Minutes
Western
Pennsylvania
Orienteering Club
8 November 2015
Memberships represented: Barak(2), Battista, Downey, Freeman, Geissler(2), Huang, Huffman, Jarvis, Knecht, Livingston, Logan, Opila, Rzewski(2), Shank, Sheaffer, Snow, Steinbring, Strat, Wolfe.
1.
Minutes
from 9 November, 2014 were approved.
The following board members were nominated and seconded and elected by acclamation, as there were no other nominations- each to a two year term.
• Joe Logan
• Alexis Rzewski
• Nine orienteering events held, plus a training event at Deer Lakes and Raccoongaine.
• Club members held 19 workshops in a wide variety of locations around Western PA. Ten of these were provided for specific groups and nine were open to the public. There were also several events that orienteering information was distributed to the public and one formal presentation.
• New Maps this year include Laurel Ridge Ski Area and a start on North Park. Map updates this year include Blue Spruce and Stackhouse Park. The Laurel Hill map was extended.
• WPOC thanked the Meet Directors, Vetters, Workshop Presenters, Volunteer Coordinator, Membership Coordinator and all the Volunteers for their many hours of service to the club. Volunteer Coordinator Ryan Knecht and Membership Coordinator Sherry Shank are willing to continue in their positions for 2016. The club is now calling for Meet Directors for 2016, and would like more people to step up at Vetters.
WPOC Board authorized the club computer to be fixed. The board will look into purchasing more electronic punching boxes in the upcoming year.
A financial report was made for WPOC through November , 2015. Discussion was had regarding how some meets cost more than others and the fact that no income during certain meets/events is planned. The report shows the club to be financially stable. A complete report for 2015 will be sent to the membership in January after the fiscal year is completed.
The club discussed the goals for next year to include ten or more local events with at least one being a training event. Plans are in the works to tentatively hold a ski orienteering event in January (with no walkers or pets allowed to participate). The club will try to schedule a Night meet in the fall of 2016. The club will continue to hold promotional and training events for newcomers to orienteering.
Jim Wolfe discussed the lack of focus on National Orienteering Day at the national level.
The club members who worked registration discussed how the list of participants who signed waivers made the registration process move more quickly. Jim Wolfe explained how time consuming it was for him to make the lists for each event. It was decided to continue with the waiver lists for the 2016 year.
Ideas to increase volunteerism were discussed. More people are needed to step up and be Vetters, but they must have had experience being a Meet Director first. Also, it was discussed that at certain meets or certain shifts at some meets that the club might be able to reduce the number of people needed at registration. Finally, it was also suggested that more meet directors consider creating Cross Country courses at the advanced level as opposed to Score-O courses, then plan a way for the Cross Country course to be shortened to a Brown level for any of the more advanced, but slower competitors who would like to do advanced courses and also volunteer at the same meet. Faster members at the advanced level could continue to run the Red Course, slower members could do the shortened version of the Red without penalty of not having enough time to finish before their volunteer shift starts. And members who are interested in attempting the advanced course, but are concerned about the length would have this option as well. This idea of a Red level course with several controls removed to create a Brown level course was met with much enthusiasm from the membership in attendance.
8. No New Business.