Minutes for the Meeting

Minutes for the Meeting of the Plymouth Canton Cruisers Board of Directors Dec. 15, 2015

The meeting of the Board of Directors of the Plymouth Canton Cruisers is called to order on December 15, 2015 at 7:00pm at the Box Bar (downtown Plymouth, MI) pursuant to notice of setting, time and purpose of meeting.

The following directors were present and in person: Co-Head coach Josh Morgan, Helen Goderis, Frankie Jaramilla, Michelle Macy, and Dan Tabar.

The following officers were present and in person: President Mike Breda, Vice President John Goit, and Treasurer Matt Pulick.

Approval of November Minutes Minutes were approved without revisions; 1st Dan Tabar, 2nd Josh Morgan. All in favor; yes. Passed unanimous.

Parent Comments / Request Request made for the grid of recommended swim meets be posted on the team website under swim meet information. Josh volunteered to make that change when he refreshes the website.

Goals and actions 1) Playbook Reviewed and updated in google docs.

Stroke school update. Josh reported there were 103 swimmers in the fall session and there are approximately 80 swimmers in the current 3-week stroke school session that runs between Thanksgiving and Christmas. There were many new swimmers in the short session. Registration for the next session is posted. Coach Tracy plans to recruit new swimmers during the Middle School season.

Planning for championship season. John and Josh discussed that tech suits should be ordered in December/early January due to the potential for Speedo backorder issues.

Josh said PCC has the information about the middle school swim schedule that is needed to schedule championship season practices.

Helen will call Fox Hills Country Club to determine availability for banquet on April 16, 23, or 30. Helen will ask Michelle C. for estimates on number of attendees based on last year.

Other items. Matt stated the USA registration fees have been paid to Michigan Swimming. Josh will refresh the website with a holiday theme. Frankie asked if families provide permission for the posting of team photos on the website. It was noted that approval is given when families register for the team through the website.

2) Communication E-mail System Mike continues to talk with Bill Case about email distribution systems. Bill Case suggested a system that integrates with Team Unify would be ideal. An email distribution system would meet our needs in a more cost-effective way. An email distribution system would push messages to the appropriate board member or coach based on rules established by the system administrator.

3) Retention Survey of New Parents Based on the start date on the team website, Michelle M identified 23 new member families since April 2015 and distributed a brief survey. The survey was open for one week and 11 responses were received, all from parents of Junior Green/Junior Blue swimmers.  Families learned about PCC from swim programs, summer swim clubs, and high school coaches. Parents chose PCC for the reputation of the team and liked that practice facilities are close to home.  Summer swim clubs represent a new opportunity for recruitment. Summer swim clubs in the area include: o Colony, Newburgh, Castle Garden Park, Beacon Meadows, Northville, Burton Hallow, Fairway Farms  Benchmark meet, parent to parent meeting and coach parent meeting were well received  Consistent interest from members to have more mentoring o John and Josh suggested the championship meets represent an opportunity to connect families of swimmers entering new levels of swimming with more experienced swim families. Michelle M. suggested reaching out to swimmer’s families as they achieve JO and State qualifying times. John will draft content for the next parent-to-parent meeting and from that content a “FAQ” email can be generated to send to families new to JO meets, State meets, and beyond.

Treasurer’s Report Overdue Fees There was no discussion of overdue fees.

Budget Status The budget from September to November was provided by Matt and reviewed. Income included in the budget is based on anticipated membership/enrollment and historical enrollment from the prior year. Estimated expenses are based on historical values from last year. Fall Frenzy travel meet summary was also presented.

The board will vote on a final budget for next year at the January Board of Directors meeting. Additional sources of income were discussed including hosting additional meets, swim-a-thon, or other fund raising activities. Josh noted that PCC is one of the only clubs in the state that does not fundraise. Helen will look into fundraising opportunities at local businesses.

Coach’s Report Meet Highlights – Josh said the coaches are still processing results from the SST “Fall Classic” and the LL “Snow Bowl” meets. Six star caps have been well received.

Hytek Purchase – a Hytek module would be needed to host an 8 and under meet.

Upcoming Schedule 8 and under End of Season Meet – Josh will check to see if SLA will be hosting an event on or around February 28. If SLA is not hosting a competing event, PCC will plan to host an event on Sunday February 28 at Salem. Dan volunteered to serve as Meet Director and work with John to draft a meet packet to submit for approval to Michigan Swimming. Jeff Wilkins was suggested as a potential meet referee. Helen will run hospitality/concessions. Michelle M. will do awards/ heat winners. Apparel vendor and photographer will need to be identified. Sun and Snow could be invited.

Sectionals, NCSA, NASA Meets – Josh will speak with Z regarding these meets and the coaches will communicate back to swimmers and families regarding PCC participation in these events.

Cruisin’ into Summer Matt volunteered to serve as Meet Director. Work needs to be started on the meet packet.

Staff Changes No new coaches have responded to the job posting and no coaches have expressed plans to leave before end of short course season. Coach Josh stated he and Coach Z plan to stay with PCC.

In the late spring/early summer there may be an opportunity to develop a single lead coach position for minis and stroke school.

Practice Groups Josh reported that practice groups seem to be going well. Two mini cruisers moved up to Junior groups. Some new High School girls have joined the team, there is a Junior group swimmer who is considering joining PCC. On nights when there are multiple groups in the pool at the same time coaches are working to optimize lane assignments to that the lanes are balanced so some swimmers are moving lanes.

Website Redesign: Josh provided a quote from Team Unify for customization and updates to the team website. The updates would include a simplified landing page and separate sections for minis, stroke school, and the competitive team. Matt pointed out that the website is a primary way for people to learn about the team. Josh noted that many mini, stroke school, and new competitive team families find the website difficult to navigate. All in favor; Yes. Passed unanimous (Michelle C. and Frankie not present for vote).

Health Insurance: Josh stated that it is open enrollment season. He presented options for modifying health insurance coverage for the salaried coaches. The board voted on a proposed change to the mini-cruiser and stroke school revenue-sharing split to offset adjustments to healthcare coverage to salaried coaches and their families. All in favor; Yes. Passed unanimous (Michelle C. and Frankie not present for vote).

AVIDA – Josh needs to reschedule the return of the AVIDA equipment. The drop off location is in Harper Woods. Board members who travel to that area offered to help.

Michigan Swimming – Josh reported that there is active monitoring of short course state meet qualifiers to see the impact of the new qualifying times. Michigan Swimming will continue to track the number of qualifiers to determine if they are on target for the number of heats per event. Michigan Swimming will also be setting the long course state meet format at an upcoming meeting.

President’s Report

PARC – Mike noted that he sent a memo out to the competitive team inviting volunteers to help renovate/update/refresh the PARC pool facilities over winter break. Matt questioned if any communication had been sent to mini and stroke school families. Josh will communicate this information to the mini and stroke school families using a Team Unify “News Item” and will send email to minis and stroke school families

Contracts – Mike is setting a time to meet with PARC leadership to discuss the possibility of developing multiyear contract for pool time at the PARC. Head coaches contract will be up for renewal 2016 – at end of short course. Mike and Josh will discuss the head coaches contract in January. Josh again mentioned he and Z plan to stay with PCC.

Social Events/Membership

Upcoming Social: Ideas for winter social events include bowling, and an “Escape Room”.

Hotel Blocks - All are set. Matt noted that hotels for Indianapolis swimming events can be scheduled through the Indianapolis website. John has the hotel block for Sectionals that can be posted on the team website. Josh said he would do so when he refreshes the website.

Educational Forum - January – John will develop slides for a parent-to-parent meeting and Josh will speak with coaches about scheduling coach parent meetings before championship season starts. Parent to parent meeting/coach to parent meeting

Motion to adjourn at 9:20 – 1st John Goit; 2nd Matt Pulick.