Minutes of the February 11, 2014 CRCA Board Meeting

CRCA Board Meeting-Minutes

Date: Feburary 11, 2013, 7:00 pm             Location: 115 W. 18^th Street, NY, NY (office of Josh Sakofsky)

In attendance: Jayson Jacobs (president), Ken Edwards, Joe Grgic, Roger Parmelee (by phone), Josh Sakofsky, Ann Marie Miller, Liz Marcello, Ashley Doane, Barb Blakley, and David Carr.

AGENDA

 1) Moved and approved to fund purchase of Quickbooks ($660 a year) and Billpay

2) Moved and approved to fund the 2013 CRCA club contribution to the USADA program, which was at the level of $1.50 per member (total of $1698) 

And moved and approved to up the contribution for 2014 to 2$ per 2013 member

(this will be presented to NYSBRA in January 2015)

3) Moved and approved: 2013 retiring board members are relieved of 2014 marshal duty

Moved and approved: from 2015 and onward, retiring board members will be relieved of marshal duty 

NOTE: the 2014 board cannot vote this privilege for themselves, but this item can be revisited in 2015

4) Website redesign

It was agreed that this is urgently needed and the current board has a critical mass of web professionals to provide leadership. Barb Blakley, Joe Grgic, and Jayson Jacobs will form a subcommittee to take the next steps. Jayson Jacobs will create and share a Googledoc to collect a wishlist of features from other board members.

When funding is clear, it can be voted remotely or at a future meeting.

5) Finalizing Club races – Liz Marcello reported that this is in hand.

6) Grants Tomb

Josh Sakofsky volunteered to lead the all-night clearing project, and he was authorized to clear the double suspension status of a couple of racers who are willing to join him.

A New Jersey team will be consulted on whether they can help with removal of trash

The third shift is still low on marshals

7) Clinics

The Women’s Clinic is coming together fine. Main problem is its conflict with the Women’s Masters Championship, but that is unavoidable given the front-weighted set of dates we were given by the park.

Ashley will join Liz and Barb in getting some men/men’s teams involved in the organization of the men’s clinic

8) Sponsorship/Promotion

Jayson had a very productive discussion with NYC Velo, and Roger is talking with a number of possibilities. There is an acute need to find a sponsor willing to lend their name and major funding to bringing back the Bear Mountain Race.

9) Proposal to increase membership

The following motion (brought by Ken Edwards) was made and passed:

For each new member (i.e. not a club member in 2012 or 2013) that an existing CRCA member recruits to the club, we provide that paid member with one free club race entry.  

Two other proposals developed by Matt Vandivort and Ken Edwards for increasing membership (through referrals and using lists of new racers from open races) will be further developed in light of concerns about administration, unforeseen consequences (non-motivating begininning racers to join before their first open CRCA race, etc.).

10) CRCA Coaching Incentive Proposal - Ann Marie Miller

Purpose: Encourage new & existing riders to take more advantage of the CRCA Coaching program by providing recognition for attending CRCA coaching sessions:

The following motion was made by Ann Marie Miller and passed

Those who attend 4 CRCA Coaching Sessions (Skills sessions and CRCA New Racer Orientation included) earn a FREE entry to a CRCA Club race

For the 2014 season, the rider who attends the MOST CRCA Coaching sessions will earn the Grand Prize of a FREE Dinosaur Race entry for 2014.  

Riders who attend over 10 CRCA Coaching sessions will earn a place in a drawing at the end of season party for a FREE CRCA Club membership for 2015 

11) Early Season party – we will clarify number distribution/party when we have numbers

Treasurer’s report circulated pre-meeting

******************

• The Bank accounts have been fully transitioned except for checks:

o Payment options moving forward will be treated:

• Chase Check (5-7 Days)
• Chase QuickPay (30 minutes but you have to have a chase account)
• Check (Checks orderd…)
• Cash – Totally want to stay away from this due to IRS issues in the past)

• CPA Conversation

o Better record keeping will prevent another audit

Plan:

• Implement QuickBooks ($660 p/y)

• Use it for budgeting/for4casting/reporting

The CPA is going to review the lay-up and offer suggestions that will minimize risk

The point is that we have to get better at recording keeping and reporting

• Orders have been placed for: walkies, safety pins,

• Major checks have been cut/sent to CPC (for the security deposit) and The CPA (1/2 payment for Medical support) and GT expenses (thus far to Josh)

Minutes of the Feburary 6, 2013 Board Meeting

CRCA Board Meeting-Minutes

Date: February 6, 2013, 7:30 pm Location: 437 Madison (btw 49th & 50th)

In attendance: Zak Abdullah, Lucia Deng, Rob Duncker, Rod Millott, Gina Rocco, Rob Weitzner, Scot Willingham, Matthew Vandivort, Harry Zernike

AGENDA:

1. Open Race Update

• Orchard Beach:

Permits have been approved for May 5.

Alan Atwood unavailable to run results. Need to find an alternative.

This year’s permit is for the full day (7-5pm), allowing for more races than last year’s event.

Registration fee will remain the same.

Still seeking sponsorship for the event.

Will run spectator events: children’s race, Big Wheels race

• Central Park Classic

This year will be the David Jordan Classic.

Date will be June 1, 2013.

Dave Jordan’s sister has been involved is seeking sponsorship.

Board would like to make this a full day event. Board is currently looking into if it could be a possible.

• Alpine Hill Climb

Board has received approval from the Park’s Department.

Still waiting for approval from the Police department.

• Club Time Trial

Date set for June 9, 2013.

Considering holding it in Westwood, New Jersey.

There will be no time trial at Floyd Bennett Field this year.

• Floyd Bennett Field Road Race

Will be held.

Date still remains to be established

• Masters Throwdown

Date will be held August 24, 2013.

There will be an additional women’s field this year.

2. Membership/Team Update

• Number of members has increased from last year at this time.
• Number of Donor and Dinosaur members has decreased.
• Increased number of new members.
• Board expects membership to increase before the February 15th fee increase.
• Race numbers will be distributed at Third and Long on February 20th, 2013. Otherwise they will be mailed out on February 21st.
• New teams have been added to the CRCA: Team Velo Origin and Empire Tri

First Race Readiness

• Logistics are set: 9 motos confirmed, ambulance paid, park’s contract signed
• New radios to be purchased for use by the motos and a few marshals.
• Managing the fifth field

-Board is concerned about the number of times the women’s field will be passed as well as fields passing during/close to a finish. To circumvent this situation, motos will be instructed that no field should be passed in the last half lap, never on a downhill, and no passing in Southeast end of the park, prior to the carousel. -Fields will still be run in the following order: W-1 min- A- 2 min - M- 3 min-B -2 min- C -   New markings Everything outside jogger’s lane will remain in bounds. Racers need to recognize that recreational cyclists are not allowed to ride in the jogger’s lane and will need to remain in the bike lane. Board will communicate this to its members. Marshals should be instructed to do their best to direct rec. riders to the leftmost part of the lane, while racers pass them on the right.

Minutes of January 8, 2013 Board Meeting

CRCA Board Meeting-Minutes

Date:              January 8, 2013, 6:30 pm

Location:       300 e 85th (Corner of 2nd Ave) Conference Room

AGENDA:

1)     2013 Coaching schedule/plan (Scot) including discussion as to whether we should make skills coaching sessions mandatory for all new racers in the club prior to racing in club races to promote safety

-         Board agreed that skills coaching sessions would be made mandatory for brand new racers. Racers with prior translational race experience may be exempt from this mandate.

-         After completion of this requirement, new racers will be exempt from one marshal duty.

-         The exact formatting of coaching sessions still needs to be solidified, but will include some classroom instructions and on-bike skills sessions. It will parallel with NYSBRA’s guidelines (waiting on the release of the revised 2013 guidelines).

-         Coaches may also be riding with men’s Cat5 and W4 fields early in the season to provide instruction.

2)     5th field trial proposal & Pre-registration for club race

-         As a pilot, board agreed to run a 5^th field during the first CRCA race. The 5^th field will be a men’s masters +45 field. Board will assess permanent implantation afterwards.

Pros: Would provide more racing opportunities, help relieve race close-outs

Concerns: Additional overlaps with women’s field, Fields overlapping at the finish

-Board agreed that it will not provide pre-registration for club races. Pre-registration will still be offered to Donor members.

3)     Proposal to make all women's fields open for the season (i.e. including club races)

-Board agreed to maintain women’s club races as open to club members only

4)     Race calendar finalization including W3/4 series dates, clinic dates and race formats

- Still in progress

- Dates with the park, as well as finish line locations have been set.

-4/20/13 Women’s Clinic

-6/1/13 Dave Jordan Memorial Race

-7/21/13 Maltese

-8/10/13 Mengoni

5)     Survey feedback document

-Board will provide members with a concise recap highlighting key member concerns and how the board plans on addressing them.   Members will also have web access to a more detailed version of survey responses.

6)     Team Duties for 2013

-Teams register for duties by April 1.

-Duties assigned first come, first served.

-If an event is cancelled, team is still held accountable to obtain some (1/2) team duty credits.

-David will update the application submission process, allowing for electronic submission and updating the required fields.

7)     2012 actual financial statements (Lisa)

-Board reviewed statement from 2012

-Some expenditures still pending

8)     2013 budget (input on price changes, if any; detailed budget to come pending review of 2012 actual revenue and spending)

-Assuming budget for 2013 will remain roughly the same

-To consider for 2013:

-Equipment expenses will not be the same, i.e. money spent on generators, tents, etc. Was discussed to perhaps provide motos and marshals with radios this year.

-Sponsorship revenue may not be the same

-Membership fees and race day fees will remain the same as 2012.

9)     Other Items

-Members will be able to pick-up numbers in late February at Third and Long

Minutes of the May 30th Board Meeting

CRCA Board Meeting

May 30^th, 2012, 7:00 pm

Location: 300 e 85th (Corner of 2nd Ave) Conference Room

Meeting Commenced 7pm

1. Financial review and options:

Our financial report showing a full year forecasts surplus compared to our budgeted break-even position.  A couple of points to note on this:

- Membership will be at or close to budget

- Sponsorships received were not budgeted for (major reason for surplus)

- To date the stipend program has not been significantly accessed and in all likelihood we won't spend the budgeted or forecasted amount

- Junior development was funded by member contributions - we budgeted additional just in case, but this will not be needed

- We assume our open races will run at a deficit

- We have spent more than budgeted for capital type items (finish line camera, tent, lights etc.)

To limit the surplus the board agreed to look for ways to spend money in a reasonable way that is beneficial to the membership and things the membership cares about.

- A contribution to the StarTrack program

- Increase the funding for the year end party (improve the event and/or lessen the cost)

- Identify additional capital expenditure items that will improve our race quality

2. Race registration at club races:

• - As a result of 5/19 Men’s A-race selling out, board discussed possible registration options. In this race, pre-registration was offered to both donor and dinosaur (10+ years) members.
• - Send a warning email to members about possibility of race selling out
• - Increase field maximum to 150 (Board OPPOSED)
• - Distribute field Master 55+ race with women’s field (Board OPPOSED)
• - Decrease team maximum (perhaps implement next year)
• - Limit pre-registration to donor members only (Board AGREED)
• - New field (possible that permit limits to 4? Still the board is undecided if this is a viable solution)

3. Club transportation for hire to Pawling:

-Board discussed the possibility of providing transportation to Pawling road race for members at cost.

- Following meeting (after investigating cost), board decided that providing such transportation was not economically practical.

4. New membership Review:

• - Number of new members are at expectation
• - Because of complaint amongst new members about difficulty integrating into the club, board discussed possible avenues for inclusion:
• - Social event
• - Generation of CRCA subteams
• - Listerv exclusively for unattached riders
• - Informational session for new cat 4/5 riders
• - Dedicated skills session- how to ride as a team
• - C field rostering- via dedicated listerv

Rod has agreed to reach out to all Cat 5 new racers and seek feedback

5. Harlem Criterium sponsorship update

-Board has confirmed sponsorship of Harlem criterium.

- Foundation and Champion System will only be included

-Not enough Cat1 racers to develop CRCA composite team

6. Jeff Poulin (NYSBRA president) invited to observe Maltese:

-His attendance has been confirmed

7. Women’s clinic update

-25 registered

-Organized by Radical Media

8. Other business:

Marshaling

• - Need for more instructions- Instructional video?
• - Marshals need to be more pro-active
• - Marshals need to remain at post to very end— directive administered by Paulette
• - Moto should be assigned from early-finishing field to tail the A field and indicate they are done (and marshals should be instructed to wait to leave until instructed by a moto)
• - Marshals arrive too late

Recent suspension of two riders (previous email discussion)

Recent suspension of two riders at the club race on 5/19 for racing without registering when the field was full; a rider from Foundation and another from Houlihan Lokey. The board considered the facts presented. Rod and Rob recused themselves from the process in the case of the Foundation rider because of conflict of interest. The remaining board members considered the information, determined that the Foundation rider had not checked in for the race, and he was therefore suspended for one race and all team members were relegated in the race.  In the case of the other rider, he was identified by the finish line video as being in the race, but not found on the start list. A member of the board contacted him, and he confirmed he started the race after being informed it was full.  He was suspended for two races with no team penalty, since no team members placed in that race

Minutes of February 3, 2012 CRCA Board Meeting

Feb. 3, 2012 The meeting commenced at 7:30pm

1. Approval of January minutes- APPPROVED
2. Membership Update

Rod presented the current membership statistics as of February 5th:

• Overall Membership (~420 members) exceeded that of last year at this time. This may be due to opening earlier this year.
• Dino membership may exceed expectation.
• New memberships are low, but it is still early.
• Number of donors should reach expectations. It is already 72% of the predicted amount.
• Member renewal fee increases February 15,2012- membership expected to increase within the next week.

The board is very optimistic about the membership numbers for this coming season. As of now, everything seems to be on track.

3. Team Cup & Boyd Cup Proposed rules for 2012

The board discussed and agreed on this year’s changes to team cup and Jim Boyd award points. The following topics were discussed in depth:

• Board agreed to maintain the current protocol to award points only for the racers who place in the top seven positions.
• Proposed CRCA Central Park race dates in which points will be awarded (listed on the current race schedule)– All approved.
• The addition of open races (Grant’s Tomb Criterium, Bear Mountain Road Race, FBF Road Race, Alpine Hill Climb) as being applicable for points award. Each field will be scored separate (as absolute positions, not as relative CRCA positions) and awarded points accordingly. The board agreed to that these races should be included in the points allocation system.  The board changed the proposed protocol to include Women’s category 4 field to also be scored to be awarded points, in addition to the Women’s Cat 1/2/3 at Bear Mountain. Board also agreed that the master’s field will not be awarded Team Cup & Boyd Cup points.

4. Harlem Sponsorship

Harlem Criterium has requested the continued support of CRCA through a financial contribution to the race.  Rod discussed his recent meeting with John Eustice. In addition to brand recognition, the board agreed that involvement of our top teams/riders in the main race and ability to provide VIP access to our donor members are the key items for the club. The board discussed how the exposure of the CRCA in the Harlem criterium would be prestigious because it is both recognized as a National Criterium and by the NRC. The exact sponsorship amount has not yet been discussed and Rod will continue to further this with John and consult with the Board as necessary.

5. Cycling Protocol for Central Park – collaboration with NYCC

The NYCC has approached the CRCA asking to help establish a universal cycling protocol for Central Park. Rod presented the proposed protocol. The board agreed that there should be common etiquette to riding in the park. Although the rules presented in the protocol are not absolute, nor will they be enforced by the CRCA, deviations do have implications on the accessibility of the park for training and for races. The board agreed to support and publish the protocol on the CRCA websites with some minor changes.

6. Champion Systems Team code of conduct

The board also agreed to provide a hyperlink on the CRCA website directing members to the Champion System Code of Conduct, a “Pro-Pedestrian Street Code” document that the Team developed in connection with TA.

7. Open racing & sponsorship summary & updates

Matt updated the board on the current status of the proposed CRCA open races. All open races for except Fall Bear Mountain have been confirmed and secured with sponsorship.

8. Team update (status of new teams, team duty sign up etc.)

Sonny presented the list of new teams to join the CRCA, as well the team duties that some have agreed upon:

• Westwood Velo
• Wafels and Dinges/NYC Velo
• CycleLife USA/GF Capital
• Signature Cycles and Rockstar Games- Harlem Criterium
• SixCycle RK&O
• Echelon/Montecci
• Bicycle Planet- Grant’s Tomb team duty
• Major Taylor
• Champion Systems p/b Stan’s NoTubes- Men’s Clinic
• Innervation Fitness/ Stan’s NoTubes Women’s Racing

The complete list of new teams, as well as name changes, is thoroughly described on the CRCA website.

9. Marshaling signup update & considerations

Rob W. reported that the marshaling sign-up is going well.  Men’s skills session is filled to capacity, but there is still room in the women’s skills session. The board discussed the accessibility of the skills session to non-first year members. Board agreed that these members should be allowed to attend the session, but not awarded marshaling credits. Rob W. also discussed a surplus of marshals. A possible solution would be to allow some marshals (according to seniority) to aid in registration, and then allowed to race. Another proposed use of excess marshals would be to strategically overload certain areas of the field, i.e. finish lines.

10. Club race registration plan and ideas for improvement

Board discussed how to possibly streamline registrations.

• Rod has purchased extra table to be used for registrations, which should enable the establishment of another line. 5 check-in lines in total
• The excess of marshal could be potentially used for registration
• Dino’s would have their own registration line, to be possibly grouped with the women’s line.
• Shut down club registration a few days before the race. Board discussed how members would need to be warned about this prior to its installation.

For next year, the board discussed the possibility of using USA Cycling’s registration system for club races.  This has a significant advantage of enabling electronic waivers and series long electronic waivers which will greatly ease the work load on members and the club associated with registration; but will require a transaction fee to be paid to USAC cycling.  Rod will continue to evaluate and discuss with USA Cycling later in the year.

11. Upcoming events

Rod highlighted the upcoming CRCA events. Matt proposed holding the club numbers pick-up social event at Third and Long. Rod also proposed to approach sponsors to possibly provide free merchandise to the members at the numbers pick-up event.

12. Other matters

The board meeting concluded with the proposal of several ideas, none that concluded in any final decisions:

a. CRCA logo

Harry proposed revamping the CRCA logo. Keeping the general concept, but perhaps giving it a modern look.

b. Increase CRCA advertisement

In efforts to increase new membership, Harry proposed the production of flyer and stickers. The board agreed that this may be helpful and an avenue to possibly pursue. Also board discussed the possibility of including CRCA advertisements on websites etc. No conclusion was reached but it was agreed that Harry should evaluate and prepare some proposals for the board to consider

c. Website

Board agreed that the website has been successfully at increasing communication with members.  Matt discussed how he is preparing the site to include photographs from open races, as well as video finishes from all CRCA park races.

13. Next meeting March 5, location TBD (probably the upper Eastside….)