I agree with Ian. When I started gliding at 20 years of age, time was the problem, not cost or older club members. In fact, my experience was that the older club members were most encouraging.
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Mark Newton Sent: Thursday, 24 March 2005 6:00 PM To: Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia. Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] mining past glider pilots Patching wrote: > I've said it before and I'll say it again... The big factor in not > retaining people in our sport is TIME not COST or OFITTH. No, Ian, that isn't true at all. People will think nothing of spending an entire winter day playing footy, or an entire summer day playing cricket (followed up by socializing in the bar). I simply refuse to believe that people will balk at spending exactly the same time committment gliding (particularly when it's followed up by socializing in the bar). If someone has an active lifestyle, spending time on recreation goes hand-in-hand with having recreational persuits in the first place. Our problem isn't that people don't have time, our problem is that people don't want to spend their recreational time in the presence of facially-hirsute old farts who treat them like idiots. These people seriously undercut the good efforts that other members try to put in place to make newcomers feel welcome. It only needs one antisocial arsehole to make someone think, "I'm supposed to be having a good time, but here I am on my day off getting told-off by someone I don't even know. I wouldn't let my best friend talk to me like that, so why am I putting up with this complete stranger treating me like crap?" Anyone subjected to that kind of treatment is going to spend their next weekend rockclimbing, playing cricket, washing the car, or doing any of the other countless billions of activities it's possible to do without being insulted by geriatric old farts. - mark -------------------------------------------------------------------- I tried an internal modem, [EMAIL PROTECTED] but it hurt when I walked. Mark Newton ----- Voice: +61-4-1620-2223 ------------- Fax: +61-8-82231777 ----- _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
