Day 1 - Seminars

Today, we drove from Charleston to Myrtle Beach.  We arrived a little later than expected, so missed morning seminars.  And, shortly after we arrived, I locked the keys in the car. Not the best start, but thank goodness for AAA nationwide!

So, our first meeting was for Critical Issues.  There was a presentation about a new education requirement for coaches that focuses on the topic of abuse.  We were informed that the Board of Directors did not pass the rule proposal requiring clubs to have a minimum of 35 members (up from 25).  Then, the rest of the meeting was dedicated to presentations and debate on Exhibit D - the bylaws change that proposes to change the Governing Council format to only have full meetings every other year.  Most of the delegates seem to be opposed to this bylaw change.

The first seminar I attended was about working with your coaching staff.  St. Moritz does not have a coaching "staff," but we do have many member coaches and the presenters provided a lot of information about helping to make sure the coaches are in compliance with registration/education rules, a club's responsibility at competitions and test sessions, and gave examples of ways to keep coaches involved & active with the club.

Next, I went to Your Club is a Business and received much information about best business practices for a club.

After a short break, I attended the Synchronized Skating Committee meeting. They reviewed the year's accomplishments of our synchro teams.  The presenters also provided information about training camps, including the DREAM camp to be held in Anaheim in July.  Then, they reviewed the rule changes passed by the International Skating Union, as well as the rule proposals affecting synchro at this year's GC.  I asked the Chair about concerns raised about scheduling Synchro Sectionals at the same time as Nationals - and in particular the added impact that scheduling may have now that the Juvenile & Intermediate skaters will compete at senior Nationals.  The Synchro Committee Chair told me that they were aware and have shared the concerns with the Competitions Committee and headquarters (who select the dates).  Everything is set for 2013 events, but she said they would be looking hard at this issue for the future as it affects skaters as well as officials.

My final meeting was an open Interclub forum. We shared ideas about helping clubs grow membership and managing a test session calendar and the options some interclub's have taken with consolidating test sessions, while rotating between clubs/rinks. Then wrapped up our discussion with information about how to start an interclub association.

It was a long but educational day in a very warm & humid Myrtle Beach!   More to come on Friday ~ Lisa