Robots at SACF?

[Sunblock]

I've received the following email 4 or 5 times in a row from SACF.  My orginal email was about a page long:

 

Dear Mr Van Der Leek,

 

According to our records you are not a licenced member of CSA.Thus we cannot get involved in the matter.

 

Kind regards

Sylvia Dale

General Manager

 

Now imagine you're at a police station trying to report a crime, and the officer on duty says to you:

"Sir, since you aren't on our system so apparently do not exist.  Please (you and your problem) cease to exist at this police station."

 

"But officer, I was hi-jacked/raped/robbed/murdered."

 

"Probably you were murdered because you do not exist."  - Actually even an ironic response is not possible, because you keep getting the same response over and over again:

 

"Sir, since you aren't on our system so apparently do not exist.  Please (you and your problem) cease to exist at this police station."

 

"Could I speak to someone about resolving this problem?"

 

"Sir, since you aren't on our system so apparently do not exist.  Please (you and your problem) cease to exist at this police station."

 

There's something seriously wrong with people who treat other people in this legalistic (impersonal) way.  And here we're talking about a sporting body.  Sport.  People on bicycles.  Get real.

[Grapkas]

Why what happened?

[Man with no name]

Oi Mona.......using your analogy above

 

What if you are a Zim resident that does not have an ID, should the police help you? uhm......

 

What if you're a SA citizen who never registered at Home Affairs (mind you, this is a VERY good analogy)? uhm.......

 

 

[BIG MAMMA]

Seems to me you have this built in defect to solve your problems. May also be a bit short on grey matter.

 

Find someone in Bloem at a proper club who can read write and communicate and ask them to help you solve your problem.

 

Luckily you are in bloem and must be the sole reason why Free State cycling is in a mess.

 

If you are not a member of CSA you are not a member and not on the records. What do you expect them to do. Create a ghost rider.

[Sunblock]

Don't visit here often, but is Big Mama a jerk?  Can you other guys help me out on that question?

 

One of the reasons I am not a CSA member is because my club screwed up.  In order to address the problem, you have to be a member.  But if your club (ex-club) pulls the p[lug on you just before deadlines to SA Cycle champs, how do you hold people accountable?  My own club - well, 2 people - said I was not officially a member.  But paid fees, received clothes, and am on the official membership list. 

 

But the issue for me is why are there officials who are so unfriendly to us?  Aren't they supposed to enable the sport, not act like Pharisees pointing out laws and showing us how important they are?

 

Getting 5 emails that are a carbon copy of the same unhelpful response doesn't seem to me particularly in the interests of cycling, or me.  So I wonder if other people are treated like this.  It's unacceptable.

[butafly]

sort your problem out with your club. provide proof that you are a member. if you can do that then they are obliged to help you. u can still enter Sa's but at a cost.

[Micky]

Don't visit here often' date=' but is Big Mama a jerk?  [/quote']

Oh yes!!!

[Sunblock]

Thanks, that's a constructive answer.  Thing is, I don't want to belong to this club any more.  Would you?  I can't take part in the Timetrial because as I say, that deadline has passed and they pulled the plug just before the deadline.

I'd just like to hold the 2 individuals accountable who were responsible - who are saying I didn't belong to the club in the first place.

I've already written off SA's (took a week off work to ride 850km to train btw) - so the issue isn't SA's.

 

I'm getting a license through another body, but I'm kind've looking at CSA's robotic, unfriendly reaction to my communication and going: "Something's not lekker here."  Do we have personal agendas, politics etc against cyclists now.  We use the rules against them?  Are license therte to include cyclists, to mkae them part of something, or as a power ploy, to exclude those sporting people we decide we don't like.

 

Once again, let's see the holistic picture here.  Arranging a setup so that people can ride on bicycles in an orderly manner.  Seems to me a lot of other white noise and unnecessary bullsh*t is going on.

[TitusTi]

Oh, the whole thing CSA aren't that helpful, never really have been!

[Sunblock]

Why TitusTi, what's your experience?  I reckon we must sort it out and find out who the bad apples are.

[TitusTi]

I think the problem lies with the SACF, in my experience.

[Sunblock]

What problem did you have?

Notice in SA Sport (maybe sport in general) there is more and more outside interference.  People getting on the train.  Maybe it's because sport is increasingly a reservoir of wealth, a way to earn money (or prestige), even without the person practising the sport at all.  Look at what's happening to SA rugby?

I think if we want to enjoy sport in this country is has to be sport by the sportpeople, for the sportspeople.  Anyone else must go, and we must put systems in place to get rid of people who stand in the way of athletes.  Athletes should have easy access to vote or participate in the admin of their own officials.  right now there are meetings going on that decide who, what and where, and we aren't even aware of it.  think we need to make it far more transparent, and friendlier towards the cyclist.  Other sport and government needs to be like that too.  And the internet is a great way to enable this sort of thinking.

[RJMS]

Must say I have had a totally different experience with CSA. I messed up my son's licence application earlier in the year. I phoned CSA and told them what the problem was and received the revised licence 3 days later. The person I dealt with was polite and a pleasure to deal with.

[Sunblock]

That's odd.  But then it seems like you joined today simply to make this post (it['s your first ever), and you're based in the Western Cape (where SACF is).  So perhaps you're biased, or your wife works for them.  Bit dodgy I'd say.

[Witrot]

I reckon we must sort it out and find out who the bad apples are.

 

Maybe you are one of them!! Nice and easy to say your previous club messed up stuff and blame everyone else! You make if you didn't know the rules after your issue with your previous club, but your long enough part of cycling, and a licenced rider for years as well, to know the rules. What did you expect not registering at a club in the begining of the year and not apply for a new lincence. That people is going to beg you each day for it. If you was so serious about SA's you would have had a licence and be part of a club from the begining of the year.

[BIG MAMMA]

Sun block jou naam pas jou goed mnr van der Leek.