Review 2008.

As the year draws to a close and a new one begins, it’s that time when we reflect on what kind of year the Selby Moving Targets Scooter Club has had.

 Once again it’s been a action packed, fun filled season, were members of the club have journeyed the length and breadth of the country to participate in some of the national, regional and local scooter events and rallies.

As in past years, some events were probably more memorable than other events. I guess it depends on which event, individual members of the club patronized.

This year has probably been noticeably different in that, although we attended most of the major events, we did so in much smaller numbers, compared with previous years.

Some members chose to go to most of the nationals, whilst others concentrated on YSA events or more local activities.

One memorable event that most of the club came together to support was the Tan Hill Pub Challenge in Early June. Arguably this was the jewel in the crown event for the club. It helped to bond the club together after a short period were the smtsc seemed to be, dare I say, drifting apart because of interests in different scooter activities. I guess this was bound to happen. When a club becomes as big and as successful as ours, there are always going to be differing views and interests in what we as a scooter club should be about.

Happily this concern was addressed later on in the year at a meeting and hopefully we are now steering the club and its members together in the same frame of mind, especially as we have several important events planned for the 2009 season.

It would therefore seem that everything looks fairly encouraging for the next season, if it wasn’t for the fact that we are all living in difficult times.

There aren’t many of us that haven’t been affected by the current global financial problems. Job cuts, interest rates, fuel bills and the cost of living affect us all and priorities are such that this could determine the number of events members of the club can patronize in the near future.

All we can do is to remain positive and hope things improve pretty soon.

 As always we say a fond farewell to those that can no longer attend our club and its events and welcome those that have recently joined us to participate in all the great events planned for next year.

Our local meeting place the Olympia has experienced a turbulent year with the management changing hands and unsettling the members within our club. Although not the ideal, at the moment the Olympia suits our needs and so for the foreseeable future, until somewhere better comes along, this is were we will stay.

 So what happened in 2008 that deserves a mention? Scooter Stu had over forty five events highlighted on the website, but we know there was far more than this happening within the club.

 January and February are usually quiet months within the scooter fraternity, as member recover from the festive season and concentrate on all those scooter repairs, servicing and winter projects for the impending riding season.

We paid a visit to Taddy Stax SC evening Do in early February, but the highlight for that month was our own Annual Club Do at Drax. Over 250 people crammed into the Sports and Social Club to enjoy an entertaining night of music and merriment whilst we were also able to make a decent amount of money for charity, thanks in part to Shaun Welburn’s fabulous picture auction,  some scrounged raffle prizes and of course Ingy’s legendery compere skills.

 March kick started the riding season off with a organized ride to Helmsley and then over to Scarboro for fish and chips and a chance for Scooter Stu to peruse the shops for scooter trinkets.

The first Yorkshire Scooter Alliance rideout followed Scarboro with over 700 scoots descending on Acomb in York after the traditional run from Knaresboro’s Mother Shipton Carpark.                                                                                                   The weather can always be changeable in March and this was particularly so when some members chose to go in arctic conditions to Great Yarmouth for a pre season national event. Ask Cookie and Kelvin how cold it was. Others braved an event at Scarboro were it was not as far to travel but just as cold.

The next event of note was the first multi club evening rideout of the year.

This was organized by the York Saxons on a miserable night in late March. The home made chilli and hospitable welcome warmed us up for the dreary homeward journey.

 In April we went up to an organised meetup in Ripon courtesy of Shello and the Ripon City Scooter club. This was followed by a visit organized by Stu Mitch and Adele to Esholt near Bradford. It was our first opportunity to meet the friendly guys and girls from Baildon Scooter Club on their own home turf.

We also had Multi club runs this month to the Blue Angel in Wetherby with the Logistical Nightmares. A well attended meetup by clubs from all over the county.

 May was a busy month and first of all we saw Tesco Pete travelling all the way up to Oban in Scotland to meet up with his Scottish pals at a Lambretta Club of Scotland meeting. Mind you that ride is nothing to a guy who has been all round Europe on a lammy.

Myself, Stu and Adam paid the Barnsley Pals a visit this month at Shafton near Barnsley and Adam later organized a run to Filey and Dalby Forest for some members of the club.

May is always an important time for the smtsc as we celebrated our fourth anniversary event at the Olympia. On one of the few lovely sunny days of the year, Wayne from Sherburn kindly provided food for our BBQ, whilst big Adam sorted out some entertaining games for all the members gathered there to take part in.

The latter part of the month saw some of the club travel over to Huddersfield to take part in the YSA rideout to Cleckheaton.

Then on the 23rd it was off up to Kelso and the Scottish National. Always a great rally, but it was not without incident on the journey north. I nipped up passing an artic truck and Cookie had to return home, as his TS1 packed up on the A1. To his credit he came back later on his SX200 on his own. Fortunately we all managed to get up to Kelso via the Angel of the North and back home safely.

 June beckoned and the club travelled over the Yorkshire Wolds to the Eager Beaver and the home of the Beverley Scooter Club. This visit was on the annual Multi club calendar and attracted a lot of clubs from Hull, the east coast and clubs from over the Humber Bridge.

In a few days though, this evening rideout was overshadowed by a big event planned by Adam and myself up in the far top left hand corner of Yorkshire.

The culmination of six months of detailed planning led to a weekend camp that became known as the memorable Tan Hill Pub Challenge.

Why was it memorable? Well to get eight Yorkshire Teams up there, to camp, have a laugh and compete in some brilliant games was something I would not forget in a hurry.

To have to put up with that wicked Tan Hill landlady was also memorable. Above all to see the smtsc come together to make the games and the weekend such a great success was fantastic. The sight of Debbie and Lyn in fluorescent jackets marshalling the slow scoot race will stay with me forever, as will the final of the arm wrestling competition.

The fact that I had a tumble whilst homeward bound and have to this day, lost feeling in my right knee and my shoulder is of no consequence. The weekend was a big success, all due to big Adam, myself, the smtsc and all those that came up to the Tan Hill to participate in the weekends activities.

 It was hard to follow that event but try we must. Next we had a midweek run to York and then it was off to Whitby for the weekend to the next National.

The following Sunday was the local Selby Fun day with members of the club giving it there all, in the rain, to a madness tribute band. Good job we were drunk. The rain didn’t seem to matter. 

We were just getting over our Tan Hill event and it was time for our very own YSA Rideout from Selby to Castleford. No rest for the wicked!! Over 250 scoots departed the Olympia on Sunday 22^nd bound for the Black Bull in Castleford. Stu Mitch planned the route on a very windy day. Despite the weather, everyone got there safely and the Castleford Midnight Runners hosted an afternoon of events for those gathered there. Then it was back to the Olympia to celebrate Christopher’s 21^st birthday.

The last event of the month for some of the club was a visit to Doncaster Races to watch the racing that culminated in a concert by old favourites Madness.

Phew! That was June. What a month!!

 In July we had a multi club rideout to Castleford. Tesco Pete was on his travels again, taking part in the Eurolambretta Rally in Sweden as well as journeying up to Perth in Scotland to see his Scottish chums. He must have a really understanding wife our Peter.

 The Yorkshire Invasion was now upon us and this year it was at a soggy Pickering Showground. Fortunately the weather improved by the Saturday and most of the smtsc enjoyed themselves, courtesy of some free cider, although once again Cookie and Scoot had to travel home in Kelvin’s van. Good on ya Kelvin!!

I particularly enjoyed the invasion as I had to put my YSA cap on and work along with the rest of the YSA Committee. We had a lot of laughs, although falling off a ladder in my capacity as Safety Officer is not recommended.

Two more rideouts in July of interest were the rideout to Kippax’s annual rideout and an evening rideout to the Xscape at Castleford.

 In August a small party of the club travelled north to the annual Cumby Arms Rally at Darlington.

On the 7^th it was the turn of the club to host the Multi club meetup at the Olympia with the ladies supplying some great food for the troops. Though the less said about Anushka’s chips the better!!

The same week there was Scooters in the Square in Bradford and at the weekend was the rather damp annual Leeds Crusaders event.

 On the 17^th fourteen members of the club participated in the YSA Coast to Coast run from Southport to Bridlington. A great weekend finishing with a Do at the Spa until 200 am in the morning. Boy, I was knackered, as once again I donned my YSA Cap. All self induced of course

The following week only a small number of the club went to the Isle of Wight, whilst Bob and Adam journeyed north to Barney’s Bash in county Durham.

Last event of the month was a visit to the Hull and District SC Do at the Ionians Rugby ground.

 September saw Bob and Adam travel 210 miles south in atrocious weather to Mersea Island, whilst four club members joined 350 other northern scooterists to board the ferry for Heerjansdam in Holland for the YSA Allied Invasion. They also had to suffer bad weather on the way home from what had been a fabulous weekend.

The following week we sampled two events. Castleford Midnight Runners had an event that we patronised in the morning and then it was off to Hook near Goole in the afternoon for the Southern Arms Scooter Club Do.

On the 20^th Cookie, Wayne, Sarah and Graham went all the way to Woolocombe in Devon for the National Rally.

 The last September event was the YSA rideout on the 28^th from Doncaster to Barnsley.

On one of the years few sunny Sunday afternoons, up to 500 scooters descended on Shaw Lane Cricket Club ground. Lots of Scoots, stalls and gorgeous weather!! It was a great way to end the YSA 2008 calender.

 October.Nearly the end of the scooter riding season now. There was just a trip to Elland Road for all the Leeds united supporters, before the big one to the Bridlington National on the 24^th.

The Spa hosted most of the events for this weekend. The highlight was the custom show were the club won the best club display along with individual trophies for Cookie and myself. The downside was that the VFM do on the Saturday did not live up to expectation. In fact most of us thought it was crap and Barry made his thoughts known to the organizers and left the venue.

In November we had the cold ride up to Cleckheaton on the 9th to take part in the emotive Help for Heroes ceremony on Remembrance day.

On the 16^th Stu Mitch, Adele, Wayne and Sarah and Tesco Pete went over to the North West Rally at Morecambe.

 The very last club event of the year was the End of Season Do arranged by me at Barlow Club on the 22^nd November. A big big thanks to Dj’s Ross, Glyn and Phil for making it so successful.

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There were so many other things that happened within the club besides these chosen events. We welcomed other scooter clubs to the Olympia and we also patronized other club meetings and rallies. Members of the club had there scooters featured in the Scootering magazine as well as winning individual and club trophies at various rallies.

There were also lots of features about us in other scooter related mags as well as in the local Selby Times and Selby Post.

We also received a lovely trophy from John Manns from the Talisman Scooter Club. The Robert Sebbage Appeal Trophy was awarded to us for all the money we collected for Robert in 2007.I am really proud of this award because a lot of members of the club donated a lot of sponsorship money for this young man and his rare illness. Of course its of no surprise because since our early days we have always been an extremely charitable bunch of people and I hope it continues.

So what happens next? We have now got a committee to look into possible 5^th year celebrations. Adam and myself are looking into a Tan Hill Two.

Kelvin is formulating a 2009 rides programme and some members of the club have been designated certain Nationals to plan.

This year I was extremely proud to win the Club person award again against bloody stiff competition from other members of the club.

Following two positive general meetings I really really hope to step back and let others within the club take on a more hands on approach.

With more YSA involvement and three lammies to keep on the road, this will suit me just fine, but I still intend to be an active member of this great little club. You wont get rid of me that easily!!

Its worth noting that my involvement within the YSA committee can only be beneficial to our club as regards contacts and uptodate accurate information.

In conclusion its worth noting that we have probably learnt a few lessons from the last 12 months and that hopefully what we plan for 2009 will bond us more  closely together as a club. We have got a good thing going, let’s work together and we will I know have lot of good times to look forward to as a scooter orientated fraternity.

                                           Take care.

                                                         Derek.