USRowing Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

December 4, 2004

Attending board members: Don Langford, Jean Reilly, Nick Peterson , Alice Henderson, Garrett Klugh, Ted Patton, Robert Kidd, Phil Sutton, Elmira Togliatti, Bebe Bryans, Tessa Spillane, Bill Howard, Christine Collins, Chris Ryan, Tom Fuller, Karen Klinger, and Ron Chen

Absent board members: Barb Kirch Grudt (excused) and Lianne Nelson (excused)

Others present: Fred Shoch (HOCR), Gary Caldwell (ECAC), Ted Kakas (Masters Committee), Tim Hosea (Sports Medicine Commission), Ed Maxwell (Junior Committee), Bob Appleyard (Referee Commission), Jay Feenan (High Performance Committee),Glenn Merry (National Team Director), John Dane (Executive Director), Alix Robertson (Controller), and Tes Carpenter (Membership and Events).

Langford called to order the meeting at 9:00 a.m.

1. Langford goes over the agenda

2. Chen moves to excuse Lianne Nelson and BarbKirch

• Ryan seconds

• Passes

3. Discussion about October minutes

• Henderson moves to accept minutes

• Passes

4. Chen moves that we accept Klinger’s nomination in according to the by-laws saying the fist Monday in December

• Henderson seconds

• Passes

5. Chen discusses creating a by-laws resolution for one year to allow the first meeting to be in February instead of March

• Fuller moves

• Ryan seconds

• Passes

6. Sutton introduces Bill Howard -- New appointment as Mid-Atlantic representative

7. Dane introduces committee-board roundtable discussion

• Dr. Hosea – Sports Medicine Commission

  • Providing information and education about rowing injuries and proper use of equipment, etc.

  • Creating a good trainers and medical network including people that have experience internationally and with rowing injuries

  • Discussion followed

• Bob Appleyard- Referee Commi ssion

  • Keeping officials up-to-date (average is 9 events for each official)

  • Concern that there are not enough officials to properly serve the community

  • Recruiting and training

• Ed Maxwell – Junior Committee

  • Better relationship with USRowing

  • Endowment update

  • Expensive for athletes on the Junior national team

• Jay Feenan – High Performance Committee

  • Selection process

  • Creating High Performance Plan

• Ted Kakas – Masters Committee

  • Camps and clinics

  • FISA masters regatta in Mercer

  • Set up masters liaison with clubs for better communication with community

  • Raised $7700 in the last 2 years from Master’s Nationals $1 a seat fee

  • Have eliminated handicaps at Masters Nationals

  • Fundraising ideas

8. Executive session (only board members attended)

9. Dane introduces John Leonard from Leonard Insurance Group and AJ Morgan from Bollinger Insurance Company

• Morgan covers the 2005 General Liability Insurance plan

  • Covers bodily, personal, and property injury

  • All individual members, club members, those participating in Registered Regattas, and Regatta committee members are covered

  • Discussion followed

• Morgan covers Excess Accident Insurance plan

• Leonard covers the rowing equipment insurance policy

  • The benefits of the new policy versus the old policy

• Morgan covers Directors and Officers Liability Insurance

  • What is covered under the policy

• Morgan covers Crime Insurance Plan (new policy for USRowing)

  • Discussion of the new insurance website, www.BollingerRowing.com , which is set up to help answer questions and explain the policy

  • Discussion followed

10. Fuller discusses changes to Budget 2005

• Ryan moves to accept the Budget as amended from last meeting

• Sutton and Patton second

• Passes

  11. Fuller talks about Registered Regatta Program proposal

  12. Fuller presents changes to the rules

AMEND the final sentence of rule 2-408(c) to read:

If a crew does not comply with such instruction, in the absence of any specific mandated penalties consistent with Rule 2-408(d), the Referee may impose any one of the penalties described in Rule 2-602 (“Types of Penalties”).

ADD to rule 2-408 a new subsection (d)

2-408(d)  Nothing in this rule shall preclude a local organizing committee from adopting regatta rules which mandate that a specific penalty be uniformly applied for one or more lane violations. Any such penalties must be described in detail in the application to USRowing for registration, and must be publicized in writing and distributed to every competing team.

• Howard moves to accept this change

• seconded

• Passes

AMEND rule 4-104(b)(2) to read:

A Masters crew may compete in a lower (younger) age category, but not in a higher category.  A Masters rower competing in the AA category may not compete in any category other than AA or A. Any crew that competes in the A category with AA rowers must attain an average age such that it is eligible to compete as an A category crew.

• motion to accept

• seconded

• passes

AMEND the final sentence of 2-608(f) to read:

Decisions of the Commission are final and not subject to further review, except through the USRowing Grievance Procedure, as described in Article IX of the USRowing Bylaws. The Bylaws may be accessed via the USRowing web site ( www.usrowing.org ).

• Ryan moves to accept

• seconded

• Not unanimous so took an individual vote

• Passed 8 to 5

13. Peterson presents the Governance report

• Update on what the committee has been doing

• Kidd discusses some talking points of Governance issues of USRowing

  • Discussion followed

• Togliatti discusses comparison between USRowing with other American NGBs, with other international rowing assoc., and with other non-sport non-profits

  • Discussion followed

14. Reilly presented updates on proposed website changes and new education materials

15. Patton discussed fundraising

• Proposing to form a committee to develop a fundraising plan

• Presents some fundraising ideas

• Discussion followed

16. Fuller moves to support Chen, Langford and Togliatti to be delegates to represent the USAin the FISA meeting Croatia

• Patton seconds

• Passes

17. Langford concludes the meeting at 3:00pm

Next meeting: February 26 & 27, 2005 in Oakland , Calif.