Sailor Athlete Advisory Board Conference Call Minutes

June 13, 2001

SAAB Conference call minutes - approved

1. Roll Call - In attendance were: D. Brenner, G. Ewenson, S. Ikle, J. Appel, L. Gleason, B. Merrick, M. Gaillard, M. Reynolds, M. Gebhardt, L. Parks

2. The definition of "Sailor-athlete" was revised and unanimously approved by the board. The definition will be posted on the SAAB web site.

3. Regulations describing the membership, nomination and voting procedures were discussed. A revised version will be posted on the password-protected area of the SAAB web site for further discussion. A vote will be scheduled on line. A presentation will be made to the US SAILING webmaster regarding our voting registration process. Louise will consult with D. Peck before submitting our request.

4. Publicity for the SAAB was discussed. Dean Brenner will compose a press release to be posted on the password protected web site for further discussion.

5. The Mission statement was discussed and the board unanimously approved an amended version.

6. Topics involving how the SAAB can help US sailors were considered.

The issue of scholarships in collegiate sailing was addressed. Several members of the committee expressed support for the acceptance of grants and scholarship for athletes within collegiate sailing. Some members suggested that the pipeline from collegiate to Olympic sailing could be stronger, and the request was made to consider this topic again in future meetings. It was agreed that the existing collegiate program is very strong in the United States, and this committee does not intend to make any recommendations to alter the system at this time.

Topics in youth sailing were addressed and several ideas were expressed. A) Encourage current and past Olympic class sailors to participate in youth activities such as contributing articles to the US SAILING youth web page or supporting local junior Olympic activities by introducing youth sailors to Olympic class boats. B) Increasing regional invitational youth training camps to encourage youth sailors to attain an elite level.

The issue of Olympic Sailing Committee Budgets and fund raising were discussed. SAAB members and sailors with specific concerns regarding the OSC budget should contact Fred Hagedorn directly. Recommendations for future disclosure of budgetary information should be submitted to the Chair of this committee, Louise Gleason. A formal letter will be written to the OSC at a later date, if necessary. The OSC fund raising efforts were discussed at length.  The possibility of OSC hiring an individual or professional firm to conduct fundraising was strongly supported.  However, there was concern that the process to produce a Request For Proposal to fill this position has taken so long.

7. Members were asked to read and approve the minutes via e-mail to Louise Gleason prior to being posted on the web page.

8. Louise Mentioned to the committee that Executive Director, Terry Harper, will be leaving US SAILING. There will be a search for a new Executive Director.