Ive been debating if I should or shouldn't add a reply to this thread, however I figured what will it hurt if I do....It begins with a story that goes something like this ...I joined the club a couple of years ago after collecting for about a year. Since this concerns age I'm 40 now, in my late 30s at the time. When you join clubs like this where people have been involved for a decade or more,know each other well, and are comfortable with one another it can make being 37 or 38 year old feel like your mother is still helping you blow your nose, not to mention intimidating. This is after all a serious(but fun)hobby, where we can be talking about thousands of dollars for 1 chip. So being new to the club and to the message board, I was careful about what I asked or responded to, not wanting to sound like a complete fool or newbie. I was even just starting to make private transactions with a few members. So, one day I saw a thread about a contest in regard to the INDY 500, I responded saying I'd like to participate. The loser had to pay the winner a 5 dollar chip. I know this because I was reminded in several e-mails. I however digress.....So some time goes by, I don't recall how much, but in the meantime I'd never heard anything more about the contest....rules, how it worked , if I was actually participating. So after the race I wont mention names, I do believe it was a life member .... I received an email from the winner with a list of people who still owed this person a chip .... Of course my name was on the list.... I believe I emailed back saying that I didn't even know I was in the contest or how I lost, but I would send a chip anyway. Well life happens and I didn't get the chip out....Then another email was sent out with the list of who still owed who what. I may have even sent another email that I would get to it when I could, but I know wasn't happy my name was being thrown out on a public list, I was dealing with an upcoming spinal fusion and it was really the last thing on my mind. Then I received another E-mail from this person saying they would let the club know that I would no longer be able to participate in future contests..... So at that point I was pretty much done with the club, and the hobby for that matter... At the time I had too many personal troubles to be badgered about a contest that I had no idea I was even in.....Had I been on the other side of the issue, I believe I would have taken the member at his word and let it go.....That's not what happened. the member was adamant about getting the chip. I figured by now this person being a LM would have spread the word that I'm some kind of charlatan and watch out for me. So I stopped collecting, I didn't renew my membership and I haven't looked at this board again until just a few days ago ..... Since Ive just started collecting again.

I really don't care what anyone thinks of me, I know I'm not a shyster, cheat, fraud or a charlatan....But I think this person, being a life member could have been a little more understanding and explained the contest to me and how I lost. ....I also think the person who was running the contest could have done a better job in letting people know they were actually participating and what the rules were....... Either way, the contest itself, the public emails and the snarky personal message completely soured me on the Club, the board and the hobby for the last couple of years...... I guess if I had to sum it up, if you want to bring younger people in and keep them in, perhaps some of the older members should be a little less aggressive with the newer folks and a little more understanding, as I said before once you get beyond the basics of collecting chips, it can get very intimidating and there's more than meets the eye when you start getting even more serious about it....So if learning the hobby isn't daunting enough, having your peers censure you in your infancy doesn't do much for the member, the club or its PR.