Monday, March 28, 2011

Thank you ONTARIO!!!!!

What an incredible weekend.

The Central Ontario Chrome Divas were there in full force, their table was one of the favorite places to be as Diva Carol brought all kinds of baked treats - can you say Bake Sale? The delectable treats were a fund raiser for Prostate Cancer Canada. The girls won the trophy for best booth - that in my humble opinion was, a no brainer and I can't wait to show you the pictures in the paper on Thursday!

I got meet with Jon from Classy Chassis - what a great human being, I can see why the shop is one of the most popular in Ontario!

I saw Elaina from On the Fringe Leather - she does a lot of work for Port Dover's Friday the 13th - you could say she is a staple in the community.

I met Lenny from Biker Injury Group and attended an OCC Meeting where I re connected with Sue Whalen, a para legal - I had known Sue over the internet for years but after MSN shut down, we lost contact.

I saw Shaun deJager from Roadawareness.org - again, I have known Shaun for years via the internet and finally got to meet him. I got great hugs from Shaun and Lou of the Perfect Pigs! Lou is known for his cross Canada trips for Diabetes and as the host for his club for the Hero's Highway Ride - one of the fastest growing rides in Ontario! Heck, my BC sales rep Quentin was even at the show for a few hours as he is currently working in Ontario for his full time job!
Trapper Cane and his lady Pam were at the show - Trapper is the head of the CAV and Pam owns a Tee Shirt Company.

I saw Glenn from Mojo, Steve Schueller - builder extraordinaire, Nancy Mayer and Crystal great lady rider friends of mine, I made new friends and discovered new products.

I spent time with so many incredible, vibrant people that I feel as though I have found a new depth to the passion I feel for my community - I truly did not know it was possible to care this much or feel this much pride - but man is it ever energizing!

I was able to reconnect with one branch, the Ontario branch - of my sisters & my brothers of this great big family I call the family WIND. It was amazing. 

There were a few challenges like the Kawartha's Biker Church booth where all my stuff was stored got flooded and so I had no hand outs - it was disappointing for them as well as a number of their bibles and posters were ruined, but in the end - it didn't really matter - what mattered was the opportunity to talk to people, to hug them, to share and man, we did a ton of that this weekend.

The Ontario riding community is one of the largest in Canada. 
It is diverse, it is caring and compassionate and has so many  wonderful, powerful and energetic people in it. It has a long and rich history and it has pride.

The OCC - the Ontario Confederation of Clubs is a diverse representation of the people of the Motorcycle Community here. 33 clubs, military supporters, 1 per centers, independents, sport bike clubs, business people - all of this incredible diversity and divergent ideas all in one room. 

Riders all, there to share, empower and unite for fair treatment and equity with other motorists. To keep each other informed of the laws and the changes - to support each others events and share ideas or experiences both good and not.

I have NEVER been is a room filled with more brother and sisterhood - it was AMAZING.

Every province should have this kind of group - this kind of support, this level of respect - do all of the groups have the same values? NO. Do they all truly enjoy being around each other - not necessarily - but they are there for the common good. Every club has it's own code of conduct and their own ambitions - but they ALL share the same constraints as other motorcyclists. Loud pipes, handle bar laws, poor road ways, HOV Lane use , insurance - all of these things are barriers or obstacles or issues that our community lives with. By uniting, sharing and educating each other to what is happening in their areas, riders are able to ensure that they know when a law changes or when a bylaw is introduced and how the change affects them. I was impressed with the professional and respectful way the issues presented were discussed.

I left that meeting feeling so hopeful for our community.

Yes - the Ontario riding community is diverse and rich and an enjoyable community to be a part of and I feel honoured to be a part of a community that embraces each others differences, defends each others rights and works together for the common cause and the common good of the entire community at large.

You could say it was a spiritual experience. One I am truly grateful to have had for it truly showed me what is possible. It reminded me of what is possible when people work TOGETHER.

Like always - I welcome your opinions on the topic of the day.

Have a fantastic rest of your Monday!


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