Pacific Coast Section Election Meeting

[jjefferies]

Somewhere recently I "believe" that I was told that the Pacific Coast Section Election meeting was to be held at the PCC's in Pasadena this coming weekend. Ok, I know you oughtn't believe everything you're told. But it did make sense remembering a few years ago. But I can't find any announcement or even see it on the Section calendar. Is this meeting a secret of some sort? I've been told that Frank Van Dyke is stepping down as Section Chair and that there is a candidate out of Southern California whose name is unknown to everyone I've asked. Given all that's going on at the national level I would hate to see us drop the ball at the local level.

So can anyone here direct me to a schedule of events and/or some notice of what's going on in the Section?

thanks

[SFfencer]

From the More Info page on askFRED, and on the PCS site.

The annual meeting will start at 7:00 pm on Saturday night sharp.

Also from the PCS site.

Apr/01 - New Pacific Coast Section by-laws review
Please look at the newly proposed by-laws. These by-laws will be voted upon at the Annual meeting May 10, 2008. Please click the headline to read the full article.

[fencerwallet]

Originally Posted by jjefferies

Somewhere recently I "believe" that I was told that the Pacific Coast Section Election meeting was to be held at the PCC's in Pasadena this coming weekend. Ok, I know you oughtn't believe everything you're told. But it did make sense remembering a few years ago. But I can't find any announcement or even see it on the Section calendar. Is this meeting a secret of some sort? I've been told that Frank Van Dyke is stepping down as Section Chair and that there is a candidate out of Southern California whose name is unknown to everyone I've asked. Given all that's going on at the national level I would hate to see us drop the ball at the local level.

So can anyone here direct me to a schedule of events and/or some notice of what's going on in the Section?

thanks

It is Gary Zeiss. He has distributed a position email to all Section clubs for dissemination to their members, so if you have not heard anything they would be a place to start.

[edew]

Sssh. There's a reason jjefferies is still in the dar

[Mr.MightyMouse]

Here is the letter, hopefully Mr. Zeiss does not mind me posting it.
Quickly - he has been in fencing for over 25 years - IMHO.
Last Nationals his entire immediate Famiy - 4 members - was on the T-shirt Part Deux
He's a rated ref in all 3 weapons as well, extremely erudite, professional and lucid.
No, he has not paid me in any way, shape, or form to post the aforementioned.


"Friends:

As you may know, I will likely seek the position of Chair of the
Pacific
Coast Section. Currently, no one has put their name in for the
position, so
the election will probably be a floor vote at the May 10 meeting after
the
PCC?s. I encourage you to attend this meeting and to vote.

Often, after people find out that I am running, their first question is
'Why?" After all, the position is difficult, unfulfilling and has a
controversial past. It is a job that "no one in their right mind"
would
want. I guess I qualify.

If I am elected to chair the Section, there are four major goals that I
will
work to accomplish this season, in addition to running the PCC's:

Financial Management

Financial management of the Section (and the USFA, for that matter) has
been
an area of concern for a number of years. To address this problem, I
would
like to engage an independent accounting firm to oversee our finances.
While this may prove a bit expensive, it is important for the USFA and
the
Section membership to regain confidence in our financial state.

If elected, from the day I take office until the day that my successor
takes
over, I will provide clear, auditable and visible records. My goal is
not
to relive the past issues - but instead to move us forward with
confidence.

"Designated" Divisional events

Besides the Sectional circuit, which would continue unchanged, I will
encourage each division to designate one senior and one
junior/cadet/youth
event every year as a Sectional points event. Borrowing from the
international "designated events," I believe that designating
individual
events for Section points will encourage fencers to visit other
divisions -
much like the international designated events encourage participation
of
U.S. fencers.

These events will be "owned" and operated entirely by the division with
no
interference from the Section. Fencers could use their best four or
five
results in calculating their Sectional points. Note that the point
total
formula is still being considered, but the goal would be to balance the
events enough to both keep the prominence of the Sectional Circuit and
encourage broad participation in the designated events.

The Designated Divisional events will serve several purposes. My
primary
goal is to increase the number of 40-70 person events within the
Section.
These events are the breeding ground for successful competitors,
offering a
greater number of quality competitive bouts than many divisional
events. By
encouraging our competitors to travel to nearby divisions, we also
supporting the development of fencing in each division within our
Section.
Also, since the Section will promote these events and assist in
garnering
local and Section-wide attention for these events, we will begin to
raise
the profile of our sport within each division. Finally, over time
these
events can become "marquee" events for their respective divisions,
bringing
back some of the luster that was lost when the Duel in the Desert and
the
Long Beach Invitational (among others) ceased to be held.

Centralized promotional resources

Promoting our sport is always a challenge. In recent years, the USFA
has
been focused on getting television coverage, with very limited
success.
However, many of us who have been involved in the sport for a while
remember
the days when event results were carried by local papers - and, even
today,
we all notice when a local paper covers an event or competitor.

This grassroots coverage is invaluable to our sport - as it raises the
profile of the sport in the communities where our competitors live and
clubs
operate. While it is ultimately the responsibility of the local
organizers
to promote their event, the Section can put together resources which
make it
easier for our organizers and their news outlets to get important
information about our sport and our local competitors.

To accomplish this, I will first work to create a centralized,
web-based
resource for press materials that our divisions and clubs could use
when
contacting their local news outlets. These materials would include the
obligatory "four paragraphs" that exist in every fencing articles
(fencing
developed as practice for dueling, there are three weapons, the foil,
the
epee, the sabre, etc.), biographies of our most prominent competitors
and
other interesting information about our sport and our Section.

By having this information readily available, we would simplify the
news-gathering process of our local news outlets and may be in a better
position to get coverage of local events. Increasing local coverage
will
help each club in our Section - as it will raise the awareness of
fencing
within their communities.

In addition, I will encourage each division and club to send results to
the
sports desk of their local papers after each competition. If we?re
consistent about this, we begin to get noticed (and may again get
results
printed) - further raising our profile within the community.

Finally, I will look to create press releases for Sectional and
Designated
Divisional events. These press releases will appear in searches
related to
fencing, sports and our geographic areas and will promote our sport.

Increasing the profile of our sport - and highlighting the
accomplishments
of our competitors - will benefit our competitors and clubs by raising
their
profiles in the area most important to them - their local communities.
Over
time, this effort will also help with access to television media and
fundraising, as we will not be "strangers" when we call.

The Virtual "Hall of Fame" and "Hall of Champions"

Fencing is unique among modern sports due to its long, historic roots.
Furthermore, the Pacific Coast Section has had numerous Olympians,
competitors, coaches and personalities whose names are generally passed
down
by word-of-mouth, but who?s lives and contributions to our sport are
often
forgotten.

As part of the PCS section web site, I will create both a "PCS Fencing
Hall
of Fame" and a "PCS Fencing Hall of Champions." The Hall of Fame will
look
to get information, media and stories about some of the famous fencing
legends who have called our Section home. The Hall of Champions will
highlight the current successes of our competitors - within the
Section,
nationally and internationally.

Developing a sense of continuity and history is valuable to a sport
like
ours, and the ability to do so in a "virtual" manner makes it both more
affordable and more accessible to our members, potential college
coaches,
the USFA and the media.

Conclusion

As a Section, we have very specific responsibilities to run Sectional
championships, promote fencing, and provide transparent, open
leadership to
our members. These requirements are not in question.

The above goals support each of these requirements and represent what I
believe are tasks that can be accomplished within the next season.
These
are not, however, "one-season" projects. Each journey begins with a
step,
and each of the above items represent a move toward improving the
competitive opportunities for our athletes, raising the profile of our
sport
and recognizing the accomplishments of our athletes.

I encourage you to attend this Saturday's meeting after the PCC's in
Pasadena. In addition, I encourage you to ask your members to consider
my
candidacy and vote in the election. Thank you.

Best regards,

Gary M. Zeiss
Los Angeles, CA"

[edew]

Yes, I'm sure he hadn't pay you for posting that. Maybe he'll pay you to reformat it, though.

[shinekomi]

Thanks for posting the letter. Its nice to know what the candidate has in mind for our section.

[Mr.MightyMouse]

Originally Posted by edew

Sssh. There's a reason jjefferies is still in the dar

No reason to pay for tutor as well, ESL Evening Spelling classes are gratis at your local JuCo.

[edew]

For the sublime humor impaired, feel free to pick on me.

[Dev]

The joke would have come off better if you'd ended it with a couple of dash--

[KD5MDK]

Yes it would have, given it took that post for me to get it.

[mfp]

Originally Posted by Mr.MightyMouse

I encourage you to attend this Saturday's meeting after the PCC's in
Pasadena. In addition, I encourage you to ask your members to consider my
candidacy and vote in the election. Thank you.

Gary M. Zeiss
Los Angeles, CA

Uhm, I'd encourage Gary to read the PCS bylaws -- general section members can't vote for him (or anyone) at Saturday's meeting. Only the section exec committee gets to vote for the Chair.

[CadetVet]

Originally Posted by mfp

Uhm, I'd encourage Gary to read the PCS bylaws -- general section members can't vote for him (or anyone) at Saturday's meeting. Only the section exec committee gets to vote for the Chair.

Fair point... MFP is correct with regard to the chair. It is also important to note that the new bylaws will be voted on at the same meeting - and are voted on by the membership - so having the membership there is important (they have voting rights for the bylaws). I perhaps should have been clearer in the letter (but do note that I said "come out and vote," not "come out and vote for me" - ok, perhaps a little luck there ).

Also, note that the email was sent to clubs - not to individuals. Part of the reason for that is that many EC members are closely tied to their clubs - it was an efficient way of both disseminating the concept and seeking support.

Gary

[edew]

Originally Posted by Dev

The joke would have come off better if you'd ended it with a couple of dash--

I wrestled with that. I figured that if someone (me) was garroted in the dark, he ain't putting dashes at the end, or ellipses either. Artistic license.

[mfp]

Originally Posted by CadetVet

It is also important to note that the new bylaws will be voted on at the same meeting - and are voted on by the membership - so having the membership there is important (they have voting rights for the bylaws).

Oddly, the section membership only has voting rights for the section bylaws up until the membership approves the proposed bylaws (if approved).

The proposed bylaws notably change who can further ammend the bylaws from a vote of the section membership to a vote of the Executive Committee. Basically it appears section members are being asked to vote to deny themselves the right to vote from now on.

[CadetVet]

Originally Posted by mfp

Oddly, the section membership only has voting rights for the section bylaws up until the membership approves the proposed bylaws (if approved).

The proposed bylaws notably change who can further ammend the bylaws from a vote of the section membership to a vote of the Executive Committee. Basically it appears section members are being asked to vote to deny themselves the right to vote from now on.

Frankly, I can't say that I'm a fan of the new bylaws, but everyone SHOULD read them for themselves and come to their own conclusions. While managing a large governance community can be difficult, it isn't impossible - and in my mind it is a better alternative than disenfranchisement.

For everyone's convenience, I've attached PDF's of both the current and new bylaws to this message.

Gary

PCS Proposed New Bylaws.pdf

PCS Current Bylaws.pdf

[jjefferies]

Originally Posted by edew

Sssh. There's a reason jjefferies is still in the dar

YEssssssh! A cold damp blankness that covers the earth. Is called e.dew!


And thanks for the responses. But I wonder about the e-mail to the clubs. I'm the representative for EBFG and I didn't receive the post. I'll double check. Sometimes these things get sent to Abdul who may remember to pass them on.

Question: Can the Division Executive committee delegate their representation to the Section meeting?

[jjefferies]

Well, I appreciate Mr. Zeiss', CadetVet, response. His agenda sounds good to me. Particularly after I read the "The results of the Section audit committee.",
http://www.pcsfencing.com/~pcsf/index/other-documents
which had me laughing in places. Or maybe that was crying.

Hope to see many of you there.

[mfp]

Originally Posted by jjefferies

Question: Can the Division Executive committee delegate their representation to the Section meeting?

Shouldn't you know the answer to this? Seeing as you are a member of the Section Executive Committee ...

Originally Posted by PCS Bylaws

a) The Section Executive Committee is responsible for the management of the Section.

b) The Section Executive Committee (SEC) is responsible for maintaining the Section Bylaws. [...]

Of course I imagine a fair number of people on the PCS SEC don't even realize they're on it