GULF WINDS TRACK CLUB Minutes

Board Members Present: Zack Scharlepp, Paul Guyas, Alyssa Terry, David Yon, Mary Jean Yon, Tom Perkins, Chika Okoro, Herb Wills, Jim Halley, Kristin Halley, Laura McDermott, Tom Biance, Laryn Flikkema, Judy Alexander,  Joseph Petty, Wayne Thumm, Sherri Wise, & Chris Stanley.

Others Present: Bill Lott, Peg Griffin, Martha Guyas, Kaari Guyas, Sade Guyas, & Keith Rowe.

The President called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. and a quorum was established.

The Board deferred approval of the December 12, 2018 minutes until recent edits could be reviewed. The Board approved the minutes from the December meeting without opposition via email following the meeting.

Welcome to the 2019 Board – Paul Guyas, President
Paul welcomed all new and old members of the 2019 Gulf Winds Track Club board. He took a moment to recognize the importance that the positions of Secretary and Treasurer have within the board. He then continued by stating that he would like to bring about change within GWTC in order to make it even better than it was in 2018. Paul believes that team work will be important in making this possible and encouraged all members to express their ideas and opinions.

2019 board meeting hosts – Alyssa Terry, Secretary
The secretary passed around a sign-up sheet for board members to choose the meetings throughout this year that they will be able to host.

Old Business

None

New Business

The Ultra RD – Paul Guyas 
Paul reported that Nancy Stedman and Jay Silvanima are stepping down as race directors for the Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic 50 mile/50k/marathon. A motion was made to approve Robin Bennett to be the new race director for the TUDC, which was seconded and passed. Mike Baker also expressed an interest in helping with the race and will coordinate with Robin accordingly.

Acquisition of more safety vests – Bill Lott
Bill asked for $225 in order to purchase 50 new safety vests for GWTC. A motion was made, seconded, and passed.

Funding for race directors workshop – Jeanne O’Kon 
Tom Perkins reported about this weekend’s Race Directors Workshop for Jeanne O’Kon. He requested up to $150 for the cost of printing the paperwork that will be distributed at the workshop. A motion for this request was made, seconded, and passed unanimously. Speaking of paper, Jim Halley inquired about the progress made with “The Sustainable Project” that was initiated by Katie Sack; due to no new progress, Jim stated he would help move this project forward.

The Youth Council – Paul Guyas
Paul reported Kaari Guyas is interested in developing a Gulf Winds Track Club Youth Council and serving as the chair and spokesperson. While this will be a youth-led council, Jeanne O’kon and Lisa Unger have agreed to serve as the adult liaisons. The council will provide Gulf Winds Track Club with a report of their activities. The method in which the council will serve the club and the Board will ultimately be determined by the council. One idea for the council includes maintaining a column in the GWTC Fleet Foot.

Gulf Winds School Grant Coordinator – Mark Priddy
Mark Priddy reported via email that he has served as the Gulf Winds School Grant Coordinator for 9 years. During this time, GWTC has given out approximately 120 grants to local schools in order for them to create a running program for students who are not normally active in school sports; all of these grants have been posted on the Gulf Winds website. Mark asked that the board consider allowing Paula O’Neill to take Mark’s place as the GWTC School Grant Coordinator. The board made a motion for Paula O’Neill to be appointed to GWTC School Grant Coordinator; this motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

GWTC Extreme Challenge Results – Mark Priddy
Mark reported via email that Mark Tombrink was the only individual to complete the GWTC Extreme Challenge in 2018. Tom Biance expressed concern that members who run at a slower pace are not able to participate in the Extreme Challenge since they are not able to complete the races within the time restrictions; however, many members would agree that the time restrictions are all part of what makes the Extreme Challenge “extreme.”

Official Galloway Training Group – Tom Biance
Tom asked the board for their opinions on starting up an official Galloway 16-week 5k training group.  He stated that he was concerned about the cost, which would total approximately $700 in order to gain access to the necessary materials. The board agreed that this training group would be too expensive to pursue.

Flash Budget – Keith Rowe
Keith Rowe presented the proposed budget for the 2019 Flash 12K/6K that will take place on February 16, 2019. The budget included an estimated total revenue of $6,588.00, estimated total expenses of $4,630.64, and estimated net proceeds of $1,957.36. A motion was made to approve the budget for the 2019 Flash 12K/6K budget, seconded, and approved unanimously. Moreover, Keith reported the entry fee for this race has increased significantly, which will result in a profit of approximately $2,000. Also, medals will be simplified by stating “Age Group Winner” and omitting additional details.

Committee Reports

Treasurer’s Report – Laryn Flikkema
Laryn provided the board with Gulf Winds Track Club’s Statement of Financial Position as of January 1, 2019 as of December 31, 2018. Gulf Winds Track Club’s total assets of $279,350.40. GWTC’s Statement of Activity from July 1 – December 31 includes a gross profit of $188,651.60, total expenditures of $122,939.99, and net revenue of $65,711.61. GWTC’s monthly statement of activity for December includes a monthly gross profit of $23,060.57, total expenditures of $41,496.71 and net revenue of -$18,436.14. The board discussed the possibility of spending some of our revenue by investing the money back into the club or the running community; some ideas included a club BBQ or paying for members to take a trip to a race. Peg then reported that GWTC received our refund from Memberclicks.

Equipment Report – Bill Lott & Katie Sack
Bill reported Tim Unger has repaired the left brake light on the GWTC trailer by changing the assembly for a $6 charge. He also purchased a spare assembly in the case that either brake light does not function properly in the future. Bill also stated that Katie Sack is looking for another individual to assist her in the role of equipment manager due to the high time demands of the position. The board recognized that Tec Thomas has been helping her, but Bill states Katie requires even more assistance.

Triathlete Report – Wayne Thumm
Wayne reported receiving positive feedback regarding the registration process on RunSignUp. Wayne reported on a few recent and upcoming events for the Triathletes. Instead of holding a December meeting, the Triathletes gathered for a Christmas party on December 3, 2018 at Midtown Caboose. The awards ceremony will take place on January 24, 2019. The Triathletes will also gather in February to hear from a guest speaker from Bird Legs Bicycles regarding the process of bike fitting. There are a few injured triathletes who are looking to pair up with a runner for the St. Marks Duathlon on March 24, 2019; contact Wayne if you are interested.

Membership Report –Mark Priddy
Mark reported via email that Gulf Winds Track Club had a total of 1455 at the end of the 2018 year. He also stated that there have been 781 members renew their GWTC membership via our new RunSignUp registration process this year, which compares to only 510 registered members at this time last year.

Training Report – Thomas Biance
Thomas stated that the WorkAddicts are continuing to hold their training group for the Tallahassee Marathon; however, he has not received a response as to how it is going. Thomas also reported the training group for the Springtime 10K/5K/1 Mile will take place on Monday nights beginning on February 4, 2019. He expressed the possibility of a training group on Sundays as well, but that has not been determined yet.

Education and Lecture Coordinator Report – Chris Stanley
Chris reported that he has been brainstorming ideas for the 2019 GWTC lecture series. Kory has provided him with some ideas including a lecture from a nutritionist and from momentum fitness. She also gave him the idea to host a 2-day workshop to become a certified running coach through RRCA. In order to host this event, we’d have to provide RRCA with a location for the workshop and have at least 15 people be willing to pay $250 per person to attend. Chris also stated that he would like to inquire with the GWTC merchandise coordinator about providing any speaker for the lecture series with a GWTC shirt.

Race Director Coordinator Report – Mary Jean Yon
Nothing new to report.

Trail Coordinator Report –Jim Halley
No report except “the trails are wet but fun!”

Chenoweth Fund Report – David Yon
Nothing new to report.

Clothing Coordinator Report –Laura McDermott and Sherri Wise
Laura and Sherri reported selling $480 worth of merchandise at the Tannenbaum race, Wild Mountain Scramble, and various GWTC training groups. They also stated that they have finalized the Tallahassee Marathon jacket. However, the cost of ordering 50 jackets to have for the expo would be approximately $2,000, which was concerning since this would make up the majority of the Clothing Coordinator budget for 2019. A motion was made to add $2,500 to the budget due to the cost of the Tallahassee Marathon jacket, which was seconded and approved unanimously.

Timing Committee – Peg Griffin
Peg stated that she is looking for individuals who would be willing to commit to become the new manager of the timing committee by the end of the year. This position would require an apprenticeship of at least 6 months of training.  Peg would like for the new timing manager to be in place by end of the year. This position includes coordinating with race directors of non-GWTC races that need chip timing, completing bib inventory and storage, and ensuring all electronic timing equipment is charged and updated every Friday prior to a race. Peg also reported the races this month will include many races that have been and will be timed by GWTC including but are not limited to the Swamp Forest races, Bowlegs, the Tallahassee 15K/30k, and Trent Trot. Moreover, the timing committee has recovered the cost of purchasing new equipment and is now in the black. Peg requested funding to purchase a new laptop computer due to the fact that there have been numerous races, including Turkey Trot, the Tallahassee Marathon, and Springtime, that have required Peg to use her own personal computer to be able to complete timing for all of the participants. The price of a new computer with software would be approximately $1,800 and the price of a new computer without software would be about $1,300. A motion was made to provide Peg with up to $2,000 to purchase a new computer, and the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Website Committee Report – David Yon
No report.

Social Report –Joseph Petty 
Joseph explained the reason for the band not appearing at the GWTC Christmas party. The band manager, Tony, mistakenly thought that Joseph’s confirmation email for the party was sent by someone else for a different show; therefore, when Tony replied to confirm the event, Tony thought he was confirming for a different show. Moreover, Joseph believes it is time for GWTC to determine the individual primarily responsible for planning each GWTC social event, including the Christmas Party, Potluck Bash, and the Annual Awards, due to there being some recent confusion. The board agreed that we would discuss this at the next board meeting.

Newsletter Report – Fred Deckert
No report.

A motion to adjourn was made, seconded and passed. The meeting adjourned at 8:47 pm.

Alyssa Terry, Secretary