2004 Board of Directors Action
Items
Jim Grew
Committee
Chairs & HQ Directors:
(cc AWSA BOD, Alternates & HNDs)
Hard to believe that it is October. Before you know it, the notoriously long
running holiday season will be upon us, so please do not let slide the action
items from our August BOD meeting. In January, the BOD will be expecting an
update on each from the committees and/or HQ as specified below.
Also, with the appropriate sections highlighted, please find attached (again)
the verbal report I gave at the board meeting. There are items in the report to
be addressed as well.
AUGUST BOD MEETING – ACTION ITEMS
1. Beginner and Junior Development Clinic Sanctioning: HQ
(Lisa) will review, with the Junior Development Committee , the
benefits that come from an organizer sanctioning a clinic and communicate these
benefits to potential organizers. Perhaps the requirements can be relaxed, at
least as to certification level of coaches, allowing skiers with an open or even
an EP rating to serve as approved instructors. Also, organizers need to be made
aware that a Level 1 rating is easily achieved via a CD take home test. Could
the Level 1 certification cost be combined into the cost of sanctioning the
clinic? AWSA wants LOCs to not be put off by too many requirements.
2. 2005 National Championships: HQ (Steve M.) will verify
if the LOC wants to raise entry fees, and the E. Cos. will determine
whether the percentage of these fees going to the LOC should change.
3. Drivers Committee (Jack) will look at whether:
a. The minimum time for achieving a rating should be eliminated without changing
the actual requirements (as per the newly approved stipulation for judges).
b. There should be a provision for fast tracking to Senior Driver for open
skiers similar to the one for judges (from AAC).
3. Judges & Scorers Committee (Jeff) will look at:
a. Whether Regular Judges should be allowed to take the Pan Am Region Judges
test.
b. If there should be a provision for open skiers to fast track to Senior Scorer
(from SC).
c. Ensuring with HQ (Lisa/Scott) that new scoring & registration
information is mentioned and linked to the proposed, strongly recommended
“What’s New” link (review President’s report and below).
4. Rules/Tech/Safety Committees (Tom, Tom and Jim) will:
a. Study the use of combined jump lines at Class E and below events (including
their safety).
b. (less Safety) Determine if the responsibilities of Technical Controllers can
be reduced or shared by other tournament entities so that the burden is not
always on the TC, i.e., processing records (Judges & Scorers?), measuring
combined jump lines (dock starter), etc.
5. Rules Co. (Tom) will look at the following:
a. How regional excuses are administered and what should constitute a regional
excuse. Note: The EVPs met after the meeting and came up with a solution for
their concern with which they are content. They will communicate among
themselves re: the use of the “exceptional circumstance” provision. Tom,
check with Jim J. to see if further review is needed.
b. Implementing a two or three event overall option for M8/W8 and above. See
below additional suggestions out of the membership meeting.
c. Whether skiers in the M55 division should be allowed to drag their slalom
scores to an overall age division.
6. AWSA Safety & USA-WS Risk Management Cos. (Jim & Jeff) will look at
the possibility of reducing the renewal frequency of water ski specific clinic
training (as opposed to First Aid/CPR now set at four years) for Safety
Directors.
7. Seeding Committee (Gary) will look at whether there is a way of
dealing with those skiers who have only one performance for whatever reason and
end up seeded early when they are known to be among the top skiers in the
division, thereby often gaining better conditions and less pressure.
8. Ratings Committee (Jeff) will study:
a. The NOPS/Overall concerns which remain (See comments out of membership mtg.)
– 1000 pt versus NOPS and the use of National age division records by open
skiers as a basis for NOPS). There needs to be a solution to these two items by
January.
b. Whether open skiers should be allowed to set age division records while
skiing in open (with Rules & Tech [Tom &Tom]).
c. Reevaluating the percentage used for first and second class ratings in view
of lowering them to encourage beginners.
d. Lowering the rating required for competing in Nationals for Juniors to that
of Masters (from the West).
9. Speed Control Update: HQ (Chris/Lisa) will include this update
with the mailing to officials every year if possible.
10. Appointed Announcers: HQ (Lisa, Derek, Scott) will add
a space for this position in the sanction applications and regional guide books.
11. Competition Task Force (Jeff & BOD) : Based on hoped-for BOD
feedback, Jeff will narrow down to one or two options the current four he has
listed on his web link to bring more competition back into the sport by putting
these proposals into water ski terms with more specifics as appropriate (See
President’s report).
12. HQ & EVPs (Scott): It shall be posted on all web pages and listed in
the regional guides that “skiers skiing out of region or having dual residency
must obtain approval to compete at Regionals in a given region from both EVPs
seven days prior to the start of Regionals”, or something along those lines
(from the East/South).
13. Towboat/Speed Control Committees (George, Wayne, Will) will:
a. Take into account that all items (devices/rules/guidelines) affecting the
driver and/or skier and accepted/approved/endorsed at the official towboat tests
must be reviewed for input and/or approval as necessary by the appropriate
committee (Rules, Safety, Tech, etc.) before being presented to the BOD and/or
implemented (from the East).
b. Look into the decrease in the amount of promo boats available and propose a
solution to the BOD at its next meeting (from the South).
14. The Southern Region will continue to look into the creation of a
Windows-based scoring program.
15. AWSA recognition: The EVPs, the E. Co. and HQ will continue to
increase AWSA recognition, to distinguish it from USA-WS when appropriate (AWSA
banners at the Nationals, larger AWSA logo on Regional Guides, etc.) – from the
South.
16. Marketing/Promotions: The EVPs will work as a group to provide
suggestions to the BOD, the E. Co. and HQ on how USA-WS can improve its
marketing of the sport and its elite athletes (from the South).
17. AWSA specific Team Clothing: Jim Jaquess & EVPs will
work with Steve M. to find a way that is beneficial to all to create an
AWSA specific team clothing line for sale to the membership. If AWSA cannot tie
in with the present USA-WS program, Jim J. will contact Russell Gay (Masterline)
or another on the possibility of handling the sales and distribution of such a
line with a portion of the funds going to AWSA.
18. What’s New Link: HQ (Scott) will link all information re the
new registration procedures to this soon-to-be created link (See President’s
report
19. Noncompeting Officials Memberships: The E. Co. & HQ will look
at creating a reduced membership fee ($20) for this group (from the West
20. WWW.Rounding6.com (EVPs) : This link out of Ohio attempts to pair up
one beginner with a USA-WS member. Its web master wants to extend this program
nationwide. The EVPs will review this page and the implicit proposal and comment
back to the BOD in January. This very topic is covered in the latest issue of
the magazine’s Editor’s commentary. Perhaps this could become a membership
initiative, Dave Clark or Steve McDermeit, then be linked to the AWSA
page?
21. Scoring Administration (WSTIMS) (Dave C.): The system should continue
to evolve to allow more scoring options.
22. Emeriti: HQ (Traci) will send out notification to those
officials whose emeritus status was approved.
23. Junior Development &EVPs (Debbie & EVPs): The EVPs will support and
promote Debbie’s new three step proposal (to be included in minutes or earlier).
24. NSL/INT: HQ (Steve M/Lisa) will continue this dialogue in view
of working together to promote the sport.
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING – ACTION ITEMS
With thanks to the BOD for attending “en masse”, here they are:
1. HQ (Lisa) & the NSL Committee will look into the feasibility of and
interest in making standard awards available for 5 star sanctioned tournaments.
2. HQ/USA-WS (Steve/Sherm) should produce a DVD and/or Power Point
production that provides an introduction to USA-WS and what it has to offer.
Larry Goodwin and Lyman Hardy have offered their help in this project.
3. The Rules Co. will look into a two-event overall provision for M8/W8
and above that would not encourage those to jump who should not jump and do not
want to jump. One possibility (suggested by the person making the request) is
using the best two out of three events towards overall. The Western Region also
made this recommendation. It is a question of health/safety.
4. The Ratings Committee will examine using the 1000 point overall system
for Regionals and Nationals only. The membership present at the meeting approved
this recommendation unanimously. This would not eliminate or replace the use of
the NOPS/EP system. However, even when using the NOPS system, a different
pegging point to replace that of the National Record (which can be set by an
Open skier) was suggested (along the lines of the Tom Danford proposal to
Ratings), a pegging point that would be the same relative “distance” from the EP
in all events/divisions.
5. The IAC & E. Committee of both AWSA & USA-WS will look at supporting
all AWSA U.S. veteran teams financially.
6. The IAC will again review the possibility of holding a team trials for
veterans.
7. The Safety Co. will study whether rope releases should be allowed in
tournaments from the safety stand point.
8. HQ (Lisa) will try to keep the information regarding current officials
and their ratings more up to date on the web page.
9. In future Membership meetings, the President will mention all actions
items approved at the recent BOD meeting.