Dear Members,​

I wanted to share with you what we have been up to at WMSC lately. There is no doubt that the 2019/20 season will be one we all will remember as a once in a lifetime experience! That being said, we hope everyone is still remaining vigilant regarding your family’s health and wellbeing.

​As we approach the middle of the summer and the weather seems to be cooperating, the club is eagerly preparing for the upcoming season. We have finalized our 2019/20-year end financials, nearing completion of the annual audit with KPMG, and presented to the Board of Directors a revised budget and operation plan for the coming season, (anticipating the various COVID-19 scenarios).

Rest assured we are in weekly contact with WB regarding their plans for the season ahead and we will pass on any new information regarding the coming season the moment we get an update. In addition, we have been actively recruiting to fill a few coach vacancies. Also, happy to report that we are pleased with the number of new families joining WMSC for the 2020/21 season!

Your Lead Coaches have executed several mini camps and Sport Saturdays, all well attended thus far. We will host more camps later in August; watch for your Lead coach updates for details.

Starting in September we will continue with the Sport Saturdays and build momentum towards the start of the race season. We anticipate the annual ski swap on Saturday, October 10th, so have a look around your home for equipment (hard and soft goods) that are no longer in use, as it will yield you a bit of cash and help other members assemble their kit for the coming season.

Our annual AGM is scheduled for Saturday, Nov 7th which is always an informative meeting and an opportunity for everyone to reconnect prior to the start of the season. We will plan to hold our annual fall social fundraiser as well on the eve of Nov 7th. In addition, the Lead coaches will be holding parent meetings sharing critical information for the program. Typically, we hold athlete fitness assessments as well during this weekend. Stay tuned for additional details. The above is of course all based on the Club being able to assemble gatherings of more than 50 people.

Regards,

Bob

The Nominating Committee of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club is calling for nominations for the position of Director for a two-year term commencing after the 2020 Annual Members’ Meeting scheduled for Saturday, November 7, 2020.

The Nominating Committee is seeking one qualified candidate, to play a key role in the stewardship of the Club, and who respect the Club’s core values while delivering leading-edge governance attributes including experience, engagement, transparency and accountability. Qualified candidates will have the skill-sets, expertise and experience necessary to further the Club’s long-term strategic plan, while also playing the key role of supervising the Club’s management. The Club benefits from directors in both the “parent” and “independent” roles (the latter being persons with a deep knowledge of and passion for ski racing and/or a background in governance, and who do not currently have children in Club programs).

For 2020, the Nominating Committee is seeking one candidate for the role of At-large Director.

Where qualifications are comparable, preference will be given to female candidates with the goal of having greater female representation on the Board.

Interested members are invited to contact the Nominating Committee at:

nominatingcommittee@wmsc.info

Board Composition

Under the Club’s By-laws the Board of Directors will consist of not less than three and not more than twelve members, excluding the Chair and Vice-Chair/Past Chair. The Board currently consists of eight members, excluding the Chair. Directors must be full or honorary members of the Club. Directors are elected by the Club’s members at the Club’s annual meetings. Excluding the Chair, Directors are for two-year terms, with one half of the board elected every year. Directors are expected to commit to serving serve at least two terms. The Chair on election as Vice-Chair serves a four-year term: one year as the Club’s Vice-Chair, two years as the Club’s Chair, and one year as the Club’s Past Chair.

The Board of Directors has adopted a target of eight members, comprised of four Directors At-Large, the Chair, the Vice Chair/Past Chair, the Finance Director and the Club Secretary. Of the four Directors At-Large, the Board has set a goal that three of these Directors are “independent” by virtue of not having children presently enrolled in the Clubs programs.

Current Directors with at least one year remaining in the terms are:

• John Legg, Chair
• Rob Toole, Vice-Chair & Independent Director
• Scott Griffin, At-large Director
• Rand Neeves, At-large Independent Director

Current Directors standing for re-election are:

• Dave Brownlie, Finance Director
• Nicole Stefenelli, Club Secretary
• Steve Fleckenstein, At-large Independent Director
• Graham Ross, At-large Director
• Jason Shorter, At-large Director
  ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The BC Societies Act provides:

Directors must be qualified

43(1) A person must not be a director of a society if the person is not qualified under either section 44 or the bylaws to be a director.

(2) A director of a society who is not, or who ceases to be, qualified under either section 44 or the bylaws to be a director must promptly resign.

Persons qualified to be directors

44(1) A person is qualified to be a director of a society only if the person is an individual who is at least 18 years of age.
(2) Despite subsection (1), an individual who is 16 or 17 years of age is qualified to be a director of a society if provided for in the regulations.
(3) Despite subsections (1) and (2), an individual is not qualified to be a director of a society if the individual is
(a)found by any court, in Canada or elsewhere, to be incapable of managing the individual’s own affairs,
(b) an undischarged bankrupt, or
(c ) convicted in or out of British Columbia of an offence in connection with the promotion, formation or management of a corporation or unincorporated entity, or of an offence involving fraud, unless

(i) the court orders otherwise,
(ii)5 years have elapsed since the last to occur of
(A) the expiration of the period set for suspension of the passing of sentence without a sentence having been passed,
(B) the imposition of a fine,
(C ) the conclusion of the term of any imprisonment, and
(D) the conclusion of the term of any probation imposed, or
(iii) a pardon was granted or issued, or a record suspension was ordered, under the* Criminal Records Act* (Canada) and the pardon or record suspension, as the case may be, has not been revoked or ceased to have effect.

July 6, 2020

On behalf of the Club’s Board of Directors, I am writing to provide an update to members as we enter Phase 3 of British Columbia’s COVID19 Restart Plan.

Under the leadership of Bob Armstrong, the Club is gradually returning to limited operations with dryland training sessions planned through the summer months. We are optimistic that we will continue on this path and resume full operations with away camps in November. We encourage all athletes to take advantage of the “no charge” training programs the Club is offering this summer.

We have also compiled our year-end financial results and I am pleased to report that the actions taken by the Club in March and early April to mitigate losses (in particular with respect to Whistler Cup), together with the Canadian Government’s emergency support programs, has left the Club’s net working capital position substantially unchanged from previous years. The Board has now approved the Club’s Operating Plans and Budget for the 2020-2021 Season and I am pleased to advise that there will be no increases in program fees.

The Board has also determined, given the past season’s operating loss and the significant uncertainties that we face in the coming year due to the COVID19 crisis, not to offer refunds for sessions lost at the end of last season. WMSC is a non-profit organization which designs and implements exceptional ski racing programs for the total number of athletes registered each season, at cost and without provision for an expense reserve for unforeseen events like COVID19. A refund of program fees for the 2019/20 season would further increase the Club’s operating loss for the past season, which ultimately would need to be recovered in future years, and potentially impact the long-term financial viability of the Club.

The Board has however authorized the Executive Director to make provision for a one-time discretionary fund targeted for our families that are experiencing financial hardship in these challenging times, allowing some measure of financial relief through a credit for next season. Please contact Bob directly to access this program. All applications will be treated confidentially.

The Board is very grateful to Bob Armstrong for stepping in as the Club’s Interim Executive Director providing us with this experience and wisdom during a period of great uncertainty. Bob has worked tirelessly with his team to stabilize the Club’s finances and prepare the 2020-2021 Operating Plan and Budget, and Bob has the unanimous support from the Board of Directors as we move forward together.

Finally, you will be receiving the Club’s annual member survey in the coming days. This year your feedback is needed more than ever, particularly regarding your family’s intentions for participation in our programs for the 2020-2021 season. This feedback is critical to the Club’s planning and our being able to continue to deliver outstanding world class ski racing programs.

“Hope for the best, plan for the worst” is an apt axiom as we move forward. We are all reorienting ourselves to the new patterns of life post-COVID, but I believe that prudent optimism is now called for, and I am hopeful that our athletes will be back on snow as soon as possible.

On Behalf of the Board
WHISTLER MOUNTAIN SKI CLUB

John Legg
Chair

We’re back with Episode 2 of The Course Report! In this installment, we’ve got a few new check-ins, an aid to a potentially confusing area of fitness and well-being, additions to our red/blue diagram, and a fresh guest for Q & A

WATCH NOW

Hello Everyone,

I certainly hope that each of you and your families are doing well. I wanted to share with you some encouraging news as the Province begins to slowly reopen and we return to sport. Our Provincial Sports Organization (PSO) BC Alpine has just released their guidelines for member clubs to reopen, and we are currently amending our documentation and registration to reflect the new guidelines.

In this e-news you will read about our plans for several Saturday fitness sessions, as well as plans to reopen the gym and additional summer activities. It is our full intention to offer similar to last summer, a couple of fitness camps through the summer months and then initiate “Sport Saturdays” in the fall. These programs will be executed based on the existing limitations regarding both physical and social distancing protocols.

There is no question this has been a trying time for all of us however, I am excited for our return to sport, albeit in somewhat of a limited fashion. Your Lead Coaches and Blanca have worked tremendously hard to ensure that all the appropriate guidelines and policies will be implemented as we begin to reopen.

If you have not had a chance to see the 2020-21 Canadian Alpine, Para-Alpine and Ski Cross Teams nominations, check this link out Alpine Canada Alpin WMSC is so proud of our many alumni athletes who will compete on the world stage this coming season! There is something very inspirational when we see these athletes in action and we can say, they began their careers at WMSC.

The annual membership survey should be arriving in your inbox this week. We hope you will find the time to complete the survey as it becomes a critical component in all that we do at the club.

Our ski club is a community rich in tradition and building lifelong friendships; we are ecstatic to initiate our reopening plans and begin to welcome everyone back.

Regards,
Bob

Message from your Lead Coaches

We are excited to announce that we will be kicking off our* Spring and Summer programs* with* Sport Saturdays* starting June 20th. Our goal is to bring athletes together and provide a safe environment for us to gather. Sport Saturdays are open to all ages please find details on your age categories TeamPages, live Thursday, June 18. Our meeting location, time and activity will change week to week, TeamPages will have this information on the calendar as well as in your Lead Coaches updates. Although there is no charge with Sport Saturdays, in order to participate in any of the Club’s activities, we require you to register to the 2020-2021 WMSC Season and head to “Active Works” to sign up. We are limited in the number of people we can gather and need to know who will be attending.

Along with Sport Saturdays we will be hosting two Summer Camps July 6th – 10th and August 17th – 21st. These Summer camps will be multi sport based and will have a combination of fitness sessions and activities. We are still laying the groundwork regarding these camps and more information will be released in the coming weeks once we have the details confirmed. Summer Camps will be open to U14 athletes and up with a modified Camp program for our U12 athletes.

Sport Saturdays:

• June 20th

• June 27th

Summer Camps:

• July 6th – 10th

• August 17th – 21st

All Summer programs are contingent on the Club abiding by the new Return to Sport Guidelines. Registration will be open on Thursday, June 18.

Thanks,

Conrad, Drew, Henry and Mat!

2020-2021 WMSC Season Registration | Opens on Thursday, June 18

In order to participate in any activities organized by Whistler Mountain Ski Club, including the Sport Saturdays and Summer Fitness Camps, all members must register on line for the 2020-2021 Season. This process will require:

• Renew your Family Membership
• Renew your BC Alpine Membership and purchase a Competitor License
• Review, Agree and Sign all Club’s policies at registration including our WMSC COVID-19 policy – Return to Sport Plan.
• Athletes must submit to their Coaches their signed and parent co-signed Teamship Values and Athlete Code of Conduct prior to participation
• All new families must complete the Respect in Sport Program

2020-2021 WMSC Program Fees and calendar are still being finalized; however, to be able to participate in the Sport Saturdays and/or Summer Fitness Camps run by WMSC and to comply with our insurance requirements, you need to follow the above. Any questions, please contact Blanca de la Rosa at blanca@wmsc.info

Please note that there may be limitations on the number of attendees for our Saturday sessions and Summer programs based on new physical distancing guidelines as define on our new Return to Sport Plan.

REGISTER NOW