Happy New Year!!

by John Reblin

Well, we made it another year around the sun. We are all probably, a little grayer, maybe have a little less hair, and another ache or pain to greet us when we get up off the chair or stoop to pick up that bag of salt. How many times when dating a check or other paperwork will you be making the correction of changing the 2 into a 3? The weather is cooperating as far as dumping snow in the driveway that needs to be cleaned out. But the downside is lack of snow is not adding needed moisture to give use to next year’s ground for planting of food.

The ending of 2022 gives us all a chance to reflect on what happened over the course of the year. How could have things been different if we would have made a little more effort? It is time to make an after-action report of what happened over the last year, 2022. ABATE of Wisconsin urges using the after-action reports to give you a “what worked and what didn’t work” when having an event, but you can do it for many other things besides events.

And of course, we all, whether on New Year’s Eve or just outside in the garage, will make those commitments to improve something, by setting that goal to lose a few pounds, quit smoking, or considering some other “vice” that you had been thinking about giving up. To make achieving your goal a reality, you can create a simple strategic plan once you decide on what you want to do. Simply put, you pick a date and create a “road map” on how you are going to achieve the goal. In your plan you can include who is going to help you achieve your goal to become successful.

Everyday someone in ABATE of Wisconsin is doing this, setting a goal and creating that map on how to go about reaching it. Deciding who in the organization can help them achieve the goal and when they have a setback, make a note in the after-action report to avoid the pitfalls again.

I am going to be asking the committee chairs and officers to make a simple strategic plan for this year. Set some achievable goals, make a plan to reach them, and do a periodic reassessment to see how they are doing to get to the end goal. Whether it is making one of our events or anything else successful or taking a road trip to a destination on your motorcycle this summer, you need to plan the “journey.”

Officer’s Training is right around the corner and is being held at Hotel Marshfield. The dates of this important training is February 10th-12th. Hopefully, if you are an officer in your region or have the desire to take on more responsibility, we will see you there. Look for more information in the newsletter as far as a tentative schedule, address location, and other important information about the training. If you have any questions reach out to your Regional Representative.

Hopefully, you all are looking through and reading the newsletter. Whether you signed up for the online version that gets dropped in your email on the first of every month or still get the paper copy in your mailbox, there is a lot of good information in there. The Regional Reps, along with all the officers of the organization, put things in this paper to let you know what is going on locally, around the state, and nationally. There is even information from around the world. If it involves motorcycles and issues, we try to share it.

Looking for something to buy or maybe trying to sell? Check out the classified section of your newsletter. I look through that every month and have had success buying and selling on it.

Looking for things to do? Check out the Calendar of Events Page in the newsletter. Now is the time for the bike shows and ice races to be scheduled. I know I enjoy the great shows in this area. Mama Tried is one near me and I enjoy seeing what other people are doing to customize their bikes. Missing the sound of motorcycles on the road? Check out the local ice races going on. Going to these events gives you a chance to meet up with like-minded people and friends. Make sure you have some membership trifolds and explain how we are helping motorcyclists in this state by being able to keep their bikes on the road.

Looking for the fun food events? Check out Sheboygan’s Brat Fry or Washington County’s Chili Cook off. I know some members, well more than some, like firearms. Manitowoc and Kenosha both have gun raffles going on as well as many other regions. Go support great events, eat, have fun and hopefully, win something!

What else is going on during the cold winter months? If you are in the area, check out the 12th annual Randy and Janine Memorial Fisheree on Little Cedar Lake in West Bend. The event is being organized by a group of friends of Randy and Janine who were killed in a Right of Way crash in West Bend going on 13 years ago. Randy loved motorcycling along with ice fishing and he had a goal of getting younger people involved in the sport. He was interested in sharing his knowledge of ice fishing with young people, and to continue this tradition in his memory, the Fisheree offers categories of caught fish just for the kids, along with special prizes. All money raised at this event is used to promote motorcycle awareness. Over the years thousands of dollars were raised and donated to ABATE of Wisconsin. Stop in have a beverage, buy a raffle ticket, maybe a burger or brat to keep the gnawing feeling out of your stomach, and support a great cause. We’ll see you there.

Ride Your Own Ride.

John