On 14 Nov 2003 07:55:35 -0800, (Craig
Freeman) wrote:

Value is always important. Unfortunatly the tendency in too many cases
is to try to operate so cheaply that a club does not have enough money to
make a pop, much less a bang. I am afraid that is commiting suicide for
the club.

Well... it is certainly possible to operate cheaply and to make enough
money to keep a club alive and healthy, but probably an important role
is the sheer number of members - and this is where Europe, especially
German or England with its dense population has a huge advantage over,
say, the US.
I'm often amazed about the extremely high costs and the comparably
very poor value that is being offered by clubs in the US - maybe this
is a vicious circle.


Here clubs are so spread out it is not a choice of which club as there
is usually just one to pick from. However I think that good equipment
and friendly people are equally important. Not to slight the importance
of either but to emphisize both as nessesary qualities of a good club.

From what I've seen most people here join the first club they visit,
without ever comparing it to other clubs. It's extremely rare that
someone leaves a club (and joins onother one) because he doesn't like
it (which points out how important community is on this side of the
pond).


Bye
Andreas