Every where I go I hear the same lament. The HGFA or the USHPA or the DHV does nothing (relatively) to help instructors. Instruction is the key to new members. Instructors are out there on their own fighting the good fight and trying to get new folks into the sport. But the associations are two headed (or multi-headed) monsters, both supposed to "regulate" and "encourage" the sports.

By their bureaucratic, non entrepreneurial natures, they turn much more into regulators and basically drop the ball when it comes to real encouragement of instructors (or competitions, or anything else). They have no natural feel for what it is like to be an instructor and have no way to relate to the "little guy" out on his own trying to do his job. They add red tape. They ignore. The frustrate. They penalize.

They forget that the instructor is the key to their business, because they don't view it as a business. It certainly isn't their business. They are just an association and really have little real incentive to perform at a higher level and make for a great organization with thousands of new members.

It takes hard work to be really good. The USHPA, etc. are volunteer organizations that are see as burdens by their boards no matter what their commitment. No wonder they are failing. More members just means more work. No profit.

More and better instructors is the key to growth. The instructors are committed, why can't our associations be committed?