Numbers

First topic message reminder :

USACI had 42 in SQ. We had several last minute cancellations including Chris and his team. SQ is down across the board for all organizations. The economy, lack of industry support, and just loss of interest all play into it.


As for SQ at finals it went fantastic and there were some great cars.

OnYrMrk wrote:

From a manufacturers side of view, it is tough to get away from the stygma that you are an SPL company when you make some really nice sounding speakers.

It isn't that hard. Incriminator audio has done it big time in MECA. Incriminator won 3 world championships with their subs in MECA this year, and one third with their tweeters (I jacked up the curve) .



I agree with everything Scott said. 100%


Jan--i agree on that forum, but the comments should be at least looked at.

Scott you put on here what I have been thinking for the last two days and just couldnt get the words together without rambling on. We need Outside exposure and Outside support like the names you mentioned. Every weekend I sit and watch several tv shows relating to cars (Muscle Car ,Horse Power TV, Gears,etc...) and I think why can we not have a car audio show? I use to watch Unique Whips just because it showed cars and car audio related stuff. What could a tv show bring to the table you ask ... Exposure to what we do. Even if it was a one time special on something like Speed or Discovery channel it could help IMO. Example: West Coast Choppers was a struggling custom motorcycle shop until the special Discovery channel did on him now he is everywhere.

So the most important question of the day is who is going to actually step up and do it. The ideas are great but they are just ideas with no follow through. With no effort it is lip service. So I guess it will start at the top. Truely how committed are you to SQ? As current and past competitors how dedicated are you to SQ?

We have the road map (thanks Scott for simplifing it) so whos gonna drive the bus?!!!!!

jayhawkblk wrote:

We have the road map (thanks Scott for simplifing it) so whos gonna drive the bus?!!!!!

Drive the bus people, not throw anyone under the bus. Since my current job is part time, I can devote some of my time making phone calls. But I won't commit all my time to this and I won't be the only one doing this. This needs to be a team effort. Who else is willing to put some of their precious daily time into making a few calls.

We can set up a committee of a few people that would be willing to press the flesh of some of the power players in the media to get the voice out about our "sport". We can even have conference calls if someone has a call line that we can use. I lost mine when I left Dell.

Like I said, this isn't a one man job, but I would be willing to work with a team to get the job done. So who is with me to step up to the plate to get this sport out there?

--Joe

his quote is pretty much dead on. That quote started the down hill slide of that organization. It drove a lot of competitors away.

His point is we have to do whatever it takes to keep the current competitors because they are important, and we have to figure out how to get new guys in.


I apologize Gary if I misunderstood you, but I'm fairly certain that was your point.

Andy


Andy this was pretty much spot on, I dont expect everyone to understand.... That comment was made, and it sure seemed like things went down hill for that org very fast shortly after.... (a whole host of reasons) "Jan" the people that complain about others throwing mud, are usually the ones that throw the mud.... If you think thats me or anyone else, say so, Ill be the first to tell you, or anyone else, I am pretty passionate about all of this, as well most people on here are.... Dont hesitate to call me up on the carpet, because i am not going to hesitate either... I'll throw mud with the best, but dont get on here and act like you dont do your fair share of jumping to conclusions and mud slinging, I am so very sorry if you ever thought i was bullying you into bumping up a class or anything of the nature, hopefully you werent pointing that at me, not true, i could care less where you compete, just bring your car to the shows and be a part of the solution....... as I said before the other thread was deleted... there are a ton of great ideas... there are no, one thing going to turn this ship around quickly. It will take alot of things and alot of people willing to work together. and at the end of the day one word needs to go away,,,, GREED,,,, Scott, great ideas, but dont forget one thing,,,, Have a show where people can and want to attend.... End of summer when everyone can attend, and a location that doesnt have other distraction's from what we are trying to accomplish. I would only hope that we could have a huge corporate sponsor for an audio event... But lets be honest, What if coke would have been the key sponsor last weekend,,,, how happy would they be? I know I know the huge advertising campaign that comes with it wou;ld have brought spectators in the doors, most likely... and the possibility of prize money would bring out more competitors, most likely..... but if at the end of the day, retailers are not turning consumers into competitors then you can blame anyone..... I counted less than 30 cars on the SQ side of the fence at finals,,, there were 4 cars from Cartoys, several from TCA,,, some people get it, some people are being proactive..... lets not boast about what were going to do,, lets boast about what we are doing right now, and learn from what we didnt do yesterday... Retailers have to do there part,,,,,,, or this thing will never grow. LIP SERVICE! someone mentioned it earlier, that is all any of this is, until someone does something.
This goes for me,,,, I am working on something, and I will share it with all soon.....

What else can I say except Scott's thread is the best, well thought out, written and relevant post I have read.

I agree with Scott 100% and this is why.

For the Advantage Audio Norman, OK DIY get together, we contacted DD, Zapco, Monster Energy, Pioneer, Eclipse, Quiznos, Pizza Hut, Dynamat, Hertz, Audison, Hooker Audio and I cannot remember the rest to either donate or join in. In return all some wanted was a little banner hung up that they provided to advertise to foot traffic.

All of them did. They supplied free food, drink, and product for giveaways, it was all free. All it took was a phone call and a little work.

We then invited the OK GM Performance car club out. They accepted and brought their cars out. We had 300+ in foot traffic in one day through Advantage Audio. All advertising was done by word of mouth and the internet forums.

It took us 90 days to plan, get involvement and put this together.

People would be surprised what a phone call and some polite conversation can do.

Joe as we have spoken before. I do not have an issue putting in some free time and teaming up with you in our area.

Like Gary, Scott and many others have pointed out it takes people to get involved for real after the internet thread, post and conversation is over.

Us at CARTOYS wants to thank everyone for coming to Tulsa. IT starts at the shops,Owners,sales guys ,and even installers, need to get consumers involved.We r the only shop in Tulsa that had customers at the show,let alone compete.I did not see one OWNER SALESPERSON R INSTALLER attend.THATS REALLY SADD TO BE IN THIS INDUSTRY AND NOT SUPPORT IT.WE have at least FIVE competters every year at he finals including myself.I go to learn talk $HIT and most of all learn how to grow as a company.I to was not going to compete do to price on sat registration $200 per class is what i was told,i walked away myself but reg later,so excuses like i was to busy are its to expesive does play a role also.

We do however appreciate you displaying your vehicle in your area though. Thank you for that. Very nice install if I do say so myself.

THANKS GOES TO GARY BIGGS,JEFF TEAL,TODD MCGUIRE,DON DON,AND ALL THE GUYS AT CAR TOYS

PerformanceTyler wrote:

I know people hate hearing this but when I owned Performance Audio it was easier to get customers to compete when there were power classes. That way you could build different cars for different classes instead of just one huge open class. We have people interested in competing all the time until they learn that if they want to compete there choice is go into the intro class and have an SPL shootout( most of the time that is the case) or go head 2 head against a customer that spent more time and money on Tech Flex and as Gary put it a new NASA approved security screw.
Look at it from a new persons perspective at the current SQ structure it can be intimidating. We are currently building a competition car for a customer who will only compete in the Q class because in his opinion the analness of the install portion has gotten out of hand. This is a customer who started out in the intro class a few years ago but got tired of getting in an SPL shootout and always coming in second place to the same guy that could out pressure him.That is my retail opinion relaying what customers have said to me. Sorry for the long rant.

Im new to this and it is very intimidating going from basic intro to Intermediate... Im just going to have fun with it and If I place great if not I had a great time doing it because if i look at it any other way it takes all the fun out of it. Just my 2 cents not that means anyting lol

It means everything to have that attitude about it Nicole. BTW, Just be sure to rebuild your truck completely to the rule book and you won't have any problems. From what I understood the truck sounded pretty good.

Also with that being said let me add the fact that I know my truck isnt a looker but it did however get alot of attention just for that reason. My truck is obtainable for someone who is interested in the sport, they realize they dont have to have a flashy car and spend thousdands on the install alone. Which is why I have decided to keep that in my mind when moving up this coming season.

Thank you Joe!

nicole22mg wrote:

Im new to this and it is very intimidating going from basic intro to Intermediate... Im just going to have fun with it and If I place great if not I had a great time doing it because if i look at it any other way it takes all the fun out of it. Just my 2 cents not that means anyting lol

Don't be intimidated Nicole. Just have fun. I wish I would have gotten to take a listen to your truck at finals. (other than the SPL portion) I hope to see ya at a few shows in the future.

pshtt..my GN is perfect example that we don't judge the exterior. That ladies and gentlemen is an example of a 50ft paint job. LOL

Wow..then my Mustang has a fightin chance!

I was just happy to be a part of it. It was nice to get to talk audio with everyone. My wife gets sick and tired of me talking about it all the time.

I challenge everyone on this forum to go and compete at, at least 6 shows this next season and to at least recruit one new competitor each... USACi should give a 25.00 discount for every rookie competitor that a current member can recruit and compete at finals........ There ya have it, the first step in growing our competitor base....... USACI??????????

IM UP TO THE CHALLENGE. I KNOW MONTY IS. NICHOLE IF UR TRUCK SOUNDStAS GOOD AS UR PIC ITS PROABLY A very sweet SOUNDING TRUCK. WE BUILT A SINGLE SEAT GOlF CART TO COMPETE AT THIS YEARS FINALS BUT NO ONE SHOWED UP TO RUN AGAINST IT SO WE DID NOT REGISTER IT. MAYBE NEXT YEAR IT WILL HAVE SOME COMP. BUYING A TROPHY IS NOT WHAT THE SPORT IS ABOUT! ME BRINGING AS MANY COMPETERS AND CUSTOMERS TO SHOW IS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT TO ME AND WINNING TROPHIES IS A PLUS! By the way we brought 6 cars that competed in SQ and 3 more competed spl.... for a total of 9.... so who cares if bobblehead registered 5 cars and didnt show up with any of them... actions talk and bull shiiit walks.... I dare anyone to top that at next years event. #1 BABY!

GIT R DONE!!!!
man that is impressive.....

I ill do the best ,I can to have 4 cars or more......

you gots that right!

You must be a 16 x world champion salesman!!!

Yeh I am!

Situations come into play like anything else. I don't think that name calling is going to get us anywhere.

The person you are referring to already explained why he wasn't there at Finals and anyone who has been in Retail car audio can understand his situation. It can happen.

I haven't competed since 06 but I have been at the 06 finals after my wife had a bad car wreck, the 08 finals to cheer on my friends and now the 09 finals to help out wherever I could. BTW, I was not working the DD booth. I paid my way there in case anyone asks.

This is about a love for a sport. I will be competing this year. I will have my car done, and I will try my best to get at least one person to join up and compete themselves. Whether I place at finals or not, I will be there, whether I get SQ points champion, I will still compete, and I will still back up my friends whenever necessary.

What you won't see however, is me badmouth another competitor just because they didn't show. Things come up, and sometimes you just can't make the trip.

But that doesn't make this person any less of a competitor.

ok Joe,
first of all, I am not calling anyone names.... Chris is my boy, and We all call him bobblehead,,, in fact Wil Adcock gave him that name years ago. we have all joked around and had lots of fun... me calling chris bobblehead is just like me calling him his name.... now if i am gonna call someone a name, it would be a dam sure insult.... so next time you want to jump on a defensive bandwagon,,, just give me a call,, you got my number! So for the record, my comment above, isnt to hurt anyones feelings. and I am sure chris is laughing along right now! and so you dont feel left out, I will think of a cute nick name for you,,,, so hold tight while i think a bit, hmmmmmmmm

Oh yeh, our girl won the Bikini contest too! she didnt get paid either...

Hmmmmmmm, this is an awesome thread!! I wanted to respond to a couple things and please do not take anything I say to heart k? Mark, I love your idea of bringing more people into the organization and go to 6 shows and such. However, there is no way I can go to six shows where I live. My region has 0 shows to begin with. How can I justify going to 6 shows 10-12 hours away from me? If I cant go how can I convince someone to join something that oly he/she can compete with is in another state? Their are several cars (and I have said this before) here in Colorado that would love to compete in SQ however we just do not have the opportunity to do so!!!!! How can we help make SQ grow in USACI when there isnt any SQ shows in the entire region?!?! We have some of the most beautiful cars in the competition scene in this region Wayne Watkins, George Saltzman I also would like to think me as well. Not to mention the cities that are in this region such as Phoenix, Denver, and what the best city of all Las Vegas?!?! You mean to tell me its impossible to haol sq shows in this region? I dont believe it! There was a time that Colorado had at least 10-15 shows a season. The shope that held them were custom sound creations, alternate source, car toys, castle rock car stereo etc. These shows were the best and it was these shows that got me started in the sport. Now we have had maybe 1 show in the past 6-8 years? How can USACI justify this? If you want SQ to grow , well start getting shows in the regions that do not have any to begin with. No one in Colorado even knows what SQ is anymore because our state has been out of the loop for so long. All the people know is the boom boom shows. Nothing against you spl guys (much luv Laboto) but at least give us a chance to succeed. I like what you said Mark, honestly I do. It just isnt gonna happen here in Collorado. Sorry buddy. I just feel like I keep beating a dead horse so to speak. Good luck at the members meeting guys. I will try and compete this upcoming season but damn get a show or two close to us mountain folk lol. Jan, I understand your frustrations as well. We have to stop beating each other up and start supporting one another. I love the thrill of competition and Sketoe and I have gone toe to toe for a few years and it was a blast!!! Maybe one thing that will help us out here is to not make the qualifications the same for us as far as point totals the same as those that are in texas? You guys down there have your pick of shows to go to however we dont even have 1 show to choose from. Make the points regional appropriate. Just an idea but hey I am a small fish in this big pond. Just thinking of some resolutions to a couple of our issues. ttyl

P.S. have a blessed season Jan, Monty, Muhammed, Sketoe, Eldridge, Mickey, joe and to all my teammates from FOCAL!!!

James

By the way sorry about all those spelling errors! hahahaha Damn, I sound like I am illiterate hahaha.

Call Ralph, If there is no one there to have a show. Become a judge. I know between you and Wayne and Saltzman, there are some qualified ears. Do a show on your own, with Usaci. Join in a car show or sumptin that already has an attendance base. Basically if there are no shows, have one. Simple. You can get points for judging and you can grow that area back up. Take 3 or 4 sundays out of the year, and have fun with it..... my .02

I know I have done my part for USACI over the years. I am gonna keep doing what I do. Turn out some nice cars and try to get more people to compete. Dr. Bobblehead....signing out. LOL