It's been great guys, but Brownback's next year may not happen

It’s getting to that time of year when what’s going to happen next year gets sorted. In our case we won’t be able to put on an XC series in 2013.

Why is this? Essentially we need a large group to share the load and to make sure that we can safely hold events in one of the most challenging venues around. We are all volunteers and as such have many higher priorities which we have been compromising since 2009. Unfortunately in 2013 it’s clear that we need new people (at least 3 or 4) to commit their time and energy to keeping this going.

A final decision hasn’t been made but at the moment we will not have a 2013 series.

If you want to change that then you need to step forward. Ideally you need to be local, reliable, prepared to stick to commitments and enjoy making things happen.

It’s been great fun, very hard work, and I and the group are very proud of what we have done. The future is however in your hands.

See you on the trails.

Neil, Paul, Chris, Dave, Andy S, Andy M, Jason, Ric, Nic and Adrian*

*and everybody else who’s been kind enough to give their time over the last 3 years 🙂

That would be a terrible shame. What would you need from any potential helpers?

There’s stuff that goes on in the back ground that no one sees, but all of the original organisers are still going to be around it’s just we can’t all commit to every race like we used to be able to. In the three years we’ve been running Brownback’s our families have got bigger and indeed some of us have left the area (or are about to). So although new people will be asked to do things we’ll all still be there or there abouts to help out, just not all the time.

We’d need people to commit to race day, but also to help out with the back office stuff like press releases, helping to talk and approach sponsors and give input on what brownbacks should be and do in the future.

And somebody new designing the courses and writing the risk assessments

And that too 🙂

A couple of nights a month spent in a boozer in Rammy, a few weekends a year of pretty hard work/mega early mornings in Lee Quarry and a commitment to carrying on supporting grass roots XC MTB racing in the UK, putting it somewhat concisely!

it’s not a vast amount of work (made possible by us having a relatively large organising team), but we’re all having more and more demands put on our time and a couple of the team are having to step down meaning we’d probably be stretched to thinly unless we replace/build up.

it’s all 100% voluntary too, so you’d have to be happy to put the work in for the love of it all and nothing else!

It would indeed be a terrible shame.

It’s a credit to all involved that it’s gone on this far as I know everyone has jobs/families/lives and also the amount of effort and time that goes into running the events.

I’ll be there for marshalling on Sunday , don’t know what else I could commit to but could help out with the drinking in a pub in Rammy bit if absolutely pushed.[ seriously I’ll have a think what I could help with ]

I’ll have a chat with you on sun g

somebody who is good at writing press releases and getting them published by popular web and print media would be useful as well 😉

as well as a kit manager who will ensure that when most of the kit is lent out there is a quid pro quo 😉 😉

I would be gutted if 2013 didn’t happen. Being based in Leeds would make it difficult to get involved on a week night. Are there ways to support through giving time at weekends or helping with promotion?

we tend to meet Sunday nights on a 4-8 weekly basis

Are there ways to support through giving time at weekends or helping with promotion?

yes, there are some jobs which can be done more “remotely”

press releases, write-up’s, chasing new sponsors,timing and results and others

however a lot of it needs local manpower for sorting the kit and sorting the courses, checking the state of the trails, prospecting new stuff. We could also really do with a couple of people with 4X4’s they are willing to take up into the quarry.

whatever we do it’s got to maintain the standard. We are taking money off people so they expect a certain level of service.

come and talk to the team, we are real people and have always encouraged “new blood” unfortunately we haven’t gained any new people in the last year or two hence the problem when some of the group have too much on their plate

hi guys another volunteer here, lots of time at evenings and weekends, bit of experience with the NAMBS races a few years ago. I am a manager at work so that may help. what do I do ??

cheers Pete

Email info@brownbacksracing.co.uk

And come and see us on Sunday

Bump. It would be a shame for this to end.

Long live grass roots racing.