GULF WINDS TRACK CLUB Minutes

Board/GWTC Members present: David and Mary Jean Yon, Tom Perkins, Beth Alexander, Gene Opheim, Fred and Margarete Deckert, Joe and Nadine Dexter, Judy Alexander, Bill Lott, Peg Griffin, Mae Cleveland, Keith Rowe, and Terry and Cameron Massa.

Mary Jean Yon called the meeting to order at 7:40 PM and quorum was established. The February minutes were reviewed. A motion was made, seconded and passed by unanimous vote to accept the minutes as amended.

NEW BUSINESS: Mary Jean read three thank you letters received. The first is from Gretchen Everhart School thanking the Club for participating as a Partner in Excellence. The second is from Refuge House for the Club’s continued support over the years. The last is to the Chenoweth Fund Committee from Terry Massa, the 5K race director for Special Olympics for Leon County. Terry also included a photo of all the Special Olympics athletes that ran the 1K portion of the race.

REPORTS:

Race Director – Judy Alexander reported she has all necessary permits and over 200 preregistered runners for Springtime. Peg Griffin has been a lifesaver to her. She still needs volunteers, especially Thursday and Friday at the mall between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. for preregistration. Also, she would love a coordinator to take over traffic control. Judy was encouraged to submit a request for volunteers for the gwinds list right away.

Race Director Coordinator – Charlie Yates reported there are no changes to the current race calendar. Meals on Wheels 5K is still determining a race date. Furry Scurry changed names to Tails and Trails.

Chenoweth Fund – David Yon no report.

Training Committee – Nadine Dexter reported that she receives one or two calls per day regarding Boot camp. She expects about 50 runners at the first class. She will hold an organizational meeting on March 25 at 2 p.m. for all her leaders.

Equipment – Joe Dexter bought a new trailer, signs, and measuring wheel. The new trailer will fit in his garage. Judy Alexander announced that she and Brian Corbin are training on the FinishLynx system. There is a problem with the automatic starter device connected to the computer. She requests it get repaired. A motion was made to pay up to $150 to repair it. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Website Committee Report – David Yon reported that he is still learning Front Page. He asked if anyone sees something old or incorrect on the web site to please let him know. The triathletes have begun to talk about reviving their organization and its affiliation with Gulf Winds.
Membership – Peg Griffin reported that there are currently 713 members represented by 400 households. Using the donation sent specified for membership development, she sent a letter to 462 recent race participants about two weeks ago and has 5 new members as a result. Peg has spent $525 of the $1000 on the membership drive. In retrospect, she wishes she had included a stand alone sheet for membership. Gene suggested including bumper stickers in any future letters. She also sold the membership list to Lee’s Place for a race flyer mail-out.

Clothing Coordinator – Margarete Deckert no report.

Newsletter – Fred Deckert no report.

Lecture Series – Fred reminded everyone of the first lecture in recent months this Friday, March 17, at 7 p.m. with Breeda Willis.

Treasurer’s Report – Gene Opheim reported that the Chenoweth Fund has $18,871 which is $1107 less than last month and the Club has $59,792 which is $8130 less than last month. He is consolidating accounts and mature CDs into a Sterling PLUS account. This account requires a minimum of $25,000. He can make up to three withdrawals with no penalty. The Sterling account also gave the best interest at 3.75%. The marathon has earned $5987 as of now, with the Tallahassee Sports Council awarding an additional $2000 since the number of out of town runners was so large. However, bills keep coming in and 50% will go to Team in Training. Gene also mentioned that he needs to know when people use the club’s bulk mail account so that he can keep his accounting straight.

Awards/Grand Prix Committee – no report.

Racing Team Report – no report. Mary Jean reported that the Gulf Winds Relay For Life team is formed. We need to determine if the registration was paid twice for this year’s team. There was some discussion of paying in advance last year. There will be a car wash on April 21 at the Griffin’s house to raise money for our team contribution at Relay For Life.

Social Coordinator – no report, but it was noted that the March 14th social at Po Boys Downtown for the Boulder Training Group was a big success.

OLD BUSINESS:

There was a motion to adjourn at 8:35 PM, which was seconded and passed by unanimous vote.

The next board meeting will be held on April 11, 2007 hosted by Gene Opheim.

These minutes have been reviewed and accepted by the Board. Beth Alexander, Secretary.