This past Saturday, February 5th, the Milwaukee Hurling Club held our Annual Meeting/Board Elections. During this meeting, we discuss all manner of topics regarding the club - specifically, the growth of the club. That may seem like a small thing, but to those of us that attended, we left with an empowered feeling that was somewhat unexpected.
The MHC seems to be at a turning point. Our growth has exceeded what most of the club members ever expected. For the last 3 years we have recruited over 150 adult players and close to 100 youth players that had previously never heard of hurling. This brings some challenges to the club we are eager to tackle!
Dave Olson is continuing as the Operations Coordinator; a post he has held for a long time and with good reason. Dave brings an unparalleled level of passion to the club, infecting us all with a deep love of all things hurling. This passion is not merely play on the field but the intangibles that hurling teaches us all. From physical fitness, to team spirit, to discipline and perseverance, Dave helps us all be become better hurlers and people as a natural byproduct of being exposed to hurling. I am certain he will continue to be an amazingly positive force guiding the club.
Cory Johnson, Dave's wife, has transferred her position of Special Events/Fund-raising Coordinator to Club Registrar. Cory's attention to detail and excellent communications skills make this a good fit for her. Registrar is normally one of those positions that do not get a lot of attention - it's behind the scenes work. But, Cory is a wonderful person who always concentrates on doing what ever the club needs - selflessly. We are certainly lucky to have her!
Cory's previous position of Special Events/Fund-raising Coordinator is now being handled by Hurling Mom Kit Slawski. Kit has organized many of the fund-raising events of the past few years, including the "Party-at-the-Pitch" which was a rousing success. She brings loads of experience in community out-reach that is just staggering. I do not feel I can give her just credit here, so please feel free to talk with her about her experience... the little bit i have heard is mind boggling. The MHC is truly lucky to have her!
In 2010, Aimee Morgan picked up the position of Club Accountant after our previous Accountant David McHenry announced his intention to move to California. McHenry helped set-up the MHC as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Losing him was truly a blow to many of us in the club. Aimee, however, stepped up and has done a wonderful job filling the large shoes that McHenry has left. Thankfully, she is continuing in her position as Club Accountant.
Another position that is often quite thankless, Administrative Coordinator has been fulled by Andy McKee. Andy has headed up the marketing committee the last couple of years. He has been instrumental in promoting the 15th year anniversary last year with a plethora of new t-shirt, bumper stickers and other hurling swag. Additionally, Andy also has done an excellent job with the pictures he has taken for the club and the web-site. He's a creative individual that will help bring the MHC to a new level.
But, how does the announcement of the board members make the rest of the club feel empowered? Simply put, communication. The board is eager to have us move to the next level, whatever that maybe. The fully understand that they alone cannot do everything the club needs, and is already actively reaching out to club members to help us all build the club of the future.
As Dave Olson often says, "There is no I, me or mine, in this club; it's us, we and ours."
It was great seeing everyone who turned out for the board meeting, but part of the issue that the club is still facing was illustrated at that very meeting.
ReplyDeleteWe are a club of 300+ members, and while that counts youth players, it does not include many youth parents. There were far fewer than that number at the Annual Meeting. The number of ideas that members put forth during the meeting was staggering, but if we could even double the number of participants at said meeting and volunteering, our "can-do" capacity as a club would increase exponentially.
We discussed how to get more rookies involved moving forward. What I'd like to discuss, however, is how to get more veterans (current players) willing to donate time and ideas. How can we make EVERYONE in the club feel as if they have a stake in things? How can we motivate everyone to contribute? The diverse background of the club members is impressive, and if we could get people thinking and realizing that the club is THEIRS, we could accomplish even more for the club itself and the community at large.
Ideas??