PRESENT: Scott Aster, Everett Beuerman, Jean Beuerman, Steve Beuerman, Mark Blair, Bob Cooley, Nick Corsano, Evan Custer, Meg Gerstner, Steve Gregg, Jeff Lanam, Robert Lewis, Nancy Lindeman, George Minarik, Tony Pinkham, Syd Reader (Stanford Orienteering Club), Chuck Spalding, Bill Straka, Ian Tidswell, Ben Wahlstrand
The meeting was called to order at 7:07 pm at the Allen Center for Integrated Systems at Stanford University. Ian expressed his thanks for his election as president, a position that became vacant when Abby Wolfe moved out of the area.
1. Approval of Minutes - Ian Tidswell
The minutes of the December 9, 2002 Board meeting were approved.
2. President's Report - Ian Tidswell
Ian stated that he had presented a few of his ideas in the recent bulletin. Evan agreed with the published goals, and suggested that there be an additional goal of increasing publicity, so that at least 20% of events will have had some special publicity (e.g. a newspaper article or media exposure). Many club members have expressed an interest in doing publicity, and they will be contacted. Jeff suggested that publicity at ski shops could improve attendance at Ski-O events. Mark also suggested that we have an increased number of "Come and Try It" events. Ian would like to increase intermediate training events. Ian announced Joe Scarborough's resignation as Technical Director, and thanked Joe for his many years of service to the club. There are currently several slots on the Board. It is necessary for the Board to approve a slate of candidates for presentation at the Annual General Meeting to be held at the Stanford Meet in April, although nominations for all positions will be accepted at the Annual Meeting. The proposed slate is Ian Tidswell (President), Evan Custer (Event Coordinator), George Minarik (Treasurer), and Meg Gerstner (Secretary). Meg mentioned that she would be willing to continue to serve as Secretary if a willing volunteer was not found. A motion to approve the proposed slate was passed. Finally, Ian thanked Abby for her service to the club as President.
3. Treasurer's Report - George Minarik
Our current bank balance is $2094. George expects there to be a large influx of income as a result of the May and September A-meets. There do not appear to be any large anticipated expenses other than those already budgeted (e.g. tents as part of the Equipment budget). There has been some sign of increasing park fees, especially in the East Bay, although our budget anticipated this. We received an unexpected refund from Almaden Quicksilver Park. About $130 was received as payment for the maps used in the U.S. Team training event conducted by Vladimir Gusiatnikov. A motion to transfer this money to the U.S. Team passed.
4. Mapping Report - Bob Cooley
Mark Blair has converted the map of Indian Valley to Ocad. Bob has completed a map of Vasona Park. We have received the base map for the northern section of Joe Grant, and Mark will be converting that to Ocad. Two mappers will be in area this summer, in June and September. The Briones rogaine will use two 13x19 inch sheets. Steve Gregg asked whether the current printer technology is good enough to allow the use of cheaper paper. Bob responded that current pigment inks are better than older dye inks.
5. Event Coordinator's Report - Evan Custer
Evan reported that we have 41 days of orienteering scheduled for this year, with the addition of several newly scheduled events (June 29 at Lake Elizabeth; August 10 at UC Berkeley; August 17 at Wilder Ranch; August 24 at Joaquin Miller). A course setter and/or meet director is still needed for Las Trampas, Tamarancho, Dimond Park, and the holiday social event. When our schedule is combined with that of Gold Country Orienteering, there is an event planned for nearly every weekend except a few holiday weekends. Two A-meets are planned for 2004. The first, O in the Oaks 2, will have one day of short courses at Morgan Territory on November 6 and one day of long courses at North Joe Grant on November 7. Sanctioning has been received for this meet, and a bid has been submitted for the U.S. Championships for these short- and long-course events. The second A-meet is planned for Fallen Leaf Lake on June 26 and 27. Sanctioning is being sought. It was asked whether this could be better held when the Fallen Leaf Lake camp (Camp Concord) is available. Evan will check on the availability. Come and Try It events during 2003 will be held at Lake Elizabeth and Vasona. Evan was planning to investigate whether Rancho San Antonio could be used for events again, but several people in attendance thought that this was unlikely, given that we were allowed to use Montebello (also in the same park district) after Rancho San Antonio got very crowded. Scott reported that he is looking into receiving permission to use part of Annadel for an advanced course during the Spring Lake meet, and is working with a new ranger there.
6. Proposed 24 Hour Rogaine - Evan Custer
Vlad has proposed that a 24 hour rogaine be held at Henry Coe Park during 2004, and has volunteered to be the course setter. The ranger is agreeable to any time but peak Spring, and a proposed date would be March 6th, due to the presence of a full moon and Vlad's availability. Issues associated with this event include: it is as much work as an A-meet (and we are having two in 2004); there appears to be limited enthusiasm by club members either to put on the event or participate; there has been no volunteer for the meet director position; and there might be limited volunteers due to the location (south of San Jose). Syd said that major rogaines can attract up to 100 teams, with smaller events drawing 100 participants. Advantages of holding this event would be to give local competitors the opportunity to do a local rogaine, and the opportunity to attract new participants to our sport. In order to make this happen, we will need a meet director, 2 to 3 vetters (spending about 1 hour/control), a search and rescue (S&R) director, first aid, and a kitchen (probably to be catered). A decision will need to be made concerning this event by the June Board meeting.
7. 2003 U.S. Champs - Evan Custer
Hannu Haarma has designed preliminary courses to be sent to the World Ranking Event (WRE) and course controller for approval. Ev and Jean are handling lodging. Ads will be run in the February and July issues of ONA. Evan is working on sponsorship with Gary Kraght. Changes related to this event are being efficiently posted by Ben on the website. Most crew chiefs have been lined up. Steve Beuerman reported that we already have 4 entries (and 2 for the May A-meet). Nancy reported that many campsites at Fallen Leaf Lake are already taken; there are no group campsites. (For the May A-meet, more than 40 people have reserved camping space.)
8. Safety Guidelines - Bill Straka
Bill has prepared draft safety guidelines for A-meet sanctioning. The objective is to provide a working document useful by volunteers (not professional S&R personnel), that will appropriately minimize problems and legal liabilities but still create a useful plan based on the premise that if something does happen, we'll try to help. Bill's draft generally follows the USOF draft. Included in the draft are recommendations to have notices widely available (e.g. hazards of terrain), steps to be followed if something goes wrong, special issues for youth participants, a suggested S&R process, and an incident report. The draft has been reviewed by Meg, and she will provide some suggested changes to Bill for inclusion in the guidelines. It was suggested that some sections of the guidelines should be included on the website.
9. At-Large Board Members - Nick Corsano
Nick suggested that one way to provide new ideas to the Board (which is a relatively stable group), would be to appoint up to 3 "at-large" members to serve 1-year terms. The by-laws presently provide that, in addition to the elected officers of the club, the Board may comprise other positions recommended by the President and approved by the Board. Nick proposed that the by-laws be amended to add new section 6.1.6 (The Board. . . shall consist of. . . "6.1.6 Up to three additional persons who will serve as members-at-large"), and to amend section 6.2 to limit the members-at-large to two consecutive one-year terms. (The present section 6.2 does not provide term limits on Board positions, other than the annual election of officers.) Advantages include giving these members-at-large a vote and encouraging new ideas. Possible disadvantages include increasing the size of the Board, and decreasing the weight of each vote. There was much discussion as to whether such an amendment was required, given that the President can appoint new members with Board approval. A motion to amend the by-laws by the addition of section 6.1.6 was defeated, but Ian indicated that he would implement the suggestion of members-at-large. It was also suggested that the by-laws be amended to allow e-mail votes of the Board.
10. Stanford Community Day - Chuck Spalding
Syd reported that Stanford University's Community Day (formerly "Founder's Day") will be held on April 6, the day of our scheduled Stanford meet. Seven to ten thousand people are expected to attend the Community Day events and the Stanford Orienteering Club (SOC) has been asked by the University to participate. SOC has been given $1000 to provide an orienteering map to visitors to its booth, at which there will be information about orienteering, including beginners' clinics and a video. The planned map will provide a free white course (and flyer on the reverse side listing future BAOC events), which will take participants to the site of the simultaneous BAOC event so that people can register for another course if they want to. Scott Aster will be the coordinator for the Community Day Event, along with Syd.
11. Big Blue Adventure Race Sponsorship - Ian Tidswell
Ian, Evan and Gary Kraght met with Todd Jackson, the promoter of the Tahoe Big Blue adventure racing series. The series consists of four events, each of which has an orienteering component. It was agreed that BAOC would have four meets at which adventure racers could get exposed to orienteering and receive training. Suggested events include a longer Orange course (6-7 km), a clinic directed at intermediate level skills, and expert O coaches who would provide guidance to a limited number of adventure racers (e.g. follow them around a course and provide feedback) for a fee (e.g. $25 plus free entry for the "coach"). In addition, BAOC might provide some course design services for the Tahoe Big Blue races.
12. Web Redesign - Ben Wahlstrand
Ben reported that he is working with Vickie Lee to redesign the website, in particular to add more pictures, make the home page friendlier, and provide consistency for announcements. Everyone agreed that the website currently is very good, but that the proposed changes would make it even better.
13. Policy For Compensation For Designing Courses - Ian Tidswell
There currently is no policy concerning compensation to the club or course setter for designing courses for outreach events (e.g. corporate team building activities, social club events). It has been handled on an ad hoc basis. Scott suggested that there be a webpage for interested people to sign up for such opportunities. It was suggested that people who have worked to create free outreach courses would be moved to the top of the list for "paying" opportunities. Any issue with insurance or permits is usually handled by the group seeking the help. Scott will devise a proposed program.
14. Directors' Reports
There was no report for Membership (Steve Beuerman), Website (Ben Wahlstrand), or USOF (Syd Reader, Pacific Region alternate).
Registration (Ev and Jean Beuerman): In order to get a better idea of the number of maps needed, Registration is now counting the number of entrants and participants for each event and passing it along to George and Steve Beuerman. They will also notify Bob.
Equipment (Mark Blair): Mark reported that the current tents are in bad shape and that he has located a "professional" (Swedish) tent at a cost of about $600 (including shipping)/ 2 for $1100. Given the current cash position of the club, he will order one tent.
E-Punch (Robert Lewis): Robert reported some vandalism of our e-punch equipment at the Point Pinole event. Several units were found on the ground, and several had their number tags torn off.
Training (Steve Gregg): Steve mentioned that Vlad had conducted a U.S. Team training event, and reported that he has had a request for intermediate level training. He will shortly be seeking volunteers for Wednesday evening summer training sessions which can be easily organized by recycling old maps and old courses.
Juniors (Nick Corsano): Nick reported that a student at Cupertino High School is in the process of forming a new student orienteering club.
Technical (vacant) and Event Quality (vacant): Ian reported that these two positions would likely be combined into one.
Permits (Evan Custer for Rosemary Johnson): Evan reported that Alan LaVergne, who has been handling permits for the South Bay will resign after this year.
Publicity (Nancy Lindeman): Nancy is excited about the tie in to adventure racing and its opportunities for publicity. She suggested that flyers for Joe Grant and Sunol be available at the Stanford Community Day booth.
Bulletin (Jeff Lanam): Jeff reported that the most recent bulletin had just been sent out. As part of the effort to send copies of the bulletin to first-timers and others, Chuck has sent out bulletins to 651 people at a cost of $385.
Outreach (Scott Aster): Scott reported that a home schooling group in the North Bay was planning to have 20-30 families at Annadel. He also participated in outreach events at Crissy Field and at a Girls Sports Fair in Santa Rosa.
Social (Olivia Graeve): In Olivia's absence, it was reported that she was planning a social event at her home for club members on Saturday, March 8th.
15. New Business - Ian Tidswell
Seat belts should be worn in all shuttles used at club events. One question was whether appropriate child restraint equipment for young/light children would be available.
16. Adjournment - Ian Tidswell
The next Board meeting will be Monday, June 2, 2003, at the Alta Bates Imaging Center in Oakland at 7:00 pm. The meeting adjourned at 10:03 pm.