Sunday, May 4, 2014
Final thoughts and reflections on attending the Governing Council - by Dirk Vanderlaan
This was my first time at one of these, and a chance to reflect on it.
First of all, skating became a larger entity over this past weekend. It used to be choosing a rink to skate at and work on three turns. Now I see a much larger picture of our sport - various committees, hundreds of volunteers, judges/accountants/referees - all passionate about skating.
It made me want to be a better skater for one thing - as there are a lot of people rooting us on - working hard so we fortunate ones can continue to enjoy skating or to compete in or showcase skating.
I was surprised how many people knew each other. We have our own third of the country - the pacific section, with a lot of clubs in that section. In our area, there 10 clubs! We are fortunate in that respect.
St Moritz is the 5th largest club in the Country with over 570 members. Only Washington, Boston Chicago and New York are larger, and we are close to overtaking Chicago!
We are well represented in US Figure Skating with our Club. Katie, Jean, Justin, Lisa, Sue and Philip are committee chairs or fill key positions with USFS. Kudos to them.
We did see some of the star or "elite" athletes during the sessions. They attended and asked questions just as we did.
The venue was nice. The hotel was close to the airport with shuttles running frequently, adequate eating facilities and places to rest and sit, though there was not much time for that until Saturday night.
Pat St Peters was well liked. Every committee had kind things to say about her and her help. She will be a hard act to follow!
I understand there is a shortage of judges! Lets start getting some judging training going.
Thanks for the opportunity to go, represent our club and to learn more about how we fit into the bigger picture. I hope the blogs made sense, and I hope to use some of what I learned to help our club be even better - and I encourage you to pitch in and make our club even better. People are passionate about skating. Lets keep that passion burning.
If you have questions please feel free to ask me or email me at dcvdlaan@aol.com
Thanks
First of all, skating became a larger entity over this past weekend. It used to be choosing a rink to skate at and work on three turns. Now I see a much larger picture of our sport - various committees, hundreds of volunteers, judges/accountants/referees - all passionate about skating.
It made me want to be a better skater for one thing - as there are a lot of people rooting us on - working hard so we fortunate ones can continue to enjoy skating or to compete in or showcase skating.
I was surprised how many people knew each other. We have our own third of the country - the pacific section, with a lot of clubs in that section. In our area, there 10 clubs! We are fortunate in that respect.
St Moritz is the 5th largest club in the Country with over 570 members. Only Washington, Boston Chicago and New York are larger, and we are close to overtaking Chicago!
We are well represented in US Figure Skating with our Club. Katie, Jean, Justin, Lisa, Sue and Philip are committee chairs or fill key positions with USFS. Kudos to them.
We did see some of the star or "elite" athletes during the sessions. They attended and asked questions just as we did.
The venue was nice. The hotel was close to the airport with shuttles running frequently, adequate eating facilities and places to rest and sit, though there was not much time for that until Saturday night.
Pat St Peters was well liked. Every committee had kind things to say about her and her help. She will be a hard act to follow!
I understand there is a shortage of judges! Lets start getting some judging training going.
Thanks for the opportunity to go, represent our club and to learn more about how we fit into the bigger picture. I hope the blogs made sense, and I hope to use some of what I learned to help our club be even better - and I encourage you to pitch in and make our club even better. People are passionate about skating. Lets keep that passion burning.
If you have questions please feel free to ask me or email me at dcvdlaan@aol.com
Thanks
Looking back on Saturdays events - by Dirk Vanderlaan
Hi all,
Saturday morning started early (7:30 am) with voting for a new President to replace Pat St. Peters, and for to replace our own Justin Dillon as head of the Athlete Services Group Coordinator. The nominating committee presented Sam Auxier from the Midwestern region as their choice, and via the prescribed route, another person, Ronald Pfenning was nominated for President. The nominating committee also presented Robert Rosenbluth as their candidate for the Athlete Services Group Coordinator, and again, through the channels, another person, Doug Williams was also nominated.
That previous evening there was a question and answer forum for all candidates and that was helpful in decision making.
The votes were cast and during the morning session, the results were announced that Sam Auxier was elected as USFS 31st President, and Doug Williams was elected as the Athlete Services Group Coordinator.
The delegates voted on a number of bylaw changes, or sent them back to committee due to the issues raised during the discussions.
The Various Committee Chairpersons and their leaders gave reports on
Saturday morning started early (7:30 am) with voting for a new President to replace Pat St. Peters, and for to replace our own Justin Dillon as head of the Athlete Services Group Coordinator. The nominating committee presented Sam Auxier from the Midwestern region as their choice, and via the prescribed route, another person, Ronald Pfenning was nominated for President. The nominating committee also presented Robert Rosenbluth as their candidate for the Athlete Services Group Coordinator, and again, through the channels, another person, Doug Williams was also nominated.
That previous evening there was a question and answer forum for all candidates and that was helpful in decision making.
The votes were cast and during the morning session, the results were announced that Sam Auxier was elected as USFS 31st President, and Doug Williams was elected as the Athlete Services Group Coordinator.
The delegates voted on a number of bylaw changes, or sent them back to committee due to the issues raised during the discussions.
The Various Committee Chairpersons and their leaders gave reports on
- Membership Development items
- Technical Group activities
- Administrative and Legal Group
- Athlete Services
A representative from the PSA also addressed the assembly with thanks for a great year and hopes that the partnership will become even stronger. PSA's leadership in Safe Sport was recognized by ISU and will be the template for the other national governing bodies. That was a testament to their hard work on this issue.
There were many heartfelt thanks given to Justin for all his work with the Athletes. Each subgroup had many kind things to say about him and his leadership, and he was given a rousing ovation. Doug will have some tall shoes to fill.
The headquarters group was also recognized by all committees for their behind the scenes work and help. It sounds like weekly calls or even more frequently was the norm rather than exception for most committees and more frequently for the board members.
There was a time of remembering those who passed during the year. A touching video and music played while names were listed. Susan Stokes and Marcella May Willis (both from St Moritz) were listed. Afterwords, a number of people went to the microphones to announce others who had passed that year.
The out going President, Pat St. Peters made her final remarks, and received several standing ovations for all her work in the past 5 years. The headquarters staff put together gifts and a video that was fun. The Executive Director, David Raith, praised her accomplishments, as did the other board members who made reports. Clearly she will be missed, but they hope to continue with her help as USFS strengthens it
We adjourned just as it was time for the coffee break and cookies to be served. It was a celebratory mood. As people were streaming out (probably around 500) the music playing was Pharrell Williams "Happy" and people were swaying/tapping/dancing to the music. It was a great way to end the meeting.
Later on that evening there was a reception where Ms. St Peters last official act was to invite everyone to be happy and have a drink.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Saturday at Governing Council - by Lisa Erle
Today, we started with the election and several others have covered that so no need to go over it again. Then we were back at the business of discussing proposed bylaws changes. Exhibit G, which was about standardizing the process for selecting and electing Nominating Committee members, was referred to the Rules Committee. Exhibit H, that dealt with the process of election for extra terms for officers, was not approved.
We then had reports of each of the Committee Groups. Athletes Services had no rule change proposals, so it was just brief statements by committee chairs (including Susan Bonn, Memorial Fund Committee) and Justin Dillon was thanked and received a standing 'o' for serving as Athlete Services Group Coordinator for the last 3 years. Memberships Services (including Katie Specht, Collegiate, and Jean Fahmie, Special Skaters) was next. They were introduced but no statements from the chairs. Just a brief report and the announcement that the request to amend a rule to require a parent to be a member with a junior membership was sent back to committee.
The Technical Group was next. There were some statements then the announcement that all the proposed changes to the moves in the field were being referred back to committee. There was also an approved date change for the elimination of the supplemental moves tests from 7/1/14 to 7/1/15. Legal Services group gave their reports and statements and their two requests for action were approved without additional discussion. There were a few minor new business items and one amendment to the budget (money to have an outside council review the bylaws) and we were done with the business side of GC.
The meeting was wrapped up with comments from incoming president Sam Auxier and a slide/video presentation of outgoing president Pat St. Peter's service, including video messages from several of the skaters from Team USA. Pat was presented with gifts and a standing ovation, along with a lifetime honorary membership. We were finished early so the break sponsored by St. Moritz turned into a nice end of meeting reception.
I am not leaving Washington until Tuesday as I will be spending some time with family first. But, it has been a pleasure to share my Governing Council experiences with everyone and if there are any questions, please feel free to e-mail me.
Lisa
We then had reports of each of the Committee Groups. Athletes Services had no rule change proposals, so it was just brief statements by committee chairs (including Susan Bonn, Memorial Fund Committee) and Justin Dillon was thanked and received a standing 'o' for serving as Athlete Services Group Coordinator for the last 3 years. Memberships Services (including Katie Specht, Collegiate, and Jean Fahmie, Special Skaters) was next. They were introduced but no statements from the chairs. Just a brief report and the announcement that the request to amend a rule to require a parent to be a member with a junior membership was sent back to committee.
The Technical Group was next. There were some statements then the announcement that all the proposed changes to the moves in the field were being referred back to committee. There was also an approved date change for the elimination of the supplemental moves tests from 7/1/14 to 7/1/15. Legal Services group gave their reports and statements and their two requests for action were approved without additional discussion. There were a few minor new business items and one amendment to the budget (money to have an outside council review the bylaws) and we were done with the business side of GC.
The meeting was wrapped up with comments from incoming president Sam Auxier and a slide/video presentation of outgoing president Pat St. Peter's service, including video messages from several of the skaters from Team USA. Pat was presented with gifts and a standing ovation, along with a lifetime honorary membership. We were finished early so the break sponsored by St. Moritz turned into a nice end of meeting reception.
I am not leaving Washington until Tuesday as I will be spending some time with family first. But, it has been a pleasure to share my Governing Council experiences with everyone and if there are any questions, please feel free to e-mail me.
Lisa
Check out this story up on U.S. Figure Skating
http://usfigureskating.org/Story.asp?id=50172&type=media
Election results
For President
Sam Auxier 762,
Ron Phenning 209
Athlete Services Coordinator
Robert Rosenbluth 393
Doug Williams 567
Congrats Sam and Doug
Saturday am session--by Susan Bonn
First item this am was election of new President and Athlete Services Group Coordinator. Hopefully the results will be released soon.
It's a busy day at GC-- just hope we get everything done on schedule--it's going to be a long day so stay tuned!!!
St Moritz Athlete Services Committee
Justin Dillon, Athlete Services Group Coordinator and Susan Bonn, Memorial Fund Chair gave their reports and Justin received a personal thank you from Pat St. Peter and Justin also revceived a Standing O from the Athlete Services Group.
Congratulations to Our New National Judge!
Huge Congratulations to Laurie Lind for her National Dance Appointment!
Friday, May 2, 2014
Governing Council Opening session - by Dirk Vanderlaan
We were welcomed to the meeting and the key-note speaker was Ashley Wagner. After some procedural items, our own Lisa Earle was tasked to be the chairperson of the minutes committee.
Reports from committee members, treasurer report and foundation reports were received, and new clubs were approved to become full members.
A number of bylaw changes were voted on:
Reports from committee members, treasurer report and foundation reports were received, and new clubs were approved to become full members.
A number of bylaw changes were voted on:
- USFS does not discrimate based on sexual orientation in addition to race, color, age, gender, religion or national origin
- Moved parent committee from Athelete services to Membership services
- Vacancies in the Board of Directors will be filled by majority vote by the directors
- The Presidents term was increased from one year to two years, with no more than two consecutive terms.
- All delegates, board members and committee members etc must be at least 18 years old
- Honorary membership in USFS for Gold medal winners at the Olympics or World Championship and exempt from paying membership dues was sent back to committee to clarify a number of issues raised
Business was suspended for the rest of the day as the hour was getting late, and there was a "meet the candidate" forum that was due to start. Business to resume tomorrow morning. Altogether, the above took about 3 hours.
Friday am Pacific Coast Sectional Meeting - Dirk Vanderlaan
For skating purposes, the country is divided into 3 sections; east, midwest and pacific coast, and members were disturbed that our section is under-represented by USFS committee members. While we have some of the larger clubs, we only have 12% representation. They expressed concern that we are becoming irrelevant. The midwest seems to be over represented on a geographic basis.
To remedy this situation, the leaders suggested more people get involved into committees so that people build up a track-record and get known so when they get nominated, they are known. We need mentoring programs to help our members and member clubs which will help our section overall.
Communications were stressed - interclub communication, section communications, club communication.
USFS presented a draft of their strategic plan. Based on surveys received from 240 clubs, atheletes, USFS input and sports marketing experts, they are coming up with a plan to increase revenue, Athelete development, diversifying revenue sources and enhancing international relations
USFS also announced a partnership with US Hockey to run the basic skills program to teach skating to kids. Figure skating will teach using the basic skills program, and Hockey will help fund.
Finally, the proposal to require a parent to be a member of a club for under 18 year olds was announced as pulled and sent back to committee.
ps...
I wanted to share that of the clubs across the US, our club, St Moritz is the 5th largest club in the country with approx 570 members, and having our own Katie, Jean, Susan and Justin filling some of those USFS committee chair persons slots mentioned above!
To remedy this situation, the leaders suggested more people get involved into committees so that people build up a track-record and get known so when they get nominated, they are known. We need mentoring programs to help our members and member clubs which will help our section overall.
Communications were stressed - interclub communication, section communications, club communication.
USFS presented a draft of their strategic plan. Based on surveys received from 240 clubs, atheletes, USFS input and sports marketing experts, they are coming up with a plan to increase revenue, Athelete development, diversifying revenue sources and enhancing international relations
USFS also announced a partnership with US Hockey to run the basic skills program to teach skating to kids. Figure skating will teach using the basic skills program, and Hockey will help fund.
Finally, the proposal to require a parent to be a member of a club for under 18 year olds was announced as pulled and sent back to committee.
ps...
I wanted to share that of the clubs across the US, our club, St Moritz is the 5th largest club in the country with approx 570 members, and having our own Katie, Jean, Susan and Justin filling some of those USFS committee chair persons slots mentioned above!
Friday at Governing Council
The day started with the Pacific Coast Sectional meeting where we come together with all the club delegates of our section to review issues, present awards and elect members for the Nominating Committee. Local judge Dave Hopson received his 25 year pin as a judge. Hal Marron, our Pacific Coast Vice President, had a nice moment where he got to award himself his 40 year pin as a Referee!
The best news, however, was seeing that our own club member, Laurie Lind, received her National Dance Judge appointment. Congratulations to Laurie - we are very proud of you!! Another of our local officials, Rick Perez, received his National Synchronized Skating Referee appointment.
After lunch, the Governing Council meeting was called to order (theme this year is Grass Roots to Gold). Introductions of the Board and past presidents was followed by a presentation and behind-the-scenes Olympic photo diary before our keynote speaker, Ashley Wagner, shared her experiences. She gave a good speech sprinkled with humor and emotion; it was a great way to start off our meetings.
Proposed changes to the bylaws were first up for the delegates to consider. Changes to Exhibits A, B, D, and F passed easily (if you would like to review any exhibits or rule change proposals, go to the U.S. Figure Skating website, sign into Members Only, click the General Info tab, then Governing Council. Open the Meeting Book and/or Interim Report of Action).
Exhibit C, which deals with a change to the President's term from 1 year maximum 4 consecutive to 2 years maximum 2 consecutive, passed with modifications. Exhibit E, which proposes to make Olympic & World Gold medal winners honorary members of USFS, had the most activity. It was proposed to strike the word "Gold" (so all medal winners would be made honorary members). After much discussion on whether this type of change would be allowed, several questions and clarifications, and a vote on if the change could move forward, another delegate got up to request the whole thing be referred back to committee. This motion passed (if only that delegate went to the microphone sooner, we could have saved a lot of time!)
The day ended with a meet the candidates forum where questions were answered by candidates for the contested positions for the Board of Directors, which are President and Athlete Group Coordinator.
Lisa
The best news, however, was seeing that our own club member, Laurie Lind, received her National Dance Judge appointment. Congratulations to Laurie - we are very proud of you!! Another of our local officials, Rick Perez, received his National Synchronized Skating Referee appointment.
After lunch, the Governing Council meeting was called to order (theme this year is Grass Roots to Gold). Introductions of the Board and past presidents was followed by a presentation and behind-the-scenes Olympic photo diary before our keynote speaker, Ashley Wagner, shared her experiences. She gave a good speech sprinkled with humor and emotion; it was a great way to start off our meetings.
Proposed changes to the bylaws were first up for the delegates to consider. Changes to Exhibits A, B, D, and F passed easily (if you would like to review any exhibits or rule change proposals, go to the U.S. Figure Skating website, sign into Members Only, click the General Info tab, then Governing Council. Open the Meeting Book and/or Interim Report of Action).
Exhibit C, which deals with a change to the President's term from 1 year maximum 4 consecutive to 2 years maximum 2 consecutive, passed with modifications. Exhibit E, which proposes to make Olympic & World Gold medal winners honorary members of USFS, had the most activity. It was proposed to strike the word "Gold" (so all medal winners would be made honorary members). After much discussion on whether this type of change would be allowed, several questions and clarifications, and a vote on if the change could move forward, another delegate got up to request the whole thing be referred back to committee. This motion passed (if only that delegate went to the microphone sooner, we could have saved a lot of time!)
The day ended with a meet the candidates forum where questions were answered by candidates for the contested positions for the Board of Directors, which are President and Athlete Group Coordinator.
Lisa
SafeSport Seminar
Yesterday I attended the SafeSport seminar. SafeSport is an initiative adopted by the US Olympic Committee (USOC) who now require will all National Governing Bodies (NGB)'s - like US Figure Skating - to commit to. Put simply, SafeSport is a program intended to ensure that athletes and club members are able to participate in their sports without the fear of being the victim or target of any inappropriate or illegal behavior. It also echoes attempts to ensure athletes' injuries - in particular concussions - are recognized and dealt with appropriately so that an athlete doesn't feel pressured to return to the ice too quickly.
The requirements and elements of SafeSport are few while the benefits are great. Each club must have a SafeSport Compliance Chair, and for this year it will be me. The Chair's responsibilities lie in ensuring the program is rolled out, information is made broadly available to all club members, communication with the USOC and USFS is maintained, and procedures are upheld.
The most important step is to ensure club members and their parents understand what behaviors SafeSport intends to guard against. To do so, a link to an informative 15-minute video will be posted on the club website. Once posted we are required to have 3 members view the video but I will encourage everyone to take the time to view it.
In the coming week's you will see lots more information and education on SafeSport. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have an interest in being an advocate of this important program in our club!
Jacki
The requirements and elements of SafeSport are few while the benefits are great. Each club must have a SafeSport Compliance Chair, and for this year it will be me. The Chair's responsibilities lie in ensuring the program is rolled out, information is made broadly available to all club members, communication with the USOC and USFS is maintained, and procedures are upheld.
The most important step is to ensure club members and their parents understand what behaviors SafeSport intends to guard against. To do so, a link to an informative 15-minute video will be posted on the club website. Once posted we are required to have 3 members view the video but I will encourage everyone to take the time to view it.
In the coming week's you will see lots more information and education on SafeSport. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have an interest in being an advocate of this important program in our club!
Jacki
First Meeting of the Governing Council
Governing Council 2014
Today is our first day of meetings of GC2014. If you have never been in a room full of close to 400 figure skating enthusiasts I will just tell you that we all can't seem to agree on what needs to be done. We have about 200 pages of bylaw and rule changes to go through. Each proposal was put forward by its respective committee that oversees that part of the sport and approved by the board of directors.
Delegates then go up to a microphone and "isolate" an item for debate. The rule item is then discussed with time limits (there is a streetlight type indicator that warns you when your time is almost up). An amendment may be added or it may come up for an easy up or down vote. That would be the easy out.....
Today the delegates have isolated quite a few items, so I think we are in for a bumpy ride. Items so far are including Adult skating age groupings, moves in the field changes for kids and adults, term length of the president of USFS and that it should run concurrent with Olympic years, and making each skater under the age of 18 have a parent also be a member.
More to come.....
Today is our first day of meetings of GC2014. If you have never been in a room full of close to 400 figure skating enthusiasts I will just tell you that we all can't seem to agree on what needs to be done. We have about 200 pages of bylaw and rule changes to go through. Each proposal was put forward by its respective committee that oversees that part of the sport and approved by the board of directors.
Delegates then go up to a microphone and "isolate" an item for debate. The rule item is then discussed with time limits (there is a streetlight type indicator that warns you when your time is almost up). An amendment may be added or it may come up for an easy up or down vote. That would be the easy out.....
Today the delegates have isolated quite a few items, so I think we are in for a bumpy ride. Items so far are including Adult skating age groupings, moves in the field changes for kids and adults, term length of the president of USFS and that it should run concurrent with Olympic years, and making each skater under the age of 18 have a parent also be a member.
More to come.....
First Session of Governing Council
Today's opening session had a nice surprise visit from Olympic Bronze Medalist, Ashley Wagner. She gave a delightful talk and entertained the congress with her story.
Ashley's presentation was followed by the financial report from Dr Paul George.
Following some housekeeping issues the table was turned over to Dorothy Demerest the parliamentarian running the meeting.
These things take awhile.
Updates!
Morning updates:
MIF changes sent back to committee
Parent membership sent back to committee
Sectional Meeting--Susan Bonn
Discussion of critical issues for Pacific Coast. There are only a few Pacific Coast individuals whom have been nominated to committee chairmanships.
Pat St Peter and David Raith presented info regarding the rebranding of the Basic Skills program.
Gretchen Bonnie, Lainie DeMore Pilar Bosley heather Neimer and Terri Levine presenting info on Strategic Plan. 
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Thursday Seminars
I attended 3 seminars at Governing Council today.
1. Parent / Coach Relations: The chairs of the Parents and Coaches Committees shared information on 'best practices' for the relationship between a coach, parent and the athlete in areas of planning & goals, training, injuries (prevention & recovery), and fees/budgets. The key in all of it is appropriate communication so the athlete remains the focus and a plan is outlined by the coach and supported by the parent in order to have the optimal growth/development in the sport.
2. Critical Issues: The main issues discussed were the proposal to require a parent membership for every junior member; the changes to the moves in the field, and bylaws changes proposed that effect the term(s)/election of the USFS President.
3. Standardizing NQ Competitions & Preview of Changes to Test Judging: The first part of this seminar focused on the Competitions Committee's goal of standardizing event requirements and descriptions for all nonqualifying competitions across the country, particularly for lower levels (below Juvenile) where there is a lot of diversity for event names and requirements. There were counterpoints and clarifications that the current NQ competition template is not mandatory (not a rule) but is strongly recommended for all clubs hosting a competition. The Competitions Committee feels that providing more standardized events would make things clearer and more straightforward for all skaters, parents, coaches, and judges.
The second part of the seminar was to provide information about the ongoing project to change the current test judging system (6.0) to a scaled system of evaluation that is closer in concept to the IJS, providing better/clearer feedback to the skaters on their test elements. It was stated that this is a work in progress and there are plans to "mock test" the system and conduct surveys throughout the summer. The hope is to have this change ready for a proposal to the Governing Council in 2015 (to be in effect on 9/2/15)
1. Parent / Coach Relations: The chairs of the Parents and Coaches Committees shared information on 'best practices' for the relationship between a coach, parent and the athlete in areas of planning & goals, training, injuries (prevention & recovery), and fees/budgets. The key in all of it is appropriate communication so the athlete remains the focus and a plan is outlined by the coach and supported by the parent in order to have the optimal growth/development in the sport.
2. Critical Issues: The main issues discussed were the proposal to require a parent membership for every junior member; the changes to the moves in the field, and bylaws changes proposed that effect the term(s)/election of the USFS President.
3. Standardizing NQ Competitions & Preview of Changes to Test Judging: The first part of this seminar focused on the Competitions Committee's goal of standardizing event requirements and descriptions for all nonqualifying competitions across the country, particularly for lower levels (below Juvenile) where there is a lot of diversity for event names and requirements. There were counterpoints and clarifications that the current NQ competition template is not mandatory (not a rule) but is strongly recommended for all clubs hosting a competition. The Competitions Committee feels that providing more standardized events would make things clearer and more straightforward for all skaters, parents, coaches, and judges.
The second part of the seminar was to provide information about the ongoing project to change the current test judging system (6.0) to a scaled system of evaluation that is closer in concept to the IJS, providing better/clearer feedback to the skaters on their test elements. It was stated that this is a work in progress and there are plans to "mock test" the system and conduct surveys throughout the summer. The hope is to have this change ready for a proposal to the Governing Council in 2015 (to be in effect on 9/2/15)
Ice Men !!
Very interesting presentation on the new Icemen program. Males make up a quarter of figure skating, and females 75%. Boys start out strong, but by Basic 3, the retention rate is around 10% while for girls, the retention rate is around 80%. A lot of guys go to hockey, and want team sports, and figure skating is looked at more of a girl sport or a single person sport. That, and coupled with not a lot of male coaches for boys in figure skating, perpetuates the lack of participation.
Icemen is a program to help overcome these issues. The person who enrolls into Icemen gets a series of four conference calls each month beginning in May. They can submit questions about anything related to skating. The host is an elite skater (Mark Ladwig) and perhaps another one or two who will read the questions and ask the other skaters for their opinions as well - building an "on-line" skating relationships not limited by geographical area where there might only be a handful of skaters. This is a listen only mode for the callers.
In addition, there are special Icemen competitions that can be incorporated into skating competitions so that boys can compete with their peers. The panel noted the problem with boys competing with girls, or getting trophies with a female skater on the trophy.
In 2014, there are 3 Icemen competitions in CA - Los Angeles, San Jose (August) and Pasadena, and three others in WA, OR and AZ
I think this program shows some innovative and outside the box thinking on the part of USFS. It is a proactive step, to keep boys and men in skating.
I have contact information from the co-directors should we want more infomation.
Icemen is a program to help overcome these issues. The person who enrolls into Icemen gets a series of four conference calls each month beginning in May. They can submit questions about anything related to skating. The host is an elite skater (Mark Ladwig) and perhaps another one or two who will read the questions and ask the other skaters for their opinions as well - building an "on-line" skating relationships not limited by geographical area where there might only be a handful of skaters. This is a listen only mode for the callers.
In addition, there are special Icemen competitions that can be incorporated into skating competitions so that boys can compete with their peers. The panel noted the problem with boys competing with girls, or getting trophies with a female skater on the trophy.
In 2014, there are 3 Icemen competitions in CA - Los Angeles, San Jose (August) and Pasadena, and three others in WA, OR and AZ
I think this program shows some innovative and outside the box thinking on the part of USFS. It is a proactive step, to keep boys and men in skating.
I have contact information from the co-directors should we want more infomation.
Thursday Governing Council - Club governance
This morning I attended the Club Governance Session. We were reminded that the duties of the board are
- define the mission and the purpose of the board
- approve and monitor programs and services
- ensure adequate resources for programs
- ensure effective fiscal management and control over funds
- strategic planning
- recruit and orient new board members
- support the coach and rink relationships
- enhance the club's public image
- ensure proper board operations such as placing committees, meetings, minutes etc
The board deals with the 3 "Ds"
- Duty of Care - the trust and oversight for the club
- Duty of Loyalty & Ethics - the club comes first and avoid personal gain
- Duty of Obedience - public required filings, tax returns, corporate status rules
The USFS headquarters has prepared a checklist that boards can grade themselves on, covering in detail areas of Leadership & Governance, Business and Fiscal Practices, Memebership Development and Programs/Events. They suggested doing that self examination once a year when the new board is convened.
In addition, they offer seminars and are willing to travel. Maybe it would be a worthwhile Bay Area Clubs seminar that we could offer to host/facilitate.
Budget and Finance symposium--Governing Council
The FinanWarren Nthal began discussion and reviewed budget and financial impact of New Programs. Dr Paul George will review Morgan Stanely Financial performance at GC meeting.
Plan is for USFS to host 2ISU EVENTS--2016 World 2017 World Synchro
Membership increases I /016-1017 include new subsequent membership requirement for parents of minor members
(This was a big issue at Critical Issues Forum)
Expenses are indexed for inflation.
Sponsorship revenue is increasing.
Expect surplus for next 4 years.
New campaigns:
Change Basic Skills to Learn to Skate USA --promotional campaign
Men's singles training camp (is this ICEMEN?)
Synchronized Elite Skating Camp
JETS--Theatre on Ice
Championship/events. Production costs
HQ operations--it ContrCt Services
Brief thoughts from the Budget meeting:
2015 Projected Revenue:
Revenue is diversified
Fundraising revenue has increased
2015 Projected Expense:
almost 85% focused on athletes and skaters
Sponsorship revenue has increased significantly over the last four years
$445,000 worth of new items have been added in new programs including:
IT Contract Services
Marketing
Event Production Cost
Learn to Skate USA Program
Men's Training Camp
Elite Skating Camp- Synchro
Business Plan Key Assumptions:
Hosting: 2016 World Figure Skating Championships
Bid Submitted for the 2017 World Synchro Skating Championships
A $10 Regular Membership Dues increase in fiscal year 2016-2017
Expenses increasing at the inflation rate of 3%, trail at 5%
Conservative Foundation Spending Policy
-Currently drawing $2 million a year from the Foundation
Summary: Next four years look solid from a financial standpoint
2015 Projected Revenue:
Revenue is diversified
Fundraising revenue has increased
2015 Projected Expense:
almost 85% focused on athletes and skaters
Sponsorship revenue has increased significantly over the last four years
$445,000 worth of new items have been added in new programs including:
IT Contract Services
Marketing
Event Production Cost
Learn to Skate USA Program
Men's Training Camp
Elite Skating Camp- Synchro
Business Plan Key Assumptions:
Hosting: 2016 World Figure Skating Championships
Bid Submitted for the 2017 World Synchro Skating Championships
A $10 Regular Membership Dues increase in fiscal year 2016-2017
Expenses increasing at the inflation rate of 3%, trail at 5%
Conservative Foundation Spending Policy
-Currently drawing $2 million a year from the Foundation
Summary: Next four years look solid from a financial standpoint
Critical issues
There have been many questions regarding the proposed changes for MIF. --and pros and cons
Club Governance--Susan Bonn
Moderated by Winston Burbank and Alan Wolf. Attended by Susan Bonn and Dirk Vanderlaan for St Moritz.
Slides from symposium are available.
Focuses on issues regarding putting the club first, be mindful of Conflicts of interest. Minutes should be posted regarding conflicts that come up
Minutes should be posted on the web after each meeting.
Use minutes as a communication medium with your club members. Be open and transparent and mindful of the fact that the Board members are the club's stewards.
Be transparent for your members. Do open board meetings. Post minutes on website.
While most meetings will be help in open forum format, there are times where Executive Session is necessary--use this format to handle disputes and sensitive issues. Voting board members only and information from the session remains closed. This is a highly confidential session and should only be used in very certain circumstances. While minutes would be taken of executive sessions, they are not included in the normal part of the meeting minutes.
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