NEWSLINE STORY

published July-August 2016

 

Charter Communications

By Jerry LaBrosse, 4th Vice President, Charter Communications Director

 

I must start by apologizing for not placing an article in the last Newsline, a miscue on my part.

           

I would like to take a minute to speak directly to the delegates that will be attending the convention on July the 31st. I am sure you are all aware of how the system works, but I would like to just briefly review it for those who may not fully understand it.

 

The NHPA works much like a representative government. Each charter has delegates that they send to the convention to represent their memberships. The number of delegates is based on the number of adult members in your charter. It works out to one delegate for every 100 adult members in your charter. At the convention, the delegates listen to the moderators speak about the different topics, ask questions, and vote on things such as rule/bylaw changes, and elections. It is the charter’s responsibility to survey your members about the topics that will be addressed at the convention, and then go to represent their wishes.

 

This year we have no rules or bylaws to vote on. We do, however, have officer elections. This year we have one incumbent officer running for another term, and that is Jerry Smith. Dan Sanders has announced that he is not seeking re-election as 1st Vice President after serving for over 12 years. I want to go on record as saying that Dan has had a very successful and productive career as an NHPA officer, and has many great accomplishments to his credit. The NHPA owes Dan a great deal of gratitude for the countless hours he has devoted to our great sport, and the endless contributions he has made. I really got to know Dan way back when we re-wrote the rulebook and created what is now known as the RGS booklet. He and I and George Nick worked weekly for a couple of years on that project, and there are both good and bad memories from it. In the end, thanks to Dan’s attention and insistence to detail, we produced a great product that will stand the test of time.

 

Another thing that we do every year at the convention is decide where the World Tournament will go two years down the road. This is where I have a few comments and suggestions for the delegates.

 

Far too often what I see the delegates do is to automatically vote for the bidding site that is closest to their home charter. There are many things to consider when selecting a site, but there is one consideration that I believe goes largely un-noticed, and I’d like to shine the light on it.

 

I believe it is hugely important to have a horseshoe community in the host area. It could be a club, or it could just be a group of members that live in the area. The local CVB cannot be expected to know everything that needs to happen because they aren’t horseshoe people. They don’t know what committees are needed and what details need attention. Their focus is the facility and accommodations and such. Yes, for them it is all about getting you into their town and spending money.

 

Here is a consideration for all of you to think about.  This sport is struggling to grow, as we all know. Our World Tournament is the biggest promotion event of the year, and we should do everything we can to exploit that.  If there is a horseshoe club in Topeka and we have the World Tournament there, that club is going to grow based on the exposure we had from the event. TV coverage, newspaper, radio, billboards, etc all draw attention to our sport. If there is no horseshoe presence in the host community, then there really isn’t much chance for the sport to grow there.

 

So I am challenging all of you delegates to research the bidders every year and make an intelligent decision based on the important facts…not just how close it is to your charter!

           

I have been in discussions with the Montgomery hosts about a variety of things, including what will happen to the clay once the event is over. The city has made claim to use the clay for a couple different things. The local horseshoe facility will receive much of the clay, and then the rest of it will be designated for the National Senior Games to be held in Birmingham, AL in 2017. So unfortunately this year there will be no clay available after our event.

           

One last thing I need to mention is the setup process this year. We will be starting the setup a day early this year, Tuesday July 19th, to allow enough time to repaint the foul lines on the rubber walkways. Anybody who would like to volunteer a few days of your time to be a part of the setup process, please contact me, or just show up at the Multiplex that morning about 8 AM in your work duds. (That mean your work clothes Fisher)

           

This year we are planning to install 48 tournament courts in 6 banks of 8 courts each. We will have room to place at least 6, possibly 9, courts along the side of the arena. Two of these courts will be designated as playoff courts and on playoff days you may be required to vacate those courts at the end of any shift for playoff games. There are also practice courts available in a nearby park. Directions to this park will be available at registration.

           

That’s all I have for now. I invite any of you to look me up and visit. I love meeting new folks and making new friends.  Don’t forget that there is no substitute for practice, so throw lots of shoes in preparation for this great tournament. Please familiarize yourself with the rules and procedures and be on time to all of your functions. Be courteous and respectful of people and property. We hope you have a fantastic World Tournament experience, and that you’ll want to attend every year.

 

See ya’ll in Montgomery