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I can't remember when my first visit to the MTF forum occurred, but I do know it was a long time ago and that I instantly felt right at home. I thought for sure I'd be asked to leave after a few of my initial posts. Especially after the one about “Hot Boys.” OK. Get your mind out of the gutter. It was about how a man can keep his “boys” dry and cool on a long summer ride. And as noted by several women, the methods apply to both sexes. I survived and it was apparent everyone had a good sense of humor.
Most of the people who inhabited the forum way back then are still around. Most importantly, though, the spirit with which they engaged each other still exists today. When we speak of the MTF culture, it's that very spirit of which we speak. I'm thankful for having stepped foot inside these doors and even more thankful that I have a hand in safeguarding, promoting and sharing that culture with all of you. But make no mistake, I'm no different than any of you. All of us share the same responsibilities. I think we're all doing a damn fine job of engaging each other with a high degree of respect and a modicum of humility that allows us to debate our differences, celebrate our commonalities and maintain our friendship in the process.
When Alan asked me to serve on the MTF's Board of Directors, I didn't hesitate to accept the position. As most of you are aware, the MTF has a large contingent of long distance riders and, as an organization, we sponsor several LD events each year. As such, we've developed a strong relationship with the Iron Butt Association over the past few years and one of my responsibilities is serving as the IBA Liaison which means I work with the IBA to foster and maintain our working relationship.
To tie in with the liaison role, I also head the Long Distance Committee (LDC) which is a small group of folks who work behind the scenes to develop each year's long distance ride schedule, manage each event and ensure everything runs smoothly. The LDC would be nothing if not for the people who serve along side me. Namely, Doug Woodall, Gregg Burger and Dan Huber. Without these folks, nothing would get done. Having said that, Dan has requested to move on to other things as his interest in LD riding is evolving into other areas. We appreciate and thank Dan for all he has done and continually does for the MTF. In an effort to replace Dan and grow the LDC, I asked Bo Griffin and John McCain to join the LDC and they've graciously accepted. They will be working with the LDC later this year to develop the 2007 ride schedule. Bo and John are exemplary when it comes to being ambassadors of the sport of motorcycling and carrying the MTF spirit.
As mentioned in a separate article, the MTF Tourer's Assistant is a web-based system designed to help motorcyclists help other motorcyclists. It's a system I developed several years ago and donated to the MTF. As with all other things MTF, there's a number of people working in the background volunteering their time to keep the wheels spinning. Currently, those people are Charlie Clemmer, Bob Moore and Bill Wight who perform account validation. Additionally, Joyce Johnson is responsible for maintaining the library component of the TA system. These fine folks are the people working behind the scenes to keep the wheels spinning and who rarely get noticed.
We rely on your input to guide our efforts when improving what we do in the LDC or what we add to the TA system. So if you have any comments about next year's LD schedule or improvements we can make to the TA system, let us know. Without your input, we'll just do what we want. :)
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