Kansas Cycling Asscociation
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KCA News

President’s Message - State of the Association

October 11, 2005

I would first like to thank the members of the Kansas Cycling Association for your support and efforts this past year. Each rider, promoter, team captain, official, scorer, volunteer, board member, coach, sponsor and spectator has played an important part of the experience of cycling in Kansas. 2005 has had it share of problems, small and large, but the general direction for cycling in Kansas continues to move up. Overall the KCA and cycling in Kansas has had a very good year.

I would like to highlight some of the successes from 2005 and continued successes from previous work that has been done.

Website

The KCA website continues to be one of the greatest assets and tools of communication for cycling in Kansas. The website has had over 30,000 visitors since it was launched less than two years ago.

Riders/Racers

Licensed racers in Kansas has increased again. At the end of 2004 there were 327 USCF licensed riders in the state (up from 285 in 2003), as of October 1, 2005 there are 397 USCF licensed riders in the state, an increase of 21%. Also for 2005 there have been, as of this writing, 5,489 individual results, that is the total number of entries in events in the state. Eric Struckhoff, KCA Upgrade Coordinator, reports that he has had over 80 requests for upgrades to licenses in the state. The KCA is adding riders, riders are racing more and upgrading more than ever before. Riders, clubs, promoters, everyone is doing a great job of bringing people into our sport.

Fundraising

The KCA Board launched an initial fund raising activity for the purchase of two laptop computers for use by the association to support events. We raised over $1,300 in just eight weeks, purchased the computers and had them at every event to support registration and results.

Computers and National Rankings

With the computer capability that the KCA now has, we are one of the leading local associations within USA Cycling for posting our results to the USA Cycling website. These results are then used by the national organization for ranking Kansas riders against all other riders in the United States. I encourage you to check out how you rank, go to www.usacycling.org and see how you and other riders in the state compare on a national level. This is a tremendous accomplishment for the KCA and would not have happened without the laptops, the vision and the hard work of Curtis Martell.

Kansas Cycling Hall of Fame

The 2005 KCA Board created the Kansas Cycling Association Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was created for several reasons. The first and foremost was to recognize some of the outstanding riders, coaches, officials, volunteers that we have in this state. We have let some great athletes disappear in the fog of time and are quite possibly lost to our sport forever. The Hall of Fame will help us to remember. Another and equally important reason for the Hall of Fame is for recognition of our sport. As we induct these great athletes and volunteers, we create a story of interest for the media, while it will not gather the media like the NFL Hall of Fame, it does give cycling a platform to present to the media. Hall of Fame inductees will be announced via press releases to the major media sources in the state. At this writing we have one nomination for the KCA Hall of Fame for 2005. The nominees will be presented and voted on, by the membership at the annual meeting, November 20, 2005. The members of the KCA Hall of Fame will be permanently highlighted on the KCA Website.

Championship Events

Another GREAT year! The KCA State Road Race and Criterium Championships, presented by KLM and Team X were a great success with a record number of riders attending. The State Time Trial was held in a new location, the number of riders was down from the previous year, but the event was run very well by the Tailwind Cyclist Club, if you didn’t attend you missed out. For the State Cyclocross Championships, KLM will once again host and has also lined up a UCI event the same weekend, so this should be another great and well attended event in the KCA.

The KCA Board also has taken on the challenge of developing a criteria and bid process for the awarding of State Championship events. With this process the board also established a budget process to provide funding directly to the organizing club so that there is start up money available and does not create a financial hardship by hosting the event. This gives some measure of assurance that the event is successful for the KCA, the host club and most importantly, the riders.

Worthy of note too is the NCCA Championships were hosted by KLM in Lawrence this past May. While the KCA had nothing to do with the event, it is just another indication of what type of events are happening in the state. Congratulations to KLM and to KU Cycling for getting the opportunity to host a national event.

Officials Clincs

The KCA official’s coordinator, Thom Leonard,. scheduled two USCF official’s clinics, one in Wichita and a second one in Lawrence, to train and certify eight new USCF officials for the KCA in 2005. Our USCF Official’s roster has grown over 100% in the past two years, great foresight by Chris Hess for establishing the clinics and the official’s incentive plan. This part of our sport needs to continue to have attention and development. Without officials, we will not have the ability to conduct sanctioned USCF events. I must also recognize and thank Amy Urbauer for stepping up and taking over as Official’s Coordinator as Thom left for other responsibilities.

Omnium Awards

The KCA will crown 20 Omnium winners for the 2005 season. Riders were ranked by how they placed in the KCA State Championships for the Road Race, the Criterium and the Time Trial. Special plaques have been commissioned for each winner and will be presented at the annual meeting.

Annual Meeting and Potuck Dinner

The KCA Annual Meeting will be held at 6:00pm November 20, 2005 in Lawrence, Kansas at the Holcom Recreation Center. At the Annual Meeting the clubs will vote on Hall of Fame Nominations, nominate and vote on KCA Board of Director Members and conduct any additional necessary business.

Additional Comments

I strongly urge you to attend the KCA Annual Meeting. Please check it out on the website and RSVP to Curtis Martell so that we know how many will be attending.

The KCA is your organization. I get a lot of comments, some good and some not so flattering. I appreciate and welcome all of them, good or bad.

I think the one thing that bothers me(not personally but for the KCA) the most is this comment: “The KCA should .........” Each time I hear this or some variation of this comment I wonder what does this person think that the KCA is? The KCA does not have an office, a paid staff or an inventory of resources. The KCA is 397 USCF licensed riders, spread between 25 USA Cycling Clubs that put on events, bicycle races, in the state of Kansas. The KCA receives funding from USA Cycling, $10 for every annual license, a $1.00 per rider event surcharge and from private donations. The person making the comment is the KCA.

With that information I now rephrase the question: What are you going to do for your sport?

The KCA cannot take a new rider out for a ride...the KCA cannot encourage a junior, a woman, a master, or a Cat 5... Only riders, individuals like yourself, can do that.

What are you going to do for your sport?

The KCA can support your effort to take a new rider out for a ride, but the KCA cannot do it.

The KCA can support your effort to put together a junior’s/women’s team, but the KCA cannot do it.

So, What are you going to do for your sport?

The KCA can help, but it is up to you, the rider or the club to actually DO IT! If your club is interested in rider development programs(men’s, women’s, junior’s, cat 5, cat 1 or whatever), hosting a chat site or BLOG, training camp or any of a number of cycling related events, build a proposal or a request and present it to the KCA Board, if it meets the mission criteria of the KCA, USA Cycling and the USCF and makes good sense and is a good use of funds and the funds are available or can be made available, then you stand an excellent chance of receiving support. That is how the KCA can help, not by DOING IT but by SUPPORTING IT.

The KCA is your organization. If it succeeds or fails is up to you, the rider. At the end of your day I hope that you have given more than you have received.

Sincerely,

Curt Shelman

River City Racing Club

KCA President, 2005

New Officials Coordinator

April 6, 2005

The following was received from KCA Officials Coordinator Thom Leonard, "Due to an unexpected increase in professional responsibilities, I will no longer be assisting with the assignment of officials for KCA events. I thank you all for your support, cooperation and respect. With Amy Urbauer assuming the scheduling responsibilities, I am sure that time will soon show the job will now lie in much abler hands than mine.”

Amy Urbauer will assume responsibility for the assigning of officials for USCF-KCA events for the remainder of 2005. The existing Official’s Schedule will remain in place until or unless officiating adjustments need to be made. Amy can be contacted by e-mail at doajig4u@yahoo.com .

I wish to also thank Thom for his help and guidance in setting up the 2005 Official’s Clinics, and the KCA Officials Schedule. His knowledge, insight and experience will be missed.

Any questions or concerns on the officiating schedule or officials should be directed to Amy and me, thank you in advance for your help and cooperation as we move through this transition with our official’s coordinator.

Don’t forget, you too can become a USA Cycling Official, at a USCF Officials Clinic on April 16, 2005 in Lawrence, Kansas.

Curt Shelman, KCA President

Letter from the KCA President

March 22, 2005

We are nearly 3 months into 2005 and the races are heating up, I just wish the weather would! Cycling in Kansas has a great year ahead and I want to take this opportunity to give you basically a “state of the association” message.

KCA and USA Cycling

Today we signed the 2005 Local Association (LA) Agreement with USA Cycling, so we are set for the rest of 2005. The LA Agreement is a very important document for the KCA. USA Cycling is one of the major sources of funding for the KCA. For each USA Cycling licensed rider in the state, the KCA gets back $10. We have around 300 licensed riders in the state, giving us approximately $3,000 worth of funding back to our local association. The agreement is a contract between the LA, and USA Cycling so that document sets the tone and basic direction for the KCA. Listed below are the LA Services for 2005 that are to be provided by the KCA in order to meet the specifics of the contract. For the most part we are meeting the contract. The items in red need more attention. These items are what the KCA Board of Directors is focused upon performing.

  • LA agrees it will work in good faith and with its best efforts to ensure that all road, track, mountain bike and cyclo-cross organizers/promoters sanction their events in the area through USA Cycling and its representative associations and by doing so agree to abide by respective association rules and regulations. In any case, no officer and/or board member of an LA or the LA itself, shall promote an event that is not sanctioned with USA Cycling.
  • Local Race Scheduling. (Subject to coordination with national racing calendar and international calendar of events as reviewed by USA Cycling)
  • LA agrees that, upon receipt, they will review and submit in a timely manner fully completed event permits to USA Cycling within USA Cycling guidelines.
  • LA agrees that upon receipt, they will review and submit in a timely manner all post event documents to USA Cycling within USA Cycling’s guidelines.
  • LA agrees to assist in the recovery of outstanding post events not recovered by USAC.
  • Assign qualified official for all non championship events, (NRC, State Championships, etc…)
  • Provide or schedule race equipment for event.
  • Assist members with license upgrading up to and including Category 2 as per USCF rulebook.
  • Assist members with license downgrading as per USCF rulebook.
  • Provide membership with communication forum such as website, newsletter, etc.
  • Support and facilitate USA Cycling certification programs including officials, coaches and mechanics. Qualified instructors will conduct these programs. Curriculum and training materials provided by USA Cycling.
  • Support and communicate athlete development opportunities and programs with guidance and assistance of USA Cycling. (Editorial note: notice this says “athlete development” it does not specify race, age, gender or category
  • Provide a direct link on the homepage of LA website to www.usacycling.org
  • LA agrees to acknowledge USA Cycling as a sponsor on homepage of LA website.
  • LA agrees to communicate directly with USCF Regional Coordinator on a timely basis, either answering questions or providing information that is requested.

Please note that the services for 2005 are different in some areas from 2004. Some of the above items have been worded differently but for all intents and purposes are the same required services as in 2004. Services listed in the 2004 agreement that are no longer required in 2005 are:

  • Officials’ incentive program.
  • Promoter mentoring program.

The KCA is now in good standing and in a contracted position with USA Cycling. So we have our “marching orders” from USA Cycling set for this year.

KCA as a Non-Profit Organization

The above items are what the KCA Board focuses on for bicycle racing but achieving what USA Cycling requires the KCA to do is the minimum, the KCA is also a 501(c) (4) organization. To be tax-exempt as a social welfare organization described in IRS section 501(c) (4), an organization must not be organized for profit and must be operated exclusively to promote social welfare. To be operated exclusively to promote social welfare, an organization must operate primarily to further the common good and general welfare of the people of the community (such as bringing about civic betterment and social improvements).

As a 501 organization we have several challenges to meet this year. (This part of the organization has very little to do with riding bicycles).

  • Conduct business in accordance with state/federal laws and our bylaws
  • If needed, adapt our bylaws to better fit the mission and intent of the organization.
  • Be fiscally responsible to society, to USA Cycling and to the members of the KCA. Establish and make available our budget and expenditures.
  • Establish and maintain the highest of ethical standards, eliminate any potential conflict of interests with any individual or group. The KCA must never place itself in a position of questionable or unethical business practices.
  • Embrace diversity and treat each other with courtesy and respect.
  • Assure the future success of the KCA.
  • Become a model “corporate citizen” meaning, give back to our community.

The Board is working several of these items by:

  • Posted minutes from Board Meetings and open Board Meetings.
  • Development of a conflict of interest and ethical conduct statement for acceptance into the bylaws.
  • Developing an equitable and documented process for the awarding of state championship events.
  • Tracking and approval processing of business related expenditures via expense reports for reimbursement of funds to KCA Board members and appointees for KCA related business.
  • Annual budget process and posting.
  • Board quorum voting and e-vote ratification at Board meetings.
  • Groups/club/rider forum for participation in Board meetings.
  • Fundraising.

The KCA still has a long way to go, as a 501 organization, the government is certainly a tougher contract holder than USA Cycling. We certainly do not want to be a large red-taped organization, but we must go through specific steps and conduct our meetings and business in such a way, with procedures, checks and balances so that the organization is never made vulnerable due to the conduct of a member of the board or the organization.

The KCA Board

The KCA membership is very fortunate to have the Board that is currently assembled. Curtis Martell and Eric Struckhoff are very knowledgeable as the Treasurer and Secretary of the KCA. They understand the mission, USA Cycling/USCF and have great organizational skills and knowledge. The At Large members, Roger and Jim, are extremely dedicated contributors to the sport of cycling and have made and will make additional contributions in the future.

These individuals and I comprise the KCA Board. The KCA Board is the decision making entity of the KCA. The Board has the decision making responsibility/power of everything that the KCA does as defined by USA Cycling and the State of Kansas and the IRS. The membership has the responsibility/power to each year select their board representatives and if deemed necessary, remove any or all of the members of the Board.

Some of the activities of the Board may appear to have little bearing on bicycle racing and in truth that is correct. This may sound or appear silly, but the KCA actually has very little to do with bicycle racing, it is a non-profit organization first and foremost. With the blessing and guidance of USA Cycling the State of Kansas and the IRS the KCA is the entity or the conduit through which bicycle racing is allowed to happen in Kansas. Basically, that is the defining statement of the KCA.

The President

I would like to thank you for your confidence and encouragement in my abilities to lead the Kansas Cycling Association. It has been a rewarding experience so far.

As the President, my responsibility is to the membership of the KCA. The most important responsibility to the membership is to assure that the KCA is a success, today and in the future. Success is:

  • Meet the components of the agreement with USA Cycling.
  • Conduct business as a 501 organization.
  • Improve our visibility to the general public in the State of Kansas.
  • Increase our participation in events in the State of Kansas.
  • Become part of the sporting “mainstream” in the State of Kansas.

We have many challenges ahead. I love cycling and believe it is one of the greatest sports in the world, but it is probably the least understood or respected by the common sports fan or citizen. The KCA can only accomplish this mission or these goals by finding our common ground, selecting strong leaders and working together to grow the sport and lifestyle of cycling.

I hope that this information has been helpful, if you have questions or comments please do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail or give me a call at 316-526-6124.

Respectfully,

Curt Shelman KCA President, 2005