Pat Kelly <lollipop@ricochet.net>, who has been around for a while, seen much,
and who takes the time to post reasoned and well-thought out responses instead
of knee-jerk reactions *cough* wrote:
> Paid courseworkers seems a nice touch, but you'd have to have some sort of a
> relief system. Standing out on course in the heat/rain/snow/etc. all day would
> cause a loss of attention by the workers, dontcha think?
Yes, but the nifty thing is you don't have to pay those who are offshift. 25
people working for 8 hours, or 200 people working for 1 hour works out the same
in terms of cost.
Of course, the shorter you want the work shifts, the more people you need to
make it work. At some point, you have more paid workers than you do competitors
- which isn't going to work - so there's obviously a happy medium.
The other side is that too little of an earning potential reduces the desire to
participate in the worker program. A potential paid worker has to make enough
money on the day to make the trip worthwhile. Getting to hang out and watch cool
racecars up close and personal is worth something too, but I think we'd be
hard-pressed to get anyone to work less than about 3 hours at $5/hr.
On a six-hour, 5 station, 5 worker-per-station event, that's 50 people. Cut it
back to 3 people per station, that's 30 people. Make it a 4 station course,
that's 24 people.
...you know, 24 people isn't much. Perhaps you don't need high school kids to
fill that, maybe you can get volenteers at the event to do that - and give them
a free entry (for a minimum 2 hour shift say) instead...
OK, 4 corner stations, 3 people per station, 2 hour work shifts - and you may
have to work more than one shift if the event runs longer than 6 hours - in
exchange for a free entry. That's 36 people. Depending on how much your entry
fee is, that's a cost of somewhere between $360-$720 (you're not paying them
cash - so no IRS - but they don't generate revenue either)
That seems doable - especially if "you don't have to work" increases car counts.
Attract 36 more cars, and you've covered the extra cost.
Alternatively, you could "pay" workers in $5/hour event discounts. Work long
enough, and eventually the event is free.
> On the other hand, I'd bet some folks would be happy
> to pay more just so they wouldn't have to work. Again, the higher costs might
keep
> others out of the sport.
So if we do it this way - recruit our "pro" workers from the on-site
competitors, then you'd have the choice. Either work, and pay less, or not-work,
and pay more.
Hmmm, you could actually raise the price of the event by $5 right from the
get-go, assuming everyone wants to work a 1-hour shift, and then nothing changes
for people who don't mind (or want to) work.
> Another part to consider are the insurance liabilities when paying someone to
> do that is somewhat dangerous. I don't know what those would be.
Wouldn't Club membership cover this?
That, of course, would require a "teenaged worker corps" to be SCCA members -
which might not be a bad thing in of itself.
>I have no answers...
That's what discussion is for. Take one crazy idea, bounce it off enough people,
and see what falls out the bottom. Sometimes it's good, and sometimes not.
But doesn't this beat all hell out of the same old "Street tires/turbos/Type
Rs/subframe connectors" crap?
DG
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