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The Unlimited All-Stars National Office 4412 W 6th Ave Beaver Falls, PA 15010 USA Contact: Mark Bergfelt, Executive Director [email protected] 724-462-7440 UAS Home Page AMK Editorials Directory Page		This page is brought to you by
	This article appeared in the Spring 2009 American Muscle Kart, Volume 2 Number 1. It explains what is expected of UAS administrators and how racers can pitch in to support their regional administrator. The Care and Feeding of a UAS Administrator The Expectations of a UAS Administrator and How to Keep Your Regional Administrator in Top Condition by Mark Bergfelt The regional administrator is the essential component of a UAS region. Without a regional administrator no region will be recognized as an official UAS region. Without that person for oversight and serving as a representative the UAS is reduced to just another class that individual promoters can alter at will and by a whim. As the UAS has grown it is evident that there are misconceptions concerning just what is and is not expected of a UAS regional administrator. Far too often the job of a regional administrator is confused with that of an event race director and that had resulted in some unfortunate consequences. It is important to remember that the administrator is a volunteer and quite often the only compensation for his efforts is that he can participate in races held according to the UAS racing format himself. A UAS regional administrator is an unselfish individual who has stepped forward to represent the open class speedway kart racers in his geographic area. His priority is to maximize the QUALITY of the racing primarily for the racers and fans. A high quality event and region is one where ingenuity, camaraderie and sportsmanship are promoted. These characteristics are far more important than the number of racers who pay an entry fee. This is consistent with the ideal that has been an integral and important part of the UAS rule set from the very beginning; “We don’t necessarily want the most drivers, but we do want the best”. The highest quality event is one where there is a level playing field for every racer who in turn put on a clean and exciting show geared toward a large number of ticket buying fans. Before listing the duties of an administrator it is important to explain the Goals of the Unlimited All-Stars. Provide a Communication Medium so that a limited number of open class racers have a common schedule. This is vital in getting all of the racers and fans to the various tracks at the same time. Standardize the Rules so that racers have more venues to use their equipment. Prior to the expansion of the UAS, open class racers had to seek out tracks that advertized a “run-what-you-brung” class. The biggest problem was that those races rarely were. A standard rule set for racers across the country is one of the greatest contributions the UAS has made to the sport of kart racing. Encourage Innovation. The UAS is one of the only divisions in all of motorsports that allows and even encourages racers to be creative with their equipment. Rather than being labeled as cheaters, they are celebrated as the innovators that they are. Racers need to be aware that with this freedom also comes the responsibility to make sure that they keep safety at the forefront of their thinking when developing their innovations. Promote Camaraderie. UAS racers all share the same passion for open class kart racing. They are a unique group of people with a lot in common. Those people should all be friends but at the very least, they should exhibit the highest level of respect for each other. Many of the members of the UAS are highly accomplished racers who have been involved with motorsports for a very long time. Sportsmanship is the natural product of competition that occurs in an atmosphere of mutual respect. This is primarily the responsibility of each individual racer. The track officials are only a secondary means of ensuring that racers exercise the proper self discipline. UAS racers have a great deal of passion for their sport and are highly competitive people by nature. Most desire and work hard to win but at the same time realize that their competitors have worked just as hard and are just as accomplished and passionate. Recognition. The UAS provides its members a national ranking system and an award fund. Prior to the UAS other kart racing organizations treated the open class racers as just another class and far too often, since the open classes were usually smaller, provisions for open class racers were just an after -thought at best. The ranking system is important to furthering the goals of the UAS. It allows drivers in distant parts of the country to see how they stack up with other racers and makes them aware of others who are doing what they do. The ranking system allows the UAS to crown a single Number One Nationally Ranked Champion and the point fund provides a means of providing tangible rewards for those accomplishments. Fill the Bleachers with Fans. The UAS, with its accomplished and personable racers and their unique machines, has provided the infrastructure to make it possible for kart racing to make the shift from a participant only sport to a true spectator sport. One of the originals goals of the UAS was to provide an exciting high quality show that parents would buy tickets for and bring their families to see. The UAS working diligently to help kart track promoters to work with them to focus on making their profits from the front gate rather than the back gate. As this shift takes place track promoters will have the proceeds to make their operations more profitable AND be able to afford to treat the racers better. The addition benefit to promoting UAS event to fans is that the larger number of people in attendance makes those events more attractive and valuable to advertising partners. The Regional UAS Administrator is a volunteer that has committed himself to further the cause of the Unlimited All-Stars in his geographic area and to represent the racers there. Each person comes to the job with a different set of talents and skills. The regional administrator does not need to do each of the tasks himself but he does have the responsibility to see to it that each task is reliably accomplished by someone. He may delegate any task to a qualified and responsible individual. The following are the tasks that a UAS Regional Administrator is expected to accomplish or oversee; Negotiate a regional schedule with qualified tracks in his region and submit it to the national office. When considering a track the effectiveness, fairness and efficiency of the track officials and staff are the absolute highest priority. When negotiating with the track management the administrator is to make it clear that the UAS racers expect the track official to be especially firm at enforcing the rules. It is to be understood that the UAS is the guest of the various race tracks. Administrators are never expected to be a track official and they are advised to allow the normal track officials run the show. Administrators are not to schedule events at tracks that will not enforce all of the UAS rules and policies. It is recommended that each region has at least six regional events but no more than ten. Hold a driver’s meeting at each event. The driver’s meeting is a more important part of a UAS event than some may think. At the driver’s meeting the administrator and track officials remind the racers of the high level of conduct that is expected of them. The administrator is to make it clear that the UAS racers are guests of the race track and that the race officials will run the show in the manner that has been negotiated. When the administrator is racing himself he needs to make it clear that he is just another racer and all rules apply to him just as anyone else. Racers are to follow the tracks established grievance procedures if questionable situations arise. The administrator will accept the official results from the track at the conclusion of the event. Report Event Results. The administrator is to send the results to the national statistician in a timely manner. Keep track of the points for his regional championship series. Points should be kept for all UAS members. Each region can include whoever they like in their regional AWARDS, but they must honor visitor’s membership and should include visiting UAS members from other regions in their point standings. Scrutinize drivers to make sure that they are capable and willing to race and conduct themselves in an acceptable manner. Regional administrators are to approve new members prior to sending in their membership to the national office in a timely manner. A part of this is to monitor and coach racers to continually improve. Promote Camaraderie among the racers especially with-in his region. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Annual banquets, off-season, pre-race and post race parties, cookouts at the races and meeting at a restaurant for dinner after the races are some of the things that can be done. The key is to make it fun for EVERYONE. During discussions on the various forums they are to conduct themselves in a manner that attempts to resolve issues rather than add “fuel to the fire”. Work with Administrators in other regions and schedule joint events. Administrators should encourage the racers to travel to other regions when they can. They should avoid scheduling events on the same weekends as their neighboring regions whenever possible. Participate in the annual rules review. Administrators who have experience in operating a UAS region will be expected to cast their vote during the annual UAS rule review. They are to represent the interests of the members in their region and keep the goals of the UAS in mind when casting their vote. Maintain the Integrity of the Rules. The UAS rules package is the heart and soul of the success and growth of the UAS. No matter what region a racer visits, he will have a very good idea what to expect at a UAS event. All members can propose rules changes during the annual review process and all experienced administrators get to vote. The rule book is the result of the passion and input of many accomplished and experienced people over a long period of time and the rules work when they are applied. The administrator must have the backbone to make sure the rules are followed and a thick skin to deal with the situations that arise as a result. Publicize the events. There are a variety of ways of doing this. Among those are to post events on internet forums, hang posters on public bulletin boards, take pictures of winners and participants and send them to American Muscle Kart, The Wreck Room and other similar interested news outlets. Participate in and encourage the racers in the region to show off their karts at mall shows, car cruises, at restaurants and other similar events. Be present at the Races. The regional administrator is expected to attend the races on his schedule. It is inevitable that from time to time that is not possible. In those rare instances he is to appoint a responsible person to attend and take care of his duties for that event. A lot is expected of a UAS administrator and most get little more for their effort than simply the satisfaction that they have contributed to advancing the sport and they get to participate in the UAS format and hang out with their friends. Fortunately all of them are pretty self- sufficient people but there are things that racers and fans can do to help him perform at his best. Co-Operate. Help the administrator full fill his duties as outlined above. Remember that as a racer or fan you benefit from his efforts as much or more than he does and he is just a volunteer. Follow the Rules. The rule book spells out what is expected of racers. Follow it and don’t ask the administrator to make an exception for you. There should be no need to bend the rules or look for grey areas. The UAS rules allow the maximum amount of freedom that is practical. Don’t throw a hissy fit when things don’t go your way. Everyone has a bad day and sometimes track officials make bad calls. It happens in every sport. There probably will be a bad call from time to time. It’s just part of any sport and it’s inevitable. Deal with it and don’t blame your misfortune on your regional administrator. It’s not his fault. Remember that if he had not taken on the responsibility of organizing a region you would not even have a UAS race available at all to participate in. No matter what, leave it at the race track. Don’t criticize or otherwise beat him up on the internet. Instead, if you have issues with him have the decency to call or e-mail and deal with the issue privately. Constructive criticism is one thing, but public personal attacks are totally classless and can become a public defamation of character. Let him know that you appreciate what he is doing. A pat on the back once in a while goes a long way. Remember...December is UAS Administrator Appreciation Month.

The Unlimited All-Stars National Office

4412 W 6th Ave

Beaver Falls, PA 15010

USA

Contact: Mark Bergfelt, Executive Director

[email protected]

724-462-7440

UAS Home Page

AMK Editorials Directory Page

This page is brought to you by

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This article appeared in the Spring 2009 American Muscle Kart, Volume 2 Number 1. It explains what is expected of UAS administrators and how racers can pitch in to support their regional administrator.

The Care and Feeding of a UAS Administrator

The Expectations of a UAS Administrator and How to Keep Your Regional Administrator in Top Condition

by Mark Bergfelt

The regional administrator is the essential component of a UAS region. Without a regional administrator no region will be recognized as an official UAS region. Without that person for oversight and serving as a representative the UAS is reduced to just another class that individual promoters can alter at will and by a whim.

As the UAS has grown it is evident that there are misconceptions concerning just what is and is not expected of a UAS regional administrator. Far too often the job of a regional administrator is confused with that of an event race director and that had resulted in some unfortunate consequences. It is important to remember that the administrator is a volunteer and quite often the only compensation for his efforts is that he can participate in races held according to the UAS racing format himself.

A UAS regional administrator is an unselfish individual who has stepped forward to represent the open class speedway kart racers in his geographic area. His priority is to maximize the QUALITY of the racing primarily for the racers and fans. A high quality event and region is one where ingenuity, camaraderie and sportsmanship are promoted. These characteristics are far more important than the number of racers who pay an entry fee. This is consistent with the ideal that has been an integral and important part of the UAS rule set from the very beginning; “We don’t necessarily want the most drivers, but we do want the best”. The highest quality event is one where there is a level playing field for every racer who in turn put on a clean and exciting show geared toward a large number of ticket buying fans.
Before listing the duties of an administrator it is important to explain the Goals of the Unlimited All-Stars.

Provide a Communication Medium so that a limited number of open class racers have a common schedule. This is vital in getting all of the racers and fans to the various tracks at the same time.
Standardize the Rules so that racers have more venues to use their equipment. Prior to the expansion of the UAS, open class racers had to seek out tracks that advertized a “run-what-you-brung” class. The biggest problem was that those races rarely were. A standard rule set for racers across the country is one of the greatest contributions the UAS has made to the sport of kart racing.
Encourage Innovation. The UAS is one of the only divisions in all of motorsports that allows and even encourages racers to be creative with their equipment. Rather than being labeled as cheaters, they are celebrated as the innovators that they are. Racers need to be aware that with this freedom also comes the responsibility to make sure that they keep safety at the forefront of their thinking when developing their innovations.
Promote Camaraderie. UAS racers all share the same passion for open class kart racing. They are a unique group of people with a lot in common. Those people should all be friends but at the very least, they should exhibit the highest level of respect for each other. Many of the members of the UAS are highly accomplished racers who have been involved with motorsports for a very long time.
Sportsmanship is the natural product of competition that occurs in an atmosphere of mutual respect. This is primarily the responsibility of each individual racer. The track officials are only a secondary means of ensuring that racers exercise the proper self discipline. UAS racers have a great deal of passion for their sport and are highly competitive people by nature. Most desire and work hard to win but at the same time realize that their competitors have worked just as hard and are just as accomplished and passionate.
Recognition. The UAS provides its members a national ranking system and an award fund. Prior to the UAS other kart racing organizations treated the open class racers as just another class and far too often, since the open classes were usually smaller, provisions for open class racers were just an after -thought at best. The ranking system is important to furthering the goals of the UAS. It allows drivers in distant parts of the country to see how they stack up with other racers and makes them aware of others who are doing what they do. The ranking system allows the UAS to crown a single Number One Nationally Ranked Champion and the point fund provides a means of providing tangible rewards for those accomplishments.
Fill the Bleachers with Fans. The UAS, with its accomplished and personable racers and their unique machines, has provided the infrastructure to make it possible for kart racing to make the shift from a participant only sport to a true spectator sport. One of the originals goals of the UAS was to provide an exciting high quality show that parents would buy tickets for and bring their families to see. The UAS working diligently to help kart track promoters to work with them to focus on making their profits from the front gate rather than the back gate. As this shift takes place track promoters will have the proceeds to make their operations more profitable AND be able to afford to treat the racers better. The addition benefit to promoting UAS event to fans is that the larger number of people in attendance makes those events more attractive and valuable to advertising partners.

The Regional UAS Administrator is a volunteer that has committed himself to further the cause of the Unlimited All-Stars in his geographic area and to represent the racers there. Each person comes to the job with a different set of talents and skills. The regional administrator does not need to do each of the tasks himself but he does have the responsibility to see to it that each task is reliably accomplished by someone. He may delegate any task to a qualified and responsible individual. The following are the tasks that a UAS Regional Administrator is expected to accomplish or oversee;

Negotiate a regional schedule with qualified tracks in his region and submit it to the national office. When considering a track the effectiveness, fairness and efficiency of the track officials and staff are the absolute highest priority. When negotiating with the track management the administrator is to make it clear that the UAS racers expect the track official to be especially firm at enforcing the rules. It is to be understood that the UAS is the guest of the various race tracks. Administrators are never expected to be a track official and they are advised to allow the normal track officials run the show. Administrators are not to schedule events at tracks that will not enforce all of the UAS rules and policies. It is recommended that each region has at least six regional events but no more than ten.
Hold a driver’s meeting at each event. The driver’s meeting is a more important part of a UAS event than some may think. At the driver’s meeting the administrator and track officials remind the racers of the high level of conduct that is expected of them. The administrator is to make it clear that the UAS racers are guests of the race track and that the race officials will run the show in the manner that has been negotiated. When the administrator is racing himself he needs to make it clear that he is just another racer and all rules apply to him just as anyone else. Racers are to follow the tracks established grievance procedures if questionable situations arise. The administrator will accept the official results from the track at the conclusion of the event.
Report Event Results. The administrator is to send the results to the national statistician in a timely manner.
Keep track of the points for his regional championship series. Points should be kept for all UAS members. Each region can include whoever they like in their regional AWARDS, but they must honor visitor’s membership and should include visiting UAS members from other regions in their point standings.
Scrutinize drivers to make sure that they are capable and willing to race and conduct themselves in an acceptable manner. Regional administrators are to approve new members prior to sending in their membership to the national office in a timely manner. A part of this is to monitor and coach racers to continually improve.
Promote Camaraderie among the racers especially with-in his region. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Annual banquets, off-season, pre-race and post race parties, cookouts at the races and meeting at a restaurant for dinner after the races are some of the things that can be done. The key is to make it fun for EVERYONE. During discussions on the various forums they are to conduct themselves in a manner that attempts to resolve issues rather than add “fuel to the fire”.
Work with Administrators in other regions and schedule joint events. Administrators should encourage the racers to travel to other regions when they can. They should avoid scheduling events on the same weekends as their neighboring regions whenever possible.
Participate in the annual rules review. Administrators who have experience in operating a UAS region will be expected to cast their vote during the annual UAS rule review. They are to represent the interests of the members in their region and keep the goals of the UAS in mind when casting their vote.
Maintain the Integrity of the Rules. The UAS rules package is the heart and soul of the success and growth of the UAS. No matter what region a racer visits, he will have a very good idea what to expect at a UAS event. All members can propose rules changes during the annual review process and all experienced administrators get to vote. The rule book is the result of the passion and input of many accomplished and experienced people over a long period of time and the rules work when they are applied. The administrator must have the backbone to make sure the rules are followed and a thick skin to deal with the situations that arise as a result.
Publicize the events. There are a variety of ways of doing this. Among those are to post events on internet forums, hang posters on public bulletin boards, take pictures of winners and participants and send them to American Muscle Kart, The Wreck Room and other similar interested news outlets. Participate in and encourage the racers in the region to show off their karts at mall shows, car cruises, at restaurants and other similar events.
Be present at the Races. The regional administrator is expected to attend the races on his schedule. It is inevitable that from time to time that is not possible. In those rare instances he is to appoint a responsible person to attend and take care of his duties for that event.

A lot is expected of a UAS administrator and most get little more for their effort than simply the satisfaction that they have contributed to advancing the sport and they get to participate in the UAS format and hang out with their friends. Fortunately all of them are pretty self- sufficient people but there are things that racers and fans can do to help him perform at his best.

Co-Operate. Help the administrator full fill his duties as outlined above. Remember that as a racer or fan you benefit from his efforts as much or more than he does and he is just a volunteer.
Follow the Rules. The rule book spells out what is expected of racers. Follow it and don’t ask the administrator to make an exception for you. There should be no need to bend the rules or look for grey areas. The UAS rules allow the maximum amount of freedom that is practical.
Don’t throw a hissy fit when things don’t go your way. Everyone has a bad day and sometimes track officials make bad calls. It happens in every sport. There probably will be a bad call from time to time. It’s just part of any sport and it’s inevitable. Deal with it and don’t blame your misfortune on your regional administrator. It’s not his fault. Remember that if he had not taken on the responsibility of organizing a region you would not even have a UAS race available at all to participate in. No matter what, leave it at the race track.
Don’t criticize or otherwise beat him up on the internet. Instead, if you have issues with him have the decency to call or e-mail and deal with the issue privately. Constructive criticism is one thing, but public personal attacks are totally classless and can become a public defamation of character.
Let him know that you appreciate what he is doing. A pat on the back once in a while goes a long way.

Remember...December is UAS Administrator Appreciation Month.