Over 2500 years ago ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “the only constant in life is change.” He was certainly right. I’ve always learned in professional life and in business that if you don’t keep up with change, you run the danger of becoming stagnant. Our club, the Mid-Atlantic Chapter, has gone through a good bit of change in recent years. Change can be controversial. We’re treading in areas we’ve never seen before some say, how do we know it will work out? Having been a forecaster, analyst, and statistical modeler in a past life, I lived in world where we tried to “bind” these risks, put a number on the likelihood on whether they would occur. That’s generally a wise thing to do. There are all sorts of mathematical ways to do that. But in the end, you have to make a decision. Many times, though, using experience and best judgment, and a team approach, will get you where you want to go. That’s why we pair up Judges as teams. We introduce certainty that 2 people, often teamed with senior associates and a team leader, will make the right call. Not making a decision is a decision also.

All that said, I believe we are seeing some of the benefits of the decision to change over the past couple of years. Not big changes. Just refinements of Bylaws, recruiting practices, getting the word out, and judging. We’ve seen changes in NCRS judging practices that I think have benefitted car owners: recognizing that OEM parts are no longer available (standard deductions), recognizing that new, younger people coming into the hobby like highly modified cars to obtain performance and looks. And the racing crowd has been a big tug on all segments of our society that never paid attention to it before. It’s huge. At the core will always be our values. What we do to affect this change. Treating people fairly, giving them a say, respecting their viewpoints, help them understand our practices and our culture. Accept change. If we do this, we will flourish, grow, and move forward.

At our Turner event this past weekend I saw something take shape. Training worked. Teamwork made a difference. Judges didn’t just judge but helped guide owners into positive lanes for making their vehicles more original, but in a rational way. I’ve lived a life of teamwork, and I know it makes a difference. In team building it’s called maturity of the team in experience and combined outlook of purpose. It works. In this issue I’ve included a positive comment from one of our owners, an NCRS long-time member, because it’s instructive and provides evidence that the right approach works.

Now to change that’s hard for me. Seeing people move on. It is another fact of life that is as certain as the weather changes. But how we handle that, too, is important. We’re losing a talented, accomplished Judging Chair, Patricia Callhan, who has influenced NCRS in many positive ways. Also, a diligent Treasurer, and personal friend I will miss, James Robins. They’ve done their part for us, and we must always accept that where they go is always best for them. We have had the great fortune to work and have fun with them and now changes require they move forward. I speak to this in the Spotlight section. The good news is, through our training and assistant positioning programs, we have strong capable replacements and a capable team, trained by them, that will carry us into the next year. Let’s welcome them, help them. At the same time let’s keep our friends close, thank them for their contributions and moving us to where we are now. I look forward to seeing all of you in our next events for the Fall Drive, Annual Meeting, and Christmas Party.

More judging events to come…Enjoy!