From The President

Greetings! At the summer meeting, I was elected your new President. Outgoing President John McGuirk is to be commended for his four years at the helm. This club is healthy and one measure of its health is officer succession and the new ideas and initiatives that the new officers bring to the table.

My name is Valdi Stefanson and my passion for old snow machines began on the shores of Lake Winnipeg, where there is a winter commercial ice fishing season. The fishermen needed a way to get their equipment on and off the frozen lake and haul in their frozen fish catch from their nets daily. First this was done with horses, then Caterpillar type tractors (weasels), and then the early snow machines. I saw Bosak, Autoboggan and Boggona brands at first. Then came the OMC, Ski Doo, Polaris and Arctic Cat brands as snowmobiling became downright “recreational". For most of us, these mechanical roots run deep.

These days, our club serves to respect and honor the early manufacturers and to pass on our spirit to a new generation. If you are my age, ask yourself who will carry on your interest in the iron dogs. How about your grandchildren? This hobby is not expensive and the machinery is not complicated. Why not open up your garage to “quality time” with someone special that is much younger than you? Just ask outgoing President John McGuirk. He will proudly show you a photo album and logbook that covers dual restorations undertaken by John’s grandson and granddaughter. Next you will hear from John that it was the most fun and meaningful experience of his past year! Sounds like all three of them got a great deal of fun and satisfaction out of the experience. Can you think of a kid who would appreciate experiencing your old snowmobile hobby? Your time and attention with him or her will be far more rewarding than yet another afternoon in front of the TV playing video games. You know what? It might well culture a prospective member of ASCOA and keep new blood flowing through the club.

The summer meet at Stewartville, Minnesota was a real pleasure. The Root River Power Assn. folks provided ASCOA with a beautifully shaded spot to set up, display and network. Later that day, after the evening banquet, the silent auction raised $ 1,500 for the club. A big thank you goes out to those that donated and also those that bought.

Next up is the winter meeting, to be held in conjunction with the Waconia Ride-In on January 29th and 30th, 2011. Please consider attending this “worlds largest” snowmobile gathering and show the 5,000 in attendance how snowmobiling began. Let’s give them a real history lesson! More information on the Waconia winter meeting will follow.