Greetings Father,
Al contrario. It is not "merely" an event. It is time
for a little history.
The Boondoggle by the Bay was begun after Vernon Head
and I decided yet again to chair the first event of
the year. We were drinking beers after an event in
Sacramento, or I was, in the summer time, many months
after the latest fiasco which was at this time called
"Round 1", a descriptive if not cold name.
Recall the one event with 100 rookies in one run
group. It lasted five hours. We looked at eachother in
horror upon seeing the grid form a maze through the
paddock, and moved far off into distance where no one
could see us, waiting for this nightmare to end.
I remember three run groups to go at 4 o'clock and
asking Josh Sirota to announce that if competitors
could "just drive a little faster" it might help speed
up the event.
Back at Chili's, many months later, Vernon said he
would never chair that event again, no way, no how,
not with health insurance costs what they are, and a
basic human need for tranquility.
We began discussing our inner-pain, and how chairing
that event changed our lives for the worst, and yet it
simultaneously made us both the charming individuals
that we are now. Maybe it's not that bad. Maybe we
were called to to this. Was it destiny?
We began a brainstorming session that was was both
therapeutic and inspiring. This event became ours. We
OWNED it. We would make it better, more organized than
any event anyone had ever seen. This painful memory
was wiped clean from our memory slates and now we
would only look to the future!
We decided that this would be more than an autocross,
but a festival, a "happening". We wanted t-shirts, or
some sort of commemorative souvenir. Vernon suggested
pencils. Vernon possesses a great mind and I could
only agree. But we did not think this would fly with
the Steering Committee because some of those people
lack a sense of humor, so we opted not to even ask.
But what to call it. I recalled back in the old days,
going to concerts at the Oakland Coliseum. "Day at the
Green" they called them. So my suggestion was "Day on
the Grid". It seemed appropriate.
One of Vernon's many contributions was "Boondoggle by
the Bay".
Vernon's marketing brilliance did not stop there. If
you worked extra hard at that event, why, you could
earn "Boondoggle Bucks"!
My favorite suggestion never came into fruition. This
was a course with one cone, a "freestyle" event, but
you only get 15 seconds. This would surely get the
event over in a snap. Consider that just a little
Boondoggle trivia.
Part of what made it a boondoggle is based on what we
both believed was our own incompetence. I do not
believe that we were far off the mark. It is a damned
good name, highly representative of the effort or not
that we put into it.
We chaired that event for many years. I honestly
cannot count. Much more than two. Three, maybe? It is
is too a Boondoggle.
I am very proud of Vernon's and my contributions to
the Boondoggle by the Bay and that its legacy lives on
today. I am, in fact, honored and touched that its
name is still attached. Fortunately, it is in much
more capable hands.
Rock on, Boondoggle.
-Katie Kelly
--- John Kelly <76067.1750@compuserve.com> wrote:
> Boondoggle, an interesting name in that the
> event isn't.
> What Boondoggle is is merely our first event
> of the season and the
> people who chaired the first one also did the second
> but haven't been back
> for several years. Also, they failed to look up the
> word's actual meaning.
|