scoobie
06-12-2007, 12:22 AM
How to Turn Marshal
Page: 1/3
by Sandra Fenton
One of those slick, glossy RC magazines recently published a letter to the editor I wrote in response to an article they ran on turn marshaling. I was flattered that Mike Myers tracked me down (not an easy feat, since my e-mail address had changed) and asked me to expand on it for Starting Grid.
My husband has a physical disadvantage (a bad knee that two surgeries have not been able to fix) and I have substitute marshaled for him for a number of years. While you can't detect this disability by looking at him, the crouching and twisting required of turn marshaling can cause his knee to go out at any time, sending us on a long drive home (it's over two hours to Hemet from where we live) and leaving him unable to work (without pay) for several days.
I'm pointing this out because I've seen a number of people out there trying to turn marshal who really shouldn't be in the first place. If you have a physical disadvantage you should not be marshaling, period! You cannot marshal optimally and should tell this to the race officials. If you don't have a buddy you can recruit to fill in for you, the officials should call for a volunteer and not penalize you. There are numerous racers here in Southern California who happen to be wheelchair users. No one expects them to marshal. And no driver wants a marshal who is disabled in any way to be the person who has to marshal their car! So if you're able, get out there and volunteer once in a while! Bring a friend along with you to the track and coach them on the fine art of turn marshaling!
I do a lot of volunteer marshaling, both during races and practice. Besides giving me something to do and providing some real exercise, I've made a lot of friends this way-believe me, everybody loves a volunteer marshal, especially during practice!
(While club races usually allow anyone to substitute marshal, many major events specify that only other drivers can fill in due to insurance regulations. So, I became a driver and a ROAR member. At the West Coast Gas Off-Road Championship in Hemet this past January, I finished 19th overall in 1/8 gas truck!)
Being a better turn marshal:
Stake out your turf! It's a good idea to marshal the same section every time if you can, because you'll become familiar with the crash zones in that section. Likewise, some sections have more crash zones, so some marshals will be busier than others. If you see an inexperienced or ineffective marshal struggling with a hard section, offer to trade positions with them.
Don't block the driver's view. Drivers need to be able to see their cars on the track at all times. In some cases, this may mean that a marshal has to crouch throughout the race. A tall marshal may prefer to take a post on the perimeter that allows them to remain standing, and leave the squatting positions to shorter/younger marshals.
Watch your section of the track, not the race! I know everyone's heard this one before, but it bears repeating over and over again. The majority of complaints I've heard about turn marshals stem from their not paying attention and staring off in another direction while there's a car on its lid right behind them. How many times has this happened to you?
Help other marshals when/if they need it. At the same time, you need to keep an eye on your nearby fellow marshals and back them up if they're running to help someone. A crash may occur that's technically in their territory, but you may see it first and be the only marshal who can do something about it in a timely manner.
Always marshal a car so that it points in the right direction when released. Obvious, you say? You'd be surprised how many times I've seen cars placed facing backwards on the track that crash again as they attempt to turn around.
Don't throw a car into oncoming traffic and cause another crash!Wait until the track is clear before you set the car back down on the track.
Page: 2/3
Always place a car back onto the track at the point where it crashed. You may think you're doing someone a favor by helping them cut the track a little to make up for the time they lost on their lid, but they could end up being penalized a lap because of it.
All things being equal, strive to be fair in your marshaling.I hope you will resist the urge to help one of your buddies before someone else. Remember the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The car that crashed first should be marshaled first, and if you're watching your section of the track and not the race, you should know who crashed first! Of course, if I've got a lot of ground to cover to get to a crash victim and someone else crashes in front of me on the way, I'll usually help them first.
If you notice that one car caused another to crash, help the innocent guy first. The guy who caused the crash doesn't deserve to be rewarded for it by being marshaled first.
For "equal" crashes, use a two-handed technique if possible. I recall the 1/10 scale A Main at the OFNA Challenge at Ranch Pit Shop in November 1994 where the two leaders had been neck-and-neck the entire race. Near the end, they tangled and locked up. I grabbed one in each hand and held on tight as I pulled them apart and released them simultaneously amid cheers from the crowd as they resumed their neck-and-neck rivalry. I wonder if anyone ever caught on to the fact that this was deliberate on my part. No one could say that I gave one an advantage over the other. I don't remember who won, but I did feel really good about my marshaling that day!
Never, ever cross oncoming traffic until it's safe to do so, for both you and the other cars on the track. Some drivers whine about how the marshal could have been there sooner-if you don't like the marshaling, don't crash in the first place! (I think a really interesting race would be one where the drivers have to run down off the stand and marshal their own cars!)
Safety First! I have seen more athletically inclined marshals actually pull off some amazing feats of daredevilry, saving the day for some poor driver in a truly grand fashion. If you choose to go this route, don't say I didn't warn you. I just hope you don't fall on top of an innocent driver's car and take him out of the race in your efforts to get someone else who's already crashed back on the track. Safety first should be every marshal's primary concern and no one can fault you for it. If you do pull it off, I'll be the first to applaud you, but you better be absolutely sure you can do it, okay?
A pair of inexpensive gardening gloves can really save your hands. They don't cost much - around $3 at your local supermarket. Gas engines and exhaust pipes get hot enough to sizzle flesh in a fraction of a second, and burned, painful fingers can impair your driving in your next heat. Sharp edges on Lexan bodies can slice you pretty good without your even knowing what happened until you see the blood dripping. Turn marshaling without gloves can also wreck your fingernails (before you conclude that I'm a "whiny chick" more concerned about her nails than doing a proper job of turn marshaling, let me add that I am a classical guitar player; my nails are my "picks" and one nail broken to the quick means about six weeks of trying to play with the equivalent of my big toe!) Ergo, I look out for my own best interests and always wear gloves when marshaling.
Thongs and sandals are NOT appropriate footwear for turn marshals! Think about it-RC car barreling along at 70mph vs. exposed feet-guess which wins (duh!). Steel-toed Redwings are not overkill.
Please be very careful about letting your children "help" you. Turn marshaling gas cars can be extremely dangerous! Your day at the track will be ruined if it ends with a trip to the emergency room!
Page: 1/3
by Sandra Fenton
One of those slick, glossy RC magazines recently published a letter to the editor I wrote in response to an article they ran on turn marshaling. I was flattered that Mike Myers tracked me down (not an easy feat, since my e-mail address had changed) and asked me to expand on it for Starting Grid.
My husband has a physical disadvantage (a bad knee that two surgeries have not been able to fix) and I have substitute marshaled for him for a number of years. While you can't detect this disability by looking at him, the crouching and twisting required of turn marshaling can cause his knee to go out at any time, sending us on a long drive home (it's over two hours to Hemet from where we live) and leaving him unable to work (without pay) for several days.
I'm pointing this out because I've seen a number of people out there trying to turn marshal who really shouldn't be in the first place. If you have a physical disadvantage you should not be marshaling, period! You cannot marshal optimally and should tell this to the race officials. If you don't have a buddy you can recruit to fill in for you, the officials should call for a volunteer and not penalize you. There are numerous racers here in Southern California who happen to be wheelchair users. No one expects them to marshal. And no driver wants a marshal who is disabled in any way to be the person who has to marshal their car! So if you're able, get out there and volunteer once in a while! Bring a friend along with you to the track and coach them on the fine art of turn marshaling!
I do a lot of volunteer marshaling, both during races and practice. Besides giving me something to do and providing some real exercise, I've made a lot of friends this way-believe me, everybody loves a volunteer marshal, especially during practice!
(While club races usually allow anyone to substitute marshal, many major events specify that only other drivers can fill in due to insurance regulations. So, I became a driver and a ROAR member. At the West Coast Gas Off-Road Championship in Hemet this past January, I finished 19th overall in 1/8 gas truck!)
Being a better turn marshal:
Stake out your turf! It's a good idea to marshal the same section every time if you can, because you'll become familiar with the crash zones in that section. Likewise, some sections have more crash zones, so some marshals will be busier than others. If you see an inexperienced or ineffective marshal struggling with a hard section, offer to trade positions with them.
Don't block the driver's view. Drivers need to be able to see their cars on the track at all times. In some cases, this may mean that a marshal has to crouch throughout the race. A tall marshal may prefer to take a post on the perimeter that allows them to remain standing, and leave the squatting positions to shorter/younger marshals.
Watch your section of the track, not the race! I know everyone's heard this one before, but it bears repeating over and over again. The majority of complaints I've heard about turn marshals stem from their not paying attention and staring off in another direction while there's a car on its lid right behind them. How many times has this happened to you?
Help other marshals when/if they need it. At the same time, you need to keep an eye on your nearby fellow marshals and back them up if they're running to help someone. A crash may occur that's technically in their territory, but you may see it first and be the only marshal who can do something about it in a timely manner.
Always marshal a car so that it points in the right direction when released. Obvious, you say? You'd be surprised how many times I've seen cars placed facing backwards on the track that crash again as they attempt to turn around.
Don't throw a car into oncoming traffic and cause another crash!Wait until the track is clear before you set the car back down on the track.
Page: 2/3
Always place a car back onto the track at the point where it crashed. You may think you're doing someone a favor by helping them cut the track a little to make up for the time they lost on their lid, but they could end up being penalized a lap because of it.
All things being equal, strive to be fair in your marshaling.I hope you will resist the urge to help one of your buddies before someone else. Remember the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The car that crashed first should be marshaled first, and if you're watching your section of the track and not the race, you should know who crashed first! Of course, if I've got a lot of ground to cover to get to a crash victim and someone else crashes in front of me on the way, I'll usually help them first.
If you notice that one car caused another to crash, help the innocent guy first. The guy who caused the crash doesn't deserve to be rewarded for it by being marshaled first.
For "equal" crashes, use a two-handed technique if possible. I recall the 1/10 scale A Main at the OFNA Challenge at Ranch Pit Shop in November 1994 where the two leaders had been neck-and-neck the entire race. Near the end, they tangled and locked up. I grabbed one in each hand and held on tight as I pulled them apart and released them simultaneously amid cheers from the crowd as they resumed their neck-and-neck rivalry. I wonder if anyone ever caught on to the fact that this was deliberate on my part. No one could say that I gave one an advantage over the other. I don't remember who won, but I did feel really good about my marshaling that day!
Never, ever cross oncoming traffic until it's safe to do so, for both you and the other cars on the track. Some drivers whine about how the marshal could have been there sooner-if you don't like the marshaling, don't crash in the first place! (I think a really interesting race would be one where the drivers have to run down off the stand and marshal their own cars!)
Safety First! I have seen more athletically inclined marshals actually pull off some amazing feats of daredevilry, saving the day for some poor driver in a truly grand fashion. If you choose to go this route, don't say I didn't warn you. I just hope you don't fall on top of an innocent driver's car and take him out of the race in your efforts to get someone else who's already crashed back on the track. Safety first should be every marshal's primary concern and no one can fault you for it. If you do pull it off, I'll be the first to applaud you, but you better be absolutely sure you can do it, okay?
A pair of inexpensive gardening gloves can really save your hands. They don't cost much - around $3 at your local supermarket. Gas engines and exhaust pipes get hot enough to sizzle flesh in a fraction of a second, and burned, painful fingers can impair your driving in your next heat. Sharp edges on Lexan bodies can slice you pretty good without your even knowing what happened until you see the blood dripping. Turn marshaling without gloves can also wreck your fingernails (before you conclude that I'm a "whiny chick" more concerned about her nails than doing a proper job of turn marshaling, let me add that I am a classical guitar player; my nails are my "picks" and one nail broken to the quick means about six weeks of trying to play with the equivalent of my big toe!) Ergo, I look out for my own best interests and always wear gloves when marshaling.
Thongs and sandals are NOT appropriate footwear for turn marshals! Think about it-RC car barreling along at 70mph vs. exposed feet-guess which wins (duh!). Steel-toed Redwings are not overkill.
Please be very careful about letting your children "help" you. Turn marshaling gas cars can be extremely dangerous! Your day at the track will be ruined if it ends with a trip to the emergency room!