USA Wildwater Team Committee Minutes 1/17/04	by John Pinyerd USAWildwater Committee Chair

January 17, 2004-- Atlanta, GA

Attendance: Martin Bay, John Pinyerd, Michael Beavers, Chris Hipgrave, Tyler Dyer, Geoff Calhoun and Ben Sandiford

By Phone: Tom Wier and Chris Norbury

- Introductions (JP)

- Committee agrees to distribute minutes of this and future meetings to USACK and to post on usawildwater.com (JP)

- Review of agenda (JP) and open floor to general questions before starting.

o (BS) Is there a sprint at the Canadian Nationals, which is part two of the North American Championships? No one knew. CH will contact organizers.
o TW to send dates of the 8 or 9 PNW 2004 wildwater events to Chris Wiegand and MB
o BS expressed the need to keep USACK in touch with the dates of all events in 2004.
o (JP) USACK has re-launched their web site. MB will work on syncing usawildwater with new usack site.
o Usawildwater.com needs links updated, cut out old clutter, update info on races and clinics.
o All race and clinic info will be sent to Chris Wiegand and MB by the end of January.

- Training Camp Schedules
o (CH) The next NRC clinic is 2/21/2004
o BS will approach Dan Murn about running a camp with the Canadians at the Salmon around Nationals
o Beth Karp has asked for help introducing wildwater to the Cornell paddlers. CH has volunteered, but we may be able to roll this into the Salmon clinic.
o BS will work on a Garmish specific clinic.
o Bob Bofinger is doing a great job introducing kids to wildwater. How can we help him and his kid? CH to make contact.
o We need more clinics and clinic organizers.
o GC thought a pre Team Trials clinic on site would be beneficial.
o Colorado clinic are on going thru Chris Wiegand.
o TW will attempt to tap into the PNW paddling scene for wildwater interest.

- USAWILDWATER.COM
o Race schedule will be updated asap
o Links will be verified and updated asap
o Hand off of site from Micheal Beavers to Martin Bay should be completed 1/19/2004.
o Updated site material needs to be sent to MB asap.
o We need more articles. Paddlers need to start writing or it will be the same people submitting.
o After races and clinics BS suggested that a single point of contact get info back to web site to save us having to chase for material.
o Beavers suggests that the web site could be done better and offered his companies services at cost if we choose to make any changes.
o JP suggests that we may be able to find a programmer within the wildwater community that could make these changes. JP will take the lead and see what surfaces.
o Race schedule will be updated by the end of January.

- International participation
o The committee needs to approximate numbers traveling to Europe this summer. We estimate a complete K1 team, complete C1 team, no K1W and maybe one C2. Again, these are only working guesses for administrative purposes.

- Team Selection Criteria
o How do we select the team going to the Can-Am? CN points out that the selection criteria established in the by-laws are used.
o A review of selection criteria will be done headed by JP

- Uniforms
o CH has met with Layers Inc concerning uniforms and has reached a verbal agreement to supply uniforms. Discussions are ongoing by CH feels confident he can pull in the uniforms needed for the 2004 senior and junior teams.
o (BS) CH will stay in contact with USACK regarding uniforms so we have a consistent message.
o CH will deliver uniforms to team trials.

- Increasing international participation of other countries
o The committee will look for was of increasing opportunities.

- Team Trials Selection Criteria.
o CN will email the selection criteria and by laws to all committee members.
o In a straw pole the committee does support the Czech letter to the ICF in support of separate classic and sprint teams.
o Selection criteria will be sent to Donnie Hudspeth.
o A complete review of the selection criteria is underway by JP.

- MIDDY
o The committee as received word from Middy concerning his training in France. He moved there in November and is training hard. He may not be able to afford to come back for trials and then fly back.
o Is there are way to grant Middy a spot on the K1 team without opening up a can of worms.
o Committee agrees that further discussion is needed on the matter but does completely understand the problem and wants to help.
o The committee will work on a solution and contact Middy.

- Next board meeting
o (JP) Saturday February 21st at 7pm at the NOC.
o CH will work to find conferencing abilities so we can call in absentees.
o The next meeting will be over team trials.

- New Business
o TW is completing the 2003 rankings. They will be available shortly.
* There were fewer races in 2003
* There are no Colorado results as no one will send them in or respond to contact
* There were 50% less juniors.
o BS updated up on the 2008 Kernville bid.
o BS updated committee on the complexities going on inside the ICF wildwater committee.
o BS will draft a letter to the ICF wildwater committee asking for more accountability.

- At Large Positions
o Chris Norbury has agreed to be an at large as is customary for the exiting Chairman.
o We need a team manager for Garmish and beyond. Three possibilities exist and JP will work on resolving the best path.
* Jim Ingram and Ben Sandiford
* CH connections at Garmish
* Mike Beck
o BS then presented a list of other suggestions for the remaining four at-large positions. JP will contact them and ask if they want to do the job. The committee will then vote on the positions at the next meeting.

- Meeting was closed.

John Pinyerd is Chair of the U.S. Wildwater Committee and a C-1 Wildwater racer living in Atlanta. Reach him at jpinyerd@usawildwater.com.