Ask not what MABRA can do for you...

A post hit the MABRA email list today about the BAR results. It was parried with a request from MABRA chief Randy Inglis for any volunteers to help with the BAR compilation process. Bill Luecke heads up that process and has asked for a volunteer to help him previously. I've never been responsible for the BAR process, but I can only imagine it's a herculean task, and a relentless one. Like the one where Hercules had to cut the 7 heads off the hydra, but two new heads grew back each time he sliced cleanly through a neck. Just when the results from one BAR event get trafficked, the season picks up and there are two more races next weekend, and then another one after that, and then a stretch of 4 weeks that contains 7 BAR events. Mighty Hercules only had 12 labors. By my count, there are 28 BAR events this year. So if you thought Bill had to do the work of 2 men, you're wrong. He has to do the work of 2 1/3 Herculeses.

So yes, he could use some help and yes, we all ought to offer it. It seems to me that if we hold out long enough someone will volunteer to do exactly what Bill has volunteered to do, and we could exploit that person's momentum, initiative and goodwill until he/she also find that life intervenes and begins asking for help as well. So maybe there's a better solution.

Trouble is, I don't know exactly what it might be. Maybe I'm spending too much time on the Racing Union blog, but I think there's a communal approach to this job that could work out. Instead of one person having to do hours and hours and hours of work, maybe Bill's job becomes one that organizes a teeming mass of volunteers, each of whom has a single, discrete responsibility. Think of two cycling clubs who are each organizing a team picnic. Team A asks for a single to volunteer to bring all the food. Team B goes potluck, and asks that everyone attending bring a small something to eat, drink and share. Which picnic do you want to go to (assuming the Barefoot Contessa doesn't ride for Team A)?

Anyway, here's a from-the-hip idea:

• Compiling BAR results into a pre-developed spreadsheet or database should be the responsibility of race promoters.
• Race promoters can pass that responsibility off to racers from any team, in exchange for free or reduced race admission (ie, race for free if you agree to type 15 rider and team names from your race into a spreadsheet within 3 days of completing the race)
• Race promoter rolls up all the results and sends them to BAR coordinator
• BAR coordinator performs QA check on results and adds to master

If I'm the Race Promoter under this system, I draft a teammate to be BAR liaison, and that person's job is to find racers willing to pitch in 15 minutes in exchange for free racing (which would be easy easy easy), and then manage the process afterwards.

Worst case scenario, you've got a BAR liaison at each race who has to do a couple of hours of work once per season - which is still likely to create a more efficient process than putting it all on Bill. The work is just better distributed. If the Liaison can't get racers to volunteer, the Liaison does the work. If the Liaison flakes out, the Race Promoter is on the hook. If the Race Promoter is overwhelmed, the Team Director is next in line. And if the Team Director stamps his/her feet and says no way, then and only then do the results go to Bill and he has to do it himself. And this is assuming that nobody who doesn't do the work they've volunteered for (a much smaller amount of work than what Bill is responsible for) is able or willing to enlist some help or delegate to someone else.

Now I know it's not fair to saddle Race Promoters with this additional responsibility without warning, so I don't think this is a solution for this year. But the general concept - distributing the workload from one person to as many of us as possible - is something we should try to put into effect immediately, now.

So ask not what MABRA can do for you; ask what you can do for MABRA. Here's how I'll contribute:

• My team, Artemis, put on the Bunny Hop, a BAR event. I will gladly compile (and/or enlist people to help me compile) all the results from the BAR events at Bunny Hop into whatever spreadsheet or database exists for such a purpose.
• Any other volunteers for doing the same at other races, contact me by Email and I'll keep a running list of who wants to pitch in an hour or so to help Bill tunnel out.
• Other ideas for what this process looks like, how to improve, or other pledges of resources? Leave them all in the comments on this page.
• Finally, GamJams.net is at MABRA's disposal for any communication, requests for support or volunteers, or really anything else you want to use it for to pool our collective enthusiasm as racers in order to help you do what you do for us.

Can anyone else spare an hour for their Local Association?

Comments

[Pete Custer]

+1. I'd gladly volunteer time when I'm up late at night on the computer.

[Terry Harrigan]

I was the one that initially posted the question about the when the next MABRA update might be. I did so expecting it to be turned around to a request for assistance which I immediately replied to off list and eventually to the list. Hopefully others will also take up the torch and follow.