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June 2004 In attendance: Shawn, Robbie, Levon, Robert, Miriam, Leslie, Gordon and Jill. Regrets: Tony, Shawn Athletes elected a chair person (Shawn) for this meeting. Athletes then reviewed the minutes from April 5th, 2004. An adjustment was made to April’s minutes: On May 7th (not May 6th) a member of the committee will be speaking at a track meet. Current Business: Athletes took turns bringing up issues which were then discussed by committee members as a group: Provincials: 1. The provincials will take place in Peterborough this upcoming weekend. Trent University will be donating the rooms and all meals for Special Olympics. Special Olympics only have to look after transportation to the event. 2. All athletes must get their pictures taken for an identity card when going to Provincials/Nationals/Worlds. 3. The official uniform for the Provincials is track pants with zippers at the knees (to turn into shorts), a white golf shirt (two for bowlers), and a jacket with short sleeves. At the opening ceremonies this year, athletes may be able to wear their track pants as shorts. 4. The opening ceremonies will take place at the Memorial Centre. 5. The bus to the Provincials will leave from Yonge and York Mills, as opposed to other years when it left from Air Canada Centre. 6. Athletes should be aware that their behaviour at Provincials (and other events) reflects on all of Region 11. Everyone should treat fellow athletes and coaches with respect. 7. Many of the rooms at Provincials will be single rooms, making it more comfortable for many people. 8. There will be many younger athletes at Provincials this year. Older athletes will need to support younger athletes. 9. Floor hockey now has their own provincials, so an extra five bowlers have been added to the bowling team. 10. This year there will be 39 athletes and 9 coaches in attendance. 11. A local Peterborough television station will be covering the event. Rogers Cable usually covers it, but won’t be this year. 12. Many athletes will be attending Provincials for the first time this year. One member of the committee wrote a fabulous article in the recent newsletter which will assist athletes who will be attending Provincials for the first time. 13. Athletes attending Provincials need to be flexible to accommodate to the schedule of events. 14. Some coaches have given athletes a list of items to take to the Provincials (this is a helpful guide for athletes). 15. They won’t be giving out duffle bags at the Provincials this year (this is too expensive). Upcoming Events/News/Updates: 16. There will be a presentation by Special Olympics at York University on Wednesday June 9th. The event is being hosted by the Catholic District School Board. This event was supposed to take place on May 19th, but was postponed. 17. October 17th will be Special Olympics Day. It will be held again at Metro Hall. Catering at Metro Hall can be rather expensive. 18. On June 27th, the Grand Ravine baseball team will be playing the Toronto Maple Leafs (from Christie Pits). This will be confirmed when the schedule comes out on Thursday. 19. Athletes of Special Olympics assisted the Loyalty Group with a fundraiser they were doing. They received free breakfast in the cafeteria. One member of the committee noted that athletes should wait until they are offered refreshments when attending these events. 20. One member of the committee’s soccer team will be trying something different this year to choose their numbers. Each of the three levels will participate in a running race, and when they return, they get to choose their numbers (first come first serve). 21. One member of the committee will be attending a soccer tournament in Kitchener for three days at the beginning of August. The team will be holding a barbeque fundraiser to help raise money to attend the tournament. 22. September 18th will be the crucial Regionals. Athletes will have to choose to participate in one of three sports. 23. The next Nationals will take place in Brandon, Manitoba. 24. A Talent Show Fundraiser is coming up on June 19th. Toronto athletes will benefit directly from the money raised. 25. Some members of the committee did some promoting of Special Olympics at the Toronto Eaton Centre on June 5th. These athletes did an excellent job at getting the word out. They have been invited back next year. 26. Some members of the committee have been helping out at head office to get the newsletter and various other announcements out. Budget/Cutbacks/Fundraising: 27. Last month there was a technical problem with the computer system at the Royal Bank of Canada. This has not affected Special Olympics bank accounts. 28. A budget report was recently released for Winter 2004 up to the end of April. Special Olympics has received a lot of support from the community with fundraising. At the Torch Run, for instance, the Metro Toronto Police and Red Lobster as well as another supporter raised a lot of money for Special Olympics. 29. If any coach needs money uniforms (etc) for their teams, they can go to head office. Head office is helping out teams with a maximum of $2500 for such items. When a team has between 30-35 members, costs for uniforms (etc.) can add up. Athlete Empowerment Issues: 30. It is can be frustrating when a person will not/cannot pay the required fee to attend an event. If this person is a member of a team, the team has to find a replacement. If a uniform has been given to the person, head office needs it returned. There is a lot of paperwork involved in sending someone to tournaments. However, when people do back out, it leaves room for others to attend. Other Important Issues: 31. This is the twelfth meeting for the Athlete’s Committee. Members discussed the idea of new members joining the committee. All members of the committee in attendance would like to continue to serve on the committee and welcome the idea of expanding. Jill will discuss this with Marcia. 32. Tentative dates for upcoming meetings were reviewed. They will be July 5th, August 9th, and September 6th. All meetings will continue to run from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. 33. One member of the committee wondered whether family members of athletes on the committee should be permitted to join the committee. 34. Athletes should not ask others to fill in for them at special events (ie. For speaking engagements, etc.). without informing Marcia about it. 35. Older athletes may have more health concerns to consider when competing in sports. 36. Athletes who decline to participate in Provincials or other events may not be asked if they are interested again. 37. Many factors determine whether or not an athlete will be invited to the Provincial games. If an athlete has a question about this, they should direct it to their coach. Athletes can always have a chance at the next games. As well, when tournaments/games are ongoing in the local area, athletes may want to volunteer to help out if they aren’t competing. 38. Athletes may have greater flexibility in their free time at out of town events when all athletes cooperate and show responsible behaviour. 39. One member of the committee suggested that some athletes should be more serious about playing their sports. 40. Experience with Special Olympics helps athletes who are members of committees. All athletes who would like to join the Athlete’s Committee should talk to Marcia. 41. It is frustrating when many tickets are sold for an event, but not as many people show up. The next meeting will take place on Monday July 5th, 2004. Home || Sports || Events || Volunteering || Donations || Links || Contact Us |
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