Mark Zen wrote: > > > do that many > > people really wait until thursday & friday to call the coordinator?? > >what sayest you all?? Yeah, lots of folks who are "hot to paddle this weekend" have not made a commitment (in their minds) equivalent to what a considerate human being should. Your status as a rep of the paddling club complicates things, but, FWIW, here is the way I operate for simple weekend paddles: 1. Announce trip to buddies/potential paddling partners a couple weeks ahead of time. 2. Make my own preparations (food, tent partner, shuttle, etc.) for me and my own self-contained unit -- usually my SO and me. Sometimes one other person I KNOW honors commitments. 3. Make NO other arrangements for others, *including lodging, ferry reservations, etc.* Leave all that up to them. If they make them, they benefit from the arrangements. 4. Evening before the drive to launch point: tally phone calls to me to get a count of paddlers and where/when we will meet. This process filters out the flakes. In my experience, lots of folks, these days, treat their obligations lightly. Those that do, do not get invited a third time (I give 'em two chances). For longer trips, or for distant places, I arrange to extract some cash -- to defray my ahead-of-time investment in ferry reservations, campsite fees, food costs, etc. -- WAY ahead of time. In my experience, the cash makes people think a little more realistically about their interest in the trip. After I have been on a trip with someone, then I know whether they honor their commitments, and the rules change. I like the old adage: "First time you screw me over, it's your fault. Second time, it's MY fault." -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR crusty old booger-dude *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Jul 09 1998 - 09:24:21 PDT
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