2004 - 2006 West Coast Conference Executive Committee Officers

Official West Coast Conference Website: www.BlueKnights.org/wcc

WCC SPRING 2006 NEWSLETTER

ANNUAL WCC BUSINESS MEETING:

The next annual business meeting of the West Coast Conference will be held on Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 0800 hrs. in the Tynehead Ballroom at the Sheraton Guilford Resort in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. We are looking forward to MAXIMUM TURNOUT as this meeting is being held in conjunction with the 32nd Annual Blue Knights International Convention, hosted by our own BK BC I (with the assistance of other BC Chapters). There will be no WCC Convention this year. Advance registration for the International Convention is CDN$145 (US$120) for adults. After May 1st, prices go up and on-site registration may be even more. Details and the registration form are available on-line. Please be sure to let your members know and encourage their participation! Details at: http://www.blueknightsbc.org

SPECIAL FUND CONTRIBUTIONS:

THE MAILING ADDRESS FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE BK “SPECIAL FUND” IS:

BK BOG Special Fund, 51 Steiner Avenue, West Seneca, NY 14224.

Details on the Special Fund can be found on-line at www.blueknights.org/bog.htm

The special fund is for you and your members and we need to keep it going strong!

It is asked that each chapter contribute just $25 per year toward the Special Fund.  Many chapters contribute $1.00 per member, per year, or hold a 50/50 raffle at one of their annual rides to fund their contribution. Regardless of what your chapter has chosen to do, please ensure your chapter has kicked in at least $25 for 2005 and please plan on making some donation in 2006.

The on-line version of our conference newsletter has been edited to remove all residential addresses and confidential telephone numbers.  Some personal contact information has been retained.  If you object to your e-mail address or a given telephone number being posted in this fashion and you see it on-line, please contact Mark Howard immediately and it will be removed ASAP.

PLEASE HELP US WITH THE WCC RIDE CALENDAR FOR 2006!

Please send ride details to MarkHoward@BlueKnights.org

The 15^th Annual Spud Run – Boise, Idaho

   Memorial Day Weekend (May 26-28^th, 2006) Details at www.BlueKnights.org/wcc

32^nd Annual Blue Knights International Convention

 Will be in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada (July 16-21, 2006) Details at http://www.blueknightsbc.org

CHAPTER MESSAGES:

The History of the Blue Butt Rally, presented by BK NV II

The Blue Knights Nevada II have a rally that has gained on popularity since it started in 1994 and we have held it every year since then.

At a chapter meeting in Fall of 1993 there was some brainstorming going on, on how to raise some funds for the chapter to give to charity and also have some fun in the process. It seemed that the Reno/Washoe County motorcycle riders had become tired of "poker runs" and the like. These types of events were not well attended and the other clubs and chapters, including our chapter, were always left with extra pins/t-shirts. What was worse, sometimes money lost. We needed a new idea... maybe something that gave our participants an opportunity to actually enjoy some of the scenic sights in Nevada and eastern California, to show that we had more than just desert. We had the idea of some kind of observation run (like HOG likes to call them) and also award the riders with a nice plaque and t-shirt. Since Nevada does not have very many loop roads, we came up with the idea to do 250 miles in 6 hours, 500 miles in 12 hours and 1000 miles in 24 hours which also qualified for the Iron Butt Association's "Saddle Sore Award". Once we had a plan, we posted the flyers for the rally in local shops and also got some great exposure throughout Northern California, and the very first rally drew a surprising attendance of 84 riders who were all very enthusiastic about this new kind of motorcycle event.

We average 100 +/- participants annually and our record participation was 158 riders. Over the years we have seen some very dedicated riders attend. To their credit, they have braved the rain, heat, cold, lightning and even a sniper who was briefly active along the I-80 corridor! A majority of our riders are "repeat offenders" who have attended the rally 10 or more times! Of those, Blue Knights CA VII has had the highest club attendance in most of our annual rallies. They are in stiff competition with the Oakland HOG chapter, which won last year as many of the CAVII members were in Tacoma at the WCC Convention.

Our route planning takes place in December and January. Once the roads clear, we do pre-rides to verify mileage, check our questions and any possible hazards or conditions related to rider safety. We also make sure there is adequate fuel available (even for the smallest tank) and there will not be any "time pressure" on our riders. Our goal is a "stress free" and enjoyable ride for all!

All the money raised typically goes toward the families of fallen officers and/or to the Make a Wish Foundation. We are really looking forward to another successful year and as of this writing, we are in the planning stages for the 13th Annual Blue Butt Rally. If you have any questions, please see our website at www.BKNV2.com or e-mail us at BlueButtRally@aol.com

From Woz: to be published in the forthcoming edition of the Blue Knights® News
"Club, Conference, Chapter…" by Michael J. Wozniak

The BLUE KNIGHTS® is a non-profit fraternal organization consisting of active and retired law enforcement men & women who enjoy riding motorcycles.In the Spring of 1974, several law enforcement officers* from the Bangor, Maine (USA) area met and formed a small, local motorcycle club. The rest, as they say, is history.

Soon, Blue Knight chapters were being formed in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and beyond. With the addition of Canada, and later Australia, the Blue Knights became an international organization.
*Our Founding Fathers are: Joel Rudom, Bill Robinson, Doug Miner, Ed Gallant, Mike Hall, Chuck Gesner, Wayne Labree, Chuck Shuman

As of November 2005, we had 565 chapters and over 19,000 members in 28 countries.

According to the Blue Knights International By-Laws, our purposes and goals are to:
1. Provide for the mutual assistance, enjoyment, entertainment, education, physical, mental and social benefit of its members and the general public.
2. To promote and advance the sport of motorcycling and the safety of motorcycling.
3. To serve the interests of motorcycle owners and users.
4. To promote by example and any other acceptable means, safe use, operation and enjoyment of motorcycles.
5. To develop a fraternal spirit between law enforcement personnel and the general public.
Many Blue Knights work long and hard to raise money for various charities. Especially near to our hearts is helping children. Make-a-Wish Foundation, Toys for Tots, D.A.R.E., and Concerns of Police Survivors are some examples of our favorites.
From September 1, 1991 to September 1, 2005 Blue Knights have donated to numerous charities; contributing time in the amount of 151,208 man hours, goods with an estimated value of $512,029.63 and $4,423,636.90 in cash (USD).
We're the good guys!

The Blue Knights is a family fraternity. Spouses and children often accompany our members to the various rides and functions. When traveling, local members can provide assistance, directions and sometimes a place to stay. We are truly a family.
Among the Blue Knight members, "There are no strangers, only friends you haven't met."

For years, I have heard members of our Club use the word "Club" when they really mean Chapter. I try and mention this when I hear it, as it's an important issue with me. I also have seen the use of the term Conference when a Convention is what is being described, and now we get to a really confusing term.

If you were at the President's meeting on Sunday night at the beginning of the West Coast Conference Convention in Tacoma, Washington this past summer, you might remember this, and if you were not there, here's my perspective. During the President's meeting in Tacoma, each attending Chapter President or his or her representative was asked to introduce himself or herself, and give a brief summary of what their Chapter had been doing during the past year. As each Chapter President stood up, and introduced themselves, the short description started and when he or she said "Our Club" I chimed in to say, "It's not a club, it's a Chapter". Well, after the fourth or fifth time that this happened, people actually started paying closer attention, and it was humorous by the time the meeting was over. I guess I gained another facet to my already unceremonious reputation.

We have in our Club, many Conferences, each of which is made up of Chapters. Confusion starts because the word conference also sometimes means meeting, like in conference room. So, when there is a meeting, or convention of Blue Knights, especially from a Conference, the words should not be used interchangeably. If we did, we would have a Conference Conference, and that just isn't so.

Our Club uses the term Conference the same way that the National Football League (NFL) does. Many years ago as some remember, there was only one football league in the United States. Then, someone thought that a different sized football, and some changes in the rules, would support yet another league, and the American Football League was formed. This new league gave the start to the Super Bowl, first a game between the champions of the NFL and the AFL, and we remember Joe Namath and the New York Jets win.

After many years of two leagues, the NFL and the AFL decided to merge, and become one league again, with two Conferences, the AFC and the NFC. Now, the Superbowl is the championship game of these two Conferences. To further confuse the issue, there is now inter-conference play during the regular season.

Now, back to my story. We have a West Coast Conference Convention, not in 2006, but in most other years. Our West Coast Conference is a collection of chapters from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and much of the Pacific Rim.

The Club's list of Conferences is:

Just like the American Football Conference is made up of teams, and the National Football Conference is made up of different teams, each Blue Knights® Conference is composed of Chapters in certain geographical areas.

Yes, it can be confusing, but in my opinion, it is a very important component of how others and we view our Club, the Conferences within it and the Chapters that comprise the Conferences. Not only us, who are members of this exclusive club, but those outside of our ranks who at times must identify members, chapters and conferences of the Club.

Another item that I also want to mention is the complete use of the title of any given Chapter. Too many times, I've heard Blue Knights One, or Blue Knights Seven, and there may be in fact dozens of Blue Knights chapters across this nation, and around the world that are number one or seven, so that state, or country designation is also important. When our Founders started the Club back in 1974 I bet that they never thought that there would be over four hundred chapters and eleven conferences.

It's the little things, like being specific, that give any organization a professional and first-class appearance. "You know what I mean" isn't in my opinion a valid excuse for us not being professional and explicit.

We have over 19,000 members in the Blue Knights®. I am very proud of our Club, and of the Founders who started it over thirty years ago. We are a part of a well-respected International organization with a half-million dollar budget. If our chartered chapters consider themselves autonomous we have a problem. Each chapter is not a club. I liken the analogy that I have heard for years, that each chapter is like a "spoke in a wheel". Each spoke makes the wheel stronger; each spoke makes the wheel run true, but no one spoke can support the weight of the wheel, or of the motorcycle.

So, I now commission everyone to take up my quest to have our Club described accurately. If someone inadvertently says "Our Club" when they truly mean "Our Chapter" then you can refer to "Woz" and say, "It's not a Club, it's a Chapter"

If you hear someone says Conference when they mean Convention, you can also chime in and say, "It's not a Conference, it's a Convention" You have my permission to blame me for any negative feedback.

MESSAGE FROM THE WCC CHAIRMAN:

MESSAGE FROM THE WCC CANADIAN VICE-CHAIRMAN:

Happy New Year to all Blue Knights. It seems that some form of global warming seems to have altered Alberta's weather so far this winter. There's just smatterings of snow on lawns here in Edmonton, AB where shade prevents it from melting, the streets are dry, I haven't touched a snow shovel in weeks, temperatures have been hovering over and under freezing for weeks now and on Christmas Day, we were followed by two motorcycles as my wife and I were driving home from exercising our dog. But there's no way anyone will convince me that my ownership of 4 X 4 vehicles over the past 16 years has created this apparent phenomenon. When I see boulevards lined with palm trees up here in the frozen north, I'll trade my truck in for some sort of electric vehicle!

Because of where we live, our riding season is much shorter than in warmer locales but as a result, our motorcycles last twice as long! My Edmonton Metro chapter members are already looking forward to the Boise Spud Run, still 5 months away as I write this message. On a sadder note, the BC II chapter in Prince George has folded into the BC VII chapter in Westbank (across the lake from Kelowna). Due to their specific circumstances there, they just couldn't gain the 5 more members that were required to keep the chapter intact. Their chapter was near the 25th anniversary of existence. I hope BC VII will welcome their newly acquired members with open arms and host them at some point in 2006.

Best wishes to everyone in 2006. Please ride safe and sober when you do.
--
Best regards,
Jim Holowchak - Edmonton Metro (AB IV)

Vice-Chairman - Canada (2004 - 2006)

West Coast Conference

Blue Knights International Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, Inc.

Edmonton Metro's website  -  http://members.shaw.ca/cbx6/index.htm

MESSAGE FROM THE WCC US VICE-CHAIRMAN:

January 1, 2006

In August 2005 at the most recent West Coast Conference Convention in Tacoma, Washington, I was midway through my 2-year term as WCC Vice-Chairman USA. After being the Conference Treasurer during the 2002/2003 term and serving as WCC Vice-Chairman USA since August 2004, I had learned much in the way of dealing with Conference and Club business. I believed when I joined the Blue Knights, and I believe even more deeply today that this is the very best Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club in the world. I am proud to have been a member for the past 13 years and particularly proud to have served as an elected executive officer for your Conference for these past four years.

Riding Motorcycles and having fun; That’s why I joined the Blue Knights. Riding motorcycles with law-enforcement officers, who meet the requirements of the Club, that’s also why I joined the Blue Knights. I actually really like riding motorcycles.

I currently own several motorcycles of different manufacturers and types. I recently took delivery of my latest motorcycle, a brand new 2006 Ducati Paul Smart Sport 1000 Limited Edition From my Honda RC51 to my Ducati MH900e, they all let me have fun, give me excitement, transportation and pride. I am fortunate to belong to several motorcycle organizations as well as the Blue Knights , the Harley Owner’s Group (HOG) the Classic Japanese and Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Clubs (CJMC, VJMC), the Ducati Owner’s Club (DOC), the Buell Riders’ Adventure Group (BRAG) and I have run my own motorcycle enthusiast group, American Sport Bike Night, since 1998. ASBN is one of the longest running independent motorcycle enthusiast groups around, not missing a single “First Monday of the Month” since 1998. We recently celebrated our seventh anniversary, we’re starting our eighth year and we’ve started to “podcast” our program, available for listening at http://www.AmericanSportBikeNight.com click on "podcasts" to hear the shows.

I have been a Blue Knight since 1993. For the first two years I was a regular member. In 1995 I was elected a Secretary of CA VII. In 1996 and 1997 I served as Chapter President of CA VII. I served as Secretary again in 1998 and as an appointed Chapter Ride Director in 1999. In 2000, I was elected the Vice President of CA VII and in 2001 and 2002 I served again as the President of CA VII. In 2002, I was elected to a 2-year term as Treasurer of the West Coast Conference and in 2004 I was elected WCC Vice-Chairman USA. I have remained on the Executive Board of CA VII in the position of Immediate Past President.

Mark Howard and I rode to our first International Convention in 1998; Spokane, Washington was the venue and I must say, we were impressed! We have attended every International Convention since then, Vail, Colorado, Louisville, Kentucky, Las Vegas, Nevada, French Lick, Indiana, Chesapeake, Virginia, Montreal (St. Hyacinthe), Quebec, Canada and Lafayette, Louisiana last year. I have attended West Coast Conference conventions on the way to Vail Colorado in 1999 (that was the awesome riding West Coast Conference Convention that started in Green River, UT), Reno, Nevada in 2000, and Cody, Wyoming in 2002 and in Clackamas, Oregon in 2003. CA VII was a co-sponsor of the 2004 West Coast Conference in South Lake Tahoe in 2004 and, of course, I was in Tacoma this past summer once again enjoying our Conference Convention. On top o all that, I am so proud to have been the recipient of the "Mr. Potato Head Award" for 2003-2004 at the annual “Spud Run” in Boise, ID.

I retired from the Oakland California Police Department after serving over twenty years. Retirement has been good to me, giving me an opportunity to become active in the motorcycle industry, working part time at Bob Dron's, the Oakland California Harley-Davidson dealership while writing a monthly column for Motorcycle Product News and for a time being a co-host of "Rider Radio," a nationally-syndicated radio call-in talk show about... Motorcycling!

As an aside, I have attended the V-Twin industry motorcycle show in Cincinnati www.vtwin-expo.com and the Powersports Expo at the Convention Center at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana http://show.teampowersports.com for the past six years. I am a veteran of Daytona Bike week, Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the Ruidoso New Mexico Motorcycle Rally, The Hollister Independence Rally, Street Vibrations in Reno, and most every motorcycle event that I can ride to or attend that is possible for me. I really like riding motorcycles and attending motorcycle events whenever and whereever I can.

I will be in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, this July, for the 32nd annual Blue Knights International Convention of the Blue Knights . In August, I’ll be riding in the Nevada II “Blue Butt Rally” in Reno, Nevada for like the 6th or 7th time!

As your West Coast Conference US Vice Chairman, my primary duties are recruiting and retention of members within the Conference. Obviously, this starts with the individual chapters, and I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping an ongoing dialogue between the Chapter presidents and each member of every chapter. We have several useful tools at our disposal, and the Internet is the best and easiest one now that we’re in the 21st century. I urge each and every one of you to subscribe to the West Coast Conference YahooGroups forum. Detailed instructions on how to do this can be found on our Conference website at http://www.BlueKnights.org/wcc. We currently have over 1400 members in our Conference and sadly, we have only 108 members joined into our YahooGroups forum. YahooGroups is a great way to keep abreast of what is going on in the Conference, it is FREE and easy to join. Why not check it out for yourself? The West Coast Conference is one of the biggest conferences in the Club. I think that we can do much better than having under 8% of our membership being "dialed in" to what is up in our Conference. If you have any difficulty in joining the BKWCC YahooGroups forum, please let me know and I’ll try to help.

There are three options to receive e-mail from the forum. The first is individual e-mails, and with that every time someone posts, you get it immediately. This can be overwhelming sometimes if there is a lot of traffic online. The second and this is the one that I suggest that you choose, is the Daily Digest, which sends you only one post, but it’s everything that has been discussed over the previous 24 hours. The third is not to have any e-mail sent to you at all, but obtain all the information by visiting the YahooGroups BKWCC website.

I also hope that everyone visits our West Coast Conference website often to read about upcoming events, news and what’s going on in the Conference. This is a good resource, and we are lucky to have a terrific Webmaster, Mark Howard.

Each Chapter President is urged to send updates, reports, ride information and news to be included in the West Coast Conference Newsletter, which is e-mailed to those chapter presidents that have current e-mail on-file with Mark, mailed to those chapters that do not have e-mail (or do not respond) and published online and available to not only every Conference member, but also every member of the Blue Knights. This is a great way to “get the word out” and it is underutilized. Write those articles, and we’ll get them into the newsletter.

Finally, I am proud to announce that I am running for West Coast Conference Chairman and International Representative in 2006. The next Conference election will be held at the West Coast Conference Business meeting, Tuesday July 18th, 2006. You can view my campaign website at http://www.VoteForWoz.com

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your US Vice-Chairman. Remember, there will be no West Coast Conference Convention this year, as the Business Meeting will be held on Tuesday during the International Convention in Surrey, B.C., Canada. I hope to see you all there!


See you all at the Spud Run!

Ride with Pride,
Woz…

Michael J. Wozniak
Vice Chairman USA - West Coast Conference
Blue Knights International Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, Inc.
Immediate Past President, Blue Knights CA VII
Former Treasurer, West Coast Conference
Member, California Narcotic Officers Association (CNOA)
Member, Municipal Motorcycle Officers of California (MMOC)
Member, International Police Association Region 9 (IPA)
Member, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 17 (FOP)
Oakland Police Department - Retired
Life Member, California Police Pistol Association

510-483-8858 home

Woz@BlueKnights.org
www.VoteForWoz.com
www.BKCA7.com
www.BlueKnights.org/wcc

MESSAGE FROM THE WCC SECRETARY:

We didn’t get any contributions for a Summer, Fall or Winter Newsletter and the expense of creating, printing and mailing these newsletters (not to mention the time) is much more than what little value a “low-content” newsletter could possibly provide to our members. For what it is worth, the WCC website is updated on a regular basis and since no one seems to want to contribute articles or other worthwhile content to a regular quarterly newsletter, I didn't see a reason to try to "cobble" one together, just to say. "I did it." If you want to see a newsletter, contribute! Articles, columns, ride reports, updates on what is going on in your area and your chapter. I know most every chapter has stuff going on year-round. I'm not looking for excuses, just something to let the rest of the Conference know you and your people are "alive and kicking!"

I know there are some members that are not currently “connected” to the Internet.. but, if you are not aware, you can get online at your local library (probably for free) and I don’t know when there was a time in history that you could access a WCC Newsletter in every town in the world.. but, you can now!

So, this is just a quick note (like my last 6 or 8 newsletters) to remind everyone once again, the official web address for the WCC website is: www.BlueKnights.org/wcc  Please remember the last 3 letters must be lower case, not capitals. Not my deal, it has to do with the Apache servers that are employed by the Int'l website. so, WCC won't cut it... use wcc. Please pass the website address on to all of your members in your upcoming newsletters and meetings. Onoe of our primary goals is to increase communication throughout the WCC to get more participation at annual chapter and conference hosted rides and events. It seems that the Internet is the easiest and cheapest way to reach the most people effectively. With that in mind, if your chapter does not have a website, it is something you should seriously consider.

If you’ll send me the details on your major chapter rides or events (please e-mail it to me EXACTLY as you want to see it posted on the website), I’ll help get the word out!  Please be sure to include all the important details and an e-mail address an/or phone number for a reliable e-mail and/or telephone point-of-contact that can respond to any questions. If you have a webpage with full details on your event; a brief description with minimal info, combined with a direct link to that page or site will do just fine.

Please take a moment and go to www.BlueKnights.org/wcc ..stroll over to the “Chapters” page (look for the “CHAPTERS” link at the top of the page) and check your chapter’s listing there.  Please ensure your chapter website is linked and/or the e-mail link for your chapter point-of-contact is current and functioning.  I can’t do this for you.  I have no way of knowing if your chapter info is current.  Please help me out by ensuring your chapter information and links are correct and up-to-date. If you chapter develops a website (or already has one), please be sure to let me know so I can get it linked from the WCC and International websites to give you the exposure you deserve!

If you have any questions or concerns about the website or other conference business, the easiest way to reach me is by e-mail. Send a message and I’ll get back to you.

Finally, I am proud to announce that I am running for West Coast Conference US Vice Chairman in 2006. The next Conference election will be held at the West Coast Conference Business meeting, Tuesday July 18th, 2006. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Conference Secretary-Treasurer for 2 years and Secretary for the following 4 years. The past 6 years have been quite an experience... I have learned a lot and I have been a proud and outspoken representitive for our Conference and Club. I hope to continue working for our Conference in the capacity of Vice Chairman, in a supporting role to our Chairman and working hard for all of our chapters in the US, Canada and abroad!


Ride with Pride, Mark Howard, Secretary – Blue Knights' West Coast Conference

markhoward@blueknights.org




MESSAGE FROM THE WCC TREASURER:

Hi and Happy New Year from Ben Pender, West Coat Conference Treasurer. Hope everybody's holidays were good. Carrie, Cody, Cooper, and I ventured North East and visited Carrie's family in Iowa, we had a nice trip and a good Christmas, of course we had to scoop some pig poop and milk some cows, sure does make a person appreciate eating sausage and bacon and drinking milk.

Well back to business. All is well with the West Coast Conference account, not many changes since the West Coast Conference. We have profited from the sale of challenge coins. Just a reminder that all West Coast chapters must send $1 per member by January 31st, so when you are sending your renewals to the International also send me the West Coast Conference dues. You can send them directly to my house (e-mail for address).
Ben Pender, WCC Treasurer 422 East Haven Avenue Salt Lake City, Utah 84115
Thank you for your continued support. You can contact me via e-mail at bcpender@msn.com or by phone 1-801-548-7559 (cell) or 1-801-474-9346 (home).
See you all soon!

Be safe, Ben Pender, West Coast Conference Treasurer

ONCE AGAIN, THE DEADLINE FOR THE WCC SUMMER 2006 NEWSLETTER IS 04-02-06. PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR INFO OR CONTRIBUTIONS TO:

MARK HOWARD, P.O. BOX 1396, SAN BRUNO, CA 94066

Or preferably, by e-mail to MarkHoward@BlueKnights.org (the best format is a MS Word “.doc” attachment to an e-mail or just plain e-mail text). Please be sure to include all the necessary details and contact info for your submission(s).

NOTE: 

THE DEADLINE FOR THE SPRING EDITION OF THE “BLUE KNIGHTS’ NEWS” (THE INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER) IS FEBRUARY 2, 2006.  E-MAIL YOUR CHAPTER CONTRIBUTION TO MIKE FLETCHER AT: BKNEWSED@aol.com.

Until Next time...

~ Ride With Pride ~