Pacific Northwest Ski Association Fall Meetings

Yakima, Washington

September 29, 2007

Attendance:  Curtis Shuck, Rob Crick, Terry Critchlow, Steve Devin,

Curt Hammond, Nancy Harrison, Hans Hibbard, Chuck Holcomb,

Paul Mahre, Andrew Mat, Roger Root Monica Sitton, Ron Bonneau

Ev Coulter, Mike Fitzpatrick, Bill Gunesch, Natalee Hatch, Dave Lyon, Louis Otto, Tom Pulver, Pat Robson, George Struthers, Roger Taggart,

Jim Tracy, Bill Brooks, Alby Dean, Karen Harjo, Ryan Shorter.

Joint Board of Directors and ACC Meeting

President Curtis Shuck called the meeting to order at 10:10 am.  Curtis Shuck passed out the agenda and reviewed the process for a joint meeting. 

Old Business:

President Shuck asked if there we any amendments to the ACC, BOD and General meeting minutes from the spring 2007 Convention.   Two minor corrections to the awards section were proposed. 

• 2007-2008 ACC Motion #1:  To approve the ACC minutes from the 2007 spring meeting with the following corrections. Mark Burandt-YSL Alpine Coach of the year and Dana Bracht-unsung hero. Maker George Struthers, second by Paul Mahre.  Motion passed.
• 2007-2008 BOD Motion #1:  To approve the BOD minutes from the spring meetings.  Maker Chuck Holcomb second by Andrew Mat.  Motion passed.
• 2007-2008 BOD Motion #2:  To approve ACC motion #1 to approve the ACC minutes from the spring meeting with minor corrections to the awards.  Maker Rob Crick, second by Chuck Holcomb.  Motion passed.

No other old business was brought before the group. 

New Business:

President’s Report:

Curtis Shuck delivered his report to the group.  He noted that as PNSA prepares to enter its 78^th season he is impressed with the change which has taken place in the sport. 

·        Communication is expected by our parents and athletes.

·        Curtis commented that the people who attend the PNSA meetings are motivated by service to the organization.

·        The leadership of the organization has a responsibility to steer the organization into the future.

·        PNSA needs to take risks, evaluate both new and old ideas to serve its customers.

·        PNSA is a business and as such it needs to be responsive to the needs of its customers.

Curtis concluded his report noting that PNSA’s creativity and its ability to work collectively are two of its greatest strengths. 

Executive Director’s Report:

Ingrid Simonson updated the Board and ACC on her office’s activities over the summer, upcoming projects and several items which the board may wish to consider. 

• The year end accounting information for both PNSA and PNSEF have been completed and forwarded to the accountant.  The tax returns have been completed, signed and submitted. 
• She thanked Roger Taggart, Kent Towlerton, Bill Gunesch and Nils Erickson for their roles and help with the PNSA summer camps.
• PNSA now has a comprehensive general liability (CGL) insurance policy through PSIA-NW.  This policy will renew in November. 
• Housing reservations have been made for most of the upcoming season’s FIS races. 
• The Elite Pass list has been prepared and posted.   Ingrid noted that the 50% participation rule for elite pass eligibility is very time consuming to administer and suggested that the board review this policy for future seasons. She also noted that one athlete had asked if the cutoff could be extended beyond the 190 point limit.  There was a brief discussion of this issue but no changes to policy were made by the BOD. 
• The PNSA Alpine Team selections have been made and posted.  She is waiting for the eligible athletes to accept and return signed contracts to the office. 
• The draft calendar is posted on the website and has been updated as changes have been received.
• Replacement of the PNSA radios is in process.  An initial order was placed and the radios were received.  However, the radios didn’t perform well during summer camps and the order was terminated.  Ingrid is in the process of re-ordering different radios.  She noted that she has asked the coaches for some additional input before the order is finalized. 
• The draft budget has been prepared and is ready for review and approval by the board.  She worked with Nancy Harrison and others to complete this project.
• USSA is revising the language for schedule agreements.  Ingrid expects that she will receive the new agreements in early October and will mail them to the clubs as soon as possible. 
• The comp guide editing is ongoing. 
• She has been working with the Officials Committee to coordinate and schedule the fall clinics. 
• She is working with Bill Gunesch on the Fall Coaches Symposium.
• PNSA has been asked if the organization would like to participate in a Coldwell Banker Bain Partnership program.  According to Ingrid the program is an affiliation referral program.  PNSA could receive donations based on real estate sales fees generated through referred sales or purchases. 
• PNSA has been contacted by a Russian ski club that would like to bring three athletes to the area during December and January of this coming season.  They wish to train and compete in PNSA.  She is working with USSA to see if she can secure temporary X licenses for these athletes. 
• USSA is exploring the concept of a single competitor license for youth (12 and under). This license would allow them to compete in a number of different disciplines without buying separate memberships.  The question for divisions is if we would offer a discount on our divisional memberships.

There was some discussion of this question.  The consensus was that PNSA doesn’t have any USSA sanction events in snowboard or free style for youth and thus it would not be useful in our division. 

• Ingrid noted that PNSA needs to establish selection criteria for the newly created WR J2 FIS classification race.
• Ingrid passed around a roster of elected and appointed officers, officials and committee members and asked those present to verify their address, phone numbers and email address.

Director of Alpine/ACC Chairman’s Report:

Chuck Holcomb presented his report as Chairman of the Alpine Competition Committee.  He noted that 15 of 17 members were present.  One seat is open with the departure of Kent Towlerton from the division and the male athlete representative position is also open. 

• The Western Region (WR) fall call has been postponed.
• Chuck reviewed the changes in PNSA quotas for WR FIS events. 
• The new J2 WR FIS Classification race has provision for J1 athletes through Lester Keller’s quota for pace skiers. 

Chuck asked Roger Taggart to comment on the selection process for this event.  Roger suggested that a standard selection board be established for J2 age athletes wishing to attend this race. 

ACC Motion #2:  To adopt a standard selection board consisting of only J2 athletes for the WR J2 classification race.  Maker Roger Taggart, second by Rob Crick.  Motion passed. 

BOD Motion # 3:  To approve ACC motion #2 adopting a standard selection board consisting of only J2s for the WR FIS classification race.  Maker Paul Mahre second by Terry Critchlow.  Motion passed.

• Chuck announced that Curt Hammond, from PNSA is the new Chairman of the WR ACC. 
• Chuck reviewed the USSA Physical Assessment tests and noted that he has been talking with Jenn from USSA to see if she can assist with the initial administration of the tests.  The first test is scheduled for October 6, 2007 in Spokane.

There was a general discussion of the tests and the procedures.  Ingrid noted that WR may use the results in the future as part of the selection process.  Curt Hammond offered to check on how this will be implemented. 

Chuck reviewed the proposal for a divisional project manager which he had circulated for comments from the ACC.  He noted that he was responding to a request from Rob Crick for input from the ACC. Chuck led a discussion on the divisional project manager concept.  There was input from a number of the attendees on this subject.

·        Roger Taggart did not favor the creation of the position noting that the current system meets the needs of the division.

·        Ingrid noted that most of the project head coaches do a good job of reporting back to the divisional office.

·        Rob Crick spoke in favor of the proposal.  He noted the need to provide consistent service to all of the athletes on a project. 

·        Natalee Hatch related an incident which she experienced, as an athlete, where a divisional coach was too busy with an athlete from his own team to help her as she approached her start. 

·        Jim Tracy noted that he feels the on snow staff is good.  He wondered if the division has enough voice and contact to influence decisions at WR. 

·        Chuck Holcomb spoke in favor of creating the position.  He noted that we have the skiing and early season resources to be very competitive as a division.  Currently, he feels that the division’s success is more based on the number of athletes than the strength of our competitive program.  He noted that a project manager might have several roles in the division including: 

o       Arranging Camps

o       Organizing and leading competition projects

o       Marketing

o       Athlete advocacy. 

The discussion concluded with a motion from Bill Gunesch.

ACC Motion # 3:  That the ACC not support creation of the divisional project manager position as presented.  Maker Bill Gunesch, second by Roger Taggart.  Motion passed 9 to 2. 

Curtis Shuck gave an update on insurance.   Sue Johnson has donated a vehicle to PNSA.  This will allow PNSA to move forward with the acquisition of auto insurance including non owned auto coverage.  Curtis told the group that he expects the yearly cost for this coverage to be in the $1300-$1500 range.  George Struthers asked if the non owned auto policy would provide insurance for those times when PNSA has several vehicles rented at the same time.  Curtis said that the policy will cover those situations.  Curtis noted that the division will need to submit a list of drivers, license information to the insurance company for driving record checks.  Only those drivers who pass such background checks will be able to drive vehicles rented by PNSA.     

Committee Reports: 

Rules and Technical-George Struthers

George Struthers gave the group an update on some of the rule changes for this season.

• The SL rules have been updated and clarified.  There is a specific standard for delays and some courses will now require* one or more delays.  (* no longer required in FIS or USSA races.)
• A per diem of $50.00 has been added for TDs at USSA events and the FIS TD per diem has been increased to $90.00 per day.
• Helmets must now meet specific standards and bear the “CE” certification label. 

Youth Ski League Working Group-Mike Fitzpatrick

Mike confirmed that the PNSA BW Championships will be at Stevens Pass Ski Area February 29-March 2, 2008.

J3 Working Group-Tom Pulver

Tom reported on the Topolino Shoot out January 2-4 at Snow King in Jackson Hole, WY.  This year the trip will be handled as a divisional project with the appointment of at least a head coach.   Ten PNSA athletes, 5 men and 5 women, have qualified for this event.  PNSA also has two men on the alternate list. 

1.      Scott Snow                      Independence

2.      Michael Allen                  MAC

3.      Essex Prescott                  SARS

4.      Dillon Bauernfeind          SSRA

5.      Tyler Tran              SMART

Alternates

     Michael Briggs     WPSC

     Pierce Whalen                  MAC

1.  Courtney Altringer         SARS

2.  Stephanie Schott           CMAC

3.  Yina Moe-Lange TAS

4.  Morgan Duffy                   SPAC

5.  Sierra Schrankel   SSRA

J1-J2 Working Group-Roger Taggart

Roger Taggart gave a brief update on the summer camps.  He proposed that the selection process for the WR J2 Classification process be placed in the PNSA competition manual.

Bill Gunesch renewed his request that PNSA representatives press WR to allow athletes to opt out of the JO selection process in favor of the WR Championships.  Ingrid noted the rule is a regional rule and that PNSA must abide by the rule until or unless it is changed.

ACC Motion #4:  To authorize PNSA WR representative to continue pursuing authority for athletes to opt out of the JO selection board in favor of the WR Championships.  Maker Bill Gunesch, second by Rob Crick.  Motion passed.

ACC Motion #5: To add the J2 Classification Race to the WR FIS Series Selection on page 49 of the PNSA Competition Guide. 

Maker Roger Taggart, second by Bill Gunesch.  Motion passed.

BOD Motion #4: To approve ACC Motion #5 adding the J2 Classification race to the WR FIS Series Selection on page 49 of the PNSA Competition Guide.  Maker Rob Crick, second by Monica Sitton.  Motion passed.     

Curtis Shuck asked about the possibility of hosting an international speed camp next summer and appointed Jim Tracy to look into that possibility. 

College Racing Sub-Committee-Ron Bonneau

• Ron Bonneau reviewed the NWCSC schedule and noted that the race schedule for Jan 26-27 at Snoqualmie would be moved to Ski Bowl.  Bill Gunesch noted that Ski Bowl would also be hosting a J3 qualifier race that same weekend.  Curtis Shuck suggested that Meadows might be able to accommodate the college race.
• Ron announced the USCSC has officially added Freestyle Skiing as an official event. 
• Two changes need to be made to the PNSA Competition Guide for this season according to Ron.  First, the entry fees have been increased to $25.00.  Secondly, page 19 correctly shows the PNSA quota but contains an error in the section on seeding where it still shows seven seeds.  Ingrid noted the information and will make the updates. 
• Ron announced that the NWCSC will hold its fall meeting at the Coeur d’Alene UI campus October 6, 2007. 
• Ron noted that regionals will be held at Brundage Mountain Resort.  Nationals will be at Sunday River, Maine.  The Brundage events will include a qualifier for the USCSC Snowboard nations at Sunday River, Maine. 
• There will be a vehicle insurance update at Lewis & Clark College October 14, 2007. 
• College Recruitment may be available at the NWCSC fall meeting in Coeur d’Alene, ID. 

Calendaring Issues:

• George Struthers noted that he has received several positive comments about this year’s calendar. 
• Ingrid asked the group to email corrections and changes to the divisional office as soon as possible.
• Bill Gunesch asked the group for input on the Golden Rose.  He noted that SG is a possibility and that the need for SL and GS points opportunities has been met.  
• There was a general discussion of the Golden Rose and the consensus was to leave the decision on events to the organizer.

Coaches Committee-Bill Gunesch

• Bill noted that with the departure of Kent Towlerton from PNSA he has asked Pat Robson from MBSEF to join the Coaches Committee.
• Bill introduced a motion to set recommended entry fees for PNSA Junior events.

ACC Motion #6: To establish recommended entry fees for USSA scored junior events at twice the total head tax.  Maker Bill Gunesch, second by George Struthers.  Motion passed.

BOD Motion #5: To approve ACC Motion #6 establishing recommended entry fees for USSA scored junior events at twice the head tax.  Maker Chuck Holcomb second by Rob Crick.  Motion passed.

• Bill reviewed the request from Western Region to develop a list of approved course setters for WR FIS events.  He would like to appoint Roger Taggart, Louie Otto and Nils Erickson to become the core group to approve course setters.  They would then create a larger list for submission to Western Region.  Bill led a brief discussion of the process.

ACC Motion #7: To appoint Nils Erickson, Roger Taggart and Louie Otto to develop the initial list of approved course setters for WR FIS and Junior Olympic events.   Maker Bill Gunesch, second by George Struthers.  Motion passed.

BOD Motion #6: To approve ACC motion # 7 appointing Nils Erickson, Roger Taggart and Louie Otto to develop the initial list of approved course setters for WR FIS and Junior Olympic events.  Maker Rob Crick, second by Chuck Holcomb.  Motion passed. 

Chuck Holcomb suggested that the initial list of approved course setters be published.

• Bill reviewed the arrangements for the fall Coaches Symposium at Mt. Hood November 3-4.   The curriculum will be focused on course setting.  It will include the following components.
  • A referee update.
  • A Referee Clinic on Saturday morning with test Saturday evening.
  • Class room work on Saturday afternoon.
  • An on Snow session Sunday morning. 

Bill Gunesch asked his new committee member Pat Robson to talk about some of the traveling team issues.

• Pat noted that policies are still being reviewed and updated.
• He suggested that the division look at alternate ways of storing and handling the medical releases.  One suggestion he offered would be to have the releases scanned on loaded on USB drives.  Another option might be to have them on a secure website. 
• Pat discussed the question of how and when the travel coaches’ responsibility for the team athletes ends.  There was a general discussion of this issue. 
• Pat suggested that a template could be designed for the trip report.
• Another issue that Pat discussed was travel arrangements and the need to designate a cargo van for some trips.  Ingrid noted that she will be working with Bill Cimock to identify the specific van needs for various trips.
• Ingrid noted the need for the head coaches to check in with the divisional office every day. 

Officials Committee-Roger Root

Roger Root presented a brief report about the activities of the committee over the summer and early fall.

• The committee now has a formal membership consisting of Lysandra Ness, Andrew Mat and Roger Root.
• The committee met as a group September 16^th in Olympia, WA.  They had four major topics on their agenda:

1.      A review of the B-Net program.

2.      Establishment of a divisional policy for tracking the USSA mandated bi-annual updates for TDs, Referees and Jury Advisors.

3.      The upcoming fall Officials Clinics.

4.      Development of a usage and possible fee structure for the PNSA timing equipment.

Roger provided the group with an update on each of these topics.

·        B-Net:  The current program is funded from the general fund.  It serves YSL, Junior, FIS, Collegiate and Masters races without regard to whether or not they generate head tax revenue for the division.  The committee doesn’t have a recommendation to change the policy at this time. 

·        Using the $15,000 grant from PNSEF and some already allocated funds PNSA ordered approximately $17,000 of new net.  The order included 33 complete rolls, 8 nets without poles and 150 repair clips for existing rolls. 

·        Currently the net is stored in two locations.  Some is in the PNSA rented mini storage in Gresham, OR.  The second location is donated space at the SARS office in Sandpoint, ID. 

·        Roger outlined the committee’s proposal to track bi-annual updates.  The proposal calls for tying the update to the material used.  Thus, someone who receives an update or new license using the 2007-2008 material would not need another update until the 2009-2010 material becomes valid.  This eliminates the question of when a person attends an update or receives a license and ties the tracking process to the valid dates of the training and update material.  It also preserves the option of offering summer clinics if USSA changes its policies.

·        Clinics are scheduled for:  October 20 in Seattle; November 3^rd in Portland and November 11^th in Spokane.  Additionally, Roger noted that he is working with Bill Gunesch to offer a Referee clinic at the Coaches Symposium.   Roger is working with Ingrid to finalize the details of the clinics and they hope to have the information ready and posted on the PNSA website late next week. 

·        The committee also looked at developing a formal policy for the use of the PNSA owned timing equipment.  Roger reported that Rob Crick has offered to help draft a usage agreement.  The committee has not finalized any fee structure and is open to suggestions. 

·        He reported that the equipment has been upgraded by trading two automatic return start switches for two dual contacts manual return start switches.  These switches are homologated.   Additionally, one of the timers has been sent to Reliable Racing for repair. 

There was a brief discussion of how the cost of using the PNSA timing equipment should be determined.

Other ACC Updates:

The elite pass cutoff was discussed briefly but no motions to change the current limit were made.

Ingrid reported that the USSA background check process has worked well.   She noted that renewing members will be subject to the background checks every three years. 

Nancy Harrison reported on the upcoming PNSEF fundraiser which is schedule for October 13, 2007 in the Seattle area.  The information and registration form is on the PNSA website, and information been mailed to many clubs and members.  Ingrid passed around some registration forms. 

Curtis Shuck asked Monica Sitton to review the plans for the 2008 Spring Meetings.  Monica told the group that arrangements have been made to host the meetings in Richland, WA. June 6-8, 2008.  Ingrid asked for input on whether the meetings need to start on Friday.   Chuck Holcomb suggested that the meetings be scheduled for Saturday and Sunday rather than Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  There seemed to be a consensus that condensing the meetings into two days would be acceptable. 

Curtis closed the meeting by announcing that the next ACC meeting would be June 7, 2008 in Richland, WA. 

ACC Motion # 8: To adjourn.  Maker George Struthers second by Roger Taggart.  Motion passed.

Director of Nordic-Steve Devin

Curtis Shuck gave the Nordic report noting that there were approximately 10 people attending their meeting and that they had adjourned earlier in the day.  According to Curtis they are continuing to work on the integration of their finances into PNSA.  MBSEF will no longer handle Nordic’s Junior Olympic finances.  These will now be handled by the divisional office. 

Director of Snowboard-Hans Hibbard

Curtis Shuck introduced Hans Hibbard from MBSEF and nominated him for Director of Snowboard

BOD Motion # 7: To appoint Hans Hibbard as the Director of Snowboard.  Maker Curtis Shuck second by Rob Crick.  Motion passed.

Hans Hibbard reported on the status of Snowboarding in the division.

• They held an officials clinic at Hood River in conjunction with the Alpine Officials clinic last fall.
• There was a Judges Clinic in Bend, Oregon.
• Hans and Lisa Kosglow have been exploring the needs in the division and Lisa is helping to organize a snowboard program at Meadows.
• Hans gave the group an overview of snowboard competition in the division.  He noted that the grass roots competitions are sanctioned by USASA and only the elite level competitions are USSA sanctioned.
• Hans noted that Meadows hosted several camps during the spring.
•  Meadows will host a Revolution Tour event this season. 
• On going projects include developing a list of qualified officials for snowboard events.

Terry Critchlow provided a brief update of Freestyle in PNSA.  White Pass will hold 2 events this year.  Additionally, Terry announced that she has received certification as a Freestyle Technical Delegate. 

Ski Areas-Kevin McCarthy

Kevin was not present.  Scott kaden had sent an update to Ingrid and she promised to forward it to the board members via email.  Ingrid also announced that the Ski Area Operators Association has donated an elite pass to the PNSEF Fall Auction.

Marketing/Fund Raising

Curtis noted that this directorship is open.

Treasurer’s Report

Nancy Harrison gave a brief report and Ingrid distributed copies of the proposed budget.  Ingrid announced that the division now has working capital of approximately $77,000.  She noted that this is a significant improvement in the financial health of the organization.  When she started she was unable to take a paycheck for almost 6 months because of cash flow problems.  Today, the organization has working capital to meet its needs.  Ingrid also suggested that the board consider investing some of these funds in a short term CD or other interest bearing account. 

The board reviewed the budget and some minor adjustments. 

• $1000.00 was added to the budget for website enhancements.
• The anticipated auto insurance premium was reduced from $3000.00 to $1500. 
• Curtis announced that he will work with Nordic to add some administrative costs to their JO trip costs.  This would help offset the additional work that will be assumed by the divisional office due to the change in how Nordic JO trips will be handled.
• Changing head tax and membership fees was briefly discussed.  Ingrid noted that changes must be submitted by March for the 2008-2009 season.  No action was taken on this topic. 

The budget was approved.

BOD Motion # 8: To approve the budget as amended.  Maker Rob Crick second by Paul Mahre.  Motion passed.

Other Business

PNSA Five Year Strategic Plan Update

Curtis Shuck passed out copies of the draft Strategic Plan and briefly discussed its status.  According to Curtis, work continues on the plan and he would like to have it ready for presentation at the 2008 spring meeting.  Curtis Shuck asked about the possibility of establishing a method of communicating with all PNSA members via email.  Curt Hammond suggested that we might be able to gather email address and/or cell phone numbers by adding a communication signup page to the website.  He noted that many university campuses are using cell phone text message “blasts” to deliver immediate information to their students. 

PNSA Staffing Assessment Update

Rob Crick spoke to the group about the status of this initiative.  He noted that he had asked Chuck Holcomb for input from the ACC on the idea of creating a divisional project manager position.  He also described the survey which was sent to PNSA BOD members, ACC members, club presidents and head coaches in PNSA.  Rob noted that he sent out 60 questionnaires and received 24 responses.  He reviewed the responses question by question for the group. 

Rob told the board that he would like to expand the survey to include junior athletes. 

Curt Hammond suggested that one way of getting more input from small clubs would be to create a small club representative position.

A discussion was held regarding the Staffing Assessment Committee process and subsequent communication paths.  Several board and committee members expressed concern that a survey had been circulated without coming from the committee and that the committee had not met, nor had they received any communications during the summer. 

Curtis concluded the discussion noting that he will be reviewing the process.

Curtis told the board that he will be completing the performance review with Ingrid shortly and that he doesn’t expect any problems.