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Present were Executive Committee members Sarah
Alger, Charley Cook, Jim Capron, Don Durant, Louise Gleason, Fred
Hagedorn, Tom Hubbell, Stephen Jeffries, Jim Muldoon, Joni Palmer, Dave
Rosekrans, John Ross, and Mike Schoettle. Bruce Eissner joined the call
after the first item. Also present were Interim Executive Director
William Placke, Executive Director Nick Craw and, at the invitation of
the President, board members Adam Werblow and Melinda Berge. Staff
member Dan Nowlan was invited for the discussion of the first item. 1.
Orbidex Proposal. Offshore
Director Dan Nowlan briefly
reviewed the status of development of the PHRF Toolbox and demonstration
project on the web. The
demonstration was presented at recent US SAILING and ISAF Annual
Governing Meetings to positive reviews.
He also announced that the Mackinac Race organizers have
indicated that they plan to use the Toolbox for the 2002 race.
Initial reactions indicate that this project will be of great
service to the grassroots offshore sailor. To date, the Toolbox has been
developed with the firm Orbidex. Orbidex has submitted a proposal, which
is being reviewed, to complete the project of making the Toolbox
available via the Web. ·
Motion: a motion was
made, seconded, and approved to authorize Nick Craw to negotiate and
sign a contract with Orbidex, with one abstention and one nay.
2.
Approval of the
Executive Committee Minutes. ·
Motion: a motion was
made, seconded and approved to accept the November 20, 2001 Executive
Committee minutes, as amended. 3.
President’s
Remarks. Dave Rosekrans noted
that in January, nine focus groups looking at membership will be held in
Boston, Detroit, and Los Angeles with current members, nonmembers, and
lapsed members. 4.
Treasurer’s
Report. Stephen Jeffries
reported that unaudited financials indicate that US SAILING finished the
year $11,000 to the positive. This is after incurring more than $150,000
in unanticipated costs associated with the resignation of Terry Harper
and search for a new Executive Director.
5.
Interim Executive
Director’s Report. 5.a.
Membership Report. Bill Placke reported that
memberships are following the same trends as in previous months. Staff
have been preparing for the focus groups.
5.b.
Work Plan.
Work is proceeding with a consultant to map the information needs
of the association, focusing particularly on the membership, training
and accounting departments. A matrix of all reports, input and output of each department
is being developed to determine commonly shared/required information.
This will then be used in discussions with suppliers on how to
better meet US SAILING’s information management needs. 5.c.
Human Resources Firm.
US SAILING has grown to a size where professional human resource
support is needed. Several
firms are being interviewed to provide turn-key/outsourced support. 5.d.
Audit.
Rooney-Plotkin is currently in the office conducting the end-of-year
audit. 6.
Olympic Report.
Fred Hagedorn reported that the Olympic Sailing Committee has
come to a final agreement with Rolex, and the event has been renamed the
Rolex Miami OCR. The committee recently had a full, two-day planning
meeting. The OSC is preparing for a meeting with the aspirants and
members of the US SAILING Team and US Disabled Sailing Team at the
conclusion of the Rolex Miami OCR. For the first time the Rolex Miami
OCR is a mandatory event for all athletes participating in the US
SAILING Team Ranking System, and for the first time the Paralympic
Classes will be included in the event. 7.
Diversity Program.
Fred Hagedorn noted that when the Ted Stevens Sports Act of 1998 was
enacted, it included a requirement for the USOC to report on diversity
on behalf of all of its member organizations.
Last year, the USOC asked for base information on diversity of
these organizations. US
SAILING provided what data we have, however, the new USOC Partnership
Agreement stipulates that US SAILING needs to provide and report on its
programs and progress regarding diversity. Dave Rosekrans reported that
he would be setting up a task force to work on this project.
8.
Fund Raising.
Fred Hagedorn noted that a contract has been signed with Campbell
and Company, and an ad hoc Campaign Planning Committee is being put together. 9.
2002 Women’s
Match Racing World Championships.
Fred Hagedorn proposed the appointment of an eligibility
committee to review resumes and nominate athletes for the 2002 Women’s
Match Racing World Championships. ·
Motion: a motion was
made, seconded and approved to have the OSC appoint a selection
committee (taking into consideration the constituent groups interested
in women’s racing and international competition) for the purpose to
select athletes to attend the 2002 Women’s Match Racing World
Championships, once the NOR was released and it was determined that US
SAILING would be able to appoint any competitors. 10. Simplified
Rules. Jim Capron said that the
issue of simplified rules has been much discussed and is a topic of
interest among sailors. US
SAILING has had a “simplified” summary of the rules that apply when
racing boats meet since 1998. Given recent interest, Dick Rose is
updating it. Jim Capron proposed that the simplified rules be posted on
the web site and be made available in print from US SAILING headquarters
thereby increasing their visibility to the sailing/racing public.
He noted that the synopsis provides a highly useful summary for
people entering the sport. It can’t be used in judging, doesn’t
cover every situation, and sailors would be at risk if they used it in a
protest, however, if followed, it should keep people out of the protest
room. 11. Starting
Sequence. Jim Capron noted that
some clubs and sailors continue to prefer System 2 for starting. The
Executive Committee reaffirmed that the benefits of having a single
starting system around the world make it worthwhile to undergo the
process of adoption. ·
Motion: a motion was
made, seconded, and approved, with one opposed, to continue to support
one starting system, with all of the flexibility inherent in that
system, and to ask the Race Management Committee to continue its efforts
to educate race officers and athletes on the merits of this system and
ways to tailor it to local needs. 12. Directory
Distribution. A proposed
distribution list will be sent to the Executive Committee for review. 13. Membership
Dues. On behalf of General Services, with the support of the Council of
Sailing Associations and the One Design Class Council, John Ross
presented a proposed change to the Membership Benefits. The purpose is
to simplify the organizational dues structure and reduce confusion. ·
Motion:
a motion was made seconded, and approved to accept the General
Services proposal to eliminate Section C of
the Membership Benefits, which states “(C) Any yacht club, sailing
club, one-design fleet, offshore fleet, or association may join US
Sailing as a new member, or renew after a five year absence, for $75.00
per year for two years.” 14. Committee
Membership. New committee lists
were distributed for Training, Inshore, Women’s Sailing, and
Commercial Sailing. James Walsh and Phil Eaton were added to the
Offshore Committee, while Don Glassell was removed. ·
Motion: a motion was
made, seconded and approved to accept the above committee lists, as
amended. 15. New
Business. On behalf of the entire
organization, Dave Rosekrans expressed his deep appreciation for all of
the work Bill Placke has done as interim Executive Director of US
SAILING. He has brought a
high degree of professionalism to the organization, and also put his
heart into the role. He has
positioned the organization and the staff well for future success during
a period of change. Bill Placke noted that this is a world-renowned
organization, and it has been a high honor to represent US SAILING, and
he looks forward to watching its accomplishments. 16.
Executive Session (Executive
Committee members and Executive Director only) 16.a.
Appeals. Meeting
adjourned at 10:03 p.m. Respectfully submitted Sarah
Alger
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