Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 644 | Snowmobile VERMONT Future Leaders Forum I was torn. I wanted to attend each of the morning seminars at Annual Meeting. However, the intriguing title of one session captured my immediate attention: “Growing your Club’s Volunteer Numbers and Engaging Youth.” So I bypassed Matt’s trails and Beth’s website sessions and eagerly participated in a most stimulating roundtable including Cindy Locke and Carmin Lemery, chair of VAST’s PR and Youth Committee. What an experience! It only took a few minutes for the group’s vigorous exchange to focus on snowmobiling’s “800-pound gorilla” challenge: attracting and retaining new, younger volunteers. The group identified multiple participation barriers including the high costs of our sport, family commitments and electronic distractions. Three target demographic members is to empower them with responsibility. If a newer member is invested with responsibility, their new ownership will pay dividends with loyalty and passion. As the 2017 season begins, each of us should add “mentor” to our club job descriptions. – Bob Stewart Worcester Rangers Bylaw Change Vote I would like to take a moment to thank the clubs who signed the petition for the discussion and membership vote of the bylaw change regarding the inclusion of out-of-state members having the ability to run for a volunteer officer position.  Forty-eight percent of the VAST membership is represented by out- of-state people. Per the bylaws, a petition representing 10 percent of the membership had to be presented LETTERS 26Vast Lane, Barre,VT 05641 • editor@vtvast.org • facebook.com/VTVAST groups were seen to have the greatest leadership potential for VAST’s second fifty years: adolescents, independent young adults and older returners such as myself. Though approaches to attract and retain new sledders and volunteers may vary, the group agreed that opportunities for growth may be found within each of VAST’s 128 clubs: • Create a welcoming and fun-filled club environment • Encourage newer members to assume positions of responsibility • Recognize that our newer members are our future leaders “Youth,” “Newbie” and other labels were deemed to be potentially disrespectful. Our new volunteers are snowmobiling’s future leaders. Hopefully, each club will create ways to attract and retain new volunteers. One of the most successful strategies to generate enthusiasm with new