I was given a couple of typed pages, so I've retyped them here for everyone's enjoyment, exactly as it was written, with no edits. If you don't know where you're from, how can you know where you're going? -- Rich
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The Pacific Northwest Trials Association (PNTA)
"As I recall it some years later", Leon Wilbanks
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Ted Berry of Walla Walla was the driving force behind observed trials or English Trials in the area. Ted was a Fireman/EMT for the City of Walla Walla and rand a small motorcycle shop in his off time. He ran an event every year called the Tiger Canyon Trials. Local riders were trail bike enthusiast and this type of competition appealed to them. My good friend Jack Williams lived in Pendleton Oregon and became a big fan of the competition. Dealerships and clubs in the Northwest would put on "Trials" events on occasion but after traveling long distances to attend you never knew what the rules or the scoring were going to be when you got there. Often times it would be a "play day" type of thing and did not resemble an observed trials at all. In 1967-68 Ted wanted to get together to codify some rules and start a governing body so there could be more events that reflected the true nature of the sport.
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As I recall Ted Berry, Jack Williams, Marvin Foster (Advertising Manager for Hodaka) Marshall Kilby and myself met at Marvin Fosters in Athena Oregon. We talked over basic rules, Dues amount and what that would entail. Ted became president, Jack Vice president and Marvin Sec/Treasurer. We got most of our trials information from English Motorcycle Newspapers of the time. The rules that we came up with tried to emulate English rules but in the beginning we screwed up, the dab 1 point lost no problem, the second touch 3 points lost (we then counted every touch from there on through the section) Which made for some high scores per section. If the riders forward progress stopped while he was touching the ground a 5 was given and scoring ceased for the section. This was corrected later on as we became more aware.
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Most of the local riders who had ridden events were quick to sign up and the thing began to take off. By helping clubs put on Trials, advertised their events, we make up score cards with: Clean-Dab-Three-Five columns and section numbers down the side. Riders carried their own cards and we furnished Paper punches with various emblem cut outs for the section observer to use. We came up with an overall scoring system to determine the annual champions, first second and third to add more interest in sanctioned events. We soon began to have different classes of riders to attract new members and more trials riders.
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In Sept of 1969 I went to work for Pacific Basin Trading Company (PABATCO) the Hodaka distributor and along about the same time I became president of the PNTA. Working with Marvin Foster I was able to use the Addresograph mailing equipment and vastly improved the ability to do mailings and keep the membership going. Marvin did the logo and created promotional materials. More events and more members from western Oregon and Washington moved things along. Marvin and I had talked about doing a two day ISDT(E) qualifier as our friend Dennis Bershaw had done with the Trask Mountain Two Day Trail in western Oregon. We had access to the nearby Blue Mountains and with some Hodaka backing we could do the event but lacked the personnel to handle such a large event. By bringing in the PNTA members (who for the most part had no interest in riding this type event) we could pull it off and it would be a good money maker for them. I laid out the course, Marvin handled sign up registration and worked with locals in Weston Oregon to host the Bad Rock Two Day Trials event. We pulled it off and it did make some income for PNTA. We used the money to send a few of our top riders to a "big" event in California. The PNTA grew as did the Bad Rock, the next year we sent our club champion, Mick Oliver, to Spain to compete in the International Championship Trial. This was pretty cool and the AMA started to make overtures to have us come in under the AMA umbrella. While many of our members felt sending Mick to Spain was cool, others took umbrage. Having felt I had done my bit I turned my part over to others and moved on.
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The following notes were hand written by David "Dad" Gumm:
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Leon missed - Little Joe Guglemelli attended the Spain World Trials with Mick Oliver. Little Joe placed 12th overall and Best American at the age of 14. These facts were verified by Mick Oliver Feb of 2024.
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Joe Gugliemellii & Mick Oliver were sponsored and sent to Spain by the PNTA.
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