Good evening Commitee;
First I'd like to thank those that have communicated their vote on the increase in the cost of transponders. We're still looking for input.

I am sure many of you are aware of an issue with this weekends Crazy 1 Hare Scramble promoted by The New England Cross Country Scramblers (here in after called NECCS), and sanctioned by the NETRA Competition Commitee. It is my responsibility to ensure that you all have the facts of this issue.
Yesterday 6/11 Jerry spoke with NECCS president Steve Poplasky. Steve indicated that the club was not willing to pay the NETRA rider fees associated with the insurance payment, nor were they willing to use the NETRA Hare Scramble scoring system. Jerry attempted to discuss this with Steve, and thought the issue was resolved.
Last night at approximately 9:30 pm I received a call from Steve which I returned. He informed me that there were two issues with the upcoming weekends "dual sanctioned event". I of course asked the issues with the thought they were minor issues easily worked out, as I had not been alerted to the issues due to my unavailability during work hours. Steve informed me of the issues in this order.
1. NECC had not received an insurance certificate from the AMA issued for his event, and payed by NETRA. He had received a certificate that he had applied for in April or May. Thus he felt he should not have to pay the per rider insurance fee that NETRA collects. I informed him that I wasn't sure why he had not received the certificate, but that he would certainly have to pay the fee, as the excess in the amount of the fee was used to support, and cover the shortfall in insurance payments from the smaller events such as all of our youth events, and nearly all of our senior enduro's. (I have since found that this issue was broached with Jerry and Kevin Howley, and that when NETRA attempted to pay the insurance premium we were told by the AMA that the event premium had already been paid. )
I told Steve that without an agreement to pay the NETRA fees his event would not be a sanctioned event, and therefore not a Championship event. That it would be unfair to all NETRA clubs for us to except his event. Steve absolutely agreed, and respected that, however would not budge.
2. NECCS in 2007 purchased a bar code scoring system. Steve told me that the club did not want to use the NETRA scoring system, nor team, and that his reasoning was that riders that participate in his clubs series (NECCS has a 6 event point paying series) did it for fun, and he did not want them to have to rent a transponder for the day. I again told him that he would have to use the NETRA system and team, that as a NETRA Championship event it must be consistent with all NETRA events. Without NETRA scoring his club would not be able to host a NETRA sanctioned event. He quoted our rulebook stating that we only specify Primary and Secondary scoring, and do not mention the neccesity of using the NETRA scoring. I informed him that our scoring was the only Hare Scramble scoring we would accept for official results, and that system included transponder scoring our riders. He was unwilling to relent.
Let me say that Steve is was 100% professional, and respectful of our position, and seemed to accept the decision very willingly. At that point I suggested to him that these isuues could not have only arisen on 6/11, and that due to the timing and short notice I felt that this was a planned move, with a pre-determined outcome, to ensure maximum attendance at the event, due to our inability to reasonably contact all riders that will attend assuming the event is a NETRA Championship event.
After speaking with Steve I contacted Jerry Shinners. I still was unaware Steve had spoken to Jerry. Jerry replied that he had spoken with Steve. That he had essentially told Steve the same thing I had, and thought that Steve had aquiesced. Jerry also informed me of the insurance payment issue, and that after having spoken with Kevin Howley the decision had been made to reimburse the club in full for their insurance payment to the AMA, and that then the club would pay the appropriate rider fees. At that Jerry and I agreed that he would contact Steve today 6/12 in an attempt to once again straighten the situation out, so that NETRA riders would not suffer, nor would NETRA members suffer that had counted on this event for their work credit toward championship requirements. If it could not be worked out, that we would immediately begin a campaign to contact NETRA clubs/riders to inform them that the event will not count toward championship points, nor would work credits be issued . I authorized Jerry to go forward with that course of action. Unfortunately that is the course of ation that has been taken. I was made aware of that via text message this afternoon by my son Eric, who is a member of the competition comittee as a fellow competitor had noted the thread on NEDB, as well as the posting on the NETRA website.
I again spoke with Steve via telephone this afternoon around 3:30 pm. I have reiterated our position that a club promoting a NETRA event must organize the event consistently with all NETRA clubs / events. I would not exempt the NECCS from that, nor would I consider the possibility of NETRA riders vying for championship points having to purchase, and affix bar codes to their helmets as an alternate to NETRA scoring. I did leave the door open to Steve to one more time reconsider his clubs position. I informed him that the decision would need to happen immediately. He told me he would like to speak with a few other of his clubs members prior to doing that, and told me he would contact me by 9:00 pm. It has taken me nearly an hour to put together this e-mail, and the time is now 9:10 pm. Please be ensured that I fully understand that our commitee is not a dictatorship. You have however elected me in trust to make prudent and correct decisions. I do not make this decision haphazard ly, nor with any malice. If not for the critcal time sensitivity of this issue you all would have been involved with this decision. I am sure some will question this decision, as it may not be in all of our riders interest. I fully believe that it is in the interest of our Commitee, Clubs, and Association.
It is with regret that I ask all of you to please be sure that your club members are aware this event is officially cancelled as NETRA championship event. The sanction has been rescinded. The date will be considered an open date for the 2009 NETRA Championship Series. Any members of your club that may have been using this event as a work credit will need to find another event to work.
I will also ask that we review the status of NECCS as a NETRA member club. I will contact all of you in the near future to schedule a meeting of the competition commitee to review this action as well as the actions of the club as they relate to this.

Respectfully
Pete Koehler
NETRA Competition Commitee Chair Person.