I can't speak officially for SAAC but lets just say that "I have heard rumors" that California was NEVER a preferred location for a SAAC Convention after the first few proved unproductive.
There was always something else going on such as the Mini-Nats and for WHATEVER reason, locals preferred that to SAAC. A wine and cheese tasting festival, an air sniffing festival in the mountains to see if you could smell the wild cannabis, releasing the butterflies so they could be free, you name it?
A California convention location, all of it, was just a appeasement to a small group of local members who always demanded representation and threatened seperation. They have always promised to deliver membership to the convention and of course, never have. A smallish turn out there is not shocking, it's expected. There seems to be this east coast/west coast animosity that shows it's nasty head around California convention time?
The powers that be just yielded to the pressure rather then risk a split into two separate clubs but the reality is that there really are two not to mention the Oklahoma group.
I did not know all of that. I guess I'm naive to the inner workings and politics of the national club.
Living up here in the great white north guarantees that I will never have a national convention anywhere near me in my lifetime. That's the reality of being apart of this club.
Pittsburgh next year will be a long haul for me as was Indy and Mid Ohio. Sonoma was super easy to get to for me, 2 1/2 hour flight and bam, there I was in heaven, amid hundreds of my favorite cars.
I don't actually know if Sonoma was bigger or smaller than Indy or Mid Ohio and I don't really care. I do know I had a great time, visited an incredible garage and bought an incredible dining table from them (Denbeste Motor Sports), saw an amazing museum(Cobra Experience)and had an absolutely great Saturday at Sonoma/Sears Point.
I realize that many of you have gone to 30 and 40 of these national conventions and it may not be "like the good old days" but I'm loving it.
I hope our club can stick together and resolve the internal issues and become stronger than ever. The major issue I see is that this club is a for profit club. I'm ok with that but I sure hope we can get it together. It's hard to read some of these posts and maintain my youthful enthusiasm. After all I'm still in my 40's and somewhat of a young pup compared to you all
QSS