By Kate Brown, Ph.D.–
The San Francisco Dykes on BikesÒ (SFDOB) Women’s Motorcycle Contingent (WMC) had an exciting summer and fall that included new adventures, old traditions, and, most importantly, the welcoming of new members as Active Patch Holders.
August saw us riding north to attend The Dream Roll camping trip in the Seattle area. We took a few days to have a glorious swoopy ride up the coast to join so many likeminded people, including our Dykes on Bikes Portland chapter, in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. After The Dream Roll, we held our fundraiser to park motorcycles at the Folsom Street Fair, elected new Officers and members of our Board of Directors, enjoyed more group rides, successfully navigated a corn maze, and went on another Southern California camping trip that included a visit to Ostrich Land in Solvang.
In our April column for the San Francisco Bay Times, I provided an overview of our SFDOB organizational structure that includes Officers, a Board of Directors, Emeritus Patch Holders, Active Patch Holders, non-Active Patch Holders, Prospects, and Participants. Each designation represents a different level of engagement. Our Prospects that are interested in becoming Patch Holders go through a process that involves rides, attending our meetings, and most importantly, allows enough time for both the individual and our organization to get to know each other. To earn and be awarded Active Patch Holder status with the San Francisco Dykes on Bikes WMC is an honor, connecting a rider with more than 45 years of history of the Dykes on Bikes that began in San Francisco and has spread around the world.
In September we welcomed our newest Active Patch Holders: Barb, Clara, and Stephanie. Over the course of 8–9 months, each of them in their own way showed their dedication to SFDOB and our mission that demonstrated a good fit for our organization—whether it was to enthusiastically participate in, help plan, and even lead rides, join us on longer overnight and weekend trips, volunteer to execute our first in-person Pride ride down Market Street since 2019, drive support vehicles, or bring in new Participants eager to Prospect and become Active Patch Holders in their own right. On behalf of SFDOB, I would like to once again say congratulations to Barb, Clara, and Stephanie.
In December, we will hold an all-day “meeting” to jointly determine the focus for 2023. This past year was a great one for SFDOB, with five new Active Patch Holders and an exciting group of Prospects already planning their Prospect ride. I’m excited to see what our group will accomplish in the year to come.
Kate Brown, Ph.D., is the President of San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® Women’s Motorcycle Contingent. https://www.dykesonbikes.org/
Dykes on Bikes
Published on November 16, 2022
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