Referee's Meeting

January 19^th, 2005

Royal Motel, Vacaville, CA

 

Meeting called to order at 7:30 p.m. by President Dave Pickett

 

Roll Call:  12 of 29 Clubs in Attendance

 

Minutes:  December minutes approved. 

 

 Committee Reports:

 

Cross Country:  Steward Duane Scott reported:

Ø       Hollister was our first race of the year. 420 riders. This race was very wet; it rained for 14 days prior to the event and non-stop the day and night before the event. P & D Promotions did a really good job of pulling off this race in the wet and muddy conditions. No injuries reported.

Ø       Next event is the Prairie City GP.

 

Youth Cross Country:  Steward Al Fitch reported:

Ø       Hollister: After sending out representatives of P & D Promotions and District 36 to check course conditions, it was decided to cancel all youth races at this event. A few parents were upset about the cancellation, but most were understanding and thanked us for putting the kids safety first.

Ø       Next race is this weekend at Prairie City.

 

Women:  Ann Creson reported:

Ø       At Hollister we had 24 women riders; 3 A, 11 B and 10 C. There were no injuries, the women said it was tough but they enjoyed the course.

Ø       Heather Wilson reported: It has come to our attention that there are several men riders in the C sportsman class who are demonstrating very unsportsmanlike behavior; using profanity and directing rude comments toward the women riders. This behavior will not be tolerated at District 36 events. Anyone caught participating in this type of behavior shall receive immediate suspension from all District 36 events.

 

Enduro:  Steward Jim Peacock reported:

Ø       No events to report on. Fliers for the Quicksilver National and the Wild Boar have been approved and will be posted on the web-site for rider’s information.

 

 Dirt Track:  Steward Carter Fisher reported:

Ø       Welcome Carter Fisher our new Dirt Track Steward: Carter reported were working on getting everything organized so were ready to slide into the New Year.

 

AMA/Congress: Dave Pickett reported:

Ø       The end of February will be the second of three special task force meetings; investigating the AMA head tax proposal. District 36 will have 2 representatives in attendance; Dave Pickett and Roy Clouse from the road riding side.

Ø       Art Moore from District 37 is the newly appointed South West Region AMA Trustee.

 

Banquet:  Duane Scott reported:

Ø       Thank you to James Davis for finding the Richmond Auditorium; it suited us well and added to the success of the banquet.

Ø       Things to improve on: the trophies arrived late causing a delay in the program; suggest having the trophies delivered a week in advance and transporting to the facility ourselves. More coordination needed on the power point presentation Dennie Conrad spent a lot of time preparing a presentation which included pictures of the award winners in every category; unfortunately we could not get it to work properly the night of the banquet. Overall the banquet went well and many compliments were received on behalf of the District.

Ø       Dave Pickett reported: AMA President Rob Rasor and I had the honor of presenting the Dirt Diggers North Motorcycle Club with a very special award; by a Joint Senate Assembly Resolution the club was commended for their service to the community and contributions over the years in excess of $500,000.00 to Youth programs.

 

Newsletter:  Jill Patterson reported:

Ø       January issue was mailed on December 27^th- some issues took up to three weeks for delivery. Will be checking into mailing options other than bulk mail, for an affordable way to receive more timely delivery service.

Ø       Submission deadline for the April issue is March 5^th with a scheduled mailing date of March 25^th.

 

Rulebook:  Randy Patterson reported:

Ø       New 2005 rule books have been printed and are available for distribution. The new rulebook is also posted on the web-site and rule change submission forms are now available on the web-site.

Ø       Thank you to Randy for all his work re-organizing the District 36 rulebook, this new rulebook is much easier to read.

 

Membership: Jill Patterson reported:

Ø       487 January renewal notices have been mailed out, 541 cards processed since last month and 6 new life memberships.

Ø       Reminder to Clubs and Promoters: please advise all sign-up staff to make sure membership applications are filled out completely and legibly.

 

Sanctioning:  Steward John Davis reported:

Ø       Working on fixing a couple Dirt Track events with incorrect dates listed on the web-site. There are a couple Clubs with Cross Country events on the schedule who have not renewed their Club Charter with the District yet- will follow up on that.  Currently working on the possibility of Adding another Family Enduro to the schedule, this would be held in conjunction with the Silverstate Enduro.

 

Legislative Activist: Ken Heuser reported:

Ø       Recently attended a Bureau of Land Management meeting in Jackson. The Bureau has not changed land management plans in the state of California for 20 years. It is now time for them to review past plans and submit new plans for the future. Public meetings will be held all over the State, I would encourage anyone interested to attend and ask questions.

Ø       At the Prairie City Improvement Group meeting the Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce has been very involved; they are interested in all events being held at Prairie City OHV and would like to help Clubs and Promoters provide participants with links to Hotels and services in the area. The Chamber of Commerce considers the OHV Park and its participants to be a real resource to Rancho Cordova.

 

New Business:

Ø       Ralph Lee reported on a large parcel of private land in the Upper lake area and will check into the possibility of an event being held there.

Ø       Jim Peacock reported that North Bay Motorcycle Club is currently looking into a land purchase for the purpose of off road events.

Ø       Jim Nelson reported on a recent segment of the Good Morning America Show which focused on the safety of children during recreational ATV use being the responsibility of the parents. This was a refreshing view from the media in light of current lawsuits against ATV manufacturers and land owners.

Ø       Ralph Lee reported: Are we interested in having the District Banquet Benefit race again this year? There are only a couple dates available at Lodi Cycle Bowl. To be re-addressed in the competition meeting.

Good of the Body:

Ø       Scott Reynolds reported: At the conclusion of the District 36 Awards Banquet several Banners came up missing. In particular there was a large Top Oil banner taken which needs to be returned to Top Oil. If you know where this banner is- please return it. Top Oil has been a dedicated sponsor to our District for many years and it would be a shame to jeopardize that relationship.

Ø       Jill Patterson would like to point out the great job the Red Neck Roosters did at the Banquet on this year’s raffle- Thank you Red Neck Roosters! Duane Scott would also like to thank Robert Bacosa and family who arrived early and stayed late helping at the banquet.

Ø       Ed Haymond would like to point out that as event referee for the Hollister National he has attended the District 36 business meeting prior to and after the event. Ed would like to suggest this for all event referees. It is important for the referee to attend a meeting prior to an event to gather any information which may affect the event and also to attend the meeting following to answer any questions which may arise about the event.

   

Meeting Adjourned at 8:38 p.m.

 

 

Competition Committee Meeting

 

Meeting called to order at 8:39 p.m. By Dave Pickett

 

Roll Call:  23 of 54 members in attendance

 

New Business:

Ø       Jill Patterson reported on an unsportsmanlike conduct issue directed at the membership chairperson: a brief over view was given before the room was cleared of all non-committee members. Membership renewal was received for a mini rider, on this renewal the District 36 membership number was crossed out and replaced with a 2 digit number. Upon processing the renewal membership chair sent the new card with the original membership number along with instructions explaining the process to change your D-36 number and also reference to the fact that mini riders are not eligible for a 2 digit number. A few days later Membership chair received a phone call from the mini rider’s guardian, questioning why the change was not made. Membership chair was not allowed to explain and was confronted with rude comments and profanity. There were 2 such phone conversations, on the second; the membership chair informed the caller that under District 36 rules they could be suspended for unsportsmanlike conduct. Upon hearing that, they continued with profanities and hung up. After contacting District 36 Board of Directors, Membership chairman sent written notice to guardian and youth explaining the violation of D-36 rules, informing them of suspension and that the issue would be discussed further at this meeting. In accordance with District 36 rule# 5.4: Motion by the Committee to suspend the youth rider from participating in D-36 events for 6 months beginning January 1^st and ending July1st, 2005. The Guardian whose membership has been expired since May of 2004 is denied membership in District 36 and must petition the Competition Committee to be re-instated. Vote unanimous in favor (motion passed)

Ø       Jim Peacock would like to propose a change to his appointed Enduro Committeemen. Jim requests the removal of Martin Markham as Enduro Committeeman in charge of the B/C series points and would like to appoint Kraig Traum in his place. Motion by the Committee to approve said change. Vote unanimous in favor  (motion passed)

 

Rulebook:

Ø       James Davis requests permission from the Committee to hear 2 rule change proposals. Motion by the Committee to hear the 2 proposals. Vote unanimous in favor (motion passed)

Proposal # 1: Change the 200cc class for Cross Country races to read 200cc/250F Class. This class would be defined by up to 200cc two stroke and up to 300cc 4 stroke bikes. This change would go into effect for 2006. Discussion and suggestion of keeping the 2 stroke class as is and adding a small bore 4 stroke class. This proposal to be re-addressed next meeting after more research has been done on compliance with AMA rules and how the change would affect rider contingencies. (Tabled to next month)

Proposal # 2: Youth riders eligible to ride sportsman events will be issued Sportsman cards. This will eliminate confusion regarding classification when youth riders enter sportsman events using a youth card. This would not affect their eligibility to ride in the Youth series or their Youth series classification. Proposal by James Davis to add the following verbiage to section 3.0 in the rulebook:  All Youth riders will receive a Sportsman membership card when they renew their membership after their 12^th birthday. Their classification will be C in all categories. If, for any reason, a rider feels he/she should enter Sportsman events in a higher classification, they must petition the proper Steward and that Steward will determine the appropriate classification. Riders are still eligible to ride Youth events with a Sportsman membership card until their 16^th birthday. Motion by Duane Scott to approve the addition of rule 3.0 as proposed. Second by Al Fitch. Vote 14-5 in favor (motion passed)

 

Meeting Adjourned at 9:30 p.m.

 

 

Board Meeting

 

Meeting called to order at 9:48 p.m. by President Dave Pickett.

 

Roll Call: All members present. 

 

Treasurer's Report:

Ø       Quarterly report passed out for review.

 

Banquet:  Duane Scott reported:

Ø       Passed out Profit & Loss as of 1/19/05 this does not include everything, we should have a final accounting for next meeting.

Ø       Discussion regarding late delivery of awards. This is the second year in a row that trophies were delivered late to the banquet causing a delay in the program. Suggestion for next year that we receive the trophies in advance and transport them to the banquet ourselves, also that we have a signed performance contract which outlines delivery time from the trophy company.

Ø       Discussion regarding payment of banquet expenses and the possibility of having a separate banquet account next year so that the banquet chairman could pay expenses directly. This year as has also been reported in previous years; it was difficult to plan ahead to obtain payments through the normal channels for many banquet expenses that must meet a certain time-frame.   

Ø       Duane Scott requests a check for the balance due to the caterer.

 

Newsletter: Jill Patterson reported:

Ø       Expense report for issue # 7 passed out for review.

Ø       Request by Duane Scott to place an ad in the next newsletter thanking several people who were overlooked during the banquet presentation.

Ø       Sponsors are needed for the Newsletter. Will check into other postage methods that may provide faster delivery service.

Ø       Discussion on article placed in the January Newsletter titled “Do WE Gain or Loose by Maintaining an AMA Membership?” This article does not represent the opinions of the District 36 Board of Directors. For future reference controversial articles included in the newsletter must be listed as an editorial and signed from the author personally. District 36 affiliation must not be included.

 

Old Business:

Ø       Tabled from last meeting: Continued review of current Committeemen and discussion of Honorary or Lifetime Committee members. After discussion it was decided by the Board that more categories are not needed. We already have Committeemen at large which covers those who are not holding a current job but who have contributed their time in past years. For the sole purpose of expediting the roll call at monthly meetings, Secretary will separate Committeemen into an active and inactive roll call list.

Ø       Tabled from last month: Proposal for Youth Cross Country reporter Lisa Gragg- Proposal in writing to be reviewed for approval.

District 36 Cross Country / Cycle News story coverage:

Lisa Gragg will become a D36 Cross Country Committee Member and will work under the direction of James Davis, Director of Competition; Al Fitch, Youth Cross Country Steward and Duane Scott, Cross Country Steward to coordinate/arrange event story coverage of D36 Cross Country Youth and Adult races to Cycle News.

She will provide event stories to Cycle News in a timely manner (meeting the submission deadlines for prompt publication) of the D36 Cross Country Youth/Adult races that she attends during the 2005 racing season.

Advanced arrangements will be made between James/Al/Duane and Lisa as to whether or not she will be covering the Youth race story only, or both the Youth and Adult race stories, before each event takes place.

If there become any unsatisfactory issues with this agreement, reevaluation of this agreement can be requested by either D36 or Lisa and changes will be made as necessary and a new agreement will be activated.

Motion by Duane Scott to accept contract as written. Second by Al Fitch. Vote unanimous in favor (motion passed)

 

New Business:

Ø       Review of current pay schedule and expense allowances for District 36 Officers and proposed pay schedule and expense allowances for 2005.

Ø       LAO officer has been invited by the AMA Vice President of Government Relations to participate in a legislative seminar to be held in late March in Washington D.C. LAO officer requests funding for the trip. Motion by Duane Scott to pay expenses for LAO Officer to attend seminar in Washington D.C. Second by Jamie Williams. Vote unanimous in favor (motion passed)  

Ø       James Davis requests approval from the Board to take over ordering and distribution of District 36 uniforms. Proposed uniforms available: Polo Shirt, Pit Shirt, Jacket, Hat. Proposed distribution: All committeemen will receive 1 polo shirt and 1 hat. After committeemen have attended and helped at eight events in a one year period they will be eligible to receive either a jacket or a Pit shirt at no cost.  Stewards and the Board of Directors will receive one of each at no cost. Any variations to these guidelines would need Board approval. (Tabled to next month)

 

Good of the Body:

Ø       Jamie Williams reported on a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle titled “Asbestos concerns at dirt-bike area” by Maria Alicia Gaura. This is a good example of irresponsible reporting affecting the Clear Creek area. Anyone interested should take the time to respond in writing to the Author.

Ø       Randy Patterson reported: Although he was one who was skeptical about the Moose Bucks Program benefit to our riders, he was surprised to receive a letter from Moose telling him, he earned $99 in Moose bucks last year.

Ø       Scott Reynolds posts question regarding raffle tickets for the Stewards Bike/LAO raffle. Jill will look into tickets and report back next month.

 

Meeting Adjourned at 12:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Sharon Scott