Spending Club Funds

[Plawless]

Fellow Tripleshotters,

In the spirit of accountability and transparency I wanted to give everyone an update on how we are spending some of the funds received by the Club. I also want to ask that if any among you have suggestions for how we ought to spending our $ you let me know.

We raise a bit of money annualy through:

1. Membership fees;
2. Jersey Logos; and
3. Race registrations at the 2 races we put on.

We have, as part of the Spinnakers sponsorship agreed to focus some funds on a race team that includes a small start up junior program including some coaching support from our very own “Euro Pro” Lister.

We have in the past also helped support the Nanaimo2Victoria Ride by donating some funds to fight Cancer through that organization.

This year we have also agreed to provide a small travel subsidy to the 3 members of Tripleshot that are going to the upcoming Para-Nationals in Beauce, Quebec. This $ is in recognition of the hard hours of training they have each been putting in and the significant financial costs of the pursuit of excellence.

I further envision providing some subsidies for members traveling to “real” competitions (i.e. Provincial Championships etc).

However as wonderful and community minded as the above is what it does not do is provide a tangible benefit to those of our club who do not go to these fairly elite events. That begs the question then what should we be doing for our “normal” member? I have to say that I really like that so far we have used $ to help out with good causes and supporting our members as they pursue excellence but maybe something for the rest of us is nice too. So I am thinking we ought to do a barbeque in the summer and a Christmas party in the winter where the Club picks up some of the tab.

I would be very interested in hearing how else you, as our membership, would like to see our funds spent. So can you either let me know directly or post here your thoughts.

Thanks,

Peter

[Roland]

1) Custom 10x10 folding Tripleshot Tent. Would be useful for the races that we put on and for the races that we attend. Imagine this tent, except it says Tripleshot on it:


2) Cover part of the water bottle order as soon as I get around to finishing the design, so that we have bottles in stock.

3) Party! (http://nedroid.com/2009/05/party-cat-full-series/)

[leftcoaster]

i) I like Roland's suggestion for the 10 x 10 tent we can use to promote TSC at cycling events.

ii) Subsidize TSC gear for our members. If non members wish to purchase, they can at regular prices, but the benefits of membership should be a discount. Make membership a tangible benefit.

iii) I think supporting the youth/developemental/junior program Lister has started is an excellent use of funds.

[RyanC]

I second the motion on development team funding. I think this both facilitates and promotes cycling and boosts the TS community profile, which has longer term benefits for the club.

We could look at kitting out the juniors with a variation on the TS colour theme. Or we could buy quality used parts to build fine, safe steeds for these hearty lassies and lads to get them started.

We could also expand on Pete's suggestion of racing travel subsidy. One of the ways a former team of mine spent our not-for-profit dollars was to subsidize club members race travel when 3 or more members travel together. This promotes racing, raises the TS profile in that community, increases the depth of racing experience among those so inclined, and provides and opportunity for more of us to get to know each other.

Of course, that latter point presumes there are enough members with a racing interest.

And (thank you, Roland) we must have a season end party...

Then again, we might provide snacks and refreshments for participants in races we host, Peter.

Ryan

[JohnT]

Hey Peter,

We should get to know the para-members. Afternoon rides around the ring road (for example) could be posted. I realize a big group ride isn't he way to go, but it seems to me that something could be done to facilitate interaction.

I like Ryan's idea of promoting road trips - three people minimum and we pay for gas to a BC Cup (or something like that).

What about a High School League Trophy? Get a big one and we'll be appreciated for 20 years!

I have no idea about the amount of $$ we're talking about, so the ideas might be off-target.

Bis Morgen,

JT

[Rolf]

I wholeheartedly endorse funding the juniors and helping Lister pass on his gifts. It fits with so many aspects of what I think constitutes TripleShot.

I also like the idea of subsidizing the kit. I'm not one to wear logos much. After a stillborn career in PR and marketing, I'm a little sensitive about what's in it for me, or the greater good, when I personally promote a business by showing off their brand. But I recognize that with our growing numbers, and the increasing amount of kit being ordered, the possible subsidy per person is declining, rendering the real impact of a subsidy perhaps less than other uses of club funds.

Another thought on the kit: forking over some bucks to be an easter egg is a form of commitment that we perhaps don't want new members taking lightly; the club lives and dies by each member's respective sense of loyalty. So keeping the costs real may indirectly benefit club development.

I like funding stuff like Cops for Cancer ride, provided it's funding related to cycling. We're not a general fundraiser for good causes. We're a cycling club. Funding para-athletes' travel expenses is great, because it's both a good cause (i.e. builds community and contributes to civil society) and it's cycling-related.

However, I don't personally want to help regular members with expenses to attend races. Maybe we need to do some navel-gazing about club mission statements (bleargh), but I don't think of TripleShot as primarily a race team. We're "Destination" cyclists, aren't we?

My only original idea for spending club funds, would be to revisit our coffee policy. With the huge numbers out some mornings, the coffee spend has been pretty onerous at times. And with a greater number of casual riders comes a greater chance of the usual what-goes-around concept falling apart. What about tacking on an optional coffee buy-in fee to the membership dues? Try to figure out what the average annual consumption is, and then those who want to participate in coffee can pony up at the outset. Club funds could be used to cover any shortfall, or just contribute to keep the annual coffee fee low.

I agree with John about getting some numbers out in the open.

[Plawless]

...We should get to know the para-members.

We all do know them. Jen, Carly & Roland........ they rock and are Tripleshotters through and through.

Peter

[dreeves]

I like everyone's ideas except for the kit subsidy. The cost of our custom kit is already about half of what you would pay in a bike shop; even our high school members could save up enough allowance for all they could ever want in the Easter egg colours.

For those new to the club, a majority of our sponsors are TS members (Pete, Bill, Galen, Dave S., Bob C., Alan C., Rob Mc.), Moka House has given us 25% off for 3 years and Spinnakers is kicking in a fair amount to bring us into the big leagues!!

[Paul C.]

Hi All. Lots of great spending ideas. We had a similar challenge with making, and more so spending money with Pacific Road Runners club in Vancouver which I started 27 years ago. A few suggestions. I agree with the uniform comments. Oak Bay club pays about $ 75 for jerseys..ours are about $42. Good deal already. I like the idea of some subsidy for normal members like me. Maybe pick one out of town event a year that the club kicks in money for. But then what about the 50 % or so that don't race. Sometimes these issues are clarified by a club mission statement, vision and goals which I am not sure if are in writing. Also sometimes in athletic clubs decisions come down to a members vote or more so ,a decision by the elected executive. [that's partially why a club has an executive] A monthly or at least a quarterly meeting open to all is a good thing. Prairie Inn running club combines theirs with a guest speaker sometimes, snacks and beer. They get a free room at Ceder Hill rec center. Any how , it is great to be a part of the club during this exciting time of growth and challenges. TRIPLE SHOT: A Coffee Club with a Cycling problem! regards Paul C.

[Lister Farrar]

I think the most important thing about TS is the camaraderie, which means we ride together long enough (vs. dropping folks) to pass along what we know to newcomers, which contributes to performance as they get better because they stick it out. I think if you asked Carly what’s more important for her, she’d say TS got her a partner and a group to train in the rain with all winter, than the $500 towards her travel.

I've worked in and around the sport system for a while now, and spending decisions trend to tangible things, I guess because they're tangible. I can't help thinking it's often a mistake.

Uniforms and bikes have short lives (well, plastic bikes do ). Travel has an even shorter life.(I'm not against our recent decision tho.) On a wider scale, sport groups forget the value of what they have to offer. CCA took a great idea in Sprockids (kids get self esteem from learning skills and independence in the woods) and then spoiled it with a huge compulsory package of posters, socks, badges, bottles, and bric a brac at $50+ a kid. Same thing with the closure of the training centre here, and the morphing of coaches to talent scouts and selectors vs., uh, coaching. (I just heard former centre coach Yury Kashirin is now back in Moscow running a cycling school.)

The club at Margaret Jenkins elementary school, now run by TS'r Mike Peters, was about finding good coaches and matching them with kids so they could learn the sport and get their self esteem that way. (Not through clairvoyance by the way; we copied the successful swim club there and the original sprockids ethic. ) Not through things.

That meant we had to pay something to coaches to get them there. (Not sure if it was the money that made them come, or just the sense they were respected for their skills.) But the good back seat buzz (my ultimate test of any kids program) coming home from bike club was always about the stuff they learned from coaches like our Glen and Geoff Pendrel. It was never about t-shirts or bikes or awards. So we never bought the Sprockids crap, and the CCA program died in a few years, and there's a landfill somewhere with a lot of logo'd junk in it. That club meanwhile is in its 6th or 7th year and has never had less than 40 kids in it. The only thing they spend money on is coaching. It’s arguably the biggest cycling club in Victoria, though TS is getting close if everyone actually signed up. (Edit, just saw the membership thread; way to go everyone!)

This sounds embarassingly like me asking for payment for coaching. But I would far rather see spending on coaching, in whatever form, than get a cheaper jersey, some gas to races, or free coffee or a party. Another way to see it is that club funds to coaching would also free up those without the time to coach, to pass along what they have enjoyed, without sacrificing their own training, while raising the performance and safety level of each of the groups.

One other area I think is untapped, if we want to find more cash, is a fundraiser ride to find the money for coaching. Wouldn’t you feel good about your gran fondo fee paying someone from the cycling community to bring more people into the sport, and teach them, who might then pay fees to ride a gran fondo, etc.? It could be a very sustainable system.

[Lister Farrar]

Fellow Tripleshotters,

We have, as part of the Spinnakers sponsorship agreed to focus some funds on a race team that includes a small start up junior program including some coaching support from our very own “Euro Pro” Lister.
Peter

Missed this the first time. Never raced there, though I once drafted an Italian army ttt team in a training session for about 15 minutes before 50kph stopped me and I got in the coaches car to watch the rest. Rode around the Arc de Triomphe once too, but only with taxis. Though I suspect that helped my bike handling quite a bit.

I do appreciate the support of the junior program, even if I'm being oversold.

[Plawless]

Fellow Tripleshotters,

We have, as part of the Spinnakers sponsorship agreed to focus some funds on a race team that includes a small start up junior program including some coaching support from our very own “Euro Pro” Lister.
Peter

Missed this the first time. Never raced there, though I once drafted an Italian army ttt team in a training session for about 15 minutes before 50kph stopped me and I got in the coaches car to watch the rest. Rode around the Arc de Triomphe once too, but only with taxis. Though I suspect that helped my bike handling quite a bit.

I do appreciate the support of the junior program, even if I'm being oversold.

dont listen to him - he is just being modest. We know the truth - we see it in every pedal stroke and in the masterful and elegant way he moves through the peleton. We see it in a frame that has seen everything the world can throw at it and then given a gallic shrug and a "whuff" and moved to lead out the sprint.

All Lister - All Euro Pro - All the time.

[AlW]

To be consistent with the inclusive nature of our club, I'd endorse funding for things that further the goals of the club as a whole.

What I like

• - Junior development and associated coaching is a good idea. Coaching available to everyone would be a bonus (more sessions like the cornering ones Lister held recently)
  
  - Nanaimo2Victoria is a worthy cause and a good event to support in the form of volunteers, sponsorship, but I have to side with Rolf on the donation front for the reasons he states.
  
  - Tent in club colorway. Great idea.

Not so much

• - Race subsidies. Hmmm. Lots of questions on this one. If "real" races are the deciding factor, it limits the subsidy to a select few who partake in such events. Also, what qualifies as a real race to some may not to others. Schwalbe has a interesting take on this. Details here: http://www.schwalbecycling.com/join-sch ... ur-racers/
  
  - Kit subsidy. I think the deal we get through group order constitutes a subsidy in itself. Same deal for water bottles. Maybe a complimentary water bottle for new members, but nothing beyond that.

Do the sponsors have a say in these decisions? I suspect their contributions constitute a significant portion of the club funds so would be interested to know if they had any input into how the funds are spent.

#24

[iross]

I very much agree with what Lister and Al say. TS is more a community than a cycling club, and coaching and development are a great way for us to expand that community, as well as publicising just how awesome TS is. To my mind, the ideal use for the money that our sponsors give us isn't necessarily to do stuff for ourselves, but to contribute something to the wider community and get more people out on their bikes.

So, for me, yes to supporting coaching, yes to supporting para-athletes, yes to the tent (!), but I'm tepid on subsidising race entry, kit orders or coffee.

One thing I'd be interested in seeing the club do more is running events. This is a very tangible and visible way of promoting the club. We (me and Rita) ran a couple of "fun" MTB events last year (with OrganicAthlete), and I'd be happy to set something like that up again, perhaps as a joint event with SIMBS (I've already been in touch with the SIMBS board about the possibility of doing this just as a SIMBS event, though I've not heard anything from them recently). I know the bikes are bouncy and perhaps not sufficiently Euro for some of our members, but the races can be quite social, and it's also very easy to include a kids event on the same evening.

(A more Euro alternative might be offering to help with hosting one of the Island Cup CX races, but I don't know very much about that.)

Ian.

[Josh.E]

The biggest positive Tripleshot has going for it is the way in which it has successfully evolved to be many different things to many different members. I think if we all remain conscientious of that fact, our membership, and club will continue to grow. I'm not so sure we need to necessarily try to define what the club is, or anything like that beyond perhaps "promoting the growth of cycling"

For some it is about recreation and being active, and enjoying beautiful days out riding with a group of like minded people. For others it is about building community. For some it is about getting youth into cycling. For some it is using cycling as a vehicle to support good causes. Among all these things, it has also become unique in that it is a group in which one can learn riding skills, and a place to train and grow as a cyclist, right from complete beginner through to regular racing.

Somewhere in there, I think there is value in supporting a racing program for those so inclined. There is a wealth of skills and riding experience that those who race regularly gain and bring back to the club to help and teach newer members (those with or without racing ambitions), just as many of you have tapped into Lister's racing experience to learn more riding skills. As that experience and skill base continues to grow within our member base, I think we want to nurture it.

There was talk a while back of a "Tripleshot-Spinnakers" race team being formed? Is this still in the cards? If not, I think it should be. If we don't have a racing program of some sort, we will most likely lose riders to other clubs as they improve and "graduate" beyond what tripleshot has to offer them for training and racing development. I see having members in tripleshot gear racing at higher levels, such as nationals, etc as being awesome in terms of exposure for the club, especially if we are also always known as a place that is always beginner friendly. As Al was saying, racing subsidies are a tricky area. Along those lines, I really like schwalbe's idea of volunteering being a prerequisite for getting racing funding. Taking that a step further in our own club, volunteering could include many things like going out on a "B" ride to help out teaching new riders group riding skills, or helping Lister put on a riding clinic. Basically, encourage the most skilled and experienced in our group to give back to the group, while still providing a place for them to grow as cyclists themselves.

my $0.02

Josh

[wonger]

Lots of great input – a few of my thoughts…

I agree with the notion of development, though not exclusive to youth. Josh does a good job of outlining the variety of motivations. Personally I would be really interested in a development camp of some kind where we could get “expert” advise on training, nutrition etc. By reading the forums it seems clear that there are many who want the information as they seek to become better, stronger, faster cyclists. What if we looked at a two-day camp with some outside expertise, some internal and scheduled sessions – on bike and off – that would provide us with more tools needed to train better/smarter?

I don’t really have a problem with a charitable aspect to the club, but my family does our giving at the office, so to speak. I joined the club for cycling. Where I think we can contribute is by participating in various events like Nanaimo 2 Victoria and the like.

Kit – if I wasn’t riding with Tripleshot I’d still be buying kit as I have done for the last 15 years. I’d just be paying more for it and I wouldn’t look like such a clown. Subsidizing already cheap gear is not a great idea in my opinion.

I’ve ridden beside people in the last few weeks who haven’t said a word to me while we ride, get to the front and leave the pack behind then don’t stay for coffee. If we are going to support racing, maybe we should make coffee attendance mandatory, or something (volunteering was suggested by someone). The Tripleshot “code of conduct” should come first.

I do like the idea of “support” for team initiatives, racing or whatever. There are seven of us signed up for the Whistler Gran Fondo and it would be great if there were more. If we reduced barriers to entry for members and increased participation, that would be great.

[Lister Farrar]

I like the idea of the continuum of cycling Josh, and that racing is part of that. A problem, not insurmountable, is that cycling organizations say they're about "promoting the growth of cycling", but then don't. Of all the clubs in Victoria, how many have no-drop rides or clinics? If not, where is the growth coming from? Loners training themselves up to Wednesday B race level? Racing also tends to attract the time , energy and money, because it takes a lot of that. A commitment of racers back to the club could be done; I think Josh is right about expectations of supported riders to help out somehow. Quebec does this with it's carded athletes; if you get a cheque, you have to do visits to schools to talk up physical activity and sport. (By the way, I do need people to watch for traffic on cornering days. We take turns so you can ride, no experience necessary.)

It's possible that racer commitment will be a good payback (cancel that, it's a fact with Peter running the club and the other racers who have been doing gear orders, forum, b rides etc.). But our resources so far are limited. A $1000 or 2 will get some people into a few races, but coached riders with skills stick around a while. Maybe better to invest in a honking big gran fondo and get some real income? The Ottawa Bicycle Club takes in roughly $250,000 (gross) from 2000 riders paying an average of $125 for the two day Rideau Lakes Tour. That revenue pays for the clubs programs, including races, racers, and and coaching.

Ian, what do you think about doing that Thetis-Stewart-Hartland-Bear-Hill-Thetis cyclocross-celebration-of-getting-lost as a fund raiser? One thing the good fundraisers seem to have is scaleability: they're not limited by the course to 100 or 500. So longish courses seem to be called for, with short cuts for newer riders.

I also wanted to add I think the youth thing will work better in a club with a critical mass of older, mature (read: steady and helpful) riders. So I have never intended the coaching to be about youth only, just that it seems to call for a little more directive approach at first than with adults. (And as you can see, Bryan, Adam, Brian, Matteo and Bow can do most TS stuff on their own now). The adult participation in the cornering sessions has been great, both for the critical mass and the improvements in group rides it can bring. I think it would be really tough to have teenagers only, though I do think girls do need their own place, at least at first.

And for me personally, seeing a newer adult rider get the drafting/pulling/not getting dropped balance is very rewarding. And helping that is even better. I recall one of Geoff W's early rides where he was nearly cooked, and slipping off the back near the end of the ride as it wound up. By dropping back 20 metres, harassing him to get on a wheel and not give up, he got back on. It was a better feeling than coming around Emile in a sprint!

[bill]

Time for a meeting.

[RyanC]

I second that emotion, Bill.

[ART BOY]

at Spinner's right?

I could use some design inspiration.... the pink is gettin me down