Please send any corrections or changes to the WAA Board Secretery Debbie Andrews at waamailings@gmail.com
WAA Annual Meeting 2022
World Atlatl Association
Annual Meeting
Flint Ridge Ancient Quarries, Ohio
General Meeting
July 9, 2022
President Ryan Grohsmeyer called the meeting to order at 6:40 pm in the Shelter House at Flint Ridge.
In attendance were Dave Patterson, Steve Barnett, Lori Majorsky, Don Roberts, Margie Takoch, Frank Lukes, Ryan Grohsmeyer, Debbie Andrews, Ray Strischek, Emily Balizet, Cheryll Berg, Kerry Opel, Anita Lukes, Andy Majorsky, Tim Hall, Robert Berg, Steve Hall, Leilani England, Eric England, Lisa England, Liam England, Emberlyn Belizet, Douglas Bassett, Sue Mercer, Jerry Nevins, Jay Sullivan
Ryan introduced the current officers: Ryan Grohsmeyer – President; Debbie Andrews – Secretary; Emily Balizet – Treasurer, and Devin Pettigrew -Vice President (not able to be in attendance).
- It was noted that officers cannot be paid.
- The minutes from the 2021 meetings were approved by the Board of Directors
- Annual Meeting Site Committee (Lenny Riesmersma, Ron Mertz, Gary Nolf) – the 2023 Meeting will be held in Jordan Valley, Oregon, hosted by Glenn Fretwell in early September. The 2024 meeting will return to Cahokia.
- Treasurer’s Report – Emily Balizet passed out the written report and reviewed it. Bob Berg moved to accept the report. Andy Majorsky seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
At this time, Ryan introduced the Board of Directors: Steve Barnett, Dave Patterson, Margie Takoch, Don Roberts (temporary until elections) Frank Lukes (temporary until elections), and Lori Majorsky, the Election Director.
- Election Committee (Ron Mertz, Margie Takoch, Lenny Riesmersma) A reminder that the annual Elections were moved to the same time yearly (late August/September) for both online voting and written ballots.The following positions are up for election: President (Jerry Nevins is the only candidate running), 3 Board members (Linda Brundage’s seat, John Whittaker’s seat, and the vacant seat), with 4 candidates running for the open seats. Candidates are Frank Lukes, Mario Antonci, John Whittaker, and Jeremy Wilkins.
- ISAC Committee (John Whittaker, Dave Patterson, Debbie Andrews) – Dave Patterson reported that there were no changes to the rules, and there were several appeals regarding late postings.
Old Business
Open Discussion
Cheryll Berg informed the membership that the Boy Scouts no longer use the atlatls. Bob Berg made a motion to have the WAA write a letter to the BSA to encourage the reinstatement of the use of atlatls. Steve Hall seconded the motion. Anita Lukes reported that a survey done on archery injuries shows that there are not a lot that require going to an ER. John Whittaker sent her the reference and noted that atlatl injuries were likely to be less due to various factors. She suggested that anyone responding to the Boy Scouts should check with John about those factors. Ryan Grohsmeyer asked to be included in the drafting of the letter. Leilani England asked if it was liability or lack of a knowledgeable instructor. The motion was approved unanimously.
New Business
- Membership retention and new members – Janeen Grohsmeyer put together a brochure regarding WAA and a membership application. Bob Berg offered to include a membership brochure with each order he fills. Discussion included the need for more social sites as we need to target younger people. Some sites remove our postings as “dangerous.” Ray Strischek reviewed how the OAA instructs people and gets interest. Jerry Nevins told the group that Ron Mertz thinks that offering a 1 year free membership might help get people in. The motion passed unanimously.
- Bob Berg moved and Tim Hall seconded for the WAA to get a QR code to be used for internet social sites. Emily Balizet can run this. Motion carried unanimously.
- Ryan Grohsmeyer moved to put the updated WAA brochure on the website. Emily Balizet seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
- Roles and responsibilities of the scorekeeper and participant – reminder that participants cannot touch their darts or targets until the scorekeeper gives the okay. The scoring rules were reviewed and need to be reinforced.
- Bob Berg suggested Iceland for the 2027 Annual Meeting.
- Margie Takoch informed the membership that Linda Brundage passed away this year. She was an active member until her cancer diagnosis. Short memorial for Linda.
Ryan Grohsmeyer motioned to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Douglas Bassett. Motion carried unanimously.
Respectfully Submitted,
Debbie Andrews, Executive Secretary
BOARD MEETING
World Atlatl Association
Annual Meeting
Flint Ridge Ancient Quarries, Ohio
Board of Directors Meeting ~ July 8, 2022
President Ryan Grohsmeyer called the meeting to order at 4:45 pm in the Shelter House at Flint Ridge.
Members in attendance were Dave Patterson, Steve Barnett, Lori Majorsky, Don Roberts, Margie Takoch, Frank Lukes, Ryan Grohsmeyer and Debbie Andrews
Ryan appointed Frank Lukes and Don Roberts to temporarily fill board positions until the elections. The seats temporarily filled were that of Linda Brundage (deceased) and the vacant position. Emily Balizet was appointed as treasurer earlier in the year.
Approval of Minutes – The minutes from the 2021 Board of Directors meeting and the 2021 General Meeting were posted on the WAA website since last October. Margie Takoch moved to approve the minutes, and Steve Barnett seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
Committee Reports
- ISAC committee (John Whittaker, Dave Patterson, Debbie Andrews) – Debbie Andrews reported there were no actions taken regarding the rules. The committee has had a few appeals dealing with late requests to post events. It was noted that scorekeepers need to follow the written procedures for scoring.
- Annual Meeting Sites committee (Ron Mertz, Lenny Riesmersma, Gary Nolf) – With none of the committee members being in attendance, Ryan Grohsmeyer reported that this committee makes the decision on where the event will be held. The 2023 Annual Meeting will be held in Jordan Valley, Oregon, at Glenn Fretwell’s place in early September. In 2024, the Annual Meeting will return to Cahokia.
- Nomination Committee (Ron Mertz, Margie Takoch, Lenny Riemersma) Margie Takoch reported that the elections will be in August/September. This year we have the following positions to be elected: President (Jerry Nevins is the only candidate running), 3 Board members (Linda Brundage’s seat, John Whittaker’s seat, and the vacant seat), with 4 candidates running for the open seats. Candidates are Frank Lukes, Mario Antonci, John Whittaker, and Jeremy Wilkins.
It was determined that the committee members shall remain the same for 2023.
Open Discussion
- Scorekeeping: Steve Barnett brought up a concern about the scorekeeping rules not being observed. Specifically, the rules state that nobody should remove a dart from the target until the scorekeeper indicates they may do so. This includes darts that landed outside of the scoring area. The scorekeeper should make it clear that no dart should be touched or wiggled before the scorekeeper determines the score. It is the scorekeeper’s responsibility to determine the dart’s score, as the scorekeeper is the arbiter for the contest. It was agreed that an article should appear in the next issue of the newsletter that emphasizes the role and duties of the scorekeeper.
- Store Orders: The store manager is having difficulty fulfilling orders due to a problem with communication between the filling the order and getting treasurer approval for sending out the order. This is due to the payment going to the treasurer and not the store manager. This will be worked out due to the new position and new treasurer.
New Business
- Membership targeting younger people. As the majority of the membership ages, there is a need for younger people to start taking over. Recruiting is very hard. The Boy Scouts have outlawed the use of the atlatl in their programs. School programs have dwindled possibly due to covid, gas prices, time spent away from hard core academics for state/national testing.
- Pamphlets with membership information were shown. The pamphlet needs to be updated to show the current treasurer name and address.
- WAA is looking for someone to take over the website. Janeen Grohsmeyer has been working on it for several years. Douglas Bassett said he would ask his son Marlin if he is interested in doing so.
There was no other new business.
Margie Takoch made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Dave Patterson seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Debbie Andrews, Executive Secretary