WWR Ctte. Meeting minutes, 24th Jan 2006.

 

Present: John Ringwood, Willie Irwin, Keith McGuirk, Martin McCarthy

Apologies: Wesley Bourke

 

Agenda Items:

 

1.     Agenda Items

2.     Matters Arising

3.     WWR. Ctte. Accounts.

4.     Remaining Domestic Races (venues, promotion of events)

5.     Training courses/development

6.     Junior Selection

7.     AOB

8.     Date for next Meeting.

 

 

 

 

2. Matters arising:

 

·       The previous meeting minutes had been approved via email, so there was no requirement to go through them again.

 

·       Information dissemination - It was noted that the WWRNews moderation set-up is working well. It is simple and efficient to use.

 

·       Website – The PR Officer’s emailed report concerning the new website was read out.

It was noted at the meeting that info on the existing website would have to be ported to the new website (this includes historical information, including race results, etc.). The new website should not be launched mid-season, to avoid confusion. The new website has to be fully up to date when launched (and must be kept up to date). The new and existing website should be kept running in parallel for some time, to allow people to shift to using the new one. A redirect can also be placed on the existing website at the appropriate time.

Regarding the domain name charges (.ie versus .com). More information is needed on exactly what is being offered with each domain name type, i.e. whether hosting is included, etc. The PRO is to provide this information, before a domain name will be chosen. The Secretary is to contact the PRO about this, seeking clarification.

 

·       Inventory. Equipment inventory is appended to the meeting minutes. All equipment is to be tracked by the equipment officer. All equipment is to be used for the express purpose of Wild Water Racing, training for Wild Water racing and promotion of Wild Water racing. If another discipline wishes to use the equipment for any other purpose, they must receive approval from the equipment officer in advance.

A discussion on how to fund the upkeep and replacement program for wavehoppers took place. The priority are to ensure the wavehoppers are used as often as possible in WWR races, that they are treated with respect and maintained in the best possible condition. The idea of charging for the use of wavehoppers was discussed. The equipment officer was tasked with coming up with a plan for managing the fleet of wavehoppers to get the best use from them.

 

Inventory:

Blue wavehopper - Alan Dooley

Blue wavehopper - Eamon Devoy

Red wavehopper - Bruno Halter

Purple wavehopper (damaged bow) - WWKC

 

 

Camera and accessories (includes camera, scart lead, dv lead, remote control,4

tapes and charger and lead) - Keith

 

Banner-Keith

 

Beam timing equipment (includes 2 tripods, photocell and reflector racetime 2

and printer, connection cable, micro-beep starter and charger for the lot) - Keith

 

Bibs 100-150-keith

Bibs 1-99-martin

Missing nos-3, 6, 60, 61,74, 88, 89, 144, 149.

 

 

3. WWR Ctte. Accounts.

 

The variation in race entry fees is considered too arbitrary. The ctte. after discussion has decided to set the following rules.

Race entry fee for senior paddlers = €6 per race (classic or sprint, regardless of whether they participate in one or more classes i.e. one fee covers multiple classes in a single event).

Race entry fee for junior paddlers = €3 per race (classic or sprint, regardless of whether they participate in one or more classes).

The WWR Ctte. will charge the following levies for races, €2 per senior entry and €1 per junior entry. These levies are now the committee’s only real form of income. Race organisers are to be encouraged to seek sponsorship for races and to publicise the races as much as possible to ensure the largest possible turnout, maximising their income from the race. This will also hopefully increase participation in races. The committee will also assist in race promotion.

 

€1,500 in International grant money is due to be paid to paddlers who represented Ireland in International Wild Water races abroad last season (2005). The delay in paying this has been caused by the wait for mandates for changes in authorised signatures on the WWR Ctte. cheque book. The following paddlers are due money back:

Jim Morrissey, Keith McGuirk, Wesley Bourke, Donal McIntyre, Tadhg, McIntyre, Dympna Carville, Aisling Quinn, Caoimhe Quinn, Mick Morrissey, Richard Hendron.

The treasurer is to post cheques to these individuals as soon as the mandate is completed and the new signatories enabled.

 

 

 

4. Remaining domestic races.

 

It was noted that we’ve constitutional rules regarding race prizes, etc. so the committee is recommending that the following proposal be put forward at the AGM and voted for as a constitutional amendment.

·       “Any race which is new to the calendar (i.e. on a river which has not been used to host a Wild Water Race previously), should be incorporated onto the calendar as a non-ranking race for one season before it is awarded ranking status.”

 

Race promotion:

·       The information circulation regarding races should be improved. Currently the only regular method of informing people of races is via WWRNews. The following methods (some of which are used irregularly at present) are to be used:

Secretary to circulate race notices by email to the ICU, key personnel in other clubs, the WWKC weekly newsletter and the webmaster of IrishMarathonCanoeing.com. The secretary is to ensure that the race notice is physically posted to the Wild Water Kayak Club notice board.

The Equipment officer is to post notification of the races onto the WWKC website message board.

The Chairman is to circulate via email, notification of the races to members of CANI.

 

·       The race results are to be forwarded to newspapers as follows:

Treasurer to pass on results to Lucan/Blanchardstown Gazette.

Equipment officer is to pass report prepared by secretary on to the Liffey Champion.

Secretary is to pass results on to Irish Times and Irish Independent.

Chairman is to pass results on to Evening Herald.

 

5. Training & Development.

 

·       Women’s training weekend. The equipment officer has received no response from women paddlers concerning the proposed women’s training weekend since Christmas. A reminder is to be sent out, with a deadline for responding of two weeks. If no response is received by the 8th of Feb, or if there are less than five paddlers interested, the coaching session is to be postponed/cancelled and possibly re-arranged for later in the Autumn.

·       Flatwater training session in CPCC. A date is to be set for this sometime in April. The PRO is to co-ordinate this, and to provide a schedule for the day (as soon as practical and arrange coaches.

·       The Junior coaching days are to go ahead in May, June and July, culminating in a trip to the Nene race in England in July.

·       The training weekend at Gortin, which was to be run in parallel with the women’s training weekend, has the same conditions attached to it as the women’s training weekend. A minimum number of five paddlers is required for it to go ahead, those interested must reply by the 8th Feb.

 

6. Junior Selection.

 

No junior paddler competed at the Avonmore Wild Water races in either a Wavehopper or Wild Water boat. Thus no juniors are selected for International races this year. The committee noted their disappointment at this. Based on his participation at the event, Lorcan Feely is to be invited to participate in the Junior coaching days in May, June and July and to attend the Nene Wild Water Race in July in England.

 

7. AOB

 

Nothing.

 

9.     Next Meeting.

 

Thursday 9th March. Venue to be announced.