Hudson-Berkshire Division
2005 - 2006 Annual Meeting Minutes
3 Jun 2006
Location: Berkshire Buccaneers, Dalton, MA
Attendees:
Name Position / Club Andrew Littlefield Chairman / RPI Michael Macri Secretary / Treasurer / RPI Bruce Gilman Vice-Chairman / Vassar Alexander Turoff Fishkill Fencers Rod Meagher Beaches Beth Patterson Gristmill Cara Manley RPI Anne Dambrowski RPI Sean O'Mara Fishkill Fencers Kathy Hattala (for John O'Mara) Fishkill Fencers Bernie Desautels Berkshire Buccaneers Paige Rebeor Gristmill
Andrew Littlefield opened the meeting following the Division Championships.
Chair and Vice chair report: everything was going well.
Sec-Treas report: Division’s income: $1500.00
Expenditures: $3000.00, with $1200.00 in grants.
Current bank balance: $10,708.00
Other items: Three boxes were purchased for the Division use; an email list was developed for members and clubs, with contact links on the Div web site (maintained by Andrew Littlefield).
Elections: Results were uncontested, Andrew Littlefield and Bruce Gillman remained in their current offices, Secretary: John O’Mara, Treasurer: Paige Rebeor. Mike Macri will transfers records: email list etc to J. O’Mara; and bank account rights to P. Rebeor (jointly held with A. Littlefield).
New business:
Bylaw amendment: Andrew Littlefield wrote up draft amendment concerning the use of Division equipment (Att. 1). As a draft had been circulated to members prior to the meeting, little discussion occurred. Amendment passed unanimously.
Old equipment: Two old scoring boxes are available for someone to tinker with. The timing is only good for epee.A. Turoff took them for JO to tinker with. If it is not worth it to fix/use them- they may be put out for sale on eBay.
Inventory: All agreed to an identified need for a complete inventory of all division equipment. [Who is going to do this??]
Scheduling for Events:
o Planning for Jr. sectionals needs to be done well in advance. Dates 4/27-29/2007. B. Gillman is willing to try for Vassar as a lot of space is needed (room for about 20 strips).
o Still need a place for the JO (scheduled 12/2/06) and summer national qualifiers. B. Gillman also made several suggestions places: New Paltz NY High School, since the Div has a good relationship with them after holding the Empire Games fencing there last year and alternatives are Arlington High School or Lourdes High School, both in Poughkeepsie NY .
USFA Membership B. Gillman brought up two separate but related issues:
All Opens should be USFA- Collegiate (only made up of collegiate fencers is usually NCAA) comps, strictly novice (non-electric or maybe not)
If USFA sanctioned Safety (required equipment etc) and insurance coverage at tournaments is enforceable
HB is an USFA division- Opens are “at the top of the food chain”
USFA Operating manual states possible disciplinary actions can be taken for participation in non-USFA events
Ratings- can only be earned at USFA events.
o 2. All members should join USFA at entry into fencing- this would solve many issues (listed above). And alternative is to at least it make it clear that within some time period that membership is mandatory. Example of a common problem: that a new person is not subject to both a tournament entry fee and USFA membership dues at the same time.
Lively discussion followed. Some of the larger tournaments held are not USFA rated, but could be as many participants are USFA members. Examples: Woodstock Open. Separate events were held for all three weapons, including a separate junior group. The men’s/women’s events could have been rated. On the flip side, at the RPI Open, many participants are students or infrequent fencers. The cost (of USFA membership) can be a deterrent to participation. Attendance could drop, and would negate the goal of the Open to help make money for the RPI club.
Discussions included many varying perspectives on the pros and cons. The group identified one major need: Clubs need to have a clear understanding of the [USFA] “rules” so that everyone understand the pros and cons of them. Clubs, as members of the bigger Division need to have ground rules so all are on equal footing. So as not to continue the debate further, it was agreed that a subcommittee should be formed to come up with this clarification, and hopefully some resolutions, if possible. The Second issue the committee will address is that of USFA membership. Subcommittee is B.Gillman, J. O’Mara, A. Littlefield, A. Turoff and R. Meagher. Date and place for a meeting was to be determined.
Fees: Competition entry fees need to cover costs- for most competitions expenses, including payment of referees are not met. B. Gillman suggested a raise to $15. Most other divisions are charging $20 or more. Referees are generally paid at the rate of $100 to $150 per day. There are many dedicated folks in the division that volunteer; their help is greatly appreciated. However, good referees are needed, especially at the large events (qualifiers, etc.). At the summer qualifiers, Bruce hired two, and could have used another referee. He also wanted to say thanks to Mike McDarby, Rod Meagher and Carolyn Washburn, John O’Mara, Kathy Hattala and Connie on the Bout Committee for volunteering their time.
Medals: Andrew Littlefield made a motion to request some funds to obtain medals (he will obtain prices from various sources). The motion was seconded (BG) and approved.
Meeting was adjourned at 4:50 pm.