Board of Directors Minutes 03/13/04

Board of Directors Minutes
March 13, 2004
Spring Meeting in Mobile, AL

1. President Janet Baxter called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m., Central Standard Time.

2. A video on Youth Windsurfing was presented by Charles Ivey, junior youth coach for US Windsurfing.

3. Directors present were: Janet Baxter, Betsy Beddow, Faye Bennet, Stan Betts, Jerelyn Biehl, Dean Brenner, Norton Brooker, Larry Bulman, Jim Capron, Clark Chapin, Ruth Creighton, Dan Doyle, Peter Durant, Don Durant, Bruce Eissner, Susan Epstein, Art Fox, Louise Gleason, Fred Hagedorn, Dick Hanneman, Joey Harris, Tom Hubbell, Charles Ivey, Leslie Keller, Patty Lawrence, Dan Mangus, Joe Melino, Clay Mock, Ken Morrison, Jim Muldoon, Bill Munster, Joni Palmer, Bill Ross, John Rudy, Betty Sue Sherman, Bill Stump. Absent were: John Amos, James Appel, Terry Bischoff, Mitch Brindley, Craig Brown, Paul Callahan, Tom Carruthers, Means Davis Mark Herrmann, Hart Kelley, Gene McCarthy, Greg Norwine, Martha Parker, Mark Reynolds, and Adam Werblow.

4. A motion to approve the Minutes of the March 12, 2004 Board of Directors meeting was made, seconded and carried.

5. President Baxter announced that the winner of the 2003 Herreshoff Award, to be presented at tonight’s banquet, is Past President William Martin, who is currently Acting President of the US Olympic Committee.

6. President Baxter presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Peter Reichelsdorfer for his tireless work with the International Grand Prix Working Party.

7. Executive Director Nick Craw presented an Award of Appreciation from US SAILING to Ken Signorello, president of Harbor Watch, for his dedication and service in developing the US SAILING web site.

8. Audit Committee Chair Joe Melino announced that the full audit report will be presented to the Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting in October.

9. Vice President Tom Hubbell, chair of the Structure Working Party, gave a Power Point presentation on the committee’s work and direction to date. The presentation will be made available on the US SAILING web site, and Dr. Hubbell reminded the Board that the matter is very much a work in process.

10. Budget Director Hortensia Hacker announced that the budget process would be undertaken earlier this year and will involve participation by both staff and volunteers.

11. Susan Daly presented reports from the Youth Advisory Board and the Youth Task Force. A motion was made, seconded and carried to amend Regulation 5.03 to read:
Regulation 5.03
a) for Adults
“No contestant shall use, either on or off the water, during any US SAILING Championship event marijuana or any other controlled substance (as defined in 21 U.S. Code 802) the possession of which is unlawful under 21 U.S. Code 841.”
b) for Youth
“No contestant shall use, either on or off the water, during any US SAILING Junior Championship event: marijuana or any other controlled substance (as defined in 21 U.S. Code 802) the possession of which is unlawful under 21 U.S. Code 841, or alcoholic beverages (distilled spirits, wine and beer, each as defined in chapter 51 of the U.S. IRC Code and intended for beverage use). The penalty shall be that the contestant after a proper hearing, be immediately removed from the regatta venue and, where practical, sent home.”

12. Susan Daly also reported Committee requests to define a “Youth Event/Program,” for all events, on and off the water, including regattas, clinics, training courses, symposiums and the like. She pointed out that in US SAILING the currently defined youth membership cut-off age is age 21. A motion was made, seconded and carried to include in the US SAILING Regulations that: A “youth event” is one where the primary or majority of the audience attending is “youth”, and that “youth” be defined as “under the age of 21.”

13. Communications Task Force minutes were distributed, Chair Melinda Berge reported.

14. Inshore Chair Patty Lawrence announced that the committee is planning a series of One Design symposiums on fleet building. The Committee also passed a resolution in favor of restructuring toward making the Board of Directors smaller, more efficient, and more nimble including, in principle, the combination of the Inshore Committee and the One-Design Class Council.

15. Past President Dave Irish announced that the ISAF Mid-Year Meeting will be held in the United States for the first time in many years. The meeting will be held in San Diego this June. The minutes of the delegation’s meeting were distributed.

16. General Services Chair Ruth Creighton distributed the report of the committee meeting and announced that Melinda Berge has been named to chair the Information Technology Task Force.

17. Past President Jim Muldoon announced that the Government Relations committee would discuss harbor safety issues at its meeting later today, and that recreational boaters are not on committees currently considering this issue. The committee will discuss ways for recreational boaters to get involved.

18. President Baxter announced that the 2004 W. Van Alan Clark, Jr. trophy for the US SAILING Sportsmanship Award, normally presented at the Spring meeting, will be awarded to Olin J. Stephens II. The trophy will be presented in Connecticut at the 75th anniversary of Sparkman and Stephens in July.

19. The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 a.m. C.S.T.

Respectfully submitted,

Dick Hanneman, Secretary