Dis cuss:
The short version:
The Reno tournaments will be able to be sanctioned and rated as NASPA
events, as the organizers/directors have taken (or will soon take) the
steps needed to make that happen.
The longer version:
This has been a long, and, at times, painful process, but together we've
worked out an acceptable framework within which this could happen now,
in time for the July Reno tournaments (46 games!) - just part of the
growth pangs as we learn to toddle as an organization, I guess. This
will also cover other upcoming Bay Area tournaments. I say together,
but to be honest the Bay Area Directors are making the bigger step vis a
vis their previous positions. Speaking only for myself, I appreciate
that and was what I hoped for in the spirit of short-term unity and
desire for long-term changes for the good of all. Plus, I wanted to
play Reno this year.
The various Bay Area directors don't all think the same on every issue
that comes up, and neither does the NASPA Steering Committee. In this
case, the issues raised by Jeff and Rick and others were well-received
by some on the SC, and not so well-received by others, which is fine.
That led to a number of other issues, not the least of which was the
timing of everything - pressure on Reno due to the July 1 NASPA
membership deadline, pressure on the SC due to that as well as all the
ongoing organizational work and, especially, the upcoming NSC preparations.
The Reno organizers acquiesced to NASPA membership and player fee
requirements in exchange for an assurance from me (with support from
several other Steering Committee members) that we will continue to work
on the governance issues within NASPA. We want the new player
organization, and its decision-making structures, to be responsive to
player needs as well as representative of the makeup of the entire
competitive Scrabble community. We all recognized that this wasn't
something that could be done quickly or under time pressure, at least
not done satisfactorily.
The proposal I've made to the Steering Committee, to be taken up after
the NSC, is to form a committee (tentatively called the Bylaws Review
Committee) dedicated to addressing all of our governance issues,
particularly our bylaws. The bylaws are the nuts and bolts of how we do
things, how the Board of Directors/Trustees/Steering Committee acts and
is selected, etc. - in short, the medium that shapes and describes who
we are and how we do things. They can be changed as needed, but not
willy-nilly. They require careful thought and consideration, and my
hope for this committee is that it will help NASPA be the kind of player
organization that the great majority of us want it to be, the kind of
organization that, in the end, was the crux of what Jeff and Rick were
really asking for.
It's impossible for us to completely satisfy every person's ideal, but
together we should be able to come up with something that most of us are
happy with, that will set the direction for our future as an
organization and, not least importantly, let us play Scrabble to our
heart's content.
Steve Pellinen
NASPA Steering Committee
Honorary Bay Area Director (the next NAST Final will be there in Feb 2010)
posted to cgp minutes ago.
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