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A note to the APBA Membership
APBA elections for Board of Directors and Council at Large are going on. You should receive your ballot soon. I hope you read the ballot and make your decision thoughtfully, SIGN and returning it to APBA Headquarters so it is postmarked by September 14th. (Most of the ineligible ballots received at Headquarters each year are nixed due to late postmark and/or lack of signature.)
Someone once said that if you do not vote, you give up your right to complain. Now I know that is one of our most treasured rights, and I sure would hate to see APBA members deprived of it. So, please, send that ballot back in. Your APBA Board of Directors and Council make decisions that affect your racing life. Therefore, vote for those you think will do the best job for the entire organization—not necessarily your buddy, or the candidate in the same category as you—rather, vote for the most qualified people.
In my first term as your president, I have worked hard to keep the lines of communication open, to initiate meaningful changes, and to keep this Association moving forward. Since part of our problem is invisibility, in every media contact I make sure to say a good word about APBA. We have been in POWERBOAT magazine twice, with a feature story this fall; and several newspaper articles arose from press releases about APBA.
I have represented APBA at UIM meetings, and enjoy excellent communication with that body. I have attended many races this year—Inboard, Outboard, OPC—and had a lot of fun. I am fortunately situated next door to APBA Headquarters, and it has been a pleasure and privilege to be an on-site APBA president. Gloria and I communicate constantly, and that daily interaction with her and the staff makes the business of APBA so much easier.
In addition to conference calls, I initiated face-to-face meetings with the Region Chairmen and with the Category Chairmen during the National Meeting. I went away with a better understanding of their needs and concerns; I believe they went away with a bigger picture of APBA. I have met with the APBA officers at Headquarters twice. Again, location is a huge advantage. We all benefit from regular communication.
During my tenure we saw some walls come down. We welcomed back the Unlimiteds and Unlimited Lights. We are proud and happy to welcome these spectacular series back into APBA again.
We initiated the APBA Driving School, secured funding (primarily from the APBA Historical Society—thank you) and held the first class in May at Eastwood Lake. It was a learning experience for us all. It was, overall, a wonderful beginning to a program that we hope will get new people excited about boat racing and draw them in as APBA members.
The first year, our goal was to get the Driving School off the ground. Next year, we hope to get it on the road. We aim to have three Driving Schools next year—at Southern, Western and/or Northwestern venues. The site has to be right for the School to be run safely. Let me know if you have a venue that will work.
We hope to buy an SST 120 for the School. Students at the first School loved driving that tunnel boat.
The Spec Boat program is another APBA initiative that we hope will make boat racing more accessible, once we get it going. Right now it is a few months behind schedule, but it is far more important that it be done right than that it happen fast. I believe it is the one-design entry level class we have been looking for.
Needless to say, I want to continue these and other programs that we have started. I hope you will give me that opportunity when you mark your ballot.
It is part of my commitment as president to continue to be available to all of the members. I welcome your comments and questions. Call me at 586-206-8894 or email mweber55@sbcglobal.net.
See you at the races. Remember to VOTE!
Sincerely,
Mark J. Weber
APBA elections for Board of Directors and Council at Large are going on. You should receive your ballot soon. I hope you read the ballot and make your decision thoughtfully, SIGN and returning it to APBA Headquarters so it is postmarked by September 14th. (Most of the ineligible ballots received at Headquarters each year are nixed due to late postmark and/or lack of signature.)
Someone once said that if you do not vote, you give up your right to complain. Now I know that is one of our most treasured rights, and I sure would hate to see APBA members deprived of it. So, please, send that ballot back in. Your APBA Board of Directors and Council make decisions that affect your racing life. Therefore, vote for those you think will do the best job for the entire organization—not necessarily your buddy, or the candidate in the same category as you—rather, vote for the most qualified people.
In my first term as your president, I have worked hard to keep the lines of communication open, to initiate meaningful changes, and to keep this Association moving forward. Since part of our problem is invisibility, in every media contact I make sure to say a good word about APBA. We have been in POWERBOAT magazine twice, with a feature story this fall; and several newspaper articles arose from press releases about APBA.
I have represented APBA at UIM meetings, and enjoy excellent communication with that body. I have attended many races this year—Inboard, Outboard, OPC—and had a lot of fun. I am fortunately situated next door to APBA Headquarters, and it has been a pleasure and privilege to be an on-site APBA president. Gloria and I communicate constantly, and that daily interaction with her and the staff makes the business of APBA so much easier.
In addition to conference calls, I initiated face-to-face meetings with the Region Chairmen and with the Category Chairmen during the National Meeting. I went away with a better understanding of their needs and concerns; I believe they went away with a bigger picture of APBA. I have met with the APBA officers at Headquarters twice. Again, location is a huge advantage. We all benefit from regular communication.
During my tenure we saw some walls come down. We welcomed back the Unlimiteds and Unlimited Lights. We are proud and happy to welcome these spectacular series back into APBA again.
We initiated the APBA Driving School, secured funding (primarily from the APBA Historical Society—thank you) and held the first class in May at Eastwood Lake. It was a learning experience for us all. It was, overall, a wonderful beginning to a program that we hope will get new people excited about boat racing and draw them in as APBA members.
The first year, our goal was to get the Driving School off the ground. Next year, we hope to get it on the road. We aim to have three Driving Schools next year—at Southern, Western and/or Northwestern venues. The site has to be right for the School to be run safely. Let me know if you have a venue that will work.
We hope to buy an SST 120 for the School. Students at the first School loved driving that tunnel boat.
The Spec Boat program is another APBA initiative that we hope will make boat racing more accessible, once we get it going. Right now it is a few months behind schedule, but it is far more important that it be done right than that it happen fast. I believe it is the one-design entry level class we have been looking for.
Needless to say, I want to continue these and other programs that we have started. I hope you will give me that opportunity when you mark your ballot.
It is part of my commitment as president to continue to be available to all of the members. I welcome your comments and questions. Call me at 586-206-8894 or email mweber55@sbcglobal.net.
See you at the races. Remember to VOTE!
Sincerely,
Mark J. Weber