United States Naginata Federation Board Meeting Minutes
June 30, 2001
San Jose, CA
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
The meeting was called to order at 6:50 p.m. by President Miyako Tanaka Price. It was determined that there were enough board members in attendance to form a quorum. Copies of the agenda and treasurer's report attached) were distributed.
New Regional Representatives
President Miyako Tanaka Price welcomed Leslee Williams as the new, third representative from Southern California Naginata Federation (SCNF). A discussion then ensued over the timing of adding or subtracting regional representatives. Some members wanted to adjust the board membership at each meeting since we meet only twice a year. Others wanted to do it annually, after the start of the new fiscal year (April 1) as the federation by-laws require. It was decided to leave it as stated in the by-laws. Members were told they could request an amendment to the by-laws if they desired. Stephanie Hoppe pointed out that if we were to strictly abide by the by-laws, only Rocky Mountain Naginata Federation (RMNF) would be able to have representatives on the Board this year. Regional representatives are chosen based on members in good standing and as of April 1, 2001 only RMNF had paid their dues. Collecting dues has been a standing problem for the federation. Eventually everyone pays, but starting next year, if regions do not pay their dues by April 1, they will lose their board representatives for the entire year. Stephanie will send out reminders to the regions one month prior to the deadline to remind them to get their dues in on time. Miyako Tanaka Price reminded members that it is preferable to receive one check from each regional federation, rather than have many individual checks coming in to the treasurer's office.
USNF Website
Kurt Schmucker announced that the problems with the website hosting had been solved and that a number of updates had been made. All the minutes for the last two years have been posted as well as new officers and winners of the 2000 Championship in Hawaii. Kurt is looking forward to receiving new content for the website from anyone.
Bogu Requirement for Kyu exams
Nathan Scott requested clarification on whether bogu was required for nikyu testing. After some discussion, it was determined that it was required for the test on July 1, 2001. Kevin Saxton made a motion to eliminate the requirement in future for nikyu testing. Kurt Schmucker seconded the motion. A vote was taken: For: 12 Against: 1 (Bob Peterson) Abstain: 0. The motion passed. It will become effective at kyu exams After April 1, 2002.
2002 USNF Championship
Fran Vall announced that East Coast Naginata Federation (ECNF) has offered to host the 2002 USNF Championship at George Mason University in Virginia (near Washington, D.C.). There have been no other offers. At the moment, Fran has reserved June 22 and 23, 2002 for the event. There is apparently no cost to use the facility. Since four days are really needed, Fran will go back to the University to see what additional dates are available. Fran will also obtain information on dormitories and will get precise measurements (square footage) of the gymnasium and dance studio rooms under consideration. She will send this information to the Board by Labor Day, 2001.
USNF Tryouts for 2003 Taikai
Miyako Tanaka Price said that the date for the tryout depends on the INF application deadline, which should be at least four months in advance of the event. The tryout event will last one or two days, usually over a weekend. No venues were proposed. The slots to be filled are: Engi: 2 pair; Team matches (two teams): 3 men, 3 women per team; Individuals: 3 men, 3 women; and Rhythm naginata.
Kurt Schmucker reported that the INF Board does not view rhythm naginata as an optional event. At the last INF Board Meeting Kurt did not volunteer the USNF for this event. The only requirement for the event is to have two or more people. The size of the space for the event is 15 square meters. Kurt further recommended that the Board take no position one way or the other on this event. If someone wants to do it, we will look at it at the tryouts. Kurt recommends allocating no money for the event. Marcia Toyohara made a motion to look at any reasonable budget proposal should someone come up with a team. Kevin Saxton seconded the motion. Vote: For: 11 Against: 2 (Bob Peterson and Kurt Schmucker), Abstain: 0. The motion passed. Miyako Tanaka Price suggested that any ideas for rhythm naginata be presented at the 2002 Championship.
2003 INF Taikai
Karen Schmucker gave a report for her subcommittee on the status of the list of things to be done for the 2003 event.
Karen stated that a list had been generated from the one used for the 1993 Goodwill event. Additional items had been added to this list. Karen passed out copies of this list to all Board Members. Diana Payne (RMNF) submitted additions to the list. Miyako Tanaka Price asked everyone to think of additional things to add to this list. Karen reminded everyone that the purpose of the list is to see everything that could be done. We will prioritize the list after deciding on a budget.
Kurt Schmucker reported the following things from the INF Board Meeting: the date for the taikai will be mid-to-late June 2003 (Miyako Tanaka, who was also present at the INF Board Meeting corrected this information to late June to mid-July 2003). The events will cover seven days and will include the championship tournament (1-day), a goodwill tournament (1-day), a seminar, referee seminar and dan testing up to yondan. Kurt also explained the qualifications for participating in the goodwill event. If you are a member of a country that is not part of the INF, you may participate in the Goodwill Tournament and the associated seminar. If you are a member of your country's federation, you may participate in the goodwill event. If you are not a member of your country's official federation (i.e. like some of the French at the moment), then you may not participate in the INF goodwill or seminar events. The INF's policy on this is that each country has only one federation and any participants in INF events from that country must be members of that federation. At the last INF Board Meeting, Kurt asked if these rules could be changed so that anyone could participate in a seminar or goodwill event, but the Board did not change its mind.
Venue for 2003
During the recent INF Seminar, Miyako Tanaka Price accompanied Mrs. Kawamori and Mrs. Tamaki of the INF to view the facilities at both San Jose State University and Hayward State University. Both of these facilities are possible venues for the 2003 Taikai. While the INF representatives liked both facilities, they were most impressed with San Jose State University, especially with the Event Center. Cost for the Event Center (possibly as much as $10,000 for one day) will most likely prohibit its selection, but the large gymnasium in the Women's Intermural Building will suffice for the event and would be much more cost effective. San Jose State will also be more useful to us in terms of getting helpers from other budo dojos, since we have close ties to organizations in the San Jose area.
Division of Cost
The USNF will be able to keep entry fees for the championship and goodwill tournaments, but will also have to pay for the facilities, program and transportation costs associated with those events. The INF will keep all proceeds from the seminar and testing and will shoulder the costs associated with those events. The INF will also pay for the welcome party and the USNF will pay for the sayonara party. Someone mentioned that we could charge for the sayonara party.
Trophies
The INF will provide (pay for) trophies for the championship and goodwill events. However, they would like the trophies to be made in the United States so that they do not have to transport them here. They have asked us to send them brochures about suitable trophies so that they may choose which ones they want.
2003 Budget
Kurt Schmucker volunteered to make a master budget and get it to the Board by Labor Day. Other questions came up concerning costs. How much did the French charge for the event? Someone thought it was $50-60 per event. How much will it cost to print programs? Advertising is expected to pay for the program. Karen Schmucker mentioned that the French also charged a fee for the programs. Several people mentioned that fundraising should start now.
It was mentioned that the French spent $50,000 on the 1999 taikai and that the Japanese spent at least $500,000 on the first taikai in 1995. It was thought that much of that money went to the large facilities used for the event. Diana Payne mentioned that the 1993 Goodwill Tournament in Dominguez Hills cost the USNF $29,000 and that Nakano Sensei raised $12,000 of that herself. Another $12,000 was raised in seminar and entry fees and advertising.
Corporate Contributions
Kevin Saxton, Takami Tanner and others raised the idea of approaching large corporations to see if any would sponsor part of the taikai in exchange for product endorsements. McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Nike and others were mentioned as having supported teams before. Kevin felt that our track record in previous events (team matches) would help us to get sponsorships.
In a related topic, Yamauchi Sensei mentioned that we could invite a Japanese Bogu-ya to sponsor the event and to even have a booth selling bogu items. Others liked this idea a lot and also suggested approaching local bogu-ya as well, kendo related bogu-ya, ebogu.com and Bujin Design in Colorado.
Participants' Gifts
Steve and Diana Payne (RMNF) presented samples of luggage tags with the USNF logo on them and t-shirts that were made via a digital printing process. This process is very high quality and is cheaper than offset printing or screen printing. Multiple colors can be done for the same cost as a single color. The price goes down as the quantity goes up. Luggage tags were purchased to give to each participant in this year's INF seminar. Similar tags could be made for the 2003 event and could be personalized with name and address on the back. Margaret Welch (ECNF) mentioned that we could send out an order form ahead of the event so that the personaliztion could be done ahead of time. It would also have the effect of generating interest for the event ahead of time. Miyako Tanaka Price asked that anyone having additional ideas please send them to the Board before its next meeting in March 2002.
Chairman of the Tournament
Malyne Chiu suggested that Miyako Tanaka Price be the chairman of the 2003 World Championship Tournament. Everyone agrees. Miyako asked for an assistant or deputy to help her. Kurt Schmucker was suggested. There were no objections.
Standardization of USNF Logo and Business System
Karen Schmucker made a presentation detailing the current state of USNF artwork (see attached paper). Karen is a graphic designer by profession and was surprised to find that the USNF does not have an official set of artwork for its logo, logotype and business system. With the 2003 taikai coming up, Karen felt it was important to declare which artwork was official and to make any fixes and/or changes necessary to ensure high-quality printing. The USNF artwork and business system represents the organization and should reflect the same quality and care that we put into our training in naginata. In addition, Karen feels very strongly that a repository of artwork needs to be created so that the artwork can be recreated if necessary in the future.
Logo
Karen showed several examples of USNF logos that have been used in the past as well as several that she has worked on in an effort to ensure print quality. After much discussion, Karen recommended that the Board choose the logo we have been using most recently (with a slight modification to make the cherry branches curve within the circle) as our official logo for large applications. The Board voted unanimously to accept this logo as the official one for use on large applications. For applications needing a small logo, Karen recommended that she use her digital logo 1 with a modification to the sendanmaki (to be approved by Miyako Tanaka Price) as the official USNF logo for small applications. The Board voted unanimously to accept this proposal.
Logotype
The Board voted on a proposal by Karen to use either the font "Gill Sans Bold"or the font "Sabon small caps"to create the USNF logotype. The vote was as follows: For Gill Sans Bold: 4; For Sabon small caps: 8. Sabon small caps will be the official font used to create the USNF logotype.
Official Purple Color
Karen showed examples of color that have been used in past applications. The only application that we had a pantone color for (PMS 273) was the video cassette cover on the naginata video (the pantone color matching system is used by printers to ensure consistency in print jobs). Some people did not like this color. After some discussion of color, Kevin Saxton made a motion to allow Karen Schmucker to choose the official purple color for the federation. Kurt Schmucker seconded the motion. Vote: For: 12 Against: 0 Abstain: 1 (Fran Vall). The motion passed. Karen Schmucker will select a pantone color that is similar to the one used on the luggage tags made by Steve Payne.
Business System
Karen showed examples of new business systems she designed in 1999 that were presented at the August '99 Board Meeting. She also showed an example of a business system that she designed following that Board meeting that she has been using as recording secretary. Rather than try to get the entire Board to decide which layout was best for the business system, Karen proposed that it be left to the executive committee to decide, since they are the ones who will most need to use these layouts.
There was general agreement that she work it out with the executive committee. Bob Peterson still had a question as to why it would be necessary to ever offset print letterhead rather than just use laser copies of a digital file. Karen's response was that when approaching a large corporation asking for funding or sponsorship, we need to look professional. Printed letterhead, especially when printed on good paper, does make an impact and the people at these corporations receiving these letters would notice the difference. No decisions on printing letterhead were made nor were funds allocated at this meeting.
Digital Artwork
Now that the logo, font and color have been approved, Karen Schmucker will make all the digital artwork and ensure that it all prints correctly. A copy of all the artwork, including the font, will be retained by the Executive Secretary as the official repository of USNF artwork. All future communications bearing the logo and or logotype of the federation should only use this artwork. Karen will also prepare digital templates for the business system and a user guide for the artwork.
Treasurer's Report
Liability Insurance Premium
Diana Payne noted that we would need to vote this summer to pay the insurance premium. She suggested we vote now. She also had some information to relay to the Board about her inquires to obtain cheaper insurance. Neither of the companies she approached would agree to insure our federation. They said we did not meet their requirements. Her recommendation is that we stay with our current provider. Stephanie Hoppe made a motion that we keep our current provider. Maureen Hawk seconded the motion. Vote: For: 12 Against: 0 Abstain: 1.
INF Dues Increase
Stephanie Hoppe then mentioned that since our membership had gone over 100, we would have to vote to increase our INF dues since it is a different rate for membership of 101-200. She made a motion that we vote on it. Kevin Saxton seconded the motion. Vote: all in favor. The motion passed.
Previous Board Meeting Minutes
Karen Schmucker asked if all Board Members had received their copies of the minutes from the last meeting. They had. Stephanie Hoppe made a motion that we accept the minutes from the last Board Meeting. Marcia Toyohara seconded the motion. Vote: all in favor. The minutes were accepted. They will be posted as final on the USNF website.
USNF Bulletin Board
Nathan Scott passed out a paper on his proposal to institute an electronic bulletin board for the federation. It would be part of the USNF website. Kurt Schmucker made a motion that he and Nathan work out the details, implement it and see how we liked it. Vote: all in favor. The motion passed.
SCNF Concerns
Kevin Saxton read a list of concerns from some members in his area.
- One person wanted an explanation of an item in the
last Treasurer's Report (March 31, 2000&endash;April 1,
2001). The item is the first one under "receipts" The
report states it as: USNF Seminar and
Tournament...$1,050.00.
Stephanie Hoppe explained that the item represents the fees the USNF took in for the USNF Seminar and Tournament in Hawaii, July 2000. It was the only USNF Seminar and Tournament the USNF sponsored during that period.
- At the last USNF election, there was only one name
for each position.
Miyako Tanaka Price and others reiterated that people need to volunteer to run for USNF offices. For the last election, several people turned down requests to have their name on the ballot. Someone asked if we could do more to publish information on nominees and about the offices they are running for. We could post it on the website or in a newsletter. The next election will take place in March, 2003. Interested people should keep this date in mind and volunteer next time. Nominating committees typically start looking for candidates four months before the election. The nominating committee will most likely be selected at the Board Meeting in the summer, 2002.
- Several people were concerned that there was so
little contact with members of the Hawaii Naginata
Federation.
Miyako Tanaka Price explained the history of the Hawaii Naginata Federation with respect to the USNF. She and Malyne Chiu said that they were in regular contact with Miura Sensei and the Hawaii Federation just as they are with other regional federations. The Hawaiians are always encouraged to join in USNF events. We have sent representatives several times to Hawaii and we sent the entire federation there last year for our annual seminar and tournament. We are all disappointed that they so rarely are able to travel to the mainland to practice with us, since their level of competition is so high and they are so enthusiastic. If anyone else can think of ways to bring us closer together, please let us know.
Fran Vall made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Maureen Hawk seconded it. The meeting was adjourned at 10:40 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Karen Yesowich Schmucker
Recording Secretary, USNF
[Links] [Dojos] [FAQ] [For USNF Members] [For New USNF Members]
This page maintained by webmaster@naginata.org.
Last modified on 24 March 2002.