Rocky Mountain Rugby held a Board meeting on June 2, 2020. The minutes are available here.
Rocky Mountain Rugby
Board of Directors Meeting
2 June 2020
Time: 4:00 - 5:30 PM Mountain
Location: https://join.freeconferencecall.com/rugbymeeting
Attendees: Rich Cortez (Chair), Erik Geib (President), Tracy Curtis (VP), Bob Lesnansky (VP-Finance), Jeanna Beard (VP-Communications), Mark Huff (Referees)
Guests: Sean Cox (Mid-America GU President), Ed McKenna (outgoing College Commissioner)
Agenda:
1. Return to Play (please read the attached document in advance; also found at https://assets.usarugby.org/docs/medical/USAR-R2P.pdf)
VERIFY ALL:
Montana is open, per Ed (verify with Montana government)
Utah has had Youth practices, per Ed (doesn’t mean this is allowed)
From the Denver Rec and parks department, per Erik
Limited to 25 group
Spectators discouraged
Maintain contact information/rosters with phone number and addresses
No sharing snacks or water
Consider holding matches every 2 weeks
Colorado: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TlXejV_rut-h2epW5Fv9RBzN1ZW_reJV/view
Wyoming, per Rich:
every person in school needs 10 square feet upon
Maybe no out of state travel for team sports
What’s each state in terms of staging - 6 states of colleges.
Men’s D1A College - CO, NM, WY, UT
Men’s D2 College - MT, UT, CO, ID
Men’s Small College - CO, NM
Women’s D1 College - WY, UT, CO, NM, MT, ID (Boise State re-joining)
Women’s D2 College - CO
Women’s Club- UT, CO
Men’s Club D2: UT, CO
Men’s Club D3: CO, WY
Men’s Club D4: CO
Motion for Jeanna to lead tracking the stages in each state
Next steps (Jeanna)
-tracking stages for the States -
-what protocols as we approach Level 5 for RTP
-how do we enforce fans
-zero tolerance for individuals not following - is there an appeals process?
- Organizations - have x time punishment
- individuals involved - have y time punishment
- Keep everyone involved with transparent information via social media.
Next steps (For all - continuing conversation offline):
-Erik to create R2P page with Google sheet embedded on rockymountainrugby.org
-keep looking at guidance (14 days between games? Maybe play 10s? etc.) as we progress through stages
-how to manage absence of spectators, keep refs safe, track additional roster info, take temperatures, etc.?
-address types of suspension/discipline for non-compliance
-event organizers
-event participants
-those affiliated with event organizers and participants (non-involved teammates)
-realistically, may not be able to play until there’s a vaccine or covid is gone; need to be prepared for possibility of no rugby until then (note: this is what roller derby has said)
2. Annual General Meeting - how/when/etc.
Virtual AGM
Bobo will check doing the zoom through his work account.
Breakout rooms available for zoom - great for different groups
June 28th 9am-1pm
Nominations in advance due to online format; nominations to close by June 21 (Update: June 24)
-Erik to make the nomination form.
Information (time, location, agenda) to be online by June 7; sent out thereafter
Need to be able to make recording available
3. USA Rugby Reorganization Update
USAR changed its bylaws:
Shifting from Congress to Council model
Expert Committees are no more - now intertwined with the Councils
Board switching to 4 athletes, 3 community reps, and 4 at-large directors
Previously was 6 at-large (independent) directors, 2 athletes, and 1 community rep
Complete community control of the audit & risk committee and nominations committee (Sr. Club, College Club, Youth; plus two athletes)
- Sr. Club -
19 unions w/ weighted votes depending on percentage of sr. clubs
1 rep - default is the prez, but it can change depending on the union; RMR’s rep is president until otherwise changed
USA dues will go down, but the Council dues may go up; hoping for a net wash and either equal or improved standard for member value
Every council has more power - treasurer, etc.
7 Committees: DEI, Training and Education, Audit risk/treasury, governance and operations, eligibility, competitions, discipline
Sportlomo competition system
Terms of reference settled for senior club council
- College club -
Not that far along - no terms of reference for college council
Participation of groups that may not become members of USA rugby
Asking everyone to sign a letter of intent to say which entity they will belong to.
Collegiate Rugby Assoc. Of America = Full USAR members, D1A Men, and D1 and D2 women
American College Rugby, Inc. = Full USAR members
National Collegiate Rugby Org = own registration/champ/independent from USAR, ref society heard they're supposed to be totally independent
Council - reps by division: D1 elite men, D1AA men and women, D1A, D1 men and women, D2 men and women, and small college men and women
D1 women partner with CRAA
D2 women undecided
Who’s in charge of the referees in these two different organizations?
D2 men partner with NCR
D1AA men remain with USAR
D1A men with CRAA
Small college men working with D1AA and D2 for matches
4. Budgeting - 2020-2021 / 2021-2022 expected impacts; refunds for 2019-2020.
-men’s and women’s senior levels
-issue refunds
-we may need to consolidate old accounts (from the dissolution of the Western RFU and/or ERRFU)
-sending out refunds to groups that have paid in surplus of operating costs (College still has accounts receivable; refunds to go to senior clubs who’ve paid beyond programming received)
-also make payment to Howard for outstanding 7s items
-minor account adjustments to be made; some internal between accounts but club by club adjustments will also need to be sorted during refund process
-approval by board (no objection)
-Jeanna to follow up with women’s clubs for mailing addresses; Erik to follow up with men’s clubs
5. College Realignment - Ed is stepping down as commissioner. We'd like to formally thank him and discuss our action plan for how we keep all the different paths straight again with multiple points of leadership.
College realignment otherwise touched during re-org discussion
Re-org good launching point to re-establish regular dues structure
6. Registration system(s) changing
-Sportlomo - NO IDEA how good or bad with two months to go
-Need access for colleges using non-USAR platforms to monitor registration(s)
7. Senior Club Alignment/Realignment - Frontier/Red River Women's D1; union-focused approaches; etc.
-empower league manager to sort it out to talk to other leagues.
-hopefully the other union has a RTP point person
-looking 3+ weeks out
-national council - everyone is empowered to be autonomous for nationals - may not be a “NATIONAL” date thing anymore; union-to-union and league-to-league communication working backwards from a goal instead of top-down date assignment for multiple steps
8. Changes at Glendale and knock-on effect(s) into our other clubs & programming.
-concerns about competitions - new team, existing club?, multiple clubs? Lose WPL team?
-union should lead with the group of players - grants, bridge loans? How does the union help RMR keep a WPL team.
-anything that can be done to start the club
-RMR is here to support them as needed - grants/bridge-loans
-”This is everyone’s team”
-politics could get in the way with other
-perception is that men don’t support women’s rugby - RMR will take a stand. Organizational commitment to ensure status in the WPL isn’t threatened.
-helps with College women and girls’ rugby in the area as well and brings the possibility for more clubs in the union
-organizational commitment to keeping a WPL side and integrating the solution with our community
Board of Directors Meeting
2 June 2020
Time: 4:00 - 5:30 PM Mountain
Location: https://join.freeconferencecall.com/rugbymeeting
Attendees: Rich Cortez (Chair), Erik Geib (President), Tracy Curtis (VP), Bob Lesnansky (VP-Finance), Jeanna Beard (VP-Communications), Mark Huff (Referees)
Guests: Sean Cox (Mid-America GU President), Ed McKenna (outgoing College Commissioner)
Agenda:
1. Return to Play (please read the attached document in advance; also found at https://assets.usarugby.org/docs/medical/USAR-R2P.pdf)
VERIFY ALL:
Montana is open, per Ed (verify with Montana government)
Utah has had Youth practices, per Ed (doesn’t mean this is allowed)
From the Denver Rec and parks department, per Erik
Limited to 25 group
Spectators discouraged
Maintain contact information/rosters with phone number and addresses
No sharing snacks or water
Consider holding matches every 2 weeks
Colorado: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TlXejV_rut-h2epW5Fv9RBzN1ZW_reJV/view
Wyoming, per Rich:
every person in school needs 10 square feet upon
Maybe no out of state travel for team sports
What’s each state in terms of staging - 6 states of colleges.
Men’s D1A College - CO, NM, WY, UT
Men’s D2 College - MT, UT, CO, ID
Men’s Small College - CO, NM
Women’s D1 College - WY, UT, CO, NM, MT, ID (Boise State re-joining)
Women’s D2 College - CO
Women’s Club- UT, CO
Men’s Club D2: UT, CO
Men’s Club D3: CO, WY
Men’s Club D4: CO
Motion for Jeanna to lead tracking the stages in each state
Next steps (Jeanna)
-tracking stages for the States -
-what protocols as we approach Level 5 for RTP
-how do we enforce fans
-zero tolerance for individuals not following - is there an appeals process?
- Organizations - have x time punishment
- individuals involved - have y time punishment
- Keep everyone involved with transparent information via social media.
Next steps (For all - continuing conversation offline):
-Erik to create R2P page with Google sheet embedded on rockymountainrugby.org
-keep looking at guidance (14 days between games? Maybe play 10s? etc.) as we progress through stages
-how to manage absence of spectators, keep refs safe, track additional roster info, take temperatures, etc.?
-address types of suspension/discipline for non-compliance
-event organizers
-event participants
-those affiliated with event organizers and participants (non-involved teammates)
-realistically, may not be able to play until there’s a vaccine or covid is gone; need to be prepared for possibility of no rugby until then (note: this is what roller derby has said)
2. Annual General Meeting - how/when/etc.
Virtual AGM
Bobo will check doing the zoom through his work account.
Breakout rooms available for zoom - great for different groups
June 28th 9am-1pm
Nominations in advance due to online format; nominations to close by June 21 (Update: June 24)
-Erik to make the nomination form.
Information (time, location, agenda) to be online by June 7; sent out thereafter
Need to be able to make recording available
3. USA Rugby Reorganization Update
USAR changed its bylaws:
Shifting from Congress to Council model
Expert Committees are no more - now intertwined with the Councils
Board switching to 4 athletes, 3 community reps, and 4 at-large directors
Previously was 6 at-large (independent) directors, 2 athletes, and 1 community rep
Complete community control of the audit & risk committee and nominations committee (Sr. Club, College Club, Youth; plus two athletes)
- Sr. Club -
19 unions w/ weighted votes depending on percentage of sr. clubs
1 rep - default is the prez, but it can change depending on the union; RMR’s rep is president until otherwise changed
USA dues will go down, but the Council dues may go up; hoping for a net wash and either equal or improved standard for member value
Every council has more power - treasurer, etc.
7 Committees: DEI, Training and Education, Audit risk/treasury, governance and operations, eligibility, competitions, discipline
Sportlomo competition system
Terms of reference settled for senior club council
- College club -
Not that far along - no terms of reference for college council
Participation of groups that may not become members of USA rugby
Asking everyone to sign a letter of intent to say which entity they will belong to.
Collegiate Rugby Assoc. Of America = Full USAR members, D1A Men, and D1 and D2 women
American College Rugby, Inc. = Full USAR members
National Collegiate Rugby Org = own registration/champ/independent from USAR, ref society heard they're supposed to be totally independent
Council - reps by division: D1 elite men, D1AA men and women, D1A, D1 men and women, D2 men and women, and small college men and women
D1 women partner with CRAA
D2 women undecided
Who’s in charge of the referees in these two different organizations?
D2 men partner with NCR
D1AA men remain with USAR
D1A men with CRAA
Small college men working with D1AA and D2 for matches
4. Budgeting - 2020-2021 / 2021-2022 expected impacts; refunds for 2019-2020.
-men’s and women’s senior levels
-issue refunds
-we may need to consolidate old accounts (from the dissolution of the Western RFU and/or ERRFU)
-sending out refunds to groups that have paid in surplus of operating costs (College still has accounts receivable; refunds to go to senior clubs who’ve paid beyond programming received)
-also make payment to Howard for outstanding 7s items
-minor account adjustments to be made; some internal between accounts but club by club adjustments will also need to be sorted during refund process
-approval by board (no objection)
-Jeanna to follow up with women’s clubs for mailing addresses; Erik to follow up with men’s clubs
5. College Realignment - Ed is stepping down as commissioner. We'd like to formally thank him and discuss our action plan for how we keep all the different paths straight again with multiple points of leadership.
College realignment otherwise touched during re-org discussion
Re-org good launching point to re-establish regular dues structure
6. Registration system(s) changing
-Sportlomo - NO IDEA how good or bad with two months to go
-Need access for colleges using non-USAR platforms to monitor registration(s)
7. Senior Club Alignment/Realignment - Frontier/Red River Women's D1; union-focused approaches; etc.
-empower league manager to sort it out to talk to other leagues.
-hopefully the other union has a RTP point person
-looking 3+ weeks out
-national council - everyone is empowered to be autonomous for nationals - may not be a “NATIONAL” date thing anymore; union-to-union and league-to-league communication working backwards from a goal instead of top-down date assignment for multiple steps
8. Changes at Glendale and knock-on effect(s) into our other clubs & programming.
-concerns about competitions - new team, existing club?, multiple clubs? Lose WPL team?
-union should lead with the group of players - grants, bridge loans? How does the union help RMR keep a WPL team.
-anything that can be done to start the club
-RMR is here to support them as needed - grants/bridge-loans
-”This is everyone’s team”
-politics could get in the way with other
-perception is that men don’t support women’s rugby - RMR will take a stand. Organizational commitment to ensure status in the WPL isn’t threatened.
-helps with College women and girls’ rugby in the area as well and brings the possibility for more clubs in the union
-organizational commitment to keeping a WPL side and integrating the solution with our community
