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General Membership Meeting Minutes - September 15th, 2012

By WSWA1, 09/01/12, 4:30PM PDT

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General Membership Meeting Minutes
September 15th, 2012
Hal Holmes Center, Ellensburg

Board Members present:
Jay Terry, Jim Burchett, Mary Ann Douglas, Beth Michaelson, Kim Burchett, Ron Beard, Sean Ekerson, Chris Feist, Luke Leifer, Ty Michaelson, Suzie Velarde, Dave Gilbertson

Board Members not present:
Tony Arredondo, Melissa Simmons,

Call to Order
Jay called the meeting to order at 12:15pm

Attendance
3 D WC, Arlington Youth WC, Auburn Slam, Bad-Draw-Glacier Peak, Bear Claw, Bethel AllStars Columbia Basin, Eastside WC, Elma WC, Eatonville, Ferndale Force WC, FW Spartans, Montesano Mad Dogs, Mount Vernon Pit Bulls, NWWC, Overtime, Sedro Woolley Steelclaw, Skagit Valley Yellow Jackets, Sno-Valley WC, SWWWC, Team Scorpion, Team Spartan, Team Tech-Fall WC, Tri Cities WC, Tumwater, Twin City WC, Victory Wrestling- Central WA, Vandit Wrestling Academy, Viper WC, White River, Wolverine Outlaws, and Wrestling Rhinos, were in attendance. There was a quorum of club members present, so business could be conducted.

Registration is now open for the 2012-2013 season. Clubs who were sanctioned for the 2011-2012 season who have not renewed their sanction may participate in the meeting as it is being held later that usual this year.

Old Minutes
Tom Martin, Team Tech Fall made a motion to accept the minutes from the August 27, 2011 General Membership meeting. Andy Cook, Vandit Wrestling Academy seconded to the motion. The motion was carried unanimously.

Board Member Reports
Chairman, Jay Terry:
A).Recently returned from the Chairman’s Summit where he heard of some new and exciting developments.
-Folkstyle is now recognized by FILA
-USA Wrestling has recently partnered with OhWay Wrestling and is working to partner with other organizations and is developing new ways to get connected
B). Jay explained the new membership levels for the 2012-2013 season and handed out a flier. (See attached flier.)
Tiered membership: Limited membership option is valid for local and league wrestling ONLY. Wrestlers must purchase a full membership to participate in State or National events.
-Karen Ebel, Wrestling Rhinos, asked how are the cards differentiated? Jay answered that the membership level is printed on the card.
-Ed Hawthorne, White River, asks can you upgrade your card? Jay answers yes.
-Bodi Orton, Mt. Vernon Pitbulls asked what does a charter cover?
-Charter covers Club liability
-site insurance covers property damage
-USA Membership is Medical Insurance
Purpose of new membership levels is to encourage more people to get involved with USA wrestling. The State will make less money on the limited membership, but will encourage athletes to upgrade.

Jay explained the High School Membership option which allows high school teams to purchase a team membership for $300 that will cover their entire high school team roster. Currently the potential loss of revenue is a road block, but it is still on the table for the future.

Jay explained the new Open License/Membership. Over 2/3 of the total insurance claims that USA wrestling receives are from open wrestlers. For this reason the price for an open card has been raised to $50. If a wrestler is 19+ on September 1 they will need to purchase an open membership even if they are still in high school.

C. The WSWA is considering running the state tournaments as a fundraiser.

D. The WSWA is hoping to fully fund Dual Teams.

E. The WSWA is going to look into having tournaments pre-register and prepay. Over 1,000 kids were no-shows for the 3- style causing the club to lose money on the tournament.

F. Discussion on Games of Rome and other non-USAW events – if a tournament is not properly sanctioned then it will not have access to WSWA resources.

Deputy Director, Jim Burchett:
A). Fargo – 98 athletes participated this year with 34 All Americans
B). since the women’s director is not present Jim reported that the Cadet women placed 2nd as a team and the Jr. Women placed 6th as a team. (See Women’s Director Report Attached)
C). Fargo 2013-Considering allowing individuals to make their own travel arrangements with guidelines
D). Media Guide- Team Washington will be putting together a media guide again this year for athletes who are going to Fargo. Jim would like to encourage all wrestlers to participate as it can be a valuable recruiting tool.

Membership Director, Kim Burchett:
A).
WSWA Membership Report
September 15th , 2012

Clubs Chartered For the 2011-2012 Season:
133 (125 last year)

Tournaments Sanctioned for the 2011-2012 Season:
29 (39 last year) – cancelled events this year not included in numbers

Cards Sold for the 2011-2012 Season:
Athlete 5398 (5010 last year)
Coaches 882 (839 last year)
Officials Memberships 168 (182 last year)

Other Information:
1. Card prices are as follows (plus $4.75 processing fee for all cards except athlete):
Athlete Limited Folkstyle Only Card: $15
Athlete Full Membership Card: $40
Athlete High Performance Card: $100
Coaches Cards: $42
2-year Coaches Cards: $84
Officials Cards: $25
2-year Officials Cards: $50

Club Charters: $140 (base prices without insurance) (plus $5 processing fee)
Purchasing a charter does not include insurance; you must select the option to add club insured during the process to have the $25.00 insurance added to have your site protected. Event sanctions have this option included in price, club charters do not.

Insurance for Charter: $20 each site (plus $5 processing fee)

Event Sanctions: $115 for one style one day (plus $5 processing fee)
If you have more than one style OR have more than one day, an additional $75.00 will be charged for each style OR each additional day to cover the Trackwrestling fees assessed to WSWA.
Examples:
1) There is a one day event that has both FS and GR – the charge would be $120.00 for the first style and $75.00 for the second.
2) There is a three day event that has GR the first day, FS the second day and Folkstyle the third day – the charge would be $120.00 for the first day and style, $75.00 for the second day and style and $75.00 for the third day and style.

2. USA Wrestling offers a 2-year Coaches and Officials Card. The benefit to this is that you save the $4.75 processing fee that is assessed and you only have to do the whole background/ purchasing of your card every other year. You will not be able to print your coaches card or officials card until your background screening is completed. The screening can take a few days to complete so don’t wait until the last minute. You will be prompted to complete the screening after you have purchased your officials or coaches card.

3. Clubs need to ensure that a USA card has been purchased by every athlete and coach who steps on a practice mat before they are on the mat. No exceptions. The wrestlers can get hurt on the first practice and they are NOT covered.

4. All cards – Coaches and Athletes are sold online in Washington. You need to purchase yours early in case there are problems with the records online. Cards for the 2012-2013 season were available for purchase on September 1st, 2012. They are good until August 31st, 2013.

5. Remember the deadline dates for the Event sanctions per the By-Laws.

6. Clubs who wish to host a sanctioned Washington State Wrestling Association / USA Wrestling event must have both a current year licensed Mat Official and a current year licensed Pairing Official associated with the club, and they both must be available to work the hosted event in order to receive approval for the sanctioned event. The club Mat and Pairing officials must be age 18 years of age or older and must work at the designated job for the entire duration of the event

7. All individuals who purchase a Club Charter or Event Sanction online will need to complete a background check prior to approval. I would ask that any clubs sanctioning a folkstyle event to please submit your sanction as soon as possible. Please do not wait until the last minute. The tournament director and the mat and pairing officials must all have their backgrounds completed and the mat and pairing official must have their USA cards purchased for me to approve the sanction.

8. All WSWA Board members also need to renew their background screening.

I am looking forward to another great year of wrestling in Washington.

Respectfully Submitted,
Kim Burchett
Membership Director

B). Team Washington gear is available for sale until October 7th there is a link on the website.
C). 2 year coaches card is available.
D). Kim would like to encourage everyone to renew their cards early to avoid lag time.

Secretary, Beth Michaelson:
A). standardized email using google apps is in the works

Treasurer, Mary Ann Douglas:
A). see financial report attached.
B). The WSWA made money in 2011-2012. Some of the revenue for 2011-2012 is a reflection of the 2-year coach’s card and will be less money that we are collecting in 2012-2013. Projection looks like the WSWA will make money again, although it is difficult to project how the tiered membership will affect revenue.

Pairings Officials Director, Mary Ann Douglas:
A). We currently have 18 computers to run mat side entry. This is not enough to run tournaments in all three regions. We may need to consider purchasing some additional equipment.
B). See attached pairings report
-Tom Martin, Team Tech Fall, asked if the WSWA has tech support for computers and trackwrestling. Mary answered we have Sherry Bullard and Justin at Track.
-MT, Tri-cities, asked if tournaments have to use matside entry. Answer-No.
-Jay Covington, Columbia Basin, asked if clubs need to provide their own computers if they are hosting a tournament. Answer- No. Pairing officials bring equipment provided by The WSWA.
-Karen Ebel, Wrestling Rhinos, clarified that The WSWA has enough equipment to run tournaments in all three regions, but not enough to run mat side entry in all three regions.

Mat Officials Director, Tony Arredondo: (Tony is not present, Jay reports)
-Washington has a high number of high ranking officials (11 or 12 M1s)
-wants to encourage more eastside people to get officials cards.
-online training is available for officials on themat.com
-every club that sanctions a tournament is required to have an official and a pairer.

Coaches Director, Jay Terry:
-Has seen an increase in the number of coaches
-number of coaches participating in bronze certification is down. Believes this is due to the fact that a large number of coaches are already bronze certified.
-planning on offering Silver Coaching College in conjunction with Cadet/Jr Camp
-1st step towards silver certification is attending the silver college, 2nd step is preparing reports
-Benefits if Silver Certification: can travel with national teams to international competition, can go to Olympic Training Center for free
-Merle Crockett, SWWC, asked how many people participated in the last Silver College. Answer about 12
-Adam France, 3D, asked how many completed it. Answer: about half.

Cadet Director, Chris Feist:
-Reported a productive season. No major injuries.
-11th Greco Duals, 13th in Freestyle Duals
-7th out of 44 at Greco Nationals most All Americans in a few years (8).
-12th out of 45 at Freestyle Nationals (4) All Americans
-Great Coaching

Junior Director, Luke Leifer:
-Jr Duals were bracketed differently this year. Teams were bracketed first then pooled.
Greco 6-3
Freestyle 3-3
-hard to get the best kids to participate in duals as many have to choose between Fargo and Duals and Fargo takes precedence
-At Fargo
Greco 11th place 5 All Americans
Freestyle 17th place 3 All Americans
-Pleasure as a coach

Western Kids Director, Sean Ekerson:
-2nd in Greco, 4th in Freestyle had a solid team
-3rd year in a row All American Team

Eastern Kids Director, Ron Beard:
-#’s were up at Western Regionals this year. With approximately 140 kids from Washington
-at Kid’s Nationals 42 kids, 3 Greco Champions, 3 Freestyle Champions, 20 placed at Greco, 19 placed at Freestyle
-Tom Martin mentioned that Ron was selected as the Developmental Coach of the year at Western Regionals

Travel Director, Suzie Velarde:
-no report
-Merle Crockett, SWWC, stated he thought his travel arrangements were outstanding this year.

Promotions Director, Ty Michaelson:
-The WSWA is entering the 2nd year of its 2 year t-shirt contract with NW Design

Website Director, Dave Gilbertson:
-In the process of reformatting the website

New Business:
-According to a report from the USAW Washington doubled the participation of other states at regionals
-the NW Regional tournament is the largest in the nation
-Merle shared that he recently finished a 32×92 wrestling room for people to use

Election of Directors:

The position of Deputy Director is currently held by Jim Burchett. His position is unopposed.
The position of Treasurer is currently held by Mary Ann Douglas. Her position is unopposed
The position of Eastern Kids Director is currently help by Ron Beard. His position is unopposed.
The position of Officials Director is currently held Tony Arrendondo who is stepping down. Tom Martin has asked to run for this position.

A motion was made by MT Ayers of Tri-City to accept those who ran unopposed. Jason Dick of Elma seconds. The motion was carried unanimously.

Craig Hanson and Fred Pulphus are running for the position of Coaches Director. Craig Hanson is elected.

Luke Leifer and Andy Cook are running for the position of Jr. Director. Luke Leifer is elected.

2013 State Tournament Bids
Folkstyle State:
Tacoma South Sound Sports (TSSC) presented a proposal to host the state tournament the Sunday, and if needed the Monday, following high school state at the Tacoma Dome (February 17/18, 2013).
Craig Hanson, Viper Wrestling Club in Spokane, also submitted a proposal to host state, but said he would support the Tacoma tournament and host the tournament if a back-up is needed. If the tournament is in Spokane it would be held on January 26/27, 2013

Membership Discussion: like the idea of following the high school tournament.
Questions: Would there be a spectator fee? Parking fee? Answer, this is negotiable depending on grants available.
Question: Would families be able to bring in their own food? Answer, no.
Question: Would the WSWA be able to use our contacted t-shirt vendor? Answer, probably, will look into this.
Question: What is the deadline for a decision? Answer , October 31.

Ballots are issued and counted. The TSSC proposal is approved for consideration.

Freestyle and Greco State:
Tacoma South Sound Sports (TSSC) presented a proposal to host the state tournaments in one weekend at either the Tacoma Dome or the Showplex.

The Snohomish County Sports Commission presented a proposal to host the state tournaments in one weekend in the City of Monroe at multiple venues.

Membership Discussion: Mary Ann Douglas thanks the Snohomish County Sports Commission for their proposal, but it is logistically impossible to run multiple locations for the tournament.
Matt Iwiki, Eastside WC, not in favor of combining styles. Prefers keeping styles separated to give athletes time to train
Bodi Orton, Mt. Vernon Pitbulls, states that combining styles is a disadvantage for athletes who have to weigh-in twice
Dave Gilbertson stated that the tournaments used to be run together.
Chris Feist suggests it is a good idea as it mimics the National format.
MT Ayers agrees that it is a good idea to prepare for the higher level
Mike Derda, Wolverine WC, says combining the tournaments will save families money by eliminating multiple weekends of travel.

Ballots are issued and Folkstyle at the Tacoma Dome on February 17th and Freestyle/Greco at the Tacoma Dome on April 27,28 get the most votes.

Jay Terry clarifies that the vote gives the board permission to pursue the feasibility of holding the tournament at the Tacoma Dome, if it is cost prohibitive the Folkstyle Tournament will go to Spokane and the Freestyle/Greco would reopen for bids. The bidding would be done via email.

Changes Needed in by-laws/policies and procedures

Proposed by Jay Terry
1).Article III #1 Annual meeting needs to be changed to from 3rdSaturday in August to the third Saturday in September.
Reasoning: The National State Chairman’s meeting is the 3rdweekend of August. Labor Day is the 1st Monday of September. Many of our coaches coach football and the 1st and 2nd Saturday of September usually have football games. This also give everybody a bigger break from Fargo to think about the next season. This will also help in or fiscal year report the runs from first day of September each year.
Dennis Herren, Auburn Slam makes motion to make change, Andy Cook, Vandit Wrestling Academy seconds. Motion passes.

2).Article III # 4Notice of Meeting needs to change to e-mail notice and posted on the web-site.
Reasoning: Cost savings and modern technology
Kawika Vaughn, Ferndale Force makes motion to make change, MT Ayers Tri-Cities seconds. Motion passes.

3).Article IV # 2 Structure of the Board Changes: Open/Espoir/Women’s Director needs to become two positions, Women’s Director and Senior/FILA Director.
Reasoning: The women’s division has grown to the point that it needs its own director with voting rights. We should also rejuvenate our Senior Division and add to the FILA divisions of Cadet, Junior, University. This position would be appointed on a trial basis with no voting rights. If this passes we will need to also change the responsibilities of the board position.
MT Ayers Tri-Cities makes motion to make change, Andy Cook, Vandit Wrestling Academy seconds. Motion passes.

4). Article IV #2 Structure of Board Changes: The Membership Director should have voting rights.
Reasoning: The potion is a vital part of the WSWA and should have a vote on how we conduct business. If this passes we will also need to amend the number of voting members from 11 to 12 and possibly the non-voting members as well.
Mike Derda, Wolverine WC, makes motion to make change, Jason Dick, Elma Wrestling Club seconds. Motion passes.

5). Article IV #3 N,O,P,Q,R and added ones. Develop responsibilities for the positions of membership director, website director, travel director, promotions director, official photographer and senior/FILA director if approved.
Reasoning: We don’t have any established.
Andy Cook, Vandit Wrestling Academy makes motion to develop duties, MT Ayers Tri-Cities seconds. Motion passes.

6). Article IV # 5 Change the wording in the election of the board of directors to represent any changes passed in item 3 and 4.
Reasoning: To be consistent with the wording in the other section of the by laws.
MT Ayers Tri-Cities makes motion. Kawika Vaughn, Ferndale Force seconds. Motion passes.

7). Article V #5 We may need to increase the amount of our exceeding funds from $250.000 a higher amount allowed by law.
Reasoning: Inflation and the desire to fund national teams
Kawika Vaughn, Ferndale Force moves to change wording to “the maximum allowed by law” instead of $250,000. Mike Derda seconds. Motion passes.

8). Article VI #2 Deadline dates for Folkstyle tournaments need to be change to accommodate the later fall meeting. I would suggest October 15 as the first deadline and October 31 as the second. I also suggest that tournaments be immediately placed on the schedule as soon as they are approved and not wait until the October 31 deadline. This should also take place for freestyle and Greco tournaments.
Reasoning: faster notification of sanctioned tournaments
MT Ayers Tri-Cities makes motion. Andy Cook, Vandit Wrestling Academy seconds. Motion passes.

9). Article VI #4 Schedule should be kept by the membership director not the treasurer.
Reasoning: the membership director is in charge of tournament sanctions. MT Ayers Tri-Cities makes motion. Jeneen Hanson, Viper WC, seconds. Motion passes.

10). Article VI #6 The site of the WSWA State tournaments will be at a location chosen by the WSWA board. All efforts will be used to rotate these tournaments throughout the state as long a cost effective and large enough facility can be secured.
Reasoning: The WSWA will take over the hosting of state tournaments in an effort to raise money to subsidize national teams.
MT Ayers Tri-Cities makes motion. Jason Dick, Elma Wrestling Club seconds. Motion passes.

11). Article VI #9 Delete and replace with Clubs hosting a sanctioned WSWA/USA event will be required to work a table at the respective state tournament for that style. If the club host two tournaments then they will need to work two tables etc. Also clubs with 20 or more members who attend a state tournament will be required to run a table at that state tournament.
Reasoning: no need to have the rooming info if the state is running the tournament and we need all the help we can get to run the tables.
Discussion on how this will be enforced, what sort of penalty would there be.
Steve Roughton, Ferndale Force makes motion to table. MT Ayers Tri-Cities seconds. Item is tabled.

12). Article VII Remove the wording Espoir and Open in replace with FILA and Senior
Reasoning: we no longer have those divisions.
MT Ayers Tri-Cities makes motion. Andy Cook, Vandit Wrestling Academy seconds. Motion passes.

13). Article VIII #4 F. Remove the last line about outstanding finances and put it in its own category #4 and add that any money owed to the state for any reason will exclude said member from participation in any WSWA event.
Reasoning: Makes it more clear.
Matt Iwicki suggests changing the word “will” to “may”
Jay agrees
Remove the last line about outstanding finances and put it in its own category #4 and add that any money owed to the state for any reason may exclude said member from participation in any WSWA event.
MT Ayers Tri-Cities makes motion. Andy Cook, Vandit Wrestling Academy seconds. Motion passes.

Policy Change submitted by Craig Hanson:
Mat and Pairings officials who are 18 or younger shall serve a one year apprenticeship before full pay is awarded. They would receive a flat rate of $30 per day with no overtime pay.
MT Ayers Tri-Cities makes motion. Kim Burchett seconds. Motion passes.

Kirk Caulkins is not present to present his proposal. Mary Ann Douglas moves to table it. MT Ayers Tri-Cities seconds. Motion passes.

Matt Iwicki proposed changes to Article VII – Eligibility are set out below (the underlined text is the proposed new language).
ARTICLE VII – ELIGIBILITY
1. GENERAL
All competitive members of the Washington State Wrestling Association shall be current members of the USA Wrestling and shall conform to the rules of the current edition of the USA Wrestling International Wrestling Rules, including age requirements for determination of eligibility for participation in Kids, Cadets, Juniors, Espoirs and Open Division programs and activities.
2. TEAM WASHINGTON
In order to compete in USA Wrestling regional or national competition as a member of Team Washington or otherwise representing the State of Washington the athlete shall be a member in good standing of the Washington State Wrestling Association and a legal resident of the State of Washington, or a legal resident of another state who has been released by the Chairperson of the different state and accepted by the Chairperson of the Washington State Wrestling Association with the approval of USA Wrestling.
3. ATHLETE RELEASE
An athlete who is a member in good standing of the Washington State Wrestling Association and who is a legal resident of the State of Washington may participate for another state in USA Wrestling regional and national competition if released by the Chairperson of the Washington State Wrestling Association and accepted by the Chairperson of the different state with the approval of USA Wrestling. The athlete seeking release shall complete the athlete section of a release form provided by USA Wrestling, and submit it to the Chairperson of the Washington State Wrestling Association as well as the Chairperson of the different state for completion and return the form to USA Wrestling. Once completed, the form is verification that the athlete is released to compete for the different state in USA Wrestling regional and national competition. A completed release will be valid from the date of completion through the end of the current membership season (August 31). An athlete may be released a maximum of one (1) time per membership season. The Chairperson of the Washington State Wrestling Association shall promptly approve any properly submitted USA Wrestling Athlete Release form submitted by an athlete member in good standing of the Washington State Wrestling Association who is a legal resident of the State of Washington.

Membership discusses changes.
Jeremy Mast, Steelclaw, moves to table. Adam France, 3-D, seconds. Motion passes.

2013 State Tournaments Bids
Folkstyle: Tacoma Dome February 17
Freestyle-Greco: Tacoma Dome April 27, 28

Local Tournament Bids
Proposed Tournaments
November
10th Region 1 Mount Vernon
Region 3 Spartans @ NC
11th Region 1 Mt Vernon
17th Region 1 Stanwood
18th Region1 Stanwood WWKWL
23rd Region 2 Tough Guy
24th Region 2 Turkey

December
1st Region 1 Burlington WWKWL
2nd Region 1 Ferndale Force
Region 2 Federal Way
8th Region 1 Novice
9th Region 1 Steel Claw
Region 2 NWWC
Region 3 TriCities or Ephrata
16th Region 2 Eatonville
29th Region1 Snoqualmie Valley Novice
30th Region 1 Yellow Jackets

January
5th Region 1 Stanwood (Oregon Classic Qualifier)
6th Region 1 Steelclaw Novice WWKWL
12th Region 1 Bad Draw
13th Region 1 Bad Draw Novice
19th Region 1 Arlington
20th Region 1 Arlington WWKWL

February
9th Region 1 Bad Draw
10th Region 1 WWKWL State Bad Draw
23rd Region 2 Elma

March
2nd Region 1 Vandit Freestyle
Region 2 Montesano
9th Region 1 Ferndale Force Freestyle
Region 2 Bear Claw
Region 3 Spartan Free/Greco @ NC
15,16,17 Region 2 Twin City 3-Style
16th Region 3 Central Valley Freestyle
23rd Region 1 Sedro Woolley Steel Claw Freestyle
Region 2 Federal Way
Region 3 Columbia Basin FUNStyle @ Pasco
April
5,6,7 Region 3 Viper 3-Style
6 Region 2 Adna or Centralia
12,13,14 Region 1 Bad Draw 3-Style
13 Region 2 3D
20 Region 1 Vandit Greco
Region 2 Auburn
Region 3 Pasco
May
3,4,5 Region 1 Bad Draw 3-Style
12 Region 2 Bear Claw Greco

Meeting adjourns at 5pm

Respectfully submitted,
Beth Michaelson, Secetary