Slipstream - October 2015

Around the Bend...
By Jim Hirsch, Managing Editor
You may have heard this
before: “Good amateurs practice until
they get it right; good pros practice
until they can’t get it wrong” as
attributed to E. Paul Dickinson, driving
coach. Left unsaid is the difficulty of
having enough time to practice even
one thing to that level of perfection in
any profession or activity.
That’s one reason why Jerry Seinfield can’t hit a golf
ball like Jordan Spieth while at the same time, Jordan
can’t deliver humor quite like Jerry. I’m certain that
each of us can pinpoint those areas in our work, home,
hobby, and Porsche life where we are more amateur
than professional.
As members of the Maverick Region and PCA, most
of us are closer to the professional side of the equation
when it comes to the “people” relationships. It’s easy to
experience the camaraderie of our club the first time
you attend a Mav event of any kind.
As we move to the “car” side of our Porsche club, the
difference in performance level among our activities
becomes more apparent - and I’m not simply talking
about horsepower differences! Whether it’s driving
in a rally, Sunday Drive or racing, wrenching,
detailing, customizing, taking photos of our cars,
or organizing social events like Cars & Coffee,
each of our members has different levels of talent
and expertise.
It seems to me that membership in the Maverick Region
gives each of us a great opportunity to “practice
until you can’t get it wrong” by actively participating in
those events that fit our lifestyles best. Further, mimicking
and talking to those members who are closer to that
“pro” level in each event helps us move further along in
our own continuum of improvement.
Consider using this strategy to more quickly further
your performance curve. When someone makes a suggestion
as to how to do something better, whether it’s
driving or detailing related, your ready reply might be,
“Tell me why that’s better”. It’s important to understand
the reasoning behind these suggestions. Too often, people
blindly follow suggestions without following up with
additional questions or understanding why the change
will improve whatever activity they are involved in at the
moment.
If you are interested in getting a printed directory of
all of the Maverick Region members, please look at the
ordering information on page 7 to find out how to get
your copy.
Finally, November traditionally is when we hold our annual
year-end celebration and charity event as well as
the election of officers that we call Founders’
Day. This year that event is on Saturday, Nov. 7.
See the ad on page 15 in this issue for details,
and if you can’t make it, be sure to clip out the
ballot on page 11 and mail in your votes for next
year’s board.
36 October