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TTmarshals newletter - thewitch - 11-04-2008
Edinburgh IMC Courses – 26th & 27th April
We still have a number of places available on the Edinburgh IMC courses to be held on the 26th & 27th April at the St Andrews HQ in Edinburgh. If you would like to attend the Edinburgh course, but have not yet registered your interest, please let us know as soon as possible.
You can book a place by emailing training@iomttma.com or calling our Office on (01624) 618191.
Night at the Races – 12th April
Unfortunately duie to poor ticket sales, this has had to be cancelled. If you have bought tickets, please return them to our office where a refund for the ticket will be given.
Chairmans Column
Wow! What a month and how do I begin to write anything about it? I imagine many of you will have been aware of the inquest that has been held here in the Island recently; it has been dealing with the sad end to the centenary TT where three people died and two marshals were seriously injured. It goes without saying we are all shocked by this incident; injuries and loss of life are never taken lightly by any of us; I am sure I speak for everyone when I say our condolences go out to all the families of those concerned.
The Coroner dealing with the case made observations and suggestions to be taken on board; with a view to lessen the likelihood of such an incident happening again and we have listened and acted on many areas made in his summing up. During his observations he suggested that certain people should stand down from their rolls. This included people who are very skilled and experienced having given many years of service. Should they all take the suggestion of the Coroner and resign it would be a great loss of very valuable volunteers; I can tell you one such person who has decided to do just that is Cathy Pullen, she has resigned as CSM for Sector 9.
I will say these last few words on the matter; Cathy is first a good friend and fellow member of the IOMTTMA Ltd board, she is without doubt a first class marshal; she has a proven record over many years dealing with all sorts of situations, as have many of those Mountain marshals. I applaud all of you; you know who you are.
I can also announce that we have now appointed a new CSM in Sector 9. He is Steve Goodburn from Laxey. You will find more from Steve later in the newsletter, but I hope everyone will make him feel welcome.
Once again everyone if you have any niggles, thoughts or you have heard the dreaded rumours about anything please get in touch; we will always do our best to get answers.
A topical question and a very important one are the changes in prohibited areas; at this moment we have no further news. What we do know is that all the drawing work is done, and all the wording is completed; what we are waiting for is for all the land owners and property users to sign all the respective documents.
We have been in meetings on two occasions now with DoTL and the Police and are discussing various ways of dealing with the checking of equipment; during the MGP last year a checklist was introduced; a similar list is being considered again. The idea is that all equipment and signage at all locations is checked against the list, as well as the verbal recording via TETRA, that all is in place. It’s a belt and braces way of saying ‘we have done our job’.
Another area under discussion is the all important signage; ‘what sign goes where and how many?’ All will be made clear when we get all the information; what we know so far is that all the prohibited and restricted areas will be marked definitively; and also, clearly marked accordingly, will be the location and number of signs of the respective type needed for your area. We have suggested some signs be of a different shape to make them easily identifiable as to the information they bear; more on that when we know more.
A phone call came into the office the other day from a flag marshal who, on receiving his signing on form, rang the office to say he couldn’t marshal any more as he was 70 and had been told he would not be insured over that age. Absolute rubbish, you can still marshal, the upper age limit has been removed courtesy of and approval with the ACU-E Ltd. So you can marshal over 70 and everyone who signs on is insured.
The eagle eyed may have noticed the TTMA have a notice board on the wall at the Paddock end of the office; it is for marshals to place small ads. So get a post card written out for the unwanted items you would like to sell or maybe items you’re looking for and get it to the office; all we ask is a donation to TTMA funds. Our thanks to David (CLOGGY) Lancaster for the admirable job of making the case; tends to show up the rest of the building now.
Talking of the office, don’t forget to call in and see us when you are passing; we are interested in any new ideas you may have to make things run better, anyone can come and get involved in what we do; after all we are a team. Don’t listen to rumours or at least don’t believe them; not until you have shared them with us.
One last note many of you may not know is that Eddie Nelson of the ACU-E had a very fraught time recently; not least because of all that is going on regarding the up and coming TT but the fact that his wife was taken seriously ill with a heart attack; Luckily she is now well on the way to recovery and I’m sure we all wish Eddie and his wife well.
Regards
Bill Carden
Chairman
TT 2008 Signing On Forms
The signing-on forms were posted to everyone on our database at the end of March. We would be very grateful if completed forms could be sent back to the Secretary as soon as possible, so that your packs can be made up, and the Sector Chief Marshals can prepare their rota’s in readiness for the beginning of practice.
If your form has not arrived please either call our office on (01624) 618191 or email info@iomttma.com and we will send you a replacement.
Chief Marshal
As some of you may know, the Chief Marshal for the TT, Roger Hurst has resigned his position.
Roger has given an enormous amount of time to marshalling, and the positive contribution he has made to marshalling on the Mountain Course, over many years, should not be forgotten. I am sure we will see Roger’s smiling face, sat on a hedge somewhere, watching the racing or around the paddock.
Stafford and Thundersprint Shows
Once again the IOMTTMA Ltd is to attend the Stafford Classic Bike Show at the Stafford County Showground & the Thundersprint in Northwich Cheshire. Bill Carden and I will be at both venues hoping to meet as many people as possible to reinforce the importance of the roll of the TT & MGP Marshal. Both shows are terrific events in their own right but from our point of view they have produced some great response for marshal recruitment.
The Stafford show is for the classic motorcycle enthusiast, where you can buy yourself a fully restored classic motorcycle or maybe one in three large lumps and several boxes. Then again you may only need that elusive part to complete your current winter project; Stafford is the place to find it. As I have said before if you can’t find the bits you need at Stafford, they probably no longer exist. The show is on for two days, Saturday April 26th & Sunday April 27th; believe me, it will take you that long to properly look around it. We are in the Argyle Hall stand A11 in the corner, please come over and find us.
The Thundersprint is also a terrific event mainly sponsored by E-bike Insurance and where the whole town of Northwich Cheshire is overrun with motorcycles. There are side shows and stands and excellent family entertainment, the highlight being the sprint races through parts of the town; it’s hard to explain exactly what happens but even harder to believe when you see it for real. Bill and yours truly will be there; somewhere near the paddock, again come and find us. We will once again be in the blue Isle of Man TT Marshals Association Ltd van, presented to us a year ago, courtesy of E-bike Insurance, look out for it. The Thundersprint is run over two days the 10th & 11th of May; it is really worth a visit, the thousands that passed through last year can’t all be wrong.
You can check out each event on the Web to see what happens; the addresses are:
http://www.thundersprint.com & http://www.classicbikeshows.com
Regards
Terry Holmes
Deputy Chairman
IMC Training Courses
We are continuing to train marshals at a prodigious rate. In fact the demand for places is so high that we are staging an additional course during TT practice week, this will be held on Thursday 29th May at the Masonic hall in Douglas. If you would like to reserve a place on this course please contact the office, places are going fast though so it would be best to get your booking in quickly.
We still have places available on the Edinburgh IMCs on the 26th and 27th April. Again, contact the office to book your place.
As part of our continuing drive to offer our marshals a strong training program, we are looking at the possibility of running fire training for marshals, we propose to carry this out at various fire stations around the Island, and it will involve using the powder fire extinguishers as used on the TT course to put out a fire. We now need to get an idea of the numbers of marshals who would be interested in taking this training. If there is significant interest in this training from marshals not living on the Island, we will also investigate the possibility of putting on a session during the TT period. If you are interested, please inform the office and we will then be able to finalize details of the training.
The list of confirmed courses for the spring and summer is as follows:
April 12th & 13th St Johns HQ Gloucester
April 26th & 27th St Andrews HQ Edinburgh
May 3rd & 4th St Johns HQ Douglas
May 29th (TT Practice Week) Masonic Hall Douglas
May 30th (TT Practice Week) Masonic Hall Douglas (Full)
August 22nd (MGP Practice Week) Masonic Hall Douglas
In addition, we have confirmed dates for next winter as follows:
October 5th St Johns HQ Douglas
November 9th St Johns HQ Douglas
November 22nd & 23rd Liverpool
As always if you have any comments on the training offered by the TTMA, or anything you feel that marshals should receive training on that is not covered by the IMC, let us know. We are constantly reviewing our training, and your comments are helpful.
To make a comment, or to book a course, please contact us on training@iomttma.com or phone the office on 01624 618191.
Best wishes,
Andy Dorman
Training Director
Committee News
So, what has happened in the last few weeks and where are we up to?
1) Terry, Cathy and Bill have been in discussion with the DoTL and other bodies in relation to possible benefits for marshals. The meeting was fruitful, and we hope to have more details in the next few months. There has been no movement on this since the original meeting.
2) Due to other commitments over the last few weeks, we have run out of time to produce a new Instructional DVD before this years TT. We will however start filming the various segments, including TETRA, over the next few weeks in preparation for next year.
3) The review of the ‘Novice’ marshal scheme has been completed. More details can be found elsewhere in this newsletter.
4) The review of benefits for Life Members is continuing. Former Director, Debbie McCann updated the Directors on the progress this week, and we hope to make some announcements in the next few days.
5) The Marshalling Matters handbook has been re-written and is now with the A-CU’s lawyers and insurers. Once we get this back, we can go to print. When you receive a new copy; please read it as it contains important changes.
6) A meeting has taken place with the Licensed Victuallers Association on the subject of benefits for marshals. The meeting was very positive, and both parties are looking at the suggestions made.
7) A review of the upper age limit for marshalling at the TT & has been completed. More details can be found elsewhere in this newsletter.
8) Jodie Leigh has been appointed as an Assistant to Nicki in our Office.
9) Paul Phillips of the DoTL has been in touch with the IOM Steam Packet Company on our behalf and the discussions have been positive. Whilst an official announcement has not been made yet, we will let you know as soon as possible.
Cathy Pullen’s Column
It is hard to know how to start with this newsletter article. Many of you will be aware that I came in for much criticism at the inquest last month. As Bill has said, I felt the only option I had was to resign as Sector Marshal. There was a lot I could say regarding the report, but I think it best to say nothing….. So that’ll be a first then!
I am still dedicated to marshalling, so will be out there on the Mountain as usual come TT. I would like to thank all those of you who marshalled on sector 9 with me and hope you will continue to do so with your new Sector Marshal. I am still a Director of the TTMA and will continue with this, particularly helping with the training program we have put so much work into. Since MGP last year we will have trained or re trained over 400 marshals before this years TT. No mean feat!
Suddenly the office is buzzing with TT preparations, forms coming back in, paperwork and printing on a large scale. Packs need to be made up and all sorts of problems sorted. It is all a little rushed this year, so we so need to have as many forms as early as possible please.
Lastly I would like to welcome Steve Goodburn as Sector Marshal for sector 9. I know he will do a great job, but I fear there is one person who may be upset at his moving up the mountain. His Dad marshalled at the Hairpin with Steve but decided to break from the family thing and shift camp, so he came up to Waterworks, now his son is moving up as boss again! Never mind Fred you’re still welcome with us!
Cathy Pullen
Director
Steve Goodburn - Chief Sector Marshal Sector 9
As there are so many marshals within the TTMA, it is difficult to know everyone or to be well known, so that leaves me needing to introduce myself. My name is Steve and I live in Laxey. I am a life long motorcycle fanatic, my father owned bikes when I was little and as soon as I was old enough I wanted one. The other great love of my life was the Army which I joined aged sixteen and served in until I moved to the Island in 2002. I have been to some interesting places including Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo. I came to my first TT in 1994 and from then on was determined to live on the Island. Soon after moving here I was asked if I wanted to Marshal for the TT and MGP and my thoughts were that it would be nice to put something back into the events that have given me so much pleasure over the years. In my first year marshalling I moved around trying out different corners and meeting different people and it soon became apparent that we all had the same desire to support the races and help the riders. I completed my first IMC course and found that many of the skills I had learnt in the Army were transferable. I have met some great people through marshalling and made some excellent friends, but the crowd at Ramsey Hairpin really made me welcome and that is where I have stayed until now.
I have a very simplistic view of marshalling for both the TT and the MGP and that is I don’t like politics or ego’s I follow the same methods that served me well in the Army. Put simply if Marshalling matters, the chief marshal or the clerk of the course tell me to do something then I do it, if they say don’t do something well I don’t do it. Life is not black and white but following clear instructions makes my life easy although it can be infuriating for those around me marshalling as I follow the rules to the letter. (ask Brian at the Hairpin, who has put up with me for the last few years). Times have changed and whether we like it or not we now have to follow rules, whether we agree with them or not. Fortunately I had a life time of doing just that in the Army.
I am looking forward to taking on the challenge of a new role within Sector 9 and to meeting the hardy marshals who put up with the bad weather on the mountain. Unfortunately now I can’t sit on the outskirts of Ramsey in the warm any longer, but at least I wont get a telling off from the Radio TT commentators for talking loudly and getting my voice picked up on the air anymore.
Steve Goodburn
Chief Sector Marshal
Prohibited & Restricted Areas
The following text on Prohibited and Restricted areas will appear in the race programs this year:
Interpretation and Definition
The Road Races Act 1982 allows the Department to restrict, prohibit or regulate access to and over certain sections of The Course and land and property adjacent to The Course. For the purposes of this Order and this schedule the following definitions will apply:
RESTRICTED AREA: this area is restricted to race officials and Marshals, Police officers in The Course of their duty and Gold Media Pass holders and vehicles displaying an official pass or approved by the Clerk of The Course. It is not deemed suitable for the general public.
PROHIBITED AREA: this area is prohibited and access is not permitted to anyone, or any vehicle, except to go to the aid of a stricken competitor or to prevent further danger or risk to the competitors or public.
Members of the public who remain in a restricted or prohibited area once the road is closed are not only committing an offence punishable by a fine of up to £2,500 and possible imprisonment , but could also cause the race or practice to be stopped.
Novice Marshals
A review has taken place of the Novice Marshal system that we run, and the following changes have been made:
A Novice marshal is a marshal who has not previously marshalled on the Mountain Course. All Novice Marshals will be issued with a pale yellow Warrant Card.
In order to lose ‘Novice’ status, the marshal must obtain 10 signatures. Signatures are obtained from their Chief Sector Marshal or their Deputies at the conclusion of each session.
Practice sessions count as 1 signature
Signature, Race Days count as 2
Completion of an Incident Management Course counts as 3
Once 10 signatures have been collected on their record card, this should be returned to the Isle of Man TT Marshals Association Limited office, where a new Warrant Card will be provided.
Isle of Man based Novice Marshals may obtain signatures at Andreas Racing Association and Southern 100 meetings.
A reduction in the number of sessions required maybe obtained on production of the following:
You are an A-CU registered marshal
You are a member of a recognised Marshalling Club
Evidence must me produced at the time of collecting you marshalling pack to a Director or the Secretary of the Isle of Man TT Marshals Association Limited.
Age Limit for marshalling on the Mountain Circuit
In order to Marshal for the Isle of Man TT or Manx Grand Prix races you must fit the following criteria:
You must be aged over 16* and be able bodied**
No previous experience is required although you must have viewed the “Introduction to Marshalling” DVD as a minimum
Signed the required indemnities
Read all official instructions, and in particular the “Marshalling Matters” booklet
*Aged between 16 and 18 parental or guardian consent is required
** Less able bodied people are not excluded from marshalling, but should limit their duties to either the TETRA radio or Flag duties. They MUST make any disability known to the Secretary when collecting their pack, and also to their Chief Sector Marshal. They must also inform the Senior Marshal at their location so that appropriate duties can be allocated.
Whilst marshalling on the Mountain Circuit you must not:
Carry or use a camera
Consume alcohol
Be under the influence of alcohol or drugs
Andreas Racing Association
What great weather for the first meeting of 2008 although it was a little chilly at the second round! Hopefully there will be plenty more warm and dry days at Jurby this year.
ARA Limited is always keen to see new faces, so if you want to polish up your marshalling skills and check out who's going to be the hottest up and coming newcomers this year, get yourself along to Jurby Airfield! You'll get the best seats in the house to watch all the action on the airfield and get even closer at the two Jurby South Road meetings!
Signing on for Marshals is in our Marshal's Lounge in the control tower.
For airfield meetings sign on from 09:45 onwards, ready to be in position a 10:30 start. For a road meeting signing on takes place from 11.00 onwards. So that we can be in position ready to start for a 12:45 roads close, we should leave the paddock by 12.30.
For those who intend to marshal and join as a social member before the first meeting they are eligible for a full refund on your annual subs, just bring your marshal's membership card together with your social membership card to the Race Secretary Sarah Blake in the race office or Phil Kneen.
If you have any questions, contact our Chief Marshal Roger Moore on 240888 or email him on roger@manx.net
Our race dates for 2008 are:
Sunday 27th April 2008 - Airfield Championship
Saturday 17th May 2008 - Jurby South Road
Sunday 15th June 2008 - Airfield Championship
Saturday 12th July 2008 - Jurby South Road - National
Sunday 27th July 2008 - Airfield Championship
Sunday 14th September 2008 - Airfield Championship
Sunday 5th October 2008 - 4hr Endurance Race
Keith McKay
Chairman
Andreas Racing Association.
TTMA Forum
As some of you may know, we have a forum, which can be found at:
http://www.ttmaforum.co.uk
We will keep this updated with announcements as and when they are made, but it is also somewhere you can swap stories. I hope you will take a look, and join in some of the discussions on there.
Winter Social Events
The final winter social evening takes place on Wednesday 16th April at the Sulby Glen Hotel starting at 7.30pm. All marshals and prospective marshals are welcome. A complimentary drink will be provided.
Contacts
You can contact our office by email at info@iomttma.com or at the following address:
PO Box 149
Isle of Man TT Marshals Association Limited
Douglas
Isle of Man
IM99 3JA
Tel: +44 (0) 1624 618191
Training enquiries should be emailed to: training@iomttma.com
Our website address is http://www.iomttma.com
Finally
Since the last newsletter I have attended three Incident Management Courses. At the first two in Birkenhead, the turnout was once again exceptional, and there was a good mix of participants - one of the best I have seen. It was good to see so many participants from Yorkshire and Manchester there. Since our return we have begun discussions to hold an Incident Management Course next year in the York/Leeds/Sheffield area and one in the greater Manchester area. I hope everyone who attended enjoyed themselves, and myself, Terry and Martin look forward to seeing you again at the TT or MGP later this year.
In the last month, 89 people have attended an Incident Management Course, giving us a running total of 278 this winter.
As you will have seen above, I have lost one of my DSM’s to Sector 9. Steve has been a trusted DSM within my sector for several years, and I am sure he will be a success up on the mountain this year. I hope everyone concerned on Sector 9 will give him there full support.
And last of all, since this newsletter was written, we have received the news that Roger Hurst has resigned as Chief Marshal. Roger became a CSM in 1994, at the same time as myself, and sat on the committee of the IOMTTMA before becoming Chairman. Roger led the IOMTTMA through many changes over the years, and by the time he resigned from the Company in October last year, we were a far more professional organisation than when we both joined in 1994.
I would just like to say thank you to Roger for all the support he gave me over the years, both on the Committee’s, as a Director, as a CSM and as a competitor at the MGP.
regards
Dave Clarke
Treasurer
RE: TTmarshals newletter - cargo - 11-04-2008
OK Time for a serious question
"RESTRICTED AREA: this area is restricted to race officials and Marshals, Police officers in The Course of their duty and Gold Media Pass holders and vehicles displaying an official pass or approved by the Clerk of The Course. It is not deemed suitable for the general public."
What is it EXACTLY that makes a restricted area to be "not deemed suitable for the general public." ?
RE: TTmarshals newletter - beepee - 11-04-2008
cargo Wrote:OK Time for a serious question
"RESTRICTED AREA: this area is restricted to race officials and Marshals, Police officers in The Course of their duty and Gold Media Pass holders and vehicles displaying an official pass or approved by the Clerk of The Course. It is not deemed suitable for the general public."
What is it EXACTLY that makes a restricted area to be "not deemed suitable for the general public." ?
Could it be because it is a damn good place to watch?
RE: TTmarshals newletter - cargo - 13-04-2008
I've had contact from 2 people regarding my question.................
Interestingly the answer which is to my satisfaction came from the MCUI ?
I feel reassured on this point now................isn't that nice
RE: TTmarshals newletter - thewitch - 13-04-2008
cargo Wrote:I've had contact from 2 people regarding my question.................
Interestingly the answer which is to my satisfaction came from the MCUI ?
I feel reassured on this point now................isn't that nice
Well? Come on... tell us... what does it mean?
