Meeting Minutes for 2/18/2013

On Monday, February 18, 2013 a second meeting was held to organize committees for the 2013 season. I will list the items discussed in order of discussion and try to give as much information about each category as possible.

1.  Introduction to our website. Eduardo discussed promotion of our website, funding through Penrose's Paypal account, and the upcoming MOBRA meetings (which can be read about in the last blog post; information about MOBRA can be found on their site)
2. Fundraising. As mentioned, Penrose now has a Paypal for donations. Post it on your facebook page, tell your co-workers, guilt your family. We need funding. Rochelle Wilson (i apologize for any misspelling) has made arrangements to hold a Penrose fundraiser! It will be March 30 at Black Bear Bakery in the Cherokee neighborhood. If you haven't had their bread, you should. Those folks have generously given their space so stay tuned for details.
3. Track Task Force: We identified some major roles in running the weekly training series and divided volunteers into groups responsible for those things. 

• Equipment Transport: These individuals are responsible for transporting all the necessary equipment for a night of racing to and from the track. They will organize amongst themselves to arrange for reliable equipment transportation each night. These members include : Tom Guttmann, Tyler Bicknese, Soli Johannes, Dave Smith, and Molly Brady
• Registration: Each night of racing requires 1-2 people to properly manage registration. In this role, individuals on the registration committee in conjunction with Steven, will create an effective and efficient way to register all racers. These members include : Emmitt Wilson, Kayce Shelton, Emilie Duchow, Kevin Wayman, and Justin Allen

      4. Pre-Season Track Prep: As of now, Penrose is in pretty poor shape for the upcoming season. 

          After a summer of racing with extremely hot temperatures, the rain, ice, and snow of winter, and 

          the general wear and tear from the elements, Penrose needs some TLC. Doing some minor 

         patching is the most practical option. Robert Mayfield will be looking into a compound used on

         other tracks and Scott Ogilvie will be looking into having the city cover the cost and labor of the

         patching. Some other basic maintenance is required. This Saturday, March 23, will be an                         

         assessment day. Bring rakes, brooms, shovels, leaf blowers etc. This will be a basic clean up.

      5. Digital management: We have a lot of folks interested in helping to manage Penrose's website. 

          As of now, Luke Bligh is the primary source behind the site. As we progress into the season he

          will set up and corresponding facebook and twitter account for Penrose, and will be in contact

          with interested parties about helping to manage those accounts.

      6. Track Clinics: Starting March 7, SpokedSTL will be sponsoring a pre-season set of "clinics"

          aimed at attracting new riders and making them feel comfortable on the track while promoting

          safe use of Penrose. Matt Hartman will be posting the schedule once the final details are worked

          out. We do ask that some of our more seasoned riders make an effort to attend. It is incredibly 

          important that our new racers learn safety, and having elite and masters racers out there will help

          in showing proper etiquette and form (plus they get to be "wowed!" by all that speed!)

The track cup is returning, the April MOBRA meeting is all about track, and there's still a lot to do. 

This is all I have time for - hope it was helpful.

-Molly 

MOBRA Meeting Notes from 2/11

Here is a quick run down of the items discussed at MOBRA's February meeting.

We did in fact have a decent turn out from those looking to represent the interests of Penrose for 2013. For those who were not present, this review of the meeting is going to be very vague, as items on the agenda are progressive, and cannot be clearly defined after one meeting.

At MOBRA meetings, each team is allotted one vote as stated in MOBRA's bylaws. The teams represented at Monday's meeting were Quantum, The Hub, SpokedSTL, Mike's Bikes, Lindenwood, Big Shark, and Dogfish.

1. The first item on the agenda was MOBRA's board reconfiguration. The board was comprised of 4 individuals acting in traditional roles (ie: President, vice, secretary, treasurer) and is now a body of 7 who will be taking on a broader range of duties such as:

• Race calendar updates,
• Officials Director
• Management of Website
• Event permitting
• Budget management

New board members are: Mike Weiss, B.J. Keane, Reid Cranmer, Sarah Rodney, Nick Hand, Mark Ewers, and Marijn Braadbaart. (I apologize for any name misspellings)

2. Budget. Lists from Riders, Race Directors, and Officials were made to determine the items necessary and items that are wanted for 2013 that can be allocated by MOBRA's current budget. The budget will be discussed more in-debth at next month's MOBRA meeting, however it was voted upon to increase the rider fee (BAR) given for each race to MOBRA by that race's Race Director. This fee will help provide funding for a new program to be used for registration (making it FASTER) and tallying of scores (making it more ACCURATE) called "Race Manager".  More to come on this program.

3. Future Meeting Planning. 

The last thing to happen was planning for upcoming MOBRA meetings. March's meeting will have an intensive focus on MOBRA's budget for 2013. I know it sounds dull, but it's incredibly important for those who want to put on a race in 2013 OR 2014 and those who complain about race fees, race organization, etc. This way you know where the money comes from, and how it gets spent.

We have also decided that each cycling discipline will have one meeting this year dedicated to the future of that category. April will be a meeting exclusively focused on Track Racing. In order to be well prepared in front of the board with things like a budget wish list, short and long term goals, etc. we will be having meetings working up to the April MOBRA meeting to bring our preparedness to the table.

Our first meeting for track will be held February 18 at 7pm. Location TBD. 

We had a lot of good work done at this meeting. A couple of especially exciting tidbits include financial assistance in track funding from Nick Hand's team, Quantum and our AWESOME Bike advocate alderman Scott Ogilvie's arrival at the meeting with some guidance about the election of Penrose's district alderman and potential funding from St. Louis Parks Department. 

That's all. 

-Molly

Meeting Notes

Hello all!

I know, it's been awhile. Sorry.

Tonight an official meeting was held at Big Shark (Delmar) to discuss racing at Penrose for 2013. An impressive number of familiar and non familiar faces attended the meeting! Many of you who came were most likely fueled by the cryptic messages posted on STLBiking about the cancellation of sanctioned races for 2013.

The meeting had a very productive outcome, so I'd like to share what was discussed with those who were not able to attend, and refresh the memories of those who were there.

Let's start with the main concerns. The problems presented at the meeting were as follows:

• Steven Wilkes is making an effort to hand over the reins of Penrose organization
• Some of the current practices during Penrose's training series have the potential to be in contradiction with USAC regulations and must be corrected.
• A new chief official must be named for Penrose racing.

Here is the course of action being taken to resolve any problems that may prevent sanctioned racing at Penrose Park Velodrome.

• Change the promoter. Our official permit for Penrose Park Velodrome in 2013 will be listed under Big Shark Bicycle. 
• Remain USCA. In remaining a USAC track, we will continue to follow the same regulations as we have in the past. Our ability to upgrade and accumulate points will remain the same. All of our current officials can officiate without any additional training.
• Create a committee to take on  responsibilities as delegated by official promoter. Some of these duties include : transportation and maintenance of track equipment, preparing the track for racing (read glorified way of saying sweeping), weather watch and updates, running registration, creating and maintaining a weekly race schedule, paperwork, and scheduling and payment of officials. The ideal number of individuals for this committee is 5-6. It will include some very focused and intensive work by a group of dedicated individuals. Most likely, the group will be hand picked by the previous promoter and the new promoter to establish a group with varied skills and a clear dedication to the betterment of Penrose.
• The creation of a Track Director position. This is something that will happen as we move closer to track season. An individual is needed to act as a representative of Penrose on many different levels in addition to general organization and upkeep. The person in this role will be working very closely with the alderman, MOBRA, USAC, and others who create policies and funding for the track. This role is to be selected by MOBRA. More details about for those interested to come.
• MOBRA attendance. MOBRA meetings are held the second Monday of every month. Decisions made by MOBRA are put to a vote, and attendance is usually sparse. This means that WE have a SAY in what happens to racing here in Missouri. All we have to do is show up. Attending MOBRA meetings as individual representatives of track racing shows that we are invested in our sport and want to assist in making positive changes in our state's racing. The more of us that show up, the more our voices are heard. If you do want to attend, this month's meeting is this Monday, the 11th at 7pm at Concordia Seminary. Please check their site to see what is on the schedule for the meeting. Show up prepared, know what will be discussed. 

Other goals for 2013 include bi weekly meetings during the pre-race season and to reinstate the training series omnium.

That pretty much sums it up. If any of that information was writ in error, my apologies.

ALSO, if you haven't already, check out Penrose's BEAUTIFUL new website!

Happy training ya'll

-Molly