12/2002 Meeting Minutes

SRRC Board Meeting Minutes
December 16, 2002

December 16, 2002

Present:  Tim Butler, Ronda Schappaugh, Holly Dahlquist, Catherine O’Connor,
Laura Ferris, Jim Fay, Katie McAfee, Rich Ginter, and Cecil Withrow

Absent:  Steve Snyder

Guests:  Bill Winberg

The meeting was called to order at 5:35 PM.

Minutes from the November Board Meeting were reviewed.  No corrections were
made.  Katie made a motion for approval.  Motion was seconded per Rich.
Minutes unanimously approved.

Jim presented the treasurer’s report.  The balance as of 12/16/02 was
$18,328.17.  Rich made a motion to approve and Katie seconded it.
Treasurer’s report was unanimously approved.

The SRRC still has not received payment from the Race for the Bells 5K.

Guests:

Bill Winberg, director of the Stoneman Sprint Triathlon, was present to
discuss his event.  200 adults and 16 children participated in last year’s
event.  Bill would like the club’s assistance in the success of this race
again this year and will pay the club $1.00 per finisher.  A date of July
19th is being proposed.

President’s Report:

Tim provided an overview of the upcoming Monster Mash/Annual Awards Banquet.
This event will be held on February 2nd, 2003 at 1 PM at the Knights of
Columbus Hall West.  Tim will discuss the Annual Report from 2002, along with
the financial standing and success of the SRRC 2002 running season.  The
Awards Banquet should cost approximately $1,300.00, based on last year’s
prices.  Awards will be given to the individual age group winners, race
directors, and board of directors.

New Business:

The proposed 2003 Race Series was reviewed and accepted.  All 2003 Points
Series races come from this list, but not all races listed here are Points
Series races.  As always, all races are subject to change before race date.
The 2003 Race Series is as followed:  March 15th-The Green Mile; April
5th-Lincoln Memorial ? marathon & 5 mile; April 26th-AMA 5K (this race will
use the previous Art Run 5k course); May 3rd-The Lake Run 12K &4.35 mile
(Bloomington); May 17th-Race for the Bells 5K; May 31st-Passavant PowerAde 5K
(Jacksonville); June 7th-Steamboat Classic 4 mile & 15k (Peoria); June
15th-Iron Horse Triathlon; June 21st-Bob Goldman Scholastic Challenge 5K;
July 4th-Premier Bank 5K (Jacksonville); July 12th-Women’s Distance Festival
2 mile; July 19th-Stoneman Sprint Triathlon; July 26th-3 mile Relay for
Partnership in Education & Athletics; August 7th-Carlberg Grafix/WQLZ Rock
Run 2 mile; August 17th-Abe’s Amble 10K & 2K; September 6th-Havana Polka Pace
5K; September 13th-Art Run 5k (new North side location); September
27th-Autumn Shoreline Classic 15K & 5K (Decatur), October 4th-Unforgettable
Run 5K; October 25th-Lost Bridge Trail Run for Excellence 5 mile; November
2nd-Canal Connection 10K (Utica); November 15th-Jingle Bell 5K (new location
will be sought); and December 7th-Frostbite Festival 10 & 2 mile.

Four new races have been added to the race calendar.  These include: the
3-mile Relay for Partnership in Education and Athletics, the Havana Polka
Pace 5K, the Unforgettable Run 5K, and the Canal Connection 10K.  One race
was not accepted which was the UCP Run, Walk, and Roll which was going to be
held on October the 18th.  The UCP was unable to provide the distance of the
race or location.  A motion to withhold this race was made by Katie and
seconded by Rich.  Unanimously approved.

This series includes:  1-? Marathon, 1-10 miler, 2-15K’s, 1-12K, 2-10K’s, 2-5
milers, 1-4.35 miler, 1-4miler, 9-5K’s, 1-3 mile relay, 2-2 milers, and 1-2K.

Tim provided a brief overview of the Green Mile, which will be held on March
15th.  Some changes are being made and will be provided as his race draws
near.

Express Personnel will not be directing a 5K relay for 2003.  Rich Ginter
has expressed an interest in keeping the relay on the 2003 running calendar.
He would like to direct a 3-mile relay, which would raise money for grade
school education and their athletic programs.  This event will be held on
July 26th and will be a two-person relay with each runner running 1.5 miles.
50% of the profits will be equally distributed to the schools that
participate and the remaining 50% will be based on participation.

A lengthy discussion was held by the Board in regards to the future status of
the SRRC with the RRCA.  Over the past year, the RRCA has been under a
management and financial strain.  Due to this strain, the RRCA has increased
their 2003 insurance and annual dues.  As a result, SRRC’s 2003 annual dues
are $3,008.88 as compared to the 2002 dues of $1,279.64.  In the past, the
Club has only paid for each household membership, not individual membership
(308 households versus 736 members).  A change was made by the RRCA and we
will now be paying per individual member.  This amounts to approximately
$2.25 per individual.  Due to this change as well as the financial difficulty
that the RRCA is undergoing, a new affiliation has been developed, the
American Association of Running Clubs (AARC).  AARC has been formed as an
alternative to the RRCA and they are able to provide our club with liability
insurance.  Their fees would be $2.11 per household or .60 cents per member.
Many larger clubs are currently not renewing with RRCA, including the Chicago
Area Running Association (CARA) and the Atlanta Running Club.  A decision
must be made by December 31, 2002.  After discussing the pros and cons of
this issue, Jim made a motion that we withhold a decision at this time with
further voting to be done via email.  Further discussion needs to be held by
contacting long time leaders of the SRRC, other Illinois running clubs, and
the temporary Board of Directors of the AARC.  If a vote is made to
discontinue our relationship with the RRCA, the SRRC bylaws will be amended
during the 2003 Annual Awards Banquet.  Further action will be provided
within the next 2 weeks via email.  The Board unanimously agreed on the above
decisions.

Discussion:

Tim has contacted Athleticare as being a major sponsor for the 2003 running
season.  Athleticare already sponsors many of the SRRC races and an offer was
made to be a major sponsor.  This would allow Athleticare to provide one
check in the beginning of the season and than be a sponsor for the SRRC
races.  It would also allow them to advertise in the newsletter and at the
SRRC races.  Further information will be provided.

Carl Grafix would also like to be a major sponsor for the SRRC races.  He
would like to provide T-shirts at a very reasonable price for the 2003 race
season.  It was noted that at one time the Club did have a contract with
Primo for a discounted price.  Further information will be provided.

Ronda will be developing a committee to discuss the 2003 Race Point Series.
Further information will be provided at the January Board Meeting.

The next Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 14th, 2003 at 5:30
PM.

Meeting adjourned at 7:20 PM.