Board of Directors Update
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by USA Racquetball
BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION UNDERWAY!
To keep members fully informed, USAR Election Committee activities, processes, and progress have been reported in detail beginning with the October issue of Serving Up the News through last month’s issue (January 2021). The voting time period is March 1-31. Full annual USAR members 18 years and over are eligible to vote at the following link: https://www.r2sports.com/tourney/home.asp?TID=37322
The two available At Large Elected seats will be filled by the two top vote-getters, and results will be announced the first week of April. There is no charge or fee to vote. Thank you for participating in the 2021 election!
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GET TO KNOW YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The makeup of the USAR Board of Directors is robust, including four state association presidents, two pro tour commissioners, the NMRA president, several business owners, three elite racquetball athletes, and encompassing a wide range of attributes brought from multiple areas of business, education, and racquetball experience.
Visit https://www.teamusa.org/usa-racquetball/leadership/board-of-directors to view Board members’ photos and profiles. Just click on each photo to see the profile, and click on the name to send an email!
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MOST RECENT BOARD MEETING -- HIGHLIGHTS
The Board met for its monthly meeting (generally the last Monday of each month) on January 22nd via Zoom, and following are some points of interest.
With all 14 Board members and Executive Director Mike Wedel in attendance, the Board welcomed T. J. Baumbaugh, who was appointed to fill a recent At Large vacancy expiring in May 2022.
USA Racquetball Board Performance Assessment
The results report (conducted by Boardspan via the USOPC Governance Institute) was shared with the full Board of Directors. This assessment covered many areas of Board management, such as Culture, Governance, Risk Management, and Strategy. President Dan Whitley requested that Board members communicate with him on areas they feel require the Board’s further attention.
Executive Director Update
Mike Wedel provided information on the following topics:
- SafeSport and background check screening
- USAR’s website: under continuous improvement
- WOR website: being integrated into USAR’s website
- Real Racquetball Show - schedule and future content plan
- Plans for an inaugural USAR multi-event this summer (subsequently announced to take place in St. Louis)
Financial Update
The impact of the postponed 2020 UnitedHealthcare U.S. Open is now evident in USAR’s diminished cash position relative to previous years. Once all accounting is finalized, 2020 is expected to be a break-even year. While 2021 is still anticipated to be a challenging year financially, a second-draw SBA PPP loan has improved the cash outlook for the year. With an eye toward maintaining liquidity, discussion will take place regarding the desirability of paying down or paying off loans acquired in 2020 to help minimize any interest expense incurred.
USA Racquetball Policy for Transgender Athletes
USAR staff members have devoted extensive attention toward devising a policy for fairness and inclusion. Outside resource utilization and consultation have supported the efforts. The goal of this policy will be to provide transgender athletes an avenue to participate in Racquetball and to do so in a fair manner.
The Board reviewed a draft document in this meeting. Next steps are for Mike Wedel and several Board members to consider several additional points of discussion before bringing the next draft to the Board for potential ratification.
Committee Updates
Election Committee
See above in this update.
Legislative Committee
Committee members and USAR staff met with USOPC representatives in February to clarify recommendations that arose from the USOPC’s Consultative Review conducted in October/November 2020. Bylaws revisions and other process changes and enhancements will be undertaken by the Legislative Committee. The work will be driven by an end-of-second-quarter 2021 deadline.
Marketing/PR Committee
Board members on the reorganized Marketing/PR Committee have presence on 13 of the 18 standing committees (72%); they comprise 36% of the Board of Directors. Mike Wedel shared his thoughts on the importance and functions of this committee, i.e., consulting to the other committees on ideas and assistance that can be provided. The committee will meet monthly and provide frequent updates to the Board.
Membership Committee
The Happy ReNew Year -- Racq etball is Missing U! initiative concluded on February 10th.
Fifty-six members won a variety of giveaways. The committee is in the process of contacting the winners.
Scholarship Committee
Twenty-seven individuals submitted applications, and the committee narrowed the field from 27 to 4. A motion was passed to award $500 scholarships to each of the four 2021 recipients.
PARC/IRF Boards -- Approval for Candidacies
Cheryl Kirk provided a document and a verbal request for USAR’s approval to run for Board positions with the Pan American Racquetball Confederation (PARC) and with the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) in each organization’s next election. The Board approved her candidacies.
Next Meeting: March 29, 2021
We hope you are finding this newsletter feature interesting, and we always welcome suggestions and/or questions for future articles. Please contact Stewart Solomon (VP) or Cheryl Kirk (Secretary).
If you have questions about the Staff’s activities, please contact Mike Wedel.
Stay safe and healthy, everyone!
