Change is in the air! The SCNCA is undergoing some major changes and now is your chance to steer it in a new and improved direction via your Club representative’s vote!
We received the following information regarding updating their bylaws and the election for a new Board of Directors which is being held through January 27, 2016 to share below:
The SCNCA Bylaw Amendment was approved by a vote of 67-3 and the new Bylaws took effect on January 13, 2016. The Memo about it is here. A copy of the Restated Bylaws can be found here.
SCNCA Board of Directors Election Underway
The election for all nine positions on the SCNCA Board of Directors is underway! The election ends on January 27, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. There are 14 great and experienced candidates running for the 9 positions. Read the Memo about the process and the candidates here.
Voting is by each Club representative, rather than individual racers and is through the secure ElectionBuddy web site. Please encourage your Club representative to (1) make sure they received their ballot, and (2) vote early!
If you have questions about the election, please contact Tom FitzGibbon at [email protected].
CANDIDATE STATEMENTS
The statements, if any, submitted by the fourteen candidates are listed below. Please contact them if you have questions or would like more information about their candidacy. The candidates are listed here in alphabetical order. On the actual electronic ballots, the order in which the candidates appear will be randomly assigned by the ElectionBuddy system and will likely be different for each voter
Jim Allen
No candidate statement submitted.
E: [email protected]
Chris Black
USAC Member since 1985 USAC Category 1 Road, Category 2 Track, Category 2 CX USAC Official Road Regional A, Track Regional B, Moto Regional A USAC Club Race Director, Level C Former USAC Level 2 Coach (Expired 2005) Promoter/Organizer SLO LSD Training Weekend 2016 Racing age 59 State Traffic Officer, California Highway Patrol, Retired (1981-2008)
I started racing bicycles back in 1985 (when USAC was USCF). I was immediately hooked and have been at it ever since. I have raced all over the country in many events, big and small. I have also officiated at many events locally, and have worked Nationally as a Motor Referee; Nationally and Internationally as a Motor Pilot.
While I am a supporter of USAC, I am also one of its biggest critics.
My philosophy; no matter how well something has been done, there are always ways to do it better.
That is why I am running for the SCNCA Board of Directors. I am always trying to make the racing experience better for the racers.
Thanks, Chris Black
Safeway Cycling
San Luis Obispo, CA Hudson, WI
Ramon Gonzalez
I am running for a position on the Board of Directors for the SCNCA.
I have been involved in this sport and district since 1982, both as a rider, mechanic and now as an official. I have been fortunate to have worked major National, International and World Cup events within the United States. I am passionate to continue to help our LA grow, utilizing methods and practices employed at other regions. I am currently an Instructor for new officials, employing the latest techniques and materials, using skills that I am continuing to learn at the International level.
I know I can help bring a new perspective to our LA. I look forward to serving you in the coming years.
David Huntsman
Members of the Southern California/Nevada Cycling Association:
We have a lot of work to do.
I plan to organize the SCNCA’s operations so that it functions with complete transparency and, in as short a time as possible, serves as a proactive, able and valuable partner to Member clubs, their USAC racer members, race officials, race promoters, sponsors, velodrome operators and USA Cycling. And all of this will be done in the context of the SCNCA’s Local Association Agreement with USA Cycling, the legally binding contract which spells out the relationship between the two bodies and provides for the SCNCA’s funding.
By way of introduction, I raced bikes in Southern California as a junior in the seventies and at the elite level in the eighties in the US, France, Canada and Mexico. I now ride regularly and occasionally threaten to race, but am happier spending that wonderful energy guiding my son Eddy (13) in preparation for his own races and the cycling life we all enjoy. It is very, very important to me to see our junior ranks grow and be inspired, in turn, to turn around and help the sport grow even more. I am also an active advocate for bicyclist safety and access on our roads. I have served on the Board of Directors of the Orange County Bicycle Coalition since 2012 and am an author at bikeNewportBeach.org. One pet project of mine, as a Director of the SCNCA, will be the introduction of formal traffic safety education for bike racers, especially juniors. This has already been successfully introduced at our USAC club, GS Andiamo. I want all of us, but especially our kids, to be safe on the road.
I am a lawyer with experience in corporate and non profit organization and management and know how a Board of Directors is required to operate.
Thank you for your consideration.
David Lawson
Nominating for 1-yr position
If elected, my main goal will be to foster the growth of cyclocross racing in our district. I have over 25 years of experience in racing cyclocross and over 20 years of experience as a CX race director. I founded and promoted the Spokane (now Inland NW) cyclocross series in the late 90’s/early 00’s. I helped promote MAC series races in Pennsylvania and, more recently, helped promote multiple Southern California CX races including Storm the Beach and the SPYClocross series. I’ve also raced extensively on the road and track and spent four years as the director of the San Luis Rey RR.
Omar Lozano
Founder of Adrenaline Cycling Promotions LLC & Race Director Lozano has achieved international success organizing events in the US and Mexico, playing a vital role in the binational Cycling community and this is beneficial for SCNCA territory as it borders with Mexico.
Throughout his Race Director career Lozano learned the Importance of preparation, hard work and discipline.
Coming from a 20+ years in the hospitality business managing banquets and convention services department at a large and prestigious hotel in San Diego California; Lozano proudly applies his knowledge and great organizational skills into cycling; when not organizing his own events, Lozano helps others and volunteers in other important events as well sharing his knowledge and experience.
Some of his events are Adrenaline SoCal Circuit Race, Adrenaline GP held in Chula Vista part of USA Cycling Jr Development Series, important role in the organizational committee for 2014, 2015 & 2016 Binational Games between Mexico and US. Current Director for Hope Sports Adrenaline Cycling Team that have riders from US & Mexico. Omar Lozano is also a current member of the San Diego Local Organizational Committee for the Tour of California in the Binational Relations Team.
Looking into 2016/17 Lozano and his team are working in several projects, that includes growing and polishing current events ; Lozano’s vision is to provide an extraordinary experience to riders, promoters and supporters by organizing and helping organize high quality Local, National & International level events, supporting current events and help and support new ones, to help develop young athletes to be closer to achieve their goals and aspirations; as well as to support Elite Cycling, Masters and Juniors and a also focusing on Women’s Racing as well in all disciplines. Keeping open and close communication between SCNCA, Clubs, Race Directors and supporters is vital.
The Goal is to support, develop, foster, engage, prepare, drive, enhance, regulate, educate, promote cycling and cycling competitions in our territory.
Thank you all for your consideration.
Jan Luke
My name is Jan Luke and I am currently the interim President of the SCNCA, former USA Cycling Regional Coordinator, and California/Nevada District Representative.
Since taking office in April, I have been on a mission to restructure the SCNCA and begin to create the organization I believe it can be, one that not only benefits us all, but one that is also accountable to our cycling community; racers, race directors, officials, and potential members.
After taking office, in order to see where we were and where we needed to be, I immediately sent the SCNCA bylaws to an attorney for review, and found we could use some assistance in brining the bylaws current (into the electronic age). The SCNCA now has a retained attorney who is an active member of the cycling community and at this date, there is a proposed set of amended bylaws that have been presented to the club membership for approval.
I also felt that there was a real need for better rider representation within the BoT. So in order to address this, I set up four separate rider committees, an Elite, Junior, Master and Women’s committee that would tackle the immediate needs of the membership. It was agreed that the first order of business for the committees was to determine the cause of declining ridership and come up with some new programs/ideas on how to begin the process of growth. There is a lot of work to be done. Our first project was to overhaul the SoCal Cup. Now each group (Juniors, W, M, and Masters) has its own rider representation along with a separate Cup, and each group will be responsible for its growth and success.
There will be a new series for Cat 4, men/women and Masters 35+ Cat 4 men/women which will be rolled out the 3rd week of January while we finalize the details. The SCNCA also has a new look, I solicited Justin Williams, active member of the SCNCA to update our logo and create a new look for the SoCal Cups. I don’t have all of the answers, and there are no overnight solutions. The SCNCA is a work in progress and I would like to remain a part of the solution. I am seeking a one-year term to return to the BoT to see through the commitment I made when I accepted the role to serve our cycling community.
Armin Rahm
My name is Armin Rahm and I began my cycling career in 1978 as a 10-year-old junior rider in Munich, Germany. I believe that I would be a great asset as a Member of the Board of Directors. I have been personally and professionally committed to cycling for nearly my entire life. I understand the fundamentals and varied disciplines of racing, and have a high regard for the cycling community and its members. I am committed to providing my time and knowledge to the Southern California Cycling scene, and I’m ready to help it strengthen and continue to grow. It would be an honor to represent cyclists on the SCNCA board. I have been involved in cycling as a competitor predominately on the road and track, and have experience with cyclocross and MTB races as well. I’ve achieved good results during my 38 years of committed racing. I’ve won many national and international races in Europe. I was winner of the European classic “Rund um den Henninger Turm” in Frankfurt, won the “Stuttgart Sixdays” and achieved over 100 road and 150 track victories.
In April 1995 I moved from Germany to South Pasadena, CA. Constantly striving for perfection, I traveled to Colorado Springs to acquire my USA Cycling Elite Coaching License in 1997, and served as Director Sportif of several Women’s Pro teams. I established my own business in the 90s. Presently, I am the sole distributor for Sixtufit skin care products manufactured in Germany and owner of ICE Sportswear, custom cycling clothing. I speak German and English fluently and hold a mechanical engineering certificate from the Industrie und Handelskammer (IHK) in Munich. I currently reside in Pasadena, CA where I live with my wife and two daughters. I look forward to serving my community in this way.
Yours in sport, Armin
ICE Sportswear,
P.O. Box 1584, South Pasadena, CA
91031-1584
www.icesportswear.com
E: [email protected]
Jeff Shein
Anaheim Hills, CA; married, age 55, employed 35 years with Isuzu Motors America as National Parts Supply Manager. Retiring sometime in 2016 to allow me more time to work with my junior cycling program and the SCNCA.
Cycling history / experience: As a lifelong casual road cyclist, I introduced my son to cycling at age 11 (in 2005). After a year of doing century rides, we found junior racing at the end of 2005. We joined a team in Los Angeles (UCC) in 2006. I did a few races and supported the junior team at raceday and by running the team’s website. In 2008 we transitioned to a newly established junior team in Orange County (Velosport). In 2009, with the departure of the team’s manager, I assisted in running the growing team with other parents. I took on increasing responsibilities with the team in subsequent years, including raceday setup / support, mechanical support, communications, promotions, sponsorship, financial and more. During this period, our program grew from six junior racers to America’s largest junior road program with a roster of 102 (end of 2015). Along the way we enhanced the program by adding an elite junior race team, an annual three-day training camp, velodrome introductory programs, U23 program, an annual Europe trip to expose top juniors to the highest level of racing, hundreds of junior training rides for all ages / skills, and much more. The team won USA Cycling’s Junior Club of the Year award for four consecutive years, and has been a USAC “Center of Excellence” team for six years. I continue to be dedicated to the team and to all juniors, even after my son “aged out” and mostly left competitive racing to focus on his college education.
I have hosted out-of-state and international junior / U23 riders at my home for the last three years, including full-year stays. I am presently committed to hosting a U23 racer for the next three years while he completes college. I volunteered to assist the SCNCA as a Trustee for a two-year term beginning in 2014. During this time, I have performed the following functions: • Built and maintain a new wordpress website. This site now includes race calendars / event lists with links to registration and flyers, archived race results, live status of SoCal Cup and archive of prior year Cup results, informative junior section and more • Handle all member feedback through the website’s email (including race result scoring, SoCal Cup points inquiries, championship jersey requests, etc.) • Post news and race update info to the home page at SCNCA and assist with postings on the SCNCA Facebook page • Handle input of MOST race results to USAC. This includes extensive corrections (bad names, transposed or missing license numbers, etc.) to ensure that all racers get the posted results / rankings they deserve. Upon receipt of results, they are input and posted to USAC usually within 12 hours. • Set up a junior grant system to assist financially challenged juniors to achieve their goals of attending talent ID camps, National and World championships • Set up, maintain and run the SoCal Cup (BAR/BAT) system; continue to assist USA Cycling with beta testing this complex system • Attend LA (local association) annual meetings at USA Cycling headquarters in Colorado Springs to represent junior and SCNCA issues • Conducted and/or administered several SCNCA junior camps • NOTE: some of the above functions involving data entry and maintenance had been on a paid / stipend basis with my predecessor(s). I have, however, never received payment for these functions since taking them over in 2014. If funds were allocated for this, I would donate 100% of the funding to benefit the juniors in my program. I have participated in cycling advocacy / city council meetings in Orange County to provide input on improving safety for junior (and all) cyclists I ride 10,000+ miles every year (past six years). I commute to work and ride with our juniors!
SUMMARY: My goal is to assist junior cyclists in any way possible and also help maintain the quality and timeliness of the data on the SCNCA and USA Cycling web sites.
Suzanne Sonye
Racer for 25+ years Professional Cyclist on Saturn Cycling Team Manager of Monster Media Elite Women Team Marilyn Sonye is my mother who put on many bike races all over southern California and ran El Dorado Park. Former USA Cycling official Formerly worked for Toyota United, BMC, Jamis as a soigneur Anti Doping Advocate Currently working for Felt Bicycles. Memorandum re Director Elections January 17, 2016 Page 8 of 9 I’ve been in this Industry on all sides Racer, Staff, official and slave for my mom for 30+ years, I love the sport. E: [email protected]
Matt Wikstrom
Executive Vice President, Endurance Action Sports and Olympics Wasserman Media Group
Matt Wikstrom joined Wasserman Media Group in 2001, and is currently the Executive Vice President, Endurance of the company’s Action Sports and Olympics Division. This group owns iconic events such as San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers, as well as represents leading brands, properties and athletes including Lawson Craddock, Kristin Armstrong, and Jeremy Powers.
Prior to his current role at Wasserman, Wikstrom worked on a variety of business development capacities, including selling the naming rights and cornerstone sponsors of MetLife Stadium, title sponsors for the UCI World Tour Team, RadioShack Nissan Trek, and jersey sponsorship for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club of the English Premier League.
Wikstrom started his career at Wasserman as President of Los Angeles’ Arena Football League (AFL) team, the LA Avengers, owned by Casey Wasserman. During his tenure, the Avengers increased sponsorship and ticket revenue by over 100%. Wikstrom also served as a member of the AFL’s Board of Directors, Operations Committee and Marketing Advisory Board.
Originally from Ogden, Utah, Wikstrom holds a B.S. in history from Trinity College. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife Carey and is an avid competitive cyclist and endurance athlete himself.
Justin Williams
I wish to formally nominate myself as a candidate for the 2016 SCNCA Board of Directors. In addition to being a working cyclist out of Southern California, I have also used my time outside of my cycling career to better the sport. I helped to organize a new format for the SoCal Cup, and designed logos for both the SoCal Cup and the SCNCA. I have also thrown skills clinics with the Encino Velodrome, and attended camps for the Major Motion Development Team, Jet Cycling Women’s Team, and the USAC Junior Camp as a volunteer. As an avid racer and cyclist, I can be the link between the cycling community and the SCNCA. As a professional racer with extensive experience in every level of cycling, I can also assist with ride upgrade requests. I am fully qualified to excel in either of these roles.
Thank you for your time and consideration
Sean Wilson
PhD – Director, GS Andiamo (2016 USAC Best New Club and Center of Excellence), USAC Level 1 Coach, Category 1 Racer, 37 years of riding, racing, coaching, and team-directing experience including junior, elite, professional and masters racing, and parent of two junior cyclists.
My goal as a Director of the Southern California and Nevada Cycling Association is to increase the opportunities of athletes of all ages and abilities to learn the sport of bicycle racing. I have already started this at the local level through promotion of the Beginning Racer Program for juniors, but would like to work with other regional coaches, team directors, and promoters to provide competitive and non-competitive opportunities to riders in Southern California and Nevada. I have hosted a number of Junior Cycling Summits both regionally and nationally and have learned a lot of the needs of junior cycling, which, of course, makes up tomorrow’s elite and masters cyclists. Being a Director of the Southern California and Nevada Cycling Association will enable implementation of projects that will improve the sport of cycling across all age groups and ability levels.
Dorothy “Dot” Wong
I would like to be considered on the BOD for the SCNCA in the capacity of cyclocross. I have 20 years experience racing road, MTB, CX. I have been promoting cyclocross, gravel grinder and criterium races since 2002 including the Glendale Grand Prix and SoCalCross Prestige Series. At SoCalCross we have grown female participation to almost 25% of racers this season!Having strong grassroots promotional skills and engaging community partners is key to growing the sport I am a certified Cycling Instructor with the League of American Bicyclists and have been teaching bicycle safety classes with the LA County Bicycle Coalition and Bike San Gabriel Valley for the past 2-3 years for Metro Los Angeles and Walk N Rollers Kids Skills events at schools and CicLAvia and I have been an ambassador for LUNA Chix LA Cycling and the SoCal High School Cycling League so working to get more people on bikes as my life mission. I think I would have a lot to contribute to growing diversity within the sport of bicycling and strengthen the SCNCA into the future.
Dot
