Description

HOD Meeting Agenda

Due to the ongoing pandemic, and to avoid unnecessary travel for our members, the 2021 House of Delegates meeting will be held virtually via Zoom, on Saturday October 9, 2021. Meeting details will be sent to all club contacts and posted here. 

Legislative proposals should be sent to Mindy Donofrio. 

Meeting Information 

Link to Google form to submit Voting Delegates: https://forms.gle/urPXiYKEhbhqjWf46

Meeting Information

The meeting will be held virtually via a Zoom Webinar. Additional information (including the login) will be sent to teams via email. 

Voting delegates must connect using a device with video and audio capabilities enabled. Other attendees will be able to connect without video display but will need audio capability to listen to the meeting. According to the South Texas Swimming Bylaws, Article 4.4.1: Each of the Group Member Representatives, the Board Members, and the At-Large House Members shall have both voice and vote in meetings of the House of Delegates.

Planning meeting – Saturday, October 9, 2021, 8 am

HOD meeting – Saturday, October 9, 2021, 9 am

Team Attendance

According to the South Texas Swimming Policies & Procedures, Section IV (F): Teams that [do] not attend the Annual Meeting may not host Sanctioned or Approved meets during the ensuing 12 months.

Team Registration

According to the South Texas Swimming Policies & Procedures, Section IV (F): In order to cast votes, all STSI teams must be registered for the upcoming year prior to the start of the Annual Meeting.

Procedure for Club Votes

For the purposes of voting, a Group Member is defined as a currently registered club of South Texas Swimming and club member of USA Swimming in good standing.

According to the South Texas Swimming Bylaws, Article 4.1: Each Group Member in good standing shall appoint from its membership a Group Member Representative and one or more alternates for each. The appointment shall be in writing, addressed to the Secretary of STSI and duly certified by the chief executive officer or secretary of the appointing Group Member. The appointing Group Member may withdraw its Group Member Representative or one or more of its alternates and substitute new Group Member Representative or new alternates by written notice, addressed to the Secretary of STSI and signed by the chief executive officer or secretary of the appointing Group Member. The representatives of any Group Member are not required to be Individual Members of STSI or USA Swimming. 

The appointment letter of the Group Member Representative(s) and any alternate(s) will be submitted via a Google form, to be completed by the club’s owner, head coach, or president, or his or her designee. All voting delegates must provide an email address.

Link to Google form to submit Voting Letter: https://forms.gle/urPXiYKEhbhqjWf46

Team Votes

The votes are broken into two categories, non-athlete votes and athlete votes. Voting strengths for teams are based on the registered athlete count. 

According to the South Texas Policies & Procedures, Section IV (G), Group members with 5 or more votes shall name an athlete or athletes to vote 20% of the club’s votes at the Annual House of Delegates Meeting. Teams need to appoint Athlete Representative(s) and make arrangements for them to attend the Annual House of Delegates Meeting, or forfeit up to 20% of their total votes. Athlete Representative(s) must be at least 13 years of age.

Voting strengths for Group Members shall be based on year-round registered athlete count. For all meetings, this count will be as of August 31 of a registration year. Allotment of representatives shall be according to the following formula:

 Athletes casting club votes must be in attendance to vote. Teams entitled to more than one athlete vote will need to name an athlete to control each individual vote. If a team is permitted to name more than one athlete representative and only one shows up, then that athlete gets one vote and the other votes cannot be cast. Remember: If the athlete representative(s) or their designated alternate fails to attend the House of Delegates Meeting, the club will lose those athlete votes.

A single representative of a club who meets all of the required stipulations of membership and team registration may control all of a team’s non-athlete votes.

The following teams have zero (0) Athlete Representative votes: ATLS, CLAN, CLUB, FHD, GLAA, HPAC, MMA, PLAT, PRGN, SAS, STSA, TEX, VTAC, VTX, WOW.

Clubs having one (1) Athlete Representative vote are: BAS, CCSS, COTA, HOT, HSC, LIFE, SYS, WWAC, WWW.

Clubs having two (2) Athlete Representative votes are: AQSA, AQTX, CBA, CCLR, FISH, GOLD, LSAC, MSC, RUSH, SASA, SEAL, SRG, TST, TXLA, WAVE, WHAC, WLOO, YMCA. (Need to name two Athlete representatives in order to utilize both votes.)

Clubs having three (3) Athlete Representative votes are: ASC, LCA. (Need to name three Athlete representatives in order to utilize both votes.)

Clubs having  FIVE (5) Athlete Representative votes are: AAAA, NTRO. (Need to name five or ten athlete representatives in order to utilize all votes.)

Athlete At-Large House Members

According to the South Texas Swimming Bylaws, Article 4.1.4: A sufficient number of athletes to ensure that Athlete Members constitute at least 20% of the voting membership of the House of Delegates shall be appointed by the General Chair with advice and consent of the Board of Directors and shall hold office from the date of appointment through the conclusion of the annual meeting of the House of Delegates following such appointment or until their successors are appointed to the House of Delegates. If you have an athlete who you would like to nominate for consideration for one of the At-Large Athlete Representatives, please submit that name to [email protected], no later than Saturday, October 2, 2021. The STSI Board of Directors will select At-Large Athletes Members from the list of nominees. At-Large Athlete Members must be at least 13 years of age and may not also be designated as a voting member of a club. Athlete At-Large Members must be Individual Members in good standing and in attendance to vote.

Changes to Voting Representatives

Changes to the Group Member’s voting designee(s) may be made up to the start of the House of Delegates meeting, provided that the change is made in writing by the chief executive officer or secretary of the Group Member and that the representative provides a copy of their USA Swimming Registration card prior to the start of the House of Delegates sessions.

According to the South Texas Swimming Bylaws, Article 4.3: An Individual Member entitled to vote in House of Delegates meetings may only have one vote regardless of the number of positions held by such member.

Board of Directors - Nominees

Nominations for open positions are now closed. Members of the Governance Committee, which also serves as the STS Nominating Committee, considered prospective candidates for open positions and voted on the slate of candidates. Each nominee on the slate has been advised of the responsibilities for the position, the requirements of STS and USA Swimming, and has been given the Board of Directors handbook. Each nominee has agreed to take the required USAS course for new board members and sign a conflict of interest statement for STS. The nominees have also agreed to attend the monthly board of directors meetings and to complete their duties to the best of their abilities.

Bios (for nominees who provided them) are posted here. 

Admin Vice Chair: Deanna Oliphant, SRG

Finance Vice Chair (1 year term, to fill vacancy): Alek Orloff, ASC

Senior Vice Chair: Monica Thomason, WLOO

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Chair (new BOD position, pending approval of the HOD): Jen Gil-Smetana, WAVE

Junior Coach Representative: Hector Becerra, MSC

Two athlete representatives were nominated by the South Texas Swimming athletes to fill two open positions. As no election was necessary, they will assume their duties effective 10/9/21.

Junior Athlete Representative: Kevin Cai, AAAA-NE

Athlete At-Large Representative: Landon Alarcon, NTRO

Other Nominations:

Admin Board of Review:

Non-athlete member (2 positions): Tim Broughton, WAVE and Steve Mandacina, AAAA

Athlete member (1 position): Liliana Gamiz, AAAA-AH

Athlete member, alternate (1 position): Jasmine Park, NTRO
 

Legislative Proposals

Proposal #1 (P&P): Change HOD voting to a single vote for one coach and one athlete for each member club (posted 9/15/21)

Proposal #2 (Bylaws): To change the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Chair to a voting member of the Board of Directors (posted 9/15/21)

Proposed Budget (draft reviewed and recommended by the BOD, posted 9/24/21)

Proposal #3 (P&P): To adopt the USA Swimming Development Competition Program, as a option for STS teams. 

Proposal #4 (P&P): To allow STS athletes wtih disabilities and qualifying LSC Paralympic time standards to compete at the STAGS meet, regardless of age. 

Proposal #5 (P&P): To conduct the STS championship meets using the dual age group NAGS times: B for B Champs, BB for STX, and A and faster for STAGS.  

Proposal #6 (P&P): To require the Championship Meet Committee to set the dates for bid meets at least one week prior to the HOD meeting. 

Proposal #7 (P&P): To follow USA Swimming championship meet scratch rules for STS championship meets.