U.S. Soaring Teams & Funding The Future
John Seaborn
FROM: John Seaborn
RE: Funding The Future
A campaign is underway that will determine the long term future of our
United States Soaring Teams. The Funding The Future effort has been
undertaken to restore the historically successful and balanced
approach to funding our soaring teams participation in World Soaring
Championships.
As campaign manager I am pleased to report that good progress is being
made in securing contributions toward building the perpetual Robertson
Trust. But your help is badly needed.
Balanced Approach to Funding
Since 1988 our soaring teams have been funded by two types of personal
contributions - direct and perpetual. Direct contributions are
available for use by the teams at their full value while contributions
to the Robertson Trust become part of the SSA Foundation and provide
perpetual support for generations of future U.S. Soaring Teams. This
successful and balanced approach to team funding is threatened by the
recent expansion of eligible FAI classes. The challenge is to build
the Robertson Trust and restore the balance between direct and
perpetual team funding.
More Soaring Teams and Opportunity
If we look back at the history of world soaring championships what we
see is striking. In 1937 there was a single class competing. Then, in
1958, the Standard class was introduced. Twenty years later, in 1978,
the 15-Meter class was introduced. These three classes, the Open,
Standard and 15-Meter, became what most of us consider the traditional
FAI classes. Then in 1997 the World Class was introduced followed by
the Junior class in 1999. In 2001 no less than three new classes were
introduced including the 18-Meter, Club and Feminine classes.
This brings the total number of FAI/IGC sanctioned classes
participating in world soaring championships to eight.
Crisis in Team Funding
The recent expansion of eligible FAI classes has turned a funding
challenge into a crisis. Without an adequate funding solution more of
our top pilots will be dropping out. In fact this year one of our top
competition pilots did not participate because the $10,000 it would
have cost him was just too steep. A real loss but not the last if
balance cannot be restored to team funding.
This recent expansion in FAI classes did not happen accidentally but
is part of a world wide strategy to build participation in our sport.
More classes mean more opportunity for participation in soaring and
competitive soaring especially. The opportunity to compete in world
soaring championships is now available to entirely new segments of the
soaring community including Club, Junior, 18-Meter, Feminine and World
class competitors. The lack of team funding threatens to short circuit
this strategy at the highest level of the sport.
Cut Support and Curtail Participation?
The U.S. Soaring Team funding approach has be to provide a level of
funding to all eligible FAI classes participating in world
championships including the 18-Meter, Club, World and Junior classes.
But team management is in a financial pickle as there are more classes
and eligible U.S. pilots than funding available. There are no easy
answers here. If a funding solution cannot be found team management
will be forced to cut support for the emerging classes and sharply
curtail our participation internationally.
It is About More Than Money
The team strategy that is being implemented is not only about raising
money but includes reexamining the U.S. team concept from the ground
up. The U.S. Contest Committee will be present to the SSA Board of
Directors at this convention a proposal that calls for the creation of
a U.S. Soaring Team Policy Task Force that will take a ground up look
at the U.S. team with the objective of making our teams more
transparent, accountable and competitive. If adopted, this effort will
be accomplished with extensive input from the soaring public.
We Can Fund the Future
As the Roberson Trust campaign manager I have developed a host of
information on the Robertson Trust including a web site at
www.RobertsonTrust.com. On this site there is a complete contributors
report on the Robertson Trust and a good deal of additional
information including a link to contribute on-line. Working with the
SSA I am personally handling all the accounting and contributor
services for the Funding The Future campaign and as a recently
appointed trustee of the SSA Foundation can provide additional
continuity to the process.
The parts are starting to be put in place to build a bright future for
ALL our soaring teams but without adequate funding it will not amount
to much. If you can see a role for supporting the Robertson Trust's
Funding The Future effort I would welcome hearing from you.
See you at the airport,
John Seaborn
5560 Boulder Hills Drive
Longmont, CO 80503
303 682 0274 Tel
pla...@boulder.net
Raphael Warshaw
shortfall?
Not to be cynical, but trusts can be viewed as a form of tenure for those
who administer them. Directed contributions can be withheld if the
contributors disagree with the direction in which things are going.
(Directed contributions can also be miss-applied as witness recent events at
the Red Cross.)
I prefer to donate on a case-by-case basis. That way, if the philosophy
and/or direction of the entity I am donating to changes, I can change
entities.
Raphael Warshaw
Claremont, CA
"John Seaborn" <pla...@boulder.net> wrote in message
news:13d07da0.02012...@posting.google.com...
Raphael Warshaw
of service" article. On page 38 it says "The cash from approximately $160
thousand of special purpose donations held by the SSA prior to assumption by
the foundation had been utilized to meet conversion expenses, and to keep
our payables current." I don't fully understand that statement. Did money
intended for the endowment go to current operating expenses? Was the
computer conversion the donors' intended "special purpose" for those funds?
Will this be the fate of new "directed donations"?
Raphael Warshaw
Claremont, CA
"Raphael Warshaw" <r...@wdds.com> wrote in message
news:a34emd$6o2$1...@madmax.keyway.net...
> Isn't this the trust that SSA borrowed against to cover the computer
> shortfall?
<snip>
keith_turner
wrote:
>U.S. Soaring Teams & Funding The Future
I'm sorry, but as someone from the US pointed out recently when a
fellow club member of mine asked about BGA procedures:
"Isn't this a local issue, not suited to a global newsgroup?"
Regards
Keith Turner
Steve Bralla
the other guys (chaps) do things.
Steve Bralla
John Morgan
"Steve Bralla" <zulu...@aol.com> wrote in message > >
> I see nothing wrong with this type of posting, even if it's only so we see
how
> the other guys (chaps) do things.
>
> Steve Bralla
>
Umm, you want to learn from our mistakes?? (g)
--
bumper <flybu...@att.net>
remove aviation to reply
John Seaborn
opportunity to respond.
The challenges of funding teams to compete in World Soaring
Championships is actually an international problem and well suited for
the international r.a.s. Every soaring nation is feeling the financial
squeeze when faced with funding their growing list of international
teams and pilots. Please tell us how are other international teams are
financed?
If we look back at the history of world soaring championships what we
see is striking. In 1937 there was a single class competing. Then, in
1958, the standard class was introduced. Twenty years later in 1978
the 15-meter class was introduced. These three classes, the Open,
Standard and 15-meter became what most of us consider the traditional
FAI classes. Then in 1997, the World Class was introduced followed by
the Junior class in 1999. In 2001 no less than three new classes were
introduced including the 18-Meter, Club and Feminine classes.
This recent expansion in FAI classes is part of a world wide strategy
the FAI/IGC to build participation in our sport. More classes mean
more opportunity for participation in soaring and competitive soaring
especially. The opportunity to compete in world soaring championships
is now available to entirely new segments of the soaring community
including Club, Junior, Feminine and World class competitors. The lack
of team funding threatens to short circuit this strategy at the
highest level of the sport.
The Robertson Trust is a part of the SSA Foundation. The SSA
Foundation manages several trusts and endowments each with its own
specific goal or charter. Some funds are general in nature for use to
assist in accomplishing the goals of the SSA and some funds are
dedicated and governed by charter. When I volunteered to run the
Funding The Future Campaign to build the Robertson I took a hard look
at the fund and its history. The idea that Robertson Trust funds have
been used for any other purpose than providing financial support for
U.S. Soaring Teams as established by the original charter between Mr.
Robertson and the SSA is simply not true. If you would like to
understand more about how the Roberson Trust works and actually read
the original trust charter I suggest www.RobertsonTrust.com.
United States Soaring Teams are funded by direct and perpetual
personal contributions. No SSA, membership or government money is
used. With the expansion of eligible classes U.S. Team funding has
become unbalanced, with the perpetual or trust portion playing a
greatly reduced role in funding a larger budget. The challenge is to
restore this balanced approach to team funding by building the
perpetual Robertson Trust.
See you at the airport,
John Seaborn
Raphael Warshaw
Thank you for your clarification. I have read the material on the
RobertsonTrust.com site. It is good to know that the Robertson Trust has
not been borrowed against for purposes other than those intended.
Raphael Warshaw
Claremont, CA
"John Seaborn" <pla...@boulder.net> wrote in message
news:13d07da0.0202...@posting.google.com...