A New Start

by John Reblin

Hello, and welcome to a new beginning. I moved from page two to the front page, under the most important article in this newsletter, the legislative article. Thank you for electing me, and if you didn’t vote for me hopefully by the time my term is done, I did something you agree with and support.

I built a garden shed over the summer. Nothing fancy, just a small building that gets some items out of the garage, making some room there for my getting some other projects done. My other long-term plans for the garage include walling off a section, adding some heat and more lights, making it somewhere I can work in the wintertime on those projects that take time and are better done in the cold months of winter when there is nothing else going on.
I really did not have a plan for the shed, just working off my imagination and ability as far as design and function. Once in a while I bumped into issues as far as structure or something else, where I had to make some changes or stop, redo the issue, and then move forward from there. But I got it done, it is dry and looks good.
Getting this done in time to go to Meeting of the Minds was my goal and I accomplished that with plenty of time to spare. I had not been to MOTM for a couple of years due to conflicts of other things and I was looking forward to going again. The weather cooperated and it was a great time to get the bike out and enjoy a great ride to this event. I was not disappointed in attending this year’s conference.

Starting off the night listening to what the other states are doing, along with upcoming issues they are facing, you sense that this is a place you can learn from mistakes made and strategies conceived. I did make some notes of what was going on and made my way during the off hours to continue conversations and ask questions to bring that information home to use.

Other breakouts that I found interesting were varied. I attended a couple of breakfast meetings that involved getting young riders involved in dirt bike riding. The thought is by getting the kids involved in off-road programs it will keep the fire alive to continue riding on the street when they get old enough. I know this is where I got my start, riding around the fields of the farm on an old Harley Davidson 50 cc street bike. Now a days not many people have that option with the lack of open land, concerns over insurance liabilities – if there are some, and maybe concerns from parents that really don’t understand the fun kids have getting on a motorcycle. There is some money available for assistance from the DNR for setting up off road courses and trails. This could be a way to nurture that young group of riders we are all looking for.

Another interesting meeting was a roundtable discussion on motorcycle rider education. I think it has an interesting component with rider education being used as a sales tool to sell more motorcycles. In many of our minds we agreed yes, it does sell motorcycles. The old joke was that MSF stands for Motorcycle Sales Foundation. Some students that take and pass the course should maybe not be out there riding, but if the training is done correctly, that person should realize that they still need more help, and look for it, whether through a mentor or perhaps retaking the course. But we as a group of riders, need to increase membership to the riding community. We need to have a source of new riders, riders that know how to operate the motorcycle correctly and safely.

I participated in the Executive Director meetings and found them informative and see that we all need to be on the same page as far as legislative issues go. If things are going on in one state and that state passes some legislation that does not clarify the real issue, further legislation in another state may be harder to pass. An example of this is the autocycle legislation. By other states passing something we did not agree with, made our fight harder in Wisconsin. We were lucky that by the hard work of Steve Panten and others, we were able to get our bill passed.

A breakout that I attended and that I found really interesting, was the one on strategic planning. It showed an easy way to create a road map to get from an idea to completion of the steps you need to take and who is responsible for each step-in order to get your idea completed. It also makes sure that you get feedback, so you know you are on track to get the job done as planned. We broke into groups and created a strategic plan using this formula and I found it very helpful. I have made copies of the guidelines and plan on sharing this at Executive Training. We may even bring this up for regions to use when planning their events, promoting membership or many other things. A strategic plan along with feedback and an after-action report could go a long way in creating a successful organization. So, like the shed that I built without a roadmap or plan, causing issues during the building process, the strategic plan can help avoid the pitfalls and failures that could happen without a roadmap to completion.

After another great meal with like-minded people, it was an honor to see the MRF induct Dave Dwyer and Gary Klinker into the MRF Hall of Fame for the work these two people have done for ABATE of Wisconsin. I am humbled to know these two people and the work they accomplished.

If you are interested in attending a conference like MOTM where the weekend is pointed to motorcyclist issues, remember that ABATE of Wisconsin is hosting the S.T.E.A.M. (A Seminar To Educate And Motivate) conference March 26th and 27th at the Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel. As we work closer to that date there will be updates as needed in the newsletter and at BOD meetings. For information about helping out at this event, contact your District Director or Jen Dewitz at MRFRep@abatewis.org.

John