ATTENDEES (b=board member): Mike Dayton, John Lee Ellis (b), James Kuehn, Cecil Reniche-Smith (b), Edward Robinson, Lois Springsteen (b), Mark Thomas (b), Eric Vigoren (b), and Jennifer Wise (b)
- Committee Reports.
Treasurer Eric Vigoren reported to the Board regarding RUSA's finances, noting that there were no issues of concern.
Jennifer Wise, on behalf of the RUSA Store, reported on matters associated with Paris-Brest-Paris 2011. Jennifer noted the arrival of reflective vests for use at PBP, with anticipated timely delivery of pre-ordered vests to RUSA members. Based on feedback provided to Board members to date, it appeared that most RUSA members ordered the French-law-compliant vest for purposes of attending PBP, and there was no significant interest in the vest for domestic use. The Board thus determined that RUSA would not carry the vest as a regular Store item at this time. Jennifer noted further that the RUSA PBP commemorative jersey was scheduled for delivery to RUSA members by month's end.
Mark Thomas reported as Brevet Coordinator, observing that many of the organization's RBAs had done a good job in promptly submitting results from recent events, thereby assisting RUSA members who needed the results for PBP qualification.
Lois expressed appreciation to Mark for his ongoing work on RUSA's PBP "wiki" site. On the issue of PBP, Lois observed that RUSA had returned additional PBP rider slots to the ACP for reallocation. The additional slots remained available in light of RUSA's current PBP registration numbers, which remained below the generous country quota that RUSA's members earned by riding events in 2010.
Mark also reported on nominations in the upcoming RUSA Board of Directors election. Eight members had been nominated, six had indicated that they would participate as candidates, one had declined, and one remained undecided.
Lois and the Board expressed appreciation to Mike Dayton for the excellent pre-PBP publication that recently was mailed to RUSA's membership. Lois had received compliments on the publication, praising the breadth, quality, and timeliness of the PBP-related content.
- PBP Communications and Planning.
Board members identified no final issues that warranted discussion at this time.
- Online Membership Renewal System.
Mr. Kuehn reported on the continuing effort toward development of RUSA's online membership registration and renewal system. Among other things, core membership functions were operational now, and Mr. Kuehn expected to conduct a variety of system tests, as well as minor, related RUSA Store updates, over the coming weeks.
- American Explorer Award.
The Board discussed issues related to the American Explorer Award proposal. Development of the physical award was underway, while software support for the award needed to await substantial completion of the online membership renewal system. Mr. Kuehn addressed, and the Board further discussed, a number of issues associated with the award. Several issues were to be sent to Ken Knutsen, the award's proponent, for development and clarification.
- RUSA 5000 Award.
The Board again took up whether to offer a domestic award similar to the ACP's R5000 Award. John Lee had provided an introductory proposal for discussion purposes. After consideration of several issues pertaining to the potential award, including the scope and counting of qualifying events, the award's calendar cycle, possible name confusion with the ACP's award, and implementation of the award in RUSA's online database, the Board members agreed that John Lee should incorporate the Board's discussions into an updated award proposal for further consideration.
- Miscellaneous Issues.
The Board agreed that back issues of the recently-published PBP newsletter could be stocked and offered for sale through the Store.
Board members also discussed the status of RUSA members' R-5000 Award applications and the ACP's schedule for accepting award applications.