2008 SFTC Board Meeting Minutes

Jan. 17th, 2008  6:30pm - Eastman Employee Center

• Voting Board Members present: David Sullivan, Steve Pastorek, Jason Goodman, Matthew Studholme, Mark Skelton, Earl Brown, Rhonda Denham
• Non-voting Board Members present: David Fox, Brenda Fox, Donna Bays
• Guests: Sam Culbertson, Les Bays, Oscar Wagner, Frank Kibler
• Note: November 2007 minutes approved via email vote
• Split Time Status - Rob Schoborg via note to Matthew Studholme
  Large edition of the Split Times covering July through December 2007 going to printer on Monday, January 21, 2008
• Grants Status - Matthew Studholme for Rob Schoborg
  There have been 2 grant requests made. Rob plans to scan them and email them to the board for review and possible approval at the February meeting.
• Treasurer's Report - Jason Goodman
  • Two thank-yous have been received - one from ZAP Fitness for the $250 donation the club made to them, and one from Girls on the Run for the $500 grant the club granted them.
  • The club has $18,000 in bank accounts. Several significant expenditures in 2007: Club social, uniforms, RRCA Membership, bullhorns, PA system, Timers
     
• Membership Report - Jason Goodman for Nicole Goodman
  Membership is up from previous years. There are 50-60 more families listed as members over 2006. It seems that the club's
  New Year Day race is a big boost for membership.
   
• Blue Plum 5K
  David Fox has been the liaison for this race since its inception and no longer wishes to perform that role. As has been
  noted before, the race has several problems, most notably with police coverage and traffic problems. After discussion:
  Motion: David Sullivan - SFTC should not support Blue Plum 5K in the future.
  Second: Mark Skelton
  Motion passed - Matthew Studholme will notify Christine Murdock, race director for Blue Plum.
   
• Fountain of Life Bible Church 5K
  Matt Young race director, would use old Bennigan's course. Matthew Studholme states that the course is certified, but he
  is not sure if markers are in place. Matt Young has stated that Bennigan's has agreed to let the race use their old race
  course, and he has the support of the Johnson City police. The board discussed the fact that this race may have the same
  issues as Blue Plum race.
  Motion: Matthew Studholme - SFTC should not support Fountain of Life Bible Church 5K
  Second: David Sullivan
  Motion passed. David Sullivan will let Matt Young know of the club's decision and make recommendations the Mr. Young talk with some other area race directors and get some pointers on directing a race.
   
• Foot Rx 5 Miler
  Steve Pastorek and Foot Rx are planning a 5 mile race for April 15. Steve is expecting 300+ participants. All proceeds
  will be donated to the Boys/Girls Club. There will also be a one mile walk to benefit the Washington County Animal Shelter.
  Steve would like to hire SFTC to manage the finish line, and he would like to use Runscore for the results. The Wellness
  Center will be helping as volunteers, and New Balance and some other shoe companies are donating shoes as door prizes.
  Motion: Matthew Studholme - SFTC will manage finish line for Foot Rx 5 miler with Steve Pastorek as liaison
  Second: Mark Skelton
  Motion passed.
   
• Virginia Creeper Marathon
  Frank Kibler reminded the board that the VA Creeper Marathon will take place on March 1. This is the 10th year of this
  race. Frank still has registrations coming in. He will ask the club to put out an email blast for volunteers soon. Frank
  also mentioned that he intends to have some mylar blankets on hand for the morning of the race.
   
• Information: Steve Pastorek mentioned that he can get race numbers for any race free with 8 weeks' advance notice.
• Pioneer 10K Run
  Bob Townsend sent word by Matthew Studholme that the Pioneer 10K race would like to be included in the 2009 King and Queen competition.
  Motion: Matthew Studholme - Since the Pioneer 10K Run will meet all requirements to be included in the K&Q competition
  for 2009
  Second: Steve Pastorek
  Motion passed
   
• Foot Rx Sponsoring the K&Q Competition
  Steve Pastorek brought before the board his idea that Foot Rx would sponsor the K&Q Competition. He suggests a couple of different ideas. Some discussion around topic and the discussion will continue at the next board meeting.
   
• 1,000th Race for Club Member
  Sam Culbertson states that he plans to run his 1,000th race at Take Back the Night. He may get some publicity from the
  local news media. Sam is asking the club to support him in his effort to celebrate his 1,000th race. Matthew Studholme
  suggests that this would be a good opportunity to also celebrate the accomplishments of some of the long-standing SFTC
  members.
  Motion: Matthew Studholme - That SFTC should support Sam in his effort to celebrate his 1,000th race at Take Back the Night.
  Second: Jason Goodman
  Details will be decided later.
   
• New Mile Marker Signs
  Donna Bays, the new Equipment Manager, brings a recommendation that there be three complete sets of Mile Marker signs
  for miles 1-6. This would require the manufacture or purchase of at least one or two sets. Donna will research options
  and bring recommendations to the next Board meeting.
   
• Partnering with Knoxville Track Club on Cross-posting races
  Steve Pastorek spoke with Betty Schohl of KTC. SFTC is asking that we be allowed to post races to KTC's website at no charge since we often post their races on our website at no charge. Betty will take it to the KTC Board.
   
• Discussion:
  There was a proposal that the board consider an additional form of race management services. At present the club offers two options for race management - the card system and the computer system. The club also offers equipment rental. The additional option(s) being proposed would be to offer finish line management without the club generating results (i.e., time the race, provide the tape of times to the race organizers, and leave them to put together the results), or results without finish line management (i.e., the race management times the race and gives the tape to SFTC volunteers to compile the results). Both options were debated at length with the general consensus being that there is a subjective gray area of where the cut-off would be between one and the other. This would be very complicated to manage except on a case-by-case basis, and the overall feeling was not to add this is as a standard option at this time.
   
• The next Board meeting will be held February 21.
• Minutes submitted by secretary, Brenda Fox
   

Feb. 21st, 2008 6:30pm - Eastman Employee Center

• Voting Board Members present: Earl Brown, Matthew Studholme, David Sullivan, Mark Skelton, Jason Goodman, Rhonda Denham
• Non-voting Board Members present: David Fox, Brenda Fox, Donna Bays, Bob Townsend
• Guests: Karen Seiferth, Les Bays, Wanda Burnett, Bill Burnett, Phil Horner
• Note: January 2008 minutes approved via email vote
• Treasurer's Report - Jason Goodman
  Beginning this year, non-profit organizations are required to file an e-postcard with the IRS to retain
  tax-exempt status.
  Total Assets: $18,796.13
  Total Liabilities & Equity: $18,796.13
   
• Pioneer 10K Run and War Party 10K Run - Bob Townsend
  The Pioneer 10K Run lost money - approximately $550. (Probably too many t-shirts ordered.) 99 finishers. The race had
  an issue with a train coming through the race course. Bob will change the course next year to avoid that problem.
  The War Party 10K Run earned money - approximately $800. 181 finishers, plus 33 walkers. Bob would like to use Runscore
  to calculate results for War Party next year.
   
• Jingle Bell Race - Nicole Goodman
  363 finishers this year, numbers way up from previous year - the Girls on the Run program had a lot of participants. The
  race was able to raise almost $4,000 for charity. The Jonesborough police monitored the course very well.
   
• Grants - Matthew Studholme for Rob Schoborg
  Two applications received: Tennessee High and Greeneville High.
  TN High requesting $500, but more info is needed for how the funds will be used.
  Greeneville High requesting $500 - $250 for scholarships and $250 for uniforms. The board debated if granting money for
  uniforms was a good use of the grant money. The guidelines for the grant program need to be reviewed prior to granting
  this request.
  Matthew will ask Rob to get further information from TN High prior to making a decision on their grant request.
   
• Blue Plum 5K - David Sullivan for Steve Pastorek
  Steve Pastorek has talked with Christine Murdock and has volunteered to help with the race as Foot Rx, NOT SFTC. Steve is
  redoing the course, and there will be no race day registration. Matthew Studholme had contacted Christine, and she is
  aware that SFTC is not helping with Blue Plum.
   
• One Mile Run - David Sullivan for Steve Pastorek
  This event went well - the course has a lot of downhill areas. Six runners broke 5 minutes.
   
• Flying Eagle 5K (May 31)- Matthew Studholme
  Jessica Bandy has contacted SFTC to request a liaison for this race. It will be held at Southwest Virginia Community
  College in Richlands, which is about 1 1/2 hours drive from Kingsport. Also, this is scheduled the same day as The Duck
  Island Spring Mile. There is a concern that it would be difficult to get SFTC members to volunteer since the race is
  far away, and there is a conflict with another SFTC owned event.
  Motion: SFTC not support the race because of distance and calendar conflict - Approved
  Motion by Matthew Studholme; second by Jason Goodman.
   
• Animal Chase vs Girls on the Run Date Conflict - Nicole Goodman
  Wondergirl 5K and 1 Mile Fun Walk will be held on May 3 at Bristol Motor Speedway. This is the only date the Speedway had
  available. They will have lots of volunteers from other sources than SFTC. GOTR will use Runscore, and Animal Chase will
  use Finish Line Cards to calculate results.
  Matthew Studholme proposed that GOTR not take any more SFTC members than necessary as volunteers. Nicole agrees not to solicit for SFTC volunteers, although she will not turn away SFTC members who want to help with Wondergirl 5K.
   
• Finish Line Management - Creating a Separate Category - Mark Skelton
  Mark Skelton has 5 races for which he has depended on SFTC for help (Surgoinsville 10 Miler; CASA Mile, 3K and 8K; Phipps
  Bend 5K; Firecracker 4 Miler; Bays Mountain Trail Run). Mark would like for SFTC to create a separate category of race
  management in which the club does one of two things:
  1 - SFTC would time a race, but give the race organizers the time tape and let them compile the results, or
  2 - The race organizers would time the race, and give the tape to SFTC to compile the results
  Currently Crazy 8's and Eastman Road Race rent equipment and get volunteers for those two races, but both are considered
  to be special cases since they are very large races (2,000+ participants).
  Mark feels he is in a unique position since he is the director/sponsor/SFTC member liaison for his races which requires a
  large amount of time and money from him. He would like to have the option of equipment rental and be able to solicit
  volunteers from SFTC as do Crazy 8's and Eastman. Mark is concerned that without using Runscore to tabulate results, his
  races will suffer in quality.
  The concern of the board is that there are other races which might want to have the same category of race management, but
  would not be able to perform as well as Mark's races, and this would cause complications for the club. The question arose
  as to whether getting club liaisons for Mark's five races would help with the problem. Also, the club discussed the need for
  more people to be trained to use Runscore to tabulate results.
  Earl Brown volunteered to help Mark come up with a management category idea that would satisfy the board that other races
  could not take unfair advantage of these unique situations. David Fox has agreed to hold Runscore training sessions for
  club members at large.
  If the Board feels that an additional category for race management is needed, we can revisit that at the next meeting.
   
• 1,000th Race Celebration - Matthew Studholme
  Matthew has spoken with Sam Culbertson about the "celebration" of his 1,000th race at Take Back the Night 5K on March 29.
  Motion: provide support to Sam Culbertson by providing a plaque commemorating Sam's 1,000th race, and to provide a large
  sheet cake to share with participants at Take Back the Night 5K up to $100. Motion passed.
  Motion: Matthew Studholme; Second: Earl Brown
   
• Location of 2008 Awards Banquet - Matthew Studholme for Steve Pastorek
  The Pastoreks have offered to reserve their church Fellowship Hall for the 2008 Awards Banquet. The church is in Boone's
  Creek, Exit 17 off I-26.
  Motion: to hold the 2008 SFTC Awards Banquet at the Pastoreks' church. Motion passed.
  Motion: Mark Skelton; Second: David Sullivan
   
• Mile Marker Signs - Donna Bays
  Matthew Studholme provided the information that Oscar Wagner had made new/additional mile marker signs. Donna Bays has
  researched several options for signs, and has checked with Knoxville Track Club, the Chattanooga Track Cluc and the Asheville Track Club to see what type of signs they use. She presented three different options.
  Motion: to purchase one set of six signs and one set of thirteen signs from P Smith at a cost of around $650. Motion
  passed.
  Motion: Jason Goodman; Second: Matthew Studholme
   
• The next Board meeting will be held March 20.
• Minutes submitted by secretary, Brenda Fox
   

Mar. 20th, 2008  6:30pm - Eastman Employee Center

• Voting Board Members present: Earl Brown, Matthew Studholme, Mark Skelton, Jason Goodman, Rhonda Denham
• Non-voting Board Members present: David Fox, Brenda Fox, Donna Bays, Bob Townsend, Nicole Goodman, Rob Schoborg
• Guests: Karen Seiferth, Oscar Wagner
• February 2008 minutes: Motion to approve made by Jason Goodman, second by Earl Brown. February minutes approved.
• Grants Status: Rob Schoborg/Matthew Studholme
  
  Two applications received from Greeneville High School and Tennessee High School.
  The application from Tennessee High was incomplete. The suggestion was made that they be required to submit a completed application before the next deadline.
  Motion: Reject Tennessee High grant request and encourage them to resubmit before the next deadline. Motion made by Matthew Studholme, second by Earl Brown. Approved.
  
  Greeneville High School had requested $500 in grant money, $250 to be used for uniforms and $250 to be used for a scholarship. SFTC Board concerned that limiting the $250 scholarship to one person does not benefit the whole team and could actually be used outside the Tri-Cities area.
  Motion: grant $250 to Greeneville High School for team expenses. Motion made by Jason Goodman, second by Mark Skelton. Approved.
   
• Treasurer's Report: Jason Goodman
  Activity since last meeting:
  $200 advanced to Virginia Creeper Marathon for equipment/supplies
  Paid for new mile markers
  Paid for newsletter
  Net profit for 2008 to date: $126
   
• Sam Culbertson's 1,000th Race Celebration: Matthew Studholme
  Rhonda Denham has volunteered to coordinate getting a cake, and Matthew has ordered a plaque to commemorate the occasion. The celebration will take place at Take Back the Night 5K. The race director is aware of the celebration and will have a table set up for the cake.
   
• New Races
  Board members have been contacted by people in Johnson City, Gate City and Kingsport regarding a few new races in the area. Nothing definite on the calendar yet, but dialogue is ongoing.
   
• Foot Rx King and Queen competition: Matthew Studholme for Steve Pastorek
  Steve Pastorek has offered that Foot Rx sponsor the King and Queen series for SFTC. The Trophy Shop has also been a sponsor of the series in the past. Since Steve was not present at the meeting, it was decided that the Board has agreed in principle to allow Foot Rx to sponsor the K&Q series pending review of a proposal from Foot Rx as to what the sponsorship would entail.
   
• Equipment Manager: Donna Bays
  Donna asks if a regular substitute should be named to take care of equipment needs the few times she is required to be out of town. (She occasionally travels for her job - approximately 2-3 times a year.) The Board agreed that having someone substitute on a case-by-case basis would be sufficient.
  
  Donna asked approval to purchase some shelving for approximately $40-$45 to assist in organizing the storage unit. The Board agreed to this. Donna will purchase this and be reimbursed.
  
  Donna brought one of the new mile marker signs to show to the Board. They are very lightweight, easy to store, and visible. Donna will formulate sandbags to use in windy conditions. Donna asked if she should discard some of the older mile marker signs, but it was recommended that she keep them for a few months to make sure they're not still needed.
  
  Oscar Wagner will be reimbursed by the club for the expenses he incurred making up some new mile marker signs recently.
  Donna is still looking for new finish chute material.
   
• Adult Mile Race Series Competition: Matthew Studholme for Steve Pastorek
  Steve Pastorek would like to add an Adult Mile Competition (similar to Kids Festival of Miles). There are several adult mile races on the club calendar. Steve has volunteered to manage the results of the series. The Board in principle supports the idea of an Adult Mile Series, but would like more detail. Steve will be requested to attend a meeting to make a proposal.
   
• Runscore Training Update: David Fox
  Fourteen or fifteen people attended the first training session on Tuesday, Mar 18. Three or four are signed up for the training next week, and five or six for the week after that. There has been a request that David offer an "advanced" session. David will consider adding that for the week after the last basic session.
   
• Proposal for "Equipment Rental with Volunteers" Finish Line Management Option
  Lengthy discussion regarding whether or not SFTC should add another category of finish line management for races which would state that races could rent finish line equipment only from SFTC, and be able to grant volunteer points to SFTC members who work the race although the club is not hired to manage the race. Matthew Studholme pointed out that a new category brings up two points:
  1-If the club offers a new category of rental without management, but grants volunteer points to SFTC members, it would be difficult to quantify that.
  2-The club has been asked by several races recently to manage races, and we have had to turn them down for lack of liaison volunteers.
  Rob Schoborg proposes since the mission of SFTC is to promote running in the area, that SFTC vote to extend volunteer points to any SFTC member who helps at a running event in any of the three districts. There was an additional suggestion that you quantify the recommendation by stating that the race has to be part of the King & Queen Series whether the club is hired to manage it or not.
  
  Motion: Give volunteer points to SFTC members who volunteer at K&Q races. The race director will be held responsible for submitting a list of SFTC member volunteers to the volunteer coordinator (Bob Townsend). Motion made by Earl Brown, second by Rhonda Denham. Motion passed.
  **Noted that Matthew Studholme does not support the motion.**
   
• Liaisons for Mark Skelton's races
  Does Mark require a liaison for CASA races in April, and does he want to hire the club to manage them? Mark responded that he did. Jason and Nicole Goodman volunteered for liaison for CASA races.
   
• Increase of Volunteer service for King & Queen Competition
  Motion: to increase the number of volunteer points to five (5) necessary to meet the requirements for King & Queen competition. Motion by Mark Skelton, second by Jason Goodman. Motion did not pass.
  **Noted that Matthew Studholme and Rhonda Denham do not support the motion.**
  Motion: to increase the number of volunteer points to five (5) necessary to meet the requirement for King & Queen competition for 2009. Motion by Earl Brown, second by Jason Goodman. Motion passed.
  **Noted that Matthew Studholme does not support the motion.**
   
• The next Board meeting will be held April 17.
• Minutes submitted by secretary, Brenda Fox

Apr. 10th, 2008  7pm - Eastman Employee Center

• Voting Board Members present: Matthew Studholme, Steve Pastorek, Earl Brown, Rhonda Denham, David Sullivan, Jason Goodman, Mark Skelton
• Non-voting Board Members present: David Fox, Brenda Fox, Donna Bays, Bob Townsend, Nicole Goodman, Wendy Weidner
• Guests: Harriet Locke, Alison Pastorek, Phil Horner, Michael Pope, Frank Kibler
• March 2008 minutes approved via email vote.
• Treasurer's Report: Jason Goodman
  Primary expenditures: pizza for meetings and Runscore training sessions, website hosting fees, $250 grant to Greeneville High School. Primary revenue from Virginia Creeper Marathon.
  Total income YTD: $5110.83
  Total expenses YTD: $5142.23
  Net Income YTD: ($31.40)
  Total Liabilities & Equity: $18,020.36
   
• Split Times Status: Matthew Studholme for Rob Schoborg
  Rob plans to submit the next Split Times to the publisher on Monday, April 14. Rob is also planning to publish another edition in June, and would like to request submissions to be made to him by May 31. Rob welcomes articles from club members.
   
• Possible Foot Rx Sponsorship of King and Queen Competition: Steve Pastorek
  Steve has decided not to sponsor the series this year.
   
• Group Discount Rate for SFTC Membership: Steve Pastorek
  Steve was asked by some members of the ROTC if the club offers a group discount for SFTC membership. We do not at this time, and it was agreed that the actual cost of membership is quite affordable so no need to offer a discount. The topic arose of having a group discount rate for schools, etc., at area races would be quite advantageous. The Board recommends that people who would want to request a group discount race approach the individual race directors. SFTC actually owns very few races, and we cannot mandate a group discount rate for races we do not own.
   
• "Subscription Only" Option on Membership Forms: Matthew Studholme/Nicole Goodman
  Nicole recommends that this option be removed from the membership form due to no one using it.
  Motion - Jason Goodman, Second - Mark Skelton: to remove "Subscription Only" option from membership form
  Motion approved.
   
• New Races: Matthew Studholme
  -6K at Steele Creek Park (Bristol, June 21)
  -Daniel Boone Town of Gate City/Young Life 5K Run Classic (Gate City, May 24)
  -Netopalis Chapter Brotherhood 5K Run/1 Mile Walk (Kingsport, May 10)
  -Relay for Life 5K (Johnson City, May 10)
  All four races approached SFTC about finish line management in the last two weeks. The two races on May 10 were told that there was not enough time for the club to get liaisons and/or volunteers to help with their races. They opted for rental of equipment.
  Motion - Matthew Studholme, Second - Rhonda Denham: If within one week from April 10, a liaison is found to help with either or both races, SFTC will agree to provide finish line management. Motion approved.
  Bob Townsend will send out an email to try to get a liaison for the two races.
   
• Finish Line Management Requests Guidelines: Board
  The board discussed how new races often request to hire SFTC for finish-line management too late for the club to find liaisons and recruit club members as volunteers.
  Motion - Steve Pastorek, Second - Jason Goodman: Requests for Finish Line Management shall be made in person at Board Meetings at least four (4) months prior to projected race date to be considered by the Board. Motion passed.
  This change will go into effect immediately, and will apply to all new requests from this point forward.
   
• Long Distance Series Qualifications: Wendy Weidner
  The rules were changed slightly last year to not include a wild card race in the series. Wendy points out that it makes it difficult for people to meet the reqirements for the series if there is no wild card race allowed.
  Motion - Rhonda Denham, Second - Steve Pastorek: To qualify for the Long Distance Series, runners must run at least three races 10 miles or longer, at least two of which must be SFTC-owned or K&Q races. The third can be a wild card race to meet the distance requirements for the Long Distance Series. Proof of participation in a wild card race must be provided to the LDS manager.
  Motion passed. This change will go into effect immediately and will be a part of this season's rules/requirements.
   
• Tennessee State Parks Running Tour: Bob Townsend
  Bob has informed the Board that the state of TN has instituted a price increase of the State Parks Running Tour. The cost of pre-registration has increased from $15 to $18. Bob would like to give a $3 discount to SFTC members. Board agrees with this.
   
• From Matthew Studholme: Matthew would like all Board members to think about options for socials for the club to discuss at the next meeting.
• The next Board meeting will be held May 8, at Eastman Employee Center.
• Minutes submitted by secretary, Brenda Fox

(May meeting was cancelled)

Jun. 19th, 2008  6:30pm - Eastman Employee Center

• Voting Board Members present: Rhonda Denham, Matt Studholme, Jason Goodman, Mark Skelton, Earl Brown, Steve Pastorek
• Non-voting Board Members present: Bob Townsend, Rob Schoborg, Donna Bays, Brenda Fox, David Fox, Nicole Goodman, Wendy Weidner
• Guests: Gary Barnett, Michael Pope, Michelle Duffourc, Alison Pastorek, Phil Horner, Mike Harkleroad
• April 2008 minutes approved via email vote. No May meeting held due to several conflicts of Board members.
• Treasurer's Report: Jason Goodman: Total Liabilities & Equity: $17,639.77
   
• ALS 6K - Mike Harkleroad
  Mike Harkleroad was present to submit a request to hire the club for finish line management at a race he is planning to direct in memory of his father who succumbed to ALS. The race will be held at Steele Creek Park in Bristol. Possible race date is Oct 11. Matthew Studholme has volunteered to be liaison.
  **Motion: SFTC support ALS 6K and be hired to manage the finish line (motion: Matthew Studholme; second: Jason Goodman) Motion passed.
   
• New Kids Festival of Miles Race - Mark Skelton
  Mark Skelton is proposing a new KFOM Race to be held at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 30. There will be a few different mile races, including a KFOM mile race. Mark plans to have it certified.
   
• New Long Distance Series Race - Mark Skelton
  Mark Skelton is proposing a new Long Distance Series Race at Laurel Run named the Laurel Run Ascent. This would be held on October 11, and a social event would be held in conjunction with it. Mark is considering holding both events in the afternoon on October 11.
  **Motion: Laurel Run Ascent be added to the LDS (motion: Matthew Studholme; second: Wendy Weidner) Motion passed.
   
• SFTC Awards Banquet/Christmas Party
  As of right now there is no venue for this year's Awards Banquet and Christmas Party. The following people have volunteered to check with different places:
  Red Room - Donna Bays
  The Charles in Johnson City - Michelle Duffourc
  ETSU - Rob Schoborg
  Kingsport Renaissance Center - Matthew Studholme
   
• Animal Chase 5K becoming a K&Q Race
  Discussion: the Animal Chase 10K is already a K&Q Race, consider adding the Animal Chase 5K as a K&Q Race.
  **Motion: Add the Animal Chase 5K as a K&Q Race (motion: Jason Goodman; second: Matthew Studholme) Motion passed.
   
• New Marathon and Half Marathon in Rutledge, TN
  Matthew Studholme has been approached by an organization in Rutledge, TN about the club being hired for finish line management for a marathon and half marathon on November 15. Matthew has been measuring the courses for them. No one was interested in becoming a liaison. Matthew will inform the race organizers.
   
• Finish Line Equipment
  Donna Bays brings to the attention of the Board that the large clock is hard to manage and store, and not many races use it. It was explained that there are several races who use it (Eastman Road Race, Race Walk, etc.) Donna was not aware of that. (Reminder to the board that Eastman Chemical Company actually bought the clock for the club several years ago and the club waived rental of the clock to Eastman for 10 years 1996-2006 in view of that.)
  
  Walkie Talkies: Donna is interested in getting a few sets of walkie talkies or two-way radios to use at races. Several board members have sets they would be willing to donate to the club.
  
  Chutes: Donna is looking into stanchions for the finish chute. She has found a set of 12 for $270. She will try to get a sample for the board to look at during the next meeting.
  
  Mile Markers: Matthew Studholme drilled holes in the bottoms of the new mile markers to be able to insert tent pegs to hold down the markers.
   
• Crazy 8's and $1 Club Member Discount
  Crazy 8's Road Race has not advertised the $1 discount for club members for several years in a row, therefore not meeting the K&Q requirement. Hank Brown, race director, has stated before that it's not feasible for his race to do this. After the 2008 Crazy8s event, the board will need to decide if the race will be removed from the K&Q category for 2009.
   
• New Grant Applications
  Rob Schoborg brought copies of three grant applications he received for each voting board member to take home and read. He requests that the board members review each carefully, and that a decision be made at the next board meeting.
   
• Split Times
  Rob Schoborg is requesting more articles from club members for the club newsletter. He does not want to put out a paper with just race results since these can be viewed online on the website. Rob will also publish recipes, jokes, etc.
   
• Apparel purchases
  Wendy Weidner asked if the club would be interested in purchasing hats with the club logo to sell. Not much interest from the board.
  
  Nicole Goodman asked about whether club shirts could be bought to sell. Bob Townsend commented on the turtleneck shirts the club sold several years ago. David Fox explained that he has been able to sometimes get free shirts from the company that Eastman Road Race buys shirts from, but has not been able to get those for the last couple of years.
   
• Date of next meeting: July 24
• Minutes submitted by secretary, Brenda Fox
   

Jul. 24th, 2008  6:30pm - Eastman Employee Center

• Voting Board Members present: Rhonda Denham, Matthew Studholme, David Sullivan, Mark Skelton, Earl Brown
• Non-voting Board Members present: Bob Townsend, Donna Bays
• Guests: LeGrande Boyer, Bill Dickerson, Karen Seifeith
• June 2008 minutes are not yet approved. Final approval will be made via e-mail vote
• Treasurer's Report: Matthew Studholme for Jason Goodman
  Total Liabilities & Equity: $18,202.62
  Not much activity. Payments received for finish line management of Firecracker and Animal Chase. The club is now in the black for the year with a net surplus of $50.90.
   
• ALS 6K - Matthew Studholme
  Mike Harkleroad (RD) reported to Matthew that Bristol Parks & Rec said that due to conflict with another event in the park on the same day that the proposed race date of Oct 11th was unavailable. Mike suggested Oct 18th but that date is a clash with Roan Mountain so the club would not be available to do finish line management. Mike has decided to cancel the race.
   
• 2009 SFTC Elections: Bob Townsend
  Candidates are needed for the following board positions:
  President Elect
  District 2 Rep (Johnson City)
  District 3 Rep (Kingsport)
  Karen Seiferth agreed to run for the District 2 Rep position. It was requested that Bob Townsend send out an e-mail blast to SFTC members and David Fox put an announcement on the website home page for to call for nominations. Ballots need to go out in the mail by October 15.
   
• New K & Q Race: Mark Skelton
  Mark requested that the Wolf Run 7 Miler (Bays Mountain State Park) be added to the K&Q competition series for 2009. The Wolf Run had its debut a couple of weeks ago during Kingsport FunFest. The race was a success with 111 registered. This course is not USATF-certified as it is a dirt road and trail course but it is of a nature that it would not have a positive influence on a particpant's K&Q score.
  **Motion: Wolf Run 7 Miler be added to the K&Q Competition (motion: Matthew Studholme; second: David Sullivan). Motion passed.
   
• K&Q Weighting for Trail Races: Matthew Studholme
  SFTC member Jeff Bloomer had requested that the board consider weighting times for Run the Tunnel so that there was not a negative impact on a runner's K&Q score. It was decided that it would be difficult to weight the race fairly. So the proposal was rejected at this time. This topic then evolved into a discussion of starting a trail competition series (see below).
   
• SFTC Trail Competition
  A discussion was held on the possibility of developing a trail competition. There are a number of trail races/runs already in the SFTC catchment area; these include:
  * Run the Tunnel
  * Wolf Run 7 Miler
  * Laurel Run Ascent (11 miler)
  * Bays Mountain 15 Miler
  * Bridge and Tresle Guerilla Run (17 Miler)
  
  The board was in general support of this proposal. The following rules were agreed. The series will be a competition with awards given at the SFTC (end-of-year) annual banquet (top 3, male and female). All the events will be timed, age-graded and normalized in a similar manner to K&Q. Runners must complete at least 3 of the designated races. Earl Brown volunteered to be score keeper. Bridge & Trestle is not formally timed at present but it is a club event so it should be possible to commence doing so. Runners must be SFTC members to be part of the competition. All SFTC members are automatically entered. It was agreed that in order for a trail race to be part of the series, it must have a significant degree of difficulty, for example, hills. For this reason, the Virginia Creeper Trail races (Animal Chase, Creeper Classic, Highlands Spring Chase 15K, etc.) were decided not to have sufficient challenge for consideration. A possible so-called wild card option was also raised to include races outside of the SFTC area such as Panther Creek 8K and Springmaid Splash 10K. A decision on whether or not to add this wild card option will be considered at a later date. Inclusion of additions to the series must be approved by the board.
  * Motion: To form a SFTC Trail Series Competition for 2009 based on the above. (Motion: David Sullivan; second: Earl Brown). Motion passed.
   
• SFTC Awards Banquet/Christmas Party
  As of right now there is still no venue identified for this year's Awards Banquet and Christmas Party. The following people had volunteered to check with different places:
  Red Room (Exit 66, I-81) - Donna Bays - Donna reported that the Red Room cost is $275 for 3 hours plus $50 for clean up. A $100 deposit is required when a booking is made.
  The Charles in Johnson City - Michelle Duffourc - Michelle was not at the meeting to report. Matthew to ask Michelle (via Rob Schoborg) for status.
  ETSU - Rob Schoborg - Rob was not at the meeting to report. Matthew to ask Rob for status.
  Kingsport Renaissance Center - Matthew Studholme - None of the rooms available at big enough for our needs.
  The possibility of using Viking Hall (Bristol) was raised by Rhonda Denham. Rhonda said she would find out more and report back to the board.
   
• New Grant Applications
  The three submitted applications were reviewed.
  
  1) King College for Bristol Cross XC Race (Steele Creek park), submitted by Coach Tom Murrell. This application was incomplete - it did not include 1) a narrative outlining the benefits to the community and financial need, 2) a breakdown of the proposed budget need, or 3) a list of the applicant's running / community service accomplishments. However, based on the long standing relationship between Bristol Cross and SFTC, the possiblity of allowing Coach Murrell to revise the application and re-submit was discussed.
  * Motion: Allow Coach Murrell to revise and re-submit his application for Bristol Cross within 7 days for re-consideration at the next board meeting (motion: Matthew Studholme; second: Earl Brown). Motion passed. Rhonda Denham will advise Coach Murrell of the situation.
  
  2) Girls on the Run, a program that encourages pre-teen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running, submitted by Ani Boyd. it was noted that this is the second application that Girls on the Run have submitted. The previous submit was approved in the Fall of '07 and a grant of $500 was awarded at that time. All the requiements of the grant were met. Mark Skelton commented that there was also strong evidence of the success of this program at the Wondergirl 5K organized by Girls on the Run at the Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this year. The new application stated that the intent was to use the grant, if awarded, to provide scholarships to girls who could not otherwise afford to participate.
  * Motion: Award $500 to Girls on the Run (motion: Rhonda Denham; second: Mark Skelton). Motion approved.
  
  3) Road Pride, an after-school program for 3rd - 5th graders at Lincoln Elementary School, Kingsport, submitted by Donna Bays. The application stated that the grant, if awarded, would be used towards race entry fees, t-shirts, incentive awards, an "awards day" and an end-of-program pizza party if funds allow.
  * Motion: Award $500 to Road Pride (motion: Matthew Studholme; second: Rhonda Denham). Motion approved.
   
• Date of next meeting: Thursday August 14.
• Minutes recorded during meeting by Karen Seiferth; typed up by Matthew Studholme