NOLC, I'm out of here
 

Well guys, after some serious thinking I have decided to drop out of NOLC. It was just a dream once I purchased the car to have a car club of our own, but as of late there has not been much interest from anyone in the club. That is only part of it though, the other part is my car is just a regular old car, and that's all it will ever be. Hell most of your cars go faster in reverse then my regular old Lancer will ever go :lol: I honestly don't ever see having the money to invest in either the speed department, or the looks department on my car. It has been nice hanging out with you guys, and I will continue to occasionally do so here locally at Quaker every now and then with you regulars.

Sorry to hear that John, but I will see you around. The club really didn't take off like I expected either, but I have other things to focus on right now anyways. Good luck either way.

i respect your decision even tho i beleive a club is more than having a fast or good looking car. i also beleive it's more than a bunch of people being dedicated every day of their lives. alot of people have a lot going on in the lives, and a car club is not something that they are willing to give much of that up for. i enjoy being associated with and hanging out with the club and all that but i don't consider it a top priority. i think sometimes people get too defensive as to how committed people are to being in NOLC.

Well Matt, as I said I'll occasionally hang out with the guys here locally at D&B, Quaker etc., but the club is just a no go for various reasons, Mike feels the same, and even Doug made a comment in a post in one of the NOLC related threads a while back. To call ourselves a club is just a shame. In 95% of the get together's we have There are only usually three of us there, and we know who we are so the mentioning of names isn't necessary. I'm not talking about LERSOC meets either, just NOLC only ones. It seems more guys show at the LERSOC meets then anything. LERSOC, now that's a club, they meet frequently, and when they do meet they have huge turnouts. IMO having a club is more than just hanging out and "talking" about cars, it's also about driving those cars, which is something we almost never do together. Deetz had the right idea, spending time on the track, Mike did to with the SR26 run, which I would have made if family obligations didn't get in the way. Anyone can just get together and chat, hell we can do that right here on Evom for free. I'm still leaving my NOLC decals on my car, and maybe I'm not totally out of here, but I'm not heavily participating anymore until things change for the better.

I would like to add Bobby to the list of participants, as he always makes a cameo appearance.


Nicely put^^^^^^ , as I am going to limit myself to things around the Westside area of Cleveland (Lorain, Cuyahoga). I am trying to focus on getting a job this summer, but will be a regular @ Quaker on Sundays until the import night starts happening on Mondays and Wednesdays. I have met a lot of car owners from around the local area to keep me occupied with driving, so I feel like I don't have to drive an hour each way to BS about cars. Luckily, I have Switzer's to goto to talk about cars, as it is only 5 minutes away from my house. I am learning a lot from Tym and the guys, as I am working on setting up my car. Hopefully I see some of you Westside Clevelanders around! Doug, you have my number.

Well, a few things...

I've seen a dozen of so organizations "make it" - Here's some suggestions on what made the difference.

NOLC - There were a few meetings, then nothing. Are we meeting? Where? When? There were some "invitation only" where I get a PM or phone call, and we're meeting day after tomorrow.

Solotion: Consistency. Pick a day of the month - Porsche club is first monday of the month. LWFM was third Thursday. People like consistency. Hey, if I miss this month, I know I can schedule for next. Some of us are busy.

NOLC - When I show up for a meeting at D&B, we hang out and talk a bit, admire the rides, and then sit at tables 4 apiece. Well, there are many of you that I have never talked with, and would enjoy sharing experience. Talk about what you need to know before a track event. etc.

Solotion: Find a meeting place where there is enough room to have a "group" meeting. Where you can conduct some buisness and make some announcements, and ask for support, and get committment. Schedule a talk or featured speaker to draw people out and make it worth it. i.e. "Deetz will be talking about track techniques: Why Slow in Fast out? Heel toe downshifts, How to save it in a spin."

NOLC - Who do I talk to? John? Mike? who is in charge, and if nobody make a decision, nobody moves. Was there ever a club for Slovak to quit from? Did I miss something? We never had a "Club" we had a bunch of guys, and it still is..

Solution: Some organization. Sorry. I had to say it. You need structure. You all need to elect someone with passion and vision to lead, and committment to stick to it. President, Vice Pres (when the Pres can't make it), Webmaster (to develop a website), Event chairman (plan and report drives, track events, make arrangements). Borrow a constitution from the local Porsche club - they've been through it (since '60s) and ammended the by-laws so they work right. Then people will know - OH I can call XYZ, I want to attend that event, and want to help.

NOLC - Identity. You guys are pretty good at this. Representation. Caravan together, etc.

Solution: More. Stickers tell people who you are, but maybe show up as a group at an autocross and all wear "blue" (krypts vs. bloods) and park together. Help each other out. Camaraderie - all for one, one for all. Lancer, Evo, Rah Rah Rah. - Can I suggest also, that all of our girlfriends come out as "pit girls" dressed in some really naughty outfits? ;)

I make these recommendations because some of them worked in the past. I make no representations that they will here.

A special note: John/Slovak - It has been a pleasure getting to know only a little bit about you, and it would be a shame if this temporary frustration about the stagnation of the group would cause you to continue with your exit. Please - your vision of a thriving club with a great bunch of guys (and girls) can happen and is soo close. Don't give up hope - have some faith in all of us.

Deetz.

Well thanks Deetz, but I just don't think that "vision" is going to happen because it takes more passion and vision then I have the time or resources to make happen, and I am sure the other two, or maybe three would say they neither have the time nor resources to make happen without the full passion of a bunch of guys/girls. I'm not totally out of here, just laying low for a while until someone makes it happen and it takes off and runs like it ought to, and if that never happens, well then....

Words from a wise man. It was nice seeing you at Shearer today Deetz, sorry i didn't catch you before I left but some of the people I came with were getting antsy so I had to jet.

I can relate to this situation that NOLC is in..

I recently helped boot up a Ohio Based Acura RSX (DC5) group, and is in the current stalement.

Just yesterday we had a "all-ohio" meet, which was in Columbus, an astounding 5 cars showed up, as a testament toward the curiosity and desire to hold such a event.. Even though the showing was small, we sure did have a helluva lotta fun. We go-karted, ate at QS&L, and some of us went to Gameworks to play some games.

Of coarse things always start out small, unless by a immaculate fortune that you can gather 15 cars out of no where and create a meet. There is always growth from a beginning, as any club or anything in life....

Shoot I remember starting up sifuAuto, first it was my friend and myself, now its about 6 people strong including one in Texas. Growth is a process that requires constant encouragement and effort.

NOLC is no exception.

Well, for one even if we got all the people in NOLC to a meet, there would only be 14 cars there. Since we have such a small number of "members" to begin with, it really shows when people can't show up for a meet. As for me showing up, my track record is not so good, I'm not trying to make up any excuses or nothing, but sometimes when you prioritize, some things just get put in the back of the "to do" list. I would like for this club to expand, have a better organization and have regular meets. I went up to a car shop and there was a modded lancer there, I told the person about the club, wasn't interested. I saw a few parked evo's which I posted about, I'm thinking if I had a flier or something, I could put that on the car so people find out about us, maybe they'd be interested :) And the decals, it would be awesome if one of the club members was in the HIN and had a NOLC decal on the car :) Sorry to hear that you're gonna stay low profile john, but if you ever need any help with any installs, I live 5 mins away (plus I could learn stuff heh). Btw, I'm probably gonna pick up the SRI and maybe the RA grille from that guy this week, I wonder how hard it'll be to install it ?

Well sh*t.

I don't really know what to say.

On one hand, I think John has the wrong outlook. On the other, I agree.

Having a fast car or a show car doesn't make you a club member. I still consider myself a member of LERSOC, and I don't even have a Subaru. It's about the friendships. At the same time, I'm getting frustrated as well. No one shows up. It's just like everything else. I was talking to Matt, David Buschur and Jarrod today, and we were discussing the attitude everyone has - someone offers to create something, and everyone's like "ooh, I want one." But when the investment is made, everyone disappears. I know we all have things to do, but as John and Mike pointed out, I've grown to only expect 4 people at the meets.

It's not about your car. It's whether or not you care. And I get the impression that no one cares. Which sucks.

:crap:

You're exactly right Doug, but with this "club" that's all that was ever discussed, and if that is all that will ever be discussed, then as I said earlier, I'm out of here because my car will never be neither of the discussion topics.
Yes I agree Doug it's about making and having friends with the same common interest, and yes I consider you, Mike, and Alexandru friends. As for the rest of the guys, well I don't know what to say because all I basically know about them is their names and what they drive. I'm laying low as a member until someone with a plan makes this take off like it's supposed to, even if it's only two or three of us.

Alexandru, I thought we already agreed, once you get that stuff, bring the car on over, we can use the garage if necessary, I have plenty of lighting, and the tools are all finally organized. You can use anything I have and if you want my help I'll happily help you do it too. I'm a man of my word, just because I'm laying low for a while does not mean I go back on my word.

John, you sound a bit hypocritical - might I point out that you wanted to start all this:

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...highlight=club

And we had this discussion at the "first" NOLC D&B meeting. Remember? I said we need someone to step up - take the lead as President and get it going. We unanimously elected you and Mike as VP... Pull out, stay, I really don't care. But let's get the record straight: You wanted to start a club. You didn't take any initiative to get it organized and bootstraped. Now you are disappointed that it stagnates. - Well DUH!

It's not a club yet, like I said, it's a bunch of guys just haphazardly getting together time to time.

And what constitues a "meeting"? "Hey guys, I'm thinking about heading over to the Steak and Shake this friday" and you think that 15 guys are gonna follow you like a lost puppy? Oh, and raiding another club is not a NOLC meeting!

Just venting, Like the above post points out - In order to have a real Club will take some effort. Some organization. Some time expended. If John is not willing to talented enough to do it, someone has to step in.

Deetz.

You need to get the facts straight buddy, no one unanimously elected anyone, YOU did the electing, and Doug was sort of "handed" the Presidency since he seemed to be the one with the most knowledge in the Lancer arena. I just thought a club would be a great idea, I have no experience in a car club, and no idea what it takes to even get one going, that's why I asked Doug to sort of take charge of things. If you don't like it....then you have the option laying low too, or taking things into your own hands since you say you know what it takes and have seen this and that happen before.