Blue Beret Survey

[thenewkid64]

Jaco,

Samboree = Good Sam Rally. Run by the Good Sam club.


Three Point Hookup =Sewer (1) Water (2) and Electric (3)

Marquee Club= an Enthusiast's club like a Miata club, or BMW Motorcycle club that is more about the hardware than the rallies/caravans. Normally pertains to the type of publication that is put out by the club too. Lots of glossy photos and profiles of a car or bike in these examples, not so much the folks that own them. This is my understanding, please jump in and correct me if I am wrong.

The best search term I can think of is WBCCI There have been a number of threads on this subject and the discussion sometimes gets a bit heated. I personally see both sides, but I am an ardent supporter of the club. It's kinda like being a married guy. You want all your single Friends to get married too so you have a something in common again

Moderator hat on:
The forum policies will be enforced. The free exchange of ideas will lead to some members to express themselves in a way that may not be pleasing to others. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. The expression of that opinion is not to be censored or limited by the forum unless it sinks to personal attacks or insults. Ideas can be debated, beat on, or cheered for, that is what the forum is about. I have not see anything in this thread that "crosses the line". If a complaint is registered by a member due to content of a post it will be looked into by the Moderators and appropriate action will be taken. That may be the editing of the post, deletion of the post, or banishment of the member depending on the circumstances.
Moderator hat off:

I understand that this will always be an issue that is going to rile up some members. My self included. But I feel that it needs to be discussed to better educate and inform.

[jaco]

Oh and then there is this type of "club":
Oh how I wish I could go back and join that one.
Somehow it makes the others so insignificant.
Whatever your club or if you happen to be a lone wolf don't "overlook the orchids" i.e. stop and smell the Roses.


Quote
Joining the Club!!!
We just stepped from tent camping to trailering. We bought a 1972 25' Tradewind. We are from Florida and drove to Alabama to pick it up. Decided to go to the smokies for our first night.

My kids had never seen snow...well when we woke up our new pride and joy was covered with snow. What a great weekend.

If I didn't do anything else with this trailer, it was enough to see the joy in my kids eyes.

We bought this trailer (had to be an Airstream) for a 2 month trip we are taking out west this September/October to see the Alamo, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore and whatever else we find in between or after.
ssolid

[Silvertwinkie]

I was on the "Airstreamer" forum and found that in fact WBCCI now has it's own forum as well. What better place to start a discussion on revamping WBCCI......BTW, I agree I think it would be a bad idea to split up the groups by age...but that's just my opinion.

Eric

http://www.wbcci.org/Forum/

PS- Nice touch, very modern thinking, but maybe it's just for the PC since I have not been able to get IE or Safari to work with it at all on a Mac this evening.......

[Porky Pig]

I think having an intraclub base upon age is a bad idea. Intraclubs should be established upon a specified interest .. as it is now .. VAC, Classics, Amateur Radio, etc.

Which leads me to the thought ... why not a Caravan intraclub ... and name it the Wally Byam Caravan Club ... with the national club reorganizing under a new name ... and focus ... something with the name Airstream in the title.

Oh .. it isn't marquee club ... it is marque ...

I have spent a few wild evenings closing the Marquee Club.

[InsideOut]

why not a Caravan intraclub ... and name it the Wally Byam Caravan Club...

W = Wally
B = Byam
C = Caravan
C = Club
I = International

It is the club...the IntraGroups are the ones not focused on the Caravans ~

Shari

[Porky Pig]

I know that. I'm proposing a change.

[smily]

Oh while we are at it, lets change the name of our RV's. Lets face it, Airstream has very little resemblance to Tin Cans or Silver something, or maybe even the TOB, (The Other Brand). It is a change we are looking for right?

Lets name Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge and others something else, they have been around for how long?. Those names are old, we should change them too.

Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Road Runner, heck, those are ancient, lets get them too.

Wally was the one and only, that will never change. Recognize!

Smily

[Big Dee]

Originally posted by smily
[B]Wally was the one and only, that will never change. Recognize![B]

Boy Ken,

You keep saying you are open for change but I suspect it is much easier to say than do.

Saying it must stay the same because it is tradition ('cause Wally wanted it that way!) will never get us anywhere new, just the same ole place we are now (dying club).

[Sue&Von]

Oh my Jaco I think that is the finest comeback that I have ever read. Probly won't be alowed though. They will take it down for sure.
You don't mess with the King of Karma! and survive for long.
Some things are best unsaid and some things are long overdue to be said.
Be careful we like your stuff.

$&V

[nds]

My suggestion about age groups wasn’t to sound segregationist or anything of the nature. There may be 60 members of a unit of varying ages, which could be from the 20’s to the 80’s. All I’m saying is that instead of only having full unit rally’s, there could be sub-unit rally’s of the younger members that have different interests than the others. There may even be sub-units of the older members that want to rally and not worry about creating an agenda that would interest the younger members. There could still be rally’s that everyone could attend if they wanted to.

There’s a lot of people that don’t have the vacation time to spend at some of the longer rally’s that are held and the smaller sub-unit rally’s could be held on 3 day Holiday weekends, which would be more accommodating to the younger enthusiasts. Again, this is just my opinion.

[smily]

I dont think you get it........
Changing the name does not change the engine or the structure.

Even, Ford, Chevy and most any succesful organization has changed or improved their product but did they change their name to attain their goals? No. There are some companies that changed their name in the interest of abandoning their past because it was probably not commendable. But you and I both know that we all have seen that happen and you probably lost respect for that name. You may have told yourself,"that was an act of desperation" They are really that "bad company", but changed their name in an attempt in hiding it from the public.
You cant change a dogs spots. but you can change a dogs behavior. Are all Pit Bulls bad? Can you change a Pit Bull by changing his name? ( This uh, chihuahua wont bite you).
The Vince Lombardi award was named for a hero of football. Most kids today do not have a clue who Vince Lombardi was, should we change the name of the award? Bottom line is, the name has almost nothing to do with the success. Wally Byam created the Caravan Club and his name was included in the name of the club. Why change it?

If you look back at the very beginning, I have been promoting, joining the WBCCI and getting involved in the evolution. It is very simple to search all of my post and see my position on change.
I have always advocated that and begged for help in doing it. I have personally spoken and communicated with WBCCI on most of these issues. Have you?

It is easy to make opinions based on this single thread but check the records, There has been much more said and debated than what is here on this thread. I believe another active member has pointed out there are up to a dozen other threads on this very subject.

I have always said join and actively affect change. But many have replied, "But Ken, we dont want to be tasked with forcing a change on the WBCCI, they should do it theirselves". Now does that sound as if I am reluctant to change?
At least be honest with yourself much less everyone else on the forum. I bet even most adversaries will admit I am a "Cheerleader" and I have been struggling with getting new members to be active in the evolution. ( right Twinkie?).

Maybe if you were here many months ago or a year ago, you would really understand or at least know my position.

The posts are all here in the archives, check em out if you like.

I am affecting change, with or with out you.

Smily

[Porky Pig]

... like politics ... or religion.

[markdoane]

Originally posted by Porky Pig
... like politics ... or religion.

Porky,

The 'politics' thread split off this morning, you're only reading the wind-up of the other topic here.

I was keeping score until some of the replies started to disappear.

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally posted by markdoane


Porky,

The 'politics' thread split off this morning, you're only reading the wind-up of the other topic here.

I was keeping score until some of the replies started to disappear.

No posts have been edited as far as I can tell. It has only been split off from the other thread.

I would say that this is yet the best most adult discussion of the WBCCI I've seen in a year, so I would not condem, but allow it to continue....everyone has had some great input...which is badly needed at least IMHO........

If you get me started on those Democrats..............or the parting of the Red Sea...
then I fear there will be a very liberal edit from the moderators!

[markdoane]

Guess that was my mistake, I'm sure there was a reply posted around 6:45 pm that's not here anymore.
Messed up my scorecard.

[tin can luv]

Well, I've spent the last hour reading this forum, and I wish that I would have been a part of it last night. I understand that this is a wrap up, but I'm dumping it here. I admit, I skipped a lot of the later posts, I had my opinion formed with page one.

We have decided not to join the WBCCI, based on comments that we received when I pointed out that there wasn't even an option for people in their 20's to join. I thought that strange, but not every young person has a the eclectic tastes that I have. I've tried a little of everything, and stuck with few of my new ventures, because I get bored. My partnet is afraid that I will get bored with airstreams, but I feel I am already in for the long-haul. I never expected to meet, and get to know so many people, and look forward to meeting these people, which will in turn keep things exciting.

I feel any group that represents themselves with hats is outdated, no matter what group they represent. (Sorry Tin Hut) I have checked out the pictures from events at WBCCI events throughout the U.S. and well, they don't look like anything that I would want to be a part of. I am not a big partier, but no drinking, or campfires? what's that about? It is completely obvious that the WBCCI caters to older generations, and I am glad to find out about the VAC. It's just sad that the WBCCI wouldn't want to work a little harder at retaining their members, or gaining members instead of loosing them to the VAC.

I am already nervous (for lack of better word) about our first rally in June. WIll we be frownd upon for not having numbers stuck to the front of our A/S? What if we don't have time to get her shined up for the rally? Ours is older, not the new expensive beauties... what will people say?

Silly to think this? Well thanks to EXTREMELY supportive people like Silvertwinkie and Overlander64, I know that we will find A/S companions at these rallys that will support the simple point of JUST OWNING AN AIRSTREAM. But i am intimidated by many of the members of the forum, and expect that I will be until we actually get out and meet these people.

When I contacted the head of the local unit, I did so expecting to be yanked in, instead of letting us get our feet wet first. Instead, it was quite the opposite, and I was surprised that there wasn't more of an effort to get us to come to a meeting. (I'm not complaining, just making a bit of a point.)

It's rather odd to me, this being my first forum experience, that all of the a/s owners can come together as friends on the computer. But I often wonder what it will be like when we get rolling with the rallys. How old are these people, and how will I get along them in person? I'm 28, and Tony's 41, but I keep him running like a 30 y/o. He's currently broke, due to starting his own business,a nd I make all of $31.000 a year. I bought our Safari with a loan, and she's being rehabed on credit.

My point? I forgot...oh yeah, I"m young, I am spending money I don't have to fix up our baby and show it off, while having a good time. I want to have fun, make it worth the debt, and meet other people who love and appreciate what they have. Not spend the money to be lonely outcasts. Tony and I can't afford to become part of a group that is too old for us, and the WBCCI seems to be just that. I hope to be able to meet up with the great people I have met here, and work out or own trips from there, I don't think that lunches and barets, are what we need to make friends in the wonderful world of airstreaming.


Did any of that make sense? I hope so.

Ron

[Stefrobrts]

Hey Ron, I missed out on this whole debate too, came into it too late. Didn't even know what they were talking about until my Blue Beret arrived today (chewed up, of course).

My comments: Don't read too much. Just go to a rally and relax and enjoy yourself. Reading these posts makes me want to go curl up in a ball somewhere!

I just want to camp and enjoy my summer as much as we can. We've been to a few rallys and really enjoyed the folks we met there, even though they were all older than us. We always found time to do fun stuff alone, and do some stuff with the rally group also. So just give it a try and see what you think. And if it isn't cool, then just find a forum rally in your area and try that.

Most of our camping was on our own anyway last summer, and we had a great time. We love our AS, no matter who we're camped around. I'm sure you guys will love yours too.

Maybe we'll get a chance to meet - our big trip to OK has been expanded to include a side trip to Alton, IL to visit friends there. Might as well cover the whole country while we're out and about...

Sometimes I think this forum is all the club I need

[tin can luv]

You're right, this place is a club in itself.

I'd love to see your caravelle when your in alton, we're there all the time, a good friend has a house overlooking the river. I great place to take your A/S.

Thanks
Ron

[Forrest]

Ken,

"Changing the name does not change the engine or the structure." Again, how does it benefit the club to continue to use Byam's image and name? Can you at least consider that the Club's seeming adoration of Byam might be keeping some potential members away, or that it might make some members uncomfortable? You say that Ford wouldn't change its name, but that is the name on their product. The name on the product we use is Airstream, and ownership of an Airstream is a requirement to belong to the Club (as it should be). So, why insist on sticking with a name that few people, outside of the Club, associate with Airstream?

At one time Byam's fame and leadership were what made the club, and it is easy to see why, while he was still alive, the Club decided to name itself after him. At the time his name did benefit the club because the public associated his name with the product. However, Byam has been dead for 42 years. Few RV owners, and fewer potential RV owners know or care about who or what Wally Byam was.

The idea for making an intraclub named the Wally Byam Caravan Club is a good idea. Here's why. The vast majority of Club activities are rallies not caravans. Caravaning may well be a special interest activity. Members who only have a weekend available will attend a rally, but caravaning usually takes up considerable more time and participation. By having an intraclub that is called the Wally Byam Caravan Club we can continue to memorialize Byam. By taking his name out of the International club we can remove him as being the focus of the International. The intraclub WBCC can continue to rally around his birthday, if they want, freeing the International for other dates so that a wider membership can attend.

Someone mentioned that perhaps we should change the topic to religion or politics, as if that would be less controversial. Well, perhaps we have been talking religion and politics all along.

Forrest

[Big Dee]

Originally posted by tin can luv
Did any of that make sense? I hope so.

Ron,

Wow, great post. And you made sense to me. But others? (put your flame suit on.)

I have to wonder how many Airstreamers in thier 20's & 30's would be members of WBCCI if it weren't for VAC. I shudder to think. Porky has it right, VAC members will save WBCCI.

We should organize a AirstreamForum International Rally. 3 days max, no berets, no flag ceremony, no numbers, get your own reservation.