2018-19 VA Division Election Candidate Statement – Richard Weiss
Hello Virginia Division! I will not be in attendance for the Virginia Division Elections this coming Saturday at the Richmond Fencing Club. My sincerest apologies, but my daughter has her end of year Dance Recital, and well, you know…
It would be my pleasure to again serve as Chair of the Virginia Division of USA for next season. Since I will not be able to be in attendance, I wanted to let you know that we had a successful year, but not without some issues.
We need to think as a Division how to better support our local club tournaments. This is not a “VA Division” problem, we hear about local events being overlooked by their members nationwide in lieu of regional (SYC, JRCC, ROC) events that offer “points”. One thought is to work together with our surrounding divisions to further reduce the picking of an event over another where age/ratings of events overlap on a given day or weekend.
I had hoped to implement a program this year that would offer support to VA division fencer(s) who might need some assistance with travel/accommodations to cadet and junior competitions internationally. I feel strongly about this, and commit to putting something together this year.
I’d like to run two (2) referee clinics annually to support the development of our division members who have interest in refereeing. This may include a high level clinic for those who are currently referees, but wish to go to the next level. These clinics will be offered specifically for the development of VA Division members/referees to support tournaments in the VA Division.
Finally, I couldn’t end this note without making a comment about Allen Evans. Allen has decided that he’s had enough of us (my words, not his) and will not run again for VA Division Board. I’ve had the pleasure of serving with him for many years, both locally and on the Division Resources Committee with the National Offices. Everything he says is so well thought out and insightful, and I know that the Board will not be the same without him. Thank you, Allen, for everything.