In 8/27/2018 Check Out 9/1/2018 Other JUNE 5-9 AMERICADE Lake George, NY 2

3 ************************************************************************** FROM THE DESK OF YOUR CHAPTER DIRECTORS Peggy & Ron Kratz, Chapter Directors 2018 IS HERE both the December Holiday Party and the New Year s Lunch events were well attended and were lots of fun. The winter weather has been a bit crazy so far really up and really down. Can t lie, the prospect of heavy rain on Saturday (1/13) actually made me smile as my mind told me the brine and salt on the roads would get washed away. I even sat on each trike, started them up so I could hear that wonderful hum, closed my eyes and pictured some twisties. Of course, that may be because I ve been going over in my mind the rides we ll be doing this year. Our Road Captains are reviewing the destinations selected by our members, choosing their favorites to lead and then adding them to a date on our calendar. Since other schedules enter into this, the process takes some time. The list is coming together and will be out to all by month end. GWRRA NATIONAL AND PA DISTRICT have been releasing information on the 2018 Wing Ding, PA Rally and All chapters East and West. Consider putting these events on your calendar they always prove to be so much fun the social events while there, the rides in new areas, the educational offerings and the ride to and from the events are the best! Doing these things with friends just makes them more fun! Getting your reservations at hotels now while there is availability is important if you find later that you can t attend, you can always cancel them. Registration forms and flyers for these events are in our Y newsletter and website and the PA District website GWRRA s website and the Wing World magazine keeps you up to date on all the great things being planned for our great time in Knoxville, Tennessee... August 28-September 1. A meeting of those going to Wing Ding or interested in going will be set up soon to discuss travel plans. We have three more events this month JANUARY 17 7:00 pm SURPRISE, AN ICE CREAM MEET IN JANUARY at Dairy Queen located next to the Tractor Supply store on Rt. 113 & Rt. 663, Harleysville. If you re out and about, stop in, have a cool treat and catch up with friends! JANUARY 27 9:00 am CHAPTER Y GATHERING at Blue Comet Motorcycle facility on Mensch Road in Skippack. We extend a warm welcome to visitors from PA chapter A. JANUARY am 2 pm MONTGOMERYVILLE CYCLE CENTER CHILI COOKOFF MCC is our chapter sponsor. Do we have an entry from Chapter Y this year? This is a fun event well attended and lots of different chili to sample and vote on. A great social time to meet and share bike information. We look forward to seeing you soon. Peggy and Ron Kratz PA-Y Chapter Directors 3

4 From the Chapter Rider-Ed Coordinator Doug Little, Chapter Educator Hello Chapter Y... Lee and I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year. Although Lee and I were not able to attend the luncheon due to family commitments, it was great that so many of you could attend and enjoy the fellowship. During this month, we are looking at the Rider Education Levels and having as many members as possible at Level I. The basic layout of the different levels is as follows: LEVEL I SAFETY BY COMMITMENT SAFE RIDER/CO-RIDER LEVEL II SAFETY BY EDUCATION TOUR RIDER/CO-RIDER EDUCATION LEVEL II SAFETY BY PREPARDNESS CERTIFIED TOUR RIDER/CO-RIDER LEVEL IV MASTER TOUR RIDER/CO-RIDER Levels I thru III have a small application cost for rider and co-rider and an associated patch with a safe miles pin in 5,000-mile increments. Level IV has a slightly higher application cost for rider and co-rider, and is the starting level in the Masters Recognition Program. However, everyone is asked to renew his or her status annually. I will again have the Rider Education Levels forms at the next gathering. Within the Rider Education Levels Program there is a Safe Mileage Program and a High Mileage Program. The Safe Mileage Program is the amount of miles in 5,000-mile increments without an accident. If you have had an accident your miles start over from zero and accumulate from that date. The High Mileage Program is the total number of miles in 50,000-mile increments you have ridden. This time of year is also the time to think about CPR Certification and annual renewal, Trailer Seminar and/or a How to Back-up Your Trailer Seminar, Parking Lot Practice Sessions and ERC Course. It is also a good time to think about reviewing the chapter training videos and CDs to enhance our riding perception. This past year we had member participation in Level II, Level III, and Level IV. So far this year we have one member participant for Level I. Lets keep up the momentum. Remember there will be Rider Ed Seminars and Courses at the PA State Rally that will count towards your level participation. As always, feel free to offer any ideas/topics you may want to be mentioned or discussed to either Peggy Kratz or myself at any time. All suggestions are welcomed. Till next month, Be safe ride safe. Doug Little Chapter PA-Y Director Rider Education 4

5 MOTORIST AWARENESS Doug Little, Motorist Awareness Coordinator Lee and I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year. Each year we participate in a few marshaling events. Unfortunately, this month Molly the little girl who is a member of Mike and Barb Silverman s church passed away. This was the Donut Burger 5K Event that we marshalled to help raise money for her illness. Please remember her family and if they chose to have more Donut burger 5K events please don t hesitate to assist in the marshalling. It is that time of year to start thinking how we can raise awareness of the motorcycling community to the non-motorcycle riders. This can be accomplished in many ways. Through civic organizations and activities, motorcycle displays, general conversations, parades, etc. Family and friends can be a vast resource in this area. A group of Gold Wings and their owners make a very significant impact on individuals who may not necessarily consider looking at a motorcycle by itself. Displaying our Gold Wings is the best way to strike up a conversation and hopefully bring to their attention the motorcycling community and thereby recognizing a motorcycle when out on the road. If you would like to have a display of the gold wings or participate in an event. Feel free to contact Chapter Directors Peggy and Ron Kratz, or myself and we will be glad to assist in any way possible. Doug Little Chapter Y Motorist Awareness Coordinator 5

6 From Your Roll For The Dough... Bob and Elaine Williams 2018 Roll for the Dough Guidelines Pennsylvania District will continue the Roll for the Dough program. The purpose is to encourage our Chapters to visit each other, attend our Rally/Convention, and other events. The District will pay the 2019 Chartering fees ($100) for each Chapter that achieves 20 points during the period from November 1, 2017, through October 31, Your Chapter can earn one (1) point by attending: Another PA District Chapter s gathering or Another PA District Chapter s scheduled event such as a Ride, Poker/Dice Run. Pennsylvania s bordering states: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio & West Virginia o Bordering Districts Chapters gathering or o Bordering Districts Chapters scheduled event. Your Chapter can earn two (2) points by attending: All Chapters East and/or All Chapters West with a Day Pass or Full Registration Any GWRRA District Rally/Convention with a Day Pass or Full Registration except the PA District Rally Wing Ding with a Day Pass or Full Registration Your Chapter can earn three (3) points by: Attending the Pennsylvania District Rally with a Day Pass or Full Registration Hosting All Chapters East or West (2 for attendance plus a bonus point for hosting.) The Guidelines: 1. Five card-carrying members from the chapter must attend the event. 2. The District Roll for the Dough Coordinators must receive either a printed or digital group photo of the members attending with a representative of the group hosting the event. Include a description of the event, attendees names and the date it was held. Pictures must be sent to the District Roll for the Dough Coordinators, Bonnie & Gerry VanArt within 10 days of the event. Questions call or rollforthedough@gmail.com 3. A Chapter can only get credit for one visit to any other chapter one time per year regardless of the type of event. 4. PA District Director and National Team from Pennsylvania are not eligible to be counted in five card-carrying members. 5. All Discrepancies will be addressed and resolved by the current PA District Director. GWRRA Moto: Friends for FUN, Safety and Knowledge HAVE FUN!!!! 6

7 From the Web Side Dan Reisinger, Webmaster Hello Chapter Y! January made certain that we recognized winter had arrived. Not only were the temperatures below freezing but we had days (that is DAYS) at near or below zero. Not that it is not to be expected (in CANADA!), but I can t recall the length of days we have had this year. I even heard that you can tell it is extremely cold in Pennsylvania when you get 2 of snow and you still have 2 of snow a week later. I dread getting my electric bill later this month even lowering the thermostat down to my usual degrees at night didn t reduce the running time of the heat. I was looking at the newsletter last year for January and we were having wild weather then but it seemed to be more on the weekly basis than weeks basis (egad). So by the Dan meter this year has started off wilder! If it can be carried over to spring, summer, and fall, we might have an awesome riding season. My meter is saying we will have weeks of great weather vs. the weekly of last year. I hope the Road Captains who took the certification seminar last year are getting some fantastic rides together for the chapter! I am waiting on the edge of my computer chair LOL! Of course, not having taken the seminar does NOT prevent you from mapping a ride, leading the ride, or even suggesting a last minute ride. Heck, just put out an and if the weather is right (not snowing, raining, or 90 mph windy day) I will meet up with you! And Peggy is always up for a ride (she has the audacity to even do mid-week rides!). Dave Youells and Mark Johnson have showed up for several of our impromptu rides. Our last ride to Kauffman s was really a fantastic time I had determined that if I had to make the ride on my own it was going to happen. To say having a couple of Chapter Y members show up and join in was FUN is an understatement. We had a TOTAL BALL making that ride. As I noted in the November newsletter, I have been tracking, googling, and revising some of my favorite destinations and some of the ones on the hand out Peggy sent out and then gave out at the chapter gathering to see where I can go on weekends when the chapter doesn t have a ride or one gets cancelled. There is another challenge I like about doing these destination ride mappings is to see how close I am to the Road Captain s map. Where did he/she find that road? WOW, these curves didn t look this great on Google! How did I miss this road? AWESOME, this road did look like I would like it on Google! Yea, taking the challenge of mapping out a ride can add, enhance, and highlight the ride. So are you looking over the picnic rides or the lunch rides or the ice cream rides or the destination day rides? Have you wondered about the overnight rides? I am going to admit an overnight ride is daunting to me. There is a lot more planning for time on the road, daily destinations, meals, and seeing the sights (heck, for me I would have to FIND the sights LOL!). But I haven t led a ride before with Chapter Y you might say. What if something goes wrong and I upset one or several of the riders? you ask. Well, everyone who has led a ride started out on that first ride as a leader (Road Captain) with Chapter Y and not everyone can be perfect all the time. If you are leading a ride you have taken a position that has a lot of responsibility and the members of Chapter Y who have been participating for a couple of years understand the staggered ride, the distance between bikes/trikes, and how to safely navigate intersections/traffic signals. So in leading a group of seasoned riders, half of your battle is done. 7

8 Just be ready for that U turn kidding you will get at lunch or the ice cream stop if you make it. Remember the kidding is all in GOOD FUN! You re not going to be the last Road Captain to be challenged with a U turn award. But what if something happens that upsets a rider or several riders? I am going to relate a personal experience I had. We were on a group ride and there were multiple groups setup because of the number of attendees. I did not have the ride directions and I tried to keep up with the group ahead of me. The roads were not the best after a really bad winter of snow, melt, ice, snow rotations and it was rough on the trike riders. One of the trike riders in my group not only was having issues with a definitely poor road condition, but the trike rider was not feeling at peak either. The rider was not ill, but one of those days that they just would have liked a nice smooth easy ride and I was not providing that experience. When we got to a break spot, I was told in terms that no one would misunderstand that I was a poor road captain and this rider would never ride in a group that I was the road captain of or even follow me in the group. Wow, was that a moment of discipline! I had no idea what I had been putting this member through. Having never rode a trike, I didn t relate to the issues they run into on roads, a two wheeler can simply change to a better portion of pavement, but they have to most times take the hit. But I also learned a very important lesson a Road Captain rides THEIR group s ride! Not the group ahead or the group behind THEIR GROUP ALONE. Your group riders are expecting, heck they are demanding, that you ride for their comfort and their safety. That experience happened several years ago and to this day when I lead a ride, I ride for MY group. If the bike/trike behind me is getting further behind, I slow down to compensate for their comfort. If the bike behind the bike behind me is too close, I will speed up slightly to allow for the distance to be more appropriate for the group in total. That is riding for my group and listening to my tail gunner as to what is happening in my group. This ride also made a change in how road captains are informed by having ride directions so they don t have to keep the group ahead in view. So will you get disciplined as I did? Maybe or maybe not. One thing I learned is I would not have been challenged (better yet disciplined) IF that member was not concerned about the other riders who I would be leading then or in the future. And I have thanked that rider over and over for making me a better rider whether leading, following, tail gunning, or just out on the road on my own! He/she know who they are and I want to say THANK YOU again! You made a difference and I hope I have lived up to your expectations on every ride. Dan Reisinger 8

9 Pennsylvania District Directors Harold and Diane Jackson Hello 2018! What a good day, welcome to a New Year, new changes from GWRRA and a new District Team. I think you are getting the idea, there are changes in Changes are often good. As humans we don t like change but, once we get use to the change which we all do as time goes by, we realize that there was nothing to fear with the change. Diane and I live in the happy little town of Pleasantville that is about 50 miles SE of Erie. Our home chapter is PA-N. Like most of you, we have held several offices and sometimes more than one office at a time. We joined GWRRA in 2011 on the recommendation of a friend. We became Chapter Educators in 2012 which we held thru PA-N has asked us to continue giving educational talks during the Gathering which we are pleased to do. We were Chapter Directors for two years, In September of 2015, we became Assistant District Directors overseeing 7 chapters. Now, we are honored to be your Pennsylvania District Directors. And with your assistance, we will to the best of our ability do a good job for the District of Pennsylvania! Anytime, you have a suggestion or a problem please bring it to our attention. We listened to what was being said at various functions and took your advice and have added riding classes to the 2018 PA District Rally in Uniontown, PA; held May th. Where you can Ride Route US 40; the road that built the Nation. We have scheduled a Trike Riding Course (TRC) which is full. We have scheduled an Advance Riding Course (ARC) for two-wheel motorcycles which has a few spaces left. And due to the requirements GWRRA implemented for the office of Ride Coordinator we added a Road Captains Course on Thursday and that is full. Thank you for your participation! At the rally, we plan on having indoor classes in the morning. We would like you to take advantage of the area and ride a guided or unguided ride that has been planned for you in the afternoon. For those who want to stay behind, there are indoor surprises. Get you registrations in this month to attend the 2018 PA District Rally and your name will be entered to win a $100. Must be present at the drawing to win. Thank you for selling Pennsylvania District Raffle Tickets. We hope that your chapter has been working on the 2018 ride calendar. Even when you can t get the motorcycle out and ride we would like you to plan events so you can get together with your GWRRA family. When riding season starts, reach out to other chapters to join you on a ride or for ice cream! It is a great way to make new friends and socialize. Don t forget, your ride calendar needs to be posted on the district website. This way Doug Motter, PA District Educator, will be able to complete the forms that the chapter use to fill out. We plan on attending as many Gatherings, events and rides that we can. You never know our next visit may be to your chapter! Remember to always ride safe. Harold and Diane Jackson Your PA District Directors 9

10 Pennsylvania District Educator... Doug Motter Hi everyone Well it s a new year and many changes that went into effect I would like to share with you a tool I use to see how each and every one is doing in the Rider Ed Levels Program. This tool I am talking about is the Rider Ed Database. So you have no idea what training you have done or seminars you have attended for yourself. Well I am going to explain how you can check out the database to see where you stand. 1. Start by logging into the GWRRA.org website. 2. Under the Programs tab, click the Rider Education tab. 3. Click on the button on the left side of the page My R.E. Info. 4. Log in using your membership number and other info. Note: if you are having problems logging on, click on the I need help logging in tab. It s simple to use. Follow the instructions to get to your database page on yourself. If you have problems contact me at prosemi2017@gmail.com I will help you Now you are logged on and are looking at your page. Here is what you will see. At the top of the page is general information about you. If you see something that is not correct. Do not worry it can be corrected. Simply contact GWRRA Home Office. One of the nice people will assist you to correct the problem. As a note:"you are the only one that can have the info changed". No one else! The next section is Chapter info. This shows what chapter you affiliate with. By the way you can have more than one chapter on this list. The section after that is Rider History. It shows what level you are at and when you received it. It will also show if you are current in the Levels Program, also shows your current mileage you have. Both safe and high mileage. We will talk about the difference of the two at a later time. The last section on the bottom of the page shows Training History. As you can see it does not show much, don't worry. Take your cursor (mouse arrow) and put it on the word - (HISTORY). Now it will show all the training that you have taken in Rider Ed. The bottom will show key training that was done for the levels program. There is also an indicator there also that will show if you are current in level 2 or higher. This hopefully will help you get started in checking on yourself for Rider Ed. Now that we do not have Chapter level educators, I will be the one to contact if there is a question about your history on the database. 10

11 Please at I am here to help you. In the future I will explain the Levels program and why and how important it is to you. Please remember to get seen when riding. Doug Motter PA District Educator 11

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