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[StagByTriumph]

Greetings All,

I am walking through the door opened by Vernon as it is long past time for a lot of discussion on the issues raised in TVT Issue #102 by Vernon Brannon's "Letter from the President".

After all, this is exactly what Forums are all about - exchange of ideas, discussion and opinions.   

I'll start, In My Not So Humble Opinion   

There are simple, clear and specific reasons why there are independent clubs who have "reasons for being independent" .
It is called "filling the need" between similarly interested persons.  There is no need for the independent clubs to reexamine their reasons for being independent.  When you look carefully, every single chapter and zone is already an "independent club". 

It is VTR that needs to get back to the roots of its reasons to exist.

First I'll reenforce the notion that any National single marque club needs to embrace and actively support ALL the models of that marque, certainly when it is the prime directive of that organizations charter.   Further, clubs like VTR need to foster and engage in comeraderie with all Triumphs Enthusiasts and ALL British Car clubs.  "INclusion not EXcusion" should be the phrase over the door.  VTR however has fallen very short of maintaining the prime purpose of the club and therefore, needs to reexamine it's own reasons for its existence.  The Standard/Triumph Factory Charter is clear on this point.  Let's get that document out of the archives and place it prominently for all to read and follow.

In order to determine a path forward for VTR, we need to take a hard look look at where VTR was when those "independent clubs" were formed.  If the car was not a "TR 2 through 6 series", it was "not a Triumph" in the eyes of the officers at the time.  Spitfires, Sports Six, Herald and Vitesse, Stag and TR7 & TR8's were looked down on eventhough some of these models were some of the highest produced Triumphs!   
Hence clubs like, North American Spitfire Squadron, Six-Pack, Stag Club of America (1975-1981), TR Wedge, Triumph Stag Club USA (1993-present), Triumph Register of America, etc. were founded by enthusiasts with like similar interests because flatly VTR was not filling those needs.
Now we have these separate Triumph clubs, each National in nature, each serving the needs of their respective similarly interested enthusiasts.

The question is actually, where does VTR fit in this Independent scheme?  
Well IMNSHO, it is time for VTR to get back to the basics of TSOA, that being the original charter when the factory granted TSOA to VTR and establish that same very basic service to all Standard/Triumph owners.  VTR needs to be the repository for all things Triumph; the support structure for Triumph Owners to voice their common concerns such as spares availability and quality; a liaison between Triumph Owners and the parts suppliers and manufacturers; be a central clearing house for technical information and archive documents,  just to mention a few purposes.
These are "Common Interests" between all enthusiasts, and those are the purposes of the original charter.
 
Can VTR be all things to all Triumph owners?  Of course not, that is absurd!  Can VTR work with other Triumph Clubs around the world in common interests?  Definately!

Is VTR in conflict with the other "Independent" clubs? Only if it tries to be all things to all owners in the areas the other clubs already satisfy those needs.  After all, VTR is in fact already made up of many independent clubs most all of them existing before being affiliated with VTR.  Want proof?  How many of the Chapters and Zones would dissapear if VTR dissapeared?  The answer is quite simple - zero.

In common interests to all the clubs, VTR is chartered with preserving and promoting the Standard Triumph marques in North America.  Therein lies VTR's very purpose.  Does that place VTR in a role as a master, or as a servant.

Clubs are after all, service organizations in place to serve the needs of the members, and those of the member organizations.

Does anyone see a pattern growing here?

If an organization is going to serve its members and member organizations, there needs to be a represenative voice for each of those who are being served.  Does the current structure of VTR provide for cooperation and a specific definition for having other "National Independent" clubs participate in the VTR operation?  Does the current VTR structure and board organization even support that type of organization?  Is VTR as an organization looking inward to its onw needs or outward to the needs of its member organizations?  VTR can be these things, but it will take the current board to redefine itself.


IMNSHO, VTR must be the Hub that holds all Standard Triumph related clubs together, whatever that binding method turns out to be, and the bearings that hold the weight and lube to keep the other parts rolling smoothly. 

How should VTR be structured to become that hub not held together with a bunch of loose nuts??

Next!

In My Not So Humble Opinion,

[Darrell]

Hi Glen,
Hope all is well.  May I take a moment to respond with my thoughts.  I will do it in a few postings since I can't type real fast. So you have said:

"In order to determine a path forward for VTR, we need to take a hard look look at where VTR was when those "independent clubs" were formed.  If the car was not a "TR 2 through 6 series", it was "not a Triumph" in the eyes of the officers at the time.  Spitfires, Sports Six, Herald and Vitesse, Stag and TR7 & TR8's were looked down on eventhough some of these models were some of the highest produced Triumphs."

You know I joined VTR in 1989 as well as TRA, NCTA and 6-PACK.  I really never saw any bias at VTR for any one type of Triumph during those years when I attended most all of the VTR National Conventions.  I was just a regular member so I really did not know the Officers until I met Dennis Riley and he was a TR8 Owner.  I saw some bias at TRA and 6-PACK but that was to be expected since they were single model clubs.  IMHO if there was any bias at VTR it must have preceeded 1989.  Would that be a fair statement?  What I saw in VTR was diversity of ownership and I thought that was very cool. 

My first Triumph was a Spitfire 1500.  I proudly showed it at the VTR National in KY in the early 90's. It was cool to hang out with the Spitfire guys at VTR.  None of them felt second
class to my knowledge.  I have since been to VTR with my Spitfire MK3, both TR7's and the TR8.  Each time I always felt welcome and respected.

Now both TRA and 6-PACK were formed by people right here in OHIO where I am from.  Although I am not a charter member of those clubs it is my impression that they were formed by people who had a passion for the sidescreen cars and the TR6's not because they had anything against VTR.  In fact our local club actually was chartered as a Center of TRA and VTR Chapter status came later.  During those early years of NCTA I have heard that if there was any bias it was directed at the onwers of non-sidescreen cars.  I don't believe there was much of that either. 

Just some thoughts from a different perspective Glen.
Respectfully Submitted,
Darrell
I probably need a Stag someday,  Saw a magenta one on the road yesterday in the Cuyahoga National Park

[StagByTriumph]

Thanks Darrell,
A Stag in your future eh?  It must be all those Stags now showing up at VTR conventions has you giving a second look at the Triumph Flagship.  I'll alert the club members to keep en eye out, but based on the cars you produce, I would definately like to see what rolls out of your garage when you do ever get a Stag.  So do you fancy Magenta, or another color?

I think your experience, although genuine comes as one of the insiders.  It is different on the inside at the shows - everyone there is after all, a VTR member.  Unfortunately there has long been an impression - whether fairly created or not - that VTR has been exclusionary to some point - elitist, and despised certain models.  That is what I listen to from non-members and people attending other non-VTR sanctioned shows. 

That image, impression or even perception, needs to change or be changed by how VTR conducts itself from now forward.  So If VTR is going to recreate itself, the people doing the recreating need to listen to those Triumph enthusiasts who are not VTR members.  I even see this in the TSC USA, and the new board is working on ways to fix our approach to new enthusiasts.  It has taken what, 30 years to dispel the myths that the Stag ruined Triumph and of its reliability?  And I don't think people within VTR started appreciating Stags until about 2003 at TRF/VTR when 16 showed up.

In any case, the point here is to get the discussion going, bring in some additional viewpoints and get Triumph enthusiasts talking regardless of what club they may be part of, even if they are not members of any club.
 
Thanks to Blake for making this a public forum, and we can only hope to hear from non-VTR members.  Otherwise we are preaching to what, the VTR choir?  That may sound great from the pulpit, but the people needing to hear it are outside looking in.

[StagByTriumph]

Thanks Darrell,
A Stag in your future eh?  It must be all those Stags now showing up at VTR ...

In any case, the point here is to get the discussion going, bring in some additional viewpoints and get Triumph enthusiasts talking regardless of what club they may be part of, even if they are not members of any club.
 
Thanks to Blake for making this a public forum, and we can only hope to hear from non-VTR members.  Otherwise we are preaching to what, the VTR choir?  That may sound great from the pulpit, but the people needing to hear it are outside looking in.

Okay Mr. President - Blake.  Time to speak up!!  Let's hear some discussion about where VTR is headed now that you are in the driver seat.