KOCC - "the" club of champions

[Metro Commuter]

HJ,

I hear you, but interestingly the website IS an issue within KOCC.

MC

[The Ferret]

Metro,

Apparently there are no issues at KOCC. Just ask Felix........

Your friend

The Ferret

[Gai M]

 



Some of these people may simply want life to continue as it is now - they like racing the same flat boring course week in week out, in the same grade.  Merger will not put an end to that, but they might fear it will.  So you deal with that in terms of how a merged club would deal with the interests of these people, who (I am confident) are in the lower grades.

 

 
Some, but only some lower grade riders have this attitude.  I personally don't like being only good enough for the bottom grade nor do I like the prospect of continually chasing the rest of the field in nearly every race as I did in my first years of cycle racing.  I train almost every day, including efforts and track work.  As seen in the Sydney Cup last year I am up with the other women in my age group (at least on a fairly flat course). An arthritic knee doesn't help on hills.  I am quite happy to race at Minmi on occasion, but not every week for the Winter season.  And allowances need to be made for those of us who can't start on the fence.

I am quite happy to travel for races on occasion, but for example, I can only do crits in the Masters champs as other crits are designed basically for A/B riders only.  HD doesn't at present really cater for F grade riders (unless one happens to be under-age).  Central Coast have an E grade in the crits- for juniors only.  State open road races are generally out of the question also as club F graders would be riding against other club E and D riders in state F grade.

One of the other problems we have in F grade is that the differential between F and E grade seems to be proportionately higher than that between other grades.  Often an F grader is promoted and after a number of weeks is still unable to keep up with E graders who are flying along (sometimes faster than D grade, I have been told).

I am not against change but I don't want to end up in races where I would be guaranteed to be dropped nearly every time.  Hills are o.k.if they are within my capabilites (Mulbring and Minmi are ok) but not hills week in week out for F grade.  Variety, yes.

Hopefully I have another 15 years of racing in me- there are quite a few men still racing at this age, but being men they are stronger and faster than me.  ( I know some women are faster than men, but I am an "average" woman).  I can't go back to running (knee) and swimming- ugh!

So, I will be around for a few years yet endeavouring to improve before the inevitable decline.

[Metro Commuter]

Gai,

Any combined club MUST cater for the F graders as well as it caters for the A graders.  The situation at present is that HDCC caters well for A & B grade, caters at times for C grade, and the other grades are arguably not catered for in any meaningful way (except, perhaps, at Steel River and Friday nights).  KOCC caters well for grades C and below, but other than larger public holiday races and joint races, does not meet the needs of the bulk of A and B grade.

I do not think anyone sees post merger as being all at Blackhill - we do not have that now, as joint racing, CD and Opens mean there is not racing at Blackhill every winter weekend.  Some of the joint racing exists to allow for decreased racing numbers due to opens and races like G2T, T2Day etc..

I would hope that HD&KOCC will have reps from each grade on a Race Committee, and for a limited period (say 2 or 3 years) have a constituitional guarantee of racing at Blackhill, Kooragang and Steel River.

The "gap" between F and E grade probably exists for a number of reasons.  There are younger E graders, and they probably push the pace in E grade up a bit.  Ultimately the grading issue is one that oughht to be able to be dealt with, to bring the grades closer.

What seems to be happening between D, C and B grade is the pace is not really all that different.  Last night's race was an example.  B grade was slightly quicker than C grade, but only ntil B grade overtook C grade.  Not to say all in C grade could race effectively in B grade but many could (especially those who know which way to swing and how to roll on-roll-off a pace line. 

[The Ferret]

Metro et al,

Will the hypocritic "Club Of Champions" be racing at Steel River today at 2.30pm?? The club should be applauded for trialling new courses for its membership, if that is what the membership wants. Then again, The Ferret understands the majority of KC members want a merger, but the club heirarchy insist the club must race at Saturday 2.30pm on Kooragang, and a merger could scuttle that.

Well gentlemen, you've got one monkey off your back by having some variety in your courses. Of course, it makes hypocrits of some, and there is an element of thinkers within your club who think it stupid to race at 2.30pm in summer, hence the better numbers Friday night and quite possibly Sunday morning for the Vets. KOCC - "the club of champion........what?" Shalom

Your friend

The Ferret

[crank-yanker]

The "element of thinkers" will have garnered some ammunition today. Anyone who turned up to the cancelled crit was met with a 50 degree C road temp.

[Metro Commuter]

Ferret,

The races at Steel River are a small step in the correct direction.

[The Ferret]

Metro,

I concur son. However, the Executive should arrive at the decision to do so. If my mail is correct (and we both know the answer to that) it was your esteemed handicapper who pulled rank on the executive and said you were racing 3 crits. It is a step in the right direction. But is the club driving it (so, is is sustainable) or is this the action of one individual?

Your friend

The Ferret

[Metro Commuter]

Ferret,

Technically your mail is incorrect.  As I understand it, the Committee resolved to leave the Race Program to a number of individuals incl the esteemed Assistant handicapper, and as in previous years decisions were made for the betterment of racing that no doubt will not be as others on the Committee would have done. No real change from previous years at all, just a bold and wise selection of an additional venue

[The Ferret]

Metro,

That is the first time I have heard Lee referred to as the assistant handicapper. Normally, it is, "Paul is the handicapper", but God is easier to find than Paul.

Along the lines of the poaching, it must be stated for the betterment of cycling in this region, that although KOCC poached Matt Augutis from Cessnock, he is not the current club champion. Apparently KOCC tried to poach Greg Hardes, but he declined on the grounds that he didn't want to be a member of a club located withing 30km of where Turtle raced.

Your friend

The Ferret

[Metro Commuter]

Ferret,

You seem bitter an twisted you have not been approached by KOCC.  KOCC welcomes anyone who choses to be a member.

I do not, with respect, think Matt A was poached by KOCCat all.  A person can chose to change to another club on their own, whereas "poaching" suggests that there was active corruption and touting to get the person to shift clubs.

I doubt Matt shifted clubs lightly, and he would have made his own mind up.  Why KOCC and not HDCC?  Might be better to ask him, but it is worth noting that the people he trains and races with (as it a shop team) are KOCC members. 

You assume that people who shift to clubs other than HDCC, or shift from HDCC, must have been "poached".  Far too HDCC-centric for my liking.  FWIW, there are numpties within KOCC who have a similar narrow
my club" view that you have.  Perhaps you are more like them than you care to admit - much like The Choker and Magic Steve are more alike than they care to admit.

Lee K has not, in the time I have been a member of KOCC, the Handicapper - he has always been the Assistant Handicapper and has always, in his humble ways, merely wanted a supporting role.  He has always been referred to in KOCC Minutes, and on its website, as the Assistant Handicapper.  Hence you are mistaken.

Yours in factual accuracy

MC

[Commuter]

Metro

You forgot to add that Paul is easily found on saturday afternoons in the club house before the race sorting the grades................but then again you may have forgotten as its been awhile since you have been seen on a saturday arvo.

Commuter

[Metro Commuter]

My reasons for not racing Saturday afternoons in summer are (a) it is too bloody hot (b) I do not need 3 races at Kooragang in a weekend (c) racing Fri evening and early Sunday fits in with family better.

[The Ferret]

Metro,

Be careful son. Commuter is fishing for reasons why you don't support your own club. What started the exodus of riders from HD to KOCC was that they were less successful at HD, so they went to the club where they could be club champion.

If my mail is correct (and we all know the answer to that) a couple of new sub-groups within KOCC will be sporned. The first group to form will be the HD Old Boys within KOCC. It will comprise people such as Stog, Marek, Joshy Taylor, Weapon, Wellsy, Werris, J-Rat, Mr Beattie, all ex-HD people. The other sub-group of interest is the Cessnock Old Boys within KOCC. That will be a small party with Matt Augutis and Gai Monahan. If The Ferret's mail is correct, Gai is going in to get some ink done. Mr Augutis might lose the mantle of being the most tattooed ex-Cessnock member soon!!

Choker Chapman is back from holidays. Pin a number on son. The Ferret has got some form......

The Ferret has more mail (it's hard being the conduit of information in this town, but someone has to do it) this time about Big Steve. It is rumoured he could be having a procedure performed on him. I won't say anymore, but he could be saying, "Yeah, yeah" soon. Say no more.

Does anyone have a current 2010 calandar? My mate, young Jamie, can't count backwards and wants to know when his three months will be up. I feel for the bloke but the commissaire had to make a stand, and he rewarded stupidity as best he could, but it screams of a lack of consistency in this town when young Ben Hill was put on his arse by Stog, and Stog only got $50 and meant to do it. Poor Jamie was just distressed after a race.

The Ferret will fill the need to bring you these truths and more throughout 2010. Shalom

Your friend

The Ferret

[Metro Commuter]

Ferret,

Choker is back, and he is bigger and meaner than beofre.  Probably not faster than before, however. 

An amusing post, even though it drips with the same pointless "us and them" stuff you and Felix prattle on about.  Look forward son, not back. It is only bike racing.

Not going to comment on the alleged inconsistency of your Club President in his role as Commissaire, although if my mail is correct (and we all know the answer to that) there was a lack of reliable evidence on the Hill/Stoj issue, and after consulting with another senior Commissaire, your Club President imposed the fine on Stoj.  FWIW, your Club President has sanctioned me for a breach on the track (a breach I was not aware of), and he has coached me, so I did not see him being biased towards one of his less successful students.

I am shocked you have no comment on the other A grade debacle from last Friday night - the battle between Go Steve and Ebo.  To me that was much more interesting than an inexperienced bike rider doing a really dumb thing.  However, Jamie is not alone, and there have been plenty of instances of higher grades turning in front of lower grades on their run up to the final turn around the witches hat - B grade is as guilty of this (with C grade) as A is with B.  There is a need for much tighter control on people who finish while others are still racing, IMHO.

MC