Off Camber Crawlers - General

OCC Required Safety Equipment

2014-02-10T17:19:47-05:00

Off-Camber Crawlers has a minimum required amount of saftey equipment required of all vehicles attending an OCC trail ride. Members, Non-Members and Guests vehicles attending any OCC ride shall:

Be capable of the road
Have solid recovery points on the front and rear of the vehicle
Have properly installed seat belts for all passengers
Have a lifting jack capable of lifting the vehicle's tire off the ground
Have a spare tire compatible with the other four tires
Have a standard First Aid kit
Have an operational fire extinguisher

Exception: Trail-Only an/or Trailered rigs are not required to carry a spare tire or be capable of the road.

Contact Us

2012-05-21T20:17:36-04:00

The best way to contact us is via email:

President: pres@offcambercrawlers.com

Member-At-Large: mal@offcambercrawlers.com

Board: board@offcambercrawlers.com

Snail Mail (not checked regularly):

Off-Camber Crawlers

PO Box 23

Haymarket, VA 20168

Official Trail Rides - Defined

2009-12-30T22:49:20-05:00

The following requirements must be met for a trail ride to be considered an Official OCC trail ride:

1. There must be two current OCC members present on the trip, either driving or as passengers. These members must be In good standing, meaning dues paid, yearly waiver submitted, etc.

2. The trip must have been announced on the OCC Groups.IO group List 24 hours in advance of the trip, or be a pre-planned trip that has been on the OCC calendar for more than 24 hours (eg. OCC Spring MOR, Big Dogs, etc.).

3. There must be a database setup for the trip 24 hours in advance so that folks are able to sign up to attend the trip. The attendees, however, don't need to actually sign up on the database to 'count' as attending.

4. There must be a total of 4 rigs on the trip and the trip has to be at least a half day trip (approximately 4 hours on the trail).

5. Waivers and Medical Forms must have been filled out by non-members / guest and collected by the Trail Leader (as always required on trips).

Supported Organizations

2009-11-12T20:50:09-05:00

OCC supports other organizations interested in the sport of Off-Highway Vehicle use.

OCC Members are required to be members of Virginia Four Wheel Drive Association:

OCC as an organizationhas a club membership in the following organizations and OCC encourages its members to join these organizations as individualmembers:

Being on the Board

2009-11-12T05:05:42-05:00

I was recently asked by a new member, "Before I accept the nomination, can you tell me what does this board position with OCC entail?" I put some thought into it, and here's my initial stab. Obviously the bylaws define each position briefly, and any potential officer should look there first, but here's one board members expounded view on the position description for a position on the OCC Board.

In reality, I think the required commitment is minimum about 2 hours a month, plus at least 30+ minutes a week on e-mail/phone/etc in any given month you are not wheeling or participating in an event. When you are participating it means lending an additional hand, maybe showing up a little early, or bringing something, or calling the ranger station or off-road park a few days ahead of time, etc. And then about three times a year, likely for the summer party, the holiday party, and one other event you'll be putting in a few hours of time to buy food, get tables, coordinate a hall, find a vendor, etc.

As a board member you need to:

Absolute minimum:
- Almost nothing.
- If you miss a lot of board meetings, board votes, don't answer e-mails, and don't wheel that much, or really get involved, but put in some minimal effort, etc., life goes on for the club. BUT, that's clearly not the point of accepting a commitment to be on the board of OCC. I just point out that there is little real "requirement" and even littler recourse for failure.
- and at any time when life explodes on you or gets too busy, we understand when you man-up and say "I can no longer meet my commitments and need to drop out." It has happened in the past, and we understand - it's a social club and a hobby, not a job or a career.

Practical minimum:
- make a majority of the meetings (most board members have missed one or two meetings, and the rest of us cover.) but expect to make 9 or 10 unless life happens or something big comes up in your life.

- Perform a few position specific tasks:

- For President: Set the agenda for the year, and for each meeting. Preside over membership meetings (monthly), and board meetings (as needed). Determine what and when the board needs to vote on things or make decisions, manage deliberation and then hold the vote. Coordinate who will lead in executing what events, etc.,

- Vice-President: Realize that you have no set duties other than to be ready to step in for the President, so find some way to pick up slack for one or more of the other busy board members, take on a major project, or otherwise help the board, the club, and its members.

- Member-at-Large (MAL): A busy man, the MAL is part Rush Chairman, part Web Master and part Master Trail master. The MAL is in charge of maintaining the website, controlling access to the Yahoo Groups Mailing List, managing the induction of new members, managing the Trail Boss Award, and anything else that has to do with members. I'm still not sure why the MAL has so many tasks and the other board positions don't.

- Treasurer: maintain the books, collect dues, pay bills, pay VA4WDA and other umbrella organization dues, maintain tax exempt records, keep receipts, manage the budget, keep us out of jail, etc.

- Secretary: take minutes (or arrange for them to be taken in your absence) and make sure they get posted, maintain the official records: roster of members, by-laws, maintain sign-in records and keep track of who has attended what, in order to answer if anyone has officially "met member requirements," etc.,

- Ex-President: Primary duty is to remind the president that the ex-president gets a vote, and the president does not. Usually given a lot of leeway to not do too much, but advise the president and board for continuity sake. The position ensures we don't get a brand new board and have no historical knowledge of even the previous year.

Kind of expected:
- Be an active participant in decisions of the club, voice your opinions and help guide where we should go. This also requires some amount of listening to members and determining what needs to be done, and what is in the best interest of the organization and/or its members.
- Be an active communicator, by e-mail, phone, face-to-face, SMS/text message, or whatever means, but be able and willing to communicate with and respond to the members and the rest of the board.
- Help out with making group things happen. Understand that OCC "does not do committees" and that effectively means the board is "the committee" for everything that must be done. Be willing to work on getting a liquor license for the year end party, or buying some food on your way to the summer picnic, etc. We can find members to volunteer to get things done, but the board must follow up and fill in when needed.
- If you suggest something new, or suggest or vote that we "should" do something, be willing to take at least a 1/6th share in making it happen or getting the ball rolling. Don't devote your life or all your free time to OCC, but don't sit there and expect others to pull all the weight.
- If you are failing to meet your OCC obligations because life/work/family is getting in the way for a majority of the year (this will happen for periods of time for all of us, but when it becomes the norm) - or worse OCC is getting in the way of life/work/family - then bow out respectfully mid-course.

Above average:
(not required, especially new board members, but we kind of need 2-3 out of the 6 of us in this zone at any one time, and throughout the year, especially since life means at any one time there are 1-3 of us that can't be in this zone, in order to maintain the rest of our life in balance)
- Put some significant effort into at least one additional thing outside of your 'assigned' duties during the year. Take lead to organize and execute the 101/201 run, or put together a T-Shirt gear and sticker order, or work on getting sponsors for a huge raffle at the year end party, etc.
- Be the face of OCC to new/prospective members drawing in new energy and new blood to the club. Figure out some way to reach and attract new members and increase our rolls.
- Attend a lot of events (wheeling, wrenching, meetings, etc.), lend a helping hand, bring members together, get them wheeling and wrenching instead of bikering on e-mail, and focus on "value to the members" of the club, thus making it a better place, and in turn energizing the existing membership to be more active.

Extra / Super Cool / Super Human:
- Take something that needs to be completely overhauled and remake it or start it anew for OCC. For example, Ryan built a whole new web page in 2009. Well above expectations, but he wants to do it, and its a huge cool gift for the club. Or for another example: Barbara and the board in 2008 went through the legal work to get us official legal non-profit status, or the 2004 board went through the "legislative" process of a major by-laws update, rewrite, and approval process.

- Accomplish one or more key events for the club that don't need to be done but folks really appreciate. Examples might include going all out on the sponsorship drive and get the club a huge raffle, finding a sponsor who will provide us with some club gear (a field welder, a couple of pop-up awnings, free first aid / first responder bags, etc.), work with a news reporter or four wheeling magazine to get us featured in the press or a magazine article, or Keep track of pictures all year and put together a video for the year end party, or some other thing you like to do and what to do for the club.

Feel free to ask others their opinion as well, many members have served on the board, and many know what they think they want the board to do for them. Also, be aware, co-workers early on in my professional life and consistently throughout my career have identified that I have a way of making simple things sound complicated. I think its mostly a joy to be on the board, I feel good about helping out and making the organization better for its members, and for the most part I don't notice a lot of these things as "requirements" or "expectations." They just need to be done, and I have the opportunity to do it. I hope this helps you understand the board a little more.

Monthly Club Meetings

2011-03-01T05:00:00-05:00

Our regular Monthly meetings are open for everyone and are held at a variety of locations including The Farm Brewery in Broad Run, Kilroy's in Springfield. They typically occur on the second Sunday of the month at 5:00pm (meet and greet), with the meeting starting at 6:00pm.

Be sure to check the calendar because we do move them around for holidays or venue conflicts. This is a great way to get to know us, so feel free to drop in or contact us if you have any questions.

Google Map to The Farm Brewery

Community Service

2009-10-22T21:20:40-04:00

Trail Clean-Ups:

Off-Camber Crawlers takes its responsibility to live by the principles of Tread Lightly! seriously and as a part of that has for years organized and supported cleanups in and around the George Washington National Forest where a network of public trails offer many individuals and families their first off-highway experience as four wheelers. While we pay special attention to our adopted trail, Old Route 33, Off-Camber Crawlers has led cleanups to many of the areaâ€™s trails including Dry River, Flag Pole Knob, Union Springs, Dunkle Hollow, Kephart and Fireroad 72.

With help from other local clubs, we have collectedtons of trash and hundreds oftires. We support the annual VA4WDA Earth Day Trail Clean-Up, other multi-club events, and also work on our own to clean-up and repair trails and pick up trail-side trash every time we wheel. While it is unfortunate that such refuse finds its way onto our public lands in the first place, we take great satisfaction in helping keep these treasured resources not only clean, but cleaner than when we found them.

If you choose to become involved with Off-Camber Crawlers, please consider joining us on one of our trail cleanups. We think you'll find it to be a rewarding experience.

Children's Hospital Toy Drives:

Each Year, Off-Camber Crawlers hosts a holiday party for its members and guests, renting a local hall, providing food, and giving away items donated by our many generous sponsors.But beyond simply getting together to enjoy some holiday cheer, we try to share some of that cheer through our annual holiday toy drive. Members and guests are asked to bring a gift or two (or three!) appropriate for children who may be bed-ridden or otherwise ill. These gifts are then donated to the children's wards of a local hospital. We hope this goes a long way toward ensuring that no child is left without a present to unwrap.Whether or not you plan on becoming involved with Off-Camber Crawlers, or even have the opportunity to attend our Holiday Party, please consider making a gift to one of these local hospitals and bring a smile not only to the face of a child, but to your own face as well.

Letter from Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Dec. 2013

Letter from Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Dec. 2008

Letter from Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Dec. 2007

Letter from Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Dec. 2006

Letter from Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Dec. 2005

Letter from Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Dec. 2004

Letter from Children's National Medical Center Dec. 2003

Health Care Worker Transport:

While four wheeling is primarily a recreational activity for our members, there are circumstances when both the unique skills we develop driving off-highway and the modifications we make to our vehicle can play a vital role in our community acheter viagra en ligne.One of the most common of these circumstances are the serious snow storms we occasionally encounter during the winter season. Major roads can be impassable for hours and it can literally be days before secondary and neighborhood streets are cleared. While for many parents and schoolchildren a "snow day" can be an unexpected and welcome day off, our neighbors and friends who work in the health care field know that illness and accidents never take a holiday.In such times, the members of Off-Camber Crawlers make themselves available to local hospitals to offer safe and reliable transportation to and from these essential jobs. In 2003 when the area was hit with two major storms back to back, our members were able to offer transportation to over 100 doctors, nurses, technicians, aides, and other health care professionals.Many of our members, equipped with recovery gear from our trail rides, also patrol their neighborhoods to help people who have become stuck or disabled. In the 2003 storms, our members aided nearly 250 motorists. While we were only occasionally needed some years, and not at all others, we have helped uncounted individuals get out of a little trouble or get to work when the roads were unpassable to your regular commuter car. You never know when another big one is going to hit or when the one person you reach out to help on any given day may go on to make a big difference in the life of others.Also, we offer a word of caution to people new to the world of four-wheel-drive vehicles. While your vehicle may be capable, you very well may lack the experience to safely traverse hazardous terrain or be unfamiliar with the limits of your vehicle. Please take it easy during snow storms and come learn with us so you will be ready when needed.

Trail Boss Award

2009-10-22T20:47:31-04:00

Below is a description of the Trail Boss Award.

Revised 17 March, 2015

Established in 2003 to formally recognize and reward the efforts of members, the Trail Boss and The Tail Gunner awards will be awarded to the persons who organize the most trail runs during the year. The 2009 Board overhauled the awards requirements and procedures to promote more competition and involvement. In 2015, Board members the rules were revised to not allow Board members to use official OCC events/run in the Trail Boss and Tail Gunner Award standings. Events such as Colossal Canines, Gore Invitational, Spring/Fall Runs, and 101/201 will not count towards Award standings for Board members. Board members are still eligible to win by organizing Member Initiated Runs. This change was made because Board members have an unfair advantage over other members. Email the Member at Large for any questions.

General Requirements:

The year begins the Sunday following the Holiday Party and will end the Friday before next Holiday Party.
The winners must be members at the time of the awards ceremony at the Holiday Party.
You do not have to be a member to have a run eligible, but you must become a member before you can win the award.
You do not have to be present at the Holiday Party to win the Trail Boss or Tail Gunner award.
Trail Boss award is for the most eligible runs. Tail Gunner is for the 2nd most eligible runs.
If, at the end of the year, two or more people have the same number of trail rides, the trail leader with the highest vehicle count will be declared the winner. If there is a tie in vehicle count, then it will be decided from a poll on the OCC Groups.IO group list between those that are tied.
Board members other than the Member at Large (who tracks this) are eligible to win the award consistent with the following rules:

Board members are prohibited from using OCC official events and runs such as, but not limited to, Colossal Canines, Spring/Fall Runs, 101/201, and Gore Invitational for their eligible runs.
Only Member Initiated Runs (MIRs) will count towards Trail Boss and Tail Gunner Awards for Board members.

Planned events like Big Dogs and Camp Heep are eligible if all the same requirements are met. It is understood that at external events the waivers and medical forms may not be allowed to be collected since OCC is not the host of the event therefore this requirement may be waived if so. It is also understood that in these planned events the database might be pre-setup. This is okay as the rules don't say who has to setup the database, just that it needs to be setup.
Open Runs and Members only runs count if all other requirements are met.
The trail ride must meet the club definition of a trail ride.

Procedural Requirements:

The run must be announced on either the OCC list or MOCC list at least 24 hours prior to the drivers meeting and a sign-up database must be created on either the OCC or MOCC list depending on the Event type.
There must be a minimum of four (4) vehicles on the run. They do not have to be on the database to count but they all must be listed in the trip report. In the trip report the attendees membership and or list membership status must be listed for each attendee.
The run must be an official run; meaning, at least two participants must be members and you must adhere to the club policy of Tread Lightly!
A family member does not count as the second required member on a run if they are family member of the first required member.
Trips that are planned in advance to last multiple days will count as multiple runs, up to five (5) total as long as all trail boss award requirements are met each day. Trips that last more than five days can only count for up five runs.
Waivers for non-members must be collected and submitted to the board. Medical forms must be distributed to all who don't have one. They can both be found in the Documents section of this website. To assist in the set up of a trail ride, there is a checklist also available in the Documents section.
You must follow-up the run with a trail report posted on the list the run was advertised on. The report must contain a list of who participated in the run (not just "2 TJs, 2 CJ-7s and a Suburban" but the names of the people), each participants membership status (aka. Member, List Member or soon to be list member), and various details about the trip as appropriate.

Recommendations (not requirements):

Recruiting is allowed and encouraged since this promotes wheeling within the club.
Recruits should be members of the Groups.IO list or be encouraged to become list members right after the trail ride.
The vehicles that count should be on the database but this is not requirement. See below.
Last minute attendees that did not sign up on the database now count towards the number of rigs if they attend the event and are listed in the Trip Report as required. It is understood that some people don't have the time or the easy/quick internet access to get on the database every time and are concentrating on getting ready for the outing.

Have fun and get out there and wheel!

2018 Trail Boss Stats

2017 Trail Boss Stats

2016 Trail Boss Stats

Email List Signup

2009-10-22T15:22:12-04:00

The OCC Email Forum/List is truly the central vein of OCC. A substantial portion of the OCC community is our mailing list. This is where we meet and greet everyone. Questions are posted, answers are given. Trips are setup, meetings times coordinated. Technical questions are posted by newcomers and the old-timers provide years of experience.

Everyone is welcome, so please feel free to post any questions or responses on our list. This is an email list for the Off-Camber Crawlers off road club, you will be a guest for 6 months. Please use that time to decide if this club is right for you. At the end of the 6 months we hope you will have joined or declared your intention to join. If your 6 months pass and you have not made an attempt to join you will be removed from the list.

About OCC

2009-10-22T14:55:38-04:00

Founded in Jan 1997, The Off-Camber Crawlers, Inc. (OCC) is a group of professional individuals, mostly from Washington, DC and its surrounding areas, who are interested in off-road driving and enjoying the great outdoors with friends.

We meet once a month at 6:00pm typically on the second Sunday of the month. Check our calendar for the next meeting or trail ride. The meeting location varies - please check the calendar.

OCC's main goal is to promote and participate in safe, responsible off-highway vehicle (OHV) driving and to participate in and have a positive impact on the community. If there is a member or guest of OCC that needs information or help we are always there to lend a hand or point you in the right direction. Newcomers are always welcome and never made to feel that their questions are insignificant.