Hello Fellow Biathletes!

If you have received this email you are on my email list of area Biathletes.
If you are not a member of the Washington Biathlon Association, please consider
becoming a member. www.wabiathlon.org Meanwhile, the rest of this is directed
at WBA members. I am taking the initiative in sending this notice out because I
know that WBA Secretary, Bob Vallor, is out of town and can not do it.

There had been a WBA Board meeting scheduled for Friday (tomorrow). I have
just spoken with Chris Caviezel who tells me that Bob Vallor has been
unexpectedly called out of town. Chris does not feel comfortable having the
meeting without Bob there and is canceling it. The new meeting date will be
announced sometime next week, and will likely be between then and Nov. 1st. As
I had only heard about this board meeting and election of officers on Wednesday
of this week, I think it is fine to postpone it a week or two to give everyone a
bit more time for discussion.

As I understand it, the meeting and election of officers must take place
before Nov. 1st. WBA memberships run from Nov. 1 to Nov. 1. Anyone who has
sent in money recently to join the WBA becomes a member as of Nov. 1st, and is
not eligible to vote in this election. Apparently this was done by the board to
ensure that people voting in the elections had been members for a year, thinking
they would better know the people running and know more about the WBA. If any
of you have joined recently and find you are not able to vote, this might be
something the board is asked to have another look at in the coming year.

Sending in membership dues does not immediately make you member of the WBA.
The board has to "approve" you for membership. I do not know all the criteria
the board uses to approve or disapprove someone. Chris told me that, of course,
if someone is a convicted felon and not eligible to own a firearm, that would be
grounds for disapproval. In general, I think you have to be pretty bad to not
get approved.

I will stay in touch with Chris and Bob and, perhaps, help in spreading the
word of the new date and place for elections. I will suggest that it not to be
when we are all in Tacoma or Machias. All of the board members have their
hearts in the right place. Everyone wants to see Biathlon flourish in the
Pacific Northwest. Communication is something we need to improve at. (and I
could stand to improve my shooting!)

More info coming next week!

Jay Bender


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