First off, I am a Class C Amateur rider racing for several years. I absolutely love to compete against individuals of my own skill level. It is fair and even and I wouldn't give it up for anything.
So right to the point. I am pissed. Sheila and John are sacrificing integrity of the sport for reasons unknown except for one - money. They permit individuals of AMA professional classifications to race in the Amateur class and get away with sandbaging. The AMA clearly states that if you are a professional, you race in a professional class. There is no age class only. A pro is a professional and races in their respective classifications not AMATEUR classes. Even though NCHSA isn't an AMA group, he includes this statement in his rules - but does not follow it religiously.
So Sheila got caught in the Schoolboy novice fiasco. It was an amateur novice class - CLASS C. One father raised hell with the AMA and got all the pro sandbaggers removed. The AMA clearly identifies Class C as an amateur class and prohibits individuals that are B or A riders from riding in the C group regardless if it is identified as an age class or not. But did Sheila do this across the board - nope. She only did it where she got caught and kept it as quiet as possible.
There is another so called age group. It is clearly in the C rating system and is not for professionals. Yet, Sheila permits these A class and B class riders to walk off with the top spots. These A and B riders aren't talented enough to conquer GNCC and other top racers so they are permitted to sandbag in an amateur class and win. There is no fairness in this type of sport acitivity. It is just lame. At least John at NCHSA has the integrity for the most part to make these A and B riders ride in the right class and not race against amateurs who have no chance.
Now how about points. Here is the biggest joke of them all. At mideast, you can get your friend to pay for your entry into a class and then not race. Sheila gives them a DNS and allows them to drop that race as one of the drops even though they WEREN'T even on the starting line. John is no better. You can skip races, get no points, and drop them even though you weren't there. The guy showing up and racing ends up having to lose those points he/she earned if they didn't do well. You can do the math. Why do we as racers have to put up with his crap. We race every race, we pay for racing, we are there, we try - the points players and sandbaggers are handed the top spot at year end because they play the system and are allowed to get away with it.
So, even though I have limited time, I am comparing one by one each racer across the board with the AMA classification system. If they are racing in the wrong class, I am documenting the problem as a protest through the AMA. At the next race, look across your line. Is there an A rider sandbagging, note it and send it to classcrider@gmail.com. Is there an A or B rider sandbagging as an amateur, note it and send it to classcrider@gmail.com. As the father noted above proved through the AMA, amateurs are amateurs - there is no age class. Since Sheila and John are not listening or don't care, it is time to stand up and make a difference. They might not listen but the AMA will and penalize the riders and the AMA sanctioned events accordingly.
Update 1: 174 people have responded to the email sent to the friends and points list of NCHSA and MIDEAST. All of the email addresses that could be obtained from points sheets online and facebook list have been downloaded and are being entered into a mailing system. If you haven't received this webpage yet, you will.
Update 2: John at NCHSA and this organization has breached the agreement all racers made at the beginning of the season by now giving away even more points to people that didn't even attend a race. Rules to start should be rules to end. He lowered the standards to let more of his friends earn year end awards by screwing real racers that followed the rules. If anything, all the races scheduled should be counted and everyone given a 0 point drop for the race he cancelled. The orginial rules should be upheld.
Update 3: Since both organizations are NC based, they fall under the state government and attorney general authority. They might think they are above the law and make rules on the fly but they will have to answer to the complaints that are to be filed. Fraudlently promoting races, taking money for racing, and then allowing people to drop DNS and races they did not attend will be addressed in 2 complaints. Send your comments via email to classcrider@gmail.com. Your privacy is protected and will not be shared with anyone.