Re: Capital Gymnastics Booster Club
Posted by:
Uncaring Karen
()
Date: January 31, 2010 08:36PM
Letter on the balcony:
In light of recent actions taken by a miniscule but extremely vocal minority, it is important to put forth some respectful reminders for all concerned.
Two or three people have meanly criticized the club in a very mean way. Why? The club does not deserve this, This is a booster club that just disbursed around $40,000 in the second assessment alone! This number really, really speaks for itself. What does this number say? It says, Someone has to do all the work to maintain and disburse this money, especially when the vast majority of members are so lazy, ignorant, or dependent on the good work of others. The officials who do all this thankless, time-consuming and dangerous work deserve praise, not criticism.
We all must respectfully keep in mind that rules are in place to govern an organization. We especially have to be in rule-keeping mode and wear our "obedience hats" when one or two bigmouths won't shut up. If you want to be in the club, you have to go by the rules. That is imperative.
The fact is:
1. The board voted on the [MQ] issue and it's over and done. END OF STORY. If there was truly a concern based in fact (and not just a bunch of bigmouths running their big mouths), then a grievance would have been filed and/or a special meeting called. A grievance is not hard to file but it does require proof. A special meeting is not hard to call but it requires someone who is not ignorant or who is not an idiot, and who knows how to get around all the clever ways we can use the bylaws to pretend they didnt really call the meeting. Both of these vehicles, which safeguard unsavory, creepy, ignorant, disrespectful, or illegal behavior, require enough interest from board members (or general members) to move forward.
Having two or three people scream and yell really loud and say wholly unsubstantiated and mean things all day everyday without even stopping to eat a Pop Tart doesn't mean 1. the club is not doing well; 2. the membership cannot get information when it asks for it; or 3. the leadership is not leading.
The fact that no grievance has been filed is more telling about the complainers than the barrage of e-mails that are continuously sent all day every day to the point that you respectfully wonder if these people ever even go to the bathroom or vomit from their own nauseatingness. One reason given by Sue B for "not filing a grievance" was that the board was biased. I personally find it offensive that she or anyone would assume the board is made up of members that cannot think for themselves or lack the integrity or intelligence to make an objective and fair decision. And that shows lack of respect.
3. While a minority of people continue to "not" follow the rules and spam the board and others with non-factually based allegations, the "leadership" of the board has refused to engage in such behavior. Following rules should not be described as "evasive."
Please be advised that throughout the unending e-mails, someone (i.e. the club leadership and the board) has been:
1. Gathering and crunching all the fundraising numbers for nearly 100 members and publishing assessment amounts;
2. Sending out e-mails about new, ongoing and ending fundraisers;
3. Keeping track of who we need to threaten and when.
4. Showing up on the balcony to smile like cheerleaders but make it really clear we arent going to take any crap.
5. Making sure the year-round fundraisers continue to operate;
6. Answer all questions/comments that go to the club's e-mail address (cggbc_president@yahoo.com) (average over 20 a day)
7. Maintain a log of how often we have to tell someone to shut up before we get our lawyer to draft a mean letter threatening to kick them out of the club and take their money.
8. Attend theater classes to help us keep a straight face when members ask us to account for the full $5 on the sale of every discout card and we respond, "We don't know. The boys won't tell us."
9. Attend confession so we don't feel guilty for lying about the discount cards.
10. Reconcile bank statements (receipts, reimbursements, donations, chair points, kickbacks, etc)
11. Research legal issues, including but not limited to plane rides won in the Harvest Meet raffles, how many threats we can make before someone turns us in, how the club can receive large donations, and who we should blame if the IRS figures out we're doing private inurement.
12. Writing thank you letters to sponsors, donors, and Tara
13. Communicating with the gym about updated rosters, level changes, and club members bad behavior just in case the gym wants to kick them out entirely.
14. Scheduling Patriot Center events and figuring out who to yell at or threaten
15. Getting the books ready (wink, wink) for tax reporting;
16. Dealing with the issue of injured gymnasts and their assessments;
17. Acting as liaison with gym owners and gymnasts regarding who should be kicked out;
18. Reporting gym closings or gym news because members are too lazy and ignorant to know how to pick up the phone and call the gym themselves.
The list of things necessary to keep a club as large as ours going and operating well and legally is unending. I have listed but a few.
It's easy to ignore facts and just generally claim that there is a lack of leadership or that there is evasiveness. But It is a fact that our current club under the leadership of Tara has done more to earn money for a couple of people than any club in the history of gymnastics.
I respectfully put forward that the rules are not hard to follow. All you have to do is be a barely functioning illiterate to be able to understand that three people are in charge, and the rest of you need to shut up and do what we say.
Nevertheless, these bigmouths have crudely invited the entire club membership to the next meeting. This will create a terrible hardship for our leaders because now they will not have the luxury of emailing one another in private and secretly asking a lawyer how to proceed at every juncture in the email meetings. In addition, since we have rejected Tim's ignorant attempt to hold the meeting at the library, we are holding the meeting at a private home.
In order to compensate the host for the extra electricity that will be used when everyone keeps opening the door and using the toilet, etc. - and to prepare for cleaning up any dirt that will be tracked on the carpet on top of all the horse manure the host already brings in herself - and to compensate board leaders for their loss of quality family time in attending the meeting, the following is mandatory.
General members must contribute a $10 cash admission fee. In return, you will receive 2 discount cards that you may or may not sell at your leisure. You will get $4 back for every card you sell. We wont tell you where the other $1 goes. We'll just respond that this is a boys fundraiser, and those no-good boys won't tell us their secrets. Dont worry about it, though, and dont ask any questions. Or else we'll kick you out of the club and keep all your fundraised earnings.
Board members must bring a covered dish to be divvied up among select officers' families. Please be respectful of dietary preferences. Main courses, desserts, starches, veggies and drinks are welcome! Extra freezable portions are much appreciated. Containers will NOT be returned. Sign up sheet attached.
Because of the size of the crowd expected to attend, there is no room to keep everyone's coats. etc. In fairness, all attendees (except two board leaders) are REQUIRED to place their coats, boots, good shoes, hats, scarves, riding equipment, leather gloves, cash, whips, and leotards in a special "guest box" in the basement. The host is not responsible for any lost items.
We respectfully cannot wait for the meeting.