With plans well under way for NSXPO 2016 (admittedly it will be tough to top 2015 but the organizers are working their butts off to try!), the NSXCA would like to welcome all regions interested in hosting NSXPO 2017 to submit a bid. Here is a general outline of what we like to see in a bid:
1. A good overview of the event, a vision of how you would like it to happen.
2. Target date
3. A feasibility study of the area, which includes but is not limited to:
a. Which track(s) are you looking into renting?
b. What are your chances of actually getting the track rented on your targeted dates?
c. A survey of different hotels for possible use as event HQ, including rates.
d. A description of the area where the event will be held, including the expected weather that time of the year, airline and airport accessibility, presence of good driving roads, etc.
4. A tentative schedule of events.
5. Proposed organization of event leadership, and planning committee. It is reasonable to expect that whoever submits the proposal, he/she/they will take an active role in the planning of this event, and are committed to making this happen.
Ideally, we would like to have a bid awarded before NSXPO 2016 is held so we may announce during the annual Banquet. Copies of prior proposals are available for the asking, both awarded and not awarded, so you may have some guidance in submitting a bid.
Additionally, I am always personally available to answer any questions. I have been on the Board of Directors since 2004 and have attended every NSXPO since 2001 to date other than in 2014 - when Acura made us change the date of NSXPO to.................my wedding date!
You may be thinking - "Bob has been on the Board since 2004 - how did he get the job (thankless as it is) and how can I get on the Board?"
Good questions.
First of all, you need to pay attention to the posts on Prime and social media, the emails, NSX Driver and conversations with your fellow members. Each year there is an election (except for 2015 for reasons that are unimportant). Each year I post on Prime and since 2004 have either snail mailed all NSXCA members or emailed all members about the election. Amazingly, virtually every year the "election" is uncontested and often results in vacancies due to no one stepping up to volunteer.
Every so often I hear from a member that they were unaware of the election process. I find this hard to believe because even if someone is not on Prime we do email every member in the database and believe our email list is 99% up to date. I also know that my posts on Prime about the annual election are being read but also are being ignored. Historically, here are the "results" of my annual announcements on Prime:
Prime posts about NSXCA Elections:
2005 – 479 views – no replies
2006 – 648 views – no replies
2007 – 508 views – no replies
2008 - 768 views – one reply
2009 – 315 views – no replies
2010 – 397 views – no replies
2011 – 1,068 views – no replies
2012 – 328 views – no replies
2013 – 852 views – no replies
2014 – 242 views – no replies
Now I am not criticizing anyone for the lack of a reply in any given year (actually in every year except for 2008) but I do find it hard to accept criticism that someone was unaware of the election process. We will be doing one again in 2016 and the notice will again be posted here, on social media and in an email to all current NSXCA members. And, yes, you do need to be a member to vote.
So why should anyone be a member of the NSXCA?
The simplest answer is for the friends you will make who share the same passion you have for the NSX. We are not doing anything significant in life, we are not working toward peace in the Middle East, we are not curing cancer and we are not affecting the 2016 presidential election. We are just a diverse group of owners and enthusiasts who have at least one thing in common - we love our Acura NSX.
But why do I need to join?
Quite honestly, you don't "need" to join. You won't lose the title to your car, you will still enjoy your NSX and life will go on without the time space continuum being affected one iota. However, you will miss out on the opportunity to meet others who could impact your life. Cars come and go oftentimes but friendships last, and meaningful friendships last a lifetime.
But Bob, how do you know this?
One example is my story. I am lifelong New Yorker. In 2001 I watched the Trade Center, two towers that my father spent 7 years building, come down killing thousands. My sister was an FDNY EMT and was lucky to survive with minor injuries. I owned an NSX since 1999 and saw something about an event called NSPXO being held of all places in Wisconsin. I felt I needed to get out of New York if only for a few days. I signed up and drove with a bunch of people I had never met. I had not even seen another NSX on the road in my two years of ownership.
I met an amazing group of people. Many of whom remain my closest friends. So much so that when my father passed away in 2005, his funeral was on Christmas Eve morning. I have a very small family. There were 11 family members related to me at the funeral. There were 24 of my NSX "family" members as well. Two dozen NSX owners who gave up their Christmas Eve morning to be away from their families to support me and mine. And most of them had never met my dad.
I have these friendships because one day in 2001 I spent $40 to join something called the NSX Club of America and have the opportunity to drive to something called NSXPO. And did I mention I had to drive to Wisconsin!?!?
Amazingly the dues for the NSXCA remain only $40 per year today in 2016. Our quarterly magazine, NSX Driver, has improved in quality of graphics and content each year and does cost money to print. Additionally, a magazine does not write itself and we are always welcoming content in the form of articles, photos, bios, etc. for publication.
We also encourage each region to hold events whether it be a holiday party, a poker rally, a river run or even a membership drive. We have funds available to help underwrite these events. We have your funds available because that is a benefit of being part of the club. We cannot afford to pay for your entire event but little things such as underwriting the cost of a dinner, donating a go pro for a raffle prize, assisting with contractual needs ( the NSXCA is a corporation and I sign contracts for events each year such as with NSXPO) and being able to give access to membership lists so you can send out an email blast letting your regional members know of an event.
We also have the opportunity to get together and do important events like we have in the Northeast with Kids' Day at Watkins Glen. For many years we were able to assist Camp Good Days and Special Times, a residential camp for children afflicted with and affected by cancer, near Watkins Glen. We held car shows at the camp and took the children for laps around Watkins Glen. And over the years we raised close to $75,000 from just our small group of Northeast members. We helped these wonderful and amazing children and they have affected our lives in ways we could never adequately describe.
But why doesn't the Board organize events for us?
We do. It's called NSXPO - our national event. Otherwise, it is not possible logistically to organize and manage a holiday party in a region when we do not live there. Our Board of Directors consists of Brian Urlage (President) in Ohio, May Lee (VP) in California, Westin Williams (Treasurer) in Arizona and myself (Secretary) in New York. We may be able to assist in our own regions but we do rely on the regionally elected reps to be the "go to" persons and then the reps communicate with the Board for guidance and financial assistance (if requested and warranted).
Now I realize that this post is extremely longggggggg but I hope that at least some of you will take the time to read through it and perhaps gain some insight in the thankless volunteer work being done by the NSXCA. And please remember that we are a small club and that is due to the fact that the NSX is special and only a small number of people have the enjoyment of owning one due to its limited production. We are not the BMW Club or the Porsche Club and could never approach their membership numbers. In any given year we have between 15-20% of the owners as members which is a respectable percentage but given the number of actual cars on the road it is a small pool from which we can dip into for volunteers to organize and run events.
So what do I get if I become a Board Member or Regional Representative?
Another good question. You do get to hear the complaints when not enough events are being organized or when anything goes wrong. You do get to spend a lot of time on the events that do get planned, including NSXPO, and try to coordinate your personal lives with the time needed to pull off a successful event. You do have to pay the same amounts as everyone else does to attend an event including travel, hotel and meals. You do not get a salary. You rarely get thanked.
But you do get the satisfaction of knowing that you helped fellow NSX enthusiasts get together, see old friends, make new ones and share at least the one thing we all have in common and the one thing upon which we can all agree - WE LOVE OUR ACURA NSX!
This year our country is in for a fight with the presidential elections. There is enough bickering and vitriol going around to make you want to tune out and wish it would all go away. Headline news is more and more aggravating and concerning each and every day.
And then there is a car. A car that Motor Trend called the "best sports car ever made" when it came out. And in reality it's just a car - - - but it is a car our members own and love.
So we continue with our little car club called the NSX Club of America. And we hope you continue with us.
If you got this far, I sincerely thank you for reading this post.
Bob Ondrovic
Secretary (2004 to date)
NSX Club of America
Member since 2001
1. A good overview of the event, a vision of how you would like it to happen.
2. Target date
3. A feasibility study of the area, which includes but is not limited to:
a. Which track(s) are you looking into renting?
b. What are your chances of actually getting the track rented on your targeted dates?
c. A survey of different hotels for possible use as event HQ, including rates.
d. A description of the area where the event will be held, including the expected weather that time of the year, airline and airport accessibility, presence of good driving roads, etc.
4. A tentative schedule of events.
5. Proposed organization of event leadership, and planning committee. It is reasonable to expect that whoever submits the proposal, he/she/they will take an active role in the planning of this event, and are committed to making this happen.
Ideally, we would like to have a bid awarded before NSXPO 2016 is held so we may announce during the annual Banquet. Copies of prior proposals are available for the asking, both awarded and not awarded, so you may have some guidance in submitting a bid.
Additionally, I am always personally available to answer any questions. I have been on the Board of Directors since 2004 and have attended every NSXPO since 2001 to date other than in 2014 - when Acura made us change the date of NSXPO to.................my wedding date!
You may be thinking - "Bob has been on the Board since 2004 - how did he get the job (thankless as it is) and how can I get on the Board?"
Good questions.
First of all, you need to pay attention to the posts on Prime and social media, the emails, NSX Driver and conversations with your fellow members. Each year there is an election (except for 2015 for reasons that are unimportant). Each year I post on Prime and since 2004 have either snail mailed all NSXCA members or emailed all members about the election. Amazingly, virtually every year the "election" is uncontested and often results in vacancies due to no one stepping up to volunteer.
Every so often I hear from a member that they were unaware of the election process. I find this hard to believe because even if someone is not on Prime we do email every member in the database and believe our email list is 99% up to date. I also know that my posts on Prime about the annual election are being read but also are being ignored. Historically, here are the "results" of my annual announcements on Prime:
Prime posts about NSXCA Elections:
2005 – 479 views – no replies
2006 – 648 views – no replies
2007 – 508 views – no replies
2008 - 768 views – one reply
2009 – 315 views – no replies
2010 – 397 views – no replies
2011 – 1,068 views – no replies
2012 – 328 views – no replies
2013 – 852 views – no replies
2014 – 242 views – no replies
Now I am not criticizing anyone for the lack of a reply in any given year (actually in every year except for 2008) but I do find it hard to accept criticism that someone was unaware of the election process. We will be doing one again in 2016 and the notice will again be posted here, on social media and in an email to all current NSXCA members. And, yes, you do need to be a member to vote.
So why should anyone be a member of the NSXCA?
The simplest answer is for the friends you will make who share the same passion you have for the NSX. We are not doing anything significant in life, we are not working toward peace in the Middle East, we are not curing cancer and we are not affecting the 2016 presidential election. We are just a diverse group of owners and enthusiasts who have at least one thing in common - we love our Acura NSX.
But why do I need to join?
Quite honestly, you don't "need" to join. You won't lose the title to your car, you will still enjoy your NSX and life will go on without the time space continuum being affected one iota. However, you will miss out on the opportunity to meet others who could impact your life. Cars come and go oftentimes but friendships last, and meaningful friendships last a lifetime.
But Bob, how do you know this?
One example is my story. I am lifelong New Yorker. In 2001 I watched the Trade Center, two towers that my father spent 7 years building, come down killing thousands. My sister was an FDNY EMT and was lucky to survive with minor injuries. I owned an NSX since 1999 and saw something about an event called NSPXO being held of all places in Wisconsin. I felt I needed to get out of New York if only for a few days. I signed up and drove with a bunch of people I had never met. I had not even seen another NSX on the road in my two years of ownership.
I met an amazing group of people. Many of whom remain my closest friends. So much so that when my father passed away in 2005, his funeral was on Christmas Eve morning. I have a very small family. There were 11 family members related to me at the funeral. There were 24 of my NSX "family" members as well. Two dozen NSX owners who gave up their Christmas Eve morning to be away from their families to support me and mine. And most of them had never met my dad.
I have these friendships because one day in 2001 I spent $40 to join something called the NSX Club of America and have the opportunity to drive to something called NSXPO. And did I mention I had to drive to Wisconsin!?!?
Amazingly the dues for the NSXCA remain only $40 per year today in 2016. Our quarterly magazine, NSX Driver, has improved in quality of graphics and content each year and does cost money to print. Additionally, a magazine does not write itself and we are always welcoming content in the form of articles, photos, bios, etc. for publication.
We also encourage each region to hold events whether it be a holiday party, a poker rally, a river run or even a membership drive. We have funds available to help underwrite these events. We have your funds available because that is a benefit of being part of the club. We cannot afford to pay for your entire event but little things such as underwriting the cost of a dinner, donating a go pro for a raffle prize, assisting with contractual needs ( the NSXCA is a corporation and I sign contracts for events each year such as with NSXPO) and being able to give access to membership lists so you can send out an email blast letting your regional members know of an event.
We also have the opportunity to get together and do important events like we have in the Northeast with Kids' Day at Watkins Glen. For many years we were able to assist Camp Good Days and Special Times, a residential camp for children afflicted with and affected by cancer, near Watkins Glen. We held car shows at the camp and took the children for laps around Watkins Glen. And over the years we raised close to $75,000 from just our small group of Northeast members. We helped these wonderful and amazing children and they have affected our lives in ways we could never adequately describe.
But why doesn't the Board organize events for us?
We do. It's called NSXPO - our national event. Otherwise, it is not possible logistically to organize and manage a holiday party in a region when we do not live there. Our Board of Directors consists of Brian Urlage (President) in Ohio, May Lee (VP) in California, Westin Williams (Treasurer) in Arizona and myself (Secretary) in New York. We may be able to assist in our own regions but we do rely on the regionally elected reps to be the "go to" persons and then the reps communicate with the Board for guidance and financial assistance (if requested and warranted).
Now I realize that this post is extremely longggggggg but I hope that at least some of you will take the time to read through it and perhaps gain some insight in the thankless volunteer work being done by the NSXCA. And please remember that we are a small club and that is due to the fact that the NSX is special and only a small number of people have the enjoyment of owning one due to its limited production. We are not the BMW Club or the Porsche Club and could never approach their membership numbers. In any given year we have between 15-20% of the owners as members which is a respectable percentage but given the number of actual cars on the road it is a small pool from which we can dip into for volunteers to organize and run events.
So what do I get if I become a Board Member or Regional Representative?
Another good question. You do get to hear the complaints when not enough events are being organized or when anything goes wrong. You do get to spend a lot of time on the events that do get planned, including NSXPO, and try to coordinate your personal lives with the time needed to pull off a successful event. You do have to pay the same amounts as everyone else does to attend an event including travel, hotel and meals. You do not get a salary. You rarely get thanked.
But you do get the satisfaction of knowing that you helped fellow NSX enthusiasts get together, see old friends, make new ones and share at least the one thing we all have in common and the one thing upon which we can all agree - WE LOVE OUR ACURA NSX!
This year our country is in for a fight with the presidential elections. There is enough bickering and vitriol going around to make you want to tune out and wish it would all go away. Headline news is more and more aggravating and concerning each and every day.
And then there is a car. A car that Motor Trend called the "best sports car ever made" when it came out. And in reality it's just a car - - - but it is a car our members own and love.
So we continue with our little car club called the NSX Club of America. And we hope you continue with us.
If you got this far, I sincerely thank you for reading this post.
Bob Ondrovic
Secretary (2004 to date)
NSX Club of America
Member since 2001
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