When I was looking for a tractor a few years ago I thought it would be cool to get a Porsche tractor, like the old guy in the commercial, until I saw the price tag.

I bid until about $15k on this tractor before I realized a Porsche tractor was not in my future - https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...allgaier-ap22/

I paid about $1800 for my 1945 Farmall A and have dumped about $750 into it to get it running right. I built a hay wagon using running gear from Tractor Supply and it all gets a lot of use.

 

$33,500.00

HOLY CRAP!!!!

 

I agree with @dgrobs and @Matt Romanowski , I’ve made tons of friends and met some really great people in PCA. From my DE days hanging out in the paddock, to 3 years as my local region’s track chair, to my 8 years club racing, and even my 1-1/2 years as a PCA Club Racing steward. My interaction with PCA leaders has been 98% positive, but it’s the negative interaction with the 2% of the leaders that really made me consider going racing with another group.

I won’t hijack this thread with the gory details, but I had a very negative interaction with the 2 top “leaders” of PCA CR last year. After calling one of them out for cheating and purposefully not fairly adjudicating incidents I was fired as a PCA CR steward. Fired. “Turn in your blue shirt, do not pass Go, you’re fired.” Via email. They didn’t even want to discuss it men to man. That interaction showed me what the leaders are really like, how much they protect their fiefdom, and that they don’t tolerate anyone who challenges them.

So, I had a decision to make, pack up my car and go race with a different organization (there are a few out here on the west coast to race with), or continue to race with PCA. In the end, for me, it all came down to the friends in PCA that I like racing and hanging out with. And supporting my local region, GGR. I decided to continue racing with PCA and I’m glad I did. I really enjoy the community. But, I now need to be more selective about which races I run because I don’t want to give these 2 guys the opportunity to screw me again like they did last year.

We need to figure out how to clean up the organization leadership. Do as @Matt Romanowski said with a swift rudder pull, or something else. No organization is perfect, of course, but it takes positive leadership to make a positive member experience.

my .02

 

Problem is that there isn't really any election process for these leaders, the people who volunteer to be leaders sometimes aren't good leaders and are doing it mostly for status and power, and it's hard to get those people out once they get in. All of that said, I don't want to generalize too much, and I recognize that many people do a great job as leaders at the regional and national levels. As I said before, good apples outnumber bad apples, but bad apples can do a LOT of harm.

 

 

I’m glad I don’t have to deal with these “leaders” so to speak.

The one higher up in PCA that I do know personally is the National PCA DE Chair, and she’s pretty awesome as far as my interactions with her go. I would never put her in the same class as the 2 folks being trashed here in this thread. Also, she can drive with the best of em.

Because of her, my only interactions with any PCA National Chair has been 100% positive.Maybe she can rub off on some of the others. Very nice, courteous, professional, and very dedicated to her position. The contrast to the others is baffling.

 

At all levels its about the status and power in the PCA. Politics is what lead my wife and I to drop our roles and drop our memberships entirely.

 

Not “all” levels. Not the DE level anyway. See my post above.

 

100%. She's been a PCA member for a long time and moved through various positions. She's all about serving and people enjoying their experience in the club, no bs power trip.

 

There were some strange power struggles going on in the GGR DE organization several years back.... As I recall, revolving around the instructor corps.
I stayed out of it.

 

Certainty was for the Zone 11 Rep position. It became a struggle at the local leadership and event chair positions when some Californians moved out here and started making life difficult for everyone involved. Zone 8 Concours was another political group. So much so that the year after I won the majority of shows and the year end award, they changed the rules for my category so that I could no longer show the following year.

 

100% spot on.
Until this thread, I had no idea what was going on with National at the CR level.
Such a difference to the HPDE Chair. Look at the webinars she’s put together for us instructors for example. The only way that happens is someone at the top who really cares about the DE world inside PCA.
Again, the contrast to what I’m reading about in this thread has me totally baffled.
How can the DE Chair be so at the top her game and the CR Chair and medical committee is, well, “not”. Doesn’t make sense except for the “power tripping” and “saving face” thing, but can’t that be changed at the CR level, Does PCA Club Racing have to die altogether to get changes made, Wouldn’t it be too late at that point?

 

Really sorry to hear that.
My experience with PCA leadership, either National, Zone, or Regional, has been exactly the opposite of yours.
Sorry you had to deal with it.
I guess I really don’t know what I don’t know…

 

I've met Mia a couple times too in different regions and felt she was one of the people that try to make things better. Very involved and chatty with all the new people. Asks questions and seems like shes there if you need her but not there to slap your hand every 30 seconds. Dunno if that applies to everything she does but gave off good vibes.

The other DE guys I met seemed pretty cool too.

 

Yup, that’d be her…