One of the rules of the club is that if you wish to compete for a year end trophy, you must work one event. While lots of folks enjoy competing in the rallies, there's a lot to be said for working them. Working a rally lets you start to see a lot of how a rally goes together.
On the one hand there are the technical aspects. Take timing: the first few rallys I worked, we didn't have timing hoses. (I can just hear Jack saying "The first few I worked, we used sun dials!") Those hoses make things so much easier and more reliable. Even still, it can still be a scramble to record timing when a small pile of cars come into a checkpoint at once. Then there's all the paperwork: leg slips, timing slips, timing charts, and the final calculations.
But, to me, the best part of working a rally is spending some time with someone you probably don't know very well. Rallymasters love to gloat about their rallies. If you wind up in a car with the rallymaster, you will discover just how sneaky they can be in their rally. Some like to gleefully point out their traps as you go from checkpoint to checkpoint.
No matter who you're with, when sitting at the checkpoint things can get downright dull waiting for cars. You will start talking about all sorts of things. You get to see folks as more than just rally enthusiasts, and you will frequently find that you've gotten a glimpse of to see a glimpse of what their lives are like in the other 29 days of the month.
So don't forget that working is a requirement, but try to think of it as just another aspect of rallying. It may be a lot of sitting around, but it can still be a lot of fun.
Esther Filderman / June 1994