Barry Wolk
04-07-2010, 12:14 PM
I wrote this article after getting the Youth Judging Award at Amelia Island. I submitted it to Hemming's for publication in their June edition of Hemming's Motor News.
Coming to a Concours near you
When I was a child I was taught that a car was a tool and an outward sign of success. While both may be true, the outlook delayed my appreciation for the automobile as an icon, representing the advancement of the human condition. Had my father been McKeel Hagerty, that would have all been different.
It is important to McKeel, both as a classic car insurance provider and a father, that today's youth be engaged with the automobile. To that end, Hagerty Insurance has developed Operation Ignite! Connecting Kids with Cars, a suite of programs designed to grow the interest of the hobby among young people.
Hagerty’s Young Designer Contest makes young people look 50 years into the automotive future by creating a futuristic design of their favorite collector automobile. Who better to do that? The unfettered imagination of 13-17 year-olds opens a world of thought about how cars will be used down the road, literally. The top five finalists, as chosen by public vote on Hagerty’s website, will be flown to Monterey, Calif., for and an all-expense-paid trip for two where the final judging will take place at the Hagerty reception during the week of the Pebble Beach Concours. I can only imagine the thrill of participating in that, especially at their age.
Upcoming is a program called "Paddock Tours" that gets young people up close and personal with the cars and drivers at racing venues. I must say that being nearly run down by A.J. Foyt at the inaugural race at Michigan International Speedway back in 1968 left a very strong impression on me. Had Hagerty's crew been there to guide me, I may not have been standing in front of the sliding gate at the paddock when A.J. decided to suddenly end his race.
The program I'd like to tell you about is Hagerty's Youth Judging Program. This program is designed to make young people look at cars from a different perspective and engage the automobile as a work of art rather than just an appliance. A group of 15-30 are gathered from local boys' and girls' clubs and other organizations. They are given very official-looking shirts, hats, clipboards and checklists and some training on what to look for. They check interiors, paint, engine compartment and, most importantly, the car's horn.
A limited number of cars are selected by Hagerty's staff from the entire field of show cars. These selections are made across the spectrum of age and utility. A couple of race cars are included, wherever possible, to round out their choices. The Hagerty staff facilitates the inspection of each car by asking leading questions. The young judges are allowed to interact with the car owners, just like adult judges.
We were fortunate enough to be asked to show our '55 Porsche "Continental" Cabrio at the Amelia Island Concours, an event benefitting North Florida Hospice. We make a point of participating in these shows because they are a good cause and a good time. Charity events like this let you rub elbows with the rich and famous without being either. The automobile is the great equalizer.
We placed our car on a literal field of dreams in one of the sports car classes. The EMW, yes, that's an "E", next to us was the only one like it in the US. It was a '30s BMW body stamped out in the '50s in East Germany, hence the "E". Across from us was a display of cars that would turn heads anywhere. There was a space-age turbine car and other one-off creations like the Harley Earl LeSabre. Down the row were four Continental Mark IIs all once owned by famous Ford family members. We were in some rarified air with our plebeian little Porsche, yet the Hagerty people asked us to participate.
We were thrilled. We realize that our hobby is saturated with older people who often collect cars that were important or unobtainable to them as a young person. Since today's children have little to look at but committee-designed jelly beans, they seem to lack the enthusiasm that we had as kids. That's unfortunate as the hobby has no future without them. This was an opportunity to instill that excitement in a bunch of youngsters.
The group arrived right on time. They looked so serious. They asked all the important questions but looked confused when I went into what they thought was the trunk to show them the engine. They asked to hear the horn and then all giggled. While I'm not used to being around children, I engaged them as young adults and they acted accordingly. They were very respectful, careful to keep their judging badges and clipboards away from the car. As they were moving onto the next inspection I engaged them a final time, telling them that our Porsche was Herbie's cousin. They all know who Herbie is.
We went to lunch after they left. The beeper that the Concours gave to all of the participants went off, telling us to return to our car. We were met by the director of the Hagerty program, Tabetha Salsbury, excitedly telling us that we had taken third place in the Youth Judging Program. We were guided through literal throngs of people as there were 18,000 enthusiasts there that day. We made our way to a staging area where we got a ring-side seat to see some beautiful race cars receive awards. As we watched, they positioned an incredible Talbot-Lago streamliner and a very regal V-12 dual cowl Packard Speedster next to us, taking second and first places.
We were grinning from ear to ear as we drove up to the awards podium to be greeted by Ed Lucas and McKeel Hagerty. The judges gathered around the car and handed us our award. After a few words from McKeel we were off, back through the crowd, with people cheering as we went.
We have been exhibitors in quite a few Concours and have taken a trophy or a ribbon in most. This one means more to us than all the others as it came from eyes that are unaffected by value or scarcity. They just picked what they liked, the true spirit of the Concours.
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/63434-1.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01402.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01414.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01425.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01437.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01469.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01495.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01500-3-1.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01501.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01504.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01506.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01514.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01520.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01522.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01525.jpg
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http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01538.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01544.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01553.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01651.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01791.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01906.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01952.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01957.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01969.jpg
Coming to a Concours near you
When I was a child I was taught that a car was a tool and an outward sign of success. While both may be true, the outlook delayed my appreciation for the automobile as an icon, representing the advancement of the human condition. Had my father been McKeel Hagerty, that would have all been different.
It is important to McKeel, both as a classic car insurance provider and a father, that today's youth be engaged with the automobile. To that end, Hagerty Insurance has developed Operation Ignite! Connecting Kids with Cars, a suite of programs designed to grow the interest of the hobby among young people.
Hagerty’s Young Designer Contest makes young people look 50 years into the automotive future by creating a futuristic design of their favorite collector automobile. Who better to do that? The unfettered imagination of 13-17 year-olds opens a world of thought about how cars will be used down the road, literally. The top five finalists, as chosen by public vote on Hagerty’s website, will be flown to Monterey, Calif., for and an all-expense-paid trip for two where the final judging will take place at the Hagerty reception during the week of the Pebble Beach Concours. I can only imagine the thrill of participating in that, especially at their age.
Upcoming is a program called "Paddock Tours" that gets young people up close and personal with the cars and drivers at racing venues. I must say that being nearly run down by A.J. Foyt at the inaugural race at Michigan International Speedway back in 1968 left a very strong impression on me. Had Hagerty's crew been there to guide me, I may not have been standing in front of the sliding gate at the paddock when A.J. decided to suddenly end his race.
The program I'd like to tell you about is Hagerty's Youth Judging Program. This program is designed to make young people look at cars from a different perspective and engage the automobile as a work of art rather than just an appliance. A group of 15-30 are gathered from local boys' and girls' clubs and other organizations. They are given very official-looking shirts, hats, clipboards and checklists and some training on what to look for. They check interiors, paint, engine compartment and, most importantly, the car's horn.
A limited number of cars are selected by Hagerty's staff from the entire field of show cars. These selections are made across the spectrum of age and utility. A couple of race cars are included, wherever possible, to round out their choices. The Hagerty staff facilitates the inspection of each car by asking leading questions. The young judges are allowed to interact with the car owners, just like adult judges.
We were fortunate enough to be asked to show our '55 Porsche "Continental" Cabrio at the Amelia Island Concours, an event benefitting North Florida Hospice. We make a point of participating in these shows because they are a good cause and a good time. Charity events like this let you rub elbows with the rich and famous without being either. The automobile is the great equalizer.
We placed our car on a literal field of dreams in one of the sports car classes. The EMW, yes, that's an "E", next to us was the only one like it in the US. It was a '30s BMW body stamped out in the '50s in East Germany, hence the "E". Across from us was a display of cars that would turn heads anywhere. There was a space-age turbine car and other one-off creations like the Harley Earl LeSabre. Down the row were four Continental Mark IIs all once owned by famous Ford family members. We were in some rarified air with our plebeian little Porsche, yet the Hagerty people asked us to participate.
We were thrilled. We realize that our hobby is saturated with older people who often collect cars that were important or unobtainable to them as a young person. Since today's children have little to look at but committee-designed jelly beans, they seem to lack the enthusiasm that we had as kids. That's unfortunate as the hobby has no future without them. This was an opportunity to instill that excitement in a bunch of youngsters.
The group arrived right on time. They looked so serious. They asked all the important questions but looked confused when I went into what they thought was the trunk to show them the engine. They asked to hear the horn and then all giggled. While I'm not used to being around children, I engaged them as young adults and they acted accordingly. They were very respectful, careful to keep their judging badges and clipboards away from the car. As they were moving onto the next inspection I engaged them a final time, telling them that our Porsche was Herbie's cousin. They all know who Herbie is.
We went to lunch after they left. The beeper that the Concours gave to all of the participants went off, telling us to return to our car. We were met by the director of the Hagerty program, Tabetha Salsbury, excitedly telling us that we had taken third place in the Youth Judging Program. We were guided through literal throngs of people as there were 18,000 enthusiasts there that day. We made our way to a staging area where we got a ring-side seat to see some beautiful race cars receive awards. As we watched, they positioned an incredible Talbot-Lago streamliner and a very regal V-12 dual cowl Packard Speedster next to us, taking second and first places.
We were grinning from ear to ear as we drove up to the awards podium to be greeted by Ed Lucas and McKeel Hagerty. The judges gathered around the car and handed us our award. After a few words from McKeel we were off, back through the crowd, with people cheering as we went.
We have been exhibitors in quite a few Concours and have taken a trophy or a ribbon in most. This one means more to us than all the others as it came from eyes that are unaffected by value or scarcity. They just picked what they liked, the true spirit of the Concours.
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/63434-1.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01402.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01414.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01425.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01437.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01469.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01495.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01500-3-1.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01501.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01504.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01506.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01514.jpg
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http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01651.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01791.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01906.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Amelia/Amelia01952.jpg
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