Nominees for Portland Chapter Board of Directors

In April, 2011, the Portland chapter will elect three new board members to two year positions. Qualifications are basically a love of cross country skiing , a desire to give back to the club, a few hours of your time each month, and good judgement and communication skills. The club's future depends on member participation, whether it is through work on the Tilly Jane A frame, helping with the new internet platform, introducing Nordic skiing to a new generation of members, or working with the Forest Service on Nordic Issues. Please consider serving a term on the board and if you know of another member who would be a good candidate, please let us know.

The following are frequently heard questions and corresponding answers about the board.

1. I am pretty busy right now. How much time is involved?

A. The board meets for about one and a half hours each month. It is possible that meetings need not be as frequent,especially in summer months. The board can change its meeting schedule by a simple change in the by-laws.

2. I have only been a Nordic Club member for a couple of years. How can I contribute to the board when I have had such little experience with ONC?

A. Of the current board of seven , four members have a total of sixteen years of ONC membership.  And in fact, these four members are the current officers and will remain members of the board for the following year.  Three of the current officers had been members for only two years when they were elected.  New members bring a fresh perspective to current issues and their input would be highly valued.

3. I am worried about getting sued by being on the board. Is there any protection from lawsuits?

A. The ONC chapter board is insured for one million dollars through it Directors and Officers liability policy for all suits brought for wrongful acts.

4. I have heard there is lots of dissension and very little accomplished by the board. Is it as bad as it sounds?

A. The board has successfully navigated a difficult transition period. Board meetings follow an agenda that is sent to members a week in advance of board meetings. All board motions are debated according to Roberts Rules of Order. As to accomplishments, in the past year the current board has adopted new by-laws, revised or written day tour, overnight trip, and dog friendly ski tour policies. It has approved a new set of Procedures for Officers and Coordinators, introduced a new website, and negotiated a lease agreement with the Forest Service to manage the Tilly Jane A frame on Mount Hood.

5. I just want to ski and go on overnight trips. Why should I do something that sounds like a lot of work?

A. Opportunities to ski and participate in overnight trips mean joining the Nordic community. Community means committment. Without committment from its members, the chapter cannot function.

6. The Portland chapter has accumulated a lot of money. Why not return that to the members by reducing fees?

A. As a board member, you can help decide how to spend those funds. Shelters, trails, lessons, or fee reduction, you decide.

7. It seems like the board has spent a lot of time on building ski shelters or fighting over dog friendly ski tours. Seems like a waste of my time to join the board just to worry about those things again.

A. The current board adopted a dog friendly ski tour policy which has been accepted by most of the membership. As to shelters, any future involvement in shelters will be membership driven,not board driven. The model for dealing with shelters will be the one currently applied to the management of the Tilly Jane A frame.

8. Sounds like everything has been done. Why be on the board now when there is nothing to do?

A. There are plenty of projects. We hope to have a committee this summer review and improve the day tour and overnight trip programs and provide assistance to those respective coordinators. Activity based organizations are becoming web based more and more. We have the opportunity to make our website the reference site for Nordic skiing in this area. We hope to emphasize trail building and maintenance by having a closer working relationship with the Forest Service. More adventure awaits in the overnight trips program. Recruitment of more day tour leaders and overnight trip leaders will require initiative and new ideas.