| APRIL 6, 1999 | ISSUE NO. 9899.05 | ||||
USQRA
post-season play is sponsored in part by:
The 1998-99 USQRA National Championship and Annual General Meeting will be held in Chandler, Arizona on April 15-18, 1999. The Championship weekend is sponsored in part by the Arizona Paralyzed Veterans of America. The nation's top 12 teams that advanced from Sectionals will compete for the National title. The USQRA'S Annual General Meeting will be held at the Sheraton San Marcos Hotel on Thursday, April 15th beginning at 9:00 A.M. All teams are encouraged to have a representative present for this important meeting. For more information contact APVA at 800-621-9217 and ask for Peter Quinn or Joe Stanislowski. Wheelchair Auction Update Thanks to the magic of e-mail we will continue to accept bids for the 3 wheelchairs that are available for auction until 11 PM (PDT) on Saturday, April 17th. You can submit your bid by using the form on the USQRA Website, or by sending an e-mail to supersports@mindspring.com You MUST include your full name and address, your phone number, the $ amount of your bid, and the chair for which you are bidding. Additionally, if you have a maximum amount that you are willing to bid up-to for a chair you can let us know. Someone will monitor the bids at Nationals and increase your bid accordingly (in minimum amounts) if authorized by you. To do this you must sign a letter with your detailed request and fax it to the Secretary's office by Monday, April 12th at (205) 868-2283. It can also be faxed to the hotel between Tuesday, April 13th and 11 PM (PDT) on Saturday, April 17th to the attention of Hotel Guest John Bishop at (602) 963-6777. Note: We will try to update Rugby Talk at the conclusion of each day's competition with the current high bids and the day's game results. Good Luck everyone! 1999 AGM AGENDA I. Approve Minutes
Proposed Changes Two Tier Rugby - Proposal for two divisions: The AGM would be held at one of the two tournaments, a banquet would be held at both tournaments. The two championships would be a minimum of two weeks apart. A bid could be accepted for one site to host both tourneys. Team Quebec Inclusion within the USQRA The new millenium is coming and we here in Québec believe that after two unsuccessful attempts that the third will in fact be our year to be accepted within the USQRA. This year, I will be present at your annual AGM in Arizona to plead our case. PROPOSITION: IT IS PROPOSED by the Québec Impact, that for a 12 month trial basis (probationary period ending after the 2000 nationals) whereas the Québec Impact are officially recognized by the USQRA with full club status and all the rights and privileges offered to US based teams, while keeping the integrity of the American game firmly in US hands. Our goal is to compete at the highest possible level and we feel that this would be achieved in participating at your Regionals, Sectionals and possibly Nationals in a region that would welcome our team. This we feel is our only hope because there seems to be a lot of fear in the Northeast region. It seems that good competition scares a few teams!!!! We think that the Québec Impact would be a top 20 team and we have faired very well against top 20 teams such as Boston, New York, Colorado, South Florida and California Quake. Again this year, we have competed in many US tournaments all over the states and we plan to attend other tournaments next year too. If anybody has any questions I would be very happy to answer any questions there might be, I can be reached by Email at: mdispa@marasuca.com or by phone 450-565-5300. In conclusion, it would be a tremendous privilege if you granted us the right to compete in an official manner in the activities of the USQRA. - Marco Dispaltro Change deadlines to December 15th -Article 1 Section 2a Notice to transfer, add, or substitute players December
15th Referees/20 games to qualify for Nationals National Tournament Referees must have a minimum of 20 games (Oct -Sectionals) prior to Nationals. In the past we have had Ref's that had very little game experience during the season and then expected to referee at our highest level. Multi-Rostered Teams Multi-rostered teams, or teams that want to split into two, or three. In order to promote development of players and teams in the USQRA it would be beneficial to allow flexibility in rostering for programs that roster more than one team. Multi rostered teams would have up until a month before post season to commit their final rosters. They would have to commit to whether they were rostering multi teams prior to, (Jan 1st) Once the multi rostered team commits final roster it would then be posted on the web unlike one team programs. We must realize that programs that do split , do not get any stronger. Example: If you split Lakeshores wealth of players into 2 teams, their depth would be affected and would be no stronger. However, the league would have another teams dues and another team to compete in our depleted Regional Tournaments. It does help them with development of their players through more playing time and opportunities. With more flexibility more programs would be able to this. This simply promotes growth. We should encourage this as much as possible. I would also like to propose that programs that commit to this by Oct 1st would only pay a $500 registration fee for both team. If their circumstances change and they end up consolidating to one team this would not be refunded. Teams that want to wait until Jan 1 would be responsible for the full $600. Move AGM to separate weekend Move the AGM to a weekend other than the weekend of nationals. It should occur within 4 weeks after nationals and scheduled at a site to be determined by the executive committee. Guidelines for seeding
Fees for teams transferring from one Section to another should be increased from $50.00 to $500.00. The seeding for regionals and sectionals will be assigned by the executive committee at least 2 weeks before the respective event. The seeding, once given by the executive committee to the host team, will not be changed. Top 4 teams by USQRA rankings (Prior to Post Season Play) will be seeded into 4 different Sectionals and may bypass Regional play. Rule Changes
CLASSIFICATION ISSUES There are many issues regarding classification that need to be discussed with the body. We are estimating that these issues and the subsequent discussion may take 30-60 minutes. These issues include: international trends, protection of US interests in international classification, ineligibility criteria, when to change an athletes classification when protested, funding of classification workshops in US and internationally, computerization of classification muscle test forms, and of course our usual report. Protest, at Nationals, will be accepted through the first round of play ONLY. If possible please submit protest PRIOR to the National Tournament. Contact Diane Bulger her email address is DBTOTR@aol.com or mail her the form to: 1 Paint Rock Court ,Trophy Club, TX 76262. To submit a protest, please complete the protest form and attach a check for $50.00 paid to the order of the USQRA Classification Committee. Proposed Classification Protest Procedure Change- Any player protested by another team or individual will be looked at prior to a bench test. Currently it reads that the player may be bench tested before. This sends out a red flag to the player in question. If He or She is bench tested before being looked at on the court the player could sand bag knowing that they are being watched by the panel. Since protest must happen before the 2nd round of play there are often times a meaningless game that allows the player in question to play a different game. EXECUTIVE BOARD POSITIONS The positions of Commissioner, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary are up for election at the AGM Robert Jackson behind the scenes for the past two years as Administrative Coordinator. I have been involved in physical rehabilitation for the past thirty years as a businessman, consultant, and rehabilitation case manager, having experience the positive impact Rugby has made on quadriplegics all over the world. I am deeply vested in the stability and growth of the phenomenal sport. Attached are my Curriculum Vitae and outlining my career and involvement. If you have
any questions or I may assist you in any way, please feel free to contact me. Kevin Orr I have played and coached many Wheelchair Sports teams including International Experience. I have coached the Lakeshore Demolition Quad Rugby team since I founded it in 1992. My accomplishments include, Director of the 1996 National Junior Wheelchair Championships, Chairperson of the Dixie Wheelchair Athletic Association, 1995, Coordinator of Super Sports Saturday Program with expansion throughout Alabama and Tournament Director for many Quad Rugby Events. I would like the opportunity to serve the USQRA as Commissioner. I feel I have the communication skills and leadership qualities that will allow me to further the growth of our sport. 1999 US National Team Tryouts This will be a developmental team that will compete at the World Wheelchair Games in Christchurch, New Zealand. The team will consist of players without Paralympic or World Championship experience. Any athletes interested in trying out for this team should submit an application to the Secretary’s Office by April 12th. If selected, you should expect to attend two additional training camps prior to New Zealand. The team will depart on October 4th and return on October 19th. The estimated cost of the trip is $3,000. The USQRA is working on securing partial funding, but you should be prepared to cover your own expenses or find sponsorship to cover them. When: Friday, May 28th - Monday, May 31st, 1999 Due to the size of the tryout facility, if more than 30 players apply for tryouts then the selection committee will select the top 30 players. Athletes should fly into Atlanta Airport. If you have questions, call Ed Suhr at 503 238-1324. SECRETARY’S NOTE We are still taking nominations for positions available on the executive board. The positions of Commissioner, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary are up for election at the AGM. I am passing along the secretary position to take on the challenge of the commissioner. I feel the organization will continue to blossom under the great volunteer work of the Executive Board. We have great challenges ahead to move into the future. This sport is young, but look where it has gone in such a short period of time. Thank you Brad for giving us this great sport here in the US. Kevin
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