I have recently been brought into a discussion about Bill Koch League skiing and its place under the NYSSRA umbrella. To be honest, I have never participated in a Bill Koch event, I do not have any children who have participated and I have never been involved in organizing Bill Koch events. NYSSRA has always had a Bill Koch League committee that has done a fine job of organizing member clubs and events. And, as president, I am not going to micromanage this or any other of our committees.
Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that there is some dissention amongst the Bill Koch ranks, specifically between the Genesee Valley Bill Koch Club and the leadership of NYSSRA Nordic, Inc.. Recently, there have been some comments posted on the NYSSRA XC site, and a few personal emails sent my way about this issue. Based on what I have read, and quite frankly, to appease the dissenting group, I have decided to address the four main issues as I understand them and convey my feelings as president in this post.
Issue #1:
Organizers of the Genesee Valley Bill Koch club are upset that some NYSSRA members chose to go to the NE Bill Koch Festival. They are also upset that some of these skiers were recognized by NYSSRA for their accomplishments.
President’s reply:
This seems like a misunderstanding. NYSSRA did not sponsor an organized trip to the NE Bill Koch Festival. Certainly, members of NYSSRA Nordic, who received complimentary NENSA memberships this season, took full advantage of the opportunity to attend this year’s NE Bill Koch Fest. Because they are indeed NENSA members, they were recognized as being part of NENSA’s “New York” membership district. It is unfortunate that the GVBKL organizers have read more into this. And, I am insulted that they think the Bill Koch leaders who went to the NE Festival and NYSSRA Nordic, Inc. insidiously tried to leave them, or anyone else out.
Being unfamiliar with the program, I am confused as to the actual purpose of Bill Koch league racing. On one hand, the Bill Koch “pledge” is to compete with oneself only, and to ski for the joy of skiing. Yet on the other hand, Bill Koch races always seem to celebrate competition between skiers with results and awards. I agree with the point that competition in Bill Koch skiing can be somewhat contradictory. I trust the Bill Koch committee will visit this issue and maybe redefine the purpose of Bill Koch Ski League races.
Issue #2:
Organizers of the GVBKYSL club are upset that the 2009 Bill Koch festival, run by NYSEF and sanctioned by NYSSRA Nordic, Inc. will be held so late in the year.
President’s reply
My ability to reply to this is hampered by the fact that I was not at the Spring meeting 2008 where the discussions about this schedule originally took place. However, I do agree that it is NYSSRA’s role to facilitate scheduling of events by organizers and to provide a centralized schedule and relay information about events to our members. It is also NYSSRA’s role to look at the schedule and try to minimize, where possible, potential conflicts, while at the same time giving race promoters a chance to host events. What NYSSRA will not do is mandate when or where an event must take place. Pragmatically, I realize we are all limited in our sport by availability of ski weather and quality ski venues. I recognize that not all members of NYSSRA have equal access to snow. Often, a race organizer only has one date available to host a race. Sometimes this date conflicts with other events. In this case, the fact of the matter is that the March date is not an unreasonable one, it is still winter, it is still wintry and it is still ski season in most of New York’s ski centers.
Issue #3:
Organizers of the GVBKYSL are worried that NYSSRA is planning to dissolve, only to become a member district of NENSA.
President’s Reply:
In the fall I held discussions with NENSA’s president, Pat Cote, about sharing memberships. The NENSA and NYSSRA presidents, noting that we do have some geographic overlap, as well as some differences in philosophy and programs agreed that a membership partnership would benefit both organizations, without harming the autonomy of either one. NYSSRA members were graciously offered complimentary NENSA memberships for the 08-09 season. NENSA was interested in bulking up their membership numbers to satisfy sponsors, but had absolutely no interest in “taking over” NYSSRA Nordic. NENSA offered to grant all of our members free full NENSA memberships. That means an individual’s $25 NYSSRA fee gave them full membership in both organizations. In return, NENSA members were not to be recognized as full NYSSRA members, but were to be exempt from paying single-day membership fees if they choose to compete in NYSSRA events. I believe this partnership has been good for NYSSRA. A few of our members were more easily able to compete in Eastern Cup and SuperTour events because of their complimentary NENSA memberships. Likewise, some NYSSRA events saw increased participation and an increased level of competitiveness thanks to some New England skiers taking advantage of our agreement.
Issue #4:
Organizers of the GVBKSYL believe that youth development should be the primary focus of NYSSRA Nordic, Inc. And, they do not believe that the current leadership shares the same vision.
President’s Reply:
NYSSRA Nordic, Inc. is the governing body of ski racing in New York State. This includes the disciplines of Cross Country, Biathlon and Ski-O. Each of these disciplines has a committee that plans and addresses issues for each ski season. Each of these disciplines has junior, senior and masters-level participants. For juniors, there is also a Bill Koch committee and a Mid-A USSA committee that oversees junior development in Cross Country. I agree with the assessment that youth development is not the primary focus of NYSSRA Nordic, Inc. But I don’t agree that youth development should be our primary focus. NYSSRA Nordic serves its member disciplines and member clubs, recognizing that people enjoy ski racing for many different reasons and at many different ages. NYSSRA Nordic Inc, while supporting junior development through Bill Koch League, Mid-A and local club programs will absolutely not become a junior-only organization. Ski racing is a lifetime sport, and NYSSRA will have something for you regardless of age.
One of my initiatives when I took over as president in the Fall was to change the leadership structure of our board of directors. There will be a vote at the spring meeting to restructure the voting board to include representatives from our member clubs. I think the future of ski racing lies with our member clubs who recruit skiers young and old, schedule races and promote the sport in their communities. And I think that NYSSRA would be best directed by the folks working in those ski communities. As this discussion shows, different skiers and different clubs have different needs and priorities when it comes to the role of NYSSRA Nordic, Inc. I hope that NYSSRA can work to serve everyone in an appropriate way. In closing, I would like to thank all of our club leaders who did a fantastic job in recruiting and promoting Nordic ski racing this season. Without your hard work, there would be no ski racing at all.
And, of course, a hearty thanks to all of our juniors, seniors and masters who skied in NYSSRA events this season. It has been, and continues to be, a great season.
Jim Kobak
President
NYSSRA Nordic, Inc.
