Jen Williams | home
Board of Directors Minutes 2003
February 28, 2003PDF of these minutes:
minutes-BOD-28Feb03.pdf
Minutes of a Regular Meeting of the
American Vaulting Association Board of Directors
February 28, 2003
Lexington, Kentucky
AVA President Nancy Stevens-Brown called the meeting to order at 6:36 PM.
Executive Board members present included: Nancy Stevens-Brown (President), Kelley Holly (Executive Vice-President), Jen Williams (Secretary, Region IX Supervisor), Stephanie Siemens (VP Education), Teresa Keville (VP Membership, Region II Supervisor), and Marianne Rose (VP Competitions). J. Ashton Moore (Technical Advisor) was present.
Directors present included: Toni Amoroso, Shari Ballenger, Jeannie Beattie, Carol Beutler, Isabelle Bibbler, Merry Cole, Kim Deaver, Suzanne Detol, Emma Drinker, Priscilla G. Faulkner, Sydney Frankel, Connie Geisler (Region I Supervisor), Kenny Geisler, Virginia Hawthorne, Jennifer Lauzze, Rachel Markels Webber, Noel Martonovich (Region IV Supervisor), Yossi Martonovich, Amy McCune, Marjorie Oakes, and Wendy Ware (Region III Supervisor).
Welcome of Guests and Introduction of Board Members
Approval of the Minutes: Wendy Ware moved to approve the minutes of the November 2002 Board meeting. Toni Amoroso seconded. Motion passed.
Treasurer's Report: Carol Beutler delivered the Treasurer's Report on behalf of AVA Treasurer Judy Baloghy. This report addressed FY2001 (Oct 1 2001 - Sept 30 2002). A substantial profit ($19,000) on last year's Nationals offset deficits in other categories. Nancy Stevens-Brown and Carol Beutler will work with the Treasurer to attempt to present the Budget in a format more understandable to Board members. The board noted receipt of the Treasurer's report.
Resignation of the National Office Manager: Nancy Stevens-Brown announced that our National Office Manager, Janet Brown, has tendered her resignation. Executive Board Members will perform the essential functions of the National Office until a new National Office Manager is found. Details of this plan will be presented in the Annual Meeting of Sustaining Members.
Committee Reports:
Friendship Team: Priscilla G. Faulkner reported on the activities of the Friendship Team.
Safety Committee: Kim Deaver distributed the 2002 Injury Report Summary.
Education: Stephanie Siemens reiterated the availability of the AVA Horsemanship Award, Level 1 (contact Marge Oakes). Work in-progress by this Committee includes a Coaches Certification program and Level 2 of the Horsemanship Award.
Medal Test Secretary (Suzanne Detol): A 2002 Medal Test Report may be found in the Annual Meeting packet.
Nationals Standards ad-hoc Committee: Suzanne Detol noted that the committee had generated a preliminary document (part of the Annual Meeting packet) summarizing input the committee had received on the expected standards that our National Championship competition should meet. Commentary on this document is solicited.
Technical Advisor: J. Ashton Moore distributed a report on his activities as Technical Advisor.
Awards Committee: Teresa Keville noted that an Awards Committee report is included in the Annual Meeting packet.
Policy Statement on Use of Helmets: the AVA has no written policy or rule addressing the use of helmets for vaulting. The Technical Committee was asked to look into this issue. Adrienne Stang (Chair, Technical Committee) reports that the Technical Committee advises the Board to obtain legal advice on the issue of adding helmet language to the rulebook. The Technical Committee declines to recommend such language at this time.
Deb Dyer's research indicates that some statement on helmet use/non-use is a prerequisite for clubs to be able to obtain liability and bodily injury insurance policies. Concerns were expressed about the AVA's liability exposure if we endorse a policy of vaulting without helmets. Deb notes that liability is hard to predict because equine liability case law is still evolving. Deb suggested the AVA consider adopting the following wording, either as part of the rulebook or as a separate statement:
“The American Vaulting Association has determined that helmets are contraindicated for those involved in competitive track vaulting. Due to the gymnastic nature of the sport, the use of protective headgear may be hazardous. Helmets are neither recommended nor required.
Further, the position of the American Vaulting Association is that vaulting, an international equestrian sport, is distinctly not riding. The horse is under the control of the longeur rather than the vaulter.
In recognition of the applications of vaulting for experiential education and therapeutic benefits, any participant who wears a protective helmet in the course of treatment for a disability should continue to wear their helmet while involved in vaulting.”
Naomi Takemoto will have an appellate judge of her acquaintance look at this wording and advise us.
Motion: (I. Bibbler/W. Ware) “Accept the wording proposed by Deb Dyer, to be reviewed by a California lawyer, with the intent of developing a risk management policy.” Motion passed unanimously.
Technical Committee Suggested Rule Revisions:
The rulebook has been extensively revised. The changes of greatest significance were discussed and further modified in the open Rules meeting earlier today.
Motion: (S. Detol/I. Bibbler) “Approve all of the rule changes as recommended in today's open meeting, except the question of 6- or 8-man teams.” Motion passed unanimously.
Motion: (I. Bibbler/K. Holly) “Approve the rule as written for 6-person Trot and C teams.” Motion passed.
Motion: (T. Amoroso/P.G. Faulkner) “Approve a waiver for all AVA Recognized Competitions in 2003 to allow 8-person Trot and C Teams, which are to perform 4-minute kurs. Trot team Compulsories are to have a 10-minute time limit for an 8-person team and an 11-minute time limit for an 8-person team with a substitute.” Motion passed.
It was requested that the rulebook remain in loose-leaf format, and that future rule change proposals be presented in strike-through format to help the Board evaluate the changes.
Request for a Waiver from Team Eligibility Rules: Nancy brought to the Board's attention a letter from the coach of the UCONN (University of Connecticut) C team, requesting a waiver such that one Class A vaulter could vault on this C team. Nancy noted that the Technical Committee had reviewed and rejected this request, and suggested that perhaps a review of team eligibility requirements is in order. No action was taken.
Presentation from Teaching and Learning Subcommittee of the Coaches' Certification Committee: Katie Flannagan gave a presentation of material prepared by this subcommittee, which consists of herself, Jan Weber, and Kataarina Alongi. The presentation addressed some of the requisites for successful coaching.
Bibbler/Drinker books: Isabelle Bibbler noted that The Compulsories and The Kur will shortly be released as a single volume, and therefore should be re-priced.
Motion: (J. Beattie/M.Oakes) “Authorize the Executive Board to negotiate the price and distribution agreement of this volume with the authors.” Motion passed unanimously.
Helmets for Riders at AVA Competitions: The question was raised of where did the language requiring helmets for adult riders at AVA and AVA/USAE competitions come from? It was suggested that some facilities require this. Jan Weber noted that she had heard favorable comments from USAE Stewards and others that our adult riders set a good example by using helmets when exercising horses. Noel Martonovich will check the USAE General Regulations to see if there is some relevant language on this.
Motion to adjourn the meeting: (E. Drinker/S. Detol). Motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 9:15PM.
August 7, 2003PDF of these minutes:
minutes-BOD-7Aug03.pdf
Minutes of a Regular Meeting of the
American Vaulting Association Board of Directors
August 7, 2003
Denver, Colorado
AVA President Nancy Stevens-Brown called the meeting to order at 7:35 PM.
Executive Board members present included: Nancy Stevens-Brown (President), Kelley Holly (Executive Vice-President), Jen Williams (Secretary, Region IX Supervisor), Teresa Keville (VP Membership, Region II Supervisor), Marianne Rose (VP Competitions), Sheri Benjamin (VP Development) and Interim Treasurer Jan Garrod.
Directors present included: Toni Amoroso, Shari Ballenger, Jeannie Beattie, Carol Beutler, Isabelle Bibbler, Craig Coburn, Merry Cole, Suzanne Detol, Emma Drinker, Priscilla G. Faulkner, Sydney Frankel, Connie Geisler (Region I Supervisor), Kenny Geisler, Rick Hawthorne, Virginia Hawthorne, Jennifer Lauzze, Rachel Markels Webber, Noel Martonovich (Region IV Supervisor), Yossi Martonovich, Marjorie Oakes, and Wendy Ware (Region III Supervisor).
Welcome of Guests and Introduction of Board Members: Attendees and guests introduced themselves. Sarah Ike was introduced as attending the meeting on behalf of Sally Ike, the USET Director of Vaulting Activities.
Approval of the Minutes: Kelley Holly moved to waive the reading of the minutes of the March 2003 Board meeting. Teresa Keville seconded. Motion passed.
National Office Report: Kelley Holly reported that in the five months since former National Office Manager Janet Brown resigned, the interim Office Management team (Kelley Holly on mail and day-to-day finances, Teresa Keville on phones, Marianne Rose and Lynn Stevens on database) has kept the AVA running and has brought us up-to-date financially, and our tax obligations are being dealt with (information is being located for September and October 2002 back taxes). The database is as current as is possible with the information on hand. A new bank account has been opened at the Saratoga branch of Bank of America.
Treasurer's Report: AVA Treasurer Judy Baloghy has resigned. Jan Garrod has been appointed as Interim Treasurer, and presented a 2003-2004 budget (Attachment 1). Jan is in the process of reconciling 2003 expenditures and a full report will be presented at the November Board meeting. All of the AVA's Certificates of Deposit have been consolidated into a single account, and old AVA accounts will be closed.
AVA's IRS Nonprofit Status Report: Teresa Keville has been working to ensure the security of the nonprofit standing of the AVA and of the clubs under the AVA's nonprofit authorization. Teresa has updated the contact information for clubs under the AVA's nonprofit status, and has clarified the requirements for clubs to retain their nonprofit standing: clubs must refrain from “sharing” their EIN number (each club that is a separate financial entity must have its own EIN); clubs must close their financial books on September 30 in accordance with the AVA's fiscal year; and clubs must submit to the AVA office in the first week of October the following information: income/expense summary, constitution and bylaws, and a list of board members. These criteria will be clarified in a forthcoming Vaulting World. Jan Garrod observed that it is not excessively burdensome for a club to obtain 501(c)(3) status independent of the AVA.
Volunteer of the Year Award: Sue Detol, chair of the Volunteer Recognition Committee, announced that Paul Caskey of Region IV is the 2003 Volunteer of the Year. The Mentor of the Year Award will be announced at Annual Meeting.
National Championships 2004: Nancy Stevens-Brown announced that due to the FEI declaring 2004 World Championship dates which overlap with those of the AVA National Championships, a quorum of the Executive Board held an emergency meeting on June 29, 2003 and voted to hold the National Championships on the former Region II dates (July 22-25) at Grass Valley, California. Objections had subsequently been raised that since the Nationals dates and location were determined to be changeable, the Executive Board should have investigated holding 2004 Nationals in the East, to correspond with the Nationals Rotation Plan previously adopted by the Board. It was noted that an exemplary Nationals site proposal for Lexington, Virginia had been presented to the Board in previous meetings.
Motion (S. Benjamin/I. Bibbler): To hold a Western Championship and an Eastern Championship in 2004. To not hold an AVA National Championship in 2004. Motion passed.
Volunteers for committees to work out the pragmatics of this mandate should contact Marianne Rose. Regional Supervisors should be instrumental in this process.
Rachel Markels Webber reiterated the upcoming Nationals Rotation schedule:
2005 Denver; 2006 West; 2007 Denver; 2008 East.
Marianne Rose announced that proposals for sites in 2006 and 2008 would be due to the VP Competitions one month before the Annual Meetings in 2004 and 2006, respectively.
“Kür” to become “Freestyle”: Sheri Benjamin recommended that all AVA publications and materials henceforth use the term “freestyle” rather than “kür”. “Kür” is an unfamiliar term when explaining vaulting to the general public and fails to convey understanding.
Motion (M. Rose/I. Bibbler): The Board requests the Technical Committee to review this issue and recommends adoption if Technical sees no problems with the change. Motion passed.
Committee Reports and New Business:
Ballot Committee: General Secretary Jen Williams recommended the following Ballot Committee to the Board: Chair Rita Hoster (Small Wonder Vaulters, Region IX); Alison Geischen (Vaulting Visions, Region IX); and Martha deForest (Coastline Vaulters, Region II). Alternates: Sue Caskey (Acorn Vaulters, Region IV) and Kaitlyn Beisecker (Mt Tabor Vaulters, Region IX).
Motion (E. Drinker, P. Faulkner): accept this Ballot Committee. Motion passed.
Competition Secretary: Competitions Secretary Carol Beutler noted the problem of the AVA receiving many incomplete scoresheets (that is, not filled out with placing or final score or other missing information). She suggested fining competition management for incomplete scoresheets. This issue was tabled until Annual Meeting.
Annual Meeting: VP Membership Teresa Keville apprised the Board that the planned 2004 Annual Meeting Banquet at the Cocoanut Grove in Santa Cruz, California requires a $750 deposit, and we must have at least 200 participants at $55 apiece in order to break even on this event.
Motion (M. Cole/S. Benjamin): approve the $750 deposit. Motion passed.
Donation to National Championships: Kenny Geisler noted that Diamond Milling had donated one pallet of Senior Horse Feed (a $500 value) to these National Championships. It was determined to distribute one bag to each club bringing at least one horse and to use the rest of the bags as prizes. Marianne Rose offered to run a Diamond Milling ad in Vaulting World.
USET: Sarah Ike announced the following -
The deadline to apply to host a WEG 2004 Selection Trial is October 1, 2003.
The USET Vaulting Training Camp went very well.
The next Camp is scheduled for October with Matthias Lang.
The deadline for 2003 Athlete Grants has been extended to August 15, 2003.
Vet Check Committee proposed: Noel Martonovich proposed a committee be formed to examine vaulting vet checks and establish a set of standardized rules to govern them.
USAE tryout fee: Jan Garrod mentioned that a proposal to require a fee (perhaps $200?) per competitor trying out for international competition is being discussed; a decision will be made in January.
Code of Conduct: Teresa Keville reports that the USAE has requested the AVA develop a Code of Conduct for our members at competitions, and that we place this in our AVA rulebook This request was based upon a Grievance filed with the AVA and the USAE in 2003. Teresa Keville will chair this committee, and Jeannie Beattie, Isabelle Bibbler and Kelley Holly volunteered to participate. The committee will present its findings to the Board in November and submit its proposal to Technical for action to be taken by Annual Meeting.
Motion to Adjourn (E. Drinker/S. Detol): Motion passed; meeting adjourned at 9:30PM.
November 2, 2003original meeting page
PDF of these minutes:
minutes-BOD-2Nov03.pdf
Minutes of a Regular Meeting of the
American Vaulting Association Board of Directors
November 2, 2003
Saratoga, California
AVA President Nancy Stevens-Brown called the meeting to order at 10:05AM, and greeted the new Directors. She then turned the meeting over to Executive Vice-President Kelley Holly.
Roll Call:
The following Executive Board members were present: President Nancy Stevens-Brown, Executive VP Kelley Holly, Treasurer Jan Garrod, VP Development Sheri Benjamin, VP Membership Teresa Keville (also Region II Supervisor), VP Competitions Patty Littmann, VP Education Noel Martonovich (also Region IV Supervisor), and General Secretary Jennifer Williams. The following Directors were present: Toni Amoroso, Shari Ballenger, Isabelle Bibbler, Merry Cole, Kate Dalby, Suzanne Detol, Emma Drinker, Priscilla G. Faulkner, Katie Flannagan, Sydney Frankel, Connie Geisler (also Region I Supervisor), Rick Hawthorne, Virginia Hawthorne, Tom Haynie, Yossi Martonovich, Amy McCune, Marjorie Oakes. The following Regional Supervisors (not previously named) were present: Laurie deLalla (Region X), Wendy Ware (Region III), and Jan Weber (Region IX).
Approval of the Minutes: (Oakes/Faulkner) Motion to approve the minutes of the August 7, 2003 Board of Directors Meeting. Motion passed unanimously.
Alumni Committee: The Alumni Committee proposes to establish an outside entity, perhaps called “Alumni Circle of Friends”, whose mandate will be to raise funds to support vaulting in the US. This organization will be separate from the AVA and will apply for its own nonprofit status. The Committee requested that all proceeds from the 2004 Annual Meeting auction be given to this entity as seed money for its endeavors. A separate line item will be established under the Circle of Friends Special Fund to hold these monies until their disbursement.
Motion (Bibbler/Benjamin): move that this board authorize 2004 Annual Meeting auction proceeds exceeding $5000 to be housed in the Circle of Friends Special Fund until establishment of Alumni Circle of Friends outside fund, dependent upon EB approval of a memorandum of understanding between the AVA and the new entity.
Motion carried unanimously with one abstention.
USET/USEF Vaulting Committee Report: Adrienne Stang (Vice-Chair, USET Vaulting Committee) reported that $35,000 was spent this year on training camps, grants, CVI participants, and USAE competitions. Next year there will be a training camp in February, and another in June for those competitors and alternates selected to compete at the World Championships. The Committee's funding has not yet been awarded, but they hope for the ability to “significantly fund” WC competitors.
A variance has been obtained from the new USAE/USEF International High-Performance Discipline Fee: vaulters or longeurs attending selection trials for FEI championships are not obligated to pay this fee. Vaulters and longeurs may compete in one FEI Recognized competition annually for an IHP Discipline Fee of $50.
USAE Vaulting Committee Report: Suzanne Detol (USAE Vaulting Committee member) reported that the USAE wishes to hold a 2004 USAE National Vaulting Championship, possibly in September or October and likely for the upper levels only. The AVA is invited to apply to be the Organizer for this event, in which case it may be called the AVA/USAE National Vaulting Championship.
Motion (N. Martonovich/Dalby): The AVA will apply to the USAE to be the organizer for the AVA/USAE National Championships, and this competition to be held in the East this year, with no separate Western and Eastern Championships to be held.
The motion passed on a count of hands: 15 aye, 6 nay, 5 abstention.
Treasurer's Report: Jan Garrod reported that the AVA is in a strong financial position, with $95,000 in the bank, representing a conservative operating surplus of $20,000. He recommended that the Board consider what priorities should be funded.
Motion (Dalby/Keville): Accept the Treasurer's Report. Motion passed unanimously.
Grievance Committee Report: Suzanne Detol, Chairman of the Grievance Committee, reported that a grievance was filed at the Region II Championship. After investigation, the Committee determined that the person filing the grievance was not an AVA member as is required, and therefore recommended that the Board not consider this matter further.
Membership Report: Marianne Rose presented statistics showing that the AVA's increase in membership over the past year was approximately 12%. She recommended that clubs encourage parent memberships.
Auction Committee: Shari Ballenger (for Naomi Takemoto) reports that several retired perpetual trophies are currently in storage at Naomi's house. Naomi requests permission to auction them off at the 2004 Annual Meeting Auction.
Motion (Keville/Oakes): To allow Naomi to put the retired perpetual trophies into Auction 2004. The motion passed unanimously.
Annual Meeting 2005 Proposals: Naomi has provided guidelines for determining site suitability for Annual Meetings. Proposals for a site for AM 2005 are welcome. They should be forwarded to Teresa Keville. The site for Annual Meeting 2005 will be considered at the next Board meeting, in March 2004.
November Board Meeting: The Fall Board of Directors meeting will be held on November 7, 2004, with committee meetings on November 6th.
Motion (Dalby/Oakes): The November 2004 Board meeting will be held in Region IV. The motion passed unanimously with one abstention.
National Championships 2005: Noel Martonovich reported that the Stadium Arena at the National Western Complex can be rented for Nationals 2005, for an additional cost of $500/day, to alleviate complaints of insufficient space in which to work horses.
Motion (Detol/I. Bibbler): approve the acquisition of the extra arena for Denver 2005. The motion passed unanimously.
National Championships Hosting Region:
Motion (Benjamin/McCune): The Region hosting the National Championships to receive 10% of the net profit from Nationals. Motion carried on voice vote.
Selection Trials:
Tentative dates for Selection Trials were announced:
April 17 DG Bar, Hanford, CA
May 2, Woodside, Portola Valley, CA
May 15, Garrod Farm, Saratoga, CA
May 29-30 FACE, Moorpark, CA
Rules Commentary: Rick Hawthorne brought a question on the rule of eliminating a team for “more than 3 vaulters in contact with the horse”. The Board referred review of this rule to the Technical Committee.
Safety Report reporting cycle: Marianne Rose reported that Kim Deaver suggests the reporting cycle of the AVA Safety Reports be changed to allow submission of safety reports as of September 30 of each year, so as to not delay club membership renewals.
Motion (Drinker/Faulkner): Authorize change of safety report reporting period from October 1 - September 30 each year. Motion passed unanimously.
Development: Sheri Benjamin has conducted a website assessment and recommends redesign of the AVA website to better serve needs of the AVA. She recommends the allocation of $10,000 to this project.
Motion (Weber/Garrod): Affirm increase of Promotion and Publicity line item to $16,000, of which $10,000 is to be registered on a new line item allocated for website development. Motion passed unanimously.
Education: Noel Martonovich reported on the activity of the Education Committee. The Committee is planning to put on training conferences, to organize a “skills bank” of individuals possessing skills important to starting and running vaulting clubs, to improve the video library, to present an educational component of Annual Meeting, to have an education section of Vaulting World, to produce a club development handbook, and to produce certification programs for vaulting coaches and therapeutic vaulting coaches. The Committee's first Training Conference, will be held at the USET facility in Gladstone, NJ on March 12-14, 2004. Kristof Lensing will participate in this Conference, and the Committee is seeking other presenters and proposals. Noel cited budget needs as follows: $6500 as seed money for the Training Conference series, $2000 for books and publications, $3000 for printing of a club development handbook, and $1000 each for the Coaches Certification and the Therapeutic Certification Committees.
Motion (Dalby/Benjamin): Allocate $14,000 total budget for the Education Committee, with a $7000 increase in the “income” line item. Motion passed unanimously.
Motion (McCune/Drinker): Move the Publications budget line item from Development to Education.
Motion (McCune/R. Hawthorne): Move the Therapeutic Vaulting Council from President to Education. Motion passed unanimously.
Motion (Benjamin/Faulkner): Obtain 500 copies of the “Vaulting: My Sport”, 250 video, 250 DVD, using funds from “Educational Video” Special Account and the balance from the General Fund. Motion passed unanimously.
Membership:
Motion (McCune/Keville): Add a “Regions” line item to the VP Membership section of the budget to cover the yearly region membership grant which is disbursed as of October 1. The grants for 2002 and 2003 are to be disbursed. Motion passed with two abstentions.
Motion to adjourn (Detol/Keville): motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 3:15PM.