SoloSprint Steward's School

[Slowpoke]

Hello Folks!

We're organizing with CASC-OR a SoloSprint Steward's School that will take place before the start of the season. We're looking for volunteers from all of the clubs for this, and if you pass, you'll earn a Class C Steward license (good for SoloSprint and Autoslalom stewarding.)

A Steward of the Event is a person licensed by CASC-OR to enforce the Regulations and Safety of the event. The Chief Steward will work with, though independtly from, the Clerk and the Organizer. Stewards hold hearings into protests from competitors, or Requests for Action from the clerk. A steward is neutral and unbiased, keeping opinions to themselves, and judging only fact with the other stewards. The stewards write reports into the actions and hearings that took place at an event.

With adequate participants at the event, this is a separate marshaling position. If there aren't sufficient competitors, you may end up with a double marshaling role (e.g.: Steward AND Corner Marshal.)

Here's the requirements:

#1: You should have at least one year of SoloSprint experience (so that you know how the events run.)
#2: You will need to be VERY familiar with the SoloSprint Rules, Series Bulletins, and CASC-OR General Competition Rules. You are not required to memorize them, as you will be reading them over before making any decision at an event.
#3: You need to be able to read before you speak.
#4: You need to come to a ~ 3 hour training session at the CASC-OR offices at Keele and Steeles before the start of the season.
#5: You need to be able to write a steward's report.
#6: You should plan on attending at least 6 events this year.
#7: You will need to read all of the SoloSprint rules and GCR's before the training session.

Each event requires a non-competing steward, OR three competing stewards from a club other than the organizing club. Thus, we're looking for ~ 10 to 15 licensed stewards to choose from.

If I haven't scared you away with the description, and you meet the above requirements, please PM me your interest in being a steward. Also please indicate if you prefer to come to training on Sat May 17 (long weekend) or on a weeknight.

[G-ForceJunkie]

You need a Steward's License to be a steward at Solosprint events now?

[Slowpoke]

In short, Yes. CASC-OR is providing Solo focused training (thus, not including all of the aspects of Race issues) so there should not be a reason to have to use unlicensed stewards in future events. The steward's role is an important one.

This Class C Steward's license and training is FREE to the participant, by the way.

If you prefer to become a full Race steward, that training is offered the first race weekend (May 10-11) and you can contact the CASC office if you are interested. Class A and B (race) stewards licenses are of course recognized by the SoloSprint Organizers Committee as well.

[Slowpoke]

Okay, so I have FOUR SPDA and SPDA/HADA volunteers to be Stewards (Walter, G, JohnP, Ivano.)

As mentioned, it would help to have people from OTHER than the organizing clubs. So I need people from OTHER clubs as well.

I've twisted the arms of OSO Regulars who don't already have other roles, but I'd rather have .. shall we say, six (total) OMSC, TAC and MCO members, please. Two from each club would be nice, eh?

Before May 21st, we will have a three hour training session one evening at the CASC office given by Mary Lobban.

BTW, if you're not a member of one of the five OSO clubs, such as BMW Trillium, PMSC... you folks are ideal because you're never organizing. I didn't think it would be this hard to fill a PRIMO MARSHALING POSITION.

[IanO]

I'd be interested but getting there during the week is challenging unless I'm already down there on business. I'll be at the solosprint school...any chance we could have a session there?

[Slowpoke]

Not really, it's three hours, and Mary isn't available on any weekends to certify folks. Care to stay over until Monday night? :)

[IanO]

It really depends on work if I can stay over. I likely wouldn't know for sure until a few days before. Best bet is to plan whatever works for everyone else and I'll try to make it if I can.

[pigeon]

Are there any incentives (ie. how event organizers recieve incentives for their committment) for being a steward?

[Slowpoke]

Well, for your one evening of "commitment" you PROBABLY won't have to marshal at the corners when you are acting as steward at an event. The stewards are supposed to be observing the event, so you may spend some time near the timers and clerks, some time in pit lane. So you can go to the bathroom when you want to, have a bite to eat when you want to, and often be under shelter in a heavy rain or hot sun while watching the event.

Granted, if we're short of corner marshals, you may have to fill in in a pinch and be a steward from the corners, but it looks like it's going to be a well-populated SoloSprint year in 2008.

In the event of a protest, or an inquiry, you would meet with the other two stewards to hear the inquiry/protest, perhaps hold a hearing, and "stewards of the event" even have some ability to assign some limited penalties. Granted, we hope that would never happen, but the possibility is there.

Stewards fill out incident reports in case of injury or damage to property. So really, the steward's ideal day is when they end up filling out a report at the end of the day that says, "Everything went great, I did nothing."

Check out the GCR's and Solosprint rules PDF's and just do a SEARCH for the word STEWARD to see some of what's involved.

[pigeon]

I may be interested if I could fit the training in. Would we need to renew the Stewards License annually by taking the course?

Also, how much notice would we recieve regarding which events we steward at? I understand that we could recieve a last minute "double marshalling" duty at the event if we are short marshalls, however would we know beforehand if we are going to be 1 of the 3 stewards?

[Cap'n Pete]

Stephen,

Seeing as you have no OMSC member(s) as of yet (at least, none that you've mentioned?), I could probably throw my name into the hat :cool:.

When you decide on a time/date for the meeting, send me a PM.

Pete

[G-ForceJunkie]

I'm interested, but my commitment depends 100% on when the meeting is.

[Slowpoke]

Thank you everyone! If anyone else is interested, please send me your Email address by PM. We've moved the planning to Email.

OMSC: I only have one OMSC Volunteer. Twist Rick A's arm for me, would ya? You ARE the third largest club in Solosprint, afterall. ;)
TAC: I have Chris and Andy as volunteers depending on the date.
MCO: Ian depending on the date. I understand the travel issues, so hopefully I get extra TAC and OMSC volunteers.

[Slowpoke]

Thanks everyone! The first group is close to full. If you're interested in being a backup, or in a class later in the year, please let me know.

[pigeon]

Hey Steve,

If the date is going to be on the 14th... Osbert Lobo (he had the red 240SX last year) is interested if there is still room.
He still needs to join a club, last year he was TAC... this year he's going with SPDA. Also, this year im with HADA ;)

[Slowpoke]

Thanks Chris. I'm waiting to hear back from one more person, but it looks like May 22 is the most commonly enabling date to get the most people trained.

While I'm thinking about this, other than Wes, Hanif, Peter M, and Richard P, do we have any other folks in the SoloSprint community who already have/had a steward's license, Class C, B, or A?

Thanks!

[thekid]

I used to have a class C license, I took the class/test at the same time as the others you mentioned.

[Marsh]

As the Autoslalom chief steward, I can vouche for just how cushy an assignment it is. I'm literally not allowed to help. That is until somebody breaks the rules or does something unsafe. Then you get to make a new enemy.;)

[Slowpoke]

Thanks Brian!

Well Chris... that means I have no TAC members confirmed. (Andy is a last-minute maybe.)

Anyone else from TAC want a cushy job? Hey Avi, now that you can't smoke on the grid, I'm betting you won't want to be starter all the time anymore. How about Steward? :D

[Cap'n Pete]

As the Autoslalom chief steward, I can vouche for just how cushy an assignment it is. I'm literally not allowed to help. That is until somebody breaks the rules or does something unsafe. Then you get to make a new enemy.;)
Geez, I don't understand how you'd make any enemies, being merely an impartial, un-biased steward?! ;) Aren't you only acting as the "mediator"? :rolleyes: ;)

[thgear]

Thanks Brian!

Well Chris... that means I have no TAC members confirmed. (Andy is a last-minute maybe.)

Anyone else from TAC want a cushy job? Hey Avi, now that you can't smoke on the grid, I'm betting you won't want to be starter all the time anymore. How about Steward? :D

dont you have me on that list...

[Slowpoke]

I did not, Serge! Thank you for catching my omission! We have a TACkie!

[1999_ITR]

Serge is tackie for sure :p let me know what date and if I can make it I'll come out.

[Marsh]

Geez, I don't understand how you'd make any enemies, being merely an impartial, un-biased steward?! ;) Aren't you only acting as the "mediator"? :rolleyes: ;)

The point is you are going to have to rule against someone. It's my experience that most people take this personally no matter what the basis of the ruling.

[Cap'n Pete]

The point is you are going to have to rule against someone. It's my experience that most people take this personally no matter what the basis of the ruling.
I do understand that, hence the ";)" after my comments :). I realize it's probably tough to try to remain neutral in all cases, on the Stewards' part, and it's probably hard to see the Steward as a neutral party, when they're the one delivering the "bad news" to you :rolleyes:.

[Slowpoke]

Part of the reason that we're asking for 10 stewards is so that we have the ability to have three stewards at every event who are NOT from the organizing club. With the idea that, if a participant protests the actions of the Clerk or the Organizer, the stewards don't have a bias to side with the officials.

That's also why we have three stewards if they're also competing at the event. A steward can request to abstain from participating in a hearing if they feel they have a bias. e.g.: If Andrew C. was protested and his brother J.C. was a steward that day... that could be viewed as a conflict of interest.

Having three stewards on duty, preferably from different clubs, should mitigate any one person's bias.

But... to be safe, I'd suggest trying to be nice to EVERYONE in order to build good karma with EVERYONE... just in case you end up in front of the stewards one day. ;-)