Maintaining your Grade

[Joyce George]

After a few social evenings, the subject was bought up regarding maintaining one's grade. Has any marshal actually lost their grade due to not attending a training day every 2 years or not doing enough meetings? I'm sure the numbers must be very low, but what would the procedure be in such a case? Any thought or comments?

[Davie-c]

not done one for 4 years as I've been out scrutineering on the days.The events that it was on I have to attend as I'm on the championship regs.Still the same marshalling grade.I still go out marshalling but not as much now

[Andrew Palmer]

I've just about managed to keep my grade over the past three year. Just enough meetings and training days. Although some times it has been difficult with my work.

With the new system if you do get down graded how difficult is it to return to a previous held grade especially now you have to be able to flag and incident. What is going to happen to those people that can only flag or those that only do incident?

Will we soon see great incident and flag marshals being down graded to track marshal and those that can do both jobs but poorly being up graded?

[Mark Mitchell]

I couldn't attend a training day this year due to work. Although I asked for a brief overview of the contents of the Observers Seminar (So that I could get myself up to speed with any new regs - e.g Safety car etc - before the season started) I was just told that I should have been there!
So if the MSA want to downgrade me when I don't do training next year either, then so be it. I shan't lose any sleep but they will lose a Marshal.
But to be honest, I think it would be a last resort thing for someone to be downgraded.

[Peter Harding]

As with most things it has to be administered with common sense.
If someone never comes anymore then we need to get them off the system rather than keep sending reg documents.
If someone is a real problem this allows us to help them into the correct grade for their skill.
In most cases i believe failure to acheive the minimum attendance and/or training will only be a prompt for the club to look at how the marshal is performing. In most cases that will be "no action".

[gwar]

Can anyone tell me what the minimum number of events required to keep a grade is.
The reason i ask is that i attend training every 2 years, for car clubs and bike clubs, which is what is required.
However 3 weekends a month i marshal for various clubs, cars & bikes.
I,m a flag grade with BARC, of which i love, but lets say if i only did 3 weekends this year for cars, the rest of the time was at bike meetings rangeing from clubbie events thru to Brit/World superbikes and Moto gp.
This includes various trips around europe/world....
Do the MSA appreciate that i,m an expeirenced flag marshal or do i lose my grade.
At the end of the day a blue flag is a blue flag, be it 750mc....jenson button, valentino rossi, or 125cc bikes....its just the variations on flag rules be it FIA,or ACU, ect.....ect....

[Steve Tarrant]

From MSA website (it's amazing what you can find when you look for yourself!!!!!):-

"If a marshal wishes to maintain a current grade, the maintenance process is very simple – 4 full days marshalling per year and an advisory 1 training day per year but we recommend a minimum of 1 training day every 2 years. "

[gwar]

Originally Posted by Steve Tarrant

From MSA website (it's amazing what you can find when you look for yourself!!!!!):-

"If a marshal wishes to maintain a current grade, the maintenance process is very simple – 4 full days marshalling per year and an advisory 1 training day per year but we recommend a minimum of 1 training day every 2 years. "

Sorry steve didnt have blue book to hand.............DOH
So if i did 1 day touring car, 2 days rally, and 50 days bikes, i drop a grade..... because majority arnt MSA.....

[Nighthawk]

Now Steve thats by the Book......and we now things dont go by the Book.........

[Steve Tarrant]

Originally Posted by Nighthawk

Now Steve thats by the Book......and we now things dont go by the Book.........

[mark ch]

I'm watching this thread with interest as did minimal marshaling last year and having a sabicatical year this one due to serious family illness. Basically can't commit to anything more than a week in advance. l've always been told grade means little to Chief marshals and they tend to work by reputation.

Although If I was down graded to novice from experienced - flag/incident marshal, I'd probably vote with my feet. Is that what the MSA realy want? less marshals?

[Stuart Hill]

Originally Posted by mark ch

l've always been told grade means little to Chief marshals and they tend to work by reputation.

which is exactly what I used to do when I was Chief Marshal.

I learnt (by trial and error) that Grades did not make the Marshal, but experience did. Grades mean nothing to me (no offence meant to anyone) but time on-the-bank does.

You can have all the badges you like but until the Big-One happens, no-one knows just how you will react.

A Badge/Grade is just that, but a Marshal is someone that i'd like alongside me.

by all means the training sessions are important and should be attended by anyone wanting to be a Marshal, but............ none attendance should not demote you. IMHO.

all the days on the bank should count towards one's grade (like they used to).

[Stuart Hill]

Originally Posted by mark ch

Although If I was down graded to novice from experienced - flag/incident marshal, I'd probably vote with my feet. Is that what the MSA realy want? less marshals?

why would you do that?

[Steve Tarrant]

I took it from their website, not the blue book.