The deadline for nominations for the American Randonneur for 2011 has been extended to January 15th.

Janice Chernekoff reminds us that the deadline for PBP 2011 American stories and memories is approaching. If you would like your PBP 2011 story, photos and other art work included in our print publication which will be released mid-2012, please submit to Janice by December 31, 2011. Please title all inquiries and submission with an appropriate subject line such as PBP Submission and send to editor@rusa.org. Thanks!

Once a year, the RUSA Board of Directors and the RUSA Awards Committee present an award to a member of the organization who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to randonneuring in the United States.

This person is to be recognized for having gone above and beyond the call of duty to help our niche of cycling grow. It can be a RBA who has dramatically increased brevet participation, a hard-working RUSA volunteer, or someone who has helped randonneuring flourish by a selfless act, good sportsmanship, camaraderie, or by being a good samaritan.

RUSA wishes to recognize that special volunteer and inspire others to do the same. This is a most prestigious award, a high honor of American Randonneuring. It is the only award we have that names a single winner; all other awards can be earned each season by any number of our members who qualify successfully.

This person must be a RUSA member. (Check the RUSA website Members Search to see if the person that you have in mind is a current member and note their membership number).

The American Randonneur Award is given by the RUSA Board. The names come from the general membership. The Board then votes on the award winner. Please note that the Board has decided to exempt itself from any active nominations for this award in order to avoid possible conflicts of interest that could then affect other Board matters. If an American Randonneur Award nomination comes in for a sitting Board member, it is held over until that s term of office is ended and then placed among the next batch of nominees.

Fill out a candidate submission form (PDF) and send your nomination via the US Postal Service by December 31(UPDATE: Extended to Jan 15) .

The RUSA Membership Office announces the availability of the new RUSA Online Membership Services. RUSA is now able to accept membership renewals online with payment by PayPal or by check. New memberships and change-of-address requests can also be accepted with the interface.

RUSA wishes to thank everyone who volunteered to help with our newsletter, American Randonneur. We're grateful for such an eager willingness to help from a terrific group of volunteers. We are in the process of developing a strong committee to take on this important role. Thank you all very much.

We are pleased to report that Rob Hawks has been elected and that Eric Vigoren has been reelected to the RUSA Board of Directors. John Lee Ellis has been reelected as the RBA Liaison. The vote tally was:

Brenda Barnell	107
Jonathan Berk	47
*Rob Hawks	126
Paul Johnson	95
*Eric Vigoren	196
John Lee Ellis	7

We express our thanks to all of the candidates who stood for election this fall.

Janice Chernekoff has generously volunteered to edit a volume of PBP 2011 American stories and memories. Fortunately, her colleague and desktop publishing expert, Amy Brien, has graciously agreed to help with the design of the volume. We are pleased, therefore, to solicit PBP 2011 stories, photos and other art work that you think suitable for inclusion. Please try to select stories that have not been widely published elsewhere. All submissions must be submitted by December 31, 2011. We hope to have the volume ready for publication not later than mid-June 2012. Electronic submissions are preferred. Questions and submissions can be sent to Janice Chernekoff at editor@rusa.org. Please title all inquiries and submission with an appropriate subject line such as PBP Submission. We look forward to hearing from you.

Board elections are happening now until October 15. You can find a copy of the ballot and the candidate statements HERE.

Candidates in RUSA's 2011 Board of Directors election are:

• Brenda Barnell
• Jonathan Berk
• Rob Hawks
• Eric Vigoren
• Paul Johnson

The position of RBA Representative to the Board becomes available each year.

The candidate for the position of RBA Representative in the 2011 election is John Lee Ellis.

Candidates' statements, along with ballots and instructions for voting, will be included in the next quarterly issue of the American Randonneur and on the RUSA website.

Two positions on the RUSA Board of Directors will become available at the end of the year. Members may nominate two current RUSA members to run for those two positions. The General Membership List is available for viewing online at www.rusa.org. A nomination form is included in the May 2011 issue of the American Randonneur. You can find the nomination form online HERE. To submit your nominations, please mail the form to:

 Mark Thomas Brevet Coordinator 13543 160th Ave NE Redmond, WA 98052 

The nominations deadline is July 15. Nominations must be received by that date.