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Executive Report - May 2025

Updated: May 3

Krissy Bowe
John Reblin














We Are A Team

 

My, my, my, what a hectic, fun and interesting month we have had. There is a lot going on in our world now with the bikes starting to be able to get out more due to the weather settling down. Things to do outside with the yard etc., things to look at and check on the bike, and projects in the shop. And there are a lot of things going on with Highway Safety, Legislative, and other things within ABATE of Wisconsin.

 

May is Motorcycle Awareness month and the time we ask everyone to slow down, to pay attention, and to look when they are driving for all other road users, especially motorcycles in order to avoid crashes and fatalities. This should not mean that all the other times of the year we don’t need to pay attention, but it is that reminder we all need that it is not just you on the road and the road needs to be shared properly. Riders need to do their part also in keeping safe while riding. Let’s all be safe and get to where we want to be every time we get on our bike or other form of transportation.

 

Hopefully, you have gotten your tickets ordered for the Summer Hummer!! Worm and his crew of party creators have been working hard to get the events all scheduled and as you are reading this, the land ready to go. We are almost to Land Warming so if you are free the weekend of May 16-17-18 and want to help, stop on out. I am sure Worm has a list of things he and others want to get accomplished in the next month to make sure they are ready for the Summer Hummer festivities. This committee works hard to make the Summer Hummer a fun weekend at your land so come out and support this event June 19-22nd.

 

The ABATE of Wisconsin Training Summit is also finished at Wisconsin Harley Davidson in Oconomowoc, and I will be giving a report on that in next month’s newsletter. Hopefully, you were able to make this event or Waukesha Region 1F’s Knock the Rust Off event. If not, hopefully you took some time to get the muscle memory working on those switches and levers and practice the riding technique on your own that will get you through the riding season. Or maybe you are registered either at Safe Rider or another location to take a BRC2, ARC or UBBC course. If so, congratulations for taking that first step.

 

I was able to attend STEAM, a Seminar to Educate and Motivate, hosted by ABATE of Iowa and held in Bettendorf, IA. It was great to see the members from the STEAM states and their members along with participants from Kansas, New Hampshire and other locations. Being able to talk with these people, compare notes of what is going on in their respective states and how they are handling the situations, is helpful to know. We all have many issues that are the same but how they get handled sometimes is a little different.

 

Hardtail had expanded his wheel breakout that he did at our Officer Training weekend to make it a trike, and it was well received. I think some people don’t realize what it takes to keep an organization running smoothly or moving forward. There are many components of ABATE of Wisconsin below the surface that makes the tip of the group look good. Rocky, of course, updated us on the legislative agenda for 2025 that was set at the 2024 MOTM and what kind of progress was made so far there. If you talk to him or see an email come through be sure to congratulate him as Hardtail named him the Number One Lobbyist in Washington, DC.

 

Frogger gave an interesting breakout on Profiling and what to do or look for. A lawyer from Iowa presented a session that focused on their state laws but certainly carried over to other states. It is important to understand what it is or if you are being profiled. Those innocent sounding questions the police are asking can be them trying to profile you. Sometimes it is not the obvious but hidden in phrases and words that will lead to profiling further. Profiling is around, it just takes us the courage to let us know when it happens so we can document it and follow up on correcting it in Wisconsin.

 

I also sat in motivating young riders to get involved in the motorcycle rights organizations. It comes down to the basics. Remember to invite them and to acknowledge them at your events. We all want to be welcomed when we attend an event, and they are no different. Spend some time with them, talk about things in common and introduce them to other people. You also need to communicate in different ways. They love social media and usually it is not Facebook. So, you need to find someone to share things on different platforms unless you are experienced in this. I am not that person who is posting. Sharing pictures and video clips is a great start. You need to find what their passion is and show that we have equal ground to work from. Remember we were all young once and we can do this.

 

I think the session I enjoyed the most was one on leadership and how to get people to listen, follow, and grow with you and the organization to achieve goals.

 

When looking at projects you need to set a goal and plan how to achieve it. That is where the strategic plan comes in to help you do this. Set some simple steps in a timeline and work towards reaching them. Take time to review and adjust as needed. Get people to help explain what you are looking for and how or what steps we need to take to make them happen. Make sure you offer the tools to help accomplish the goals, whether it is finances, tools or whatever they need to keep moving forward. Build trust in the team and encourage them as they follow through on items. Know the difference between arrogance and confidence. Confidence will get things done; arrogance will go nowhere. Remember the difference between I and our, and don’t forget the help others did that got you to accomplish the goal. Remember to keep your word on things. Project a professional image, don’t use swear words, speak with knowledge and lead by example. Get your hands dirty if needed. You should be in there helping with all the others. It all sounds simple, but I think our membership appreciates the hard work the BOD does along with individual members.

 

A few years ago, I read a book THE MEN IN THE BOAT about the 1936 US Olympic Rowing team as they went to Germany as an underdog to win the gold medal. If you row as a team, it is important to work together. The stroke must be even, the form and technique perfect and you follow the lead of the coxswain. At the end of the movie, years after they won gold, the grandson of one of the rowers asked if he was a great rower and he responded no, we were a great team. We need to remember being part of ABATE of Wisconsin that we are a team. No one is more important than the other. Will we make mistakes, yep! I have made mistakes, got called out, and corrected them. But I also learned from them. I try to be fair and listen, and I am not afraid to get in the mud and help someone out. We need to all work together to keep us strong and relevant.


Ride Your Own Ride.


John

 
 
 

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