Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 8:29 pm Post subject: THE FACTS!!
Let us see if the administrators will allow free speech to everyone!Well, I think I have heard enough. Not only from so call VRA members but also from people who call themselves the administrators (of the bulletin board). I have been involved with dwarf cars since 1992. I have seen and heard just about everything there is. But when racers and family member s go on the bulletin board and start slam blasting drivers they need to look hard at themselves. I will begin with the administrators of this board. One of them says that postings get out of hand. Well she has no room to talk. Look at your posting from last November when the regional at Ventura was cancelled. Did you allow your grandchildren read your comments? You have no room to talk. VRA has never done anything to you or your family to warrant your comments. Secondly, the other administrator has no clue to what she is doing. (1) she organized a year end party that I would have thought would have been for the VRA members that supported VRA and instead she hosted a party for drivers who are attempting to destroy the VRA dwarf club and actually wore their “designer” club shirts that night, (I hold no respect to anyone who supported this) and (2) she praised these same drivers on the bulletin board for their involvement with the kids division. You know very well if it wasn’t for the hard work and dedication that Mike has put into this, there would not be a kid’s division. Open your eyes and give the credit where credit is due! You may show an appearance of being an innocent by-stander in all this however, you are no better than they are! With friends like this who needs enemies!
I think you both need to take a long look at yourselves. You have the nerve to show up and wear a VRA shirt on race night then turn around and say or do the things you do!! Does VRA need members like this?
For all of you who are now members of “TODCC” (the sister club of CDCRA) best wishes to you. This includes the “gopher” (who could this be???) who is out there promoting for the founders of this new dwarf car club. “Its seems one of them has gone into hiding.” Without these drivers VRA dwarfs will be a better and stronger club. In the past we have been involved with this (sister) club and watched the club over the years be ran into the ground by incompetent board members who made decisions on who they liked or did not like, who they wanted to race with them and who they didn’t. You will learn a lot when racing along side these drivers. You may also have the opportunity to be in the stands when one of the driver’s wife is yelling for her husband to take out the other drivers and he will take you out!! (I have this recorded if anyone would like to hear it) or if you go and race with this club, they may even offer to give you a refund if you would leave and not race (that was the offer made to some VRA members that showed up at one of their races).
You may also say that my grandson gets preferential treatment, well guess again! I cannot tell you how many times we watch the DVDs from each race, and find out that line ups were not right, someone finished higher than what was posted or that someone had been lapped and it was overlooked. He has been treated the same as the other drivers, and truthfully he has probably been treated worse. He raced his heart out the first year and won rookie of the year fair and square. Well, guess what, he was given co-rookie (was this being treated better?) in fact, the owner of the other car told me he didn’t not feel the other driver deserved the award and for an 18 years old to have an award taken away from him because an organization’s president (or should I say president’s wife) decides she is God and changes the rules at the end of the season, well more power to her. Just remember “what goes around, comes around. Everyone gets their just due and God works in mysterious ways.” Someday I hope you have the honor to experience the happiness of being a grandparent (the joys are better than being a parent) and someone does this to your grandchild. I hope your memory comes back on how you screwed another child in the past.
If any drivers really want to complain about scoring and line ups, I think you should all take a turn at scoring a race event (let’s see how long this line is). I have also scored and it is more difficult than you think. After you have experienced this and you find that your scoring was perfect and you did not miss anything, I would say you have the right to complain.
Everyone of you racers need to remember back when you were rookies. I have many tapes of how you drove in the beginning and there wasn’t a Kyle or Kurt Busch amongst any of you. I have watched some of you since you were 16, 17 and 18 years old and some have improved to be better than others. So none of you have room to talk or bash any of the newer drivers (male or female included). You would think that being more experienced you would want to mentor the younger and less experienced drivers instead of slamming them, yelling at them or trying to drive them away because they aren’t as good as you.
In closing, I don’t believe any driver can say they have raced on a track that is better prepared than Ventura Raceway is each week. I have read other clubs boasting each week how they raced at other tracks and the track was great. They must think we are really dumb. I not sure if they make these comments to convince themselves or someone else.
THE END!!
onelilwop (Carmen)
P.S. I did use this board to voice my thoughts and I have no problem telling this to anyone that I have referred to face-to-face.
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:20 pm Post subject: Correction of the Facts
Where do I begin? The “other” administrator is me, Tami Velasquez. I am the administrator, along with Fran Lippert. We fund and run this website and work very hard to have a good representation of our dwarf club, including the junior classes. I dedicate a lot of time to this website and feel the bulletin board is an important way to communicate with anyone who visits this site. However, there are many accusations in the previous posting that need to be clarified:
First, I do moderate the bulletin board. Trust me, it is not a pleasant job. Who wants to babysit a forum for communication between adults? No matter what decisions are made to leave postings on or take them off, the moderator gets the brunt of it. It has never been my decision to take off any postings in the past. I have only done so after being directed by Mike Sweeney. He is the sole source of any prior postings being removed. If people want to post topics that are childish, immature, hurtful, etc., they are only making themselves look bad. It is not the moderator’s job to have to make that decision for grown adults. And on the flip side, if the moderator was to take off every posting that did not meet certain criterion, do you think there would be any more open communication? Probably not.
Secondly, the year-end party that I hosted needs some clarification. Our annual last night of racing BBQ/potluck is normally hosted by you, Carmen, and Margie Prechtl. However, you were so upset by some personal issues going on that I offered my help. Most of us truly enjoy having that party with our second family at the track. You were grateful at the time, however, it does not appear that you appreciated the helping hand. And really, all I did was post it on the bulletin board – that was the extent of my hosting. That’s how the BBQ was successful.
Thirdly, the praise that was given on our website to Brent Stevens and Jeff Shelton (the underhanded VRA members) was not for their “involvement” in the junior division. It was the least we could do to show our appreciation for their selfless act of offering their low bed trucks to haul 18 mini dwarfs and junior midgets through the Camarillo Christmas Parade. They were the only people who offered their services, with no request of repayment for gas, time or usage of their trucks, for this event. Their contribution allowed our kids to promote Ventura Raceway and the Junior Class Division, along with making it a day to remember. I do not see this praise as a means to contribute to the so-called “undermining” of our VRA Dwarf Car Club. How it can be perceived as that is beyond the imagination.
Just because you are unhappy about a personal conflict between you and other VRA members doesn’t mean that everyone else needs to join the bandwagon as well. There seem to be issues that need to be resolved amongst you and a few members of this Association. However, it has nothing to do with 99% of us. I find it disheartening that all the time, effort and volunteering that we do to contribute to making our club what it is can be contorted to this extreme. This has nothing to do with Mike Sweeney not being a huge part of the junior classes and their success. Didn’t I just present him with a plaque from all the kids and myself at the kids’ banquet a few weeks ago? Let’s stay on point here.
Carmen, why do you have to make references to people instead of mentioning actual names? I have nothing to hide here. You or Mike have never taken the time to discuss this in person or on the phone, although I asked several times, yet, three months later, it is still an issue for you. Maybe you will feel better now getting it off your chest.
Tami
Last edited by admin on Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:17 am; edited 1 time in total
Well, another voice is heard… Your comment “Let us see if the administrators will allow free speech to everyone!” The only time we ever take stuff off this board is when Mike calls and tells us to! Your comments will stay! You talk about my posting from last November….I definitely was venting and YES my grandkids did read it, and about free speech!!! We were told to take those postings off! Please remember that the “administrators” of this board WERE taking orders from your husband. That will stop now. Tami and I pay for this website so the dwarfs have a place to post their bio’s, check out other drivers and communicate on the board. The VRA site does nothing for the dwarfs so we thought this was a great idea. If you really read my posting nothing I said was wrong, you just did not want to hear it. I do not think I even said anything about you! I was stating that we (the dwarf cars) do not get any respect. You cannot tell me that you do not think the same thing….We have talked about it a lot over the years. You say we have the nerve to show up wearing a VRA shirt, first of all, if you even had noticed I (Fran) have not been to a race in a long time. It was not fun anymore, for some reason you have it out for a couple of dwarf car drivers and that is all you ever talk about. You have been very bitter the last 6 months of racing. Most of us (including me) do not even know what it is all about. Nor do I care to.”TODCC” what the heck is that? I can only guess that there are a few of you that do know what that means. “You may show an appearance of being an innocent by-stander in all this however, you are no better than they are! With friends like this who needs enemies!” What the hell does that mean? I have known you for years, if there was a problem between us why did you not just talk to me? Your posting goes on and on about stuff that I for one do not know anything about…..you seem to be venting more than I did, I hope it makes you feel better?
Again, your posting will not be taken off nor anyone else’s.
Well Tami, I always said I would never post on this board but I have no problem or conflict with any VRA members other than you. And yes I do feel better now that I have said it. That was only the condensed version. I have heard enough from you and I agree with JP there is another club that has been formed just waiting for members like you. As for the year end party, that was a direct slap in the face to my husband (and our entire family). He has done nothing to you to deserve the way he was treated that night! In all the years we have raced we have enjoyed our nights at the track and you have definitely taken that away. I hope you decide to jump on the band wagon with your less selfish friends. LOL with "TODCC".
Not sure why you are attacking Tami, all the work she did for the mini program and she did not even get paid for all that work!!! You are way out of line! You need to get over what ever it is that is making you so bitter!
It is interesting now that I have clarified your facts, you now only have a problem with me, yet you referred to several people in your original posting that you have issues with. You are backtracking and it's making it very difficult to follow.
I am interested in how I could slap your family in the face by posting for contributions to a BBQ and support the entire "team" of VRA Dwarf Cars. Just because most of us have raced together for years, we are now involved in this supposed personal vendetta.
Guilt by association? I thought this was supposed to be a family-type atmosphere that promotes good teamwork, social interaction and some place to have fun on the weekends.
Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:39 am Post subject: The Facts
Carmen,
I have read your post and now I will reply! Tammy has done so much for the junior program as well as the Dwarf cars we couldnt thank her enough.
Tammy and Fran have spent countless hours trying to make the VRA Dwarfs and Junior program not only seen but heard throughout all of Ventura County, for example taking time out for street fairs, car shows, and x-mas parades. if that does not show dedication I dont know what is..
you stated that in the parade people were promoting TODCC well that would be hard due to the fact that the floats were VRA Mini dwarfs and Junior Midgets on them and no full size dwarfs!!!! this really has nothing to do with Tammy, or Fran they are wonderful people and do an extreme amount of volenteer work for the VRA dwarfs as well as the Junior program.. we are all grown adults and I would expect so much more than hypathetical accusations and bashing!!!
If anyone would like to discuss this or any of these issues please feel free to call me at ( 805 ) 797-1009
Wow, there is a lot of accusations, emotions and words flying around right now and I know I for one, do not like what I have seen and what I am reading on this board right now. My son Cody, races in the kids classes and my littlest will start this season. I have to say Tami and Edee are God sends. Their kids AND husbands, as well as friends and family, show sportsmanship and team work EVERY TIME there is a race. My son and husband really seem to like and respect Mr. Sweeney, but I have yet to see that man walk around with a 'happy to be here' look on his face. Now, I know there is a lot going on, but is this fun for him? Does your family go home excited and happy or mad and cursing others?
This is such a great opportunity for the kids and I feel so blessed that we have this track and the volunteers and employees that take those kids under their wings. I am sorry to hear that anyone's hard work and caring can be so easily dismissed by angry unhappy members. Perhaps the people who complain... Mrs. Sweeney, about the people out their busting their behinds and volenteering their time, should excuse themselves from the track with good manners and bow out gracefully. Why stay somewhere where you are not enjoying yourselves? Just from what I have seen and heard from you in these "FACTS" is embarrassing AND an ill representation of Ventura Raceway and the families involved. We as a family look forward to seeing EVERYONE when we go to the races! I see how happy this makes the drivers (big and small....male and female) and fans. When your not having a good time anymore, perhaps it is time to quit? Hate and anger just eats you up alive, who wants to be around that? As Fran stated she does not go anymore cause the fun has been sucked right out of it. I'd hate to see that happen just because people have anger issues and personal conflicts EVERY race night which seemed to be the case there at the end of the 2008 season. Be HAPPY EVERYONE!! We ALL have so much to be thankful for, including our competitors. I do not think anyone is really out there racing to bring harm to any driver or smash cars into each other just to fork out money for repairs and spend time laboring over broken cars because of hurt feelings. Life is too short and there is fun to be had, lets have it together at Ventura Raceway or head out and go somewhere else. Take a deep breath and TRY not to say things you will regret later. Embrace the good times and good people! We have met a lot of nice people since we got into racing, lets not forget we are there because it is something our families love to do. If you want conflict find it elsewhere, please. Respect each other as [/[u]u]individuals, agree to disagree, accept another persons apology when offered, or be pissed and get over it! Let others make their own choices and quit being so judgeMENTAL, think about what really matters.
Does it really matter to you that Brent and Jeff took the kids in the parade to you? Does it really matter that whomever participated as members came together the night of the last race and had a BBQ? Did we all "slap you and your entire family in the face?" And why exactly did you choose not to join in? Are you mad at Lee and I for participating and bringing the grill? Does it really matter that there is another Dwarf car "club" as you call it TODCC? Is there really that much to be angry about? Look at the people you are attacking. Tami is a good and thoughtful person, who has never verbally assaulted someone after a race because unfortunate situations on the track with her loved ones. She does not talk behind peoples backs, she is a great mother, wife and friend. And has been to you and your husband through all this. Me, being her friend I can attest to the "fact" she has never said bad things about you or your family. It is really to bad to see all this happening to good people.
Live and LET LIVE! _________________ SMM
805 & 45
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