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Time has been transformed, and we have changed; it has advanced and set us in motion; it has unveiled its face, inspiring us with bewilderment and exhilaration.
Khalil Gilbran
Be patient and understanding. Life is too short to be vengeful or malicious.
Phillips Brooks
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Two gold stars. A rough calculation puts me somewhat close to almost 600 races as a S.N.A.I.L. Tack on another 100 or so if you count practice nights, special events and general buffoonery in old jalopies. Only @
cmbeal317 and @
Skills have more races logged than I do. No bragging here. It is one of the things I am most proud of. That and my two stars.
There has been a quite a bit of water under our bridge since I joined. It seems like the old days were so different than what they are today. When I look again, nothing has changed. But it has hasn't it. The obvious is size. What may not be as noticeable is the depth. We are a busy little community. There is the regular League business backed by side events going on all the time. The thread is difficult to keep up with at times with all of the interactions taking place. Just a whirlwind of activity every single day. Through all that goes on here, the heart, soul and spirit of S.N.A.I.L. has stayed in tact since it's inception. Over half of our members are active within Team S.N.A.I.L. and we are also sponsoring a professional race car driver. Busy indeed.
Over the past 2 years I have participated in a handful of side events. I wish I had more time as there have been so many races that I could not be a part of. Hiding within all of the spectacular series and one off events are a handful of real jewels that have stood out and embody the spirit of why we keep coming back. The night S.N.A.I.L. said goodbye to Carrol Shelby, acting like bootleggers in an early Hudson, Cat and Mouse and laps of magic are a small few.
The newest event that I will remember forever was our first Race of Champions. It was one of the most remarkable races I have ever been a part of. The level of intensity was easily double any League night I have ever had. This MUST become tradition. It was just that good. I may never participate in another one but everyone should have the chance. At one time we had a couple of members that could live stream our races. I would love to see this set up for the next R.O.C. I would bet that more than half the League would tune in.
Shifting gears a bit, I would like to comment about a couple of other things. Promotion and Relegation first. The verbiage was relevant a long time ago but it has never really been correct. I have no idea of what to call it but with all of the intelligent folk we have here I think we could come up with something more fitting. Every month several members get moved to another division. The perception is based on positives and negatives.
The P & R process is not one of rewards or punishments. It is an evolutionary process to put us together with other drivers closest to our skill level. This concept has been one of the major corner stones of our League and one of the many reasons we are still growing. I am in D6. This month is going to be exceptionally difficult. The drivers in my division are so closely matched that there is no way of predicting who will win the month. I have heard the same about other divisions. Yes, the elusive win is always a motivating factor but you are not always going to win. What you will get every week without fail is battle after battle. Intense racing and dog fights for the ages to keep us coming back. I have been here two years and only have 7 wins. I am still here. It is the fight that makes it fun.
I don't want to end by getting all soap boxy but this needs to be addressed as well. We must stop beating up our prize winners because of what they choose. They won. It is their right to choose. Suck it up and race the combo. Back in the "old days" the combo got laid down and we raced the hell out of it. Some were epic and some were total disasters but we raced and had a great time doing it. I have been a part of some pretty weird combos and looking back, some of the stranger (or more difficult) were some of the most fun.
Times change and as we grow and evolve, we learn more about what we do. We have some brilliant drivers here and I propose that we put our heads together and come up with a "Guide to Picking Combos". Detail what works and what doesn't. Do and don'ts. Kind recommendations. A guide to help choose but nothing concrete. Leave room for personal favorites and some creativity. Not a rule book. An education. Knowledge is power as they say. Lets make this fun again. Stop badgering our prize winners and make it a positive experience again.
Race Clean, Race Hard, (Race with Dignity and Respect), Race S.N.A.I.L.
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