Is It You?

Executive Report by John Reblin

As I walk out the door in the morning and drive off to work, I can sense the change in the coming weather. Looking at the long-range forecast, you see the weather warming up, freezing, and the nights cooling off to below the 32 degree mark. The sun is warm, though the wind can be cool, dropping temperatures as it flows over the cold earth. Two things start to run through my mind. Tapping the maple trees around me to turn the sap into syrup and getting the bikes moved out, uncovered, and checked over for another riding season. The sap boiling does not take a lot of work while it is boiling down until the end, so it is two projects you can do together, multi-tasking at its best.

Doing these projects gives me some great alone time out in the garage, listening to the radio, and looking for some podcasts that I can enjoy. Growing up a “boomer” the space race was going strong – USA versus the USSR and who was going to get out into space, sooner and farther. First, just trying a cylinder of fuel with a small capsule on top, then as they started getting some off the launch pad, they added animals. In a leap of faith, the next step they took was sending people out into space. Then the race to the moon that became a reality after the challenge made by President Kennedy. It was a challenge that was difficult, but it seemed to bring the country together and we did make the deadline with a few months to spare.

Now there are more players in the world trying to get off of the Earth and to explore what is beyond it. The new telescope to assist with discovery and to gather more information than the Hubble scope, is one million miles away from us and was put into operational mode by the flipping of switches here, putting out a large sun shield along with other set up procedures.

So what, right? Well, I was listening to a podcast about what NASA is doing and how they do it and they brought up the fact that it is really important that they communicate with our nation, sharing good information about what is going on within the organization. It is part of their Charter, to create a message that is usable and consumable, so the American taxpayer has a full understanding of what and why they are doing this.

As we get through this Covid stuff I think some of the information was not handled well. Mask or no, get the jab or not, virtual school or keep them open, the message was definitely a mixed one. Good or bad I think many were and still are confused about what is best for them, then throwing in the social media comments left a bad taste in our mouths.

So, what does this all have to do with us? It is a reminder that we need to communicate better ourselves about ABATE of Wisconsin. We should be proud of our accomplishments and share them when talking to new and prospective members. We need to perfect that 30 second elevator speech when talking to people and describing what ABATE of Wisconsin is all about, in order to share our passion and interest with them.

Buell Bob sent out his email this week and he brought up to his region and others that get it, how we should all be wearing ABATE of Wisconsin clothing. Wear them when going to motorcycle related events and when being with friends that you know are curious. They will ask you what ABATE is all about. You gotta be ready and have that trifold ready to hand out.

We should share some of our great history. I enjoy sharing stories from the early days, going on the Pony Express rides to the Capitol. We can talk about the triumphs we had legislatively along with the losses. We can share that it is not always easy to get a bill passed, remember ACT 466? That took years to pass and when it did, we discovered we needed to fix it. Steve Panten was talking with members in the State Legislature the night before Lobby Day this year and telling them about the single hose dispenser issues and the comingling of fuels. Through these discussions that night Legislators finally got the reasons for our concerns. Yes, it was too late, but Steve was able to explain the situation and clarify why we were disappointed in the outcome. I heard of members saying they were setting up their Lobby Day appointments and their Legislative staffers did not even know who we were. This demonstrates that we need better and more frequent communication with our Legislators and their staffers to remind them who we are and why we are contacting them.

We also have to get the message out to riders to Ride Their Own Ride. Riders need to understand that in order to have a great ride they need to ride within their skill level and not to ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Along with that challenge we need to urge riders to take a rider education course, to make sure the rider is up to the task of safely navigating his or her motorcycle down the road.

And here’s another current challenge for ABATE of WI. We are looking for someone that enjoys sharing our information to the riding public. Someone that understands who we are, what we are, understands our mission, and believes in what we do. Someone that can create a message, can be comfortable in relaying it, and has some time and skills to share the message on social media. This person would help guide us to verbally communicate our goals whether to a member, in a legislative setting, or to the public. A Public Relations Director. Is this person you? Please reach out to me and let’s talk.

Ride Your Own Ride.

John