The "Glass of Water" impression....

Silent Sports advocates could learn a lot from snowmobilers and snowmobile clubs, and, being generally friendly people, they will give advice. One thing I have heard on several occasions is that the word is out that bikers don't spend money-they bring their own food and equipment, and only stop at local businesses to buy a bottle of water-or worse-ask for a glass of water!

I think this impression is two parts false, and one part true. Let me cover the parts that I think are false.

I think the false impression is created by the fact that silent sports people are kind of invisible. When we go out to eat, maybe we have already finished biking or canoing or birdwatching. We don't always carry anything to show who we are. For that reason, it would be good if we developed a "calling card" to let people know who we are and what we do.

Secondly, I think once a story gets out that a biker did only ask for a glass of water, it gets spread around like wildfire. People hear it from a friend, who heard it from a friend, it becomes a "meme", or something that seems so true it must be true, and happening all the time.

But I think that part of the story IS true, for the following reasons. ( I am going to engage in some stereotyping and amateur sociology here, but it is the kind of lesson that silent sports people need to learn.)

Snowmobilers spend money. They come up here not just to vacation, but to have a good time. Snowmobiles are not cheap, nor is paying for the fuel to get them up here. But that doesn't make snomwobilers cheaper, it makes them more willing to spend money to make sure they have had a good time for their investment. They eat and drink and tip well.

That doesn't mean that snowmobilers are only spending on themselves. They gladly pitch in for charities and for trail maintanance. Their giving is part of their enjoying their sport responsibly. Snowmobiling is a social sport-people come up in clubs and groups, and that encourages social spending.

Again, I am stereotyping, and I am sure there are many counterexamples.

Many bikers and silent sports advocates probably come up as individuals, small groups, and families, to bond together, enjoy activities, and get away from it all. They may go out to eat, but probably not as a main part of their activity. If they are on a family vacation, they possibly have a budget for meals.

If a silent sports enthusist comes to Northern Wisconsin, he or she probably hasn't come with a club, and won't see or recognize others of their kind in bars and restaurants to share a common identity. They will see a donation box here and there on a bike trail, but there are few big sllent sports groups or organizations sponsoring fund raisers or meetings that draw people together (The Callie Rohr Memorial Canoe Race and the Vilas County Lake Association's work being good examples).

I am not saying that silent sports types aren't actively engaged in volunteer activities. I am saying that we could learn from Snomwobile clubs about how to be better organized at it.

And also, I think we need to eat out more, and let people know we are doing it. Bike trips should be planned around restaurant stops. And if people want to shower first, maybe they should still bring their bike helmets to the restaurant.

In fact, what would it be like for silent sports folks to, one day a year, bring their paddles, helmets, binoculars, to restaurants in Northern Wisconsin?