Glad to see another class of judging is coming down the line from NCRS.

[Carl N.]

Re: For what its worth

Glad to see it happen. Would have taken my old '65 to Denver, but knew the welcome mat would not extend to the chipped paint, American Mags, Hurst Shifter and BFG TA's the old girl wears with pride.

[Donald M.]

Re: Glad to see another class of judging is coming down the line from NCRS.

I'd heard about this new class for lightly modified cars, but I don't know where to look for judging standards. Does anybody have that information?

My '54 Corvette might be spot on for this class. My car has (So I have been told.) the most pristine body and interior they have ever see. It is arrow straight, never wrecked (not even a ding), and with an interior to die for. The chrome is perfect. All the gauges work, clock and radio work, all lights work, and as well as I can determine the car has a correct engine although I am not sure about all the little parts.

Here's what I've done that's not exactly NCRS holy grail standard. My car has rack & pinion steering, a TH350 transmission, Dayton wire wheels, and radial ply tires.

Does this sound like a car that would fit in the Sportsman class?

Don Moses
Bayview, TX

[Reba W.]

Re: Glad to see another class of judging is coming down the line from NCRS.

[QUOTE=Donald G Moses (61076);757974]I'd heard about this new class for lightly modified cars, but I don't know where to look for judging standards. Does anybody have that information?

Everything is in the development stage. I believe a draft is to be presented at the March National Board meeting. Normally, all judging additions and changes begin after a convention. That is assuming (and yes, Terry M, I know about that) that all criteria has been decided on and written.

[Jim H.]

Re: Glad to see another class of judging is coming down the line from NCRS.

I look forward to reading the details of the new judging class and see it as a welcome step in the direction of broadening NCRS's appeal. After attending a lot of non-NCRS car shows with the intention of competing, I've decided they're mostly a waste of time. When I go to them now, I'm only interested in getting a parking space on the field and not in the public parking lot. You learn nothing and the judging decisions are erratic. By contrast, NCRS meets yield lots of valuable information about Corvettes and in my experience are very friendly whether you're entered, judging, and/or observing. Sure, there are owners who are "trapped a little tight" about their cars (maybe, more properly, the payoff on their investment in their cars) and you may meet a judge or two who is self-important, but on the whole they're a cool bunch. NCRS' rigor and knowledge base are unriveled and our becoming more inclusive means we'll share this with a broader audience on a more inclusive basis. I doubt the sportsman concourse award will be confused by any knowledgeable person with the flight judging awards.

JCH

[Larry E.]

Re: Glad to see another class of judging is coming down the line from NCRS.

What is the latest news on the following story?? Anything new?? Larry

Reading from the latest "Corvette Restorer" under the "Judging Chairman's Message" that the NCRS is working on another
form of judging called "NCRS Sportsman Concours Judging". Should be interesting how they will work out all the details. This may
make a way for some rare Corvettes to get judged that don't have the GM paperwork to go along with their cars. (Or have the paperwork and don't want to release them to nobody.) Larry

[Vinnie P.]

Re: Glad to see another class of judging is coming down the line from NCRS.

Still in the discussion stages, will be on the agenda for the National Board Meeting on the 18th of March.

[Larry E.]

Re: Glad to see another class of judging is coming down the line from NCRS.

Should be interesting if there will be enough time to implement this class at the end of the Judging season.
(Somewhere around Aug/Sept.) Trying to plan my trips this year and hard to do with so many unknowns at
this time. Hopefully it will work out. Larry

[Frank D.]

Re: Glad to see another class of judging is coming down the line from NCRS.

I look forward to reading the details of the new judging class and see it as a welcome step in the direction of broadening NCRS's appeal. After attending a lot of non-NCRS car shows with the intention of competing, I've decided they're mostly a waste of time. When I go to them now, I'm only interested in getting a parking space on the field and not in the public parking lot. You learn nothing and the judging decisions are erratic. By contrast, NCRS meets yield lots of valuable information about Corvettes and in my experience are very friendly whether you're entered, judging, and/or observing. Sure, there are owners who are "trapped a little tight" about their cars (maybe, more properly, the payoff on their investment in their cars) and you may meet a judge or two who is self-important, but on the whole they're a cool bunch. NCRS' rigor and knowledge base are unriveled and our becoming more inclusive means we'll share this with a broader audience on a more inclusive basis. I doubt the sportsman concourse award will be confused by any knowledgeable person with the flight judging awards.

JCH

Well stated - I think the new judging class is a great idea... And, yes, judges' decisions can be erratic. I won't revisit my 63 judging experience so as not to get another thread closed.... We'll see what happens...

[James G.]

Re: Glad to see another class of judging is coming down the line from NCRS.

FINALLY, there is now some open minded folks within the NCRS organization!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've been an NCRS member since 78, but have VERY RARELY attended events simply because of the close minded attitude toward owners/cars that were not St Louis correct (which I've insisted all along is/has been a big mistake!). Over the years, I've seen SOOOOOOOOOOOOO many potential Corvette owners turned away/turned off because of the NCRS primadonna "if it ain't factory correct" attitude, we don't want you. In my opinion, this has hurt NCRS. And it would appear that now, some people are finally waking up to this. A Corvette is a Corvette is a Corvette. And yes, I FULLY UNDERSTAND and recognize the purpose of judging to a standard. And it is really nice to see cars which have either been maintained to, or restored to original factory condition. But snubbing other owners because their car is not factory correct has been the wrong direction for NCRS to go (that's my story, I've stuck to it and I still stick to it).

I went RACING........ALL CORVETTE DRAGS at OCIR by CORVETTES OF SO CAL 1961-1983? era. WE HAD FUN !! My 57 won its class in 1978. Made 15 passes, all with a 327/350hp engine and a early 4360 injerctor. Well, the vin was 288 so it needed a correct injector yes? I learned the numbers from NCRS friends. Texas Chapter member Ray Kimminau sold me the car after he had DRAG raced it with his 1968 L-88 engine when it ran in the 9's second bracket. I won with a 14.03 and had consistent passes, IN THE 14.01-14.05 time zone. My wife Dee was a DQ in POWDER PUFF lunch time girls only with a 13.55. She could not understand why she lost when she drove faster than others an d was first across the line. BRACKET RACING.

WE HAD FUN in these days, and no NUMBER MATCHING. Enjoy the experience Tom. Life is short.

[Peter L.]

Re: Glad to see another class of judging is coming down the line from NCRS.

I hope they hurry up. My car still goes as fast as it used to but I don't.
Pete

[Michael J.]

Re: Glad to see another class of judging is coming down the line from NCRS.

I hope they hurry up. My car still goes as fast as it used to but I don't.
Pete

[Greg C.]

Re: Glad to see another class of judging is coming down the line from NCRS.

Wow!
Lots of good nuggets in this thread. Seems like there is a bunch of stuff going on in the NCRS, and if it starts with more transparency, maybe there will be good changes to make the club more healthy, robust, and able to charge on into the future.

I spend more time at the CF then here because the path is a little wider and you can wander a bit.. while on this forum, if things stray into the NCRS management or have questions about “why we do it this way”? You get hit over the head with the “it’s a technical board not a forum" hammer.

Change is always hard, and there seems to be a lot of fear/angst on both sides of the "NCRS needs to Change" argument.

“It will help attract new blood as not everyone wants a restored Corvette.

“I look forward to reading the details of the new judging class and see it as a welcome step in the direction of broadening NCRS's appeal.

“NCRS needs to embrace ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL forms of Corvettes!!! Everything from the struggling little guy all the way up to the "money is no object for me" person”.

“I agree with Tom P. 100%.....a Corvette...is a Corvette...is a Corvette.....I like what the General did...but like them all..Get a life NCRS”

I’d love to have heard the conversation that went on behind making a decision to have a new class of judging. Especially if it was in order to attract more folks to the NCRS.

It was a quick quip, and you might of missed it but I think Joe C nailed it when he added…

JOE C: And what makes you think that the condescension will end if and when the new judging class comes into being?

One of the biggest problems the NCRS goes up against is its perception -by its own members and by most non-members

People’s Perception is their reality, whether it is based on fact or not. Having a “Perception Problem" has not been that big a deal for the NCRS in the first 40 years of its life because, there were enough people in the organization, and it was doing something that hadn’t been done on this type of scale before, that they could just tell folks that didn’t like it (in or out of the organization) to “SOD OFF”.


But its 2016.

I would imagine the average age of the Membership is 65+ and if the organization is going to last past 2025, something has to happen to bring new blood into the organization.

That to me, is the discussion we need to have. Having pretty ribbons to put on Rest-o-mods and Super-Restored cars probably isn’t going to do it.

The NCRS needs to expand its membership (and hopefully, some in the 30-50 crowd), more than it needs a new class to Judge. And that is where our discussion to should be focused.

NCRS' core business is Judging/Restoring Cars to their Factory appearance and helping folks meet that goal. In my opinion, that is a good thing and doesn’t need to change. But maybe it shouldn’t be “the only thing we do”. My guess is that there is a good amount of NCRS members that join because of what they can learn about their cars AND to meet with and be around Corvette Minded people. That I think is the key. The more people involved, the more "Corvette minded" people we have under the tent flaps, the better chance we have of going forward.

Some of those people might even take an interest in stock cars and restoring them to “top flight” status. And some of those folks with Top flight cars might even be tempted to find a basket case and Rest-Mod it with modern conveniences...

We won’t interest ALL of them in stock restorations of course, but no matter what your Corvette interest, you can still help get the Kegs out of the truck... right?

The bottom line is, the more folks we have under the tent, the better our chances of club longevity.... and our ability to pursue that core business.

I find it amazing that a NCRS national convention could be in your city, and folks that “like” Corvettes don’t know about it. I am from VA Beach, and while I signed up to go to the convention when it was next door in Hampton, VA, a few years ago, I couldn’t go because my both my parents ended up in the hospital and I couldn’t get away on the Convention weekend.

The following weekend, there was a local car show that I did get a chance to go to and saw a slew of C1, 2s and 3s. I asked the owners if they had gone to the Big NCRS convention, and almost to a man, they said, “I didn’t know about it” OR “I don’t have THEIR TYPE OF CAR”.

We have a perception problem folks.

I would think that if the national convention goes to a state, we could contact every Corvette Club and/or Chevy dealership within 500 miles and offer them Free Passes to come and see what is going on.

Then I would make sure that there were things for them to do and see while there. It seems like one of the biggest attractions of the Conventions are going on trips AWAY from the conventions to see museums & local land marks… and restaurants.

I'd make it a ticket to “Corvette World” where you get to see everything from top flight cars to those funky C3 Station wagons. There are bound to be some Shriners around that still own Corvettes of all years… wouldn’t it be cool to see them do their Corvette acrobatics again? Even if it was 7 Cars (C1-7) of the same color, it would be a hoot.

Think out of the box…. Have an Annual NCRS/Corvette quilt making competition… my wife would love that, and she doesn’t eve quilt! I am sure one of the Car channels/shows would love to broadcast what is going on. How about having a "NCRS" challenge, where you bring in a C1/2/3/4 on the previous Saturday, and have a 24 live broadcast/live stream of a top flight restoration... and have the car Judged the Saturday of the Convention? Think the Corvette Supply houses wouldn't want in on that to have their banner blazing in the background?

Nowhere in this is ditching the Judging standards or taking away from the core business. We implemented a classified ad section here and the sky didn’t fall (remember that heated debate?)

I know that there are some that would rather see the NCRS burn to the ground than change just a little to be better prepared for the future… but don’t think of it as NCRS changing so much, as the perception of the NCRS changing.

[Bill C.]

Re: Glad to see another class of judging is coming down the line from NCRS.

Wow!
I know that there are some that would rather see the NCRS burn to the ground than change just a little to be better prepared for the future… but don’t think of it as NCRS changing so much, as the perception of the NCRS changing.

Greg
that was a very well thought out response and it pretty much says what a lot of people think and feel.

The last piece that I quoted is 1000% the truth.
the club has a real perception problem. I hope someone from the BOD reads you post.
I find myself always defending the organization because people think we are a bunch of pretentious so-and-so's ... with big sticks in our rear-ends and noses stuck in the air.

I will always be part of the group, simply because of all the great people I have met and friends I have made over the years.
And I love Corvettes a WHOLE LOT.

my 2 cents anyways.

Bill

[William F.]

Re: Glad to see another class of judging is coming down the line from NCRS.

Do what you want to your Corvette; it's not illegal, but to me, it sure hurts when I see a split window with fender flares, paint with metallic particles as big as dimes in a color not found in nature, etc. Reminds me of white patten leather platform shoes and matching belt worn with big gold chains back in the 70's and 80's. Some of these mods give the Porche and BMW crowd ammunition to snicker at all us Corvette types. I applaud the NCRS for providing knowledge about the correct restoration and upkeep of Corvettes and hope this will continue to be the core mission of the organization . If you don't want to have your Corvette judged TFP standards, nobody is making you. A correctly restored C1 or midyear, and some of the C3's with certain engine options are considered classics and will be considered classics in years and generations to come, similar to MB 300 SL's and certain old Ferraris.

[Larry E.]

Re: Glad to see another class of judging is coming down the line from NCRS.

Should be interesting if there will be enough time to implement this class at the end of the Judging season.
(Somewhere around Aug/Sept.) Trying to plan my trips this year and hard to do with so many unknowns at
this time. Hopefully it will work out. Larry

I have all but given up on the idea of bringing a Corvette for the above this year. Didn't realize it would take so
long to implement. Here we are in almost July already. O well maybe next year. Larry