ATTENDEES (b=board member): John Lee Ellis (b), Don Hamilton, James Kuehn, Cecil Reniche-Smith (b), Edward Robinson, Lois Springsteen (b), Mark Thomas (b), Eric Vigoren (b), and Jennifer Wise (b)
- RUSA Domestic R-5000 Award Proposal.
The Board considered a RUSA member's "super" distance award proposal, with Mark Thomas suggesting a domestic R-5000 Award as a closely analogous award concept which might be more easily understood and embraced. Such an award was already offered by randonneuring organizations in some countries. The award concept had been rejected by the Board in the past confusingly similar to the ACP R-5000 Award, but John Lee Ellis noted that changed circumstances could make the award more appealing now, particularly in light of the current, ample offerings of domestic 1200km grand randonnées. The Board considered the timing of the award, both in terms of the "look back" period and whether the award would be subject to a periodic cycle, much like the four-year cycle for the existing ACP R-5000 Award. The Board wished to ensure that RUSA members Bill Olsen and Greg Olmstead receive recognition for suggesting awards that led to reconsideration of a domestic R-5000 Award. After the Board agreed that the concept of a domestic R-5000 Award was worth pursuing, John Lee agreed to draft a proposal containing specific criteria for the award for the Board's consideration.
- Safety Study.
Lois addressed the proposal of Jonathan Berk that RUSA conduct a "safety study" regarding the organization's events, which the Board had earlier rejected. Lois emphasized, and the Board members agreed, that RUSA placed a very high priority on rider safety, and that the organization's decision not to pursue Mr. Berk's specific proposal should not be construed otherwise. John Lee commented that RUSA had done a good job of emphasizing safety throughout its ranks, and that if additional efforts were thought necessary, one method would be to establish an online page addressing safety issues and encouraging continued safe practices by event organizers and riders. Mark Thomas suggested additions to the RBA Procedures and Rules for Riders with a similar tone. Other, similar options were discussed, and Board members noted as well that RUSA continued to sell a variety of safety equipment at a subsidized price for the benefit of the membership.
- Director Reports.
John Lee proposed adding a suggestive note to 1200km event guidelines reminding organizers to calendar their events according to actual distance where the events are longer than 1200km. Mark recommended that such listings be limited to events that are significantly longer than 1200km, rather than merely a few kilometers beyond the 1200km minimum.
On a separate matter, John Lee noted that he would submit an updated version of the RBA Procedures soon, and he informed the Board about anticipated changes to the leadership in varius RBA regions.
Edward Robinson noted that RUSA's annual information report with the Rhode Island Secretary of State's Office was completed for 2011.
- PBP Planning and Communications.
Lois and the Board expressed appreciation for Mark's substantial hard work in assisting with various issues that had arisen for RUSA members who were navigating the ACP's PBP registration system. Mark noted that, based on current registration numbers, RUSA attendance would fall comfortably below the organization's ACP quota. In fact, RUSA recently had returned some of the excess capacity in its quota (50 slots) to the ACP to make those slots available for others' use. It was apparent at this time that all RUSA members who wished to attend PBP would be able to do so.
- Software Updates To RUSA's Online Results System.
Lois raised the issue of deployment of an update that would display finishing times as part of the online member results system. Although there was concern about appearing to place undue emphasis on rider speed, John Lee and the Board ultimately agreed that finishing time information could be useful to RUSA members as a whole. As one example, a member might wish to review riders' past results as an aid in determining the difficulty of an event that the member was considering attending. The Board approved deployment of the updated online results system and expressed its gratitude to Mr. Kuehn for implementing the updated software.
- Online Membership Renewal System Update.
Don Hamilton and Mr. Kuehn related progress that had been achieved toward implementing and testing the much-anticipated online membership renewal system. On a related matter, the Board approved updates to RUSA's membership application. The Board, Don, and Mr. Kuehn addressed various other issues associated with the online renewal system, and next steps on the project were identified and set out as goals. Eric Vigoren, John Lee, Lois and the Board as a whole expressed appreciation to Don and to Mr. Kuehn for the substantial and thoughtful efforts they had devoted, and were continuing to devote, to implementing the online membership renewal system.