October 2013

 

Here at ENDracing we claim to be a grassroots racing organization.  But what does that really mean?

 

Well, a grassroots movement, according to Wikipedia, implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, (as opposed to a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures). Grassroots movements are often at the local level, as many volunteers in the community give their time to support the movement.

 

This is all well and good, but lets get more specific.  What grassroots means to us is that we put on races for our community supported by members of that community. It means that we've grown organically while staying true to our mission - putting on challenging events that are well orchestrated and offered at exceptional values.  It means that when we make mistakes occasionally (our prolonged clean up of the mud run for example) we learn from them, and try really hard not to make them more than once.  It means that we rely heavily on our volunteers who donate not only their time on race day but also in the days leading up to the race - and their trucks, trailers, kayaks, lifejackets, and paddles to help us keep costs down.  It means we are appreciated by the very community we serve - what we do is only possible because our city and state values our efforts and supports them both directly (financially) and indirectly.  It means that there is a high degree of interconnectedness and lack of separation between much of the core ENDracing group - our families are all volunteers, our volunteers are often also our racers, and our racers become family.  We wouldn't want it any other way.

 

Cheers,

Andy