I first joined in 1990 and was a junior member under my Dad (he joined in 1966) before that, so TCA membership is a fairly long family tradition. Yes, the ability to go to York is a big benefit of membership, but if that is the only reason you pay your dues, you're missing out. Admission to the York meet (or any TCA meet) is not mentioned anywhere in the TCA mission statement. If I never go to another York meet, I will remain a member of TCA until I die as I believe in what the organization stands for and believe in supporting the organization that does so much to promote our hobby.
As for the "2 signature rule" for membership, I would like to see that reinstated. There is nothing wrong with a sponsoring / vetting process for new members. Many organizations have this in place. It places value on membership and adds a degree of security at events like York (which I'd like to see go back to members-only), where there is a lot of inventory and money changing hands.
John
