Dear Alpine participant/supporter
Snow Sports NZ –
Alpine
As you will be aware after due consideration the member
organizations of Ski Racing NZ (SRNZ) voted to proceed with the integration of
SRNZ with Snow Sports New Zealand (SSNZ). Alpine is now a division of SSNZ.
Previously SRNZ ran ski racing in New Zealand – this is replaced by SSNZ
being responsible for governance of its Alpine division with the main oversight
and operating responsibility delegated to an elected volunteer Alpine Sport
Committee (ASC) working with the Alpine Manager who is employed by SSNZ.
Alpine Sport
Committee members are:
• Andrew O’Donoghue
• Grant Winsloe
• Ian
Smith
• Mike Gardner
• Nigel Brown
• Nils Coberger
Your Alpine
Manager is James Lazor.
Whilst James reports to and works with the Alpine
committee on operational matters, he is formally employed by SSNZ and thus from
an employment angle reports to the CEO of Snow Sports Ross Palmer.
Inaugural meeting of ASC
& matters arising
The ASC had its first in person meeting in
Queenstown on 15 & 16 June to review structure, strategy and actions moving
forward.
Matters arising from the ASC
meeting and in general:
Communications
a. A key policy the ASC defined was to maintain open communications with its stakeholders – you – the effective individual “members” of the sport of Alpine (SSNZ is in the process of setting up the procedure and details for individual alpine membership).
In the majority of cases the committee will not be responding to individual emails, but will generally group recurring themes and provide feedback by communicating to all members in the form of restating, clarifying or amending policy. Where the Committee views a matter raised warrants it, individual emails will still be responded to – but this is likely to be the exception not the rule.
Chairman
b. Andrew O’Donoghue was elected Chairman of the Alpine Sport Committee (ASC)
Role of the Alpine Committee and
Manager
c. The ASC has defined its role and that of the Alpine Manager as
follows :
“The Committee’s role is to be involved in strategy, direction
and decision making in respect of the sport of Alpine. The committee will also
provide direction and input to the Alpine Manager.
“The Alpine Manager’s
role is the doing and the implementation of the things that we decide”
Next Committee
meetings
d. The ASC will meet in person as required and has set a meeting in
Wanaka on the 22nd of July and in Methven on the 5th of September, but will
otherwise meet via Skype conference call to save cost and/or will reach
decisions by email exchange.
Open forum
members meeting
e. To enable all parties interested in Alpine to meet and provide
direct feedback to the Committee a forum has tentatively been scheduled prior to
the 2010 NZ National Alpine Championships on Sunday the 29th of August in
Queenstown. Exact date, time and venue to be confirmed in due
course.
Membership costs and
Budget
f. Membership costs are to be reviewed, and a recommendation sent to
Snow Sports, especially regarding the cost to Entry Level and Youth athletes.
This is to be reviewed in line with a policy to encourage young athletes to join
and participate in Alpine and not to produce resistance or cost
barriers
The committee viewed that membership costs for FIS athletes were
fair.
The committee is working to what at present is a breakeven budget
for the year with no funds available for Team members other than what is
potentially available from tied sponsorship.
Branding, marketing, sponsorship and
foundation
g. Branding, marketing and sponsorship were discussed at length with the following outcomes:
More information will be distributed on this, and how to contribute to
the foundation, in due course.
New
Zealand Ski Team
h. The following policy was resolved in respect of the NZ Ski Team
:
Training rights and options for NZ Ski
Team members
i. Policy re training options for New Zealand Ski Team Members
Announcement of
New Zealand Ski Team
j. Invitation to join the New Zealand Ski Team
Training choices indicated by parties
offered NZ Ski Team membership
k. Presently advised specific training choices by New Zealand Ski Team
members in Southern Hemisphere 2010 season are noted as follows, all on
commercial user pays terms unless shown otherwise :
Men
10 Male
Athletes have been offered NZ Ski Team status and are all members of the NZ
Men’s Ski Team:
Women
8 Female Athletes have been offered NZ Ski Team status and are
all members of the NZ Women’s (Ladies) Ski Team
(i) Snow Sports New Zealand has organised two 10 day training blocks at Mt
Hutt run by Ian Maclean. Female team members are entitled to participate in this
programme on user pay basis
(ii) 3 athletes are training with QAST
(iii) 2
Athletes are training at Cardrona
(iv) 1 Athlete is training at Treble
Cone
(v) 1 Athlete is training at Mt Hutt
(vi) 1 Athlete is believed to be
training on a floating basis, based from Ruapehu
The season is underway – the races are set – roll on a great 2010 for
Alpine!
The Committee welcomes commentary on any policy stated or on any
matters referred to in this update. The best means of providing feedback is to
alpinecommittee@snowsports.co.nz