Official Minutes

POTOMAC VALLEY SWIMMING
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
MEETING NOTES

7:00 PM -- WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2006
McLean Community Center
McLean, VA

 

Attendance:  Board Members:   Jim Garner, Chair; Austin Auger, Art Davis, Mark Faherty, John Hirschmann, Bill Marlin, Don Riedlinger, Bill Stephens,  Ron Whalen.  Non-voting Board members:  Janet Auger, John Ertter, Boots Hall, Linda Klopfenstein. 

Call to Order:  The meeting was called to order at approximately 6:51 pm by Jim Garner, General Chair.

Agenda:  Jim provided the Board with a proposed Agenda.

Approval of Minutes:  The minutes of the October 11, 2006 meeting were approved.  Don Riedlinger abstained.

General Chairman Items:  The General Chair, Jim Garner, began the meeting with a request to defer discussion on the Swimposium until December to allow Paris Jacobs to be present.  The current budget does not contain any funding for the Swimposium.   Hirschmann advised the Board that approximately $4,500 was spent in the fiscal year preceding the previous Swimposium.  It was suggested that financial discussions on Swimposium, restoration of the PVS Camps program and the funding of a Diversity Team be tabled until the December Board meeting.  It was noted that funding for these activities would not be needed until later in the fiscal year.

The Board next turned to the matter of the ASCA Convention expenses of this year’s winner of “Age Group Coach of the Year.”  Ertter informed the Board that the recipient has not yet submitted her expenses for reimbursement.  Garner stated that he would contact her to see how she would like to be reimbursed.

At the Chair’s request, Janet Auger reported on her attendance at the October 25th Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) Pool Renter’s meeting.  She stated agenda topics included safety, responsibility for parking, disruption to RECenter operations caused by the hosting of meets and rules pertaining to food handling.  Of primary concern to FCPA is the matter of safety in that FCPA believes that many meets are too crowded and that the occupancy limits stated in the pool contracts are being exceeded thereby providing unsafe conditions and limited access/egress in the facilities.  While FCPA now sees the distinction between club hosted and PVS hosted meets, the Board agreed that PVS must be very sensitive to FCPA’s concerns.  This pertains to both meets PVS sponsors in their facilities and overseeing the size of meets for which a club requests a sanction to host.  Garner suggested that the matter of occupancy numbers and its impact on the type of competition that could be scheduled at various pools be addressed at January’s Competition Committee meeting.

Ertter advised the Board that he had not drafted a letter to James Madison University on behalf of PVS regarding its decision to eliminate Men’s Swimming as of July 1, 2007.  It was noted that many other parties (including the USOC) had expressed their concern to JMU.

Athlete’s Representative:  Following October’s Board meeting, a notice had been placed on the PVS website inviting PVS Athletes to contact their Athlete Representatives.  Austin Auger informed the Board that he has received no emails as a result of the posting.  Marlin, reporting on behalf of Hess, stated that he did not believe she had received any either.

Senior Division:  Riedlinger informed the Board that, following last month’s awarding of travel assistance for the 2006 ConocoPhillips National Championships, PVS was contacted by a coach regarding the status of one of his athlete’s application for reimbursement.  After researching the matter, the coach was informed that said athlete’s application had not been received by either mail or email and that he had 30 days to file an appeal.  No appeal was received during the time period.

Treasurer’s Report / Finance Division:  Financial results for the period ending October 31, 2006, had been provided to the Board prior to the meeting.  Included with the transmittal was a set of comprehensive notes that John Ertter, PVS Controller, had prepared to highlight significant items pertaining to the statements and related matters.   PVS’s current assets on hand as of October 31, 2006, were $882,502.  It was emphasized that this asset number reflects approximately $216,000 in athlete and non-athlete registration fees that are payable to USA-S and are expected to be invoiced in November.

Based on a cash flow analysis prepared by Ertter for the period September 2004 through October 2006, a recommendation was made to the Board that an additional $100,000 certificate of deposit be opened at Fidelity & Trust Bank.  Noting that an existing CD at M&T will mature on December 10th, Ertter also recommended that the Board authorize the closure and transfer at maturity to PVS’s M&T checking account. 

A resolution to authorize the opening of one fifteen month $100,000 certificate of deposit, with an expected 5.79% yield, at Fidelity & Trust Bank was unanimously approved.   A second resolution was unanimously approved authorizing closure and transfer to the PVS M&T checking account of the CD maturing on December 10, 2006.  Signature authorities on the new and existing certificates of deposit were reviewed.

Hirschmann and Ertter informed the Board that the audit was well along and that they expected PVS would receive a clean opinion and the management letter would contain few, if any, concerns.  The Auditor did informally comment on the size of PVS’s surplus and what was an appropriate size for it to be relative to PVS’s annual expenditures.  The Auditor was informed that for the past two years, PVS has been budgeting so that the surplus would not grow further -- however actual expenditures have been somewhat less and revenues somewhat higher than had been budgeted.  It was also noted that the FY06 surplus was substantially less than for the last few prior years and a deficit is currently budgeted for the current year.  The Board also received advice that the size of our reserves were not sufficiently large that we should have any legal or tax concerns.

Prior to the meeting, Ertter provided all members of the Board with a write-up of his attendance at the USA-S Permanent Office Workshop on October 26-28, 2006 in Colorado Springs, CO.  The primary focus of the workshop was to promote programs offered to LSC’s by USA-S, particularly in the areas of club development and recognition programs, USA-S field services, diversity programs, leadership and business management school, and pool consulting services.

 

Age Group Division:

Outreach Request Regarding the Formation of a Diversity Team:  The Board was informed that a presentation is expected to be made at its December meeting.  It is expected to pertain to the LSC providing support to a team that would attend the National Black Heritage Meet in North Carolina over the Memorial Day weekend.

As an aside to Outreach, Bill Stephens noted that the Washington Post would shortly be publishing an article in the Sunday Post Magazine on Arthur Lopez’s Nadar Por Vida program.  He noted that he anticipated that Lopez would be requesting additional funding from the Board in the near future.

Hosting 2008 Eastern Zone Long Course Meet:  Marlin reported that he is continuing to explore co-hosting arrangements with VSI.  Additionally, Niagara Swimming provided him with its financials for the 2006 EZ LC meet which will aid in meet planning.   It was noted that it is anticipated that the Open Water portion of the meet will cost more here than in Niagara.  As a way to offset this anticipated cost increase, Kurt Thiel has recommended that the venue be opened up to Masters swimmers, as well as other athletes.

Zone Coach Stipend Increase:  Agenda item deferred pending a recommendation from the Zone Team coordinator.

New Zone Coordinator:  Bill Marlin informed the Board that a new zone coordinator had not been selected.  Paris Jacobs is preparing a step-by-step manual to assist in the transition.  It was recommended that Marlin and Jacobs consult with the prior years' zones coaches for potential candidates.  It was stressed that it was highly desirable that the selection be made sufficiently prior to the SC Zone meet so the incoming coordinator could serve as an "understudy" prior to and at that meet.

Operations Division:  Noting the recent changes regarding dates and locations to previously sanctioned club sponsored meets, the Board discussed how best to handle future change requests.  This included what types of requests for a change require review/approval at the LSC level.  PVS’s P&P provides that once a MA has been accepted for a club sponsored meet, no substantive change can be made without approval of the Competition Division.  What is “substantive” is not further defined.  The Board agreed that requests to make substantial changes to previously sanctioned meets should be referred to the Age Group and Senior Chairs (as appropriate) for approval. They will also determine if the requested change is so material that it should be referred to the Board for formal action.

Implementation of Dive-Over Starts at PVS October Open:  Art Davis requested that the Minutes reflect his comments on the implementation of the new starting procedure.  He stated that, upon querying the officials and timers, he was told that the transition had been smooth and that, in his opinion, there was a substantial time saving.  Riedlinger expressed his opinion that there needed to be a decision on standardization of timers and the use of the number of timing devices.  During some sessions, two of the three timers timed and the third acted as recorder.  At other sessions, some timers wished to have two watches, while others only used one. 

Marlin reported that some of the coaches had expressed concern that the faster pace of the meet created some difficulties in obtaining split times.  He asked the Board to consider purchasing some wireless routers that would allow the transfer the information to any coaches who had pda’s. It was noted funds for this purpose were available in this year’s budget. Additionally, he suggested that the Hy-Tek Meet Manager output be adjusted so that split times were included when posting results at the meet site. 

In his discussions with coaches, Faherty reported that coaches appreciated the faster pace of the meet.  He also stated that he was clearly able to identify which coaches had instructed their swimmers on the procedure, as opposed to those who had not, and that he believed “peer pressure” would influence future instruction.  It was also suggested that it be emphasized to the swimmers who have just completed their race that they not do things that might distract the swimmer about to start.

The Board next turned to the topic of the equipment at the various sites of the October Open.  Noting the desirability of having back-up equipment at all sites, Whalen informed the Board that he would be purchasing additional Colorado equipment and microphones.  When hosting meets at pools without their own electronic timing equipment (i.e., FCPA pools and Fairland), one Colorado V and one Colorado VI will be supplied.  The Board also noted that this is the only meet during the year where for a PVS sponsored meet, PVS timing equipment is needed for all three courses being used.  It was suggested that equipment spare purchases not be sized just to cover this one particular meet.

Administrative Division:  Garner informed the Board that, per last month’s discussion, he had requested the transfer of the prior Deputy Registrar's permissions to Janet Auger and, also, Bill Stephens' permissions to Art Davis.  Davis confirmed that his transfer had taken place and Auger was asked to confirm hers.  [Subsequent to the meeting, Janet Auger informed Garner that her permission had yet to occur.]

Art Davis reported to the Board on the status of two YMCA teams’ applications to join PVS.  Neither team has yet to submit a formal application to join PVS.

Strategic Planning:  Garner reminded the Board that, at a previous meeting, the matter of whether the LSC should provide Zone/Sectional financial support was assigned to the Strategic Planning Division.  Riedlinger asked the Board to consider if the LSC should encourage PVS teams to hold zones or sectionals here, especially since the meet dates are now flexible.  No agreement was reached on the matter.  Hirschmann did request that the Board establish the principle that a club needs to come to the LSC if it wishes to receive financial support before it makes a bid to the Zone.

Championship Meet Planning:  Noting that the current PVS Budget provides funding for support for PVS Championship Meets, Stephens reviewed items that he hoped to implement thereby increasing the experience of the season culminating meets.  These items include:  increased signage and banners, the production of quality t-shirts in sufficient quantities, the hiring of a DJ and announcer, and the holding of random drawings and awarding of prizes during the sessions.  At Marlin’s suggestion, he will contact TYR (the current Zone Team uniform supplier) to request give away items.  Additionally, in an effort to enhance the experience of the timers and officials, he would like to modify the session’s schedules somewhat to allow for breaks.

PVS By-Law Review:  Stephens reported to the Board that the release date for the revised model LSC By-Laws to be published by USA-S is not yet available.  Stating that he believed PVS’s By-Laws were already in compliance with most of the model, he did suggest that the Board increase its membership by adding one additional athlete representative and the Officials Chair.  Riedlinger recommended that any changes to the By-Laws be postponed until the model was released.

Coaches’ Representative:  Mark Faherty reported to the Board that he and Dan Jacobs were comparing PVS championship meet events to those used in the I.M. Xtreme Challenge to determine if any rescheduling of event order should be recommended to the Competition Committee.

Faherty also advised the Board that he had received concerns from clubs regarding their re-assignment of sites for the PVS October and November Opens.  The difficulty of getting to a venue on the other side of the Potomac River – particularly given Friday night traffic was noted.  Other’s noted that given the small geographical size of the LSC, travel distances for our athletes are shorter than in probably any other LSC.  Also, given where pool water is available, it is impossible to not ask some teams to cross the Potomac to compete. He asked for and received confirmation from the Board that the meet announcements stated that the possibility that clubs might be reassigned.  He indicated that he had been asked to inquire whether entry fees could be refunded if a team’s site was reassigned.  Rather than refunding entry fees, it was decided that it would be more manageable to make the entry deadline earlier and then to give re-assigned teams 48 hours to modify their entries.  The Board instructed Janet Auger to move the entry deadline on the January Open from Tuesday to the previous Friday. 

Faherty’s final item for the Board was an observation that some felt the distance rule is causing some problems for coaches in that some swimmers are being prevented from entering events. Others noted that they may not be fully aware of the ability to use the waiver provision that has also been adopted.

Old Business:            

Modification to Scheduling of Meet Bids:  At Competition Committee’s request, the Board had been asked at its September 27, 2006 meet to consider modifying Policy & Procedure to state that meet bids for the period September 1 to April 1 (as opposed to April 30) be permitted to be presented at the Fall Competition Committee Meeting.  This was done in recognition of the fact Long Course meets were now being bid in the later part of April and in order to avoid splitting when meets for this “competitive season” could be bid.  As the request had been tabled at that time, the Board revisited the matter.  Following the review of two handouts presented by Riedlinger, the Board unanimously approved modifying Policy & Procedure regarding PVS sponsored meets as follows: 

(Note that the reference to meet course type has been deleted and April 30 changed to March 31.)

It next turned to the modification of scheduling of club sponsored meets.  The Board unanimously approved modifying Policy & Procedure regarding requests to Competition Committee for their endorsement of club sponsored meets as follows:

(Note that the reference to meet course type has been deleted and April 30 changed to March 31.)

This is summarized in the following table: 

Competition Meeting

Proposed Club Meet Start Date

 Of Current Year

 Of Next Year

Winter

4/1 to 8/31 must be presented

9/1 to 3/31 may be presented

Spring

9/1 to 12/31 must be presented

1/1 to 3/31 may be presented

Fall

 

1/1 to 3/31 must be presented

4/1 to 8/31 may be presented

New Business:  Garner informed the Board that he had not yet drafted a response to Mark Eldridge’s letter regarding the new PVS Officials Requirement policy.

Officials Education Travel Reimbursement: Prior to the meeting, Whalen provided all members of the Board with a proposed “Officials Education Travel Reimbursement Policy.”   After a limited discussion, the Board decided that the policy needed refinement in terms of clarifying reimbursable expenses, establishing the specific meets that would be eligible and specifying the specific maximums per meet and/or officials.  Whalen asked Riedlinger to provide him a list of potential applicable meets which he would the forward to the Officials Chair for meet selection and reimbursement recommendations.  The Board voted unanimously to table the issue pending further clarification of reimbursable expenses, specific meets that would be eligible and specific maximums per meet and/or officials.

As the 2006 US Open was scheduled to be held prior to the next Board meeting and in order to not further delay implementing this program, the Board unanimously approved the motion to award up to $500 in travel reimbursement, with a cap of $250 per official, for officiating at the 2006 US Open to be held November 30-December 2 in West Lafayette, IN.

The meeting concluded with Bill Marlin informing the Board that he and the new Safety Chair, Peter Nichols, had met with the Aquatics Manager at Lee District pool. He noted the pool manager there was very anxious to work with PVS to make the venue suitable for competition.  Arrangements are being made regarding the proper placement of the backstroke flags for both short and long course meets.

Next Board Meeting:  The Chair announced that its next Board meeting will be held at McLean Community Center on Wednesday, December 13th at 6:30 PM.

Adjournment:  The meeting was adjourned at 9:55 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Janet Auger
Administrative Assistant