AGM Minutes
Monday, November 8th 8:00 am-12:00pm
WIFC North Course Flatwater Centre
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Present:
Amanda Schweinbenz (Laurentian), Amélie Schumacher (Calgary), Ed Fournier (Carleton), Emily Jago(Dalhousie), Jane Gumley (Victoria) Jenn Durward (Ontario Tech), John Butler (McMaster), Nicholas Vantfoort (Waterloo), Allen Willemsen (Waterloo), Matt Waddell (Western), Mark Williams (Toronto), Mike Pearce (British Columbia), Katie Edwards (St FX), Craig Pond (British Columbia), Pete Somerwil (Brock), Swede Burak (Brock), Stu Robinson (Ottawa), Dave Leger (Guelph), Mary Rao (Brock), Dan Bechard (Western), Zach Lewis (Ottawa), Katie Bruggeling (Queen’s), Aalbert Van Schothorst (Victoria), Matt Seaby (Trent), Andrew Todd (Dalhousie), andPhilip Henrei (McGill).
1. Call to Order
a. President welcome and introductions
2. Establish Quorum
3. Approval of the Agenda DB moved.
PS seconded.
4. Approval of Previous Meeting’s Minutes
MW moved. SR seconded.
a. Business arising from the previous meeting’s minutes
None
5. Executive Reports
a. K. Edwards
KE: Group productive- processes, meetings, governance, etc.
Diverse representation on the exec (gender, school size, geography, etc.)
USports application process still paused – maintaining communication with USports FISUdiscussions TBC
Solid work around CUs and event hosting from DB
McGill challenges – thank you DL and eligibility committee for their work around this COVIDnavigation and work – thank you PS for hosting
b. D. Bechard
DS: Huge thanks to organizing committee given challenges – thank you Brock and volunteers. AcknowledgedPhillip and McGill.
First year of increased fees – next financial review 2024. Proposal onNSO/PSO fees.
Host sites need to be determined today – gives more time for hosts to organize. PS: Thankyou Guelph for hosting help.
c. C. Pond
CP: Thank you Garrah for helping with nomination process.
SB and MWaddall - are you okay to continue the on subcommittee?
SB & MW: Yes
d. D. Leger
DL: Two issues came forward to the eligibility committee.
First, decided to support the athletes from Montreal to participate in the regatta without a roster withinclusiveness as an underlying principle.
Second, a request for waiving the academic requirement this year.
Committee reviewed and determined it would affect the legitimacy of the regatta. Voted against it and maintained allregular requirements.
Thank RM and JD for their work on this. Thank you KBfor organizing roster.
6. Regional Updates
a. Atlantic: K. Edwards
KE: Atlantic region doing well with Andrew Todd taking over at Dalhousie with Emily J and Erica G Goodracing on the East coast and a two-day dual team camp.
b. Central: P. Somerwil
PS: Returned to regular regatta schedule and great to see return to racing. Missed McGill atOUAs.
Questions about the OUA championships site – made an hour longer day. OUA notlistening to coaches at this point.
Brock men’s champion/Western women’s champion at OUAs.
c. Prairies: M. Laidlaw
ASchumacher: Calgary hosted first regatta in two years / also Saskatoon RC. NoWestern CUs.
d. Coastal: M. Pearce
MP: Plans to hold a Western CUs – didn’t happen this year – not enough participation – smaller club programsimpacted by COVID. Dual with UBC and UVic. Need to take stock on West coast to see where some programs areat.
KE: Total number of athletes this year?
PS: Approx. 290/295. Believe it’s normal for Ontario.
7. Committee Reports
a. NSO Fees – V. Amodeo Aalbert VanSchothorst joined the meeting. CP: VA accepted proposalas put forward.
KE: RCA charges CURA to be a member and it’s unclear who to pay because CURA doesn’t have a bankaccount/money. Usually, the university who hosted the most recent CUs- formalizing that allowing host schools tobudget for it.
CP: Timing of billing?
KE/PS: Beginning of fiscal year. Matt Seabyjoined the meeting. MP: Can we have that billearlier? PS: Chuck, could you ask?
KE: Not Chuck’s department, I’ll send a note to RCA DB: Will bewritten into playing regs.
8. Proposals/Nominations
a. NSO Fees – D. Bechard DB: Alreadyspoken to.
b. CURC Hosting – D. Bechard DB: Trying toorganize hosts ahead of time:
2022 – Burnaby hosted by UBC 2023 – In Ontario
2024 – In BC
Need host organizations for 2023 & 2024
PS: Canadian Henley Organization would like to put together a proposal and Brock is willing to host. Newbuilding with ergs
CP: How do we feel about the fairness of the course in St. Catharines? Final orders are very important vs. atHenley it’s one medal. Not sure it’s the fairest course for this regatta.
SR: Alternative?
CP: Welland.
MP: Ask about current shutdown?
PS: Can ask with this lead time. Can also shift lanes because there’s six boats in eight lanes. Is there anotherproposal?
SB: World Championships and Canada Games coming there. Every course has some problems. CP: Ifcurrent can be dealt with, it’s good.
DB: Possible?
PS: Possible – Ontario power can schedule maintenance at the same time. It’s always a request and if there’s anissue on the grid it may have to change.
MP: Is there a cost? PS: So far, no.
CP: Cad Henley running the regatta or just a site?
PS: Site and an army of experienced volunteers. It’s a lot easier than finding volunteers for Welland. KE: Anyother Ontario schools putting themselves forward? No- to Brock in St. Catharines 2023
DB: 2024 BC?
AV: Having a discussion about hosting in Quamichan because length of course and water levels Doing somefeasibly work on it – not sure because it’s never been done (hotels, trailers, etc.) Prepared to host whetherit’s in Quamichan or not.
KE: Questions? Thoughts?
CP: Propose partnership with UBC and UVic in Burnaby AV: Anotherpossibility.
MS: Conditions in Quamichan?
AV: Still early and looking at feasibility. DB: 2023Henley Corp/Brock
2024 UVic, location TBD.
c. Nominations – Secretary CP: Only onenomination- KB
d. Nominations – President
CP: Four nominees – Mark W and Pete S declined DB and KEnominated
DB declines.
We now have one nominee. AV: NominateMW.
CP: MW declined. KE president
KE: Next terms coming up? CP: 2022 eligibility comes up.
9. Voting
a. NSO Fees
Opposed? 0 Passed.
b. CURC Hosting
No other proposals – no voting required.
c. President
No other nominees – no voting required.
d. Secretary
No other nominees – no voting required.
10. New Business
a. Roster Submissions, Ease & Clarifications - Pond & Leger
DL: Confusion over submission requirements. Spent a lot of time with reminders and tracking people down.
Reminder that the draft is your main roster/current pool of athletes at that point including names and year ofeligibility.
Ideally submit in excel file template – often gets a PDF – can convert if it’s not a picture.
Certified rosters required two weeks before regatta – signed off by athletics department verifying all athletes aremeeting eligibility requirements.
KB: Will only consume a year of eligibility if they compete for their school sometime that fall.
DL: Get drafts in – copy and paste into excel sheet for tracking purposes. Certified roster is what brings legitimacyto our regatta and is based on the integrity of coaches and having the signature is important. Open to suggestionsto simplify process?
KE: Would it be a good idea to have a coaches manual for CURA DL: To dolist?
JG: Yes
DL: I can take that as a task.
CP: Our compliance people would appreciate that.
DL: Will draft something and circulate with executive. Helpful to have link with google site. DB: Isthere anything that can be done to playing regulations?
DL: Yes.
DB: Would be good to use committees and keep to one official document. User manual might get outdated or lost.
DL: Instead of extra document, imbed in playing regulations. MW: Already inthere.
DL: Make it clearer.
AV: Trouble hearing –create checklist in website. Would be helpful as I had that issue when I joined. DL: Willtake you up on that.
b. Rowing Participation and Barriers – Laidlaw AndrewTodd & Mark Henry joined
ML: Start a conversation about participation levels across CURA and where we could improve Sent anemail to the CURA exec about this pointing out some programs are struggling.
Great to see some schools come back but there are some schools that aren’t here – haven’t done much toaddress that.
Email not really responded to by executive and it didn’t encourage further discussion. Can we put togethersome sort of a committee.
CP: Might be worth exploring in a subcommittee. A challenge because CURA’s job is to organize a race. More ofan NSO/PSO issue. Grassroot problem in our country. I don’t know if that’s something we can deal with in CURA.Maybe collaborate with PSOs/NSO.
MP: Could put something together for newer programs to help guide them. CP: ML tochair subcommittee?
ML: Yes.
MP, MS, AT, & MWilliams with ML chairing KE: By January have convened a meeting. Philip Hedrei joined meeting.
c. FISU 2022 – Laidlaw
ML: ML, MP, and MW have been a committee for the past couple of years All pushed ayear – London 2023
26 & under, university within 2 calendar years for 2022
In China which is a challenge. FISU games this summer with rowing.
DB: Challenge with health and recent political implications with traveling to China this year. A lot ofadministrative steps to attend with visas, etc. – admin support from RCA last time. FISU regatta inLondon – not been notified of any eligibility changes for 2023.
Funding has been approved except for federal. Hosting Can AmMex next summer too.
Confusion with policies right now – been a challenge. ASchweinbenz: 2022selection, etc.
KE: First discuss if doing 2022 in China.
MP: Concerns of costs and equipment – don’t know if anyone has had a good experience in China. No go for me ifit’s the typical situation.
ML: Understand what MP is saying but came home with two medals last time in Asia.
AV: Issues with no starboard stroked boats and no wiring – serious problems and not solvable on the ground.Athletes training hard show up without proper equipment. Need to stop talking about costs. Athletes can usetheir disposable income to go – it’s their decision. Political piece issue.
KE: Numerous challenges - how feasible is it to entertain this idea?
CP: If you have a coach and athletes putting their hands up to go, then yes. As an organization, there are lots ofother good races out there.
PS: Chuck – RCA position?
CM: RCA will support what the organization wants to do. Can be part of the pathway.
We are hosting in 2023 – should look at sending small group if we’re hosting the following year to support.
KE: Subcommittee look at this – ask subcommittee come back to the group with recommendations in January.
ASchweinbenz: We have a tendency to have great intentions and not do something. If we don’t have a
plan, then nothing will happen. CM has a good point about supporting 2022 because hosting 2023.
DB: Job of the FISU subcommittee to come to meeting with their recommendations and plans. Not sure if I would go even though I’m hosting in 2023. Subcommittee needs to come forward with recommendation and planby January meeting.
CM: That plan should include what factors will be a go vs. not.
MWaddell: What possible contingency is in place for a country that kidnaps people? AV: Wedon’t have a systematic selection process for CURA without all details.
KE: CM has thoughts to re-examine processes. FISU is a good opportunity but may not support 2022 in China.Strategically should get organized now for 2023 in London.
MS: If there’s hesitancy around 2022 in China, is there another regatta we would consider? Like Royal Henley orother European destination.
DB: Good point – keeps on coming back to we have a subcommittee that needs to gets organized. If thesubcommittee says no, then we can look at another regatta. Subcommittee come forward.
KE: Asked MP to convene that committee in the next few weeks. AV: Can weset deadline?
KE: Yes.
AV: By December 1? MP: Yes.
d. Other Proposals - Van Schothorst
AV: During my time as secretary there were lots of proposals that weren’t addressed. KE: Veryclearly laid out process for bringing proposals through the proper process.
ML: Had some and was told they would be deferred. KE/KB: Notin the minutes.
ML: Not addressed.
KB: The next deadline is in December.
ML: Was formally submitted before KB was secretary. KE: Submitproposal.
ML: Frustrating to submit again.
DB: Previously proposals were too late and there wasn’t enough time to properly review. This process allowsproposals to be properly reviewed. As far as I’m aware, there are no proposals in front of the board goingthrough committee right now. If you want a proposal to be reviewed, resubmit it and it will go through committee.Don’t get frustrated if something’s still sitting on your computer.
ML: I’ve been trying to communicate a lot and have not gotten return. KE: You’vewritten some un-collegial emails – will not be answered.
MS: Only answer is to resubmit.
MWaddell moved to close discussion. MWilliamsseconded.
AV: Sounds like you haven’t been heard – I will volunteer to check in with ML and see if he hasn’t been heard. Ihave proposals that haven’t been heard.
KE: Discussion concluded.
SB: Other new business – every year the weighing procedure changes a bit. Should include the full lightweightteam at the same time
PS: Agree with Swede could make it easier – following finish order from last year. Submit formal proposalnext meeting.
ASchweinbenz: Can make sure every proposal with playing regs is consulted with official because weigh- ins arecompletely different from other regattas.
11. Adjournment SR moved.
DB seconded.