2019 Annual Meeting
June 30, 2019
Dear members of the La Jolla Figure Skating Club,
Welcome to the 2019 Annual Meeting!
I want to thank all of you who volunteer; whose children compete; who bring your kids to events; who enjoy competitive skating as an adult; or who share with us about your family's skating experience. For our members, some of the best parts of growing up happen on the ice. The La Jolla FSC Board of Directors is honored to have the opportunity to help make a good thing even better.
MEMBERSHIP
Our current roster, including skaters, member coaches, parents, judges, and others, stands at 93 members. It is certain to increase as members join or renew before our deadline today; more members will also join throughout the year.
NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Two club members came forward this week to join our board of directors. The board can add these two, while still staying within the number of directors specified in our bylaws, so the club will not need to elect board members this year.
Therefore, it is with great pleasure that we announce our two newest directors for 2019-20:
Jillon Augustine
Mireille DesRosiers-Kutchuk
Both bring excellent non-profit management skills to the board, along with energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to our skaters.
They join the directors who will continue on the board for 2019-2020:
Janice Ridenour
Anthony Kudrna
Sharon Druzynski
Susan McCasland
Idoia Subinas
Alison Lee
Andrea Larkin
Jessica Plummer
Carylyn Landt
Toni Rivera-Watson
LA JOLLA OPEN
This year has been a busy one, first and foremost because of the La Jolla Open Championships, our annual U.S. Figure Skating-sanctioned competition. It was chaired this year by Idoia Subinas, with Carylyn Landt managing organization of events, judging and officials. The Open welcomed more than 250 skaters from 22 figure skatings clubs as far away as Dallas.
FINANCES
La Jolla FSC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our main sources of income include portions of annual membership dues, testing session fees, and competition fees for the La Jolla Open. We evaluate the cost of these services each year, and set prices as affordably as we can while still planning responsibly for the club's continuity and security.
SAFESPORT
La Jolla FSC has made a commitment to skater safety as required by U.S. Figure Skating. Several board members have completed SafeSport certification, with Susan McCasland accepting the position of club SafeSport chair. We follow SafeSport guidelines at all club events, including the Open.
TESTING SESSIONS
Testing sessions organized by Carylyn Landt and staffed with board members have been very well attended this year. Club members (and siblings) Aleksey Urmanov and Nadia Urmanov passed Senior Moves in the Field tests, becoming U.S. Figure Skating Gold Medalists!
CLUB HONORS
We were pleased to honor U.S. Figure Skating judge Carylyn Landt at this year's Open with a lifetime membership to the La Jolla FSC. We also recognized coach member and U.S. Figure Skating technical official Julie Newman, an Olympian and two-time World Championship medalist. She was inducted this year into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame. We also honored graduating senior Emily Laschuk with a four-year Collegiate Membership.
JUNIOR BOARD
The Junior Board this year has made our club into an even closer community, hosting our holiday party, two Public Skate theme nights, and more, and making sure members have a good time! Of course we're especially grateful to them and to their highly motivated advisors, Andrea Larkin and Jessica Plummer, for working so hard to make the Open a success.
MOVING FORWARD
Several board members rolled up their sleeves this spring to unearth fascinating photo albums amidst boxes of records from our 41-year-old club's early years. Thanks to Sharon and Kazi Druzynski, Idoia Subinas, Susan McCasland, and Junior Board members Nora Boumsellek and Kyra Boyd for dragging decades of props and papers into the daylight.
Similar spring cleaning has taken a priority online, as we centralize our information and resources for the use of the club's future management.
OFFICERS
Having been appointed mid-year, I'm grateful to our board officers, who made sure I hit the ground running: our vice president Anthony Kudrna, secretary Sharon Druzynski, treasurer Susan McCasland, and membership chair Idoia Subinas. Past president Alison Lee (2015-2018) provided timely and calming insights.
UTC ICE
Toni Rivera-Watson, UTC Ice Figure Skating Director Heather Cristobal, and CEO Joe Polonsky are generous and responsive rink associates. As a club, La Jolla FSC is lucky to have this rink, and these people, who support us in taking the steps we must in order to keep up with the changing world of U.S. Figure Skating.
And with that, I conclude this special meeting of the membership. Meeting adjourned!
Thank you,
Janice Ridenour
President, La Jolla Figure Skating Club Board of Directors
