I.              MEETING ATTENDANCE AND OPENING

 Voting Members:  Paul Guyas, Mary Jean Yon, David Yon, Chika Okoro, Judy Alexander, Heather York, Robert Skrob, Johanna Petty, Tom Perkins, Kat Sack, Tristin LaNasa, Sarah Thompson, Alyssa Moore

 Non-Voting Members: Bill Lott, Kaari Guyas, Mark Tombrink, Joseph Petty, Chris Turner

The meeting was called to order by Paul Guyas at 7:36 p.m. A quorum was established. The July meeting agenda was approved with no objections.

A motion for the approval of the June 2020 meeting minutes was made, seconded, and passed.

 II.            OFFICER ANNOUNCEMENTS

 Potential New Committee – Paul Guyas  

Paul thanked the board and club for allowing him the time and space to make commentary regarding race relations and diversity, specifically referring to his recent Facebook post and email disseminated to club members. Paul reported that he has only received positive feedback on his commentary and expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to speak. Tom Perkins underscored that whenever board members make statements that have not been authorized verbatim by the board, these statements should include a qualifier highlighting that one is sharing personal views and not the views of the club. David Yon noted that, for the record, there has been a significant number of people that object to the statement and the merit of the statement.

 III.          OLD BUSINESS

Approval of 2020 Budget and Treasurer’s Report – David Yon

First, David provided the treasurer’s report as of July 7, 2020. Assets were reported at $248,415.98, down from $272,182.69 last year. A net loss of $18,490.71 was reported for the year, compared to last year’s net revenue of $51,442.80. David attributed the difference in financial positions for the two years to the COVID-19 pandemic. David presented revenues and expenses for the year by account and month and reported that he is unsure about the loss reported for May 2020 and will follow-up to confirm the figure.

Second, David addressed the fiscal year 2020 – 21 Budget. The budget proposed to the board on July 7, 2020 differs from the original budget proposed at last month’s board meeting.. The budget proposed on July 7, 2020 estimates that revenues and expenses for the upcoming fiscal year (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021) will amount to 80 percent of the revenues and expenses from this past fiscal year. Said another way, the new budget was computed by cutting this year’s actuals by 20 percent. David noted that this budget estimation method is not fiscally conservative but more of a “middle of the road” approach, estimating a net loss of $14, 992.57 for the upcoming year. Paul inquired about budgets for specific activities, such as the budget for the Education and Lecture Series, and it was decided that board members in positions with specified budgets will be permitted to spend within their budget as in years passed. Following this discussion, a motion to approve the fiscal year 2020 – 21 budget proposed on July 7, 2020 was made, seconded, and passed.

Awards / Grand Prix Committee – Mark Tombrink

Mark updated the board on the latest considerations of the Awards / Grand Prix Committee. The committee is strongly considering canceling the 2020 Grand Prix competition. Other options under consideration include rolling this year’s Grand Prix competition into next year and/or delaying Grand Prix decisions until the committee has a better idea of which races will commence in 2020. Regarding awards, the committee is considering presenting a small number of major awards for the year, such as awards for Advancement of the Sport and Hall of Fame.  The committee is unsure whether an award ceremony will be held in-person and is considering holding the awards ceremony in conjunction with the club’s holiday party. Given the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, the committee’s plans for awards and Grand Prix are tentative and flexible.

Following Mark’s report, Mary Jean Yon asked whether the committee is still considering issuing a statement regarding club awards and the Grand Prix competition for the year. Mark shared that the committee is still considering issuing a statement, though is unsure what the statement would entail given the uncertainty and tentative planning. Paul reported that at the committee’s last Zoom meeting, the committee seemed to be taking a “wait and see” approach to planning during the pandemic. It was also noted that the venue for the awards ceremony should be taken into consideration, and Bill Lott and David Yon shared that they believe venues for the awards ceremony and holiday party have both been booked with deposits made. To provide additional guidance on the budgeting and timing of events, Paul recommended that Mark contact Erik Anderson, the former chair of the Grand Prix Committee.

New Grand Prix Committee Member – Paul Guyas

Kat Sack was appointed as the seventh member of the Grand Prix Committee. A vote took place, and the motion to appoint was passed. It was noted that Grant Prix Committee members serve 3-year terms, and the question of whether this year counts as a year of serving was raised.

Survey Results – Paul Guyas

Paul discussed the recent GWTC survey results with the board, underscoring the graphical representations of the questions and answers and the column of anonymous comments from survey participants. Paul reported that many of the questions came from the RRCA and that the idea is to disseminate the survey to club members at multiple points in time to track the progress of members’ perceptions and preferences. It was noted that the survey contains 116 member responses, and a request for percentages to be included in subsequent results was made.

 IV.          NEW BUSINESS

Update on GWTC 365 – Paul Guyas

Paul provided an update on the 2020 GWTC 365 program. Paul reported that there are nine GWTC 365 program participants for the year and that six of the 20 slated races have been completed. It was noted that four of the 20 slated races have been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that the fate of the remaining races, i.e. whether the races will be held in-person, held virtually, or canceled, is unknown. Accordingly, Paul asked the board to consider whether races held virtually should count for GWTC 365 program members. In other words, Paul inquired should GWTC 365 members’ “cards be punched” for virtual races or should these races roll over to the next year. Paul underscored that a “wait and see” approach is being applied regarding the GWTC 365 program and that no solution needs to be prescribed at this time.

 Tannenbaum 6K (2019) Wrap-Up – Herb Wills                                          

The 2019 Tannenbaum 6K wrap-up was tabled for a subsequent meeting.

 Springtime (2020) 10K / 5K / 1M Wrap-Up – Zack and Rachel Scharlepp

The 2020 Springtime 10K / 5K / 1M wrap-up was tabled for a subsequent meeting.

 Update on Various Club Races and Race Director Committee Report – Mary Jean Yon

Mary Jean provided an update on various club races. Regarding the Summer Trail Series, Mary Jean reported that Bobby York has canceled the June and July trail races and that the August 22^nd trail race is tentatively scheduled, pending public health concerns. Regarding the Breakfast on the Track Mile Race, Mary Jean reported that Bonnie and Felton Wright have canceled the race. Regarding the Miller Landing Madness 8K / 5K / 3K race, Mary Jean reported that Tom Perkins and Bill Lott have canceled the race. Regarding the Sickle Cell 5K race, Mary Jean reported that Paul Guyas plans to hold a virtual race. Regarding the Women’s Distance Festival 5K / 1M race, Mary Jean reported that Lisa Unger hopes to hold a virtual race. Regarding the Prefontaine Forest Run 5K, Mary Jean reported that Doug Bell and the transitioning race director Mike Baker are considering holding a virtual race and moving the race to the Twilight Trail. Regarding the Pine Run at Tall Timbers 20K race, Mary Jean reported that Tall Timbers is not open at this time and that Peg and Gary Griffin will monitor the accessibility of the race venue as October 10^th, the slated race date, approaches. Regarding the Palace Saloon 5K race, Mary Jean reported that she has not discussed the race with Mark Priddy, and Tom Perkins shared that Mark may be leaning towards canceling the race this year due to COVID-19 concerns.

 Sickle Cell (2020) 5K – Paul Guyas

Paul discussed and solicited feedback from the board on potential plans for the 2020 Sickle Cell 5K race. Specifically, Paul shared aspirations to host the 2020 race virtually, underscoring race participants’ passion for the race and love for the race shirts. Accordingly, Paul would like to have an option for race participants to pre-order race shirts, thereby minimizing race costs, as only the exact number of race shirts in each size need be ordered. However, it is unknown whether Homestead, the race shirt vendor, will charge a set-up fee for the 2020 race shirts. In the past, Homestead has waived the set-up fee and also charged a $200 set-up fee for the race shirts. It was noted that, in the event a set-up fee is charged and few shirts are ordered, the costs of the shirts might exceed the revenue, though Paul estimates that this is unlikely. Following some discussion, a motion that the 2020 Sickle Cell 5K race move forward with plans to offer a race shirt option with registration for the virtual race was made, seconded, and approved.

 Appointments Subject to Board Approval – Paul Guyas  

Paul shared three appointments subject to board approval, including: (1) the appointment of Mark Priddy as the Vice President, (2) the appointment of Johanna Petty as the Trail Training and Racing Coordinator, and (3) the appointment of Kat Sack as the Education and Lecture Series Coordinator. Mark Priddy and Johanna Petty will be filling positions previously held by Jim Halley, while Kat Sack will be filling a position previously held by Kristin Halley. A vote took place and the three appointments were approved with no opposition.

   V.            COMMITTEE REPORTS

 Triathlete Club – John Sivyer

John provided the following report via e-mail for the Triathlete Club. (1) On Saturday July 4th there were approximately 24 members that competed in a sprint Triathlon called “Freedom Springs” in Marianna.  The race director did a good job of social distancing including changing the normal mass start in the swim to a Time Trial start.  A good time was had by all.

(2) The BOD for the Tri-Club approved the following statement in response to a member’s concern that the GWTC had made a statement addressing race and diversity but the Tri Club had not. : The Board of Directors of Gulf Winds Triathletes denounces racism, oppression, and prejudice, and affirms our commitment to increasing diversity and inclusion both within our club, as well as in our sport more broadly. More specifically, we plan to actively engage in the newly formed Gulf Winds Track Club’s Diversity Committee, and lend our support to these efforts. In addition, we recognize that the lack of diversity in triathlon as a whole is a significant, and much broader issue. In the coming months, we will be looking for ways that we as an organization can help to narrow this gap, and bring a diverse range of athletes to the sport that we all love. We ask all members to listen and to look for opportunities to be more inclusive, and to feel empowered to speak up when you see we are falling short of this goal – as we have already done by staying silent about this important issue. This initiative is important and long overdue because Black Lives Matter.

 Treasurer- David Yon

Please see the section entitled “Approval of 2020 Budget and Treasurer’s Report” for the July 2020 treasurer’s report.

 Membership –Mark Priddy

Mark submitted the following membership report via email. Memberships and households for the year were reported at 1,327 and 700, respectively. These figures are compared to those at this time last year, which included 1,120 memberships and 590 households.

 Chip Timing– Bill Lott, Peg Griffin, and Bill Hillison

Bill Lott provided the following chip timing report. No races were chip timed during June as all four of the scheduled races were canceled.  The two races scheduled to be timed in July have been canceled.  Looking ahead to the month of August, three of the four races scheduled to be chip timed have also been canceled, while the fourth race is currently listed as “tentative.”  

 Equipment – Tec Thomas

No report.

  Newsletter – Robert and Kory Skrob

No report

 Race Director – Mary Jean Yon

Please see the section entitled “Update on Various Club Races and Race Director Committee Report” for the July 2020 race director coordinator report.

Trail Coordinator – Johanna Petty

Johanna reiterated that the June and July Summer Trail Series races were canceled and that the August 22^nd Trail Series Race is tentatively scheduled. Johanna also reported that this upcoming Saturday, July 11^th, the Tallahassee Mountain Bike Association (TMBA) will be having a trail workday on the Forest Meadows Redbug Trail beginning at 9:00 am. The workday entails cleaning the trail, and participants are urged to bring their loppers, handsaws, water, and bug spray. The trail workday is slated to last two to three hours and allows for appropriate social distancing. Paul requested that Johanna post about the trail workday on the GWTC Facebook page

 Chenoweth Fund – David Yon

Nothing new to report.

 Training Groups – Thomas Biance  

Paul opened the discussion on training groups and social media posts. A specific post on a small, private GWTC Facebook group page was highlighted, spurring discussion on other posts and social distancing. The question was raised whether the post(s) warranted action, in regard to keeping the best interest of the club in mind, and the consensus was to let it be.

 Website – David Yon

Nothing new to report.

 Youth Council – Kaari Guyas

Nothing new to report.

 Merchandise –Laura McDermott and Sherri Wise

Nothing new to report.

 Education and Lecture – Kat Sack

Kat provided an update on club education and lecture series, sharing that her current strategy is to exploit the extra time club members might be spending surfing social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kat has begun and plans to continue to post insightful links regarding nutrition, stretching, and the like on Facebook for club members to enjoy and is considering taking a poll to learn more about the topics club members are interested in. The possibility of launching a Zoom lecture series in the future was also raised.

 Social – Vicky Droze

No report.

 Volunteers – Lyssa Oberkreser

No report.

 VI.          CLOSING REMARKS

The following closing remarks were made.

  It was reported that Paula O’Neil wishes to step down from her position as School Grant Coordinator, which entails granting schools money for         running-related uniforms, water coolers, and similar requests. David Yon and Kat Sack volunteered to be Paula’s replacements and will jointly fill the    position of School Grant Coordinator.

It was reported that Lincoln High School is requesting running shoes for the school lacrosse team, and Kat Sack suggested holding a shoe drive with a drop-off point for club members to donate their gently used running shoes.

In light of a recent attack on a local runner, club members were urged to be cautious when running.

It was reported that permanent markers for the Bluebird Run for Brookie B 5K course will be set up and marked on the JR Alford Greenway.

A motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and passed. The meeting adjourned at 9:02 P.M.

Alyssa Moore, Secretary