October Conference Call Minutes

USLRA Conference Call Minutes

Tuesday October 1st

In attendance: Sam Hadley, Amber Scarborough, Joanie Davenport, Polly Pappadopoulos, Laura Batson, Marcel Scott, Leah Stanton, Shana Martin.

Before meeting: review of e-mail from Jay Hoeschler.  Recap of the Key Log Open provided by Board Member in attendance: Leah Stanton.  Floor opened for questions or discussion in regards to points brought up in e-mail.  Tabled for ranking section of meeting.

1.     Approval of July Meeting Minutes (located at http://uslogrolling.blogspot.com/2013/07/uslra-e-mail-meeting-minutes-july-2013.html ) Shana moves, Marcel seconds. All approve.

2.     2013 Issues/Ideas Review:

Issue #1: LWC Judging

Potential Solutions:
-Meet judges meet judges day before tournament. 
- Possibly look at moving the ILRA World Championships to a different venue
- 2 Volunteers at matches with score cards ensuring matches are running correctly

Issue #2: Amateur Ranking

Potential Solutions:
- Super series can be updated after each tournament to count toward official ranking of juniors.
- Set up an amateur ranking committee?
- hard to rank when they are changing divisions
- Could do an amateur ranking but if they age up, they will not have a rank

Issue #3: Membership

Potential Solutions:
- Log Rolling Applications could go through a USLRA person
- More reminders to people who don’t pay
- Have LWC provide e-mails of all competitors
- At dinner night before
- Have somebody in LWC office during entire check-in (Bonnie might need the help!) ALA does this
- Hand out T-shirts at World Championships as incentive

Issue #4: “Rolling Up”

Potential Solutions:
- Level 3 only (when semi-pro is not offered)
- Athletes should pick one division or the other
-Can “declare pro” anytime throughout season but cannot go back once officially declared pro.

Issue #5: Elite Log Time Limits

Potential Solutions:
- set time limits on all logs (issue is some may feel forced into starting on smaller logs)
- Leave it the same
- La Crosse Log rolling Association Log Ranking System

3.     Board Nominations for 2014:
- Mary Ogle (accepted)
- Shary Birdsong ?
- Troy Birdsong (accepted)
-Shayna Magnone (accepted)
- Emmaray Einstein (pending)

4.     Committee Updates:
a. Rules, Regulations, and Officials  

2014 needs?  Judge training, time changes?
- Log Time changes
- Possible judge payment per hour for those who have gone through a “training”
- online test? 

b. Communication:

2014 needs?
- More facebook involvement?

c. Super Series (chair- Donna Burns)

- Have current super series

Donna will order awards for presentation at

d. Sanctioning, Tournaments

2014 needs?
- In order to be sanctioned tournaments need to follow USLRA Rules and Tournament guidelines.

e. Property Management

2014 needs?  Website listing?
***Add available items to USLRA Website 

f. Networking and Membership

2014 needs? 
- ALL COMPETITORS must be members.  (See above)

g. Ranking:

Review and approval of Elite submitted Ranking Document. 
- Cannot vote on ranking document until December 1st (in case of another competition announced). 
“Should the Key Log Open be included in the 2014 Elite Log Rolling Rankings”
- 8 “No” Votes
Reasoning:
- In February board meeting board voted to approve 2013 rules
- Advance notification was sent in regards to rules
- USLRA Board Member present did bring up issue and DID NOT vote and agree on “new rule”.
- Longview competition was also not included due to time limit issues.

h.  Legal Affairs  

2014 Needs? 
- World Championships Renewal DONE

i. USLRF
- Funds Transfer done by Laura
- Shary Birdsong manages this

j. Program Development
- 2014 Needs?
- Postcards – Sam on 1,700 of 5,000 addresses  BREAK UP THIS JOB

5.     2013 Membership questionnaire questions
***Send out reminder middle of October
-Only send survey to paid USLRA Members
-Nominations
- Log Time Limit Question
- Ideas for certifying judges

6.    Schedule November 2014 Planning Meeting.
Tuesday November 5th 7:30pm Conference Call.