 |
 |
 |
 |
January, 2008
During the 1991 Hood to Coast (HTC) event, 3 female HTC participants were assaulted along OR Hwy 202 during the dark of night. These assaults were geographically spread out enough that it is not known if the assaults were 3 separate attacks by 3 separate attackers or if they were done by the same person. The attacker(s) was never arrested.
In 1992, an independent effort by 6 NIKE employees on motorcycles was put forth to do a night time patrol of only those areas where the 1991 attacks took place. The feedback and email response praising the efforts of these 6 riders was more than 1200 emails. The consensus was HTC participants felt that the recurring presence of the motorcycles let them know that they were not alone. More importantly the attacks did not reoccur. This original volunteer group of NIKE volunteers had no cohesion to hold them together or to continue the patrol effort into the future. Even the original organizer of the NIKE motorcyclist volunteers changed jobs and moved out of the area.
AA Sports is the contract timer for the Hood to Coast event. And AA Sports had a group of experienced motorcycle riders who had been working as course marshals for AA Sports multi-sports events for many years, and it was suggested that they might be able to continue the night time motorcycle observation patrols. As it happens, these riders were all members of the Rose City Motorcycle Club (RCMC) of Portland, Oregon.
This proposal was formally submitted the RCMC Board of Directors who agreed to take on the challenge of doing these night time patrols.
1993 was the first RCMC all night Motorcycle Observation Patrol of the Hood to Coast. The original program consisted of some 22 riders, covering the last 25% of the HTC route from Vernonia / Mist all the way to the finish line in Seaside, Oregon. The planned goal was simple - maintain a continuous frequency of contact with every HTC participant of the event from sunset to sunrise. Later the scope of this deterrence program was expanded to 42 riders from Exchange 12, 127 miles to the finish line in Seaside. This was done because of assaults that occurred in areas where Motorcycle Observation Patrol was not present and had not previously patrolled.
From the beginning until now (15 years later) no additional assaults have ever occurred wherever the Motorcycle Observation Patrol has established their randomized, recurring presence. In fact, a variety of inappropriate behaviors by a variety of non-HTC people, has been preempted or disrupted by the simple expedient of bringing eye-witnesses, light, and communications to bear on an undesirable or illegal situation by members of the HTC / RCMC Motorcycle Observation Patrol.
But more than this deterrence affect on inappropriate behavior was the discovery that the integration of these motorcycles into the event had other benefits as well. Each motorcycle during the HTC event is a point of contact, communication, and if needed assistance. They have been used for a wide variety of special tasks including, but not limited to: carrying messages when the communications link was unavailable or not working, Exchange Point replacement lights, fuel, and even people to where they were needed. The motorcycles have demonstrated a unique ability to maneuver up and down the course without disrupting either the events’ team vans or foot traffic. They became the “fill-in-the-blank” solution for “on-the-fly” problems. And usually the motorcycles were either the most timely solution or the “only” solution available.
So remember the next you see those riders in the distinctive yellow reflective vests doing the night time HTC Motorcycle Observation Patrol - They are out there for you. Their mission is keep orbiting in their assigned patrol areas all night long. So give ‘em a break, and help them glide on through by moving over to let them by. You just might be the next person who needs their help.
