Hi Folks,
I'm the goofball who convinced Hal to add the "Iron Butt & Long Hall VTX Riders" group to the VTX Boards. So, I suspect I'd better accept some responsibility for all the angst that folks are feeling over the IBA certification process.
If you want to know the latest IBA info please join the IBA "Future Members Forum" at http://www.ironbutt.org/forum/default.asp.
If you just want to learn the latest update on ride certification a note from Mike Kneebone is below.
Feel free to PM me with questions and concerns.
Ride Safe!
Jim
Why does it take so darn long to get my certificate?!
To kind of let everyone know what is going on - in part so you can help spread the word as needed. The Iron Butt Association depends on a combination of volunteers and paid staff for ride certifications. Compared to last year, we have two additional paid positions, but we also had more rides come in for June. July was lighter, so we are now catching up quickly, but I felt like I was living in June until a few weeks ago! (As a side note, when I wrote that, in mid-September as the weather turned cooler in much of North America, ride submissions greatly increased again).
I want to let everyone know that obviously I press our staff to hussle, but I personally review each and every ride before it leaves so I can be a big part of the bottleneck also as I work a full time day-job and try to monitor e-mail (even with Ira Agins answering all the mail that comes in through the web site, I still get 50 to 100 messages per day that I obviously try and route to whom ever can answer them, including this forum), various long distances lists and obviously this board also.
On that note, the real value of those certifications are that they are reviewed. You are not really paying for the 75 cent sheet of paper, you are paying to know that when you see an IBA plate back (our default membership card) that the rider you are meeting had to go through the same intense process your ride went through. That is what gives the certification real value.
Beleive me when I say it would be so easy for us to rip open your envelope, cash the check and issue a cheesy certificate. But so long as I am breathing, each ride has to go through the process. That is why I keep my (very good) day-job. So that I am not tempted to move rides out because I need to make a living doing this. On the other hand, no one realizes more then me that we need to work on speeding up the processses. I thought two new employees would do it, but a big June put us really behind. The problem on my side is that that I cannot train someone in two weeks how to do the verification (compently that is), so adding last minute help is difficult.
Believe me when I say that I understand how hard it is to wait 2 or 3 months and maybe more, for a ride verification. If we had good weather year round, that would not be the case as we could have a mountiain of the right people year round. But to hire people for 3 months (and train them) and then say goodbye expecting them to return the next year is not workable either.
So I guess this is a nice way of saying I realize we need to speed up the process and I am trying to balance to many employees (and the cost assocaited with that) and the need to get the rides out more timely.
If you do write me, I do ask you include your phone number. ATT, MSN and AOL can sometimes (seems to come and go) block our e-mails because of some of the wording, such as Iron Butt and e-mails do not always get through. If you do not hear back from us in a week, please write back but also please include a phone number. If I replied to you and you did not get the first message, I will have Donna call you if needed.
Thank you to everyone for their patience!
Michael Kneebone
I'm the goofball who convinced Hal to add the "Iron Butt & Long Hall VTX Riders" group to the VTX Boards. So, I suspect I'd better accept some responsibility for all the angst that folks are feeling over the IBA certification process.
If you want to know the latest IBA info please join the IBA "Future Members Forum" at http://www.ironbutt.org/forum/default.asp.
If you just want to learn the latest update on ride certification a note from Mike Kneebone is below.
Feel free to PM me with questions and concerns.
Ride Safe!
Jim
Why does it take so darn long to get my certificate?!
To kind of let everyone know what is going on - in part so you can help spread the word as needed. The Iron Butt Association depends on a combination of volunteers and paid staff for ride certifications. Compared to last year, we have two additional paid positions, but we also had more rides come in for June. July was lighter, so we are now catching up quickly, but I felt like I was living in June until a few weeks ago! (As a side note, when I wrote that, in mid-September as the weather turned cooler in much of North America, ride submissions greatly increased again).
I want to let everyone know that obviously I press our staff to hussle, but I personally review each and every ride before it leaves so I can be a big part of the bottleneck also as I work a full time day-job and try to monitor e-mail (even with Ira Agins answering all the mail that comes in through the web site, I still get 50 to 100 messages per day that I obviously try and route to whom ever can answer them, including this forum), various long distances lists and obviously this board also.
On that note, the real value of those certifications are that they are reviewed. You are not really paying for the 75 cent sheet of paper, you are paying to know that when you see an IBA plate back (our default membership card) that the rider you are meeting had to go through the same intense process your ride went through. That is what gives the certification real value.
Beleive me when I say it would be so easy for us to rip open your envelope, cash the check and issue a cheesy certificate. But so long as I am breathing, each ride has to go through the process. That is why I keep my (very good) day-job. So that I am not tempted to move rides out because I need to make a living doing this. On the other hand, no one realizes more then me that we need to work on speeding up the processses. I thought two new employees would do it, but a big June put us really behind. The problem on my side is that that I cannot train someone in two weeks how to do the verification (compently that is), so adding last minute help is difficult.
Believe me when I say that I understand how hard it is to wait 2 or 3 months and maybe more, for a ride verification. If we had good weather year round, that would not be the case as we could have a mountiain of the right people year round. But to hire people for 3 months (and train them) and then say goodbye expecting them to return the next year is not workable either.
So I guess this is a nice way of saying I realize we need to speed up the process and I am trying to balance to many employees (and the cost assocaited with that) and the need to get the rides out more timely.
If you do write me, I do ask you include your phone number. ATT, MSN and AOL can sometimes (seems to come and go) block our e-mails because of some of the wording, such as Iron Butt and e-mails do not always get through. If you do not hear back from us in a week, please write back but also please include a phone number. If I replied to you and you did not get the first message, I will have Donna call you if needed.
Thank you to everyone for their patience!
Michael Kneebone
