Making visitors feel unwelcome?

[EvilPumpkin]

I've seen a few posts on here recently where people are complaining that they did not get selected for a specific event and I've seen a couple of snide comments when it turns out that others, not from the UK/home circuit/organising club in question - including myself - are attending those events.

I've added a few events/circuits/organising clubs to my list of places not to visit as a result. I won't give the list here, but suffice it to say that there are 2 circuits, 3 organising clubs and at least 4 events on it. All of the events on the list are based on negative comments made by people on this forum in the last year.

I don't even necessarily mean visitors from other countries either. Potential visitors from other circuits or different marshalling clubs - or possibly a different marshalling discipline - have all had "pops" taken at them over the course of the last year.

I'm not sure if people realise just how offputting it is for potential visitors to see those comments. I'd like to hope they don't realise, but I'm starting to think that in a couple of cases, it's quite, quite deliberate.

Am I the only one that is getting put off by these kind of comments and making a list - "hmmm better not go there/to that event"?

[m1fcf]

I have seen those same comments on here, and have taken note of them, but personally, I will make my own mind up on what does and doesn't work for me.

Being a 'new' marshal, I have a list of things/circuits that I want to tick off - including the chance to do F1 in the UK (an event for which I have met lots of negative comments for, both here and on the bank), only then can I make my own decision on whether I want to go back.

[pauln]

Originally Posted by m1fcf

... only then can I make my own decision on whether I want to go back.

That's pretty much the attitude I'm taking as well. I've stuck to the one circuit for the first year and plan to try others when the meetings I've enjoyed most go there. I'll try most things once. If I don't like them (or don't feel welcome) I'll probably not do them again. What I will say is that I've been made very welcome by fellow marshals at everything so far.

[Hepatic]

Thats a great way to go about it. Not everyone likes all forms of motorsport but you should at least make your own mind up and give them a try. I'll agree with EP that comments on here can sway a judgement, especially if you have a long way to go, but i tend to stick to going myself and making my own mind up. Not necessarily clubs but certainly some series i tend to avoid, mainly 'cos the racing is crap and if you don't enjoy it then why do it?

[pixie2308]

A newbie from Donington and not wanting to take an elongated rest whilst Dony is re.... (whatever the word for what they are doing there is...) have been popping into a couple of different circuits and to date all have been welcoming.
The orange brethren have without fail been pleasant and straight away into conversation: even if the conversation topic opener is "will the GP be at Dony next year" or variations of... like I would know or indeed like anyone would know!!!
The marshal facilities vary at all circuits .... and the camping grounds vary in slope! but the same friendship has been extended to me everywhere .. cheers guys
See you soon at any other circuit ....

[Chris Hobson]

It does not (should not) matter which club you belong to, which circuit or other venue you come from or regularly marshal at... we are all marshals enjoying our hobby!

I do not care what colour overalls you wear, what duties you perform, your colour, creed or anything else - and I hope the vast majority of my fellow marshals are of the same opinion.

Welcome visitors with open arms, talk to them and you might even learn something!

As the saying goes--"Lets work together" there are not enough of us for us to loose volunteers through stupid comments.

[Scoundrel]

This is my second year as a marshal and I have been to a number of different tracks and events. All the events I have attended so far have been great and I have never felt unwelcome. Sure, you get some bad feedback about certain places but like CH said, you need to make up your own mind. I had reservations about returning to Rockingham due to lack of facilities, but I bit the bullet to help out at BTCC and found that facilities had greatly improved and had a great time. It doesn't/shouldn't matter what colour overalls you wear as we are all doing the same job.

[Clive]

If you're not made welcome then that is a problem with those individuals and that is to be deplored. I haven't found many of them around this and other countries where I have had the priviege of marshalling. Orange is orange (or whatever flavour they wear!) and aren't we all supposed to do it because we love motor racing?
Come along to a MGCC meeting and see how we do it.

[Guinness2702]

Originally Posted by m1fcf

I have seen those same comments on here, and have taken note of them, but personally, I will make my own mind up on what does and doesn't work for me.

I know people who love Silverstone*. I know people who hate the place. I know people who love BTCC*. I know people who hate it. I know people who love flagging*. I know people who have no interest whatsoever in flagging. I know that motorsport doesn't have as much money as people think and as a consequence facilities, from camp-sites to on-post phones, are less than ideal, but usually adequate.

* Replace with any circuit/event/duty you choose.

Bottom line is that you've gotta make your own mind up, as everybody has a different opinion...hell, my opinion of things changes frequently without others' opinions. If you're happy, do it, if you're not, politely explain to the relevant people why, and if they are unwilling or unable to address your concerns, stop doing it.

[EvilPumpkin]

Hi guys, sorry, thought I made it clear in my original post - this is about negative comments on the forum. There was only one occasion I can remember where I was made less than welcome anywhere we visited and that was the organising club, nothing whatever to do with the marshals.

I have never had a bad visit to a circuit or event and have never been anywhere I wouldn't be happy to return to. If I have in any way given the impression that we have been made less than welcome by marshals on any of our visits, my sincerest apologies because that is absolutely NOT the case!!!!

What I'm talking about is not going somewhere because of unpleasantness I've seen on here aimed towards "non-regulars" going to one of these events/circuits.

There are some places/events I'm not going to consider going to because of the behaviour I've seen exhibited by some of the people on this forum. If I'm going to spend a couple of hundred quid on plane fares, plus car hire, accommodation etc., then I'm not going to take the chance on going somewhere where I believe I may not be welcome - or at least I can expect bad feeling from some quarters.

Chris, I agree 100% with you - I'm just wondering if I'm the only person who is finding this kind of thing off-putting.

[focuszetec]

I read this forum quite a lot (as we all do ) but don't post much, and see that the 'negative' comments but it does not sway me from doing an event. If an events interests me (even just a little bit) I would try and go to it, I am not bothered who runs it, where it is (well depending on the fuel bill!!), what it is. I will soon be able to make my own mind up.

Every post on here is peoples own personal opinion and that is how i treat it and as said before

Originally Posted by m1fcf

I will make my own mind up on what does and doesn't work for me.

I am also a new marshal I have just achieved my upgrade to Track and I will certainly be applying for the F1 next year as it is something i want to do, I have read the comments about doing the GP but if I do it and don't like it then I have not lost out on much and I will know that i may not want to do it the following year. As the saying goes 'I am big enough and ugly enough' to make up my own mind!

[Steven Humphrey]

If I'd avoided a circuit/meeting/club after reading a negative comment on here I don't think I would have attended a single event this year! It's a big problem with the internet-it CAN be great & a wealth of information but it can also sway peoples' opinions just because someone had a bad time somewhere (I've seen bad reviews of hotels because of the weather!).

I've never been made less than very welcome at any circuit I've attended. Yes, some circuits do things different to my frequented ones but that's just the way things are and you have to adapt. I can imagine if someone arrives at a circuit for the first time and keeps saying things like 'at my home circuit we do it this way' & 'we do it better at my home circuit' etc etc, then they may be made to feel slightly unwelcome. It's no different to people who go abroad & complain about the food/weather/traditions and then wonder why they get a frosty reception from the locals!

I spoke to quite a few people over the weekend at Rockingham who were pleasantly suprised at the place, especially after reading bad comments on here. So I hope that will encourage people to make their own minds up and not be put of by a few people's bad experiences.

[Richard Sneader]

I as an organiser was the victim this year of an event I have organised an incident team for for the last 9 years. Due to the numbers I potentially had of marshals I could not put all of them on the track at the same time. This was my instructions etc. So to save turning people away advised I would run a shift sytem. Well I did not realise how some marshals can be so cutting and damaging with their reactions to me and my suggestion. I am not going to go into to much details but 1 of the marshals who pulled out in the end decided to tell everyone his opinion including contacting other marshals and ask them to join him pull out the event. I have never experienced anything like this before. I had sleepness nights over this and stressed.( I am only a volunteer too) and the team that did see through and marshalled the event did a splendid job in difficult circumstances. I now have a differing opinion of things. I did not know who to approach on this so tried to talk to them. I stress tried.
I never want to experience this again and this person will not be accepted for this event again and I awlays thought he was a friend untill this outburt. Goes to show.
I think this fits in this thread.
RS

[Roths]

I have not been Marshaling long but i too have heard people complaining about selection for events too. But what i mainly picked up on was that in most cases the people picked were of high expeirience or incident officers or people who done a hell of a lot of meets the previous year.

If this is the case then i think the selection process is spot on. If i were organising then i too would only pick the best and most commited. After all these are huge events and i wouldnt want novices and the un-professionals running around.

As a new Marshal i do not expect to be able to do a big event like F1 for at least a few years and if i never get selected i will not be blaming anyone but myself. Its probably because im not that good, or not that commited or maybe i am good but i lark around too much (not that i do but its an example). It may even be that i dont fit in with the personalitys.

I think if your not chosen then its obviously something you have done or have not been doing. Or maybe that having 12000 marshals means not every one gets a go.

And as for international marshals!! Is F1 not an international event. We Marshal all over the world so why can they not Marshal here? I am sure there are hundreds of willing novice UAE marshals not going to Abu Dhabi because 250 places are already taken!!


Rant over. Be nice people we are a family.

[numbersix]

OK, Where do I start.

If I took this logic to its bitter end and let any wally putting a thoughtless or stupid remark on this forum put me off an event, then:

1. My list of events may get very short because there are many wallies, both full and part-time on this forum.

2. Not all said wallies mean what they write. Writing one thing while meaning another is quite common. Communication is a difficult art at the best of times and on a forum nigh impossible.

3. If I habitually took what someone else has written the wrong way then who is at fault: the writer, for being ambiguous, or me, for deciding to take it the wrong way?

4. If there were, say, 200 regulars at a certain circuit, and one made snide remarks (or remarks that I decided to perceive as snide) does that one man speak for the other 199. I don't think so. The problem with a silent majority is that they are silent.

What I will not do is to let minority ejjitts decide my enjoyment. If I let them, they control me and that's crazy.

In defence of certain ejjitts, if someone was a regular at a certain track and they put on a big event, and they didn't get picked, would they be peeved? Yes, they're only human. Would they be peeved if I, an outsider, did get in? Probably, they're still only human. Would they have some kind of grudge against me? I don't think so. It's not personal, they're just peed off.

By the same token, if the regular had got in, would he/she give outsiders a welcome? I hope so. If not, and if it happened regularly, then that is, I believe, a basis for going somewhere else in future. But that's a physical experience, not some comment on a forum.

Pumpkin, me old mucker - get out there and volunteer for everything you d4mn well please and do not let anyone control you. Indeed, if you pack certain events in for this reason alone, then they win.

"No one can make you feel bad without your consent" - Eleanor Roosevelt

If I don't go to an event it would be for different reasons than some twit on this forum.

Years ago I let this sort of thing mess up a sport that was very close to me. Don't let this happen. Now I take a deep breath and try to respond to a situation, not react.

The vast majority on this forum want you to enjoy your marshaling.

[FRENCHIE44T]

Originally Posted by Chris Hobson

It does not (should not) matter which club you belong to, which circuit or other venue you come from or regularly marshal at... we are all marshals enjoying our hobby!

I do not care what colour overalls you wear, what duties you perform, your colour, creed or anything else - and I hope the vast majority of my fellow marshals are of the same opinion.

Welcome visitors with open arms, talk to them and you might even learn something!

As the saying goes--"Lets work together" there are not enough of us for us to loose volunteers through stupid comments.

Here Here Chris I agree.

[gravel_monkey]

never thought i would have put anyone off oing any event when posting here. iam a firm beliver of everyone has their own opinion which they are entilted to but you have to experience it for yourself. grant, hope we made you feel welcome at anglesey earlier in the year, had a great weekend and hope to see u over here or even at your neck of the woods next year.

on another note, i had been told of stories on here in the past, but after actually going to other circuits and been one of them people who will speak to and annoy anyone i have never had a problem. i just say go for it no matter what people say.anyone in any doubt just go to a meeting were they have dutch race fans, just spectators, never met em before but had a crackin time

[Hepatic]

or Dutch marshals Some of them are stir fry crazy but i've never met a bunch of people more friendly and generous, both at UK circuits at at their own.

its hard to find a decent balance sometimes of objective comments and pure *****ing on a forum, and its very easy for one to be read as the other. i got in to hot water over a comment once but from my point of view i felt it was balanced and fair. a direct question was asked by a new marshal about a specific event and circuit of which many people had not had a happy experience with the previous year. i answered honestly and got a *******ing for it which i didn't feel was fair. in the end i realised that what i'd written had been read in a different way to which i had intended, i explained that and the matter was finished. i could have let it get to me and stop marshalling, but i didn't and as a result still enjoy some great meetings and great company

the key is the written word can always read in different ways, so people should bare that in mind when reading anything, not just forums...

[numbersix]

English Made Simple

You just need to remember there’s no egg in an eggplant, no ham in a hamburger and neither apple nor pine in a pineapple. French fries aren’t French and sweetmeats aren’t sweet, or meaty.

You will find that writers write but fingers don’t fing and hammers don’t ham. Boxing rings are square and a guinea pig isn’t a pig and comes from Peru, not Guinea.

The plural of tooth is teeth but the plural of booth isn’t beeth. You can have one goose or two geese, but if you have more than one moose you don’t have meese unless you hate meeses to pieces.

A wise guy and a wise man are opposites but a slim chance and fat chance are the same. Quicksand is slow, quicklime is hot and English was invented by the human race, which isn’t a race but we do race each other.

Historically the English should be speaking French and but for one vote Americans should be speaking German. Switzerland does not have any national language, and Latin is a language without a nation to speak it. China and Japan do not have an alphabet and if it wasn’t for Arab scholars, this comment would be CCX words long. Simple isn’t it?

[Madbusdriver]

I have now read all these post's regarding unwanted strangers turning up to marshal an event. This year i started this great past time, that we do. And i must admit, that on my first day, i was a bit nervous of meeting all the old hands, so to speak. But i was made very welcome by everyone there. I do not think it's fair to name the club or circuit, but i found them very friendly towards me. Every time i have been down to do a meeting, it's all ways been a very friendly atmosphere. Sadly my first year has been marked by me having to suffer from sciatica, so i have had to cancel a few meetings this year. But i have turned up at a couple of meetings to watch, and the marshals that i have seen have all asked, when i was coming back.

My point is this. There is enough politics, back stabbing and all round evilness in this world. So why do we have to bring it into this great past time that we all do, and enjoy. Can we not just all get along, regardless of who will turn up or not for " certain " meetings. Even if it is a high profile one or just a small club meeting.

Lets all play nice. AND PLAY SAFE!!!!

[Shelagh]

I think that being able to express both negative and positive opinions on a forum such as this (be it about a club/event/circuit whatever) is actually a good thing - it may be picked up by said club/event/circuit and acted upon (hopefully by continuing the good and changing the bad).

As human beings, all of us have different views and experiences - even though we've been standing together on the bank all day (eg "wow, what a great race" - "what, it was boring!") - and we all like to share those views or experiences on places like this forum. However, I do like to hope that reading negative comments merely sets expectations to a low level when you give the club/event/circuit a try rather than putting you off altogether (although agree it might be a factor in deciding whether or not to travel a long way).

Personal example of "negativity": I don't do F1 any more and am happy to say why not - but I would never expect my opinion to sway anybody into not volunteering - in fact I would usually recommend going for it and giving it a try and making your own mind up. Having done the GP for 13ish years before becoming disillusioned it would be a bit hypocritical to do otherwise.