CONNECTICUT SWIMMING, INC. HOUSE OF DELEGATES Minutes October 28, 1997 PRESENT: BOARD: Mary Anne Condon (General Chairman), Michael Close (Administrative Vice-chairman), Chris Pac (Program Development Chairman), Mary Lynch (Program Operations Chairman), Bob Olson (Secretary), Barbara Ehmer (Treasurer), Ellen Johnston (Senior Committee Chairman), Edward Easley (Official Committee Chairman), Judy Snow (Registration/Membership Coordinator), Roxanne Smietana (Safety Committee Chairman), George Miles (Technical Planning Chairman). COACH REPRESENTATIVES: Rob Riccobon (Senior Representative) and Chris Michaelson (Junior Representative). ATHLETE REPRESENTATIVES: Not present. AT-LARGE: Pam Libertiny (Administrative vice-co-Chairman), Anita Garaffa (Awards Chairman) and Steve Carroll (Senior Meet Manager). MEMBER REPRESENTATIVES: CAT-Carol Navaro, CDEV-Imma Canelli, HNHS-Peter Madden, LEHY-Linda Ducharme, MGAT-Joe Duffy, NCY-Al Laprino, NES-Barbara Lagana, OAK-Devvie Phillips, OMNI-Peter Cuticello, PSDY-Skip Nitardy, RAC-Karen Wood, RHSL-Steven Ware, TP-Linda Dunn, WBAR-Robert Godreau, WRAT-Bill Krumm, WYW-Joanna Meeker. NOT PRESENT: Board: Victor Xistris (Finance Vice-chairman), Beverly Medlin (Age Group Committee Chairman), Leanne Spletzer (Past General Chairman), Caragh Moynihan (Senior Athlete Representative), Kimberly Richardson (Junior Athlete Representative), Rick Lewis (Coach-at-Large). At-Large: Tim Quill (Camp Coach), Ed Steinnagel (Meet Sponsorship Committee), Jim Cooper (Technology Coordinator) and Mary Ellen Brigham (Zone Team Coordinator). Member teams without representatives present: ARAC, BEAR, BRIS, BRS, CSPL, EDST, EHBB, ERA, FFLY, FINS, FOX, GYWD, HMST, ICOS, MCC, MSC, NMEG, NMST, NMY, NSC, NTSC, NWYL, PAC, RAYS, RPDS, SEC, SHEL, SHKS, STRY, UAC, UCON, VALY, VSYM, WCA, WDOL, WEST, WILD, WIND, WWRX, YCST, ZEUS. ****************************** The meeting was called to order at 7:55pm at the High Plains Community Center by Mary Anne Condon, General Chairman. Mary Anne re-introduced the Roll Call Procedure and explained that each group member representative, Board member, Athlete Representative, Coach Representative and At-Large House Member shall have voice and shall be entitled to one vote in meetings of the House of Delegates. Any individual member who is entitled to vote in the House of Delegates by virtue of holding a position in Connecticut Swimming may not also vote as a Group Member Representative. Also, only the designated group member representative and his /her alternate may vote and his or her name must be in writing and on file in the Connecticut Swimming Office. All designated group member representatives must also be members of United States Swimming to vote. Mary Anne reported that there are currently fifty-seven member clubs, fourteen Board members, two Coach Representatives, two Athlete Representatives and ten At-Large Delegates. The ten At-Large delegates were appointed by the Board at the September 1997 Board of Directors meeting,. Roll Call: Secretary, Bob Olson, took the Roll Call. Approval of the Agenda: Mary Anne inquired if there were any additions to the published agenda. There being none, the agenda was approved as published. Approval of the Minutes of the May 27, 1997 House of Delegates Meeting: Mary Anne introduced the minutes from the May 1997 House of Delegates Meeting which were disseminated earlier this month to all representatives/delegates to this evening's meeting. It was noted that George Miles and Patricia Griffis were not present at the May meeting. Bob Olson made a motion to strike those names from those identified as present. The minutes were approved as revised. Welcome/Announcements: Mary Anne briefly reviewed the purpose of the House of Delegates meeting and thanked everyone who was present. She stated that every one of us is here for one reason -- the swimmers. Our primary goal is provide a program that will promote and provide opportunities for our athletes to achieve the highest level that they are capable of achieving. Mary Anne reported that over the past year and one-half, a substantial number of changes have been made. With an annual budget of over $353,000, it became incumbent on the Board to begin operating more as a business. One of "business" goals of the Board is to publish a Connecticut Swimming Annual Report highlighting each division/committee's accomplishments over the past year, as well as objectives for the coming year. The format of the report will be modeled after United States Swimming's Annual Report. A preliminary preview of the Connecticut Swimming Annual Report has been prepared and is available this evening. Mary Anne stated that the Board further identified the need to put in writing policies, procedures and guidelines to ensure fairness and consistency in the LSC. The Board is working on developing a Connecticut Swimming Policy and Procedure Manual which will be available to each member club. Mary Anne discussed two issues that she believes Connecticut Swimming needs to address in the immediate future. First, Connecticut Swimming is in desperate need of coach input, especially in the area of program development. The non-coach members of the Board, Program Development and other CSI committees are looking for guidance from the coaches - the professionals in our sport. Coaches who are unable to attend committee and/or board meetings but are willing to provide input, are asked to contact committee chairpersons. Mary Anne also noted that there appears to have been a decline in coach participation on CSI committees and the Board of Directors. The second issue involves identifying individuals within our organization who are willing to serve in leadership positions and who will agree to and are capable of making a time and personal commitment to Connecticut Swimming. Mary Anne expressed frustration with CSI committees that do not meet regularly, committees that do not publish minutes of their meetings and individuals who accept positions and do not attend or fully participate in meetings. OLD BUSINESS: Championship Meet Format: The proposed change from the Bronze, Silver and Age Group championship meet progression to three regional and one age group championship meet in the 1998 short course season was discussed. The three regional meets will replace the bronze and silver meets. To insure that all swimmers have an end of season championship meet, the 12 & under age group will have no minimum time standards for the 50 yard events and the 13 & over age groups will have no minimum time standards in the 100 yard events. Elections: Mary Anne announced that in accordance with the CSI By-laws, ten At-large delegates to the House of Delegates for the fiscal year 1997-1998 were recently appointed with the advice and consent of the Board of Directors. The ten at-large positions were filled by individuals on the Board who are currently serving as co-chairmen and by committee chairmen who do not have a vote in the House of Delegates. Wilton, Westport and New Canaan were given the three remaining at-large positions. Mary Anne also announced that in accordance with our bylaws the following positions shall be elected at the May meeting of the House of Delegates: General Chairman, Administrative Vice-chairman, Senior Chairman, Finance Vice-chairman, Program Development Chairman and Secretary. At the last Board meeting Beverly Medlin and Ellen Johnston volunteered to serve on the Nominating Committee. Following a solicitation of nominations from the floor to serve on the Nominating Committee, the following individuals were nominated: Steve Carroll, Tim Murphy and George Miles. Motion was made to accept the nominations which was seconded and approved. NEW BUSINESS: Long Course Meet Format and Procedure: Mary Lynch discussed hosting a 1998 long course meet. The concept of having meets designated as "open" or "invitational" appears to have worked well last summer and will be continued this long course season. June and July meets will have a "Connecticut Only" deadline which will be three weeks prior to the final entry deadline. (May meets will have a single entry deadline.) Mary pointed out that the "Connecticut Only" deadline does not guarantee that all Connecticut teams will have their entries accepted. If the meet fills up prior to the Connecticut deadline or if a Connecticut team submits an entry after the Connecticut deadline and the meet is already fully subscribed, the CT team will be cut from the meet. Connecticut teams that submit their entries prior to the Connecticut only deadline will be considered first before any out of LSC entries are accepted. Mary reported that bidding for the 1998 long course season will be similar to the short course bidding process. All teams will receive a schedule of available pools, as well as a schedule of pool rental costs. Teams will be required to complete a Declaration of Intent to Bid for each meet they wish to host. In the event there are two teams wishing to host a meet at a specific pool on a specific date, a lottery system will be used. Mary re-stated that teams are encouraged to be creative in designing meet formats. The procedure for mailing and publishing meet announcements was discussed. Once each week, meet announcements will be posted on the CSI Web Page. The Connecticut Swimming Office will mail a set of CSI club labels to every team that is hosting a meet. Teams will be responsible for timely submission of meet announcements, for copying meet announcements and for the cost of mailing to both in and out-of-state teams. Meet announcements for out-of-state teams may not be mailed prior to mailing meet announcements to all CSI teams. Teams which fail to follow procedure will be restricted in the future from bidding on meets. Mary also urged teams to shorten meet announcements and to refer to and not recite published policies. This will help in cutting the copying and mailing costs associated with hosting a meet. REPORTS OF OFFICERS: Administrative Vice-chairman: No report -- Michael Close and Pam Libertiny were not present. Treasurer: Barbara Ehmer presented the financial report for the fiscal year ending August 31, 1997. The net income for the fiscal year was $42,911. This income resulted from budgeted programs not occurring. Victor Xistris will prepare recommendations to the Board on the amount of reserves that should be maintained, as well as how we should invest and/or handle our reserves. It was noted that several LSCs maintain reserves equal to approximately one year's operating budget. Finance Vice-chairman: No report - Victor Xistris was not present. Age Group Committee Chairman: No report - Beverly Medlin was not present. Senior Committee Chairman: Ellen Johnston announced that the 1998 short course senior meet will be an open meet. New England Swimming has opted to run its own meet one week prior to our senior meet, the weekend of Age Group Championships. The decision to not host a joint Connecticut New England Senior Championship was not our choice, but was made by New England Swimming at their technical planning meeting last month. Program Development Chairman: Chris Pac expressed her appreciation and thanks to everyone within her division for all their work. Program Operations Vice-chairman: Mary Lynch presented her report earlier. Technical Planning Chairman: George Miles reported that he will utilize the responses he received from questionnaires distributed at Age Group and Senior Championships to develop an agenda for a Coaches Long Range Planning meeting. By obtaining as much input as possible, good long range planniing can take place. It is the intent of the committee to address long range goals beyond the current season. George reviewed championship time standards and the methodology used in developing them. Time standards for both long course and short course championship meets are available. (EXCEPTION: Time standards for long course Regional Championships are not included.) Times which have been adjusted appear in bold print. Please note: There will no longer be heat limited events or events with consideration times at Age Group Championships. Coach Representatives: Rob Riccoban announced that a new coaches' newsletter, The Stopwatch, will be partially sponsored by Metro Swim Shop. Rob and Chris Michaelson are putting together a Senior and Junior Coaches' Representative Handbook. Mary Anne discussed the Coaches Educational Incentive Program and urged coaches to apply. Athlete Representative: No report - Caragh Moynihan and Kimberly Richardson were not present. Coach-at-Large: No report - Rick Lewis was not present. Safety Committee Chairman: Roxanne Smietana asked that each club representative pick up and deliver a safety packet for their Club Safety Chairman. Roxanne reviewed the past year's statistics and complimented those involved in helping to reduce the number of injuries. Officials Committee Chairman: Ed Easley stressed the importance, as well as the responsibility of every team hosting a meet to obtain an adequate number of officials for their meet. Ed reminded teams that if they do not have a referee to officiate at their meet any times swum at that meet will not be "official." Ed reviewed the CSI Scratch procedure and noted that when a swimmer misses an event they are to be removed from their next scheduled event. Mary Anne reminded teams that they are responsible for developing a base of officials within their club. Teams should encourage parents to take the officials course and tests. Officials and properly trained volunteers are vital to the livelihood of teams running meets. Registration/Membership Coordinator: Judy Snow reported that we now have 450 more registered swimmers that we have ever had. All teams hosting meets are required to send to Judy Snow a membership verification disc five days prior to the scheduled meet. Judy also announced that teams who feel a need to change their divisional alignment should submit a request no later than January 1998. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES AND COORDINATORS Zone Team Coordinator: Chris Pac reported for Mary Ellen Brigham who is in the hospital this evening. She briefly discussed the changes approved by the Program Development Committee regarding the zone team selection process for athletes 15 years of age and over. Chris asked that everyone refer to the minutes of the October meeting of the Program Development Chairman. Technology Coordinator: Since Jim Cooper was unavailable this evening, Mary Anne discussed the technology presentation Jim made earlier this month at the URSAS Convention. Awards Chairman: Anita discussed the method of distribution for ribbons, as well as plans for the CSI Awards Banquet scheduled for next month. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:45PM. Respectfully submitted, Robert V. Olson Secretary House of Delegates October 28, 1998 Page 5