[roc-chat] Re: ROC News and Requests
- From: Michael Klett <xsive.guy@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: roc-chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2012 10:18:57 -0700
So many thoughts, so few are coherent...
First, regarding self nominations. Over the years the board has done
a fantastic job. I might consider it but I'm still a newbie and I'd
be afraid of messing it up. The standards to be a member of the board
seem incredibly high.
As far as combining November ROCStock and ROCtober I'd be for it. I
love the big launches but I realize that they are a lot of work.
Combining the two would make ROCStock in June a bigger annual event
and ROCtober would also be a bigger annual event. As far as Rick's
idea about youth bringing parents back we still have the regular
November launch to come back to. Additionally, not that it should
matter to ROC so much but I think TRASD's Plaster Blaster event is in
November as well so for those ROCketeers that are bi-clubal it's three
big launches in 4 weeks.
But as always, I'll support the board, cheerfully accept their
decision either way, and continue to help out where I can. I wish I
could help more than I do.
Thanks,
Mike
On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 8:46 AM, <rtd@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> A few personal observations on ROCstock and ROCtober:
>
> When ROC first decided to hold ROCtober, five years ago, the idea behind it
> was a bit selfish. We had been having more and more youth groups coming to
> ROCstock, and the lines at the RSO tables kept getting longer and longer.
> We decided to expand our October launch with the idea of inviting all of
> the various scout and other youth groups to ROCtober, to hopefully relieve
> some of the "pressure" on ROCstock.
>
> Well, our little plan backfired on us, but in the best possible way.
>
> At every ROCtober, we get a huge number of "newbie" kids, who have never
> flown -- or in many cases, even seen -- rockets before. They inevitably
> have a lot of fun, and their first question is always, "when can we come
> back and do this again?". As a result, every November, many of those kids
> come back, usually with their parents this time instead of just their youth
> group leaders. Once the parents see the "big stuff", many of them go on to
> join ROC and NAR or TRA, and get certified as HPR flyers. Even if they
> don't become ROC and/or NAR/TRA members, they at least see what a great time
> their kids have at our launches, and many of them keep bringing those kids
> back to subsequent launches.
>
> My personal opinion is that I would like this to continue. I think that the
> "one-two punch" of ROCtober and November ROCstock has brought many new
> flyers into the hobby, and new members into ROC, NAR and TRA. ROC is a
> non-profit organization with a scientific and educational mission. These
> launches do a great job of helping us reach out to the next generation, and
> introduce them to a hobby that makes learning about science painless and
> fun.
>
> It *is* a lot of work running two multi-day launches in a row. We *do* need
> the help of lots of volunteers to set up, run, and clean up after these
> launches. But, I personally feel that it's worth the effort, and I would
> personally vote to keep both launches.
>
> I look forward to hearing your perspectives.
>
> Cheers,
>
> - Rick Dickinson
>
>
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