International President’s report 2007
Once upon a time…there was this 19-year old tomboyish girl who started motorcycling and meeting motorcycling women. It was me full of energy, who being a student had plenty of spare time to travel Europe and later the whole world. And I wasn’t the only one: there are many (different types of) motorcycling women and I got lucky to find them through WIMA! And I haven’t changed much, but learnt a lot because I have tried not only to enjoy but also to be active amongst and for motorcycling women, first in the Netherlands and later for WIMA International. Meanwhile I am 39 and I moved to the Netherlands Antilles in 2001, where became International President in 2003. I was eager to do this and the distance was no problem at all in my view since WIMA was becoming more and more worldwide and there’s so much to explore outside of Europe! WIMA USA where WIMA had originally started had re-joined, Australia, Japan and New Zealand were represented and it was good to have one foot in Europe and the other in Central America.
So I learnt a lot but it doesn’t feel so right anymore to live in a country where WIMA does not exist, still. People are so busy nowadays things move slowly and I don’t want to push things nor start WIMA Curacao myself. However, I miss the spirit of WIMA activities closer to me and my connection with WIMA has lowered because I don’t have that foot in Europe anymore. So 4 years of International Presidency is enough and it is time for someone else who is more in the middle of things to take over. It is time for input and fresh ideas from someone with other skills !
When Sheonagh stepped down in 2003 we had just started creating a new International Constitution, much more elaborate than the one we had. WIMA Spain was fresh, WIMA Italy and WIMA Canada were joining WIMA International, adding up to 19 Divisions by the end of 2004, great! I would surely search on and get this number up through communication with Argentina, on Curacao and the other Dutch Antilles and there was Poland and Denmark and many more motorcycling women in non-WIMA countries interested. In 2005 I thought to have finished the IC and to present a convincing document to vote on, but we did not even get close. There was more and more to improve and in fact the item we got most stuck on was how to vote and when to pass a motion! Things got too complicated to solve there and then, so I promised to work on the issue after the rally. With the help of several WIMA members worldwide we created a more elaborate and improved IC with an additional document called ‘Duties of Officers’. In the meanwhile I tried to get in touch with women from potential countries and motorcycling women all over the world. In the spring of 2006 there were still 19 WIMA countries but twelve more had shown interest. Meanwhile we had agreed upon 50% of all the IC-articles and the document ‘Duties of Officers’ was quite complete as well. We voted on the other articles and decided that when countries had not paid for three years on row they could not cast a vote. 60% of the NPs or representatives of active and paying WIMA-divisions had to be for a proposal to pass it. Moreover, we created the possibility of expulsion of WIMA countries that hadn’t shown any sign of activity for three years, which is possibly resulting in a drop in number of WIMA divisions instead of an increase. We only stranded on Article 3 about registering WIMA divisions nationally, which most countries did but not all…
Now it is hard for me to accept that WIMA is decreasing in number of divisions. Being in touch with several WIMA members and NPs throughout the year I also have to conclude we are not widely active and involved enough as an international organization! For 4 years II have claimed to try and improve communication between all NPs, other WIMA officers and motorcycling women worldwide, but I have failed to do so. I am not that language miracle that I thought I was or at least this did not do the trick! And I may ask for everybody’s views and opinion but I am apparently neither good enough at presenting straightforward proposals nor in taking adequate decisions. From several sides women have been calling out to me they want change, progress and more action!
So is it a mess I am trying to pass on in a situation where no-body wants to step forward anymore? Things are moving slowly, there’s: 1. the questionnaire to which Suvi hardly got response; 2. the flag that I promised to have manufactured with the logo we had voted for in 2002; 3. new modernized logos presented for the flags, that need another voting procedure- or not?; 4. our PR-officer who could arrange women’s motorcycle wear promoted at the rally but it wasn’t possible. Don’t we have enough time to be volunteers anymore or is organizing national activities more than enough workload already? All this may be part of the truth but how to solve this and how to continue? Shall we remain critical and complain, giving our own ideas and waiting for others to be ready for change- or is there something else we can do? Can we see what is positive and can proper developments take place?
Well, I have always been positive; a side of me probably needed side by side with those who are displeased, mostly about slow development or obstruction to new ideas. So what was achieved over the last 4 years? The International Constitution practically ready and as a result important changes somehow connected with our dissatisfaction with inactivity:
- after three years of no sign and not paying a WIMA division loses the right to vote
- the International Council of National Presidents can decide on expulsion of a division if there was no sign of activity for three years.
I think that the officers installed so far should keep going by updating, upgrading and working on new ideas. And all NPs and the IP should think BIGGER and allow growth and innovations. Each National Division has to take its responsibilities: every WIMA division shall register in their country- maybe WIMA Germany should raise their fees a little and fully become an official WIMA division. PR-material should be manufactured- maybe every country should organize the production of its own flags financed by the WIMA International Bank Account so that each division can have it the way they like it, with the official and/or a modernized logo. The logo voted on in 2003 shall remain to be the official WIMA International logo. And last but not least we need a WIMA International Bank Account to prevent payments to/from private bank accounts.
Not enough decisions and straightforward action for one – too many rules and too much talking for the other. We have been spending more and more time at the table discussing issues whereas we have internet these days and we want to ride out and have fun during the rallies! We need an IP who can lead WIMA International in a more directive way using the web to its best: who can? Nobody has time these days, but someone can offer to lead WIMA for three years. I did what I could. I am displeased about some things, but I also enjoyed representing WIMA, meeting people worldwide and am proud of WIMA and all motorcycling women. I shall not stop contacting motorcycling women anywhere I go, hoping they might start a new WIMA division and as soon as they are up to it take part in the FUN !
Rita Koopmanschap ‘I did it my way- I couldn’t do it otherwise’