Sailor Athlete Council Conference Call Minutes

7-6-04

Attending:  Cory Sertl, Lee Parks, Ned Jones, Bob Merrick, Louise Gleason, Susannah Carr, Dean Brenner, Hal Haenel

1. SAC Member Commitment document:  Ned reviewed the SAC Member Commitment document with the committee.  There was general agreement that the document covers members’ basic duties.  Ned suggested more explanation of points 1 and 2 regarding the purposes of SAC so that people unfamiliar w/ the structure of US SAILING can understand it more easily.  Louise suggested revising the final point about keeping SAC discussions confidential because it could be misinterpreted.  One of SAC’s purposes is to facilitate communication and be open, so emphasizing the confidentiality of some discussions could be counter productive.  The Committee agreed on this point.  Dean agreed to revise that part.  

2. SAC’s direction:  SAC’s initial tasks outlined in the bylaws and Ted Stevens Act, such as making sure that Sailor Athletes are placed throughout US SAILING, have been completed for the most part.  They require ongoing monitoring, but now the Committee needs to decide what new tasks to take on.  Dean pointed out that the Committee could represent only the Olympic Classes or a broader group of racing sailors.  Louise noted that the Ted Stevens Act, though narrow, allows representation of more classes than just the Olympic classes.  After much discussion and comparison to other sports such as kayaking and equestrian which have divided along Olympic and non-Olympic lines, the Committee decided to make representing general racing sailors, not just Olympic class sailors, its mission.  The Committee recognized that its base of power comes from being in touch with many racing sailors, not just registered Sailor Athletes.

            The Committee agreed to define itself as a forum that solicits inputs from all racers and then takes appropriate action based on the input.  Those who serve on the Committee have to meet the registration and Stevens Act requirements, but all racing sailors are welcome to share their thoughts with the committee.  Involvement does not hinge on registration.  A central purpose of SAC will be involve racing sailors in the decision making process at US SAILING.  Another job will be to communicate more with the sailor athletes that are on US SAILING committees.  

3. Project, US SAILING’s structure:  The Committee decided to take on as an initial project soliciting feedback from racing sailors about the structure of US SAILING and solicit ideas for improvement.  Hal informed the Committee that there is a proposal at USOC to make every national governing organization restructure to match the USOC’s structure.  USOC has a smaller, skills-based board of directors and relies less on constituent representation than US SAILING.  In addition, US SAILING is currently evaluating its structure and considering alternatives.  The Committee feels that serving as an information gatherer and sharer regarding restructuring will serve the racing community, increase involvement in the Committee, and improve the Committee’s visibility.  The Committee will solicit feedback on this issue from the racing community and present it at the Annual General Meeting in Portland, Ore. in October. 

4.  Other ideas:  Other issues that SAC may address in the future include the right to compete and drug testing.  

5. SAC elections:  Nominations will last for one month to allow people time to accept their nominations.  The requirement for broad public announcements regarding elections has been satisfied.  An announcement appeared in the US SAILING newsletter.  Approximately half the committee is up for election.  Nominations are open.  Anyone who is registered can nominate a qualified athlete.  The nominee must accept and be seconded.  Voting occurs. SAC breaks ties and certifies results.

6. Budget:  Dean will request $1500 for the upcoming year.  This money will cover bi-monthly conference calls, web site maintenance and development, and increased communication among Committee members and registered athletes. 

7. Sailor Athlete registrations:  Currently almost 500 sailor athletes are registered.  Committee members should continue to work with fleets to register athletes.