Al Obrigewitsch has been actively involved in the Revelstoke ATV Club for more than a decade, including stints as the treasurer and president. With more than 100 members, the Revelsoke club is one of the largest in B.C. One of the club's largest events during the year is its GPS Ride, which this year was the club's largest yet.
"Word of mouth is starting to work," said Obrigewitsch. "We had people from the United States this year, and as far away as Saskatchewan, northern B.C. and Alberta. It’s an event to bring other people into our area."
But, said Obrigewitsch, the benefits of joining a club go beyond having a good time at a ride. It is an opportunity for ATVers to keep riding areas open, meet new people and change the public perception of the sport.
"People who don't join the club don't see that even if you join the club and don’t want anything to do with it, we’ve got your name," said Obrigewitsch. "When we go to the government, we can say, 'Look—we want to keep the area open and here’s our membership.' "
Obrigewitsch said typical club activities involve a morning ride, a lunch and a ride back after cleaning garbage out of the area. A few bad apples spoil the barrel when it comes to environmental damage, as the vast majority of quadders are conscientious about keeping the landscape intact, both for themselves and future ATVers. Riding with the club means not only respecting the environment, but yourself, too—club outings require the rider to have the correct gear and a helmet.
Obrigewitsch said that on many occasions during club rides he has come to the aid of other OHV users requiring assistance—something indicative of the club members as a whole.
"You associate with great people—they’ll give you the shirt off their back if you’ve got a problem," said Obrigewitsch.
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