GULF WINDS TRACK CLUB Minutes

Present: Mary Jean and David Yon, Fred and Margarete Deckert, Judy Alexander, Tom Perkins, Mark Priddy, Keith Rowe, Kevin French, Bill Lott, Sheryl Rosen, Charlie Yates, Peg Griffin, Gene Opheim, Jay Wallace, Lisa Cox, Bob McDonald, and Jackie McDaniel.

Mary Jean called the meeting to order at 7:34 p.m. Quorum was established.

A motion was made, seconded and passed by unanimous vote to accept the August minutes as presented.

New Business

Fred suggested the club should put together a yearly report chronicling annual bequests from the Chenoweth Fund, donations to non-profits from various GWTC races, and numbers of local residents affected by the club. The report could be sent to local officials, printed in the newsletter, and posted on the club website.

The board discussed merits and logistics of producing an annual report. Fred volunteered to lead its creation. Mary Jean suggested he write a draft report and bring it to the board for review. Judy volunteered to work with Fred, and all agreed they should aim for the December board meeting for approval and January for publication. It was also mentioned that this information will be useful for garnering community awards, such as those given by the Tallahassee Democrat.

Nominating Committee Report – Peg Griffin

Peg submitted a proposed draft slate for the 2009 club officers and directors-at-large. The slate will be finalized next month with any additional candidates. Candidates thus far include: president: Judy Alexander and Mark Priddy; VP: Bill Lott ; secretary: Nancy Stedman Laux and Jackie McDaniel; treasurer: Gene Opheim; directors-at-large: Julie Clark, Sarah Dugas, Tolar Griffin, Seeley Gutierrez, Keith Rowe, Jay Silvanima, Perha Varley, Felton Wright, and David Yon.

Bob McDonald asked if it’s possible to create a new voting member of the board specifically for a Gulf Winds Triathlon Club member. Board members indicated that would require a bylaws change. Instead of pursuing that change, Bob said he will announce the upcoming club elections at the next Triathlon Club meeting to see if anyone there is interested in running for a seat on the board.

Newsletter Report – Fred Deckert

Fred will include updated Triathlon Club contact info in the newsletter.

Lecture Series Report – Margarete Deckert

Kim Ortloff will speak at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 at Premier Health & Fitness Center on stretches for runners and ways to reduce pain. Fred will find out what topics runners want to hear about, and Kim will tailor her presentation.

Triathlon Club Report – Bob McDonald

Bob has been expanding the Gulf Winds Triathlon Club’s membership. Attendance has also increased at the monthly triathlete meetings, which are held on the third Monday of each month. Meetings have included speakers on various topics.

The Triathlon Club is continuing to improve their web site, which is linked to GulfWinds.org. Bob and other club leaders are also planning to organize a flat, fast triathlon south of Tallahassee and a few duathlons as well.

Triathlon Club dues are $10 above the general GWTC dues. Bob said they may have to raise tri dues to cover insurance costs.

Bob also gave Chenoweth Fund Committee member David Yon a request form for helping Stephanie Liles travel to the USA Triathlon Age Group Championships in Portland, OR. David will circulate the request with his committee.

Awards Committee Report – Jackie McDaniel

Jackie presented the Awards Committee’s proposed 2009 grand prix schedule to the board. A motion was made to accept the schedule as presented. It was seconded and passed unanimously.

Treasurer’s Report – Gene Opheim

The club has $79,444, which is an increase of $11,295 for the month. The bulk of that increase is due to sponsorship funds from Capital Health Plan for the Turkey Trot. The Chenoweth Fund has $12,501, which is an increase of $16 for the month.

Gene reported Breakfast on the Track netted $250.06, and 50% of that was donated to the Maclay School’s track boosters. Miller Landing Madness netted $42.50, which will go to the Chenoweth Fund.

Clothing Coordinator Report – Margarete Deckert

Margarete distributed pictures of the new club tank tops she is planning to order. She suggested ordering 25 men’s reversible tanks for $12 each and 25 women’s v-neck tanks for $13 each. Margarete will sell the tanks for $15. A motion was made and seconded to approve the $625 Margarete needs to complete the order. The board approved the motion unanimously.

Race Director Coordinator Report – Charlie Yates

The Bowlegs race will now take place Jan. 10, and the GWTC 30K will take place on Jan. 17. The Lee’s Place 5K has been restarted. It will take place March 21. Due to the closure of Albertson’s, it’s uncertain whether the Christmas Connection race will happen this year.

Race Director Report – Miller Landing Madness, Tom Perkins

Tom presented the final budget. 262 runners participated in the race, and the event collected 698 pounds of food for Second Harvest. Tom said the new course needs some tweaking for next year.

Race Director Report – Pine Run, David Yon for Gordon Cherr

On behalf of Gordon Cherr, David presented a budget for the new Pine Run. Tall Timbers Research Station is waiving all fees for use of its property, and in exchange the race will split proceeds with Tall Timbers or the Tall Timbers Land Conservancy. A motion was made and seconded to approve the budget as presented. The motion passed unanimously.

Equipment Report – Kevin French and Bill Lott

Kevin asked the board whether the club should provide marking chalk and safety tape to groups that rent the equipment. Board members agreed the club should keep the supplies for GWTC races only so the club isn’t paying to supply non-club races.

David asked Bill Lott if there’s a machine that would help him and other race organizers put chalk down more easily at races. Bill wasn’t aware of anything he thinks the club should buy.

Bill reported the Chronomix printing stopwatch is broken. He is sending it off for repairs, which he and Kevin will pay for with the equipment budget.

Website Report – Peg Griffin

Peg added a new button on the web site for past newsletters. The site is also linking to the Triathlon Club page, and the triathletes are doing all their own page updates.

Chenoweth Fund Report – David Yon

Other than the request to help Stephanie Liles, David received a request from Carl Nordhielm for new team jerseys for the Magnolia School.

Membership Report – Peg Griffin

The club has 1,009 members in 555 households. The increase is largely due to beginning running class members and triathletes.

Training Report – Judy Alexander for Robin Borschel & TJ Cutchins

Robin and TJ have continued the tradition of excellence with the Beginning Running Group, and it is going strong. Over 50 participants have signed up in the first 2 weeks, and they are excited to be new runners and members of GWTC.

A motion was made to adjourn at 9:09 p.m. It was seconded and approved unanimously