Homeschoolers Not Welcome at Spur MTB League

[Skubarra]

Actually no, I think you have missed the big picture. 

 

 

I do not support  attacks on the financial supporter of a cycling discipline.  PERIOD. 

 

You risk the ENTIRE series by continuing with this BS hate on Spur

 

 

I have never mentioned Spur on this thread (until this post)

 

I also do not support any attack on Spur & have no idea why you would think I would support it.

 

Attacking sponsors is a completely different line of argument that has nothing to do with what I have been saying.

 

If you actually read what I'm writing before throwing around insults we have a much better chance of having a constructive discussion.

[ChrisF]

So what have we learnt  ?

 

1) there are a couple of rational thinkers on the forum

2) Gauteng has too many kids for the format of the SPUR league .... 

3) Home-schooled kids in the Western Cape may ride the events, but accumulate ZERO points, ie ghost riders ...

4) a fair number of members on this forum are homeschooling their kids ....

5) the homeschooling system has changed since 2010 .... the parents dont have to register a school any more, their kids are enrolled at one of the many home schooling companies out there ...

6) and most importantly - those that proclaim to have not eaten at the SPUR for years have the most to say about price, quality and service levels .... We actually DO eat at the SPUR, and frankly there are more expensive places with worse service .....  They put money back to support the sport our kids enjoy, I will continue to support them.  Debating the rules can actually be done without biting the hand that feeds you .....

 

 

 

PS - I have been "exposed" to the homeschooling thing for about 5 or 6 years, been roped in to teach one subject to my niece .... seeing the system, seeing the material, and watching the bigger picture from a slight distance ...... 

[Slowbee]

So what have we learnt  ?

 

1) there are a couple of rational thinkers on the forum

2) Gauteng has too many kids for the format of the SPUR league .... 

3) Home-schooled kids in the Western Cape may ride the events, but accumulate ZERO points, ie ghost riders ...

4) a fair number of members on this forum are homeschooling their kids ....

5) the homeschooling system has changed since 2010 .... the parents dont have to register a school any more, their kids are enrolled at one of the many home schooling companies out there ...

6) and most importantly - those that proclaim to have not eaten at the SPUR for years have the most to say about price, quality and service levels .... We actually DO eat at the SPUR, and frankly there are more expensive places with worse service .....  They put money back to support the sport our kids enjoy, I will continue to support them.  Debating the rules can actually be done without biting the hand that feeds you .....

 

 

 

PS - I have been "exposed" to the homeschooling thing for about 5 or 6 years, been roped in to teach one subject to my niece .... seeing the system, seeing the material, and watching the bigger picture from a slight distance ...... 

we dont see any videos of your niece on a bicycle ............ the biased educators they produce these days.

 

*insert comic sans italics where you want*

[BaGearA]

Our humblest apologies for sponsoring at great expense and time schools cycling for the past decade.

Apologies as well for building up something beautiful that gives kids a great platform to showcase their talents at a school level.

this was a fair response ^

[Rocket-Boy]

I've let the relevant persons involved in this specifically know of this thread - there will be feedback, please just remain calm and sensible for a moment 

Says the guy with a wooden spoon as his profile pic       

[Shaun Green]

Good evening!

 

We are pleased to announce that Amarider, the organizers of this league, have contacted us and have expressed a desire for meaningful engagement with homeschoolers.

 

Please note that this was not a call to boycott any of the sponsors. The cycling community would be poorer for the loss of their support.

 

We will keep you updated on how the discussions progress.

 

Thank you all for your support so far. Let's give the organisers a chance to improve this for all parties.

 

And if you were planning to eat at Spur, please do. You might even bump into the Greens.

[Edition 507]

Good evening!

 

We are pleased to announce that Amarider, the organizers of this league, have contacted us and have expressed a desire for meaningful engagement with homeschoolers.

 

Please note that this was not a call to boycott any of the sponsors. The cycling community would be poorer for the loss of their support.

 

We will keep you updated on how the discussions progress.

 

Thank you all for your support so far. Let's give the organisers a chance to improve this for all parties.

 

And if you were planning to eat at Spur, please do. You might even bump into the Greens.

Ah, the persuasiveness of a constructive engagement on a public forum. Glad to hear Mr Green.

[MDJ]

Awesome update, hopefully we have a happy ending for everyone!

 

I do very much appreciate the league and Spurs’ sponsorship; it has done great things for mountain biking and cycling in general will be stronger for it. In my opinion a sponsor is quite influential in these matters, especially when their name features so prominently. Supporting an event financially doesn’t absolve you from listening to feedback on where you can improve/reconsider rules/make recommendations. If anything the debate ensures considering multiple points of view and a better understanding of the issue.

 

I’m personally happy to support Spur, it’s a South African company and yes the fact that they are kid/family friendly and support this event is definitely a plus in my book. Thank you Spur for the response and thanks to the league for considering the feedback!

[Slowbee]

As a total sideways question - is Mr Botha still involved with amarider?

[gtr1]

I really hope this was a sarcastic comment. With the rate of races losing main sponsorship, it's tough as it is out there for races to continue. Who will take their place?

Just a wee bit sarcastic.

[Shaun Green]

As a total sideways question - is Mr Botha still involved with amarider?

Yes

[Kranswurm]

As a total sideways question - is Mr Botha still involved with amarider?

Why the original poster and all the howling vigilantes baying for the sponsors blood did not address the actual organisers directly in the first place beats me

[Iwan Kemp]

wrong:

http://varsitymtbchallenge.co.za/2017/03/enter-now-varsity-mtb-challenge-2017/

"Varsity MTB Challenge is the only mountain bike race in South Africa with a unique university twist, whereby each participant (and team) rides for the university of his or her choice. This does not mean that riders need to be students. This race is for everyone."

 

Not sure if this has been replied to. Varsity cup does indeed allow "outside" participation, but as "fun runners" - basically a different category that can win a prize on the day, but does not influence the elites or actual uni team who are students at the university and amass points for their university. 

 

Back when I spoke to them this was done to boost numbers and make the events financially sustainable. 

 

If applied to the SCHOOL'S LEAGUE then we should be happy to have our kids participate as privates and not let them amass points. This will have to be in a completely separate race as they will influence official school riders - not sure this will be practical. 

 

Just a question: isn't this the exact risk you consider when deciding to homeschool? As far as I know one always had to go to a school in the area and state your case to get your ki to participate. 

 

As others have said, the School Series is an inter-school series, not focused on individual kids (although they can make or break a team). SCHOOL vs SCHOOL. To race for a school you need to be a scholar of it. That makes sense to me, no? Not sure if or why it will be applied differently other than it run and administered by different parties up there and down here.

 

It is has ONLY JUST moved under the umbrella so maybe this will be on the agenda to get sorted. Let's contribute in a constructive way to its future.

[Iwan Kemp]

Good evening!

 

We are pleased to announce that Amarider, the organizers of this league, have contacted us and have expressed a desire for meaningful engagement with homeschoolers.

 

Please note that this was not a call to boycott any of the sponsors. The cycling community would be poorer for the loss of their support.

 

We will keep you updated on how the discussions progress.

 

Thank you all for your support so far. Let's give the organisers a chance to improve this for all parties.

 

And if you were planning to eat at Spur, please do. You might even bump into the Greens.

 

 

Expected nothing less. As said above, Amarider has just taken over the running of the league countrywide, there will be lots to do as it is before this curveball.

 

On Spur: they are a sponsor of an existing league / series. They are pitched and then decide to sign up or not. They don't make the rules and stipulate the details, I'm sure they can ask or suggest but not sure beyond that. Should we boycott Castle cause the governing body says a player must spend X amount of time playing in SA to eligible for the national team? Nope. 

 

Kudos to Spur and all the people behind the league, the way it has exploded is only good and without them cycling will and would've stayed a niche sport. The skill and quality of kids coming through the ranks is incredible and will be GREAT for our country on international level. Great for bike sales, great for events, great for everyone on the sideline who directly or indirectly benefit.

[Iwan Kemp]

Perhaps let the kid race in the series, just exclude her from any points.

 

In theory, yes. But when this gets REALLY competitive this will be the first allowance that people and teachers will cry fowl about. A ghost rider can influence a race and other rider's results.

 

Yes, on paper if you finished 6th with one ghost rider in front of you then you are bumped to 5th - easy. But what if the ghost rider held you back enough to not be able to have caught the 4th placed rider? Fight, fights all over the place. 

 

This has been suggested in other sports to bump numbers, but there is no clear easy implementation of it. Can get murky quick. 

 

Not saying "no", just adding some thoughts to the discussion. 

[Eugene]

Good evening!

 

We are pleased to announce that Amarider, the organizers of this league, have contacted us and have expressed a desire for meaningful engagement with homeschoolers.

 

Please note that this was not a call to boycott any of the sponsors. The cycling community would be poorer for the loss of their support.

 

We will keep you updated on how the discussions progress.

 

Thank you all for your support so far. Let's give the organisers a chance to improve this for all parties.

 

And if you were planning to eat at Spur, please do. You might even bump into the Greens.

The Hub wins again. It's amazing the power this site has on the cycle world.