I will say what and how I feel being on both sides. This is my opinion!!!!! SFWDA has changed over the years. The major change was after Tellico was lost. Back then they wanted to go to the meetings professionally and not look like a bunch of rednecks that tear trails up. They had proof of what they did and spent every year to maintain the area, which was more than the forest service did. I was there hauling in rock, digging drainage ditches, putting up silt traps, and welding up metal barriers to keep the trails clean and trailblazing from happening. The ones who did that are still part of Southern today. Hind site being is we should have gone in a a large group in numbers to the meeting as the fisherman did. Well, our approach failed and we lost Tellico, There was alot of information that they should have shared and did not, and still wont tell all. That is when they lost alot of members from Southern. Granted back in the Tellico days, Southern was about 1000-1200 FAMILYS strong with many clubs. The cost of a family membership was between $30-40. Not they went to a individual membership that either cost $10 a person or member of a club that cost $250 or so( not sure). The problem is to have a club of 5 people to join cost more to the club members than a very large club where in the past you paid club dues based on the number of members in that club. Not sure where they are now in membership numbers, but when they were a family membership, figure 3 per family, some more some less, but 3 on average, that would be about 3000 members. I do not like this new way, but it is what it is.
As for what everyone wants to bitch about event cost, I will first hand tell you it is expensive as I have had part in Dixie for the last 15 years. The parks do not make as much per person as on a normal day, but take that many on a weekend adds up. At GMP, they have to rent the park and close it for public use, pay for all the pavilions and use of electric and bath houses and they have additional cost to open up the areas to camp that are normally not used. We have to pay for porta-potties so there is not a 4 hour wait to use the crapper, dumpster fees for the trash, and food cost, and the Insurance premiums whick is very expensive. All that adds up. When you take the cost of what that cost and and what they charge for entry, there is less than 5% left. WHen they went from clubs cooking dinner to catering, the cost went up. They do not make any money on the dinner and actually loose a little when said and done. I do not like this new format of letting you choose your vendor and paying them, as you all have said, never enough and many loose out and dont get to eat, not everyone who does not get to eat has extra food as they were expecting a dinner. AS for t-shirts, it is hard to predict what number and size to bring, they still do understand that people will get there and want one and either forgot to pre order or want extra. AS for them not having what you ordered when you get there is lack of them not pulling out what was pre ordered and holding them for that or exchanging a size that some one ordered wrong. With that being said, the only profit that is made is from raffle ticket sales. There is not a SINGLE person that gets paid or even free admission.
What I do not like is that the current administration is catering to the larger clubs and letting them take up very large areas and block them off for just them. It use to be first come and get your area and that way you meet new friends. I wont mention who, but sure everyone who has been to an event knows, SFWDA needs to have a class with on trial courtesy as the same club thinks they own the trails and do not care that they take 3 hours to get 6 rigs up an obstacle on a trail with 15 rigs behind them. They were rude and would not accept any help or advise and just held everyone up. Took the remaining 15 rigs behind them 15 minutes to get up
As for Southern, it is not for everyone, but they are trying to do good. Do I agree with the current administration, HELL NO, but it is just like the president of the US, they can be elected and change what the previous administration has done. For the financial side, I am not aware of the money that is there as before this administration, we would get a detailed cost and profit sheet for the events so we know what cost and where we needed to cut cost. Now you just get a pie chart that shows basically noting. Have asked and they is all they will give. Since this administration took over Dixie cost have gone up as they wanted special meal tickets for the event that no one cares about and special raffle tickets that say SFWDA that cost 4 times what we use to have, Just more cost that are needed. They want to rent stuff for the event, when in the past everyone pitched in what they had and we made work, They have spent more on rental cost than if they would have bought the stuff and kept in somewhere. Not to mention that SFWDA owns a ton of cooking stuff that has not been used in 5 years and siting some where.
What Hardline and John G did for members to part of Southern was a great thing and made it affordable to become a member. If you dont want to be a member then dont be and dont bitch. We will never get the information from Southern that we want and just have to deal with it. They have always had a communication issue and always will. They need to go back to quarterly meeting and rides like the past, and let everyone in on what is going on, not just the select few who can do a phone conference at a time that is only good for them.
Like I said this is my feeling and bash or praise as you wish. I dont care.
