Be the Best, Best of the Best

by Chubby

The success of our organization is directly proportionate to the effort that we put into promoting it. Our theme this year is “Be the Best, Best of the Best” and I believe we are well on our way to achieving that. At Officer’s Training, I was happy to see a lot of people with new ideas ready to get out and promote our agenda. As is the norm for these kinds of events, the socializing after the meetings was just as informational as the meetings themselves. I talked with a lot of new people that were eager to make a difference, and a lot of old friends that still strongly believed in our organization. March would be the perfect time to attend a meeting and find out if your officers were paying attention. All officers should now understand raffle rules and new fundraising ideas, what’s going to be new at the Hummer this year, how to utilize social media for your region, how the MRF works for you, our current legislative agenda, and a little bit about some of the bills running through the state and federal government right now. A full rundown of all things that make ABATE of WI a smooth running SMRO was also given at Officer’s Training and I think everyone can appreciate how important every officer is to this organization. Awareness materials were handed out and each region has limited supplies, so contact your regional representative if you’d like to spread the awareness message with a yard sign, bumper stickers, or mailing labels. We also gave away “I wear this helmet by CHOICE” helmet stickers for those of you that choose to wear one and still respect the choice. Updated trifolds and membership cards were also available to all regions attending. With riding season only two months away and lobby day just in the books, are you prepared to promote your organization?

As one of the more costly events that we hold, I have asked everyone to be responsible and professional at Officer’s Training in order to maximize our training time. I would like to thank all those in attendance for making this a worthwhile event. This was my fifteenth Officer’s Training in which I have presented, and I truly think they get more organized and professional every year. With seventeen hours of training crammed into two days and one evening, ABATE of WI members can be assured that their officers are trained well and are more than informed about all things ABATE. The quality of the presentations seems to improve as time goes on. I imagine that is because we are all becoming accustomed to technology. But it still takes time to put quality presentations together, and I think the quality of our officers really shines through the presentations that they gave. Please take the time to thank our State and Regional officers for the effort they put into this weekend when you see them. They are working hard for you and for all motorcyclists in the State.

Legislative news was not one of the key topics on Saturday, because the entire focus on Sunday was current legislation and keeping us strong. After Hardtail gave his presentation on running an effective SMRO Sunday morning, followed by current federal legislative news from our MRF state rep Jen Dewitz , our Legislative Committee Chair, Steve Panten, spent some time presenting all the bills that are currently on the table pertaining to motorcyclists in Wisconsin, ABATE’s position on them, and key points to follow along the way. I think everyone left with a good grasp of where we are going in 2020. I’m grateful that MRF President and ABATE of WI Board of Directors member, Kirk “Hardtail” Willard, was there to help inform us of the numerous things that the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is following at the federal level and for giving us another powerful presentation. I’m glad to know that we have someone working for us in D.C. with all the diligence that is needed, on some of this legislation. Things are moving more quickly now than I’ve seen in recent years and without our political watchdogs in place bikers could be in a lot worse shape than we currently are. Hopefully, some of the bills that we’ve been working on for years start to progress in 2020. Either way, I know that I have ears in D.C. if things start to go sour and our help is needed, and I know it’s time to get to work right here at home.

Finally, one of the best parts of OT is the part that there is no way to prepare for, although some do take notes, which is the social time. Now this isn’t sitting around the bar talking war stories, although that happens too, this is the opportunity to network with regions in your district and ask questions to regions with the successes that you’re hoping for in your area. Brotherhood is evident in the final hours of the day and discussions vary from group to group. I was glad to be able to talk to a lot of new faces and even learn a little from those I thought I knew pretty well. Ideas seemed to flow as if from a well and I was glad to see that it wasn’t just idle talk when I opened my inbox on the following Monday. I hope this attitude carries through to the spring when I can start to see some of these ideas come to fruition. Good luck to everyone this year.

If you are looking for a little boost for your motorcycle rights attitude, March is the month for you. Attend a meeting and hear the details surrounding what OT was all about and get ready for an awesome summer. See the successes we’ve had in the past year and find out how you can help in the future. There are a lot of intelligent, hardworking, passionate people working hard in every region that are willing to share their knowledge with you. When someone talks about taking your rights and your lifestyle away, will you be prepared?

Until next month…Ride Free

Chubby