Globalti
Legendary Member
I just feel like having a rant about this. Many many years ago my younger brother became fascinated by Scuba diving so aged about 15 he joined a club in Northumberland. It was a bad experience; the other members made no effort to welcome him into their circle, especially when they all retired to the pub for an after-dive drink. One particular day he went out with an experienced buddy and the support boat missed them and the two of them got swept right round a headland before they managed to swim ashore then stagger, exhausted, with all their kit back to the start point. Our parents were so shocked that they telephoned the club chairman and ripped him to bits then banned my brother from diving again.
I had a similar bad experience with a climbing club from a town in the west midlands; I was in Scotland and it was agreed that a small group of us would walk the Aonach Eagach ridge in Glencoe, In summer it's a committing route because there is no escape from the ridge and in winter conditions it's doubly-committing and requires a fast-moving, competent team. I ended up with an experienced couple and an ill-equipped and inexperienced young woman who was prospecting for membership. We started too late and quite soon the other couple abandoned us, leaving me to shepherd the novice. The fast-moving couple shot along to the end of the ridge and glissaded down to the pub but we ran out of daylight at the top of the steep Clachaig gully. My companion turned out not to have a torch so there followed an agonising couple of hours while the two of us edged down the icy gully in the dark, me dry-mouthed and praying my battery wouldn't run out. When we reached the pub exhausted they were well into their drinks and dinner and seemed unconcerned. That was when I decided that club was not for me.
More recently I was a member of a mountain biking club for some years when I saw numerous new members come along and fail because the club made no effort to help them, advise or train and in one case prevent a couple of members from abusing the new members racially. Prospective members were pushed beyond their ability, crashed painfully or just couldn't keep up and didn't come back. Club meetings were usually taken up with discussing the lack of new members.
A couple of weekends ago though I went out with a local shop club for a hilly 50 miler and the leader was the first I've ever seen who took his role seriously; he kept the pace down to suit the slowest member, a gentleman in his mid 60s and he dropped back occasionally to give slower riders a pull back to the group. I told him he was the most conscientious ride leader I've met. he is an RAF officer so presumably accustomed to thinking about others in his care.
I had a similar bad experience with a climbing club from a town in the west midlands; I was in Scotland and it was agreed that a small group of us would walk the Aonach Eagach ridge in Glencoe, In summer it's a committing route because there is no escape from the ridge and in winter conditions it's doubly-committing and requires a fast-moving, competent team. I ended up with an experienced couple and an ill-equipped and inexperienced young woman who was prospecting for membership. We started too late and quite soon the other couple abandoned us, leaving me to shepherd the novice. The fast-moving couple shot along to the end of the ridge and glissaded down to the pub but we ran out of daylight at the top of the steep Clachaig gully. My companion turned out not to have a torch so there followed an agonising couple of hours while the two of us edged down the icy gully in the dark, me dry-mouthed and praying my battery wouldn't run out. When we reached the pub exhausted they were well into their drinks and dinner and seemed unconcerned. That was when I decided that club was not for me.
More recently I was a member of a mountain biking club for some years when I saw numerous new members come along and fail because the club made no effort to help them, advise or train and in one case prevent a couple of members from abusing the new members racially. Prospective members were pushed beyond their ability, crashed painfully or just couldn't keep up and didn't come back. Club meetings were usually taken up with discussing the lack of new members.
A couple of weekends ago though I went out with a local shop club for a hilly 50 miler and the leader was the first I've ever seen who took his role seriously; he kept the pace down to suit the slowest member, a gentleman in his mid 60s and he dropped back occasionally to give slower riders a pull back to the group. I told him he was the most conscientious ride leader I've met. he is an RAF officer so presumably accustomed to thinking about others in his care.
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