b'VAST DirectionBy VAST Executive Director Cindy LockeVERMONT ASSOCIATIONThis year, as we have gone through and continue to navigate COVID-19, one situation specifically brought home to me is how much this pandemic has changed VAST in a sad way that I hope we never have to repeat. This may seem insignificant to some, and may leave you wondering why, out of all we have had to deal with this past year with the roving changes tossed at us because of the pandemic, I would say this one event was what impacted me the most.To me, VAST is not just a snowmobile organization with staff here to make sure we handle the administrative side of snowmobiling in Vermont. Our staff does work very hard, and we are committed to doing our jobs well. As hard as it is to find dedicated workers like our staff, what is just as hard to find, and what we also have at VAST, is an amazing volunteer base.Sure, we thank those volunteers daily at VAST, we write about them in the magazine, we talk to them daily onself-isolating sports in the winter, sobecome interested in riding in Vermont the phone and in emails. We supportfollowing those guidelines should bethis winter. If you want extra copies, their efforts and try to help them aseasy. just let us know and we will send them much as policies at VAST allow. ButAnd because we do have such a safeto you. If you really want to get in the the one event where they are trulysport, now is the time to promotemood, go to our website and watch the thanked each year was just not thesnowmobiling in Vermont to folksvideos at this link: https://vtvast.org/same this year. I am talking aboutwho maybe have never been beforevideos.html! the awards ceremony at the Annual- or get those who have to come backI hope to see you out there this winter!Meeting. This year, we could onlyinto it. All of our members have been read the winners names and applaud.mailed a Vermont Travelers GuideFondly, Maybe for some organizations, thatrecently. Our hope is that you will would be the normal way of giving outshare this guide with others so they annual awards of appreciation, but not for us. Because we couldnt celebrate these winners as we normally would, we have an expanded section in this magazine about the award winners that I hope you take the time to look at and appreciate. As we move into the fall and prepare for the winter, please keep some things in mind. Vermont is still mandating physical distancing and mask wearing. If you are out riding, and I hope you will be, keep these rules and mandates in mind. Please be careful when using social media to talk about and show photos of your experiences on the trail so that they reflect what is allowed in Vermont during the pandemic. We have probably one of the most'