It is time again for our annual elections. Five RUSA members (Ed Felker, Phyllis Hamilton, Greg Olmstead, Cecil Reniche-Smith, and Jennifer Wise) have been nominated for positions on the RUSA Board. RUSA member John Lee Ellis has been nominated for the position of RBA Liaison. The general board members serve three-year terms, while the RBA Liaison, nominated by the RBAs, serves a one-year term.

For a copy of the ballot and to read about the candidates, visit http://rusa.org/vote.html.

Ballots are due by October 15.

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 2009 issue of the American Randonneur. You can find the nomination form online at HERE. To submit your nominations, please mail the form to:

 Edward Robinson RUSA Secretary 3750 N. Sam Houston Blvd. San Benito, TX 78586. 

The nominations deadline is July 1. Nominations must be postmarked by that date, or emailed no later than the end of that day.

Under RUSA's Constitution the Regional Brevet Administrators appoint one of the current RBAs to serve as an elected Director on RUSA's board. The elected RBA may not already be serving on the board. Only RBAs can nominate other RBAs. The term of office for the Director is one year.

The list of current RBAs is available for viewing online at www.rusa.org. A nomination form is included in the May 2009 issue of the American Randonneur. You can find the nomination form online at HERE. To submit your nominations, please mail the form to:

 Edward Robinson RUSA Secretary 3750 N. Sam Houston Blvd. San Benito, TX 78586. 

The nominations deadline is July 1. Nominations must be postmarked by that date, or emailed no later than the end of that day.

Effective January 1, 2009, each Permanent ride by a RUSA member will count toward the member's annual kilometer total, and thus toward the member's eligibility for Distance Awards. This includes repeat rides of a particular Permanent route. Under the former rule, RUSA members were entitled to distance credit only once per year for riding a given Permanent route; that restriction has been eliminated. For more information on the annual Distance Awards, visit http://www.rusa.org/award_rd.html.

The ACP's Jean-Gualbert FABUREL (one of its Vice Presidents) has sent an email to all of the RM member countries explaining plans to limit entries for PBP 2011. You can read his announcement HERE. RUSA is still studying the implications for our members.

RUSA Distance Award stock has arrived and will be shipped out by our volunteer to applicants in the next couple of weeks. Thanks for your understanding and patience, and congratulations on your distance achievements!

Super Randonneur Jersey Contest Winner

March 6, 2009 The RUSA board would like to thank RUSA members Dion Dyer, Bruce Chandler, Robert Higdon and Jennifer Wise for submitting designs to the RUSA Super Randonneur jersey contest. Each design was distinctly different from the next, and each contained elements representing the achievement of being a Super Randonneur. Members can view all the entries at http://sr-jersey.rusa.org/. In the end, design # 1 was chosen to be the official RUSA SR jersey. The RUSA Super Randonneur jersey will be available for sale to any RUSA member who has completed a RUSA sanctioned Super Randonneur brevet series. The jersey will be produced and sold on a pre-order basis only. Members may pre-order the jersey via the RUSA online store. The deadline to order is October 1. Super Randonneur jersey orders are expected to be filled and shipped by December 31. Questions? contact souvenirs@rusa.org.

The solution to the February 2009 Crossword puzzle can be found HERE and HERE(pdf).

Attention members! There are still a few RUSA 10th Anniversary medals left in stock. If you completed a RUSA sanctioned brevet on the weekend of August 16-17 2008, and would like a commemorative RUSA 10th Anniversary medal, order it now from the RUSA Online Store.Going, going, gone!

RUSA invites members to submit a design for the new RUSA Super Randonneur jersey. The member who submits the winning design will get the honour of seeing his or her jersey fabricated and made available for all RUSA members who have completed a Super-Randonneur series of RUSA brevets in a single year. The winner will also receive a complimentary jersey (SR jersey if SR-qualified; otherwise, a RUSA jersey). Entries must show the front and back of the jersey in color. Entries must be emailed to souvenirs@rusa.org in a PDF, JPG or TIFF format. Designs must be submitted by February 1 2009. The RUSA board will review entries. The winning design will be chosen by the board and announced in the May 2009 newsletter.