SANCTIONED EVENTS

In the big picture.... they don't really 'matter'.  In theory, they ONLY matter for one to achieve Lifetime Member status or if one is working towards an LRRP Award in a given year.  That's it!   Annually one only has to attend a single chapter meeting to stay in "Good Standing"....  but ....   I have a gripe.

Most Chapters (all?) have an annual Sanctioned Event.  We used to be authorized TWO; every chapter until last month. Now, ONLY one.  Apparently at the State level, all states, they can have as many as they want but most have at least one (State Meeting).   In Texas I can think of two of the top off my head for 2022 ...  the State Meeting and the SOCOM/Shindig.   Louisiana has one on Jan 1st, the Polar Bear Ride for ALL chapters.   Now, here's my issue.

How the hell do you find them all?  The obvious answer is the SANCTIONED EVENTS CALENDAR on the National site (comabatvet.us)  So, going there one would assume they would see 50 states x X chapters per state which would be what ...  at least 200 if not 400+ events?  But ... no....   

Example  as of today ... a quick look and I see 

• JAN 22 -    Five Events
• FEB 22 -    Two Events
• MAR 22 -  Six events
• APR 22 -   Eleven events
• MAY 22 -  Eleven Events
• JUN 22 -   Three Events
• JUL 22 -   Six Events
• AUG 22 - Four Events

etc, etc

Now .. that includes regionals in there as well.  I'm thinking ...  shouldn't there be like .. 500 entries? Unacceptable and frustrating.  So, I head to the Texas web site for the TX calendar.  Same thing.  Frustrating.

Now .. the average member says "... what's the big deal? "  Well, how about the PROs get off their butts and submit all this correctly?   Submit to the State PRO reps and they update .. correctly.  Hell, you can't even find a current and correct Chapter web page too often.  Frustrating.

What is my beef?  Well .. it's my own issue .. but ... if one wants to do a LRRP Tri-State ...  this crap is frustrating trying to plan it all out.   If one is trying to do an LRRP Inner State ... same thing.   Texas has a program to visit ALL 26 chapters .... god help you trying to figure out that one via calendars.  One has to resort to picking up the phone after researching via the National page ...and hope it's updated...    to figure out a chapters schedule?

There... got it off my chest.   Not sure what I accomplished.. but.. did finish a cup of java typing this  

Groups.io .............. "tricks"

I wasn't impressed with either the web browser version or the App, until I realized a few lil tricks. I was pointed out to me that  you could use the TOPICS option OR Messages option; game changer for me personally.  When I joined it defaulted to "TOPICS." Now that's great if there are only a couple but now there are like 208 of them (!!).  Also, you can change the messages option to scroll in reverse order by clicking on "date" to go from newest to oldest  vs oldest to newest sorting.   Now.. I immediately see the last message, followed by the most recent.  Game Changer.  Finally, I HATED the crazy emails that kept showing up every single time someone messaged via the site. ... so .. I changed that setting.   Give it a shot ...  There are over 1900 msgs in there... sorting by newest to oldest will simplify your life!

First….     On the web version (it's easiest ) .. or .... try on your phones App ...

 Go  to manage my subscriptions .

Then go to DELIVERY if you are sick of getting slammed with emails!

Change it to one of these vs ‘individual messages’

• Full Featured Digest Receive up to 12 messages grouped together in one email instead of receiving each message individually (rich text formatting).
• Daily Summary Receive one email every morning that contains only a list of the topics posted to the group the previous day.

  Secondly …  when you go to the group , you can do things smarter

 

 

You can view via TOPICS or MESSAGES …..   when I log in, I often use the MESSAGES options…. And make sure you sort it from the newest messages by clicking DATE

 

 Chief showed me these tricks and it made Groups.io manageable!

 ____________________________________

 Original post below all this new stuff: .. But adding additional info  here ...  

Update 7 FEB 22:

48 total in Groups IO

60 total in the chapter

Leaves 12 members potentially in the dark

38 of those get an email for each message that's posted in groups.io.  More, if someone edits, or deletes/reposts. 

• Four of that 48 don't receive an email. They've chosen to either get a notification from the App or .. check it on their own time
• One chose Special Notices Only. They receive only special notices sent by the moderators. 
• Five chose summary or full digest.

• Full Featured Digest:
• Receive up to 12 messages grouped together in one email instead of receiving each message individually

• Myself and four others chose Daily Summary:
• Receive one email every morning that contains only a list of the topics posted to the group the previous day.

What's all this mean.  We've got Twelve folks that need to get on Groups.io .   Just a fact IMHO

What made me bring all this up?  Ratt told me this morning that it was interesting that he got TWO emails from me today.  Well.. that's because I edited the first for a type.  Chose not to go back a second time to fix yet another type... because he and forty others would get yet a THIRD email from me...  (yes .. I'm bad about typos.. then .. fixing them .. over .. and over)

What's your takeaway from all this?  Maybe you don't want an email for EVERY message on group.io.  Or .. maybe you do .. 

Carry on :)

 

Wreaths across America

Been a few years since I participated in this event, and this part was a first.  Escorted the Semi into the Funeral Home / Cemetery.

Our Chapter has been passing around communication on this for a few weeks.  Some of our folks participated last year and we're back in the mix this year.  Seven us in all from the Chapter along with another half dozen from the Guardians MC along with Rockwall PD escorted them in.

Been watching the weather and it's looking a lil' gloomy.  It's misting out in the morning and it looks like it'll burn off by noon.  Wrong.  Around 1100 hrs I saddle up and head over to the Chiefs; 67 deg and misty out.  Few minutes later we're headed to Quinlan to top off the tanks and rendezvous with Dutch and Shooter.  Once Shooter pulls in on his trike we fire up the bikes and head down 276 picking up SwampRat along the way.  Pull into Cracker Barrel with Honey Badger waiting for us and after we finally get seated, Pullout makes it in just in time to get his order in with the rest of us.  Now... time to relax, BS and catch up.  If you don't count the half cup of warm java and the late to show green beans....  damned good lunch; SwampRat was our host.... js.   Hour later, saddled up and headed over to the TA truck stop for the Pre Brief with the LE and MC folks.  Then, the officers light up their vehicles and start clearing the path for us.   Twenty minutes and several intersections blocked later, we're pulling in.  Success.  Now the fun part.  Time to unload 114 boxes of wreaths onto a trailer and the back of a truck.  We have more than enough people and another thirty minutes later, mission accomplished.  

CVMA | Guardians | LEOs

LEOs | Guardians | CVMA | Driver (in red)

UNLOAD!

The mist has started back up, temps are around 70 .. and .. time to head home.  Few folks are headed west which looks 'clearer'.  Pullout is going to wait a lil bit to see if the weather clears up his direction (North).  The rest of us... fuk' it... saddle up, head east into the doom and gloom.  It'll mist up again, windshields are wet and hard to see through .. but... overall, stayed dry in the big picture.

Saturday, we lay the wreaths among the warriors that passed before us.  

Saddle up to Head Home

Head East !

p.s.  Hey SwampRat .. thanks for the pics!

Tomorrow.... Ben Wheeler!

 FRIDAY is almost here.. and the temps are going to be in the 80s!!

Chief and I are doing a ride to Ben Wheeler for lunch, and whomever else wants to join us.  Leaving Lone Oak (Valero gas station at 1030 hrs).   Then, two lane heaven to Ben Wheeler for some Grub.  After some eats, and maybe... maybe.. a cold one ... taking a slight variation of the previous route back to Tawakoni at Gilligan's for a cold one ..   Then, back home.   Total miles .. approximately 130miles plus to and from your start point.   Weather gets chilly after tomorrow... YOU KNOW what to do!  If you have never been down 779 ... you don't know what you're missing.  Great Road.

UPDATE:  Yep.. great day >>  Post ride info

Headed South Route


Back home, with Tawakoni stop



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