Sanctioned Event ... does it matter?

Man, I've followed conversations about this one on the Forum and Social Media.  Used to be chapters could have more than one, now the max is one per year.  Throw in State, Leather n Lace and you have potentially 33 Sanctioned events a year in Texas alone.  But, not every chapter does one. hell, I bet the majority of the membership is lucky to attend one much less two TOTAL a year, to include their own?  How do I know that?  Human Nature.  But that's not the point of this post.

Out of State Sanctioned events...  IMHO, these matter.  Why?  Well, if you're a 23 Texan and doing the Ride 23 program, destinations don't need to be sanctioned.  Meetings qualify so that means one has at least 360 opportunities a year to ride with a 'purpose', other than ...   just putting on mile and meeting up with Brothers.  If one completing the LRRP Inner State, same thing. BUT, if one is doing the LRRP Tri State they MUST be sanctioned to qualify.  Now, here's my point.  I'm looking at 3 possible destinations for NEXT weekend ...   Oklahoma State Meeting ...  SANCTIONED.  MS State Meeting.... SANCTIONED.  But what I really would rather do ?   The annual Thunder Beach Rally down in Florida for the weekend.  BUT, it's NOT Sanctioned.  Does that matter?  Weeeellllllllllllllll....  back to the Tri-State LRRP.  If one needs a check mark still, yes it does.  If it doesn't matter for Tri-State (already completed or one doesn't give a shit) ...  then obviously doesn't matter.  For the General Public attending, doesn't matter.  For those members with FL 20 .. doesn't matter.  But, obviously .. to me it matters. So, I'll be headed one of two other directions.

Man ... .wish that sucker was sanctioned.  Could convince myself to arrange my schedule and put some F'n miles on!

Non-Sanctioned

So, apparently the folks that want to argue that Chapters should only have a single event a year don't have my perspective.  If a Chapter is putting on a stellar event ...  an event within another large event ... why not let them Sanction it? To me ... Sanctioned shouldn't be some tiny lil event, but a Chapters event.  It should be something designed for triple digits of attendees. Maybe more (1k?).  Hell, 20-9 could do one for the Spring and the Fall Thunder Beach Rallies...  makes sense to me.

Oh well....   maybe Lone Star Rally this year in Galveston.  Doesn't matter if it's sanctioned or not.. Well, not to me ;)