>> Hi Alice, > What are those lessons that you or your club have learned the hard way, > what about liabilities on club sponsored group Use a waiver and go have fun but use common sense. This concern has been mentioned many times but I haven't heard of and don't know anyone that is aware of a paddling club being sued. It may have happened, but I haven't heard or read of it. I'd be sure everyone understands that I am a trip coordinator and not a guide or expert and everyone is responsible for their own safety. Check liability laws in your state. It might be beneficial to incorporate your club to protect the club and its members from being sued for the negligent acts of a club member acting as a club representative. I don't know if this is significant if you are not collecting dues. > What would you like to see in a club? Training and trips of all skill levels with the level indicated. > What are the mistakes clubs make? Not having a regular club meeting place and date and time. > What are the most useful things a club can offer its membership? Another paddling friend :-) (besides organized training) > What was your favorite club sponsored activity? Multi-day trips and seminars with boat demos, workshops and training. my .02 Cheers! Jackie ************************************************** I think the liability question has been pretty thoroughly discussed, though hardly resolved; however, I think Alice might like to see more discussion about other club issues. Here are some opinions based on nine years of sea kayaking and my experiences in several organizations. First, I agree with all of Jackie's responses. I think a paddling club has two primary functions: (1) Organizing group outings and providing other opportunities for people to find paddling partners. (2) Education and training. A third function could be lobbying and other action to promote the sport and the environment. Ideally education and tripping should mesh. Skills and safety training should prepare club members for club trips, and club trips should give members an opportunity to safely gain experience and practice their skills in a more challenging environment than the local lake or pool. There are issues that a club has to deal with that a group of friends does not. One is setting safety and leadership standards. Don't be surprised if some people resent this. For open water trips on the ocean or the Great Lakes, I personally think leaders should have the skills and knowledge required to pass the BCU Four Star Proficiency assessment, whether they actually take the test or not. Make sure your officers are elected, as opposed to self-appointed. Elected officers will have more authority when making hard decisions, such as who is competent to lead a trip and who is not. Elected leaders will also (hopefully) be more in touch with the membership, and the membership, in turn, will more likely think of the club as theirs rather than the leaders'. Make sure that there is a division of labor among the officers. Officers should be elected to serve as president, secretary, treasurer, etc. Lack of clearly defined responsibilities leads to lack of accountability, to inaction, to acting at cross-purposes, and to an unhealthy accumulation of power in the hands of the most active individuals. To echo what Jackie said, make sure that there are frequent meetings, both of the board and of the general membership. Frequent membership meetings serve to involve the members more in the club and to help them to get to know each other. Frequent (preferably monthly) meetings of the officers are needed, especially when the club is new, to define bylaws and rules of conduct and to deal with issues in a timely manner. Any officer who cannot or will not make a committment to attend monthly board meetings, especially when his absence prevents the discussion and resolution of important issues, should resign. Make sure that the club newsletter has a regular and preferably frequent schedule and comes out on time, so members will know when their contributions (news, trip reports, opinion pieces, etc.) are due. Timely publication also makes it possible to defray the cost of publication by selling advertising space. Also, make sure that the newsletter editor is responsible to the entire board and not just to one individual. As an example of what can happen, in one club that I am active in, after an unfortunately flippant article about a tragedy appeared in the newsletter, the board required the editor to submit future issues for approval before they were printed. The subsequent issue contained an individual opinion piece by one board member about issues raised during the previous board meeting, but the newsletter was printed before the other board members could reply or ask for a correction. This matter is yet to be resolved. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net ***************************************************************************
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