Minutes of the
2003 NSS Vertical Section Meeting
August 6, 2003

The 2003 NSS Vertical Section meeting and papers session was held Wednesday, August 6, 2003 at the Porterville College in Porterville, California. Executive Committee (EC) members present were Chair Barbara Ritts, At-Large member Bart Rowlett, and Vertical Techniques Workshop Coordinator Terry Clark. Approximately 15 Vertical Section members were in attendance.

  1. Meeting opened at 2:10PM by Chair Barbara Ritts.
     
  2. Minutes of Last Meeting - None available. Check future issues of the Nylon Highway.
     
  3. Officer Reports:
    • Chair: Barb Ritts -
      Proxies present for Tim White (held by Gary Bush), Miriam Cuddington (by Terry Clark), Bruce Smith (by Barb Ritts), and Gary Taylor (by Bart Rowlett).
       
    • Secretary/Treasurer: Gary Bush for Bill Bussey -
      Secretary's Report -   482 members in list, but 320 are in arrears for dues.
      Treasurer's Report -   Opening Balance & credits = $2,610.85
      Expenses =   $1,018.32
      Balance on-hand = $1,592.53
      (See separate Itemized Report)
      There are also outstanding receipts from Symbolic Sales (Bill Boehle).
       
    • Editor: Gary Bush for Tim White -
      Nylon Highway #48 is on-line with 3 articles. Hope to have 2 more soon.
       
  4. Committee Reports:
    • Vertical Workshop: Terry Clark -
      There are 38 students signed up for this year's workshop. Room for walk-ins. Need help.
       
    • Contest: Terry Clark for Bill Cuddington -
      There were 52 participants this year. Awards on Friday.
       
    • Education: Barb Ritts for Bruce Smith -
      The "Basic Vertical Ropework Video" has been created and is available for purchase from most vendors. A practical approach to develop the Intermediate Vertical Rope Skills course is still elusive. Tim White has taken over distribution of the Basic Vertical Rope Skills course materials.
       
    • Symbolic Device Sales: Bill Boehle -
      A total of $931.41 was collected for symbolic items, NH back issues, and membership dues.
       
    • Web Page: Gary Bush -
      Information and Nylon Highway articles are up to date. A rewording of the site's main page was suggested and implemented. The format, content, and appearance of the VS web pages is dated. Suggestions for improvement are requested. Please send your ideas to Gary Bush.
       
  5. Old Business:
    • None on the agenda
    • A call to the floor yielded no new business.

     
  6. New Business:
    • A proposal was made to review the section in the Convention Planning Guide, concerning the Vertical Section needs. The request will go to Carol Tiderman. Additionally, the Convention Committee should be reminded that fees for the Vertical Techniques Workshop should be returned to the Vertical Section, not to the Convention Committee.
    • A VS representative to next year's NSS Convention in upper Michigan must be appointed to determine suitability of the facilities for our needs. A call for possible names was made. Matt Luckins was suggested. Barb Ritts will contact him.

     
  7. Acknowledgement:
    The Chair expressed thanks to all Board members of the past year. She also thanked Bill Boehle, Gary Bush, and John Woods for their service to the Section this year.
     
  8. Floor Discussions:
    Amy Burns, Chair of the NSS Education Committee, announced she is looking for a new Chair for the Safety & Techniques Committee. Volunteers or suggestions for candidates should be forwarded to her.
     
  9. Elections:
    • Secretary/Treasurer (1-year term)-   Bill Bussey was nominated and elected by acclamation. Motion to vote by acclamation made by Bill Boehle, seconded by Terry Clark. Carried unanimously.
       
    • Editor (1-year term)-   Tim White was nominated and elected by acclamation. Motion to vote by acclamation made by Bill Boehle, seconded by Bart Rowlett. Carried unanimously.
       
    • At-Large Board Members (2-year term, 2 to be elected) -   Bart Rowlett and Ed Kehs were nominated and elected by acclamation. Motion to vote by acclamation made by Bill Boehle, seconded by Vance Nelson. Carried unanimously.
       
      [Note: Current At-Large members Barb Ritts and Miriam Cuddington have 1 year remaining in their terms.]

     
  10. Motion to Adjourn:
    Motion to adjourn made by Terry Clark, seconded by Bill Boehle. Carried unanimously. Time of adjournment was 3:50PM.
     

[Additional note: Subsequent to the Meeting, the new Board Members elected Miriam Cuddington as Chair. The three appointed members were re-appointed to serve for another year. They are:

  • Contest Committee - Bill Cuddington
  • Vertical Techniques Workshop Committee - Terry Clark
  • Education Committee - Bruce Smith]

 

Respectfully Submitted,
  Gary Bush for Bill Bussey

 

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