ISSCA broadens as Impala approaches 50

Originally posted by PHANTOM 309:
Pissed off chick?? haha,. now thats funny right there i don't care who you are,.. so i,m a pissed off chick with a forked tongue,.now,. brilliant,.(i guess it is just past the 28th day of the month)
the subject is,.
issca broadening its membership by inviting every f&ckin' other wimpala or dinosauer impala to help it limp thru its financial woes,. if texas had a personality and got along with all the bod's and actually had fun,. instead of trying to run things like a military oeration,. i think things would pick up,how about taking the time to write some words of encouragement,. a joke or two,. instead of the anal retentive attitude that prevails,. why not put you doug,. you rustic (whatever your name is),. noel,. big billy kahuna,mebbe paulie too,.and a few others into the driving seat,. guys that we know,. guys that will give a damn,. guys that laugh and joke together poke fun at each other and the rest of us etc,. and could generate an atmosphere of fun,.guys that would actually talk about where things are or aren't going, before it happens,.guys that wouldn't bother sneaking around behind each others backs etc,. guys that might take the time to e-mail some mouthpiece like me and tell'em whats what and mebbe how far outta line or off base they are,.Howsabowt a board of directors and a president that are really enthusiastic? Mebbe some one who has the time and inclination to go and visit the various clubs and their presidents and give em some support? mebbe even share a beer or two,. (there you go lancy boy pick that word apart (howzabowt)
Why doesn't issca buy this forum,. the other one is stone cold,and on life support,
Smart move getting grail to host the nationals, they know how to do a show,.(will your resignation be posted the day of the nationals lance?? or after?)
Lets face it,. the reason that buick sedans and wagons, and caddys, caprice sedans and wagons, and impala's all hang together is because of the common powerplant,common tranny, common rear ends,. The LT1 that's what's the common denominator,the reverse cooled mpfi chevy V8 that we all love so,. not a friggin v6 fwd or something with a carb,and drum brakes,.
You want me to be blunt? Fire the present leadership thats draining the life blood out of issca,. and put people in that care,.christ when you've got a perfect mouthpiece PRO like Big billy Kahuna and even he doesn't last a year?
Billy Harper didn't last a year? now there was a dedicated enthusiastic fella willing to unselfishly donate time effort and resources to the cause,.he's retired too so he could definitely have devoted some time,.
Fair enough? full steam ahead,. the hillbillies aren't smart enough to understand what i,m alluding to,. so there you have it,.
Nick
ps Doug,. there are good reasons for me not stepping up,. i,d be looking to be too vindictive for comments made against me,.i don't play nice, and much like the present administration i call things as i see 'em so recognizing my limitations and forked toungue and pms problems it'd be counter productive to invite me to play,. just invite me to pay and i'll step up. [/QB]

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Ok... now we're getting somewhere. It's obvious you have formed an opinion about Rick M. and his management style. So, I'd like to ask how you formed this opinion? Have you worked with the man? Have you attended any meeting with him? It kind of sounds like you're being feed information.

It's funny that I heard some of the same complaints when Harvey was Pres. He was too pushy, too heavy handed, didn't like his style... blah, blah, blah. I just don't get it.... we all handle things differently; it's the intention that's important.

Do you think Rick has intentions that are not for the good of the club? If you do then that's important and I want to hear them. If you don't then you're acting/speaking out of emotion instead of logic. (back to my pi$$ed off chick example again).

You have a nice idea about who else COULD be Pres, but guess what, none of them stepped up and put their name in the hat, including me. Weather you like his style or not, you have to respect Rick for being willing to do the job. It takes a lot of time and effort. And although I like your idea of telling jokes and drinking beer... real work still needs to get done.

noel,. big billy kahuna,mebbe paulie too,.and a few others into the driving seat,. guys that we know,. guys that will give a damn,. guys that laugh and joke together poke fun at each other and the rest of us etc,. and could generate an atmosphere of fun,.guys that would actually talk about where things are or aren't going, before it happens,.guys that wouldn't bother sneaking around behind each others backs etc,. guys that might take the time to e-mail some mouthpiece like me and tell'em whats what and mebbe how far outta line or off base they are,.Howsabowt a board of directors and a president that are really enthusiastic?

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This section confuses me a bit. You list a bunch of the current Directors and say that maybe they should take over the driver seat. Then you say you need a BoD that's really enthusiastic. Are you saying that the current Bod isn't??
Who's doing this "sneaking around"??? And what are they trying to do??

Communication is not perfect across a National Club... and the BoD needs to work on that amongst themselves and with the members.

We're gonna just have to keep our eye on the prize if this club is to prosper... all this petty crap will just hold us back.

[ 06-01-2007, 06:15 PM: Message edited by: Rustic ]

We're having a similar discussion within The HERD.
Here's my thoughts.

... from my point of view ... it all has to do with PARTICIPATION. And with ISSCA there's a lack of it. The HERD survives because enough of the membership participates ... meetings, events, license plates (just barely), and the like. "By the Members ... For the Members" is great if the Members get off their duffs and participate. It's not like the Jelly of the Month Club. You pony up, then sit on your butt and wait for your monthly surprise. I can understand the struggle of a national club. Lack of interest and participation due to the fact that a local club can meet the needs of the local members better. Local events, local meetings, local friends, etc. A national club sounds great ... in theory ... but it's tough to keep everyone involved and participating. So ... ISSCA is trying to increase the level of participation by broadening the Nats to include Impy's made before and after our model years. I don't blame them one bit. Not saying I agree with them. My opinion is that they shouldn't have to resort to this ... if the level of MEMBER PARTICIPATION was where it should be. As far as the level of concern I've read thus far ... it is warranted. You ... we ... should all be concerned. There's a chance that ... some day ... the older and/or newer Impala owners will take over what you ... we ... started. Because for me ... letting in "the other guys" doesn't reduce my Impy one bit in any way, shape or form. But it does give rise to thoughts of failure.

The writing's on the wall people. Read it ... accept it or do something about it.

- Tony
HERD #690
HERD WebMaster
ISSCA# 1960
ISSCA Nats. PARTICIPANT

ya 1 balled monkey puppet.
Nick
ps who's this bob fandango guy anyway? does he know how to drive?

What's it to you, you gonna come down and challenge me on the road course, or drags, or autocross?

......or perhaps shots?????????????

""texas was code for rick mathews ok? the secret's out now,."

Wow! Really??? How could we have ever cracked THAT code?


Well then, since you only despise 1 person, not the entire state, be sure to stop in and visit Big Tex sometime!

Buh-Bye!

* I thought that there allready was a club "Impala club of America" or some such name that only deals with the 58 thru 69 cars.

* How is the word going to get out to these other Impala owners that this National Convention is open to all year models in time to do any good at this late date.

* If we are going to include other series of Impalas it should really be limited to only "SS" variants, agreed??

* If money is the only problem, I vote to keep the club exclusive and simply raise the dues. $100.00 a year should really be no problem, For what I spend each year on Mods/Repairs/Up-keep on my 2 B-bodies (one is an Impala SS) another $60.00 a year is not going to make much diffirence, and my car is not anywhere near as nice or as well financed as some of the cars I see on this forum, in other words, I do not spend anywhere near the money some members do. So I don't believe that the money is not out there. If you guys want exclusivity it looks like it is going to cost you a few exrta dollars, or the model mix is going to get watered down a bit, not desireable in this members opinion, OH that's right, nobody asked.
Quite frankly, in this day and age $40.00 a year is a joke, that may work with a group of 5000 or something like that, but 400. $40.00 won't even buy 13 gal of premium where I live. Single marque clubs are expensive, especially with this limmitd a membership.

Just a few things to think about

See you in St.Louis in 2 weeks.

Bob McCoy
1994 Impala SS T-56'ed
1995 Caprice Classic Wagon

[ 06-01-2007, 05:45 AM: Message edited by: bmccoy94 ]

Originally posted by Area51Perf:
Let me know when it's safe for ISSCA to remember why it was founded and it's original scope and purpose, so I can come back in from the garage.

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Paul - I asked that question on the first page of this thread back on 5/25, but nobody wanted to talk about it. My position is not that the decision is necessarily wrong, but that a decision to change the direction of the Club of this magnitude should involve the membership. The only answer I got was "Well, we had to do something". Still doesn't make it right. But my opinion apparently isn't shared by the majority, so I've just been lying low and observing.

And before anyone re-states that the intention is only to broaden the scope of this National event as an exploratory "what if" exercise, take a close look at the announcement on the first page of the official ISSCA website:

Time to bring them together.

The ISSCA Board of Directors voted and ratified a measure to allow all badged Impala’s to participate in the ISSCA Nationals. This is a first step to making ISSCA “The” Impala SS Club of America. Impala’s from 1958 to 2007 are invited to attend and participate in the 2007 ISSCA National Convention of Membership being held this year at The Gateway International Raceway.

The ISSCA Motto is "By the Members... For the Members". Clearly the decision has already been made to change the overall scope of the club without member involvement. This might be conceived as being "For the Members", but it certainly is not "By the Members". That is my only issue with this whole situation.

[ 06-01-2007, 08:17 AM: Message edited by: LeadSSled ]

"i thinks wudsy was on the money with the 'GUMP remark,. i thought that was funny,.because i thought it applied to you,.."

ANOTHER misconception by Nick!

OK, Getting back on topic, I've read three pages of this now and so much of it has been superflous chit chat.

Here's what has to happen, since nobody else will say it I will. The club will remain true to its charter and mission statement as stated several posts back. No one is interested here (in our National club environment anyway) in carbs and drum brakes nor intrested in front drivers. There are plenty of local car events where we can go and show our cars along with many other fine cars, early Chevys, Fords, Hot Rods, Ricers, FWD's etc. which I'm sure to some extent intrestes all of us. This is OUR national club for cars of OUR intrest, We can not be watering down the model mix. I like to talk to others about their ideas of what their kind of car means to them and see some other intresting ideas as they might pertain to other make and model of special intrest cars. That is what the local multi-make shows are for, or on a national level for diffirent makes there is always the Woodward Dream cruse, Power tour, All GM Nationals at Carlisle, Rod-O-Rama, and others. This is a discussion of the 94 to 96 Impala SS cars and their 91 to 96 GM B-body derivatives.

If Money is a problem then a dues increase will need to be assesed. Up @20.00 a year for starters, more if necessary. If it is a fact of life then it is a fact of life, get over it.

Since the cost of a national convention has been mentioned as a factor in all this "opening up" discussion crap then eleminate the yearly thing. A National Convention every two years would not be the end of the world. They are expensive to attend, at least for this Impala SS'er.(out of the 5 National events so far this one in St.Louis will be my first). Not only will this cut the cost of putting on the event (cutting it in halve on a yearly average basis) but attendance will be way up, maybe even double and could even have the potential of being a money maker. Face it, If this is what it takes this is what it takes. We've got to learn to live in the world we've created.

As far as the name of OUR club being The Impala SS Club of America and not allowing other years or model types then the name will have to be changed if it is a problem. I, for one, do not see anything wrong with the name just the way it is. Anyone who wants to join that has an intrest in the 94-96 Impala SS or stated derivites will allways be welcome as they have in the past, however,to enter or compete in ISSCA activities the car entered must be one of the cars presently stated in OUR mission statement.

As far as the carb/drum brake cars and the FWD's being welcome in St.Louis this will be a one time thing only. That cat is allready out of the bag on that one. The President of the club and the BOD must be put on notice that major decissions or actions in violation of the club charter, by-laws, or mission statement are out of the question. I realize that the leadership can not(as Gene Zelby pointed out a few posts earlier) consult with the membership on everything, making day to day decissions are what we elected them for, but a move as drastic and far reaching as this one under discussion in this thread really needs a heads up given to the membership and the membership has to show some willingness (SP) to go along, and really, if it violates the club charter even that is not enough aurothization to proceed. As I've pointed out above there are suitable alternatives to deal with the club problems that let us continue to flourish within our origional guidelines.

We all agree, right?

Bob McCoy
ISSCA # 00161
1994 Impala SS T-56'ed
1995 Caprice Wagon

[ 06-02-2007, 06:31 PM: Message edited by: bmccoy94 ]

There’s been a lot of discussion, finger pointing, innuendo and such regarding the vote / move the Board of Directors of ISSCA took. So let’s start by setting the record straight.
The vote was to simply allow any badged Impala to participate in our national event. Not to change the class of cars ISSCA is focused on. ISSCA is still true to its charter (as posted by Paul) and still true to it’s focus. What is wrong with expanding the market? What is wrong with allowing other owners of Impala’s to come and see just what is special about ISSCA? And just what would be wrong if some wished to support ISSCA by joining. Nothing in our charter states one has to own one of the prescribed autos to be a member.

For years the BoD herd “I want to go to the Nationals but I don’t want to join ISSCA” This year we voted to let “non-members” participate and attend the Nationals. We didn’t hear any objections. With the lack of corporate sponsors and event sponsors and vendor support we’re facing a large deficit, canceling the Nationals is not an option since many of the contracts have a large cancellation clause. Since our goal is to promote the Impala SS (as stated in the bylaws) and to keep the club functioning to accomplish the goals in the bylaws and since we cater to a special breed of car people (Impala SS owners – B & D bodies etc.) it makes sense to invite all Impala owners.

Will this be a move that upsets some, no doubt, will it be a move that helps ISSCA, no doubt. Will we see much impact this year, not really. Is it planned with the 50th anniversary of the Impala in sight, absolutely!

I’m proud of the directors who voted to keep ISSCA going, who share a passion for ISSCA and understand inviting the other Impala’s doesn’t dilute ISSCA. And yes among the goals I have for ISSCA listed at the top is that ISSCA is THE Impala SS Club of America.

Rick Matthews, President
ISSCA

Originally posted by HighwaySS:


And yes among the goals I have for ISSCA listed at the top is that ISSCA is THE Impala SS Club of America.

Rick Matthews, President
ISSCA

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Hmm i think that your personal agenda is contrary to some of the memberships wishes,. do you see your self as president of an all encompassing GM corporate sponsored club?( bigger office space? more money for expenses? full time GM sponsored gig for you?)If so then great for you, pursue it,
reach your goals , acheive your dreams, but not as president of ISSCA. Perhaps then you need to buy the name from ISSCA and pursue your own agenda of an all encompassing Impala club,. if and when it succeeds,. you then need to ask the 91- 96 cars if they would like to join,as a subsidiary of the greater national scene. I also think its presumptious of you to have any sort of personal goals for ISSCA,. if i remember correctly it's by the members for the members etc,. if the members wish to keep it exclusive to the marques' that ISSCA was created for, then so be it,.
Could you publicly now please post what other goals you personally have for Issca,.
and if the membership doesn't like your personal vision of where the club should be going,. is there a mechanism in place within the iscca charter that can, after due process have you removed as president for acting on matters that are contrary to the wishes of the majority of members?
IF there is such a mechanism,. and it needs to be brought into play,. then hell i'll pay my back two years of dues,. and the next 5yrs at any new higher rate as necessary,. just so i can vote and have a voice in that matter. Your vision as president should be to listen to your membership and act on their wishes,. even if it is, in your opinion, detrimental to the clubs position. You also have a responsibility as president to keep the membership informed of any changes being considered, any financial problems,. any administrative problems, any BOD problems etc,.
In fact as has been stated before, communication to members has been witheld on more than 1 occasion, and has caused drama, and aggravation after major decisions have been made and acted upon. They've been written off as growing pains,. learning curves,. people like myself have been asked not to make a fuss,. or complain, all for the good of ISSCA, if you complain or voice your concenrs, you're hurting ISSCA, just let the prez and the BOD do as they think fit,. now what is ISSCA about to become? Something else entirely?
I personally think you should step aside and pass the job onto someone that cares solely for the cars that the club was formed to represent, instead of your now publicly stated agenda, which is to promote a much larger club of an entirely different nature. My only way to protest these transgressions in the past was to simply stop paying my dues,. ( i wonder how many others have thought the same) The spera saga, (bylaws have since been changed so that doesn't happen again) the loss of MISSL, the sudden resignation of Bill Harper (he's too much of a gentleman to air the underhanded politics surrounding his leaving) The lack of magazine issues, the poor distribution of said magazine, i personally didn't get all the magazines due me during the 5yrs of membership) Now the decision to add non marque cars to the nationals,
jm2c as a lapsed member.
Nick
ps lance,. no misconception, you dummy,. you're still lacking the intelligence enough to recognise insults to you, you are gonna resign as pro after the nationals right?