by Mark » Tue Oct 17, 2017 2:24 pm
I think this is a matter that many clubs/groups are experiencing and will continue to experience as time passes.
People's changing interests, people moving, retirement, life getting in the way, etc. all contribute to a decline in numbers. Our club has declined to less than half of its peak number today and from as many as 5 active tracks down to one - it's a shame, but it's not necessarily the fault of the hobby per say or the fact that we're getting old (I'm 32, and our oldest at point was in his late 60s). It has more to do with the reasons I stated earlier.
The remainder of our group are now having to discuss the very same thing you posed, Tork. How are we going to attract new people into our group?
Lucky for us, we've got a local 1/32 commercial NINCO track in the metro-Atlanta area that we can possibly pull from - ironically, this very same track is where our group met each other and got started. Over the years, we transitioned from plastic tracks to routed wood tracks, and I'll have to admit that I believe this transition partly contributed to the declining interests from "outsiders". The large NINCO track we raced on and loved for years attracted many people - the shear size of the track (350 ft 6-lane NINCO) and the 30-35mph high-powered magnet cars that created the buzz. Heck, it got me to step into the store and the rest is history. The last handful of folks we've invited to our routed wood tracks from this NINCO commercial track attended once and never came back. It's not the same, they said. It's not exciting, they said.
Our group is realizing that the "hardcore", racing side of slotcars on wood tracks is not as attractive to the majority of new comers. Let's face it - it takes a lot of effort to not have plastic 1/32 slotcar sound like a box of rocks on a wood track. To make it worse, a new comer jumping into a group of experienced racers takes a boat load of dedication to become competitive, and this is where the club really has to step in. Being helpful, open, and giving good advise is crucial in retaining the newbies. Going public with your club is not a bad idea and may be the only option for many, but I find that attracts more one-and-done type of folks. If possible, being strategic with where you showcase the hobby and your club will work out better - the local track, 1:1 race tracks, car meets, etc.
One more thing - I'm not sure about some of you folks with home tracks, but I always like to somewhat get to know a person first before inviting them over to my house. I've always felt this is a major limitation of home-based clubs.
Maybe in 15 more years, races will be held by some guy in his basement...with some cars he prepared...some place in the world...with voltage controllers wired to the interwebs...with racers controlling cars via a computer screen and a USB wired DiFalco controller.