December Community Update

An Axial UTB18 RC Crawler in a pine tree.

You may have noticed a flurry of recent activity. It stems from a growing relationship many club members are having with the latest hobby shop to open in Utah, Peak Hobbies. We all recognize the value of our local hobby shops. Helping them build sustainable businesses is good for everyone. It attracts new people to the hobby, provides a place to meet and connect, and allows us to teach skills that must be learned hands-on. Austin and his business partner have fully invested in the idea of community building, and are already proving to be valuable contributors.

Today I talked with Austin about Peak Hobbies becoming the premiere club partner for the group. He is interested in the idea. I wanted to run it past everyone. The idea to put up some club signs in the shop, attract new people, and help them get connected to new ideas that can fuel their RC journey.

We have a few specific things we are interested in trying. I am building a series of community guides which will eventually be hosted on a website. This can work in concert with the shop. For example, next to a crawler in the shop could be a QR code that says something like: "Download a free community guide to Utah RC crawling." This would open a page filled with helpful tips, guidance, links to local clubs, events, crawling locations, and more. This will help new people bridge the gap between purchasing an RC boat, plane or car and the community that goes with it.

Van is volunteering to build the Lehi RC Club logo, which I am super excited about. We're shaping up to have partner events with several other clubs and groups around the area in nearly every specialty. All of those relationships need to be built up and the community developed. It will take time.

All of this comes down to a really important objective: Growth. Growing our club in a sustainable way is the number one goal. With growth comes new skills, new ideas, and volunteers willing to help do the significant work necessary to build events. It makes big things happen from RC crawling courses to headline RC mega-fests. Saratoga and Lehi are home to some of the best RC opportunities in the entire region. These cities need an organized group of dedicated volunteers and enthusiasts to make it all happen. We can be one of those groups.

What can you do to help?

1) Invite others to join the club. Help people see the value of community.

2) Give feedback. Even if it is a thumbs-up. Let us know how we are doing (good or bad).

3) Consider jumping in even deeper. We need help building out a website, reviewing content, sourcing images from the local area, connecting with parks and recs departments, building relationships with other groups, and more. If interested, let me know.

Nothing in this community happens unless a volunteer stands-up and says: "I will do that." I want to thank our many volunteers who have created tracks, built ramps, run events, and organized the fun. It is a serious amount of work, and we all owe you our collective gratitude.

May your holiday season be filled with many RC cars, and may you find that special one you really wanted under the tree in 22 days! Merry Christmas!