THE
TEXAS SKI COUNCIL THE
TEXAS SKI COUNCIL
Hosted by, JAMES MERSHON, President
GARY BUTLER, V.P.
Marketing
Greetings and welcome to the October issue of Inside The Texas Ski Council. I will be giving you updates concerning the Council's operations and our interaction with the industry on policy, procedures, and schedule of events. Gary Butler will keep you informed about decisions and operations directly related to the operation of trips, skier benefits, and other club marketing opportunities, as well as ski industry news.
The entire Board of Directors is behind this operation to supply you with the information you not only need, but also information you just might have an interest in.
Working towards our goals:
As members of the Texas Ski Council we all have an investment in the quality of our programs. Working together, we have the opportunity and the resources to accomplish great things as an organization. Can we count on each other for the strength to remain progressive? In such a dynamic organization we must be able to change, adapt, learn and grow to move forward.
Our mission this year is not only to secure an excellent skiing experience and remain fiscally responsible, but also to develop programs to enrich our organization through training and quality service.
Training and development serves each and every one of us by facilitating the processes required to excel not simply complete our tasks. We have worked diligently to provide exceptional opportunities to come together in new and unique settings to discuss the options that may expand and enhance the TSC's programs. My personal thanks to all the members that attended the Trip Chair Training programs presented in Midland, Houston, Austin and Dallas.
The TSC will continue to provide development opportunities based on the input we receive from YOU! Training and development are the forefront of quality service and the introduction of new ideas, approaches and techniques for interaction and collaboration. The goals to fulfill our commitment to excellence are:
Our success really depends on only one thing, US! I would like to extend my sincerest, personal thanks to everyone that has so unselfishly contributed their time and expertise to the TSC and their clubs.
FYI.... Delegate's Meeting, Ski Bid-Fest 2003
As you know, the April delegate's meeting hosts the annual Bid Ski-Fest and selection of next season's trips. Due to a series of untimely events, John Webb will no longer be able to complete his responsibilities as Bid Committee Chair Person. We are truly thankful for John stepping up and offering his services, and sincerely wish him well.
Caryne Prater has graciously accepted to chair the Bid Meeting Committee. Caryne has served on the TSC Board of Directors, and has been an active officer and member of the Corpus Christie Skiers for several seasons. You may contact Caryne at Cprater235@aol.com for further information on volunteering your assistance. This event requires a great deal of planning and coordination. So please, take the next step to an active association with the TSC and see where we can best use your expertise. Thank you!
Just a Reminder......
Recently there has been some discussion concerning the use of Texas Ski Council trademarks for private enterprise. The Texas Ski Council logo, "The Texas Ski Council", and the "TSC", are registered trademarks of this council. As such they are the exclusive property of the council and its member clubs. The board of directors must approve any reproduction, adaptation, or likeness of these trademarks for personal use, marketing initiatives, or publicity, weather for profit or identification.
Council Clubs are encouraged to use the TSC trademarks for club newsletters; promotion of council sponsored events, club affiliation and promotion. Any personal use must be submitted to the Board of Directors for approval. As an organization, we must protect the use of our trademarks from misuse and unregulated personal gain. Preserving the integrity of the TSC and member Clubs is the responsibility of all of us. Thank you.
TRAINING
TIPS AND OPPORTUNITIES:
Gary Butler has graciously hosted four training sessions for trip chairpersons. Club members from Midland, Houston, Austin, and Dallas have been provided an excellent opportunity to better prepare themselves for trip leadership. The training involved an in-depth look at the bid process and the resort's proposals, as well as the responsibilities of the trip chair and TSC officer. I have received several notes of appreciation for a job well done. I hope that those of you that attended will share your experience and help promote future training sessions.
The Council intends to offer a leadership-training seminar at the next bid meeting. The program will attempt to look at leadership effectiveness from the standpoint of our basic anatomy and physiology responses.
We will be happy to coordinate training for your club, but it will take a great deal of cooperation from your staff as well.
Monthly Training Tip:
We can become more effective leaders if we:
HEAR YE! HEAR YE! If you would like information about your clubs activities posted for others to share. Please send your notices to me, James Mershon, at lamurian@flash.net.
TSC Calendar
October 2002:
Monday the 28th - Activity Fees due for Fall Roundup.
November 2002:
Friday the 8th - TSC Newsletter mail out.
Saturday the 9th - Board of Directors Meeting, Houston
December 2002:
Wednesday the 4th - Activity Fees due for TSC
traditional.
Saturday the 7th - Delegate's Meeting, Houston
Sunday the 15th - Bid Proposal mail out.
South Texas State Fair - Ski Booth through the 27th.
Terlingua Chili Cook-Off, Oct. 31-Nov. 3rd.
Christmas on the Pecos, Dec. 7th.
Style Show at the Nov. 19th, club meeting.
Race For the Cure, Saturday Oct.12th.
Happy Hour at T-Bone Tom's, Friday, Oct.18th.
Day sail on Galveston Bay, Saturday, Oct. 19th.
Happy Hour at, The Old Heidelberg, Thursday, Oct. 24th.
Radio Music Theatre, Friday, Oct. 25th.
Halloween Party, Saturday, Oct. 26th
Renaissance Festival, Saturday, Nov. 2nd.
Softball Game, Saturday, Oct. 19th.
Wine tasting party, Nov. 8th.
Happy hour at Lambardi Mare, Tuesday, Nov. 5th.
Softball Game, Saturday, Oct. 19th.
Happy Hour at Angelo's, Tuesday, Nov. 12th.
The Texas Ski Council would like to extend an invitation to you to express your ideas, concerns, and most of all your successes. If you would like to initiate an open discussion please feel free to send your comments to me, James Mershon, at lamurian@flash.net. There will also be a member's conversational forum prior to each delegate's meeting. Tell your representatives to pass along any pertinent information. Thank you.
DEEP THOUGHTS FROM CLUB ST. BERNARD
In an effort to boost our club's membership and to provide the best services possible to our group, Club St. Bernard's officers and members have engaged in an ongoing conversation about our members' likes and dislikes with regard to ski trips and other club activities. One subject that has surfaced is that of the races on ski trips. Some of our long standing members are actually getting a little older and find that their interest in racing is declining-also, some of our new members who are inexperienced skiers do not feel ready to race on their first trips. Therefore, it frequently happens that only about half the people we take on a given ski trip actually participate in races, even though all are required to pay race fees. Because there are so many other reasons people go on ski trips, and because our goal is to encourage as many people as possible to join our groups and trips, perhaps we might consider making the races an activity that is paid for by the race participants. In this time when the skiing industry appears to be declining nationally, we need to do all we can to encourage rather than penalize our members who do not choose to race.
Another topic that has been discussed in our Board Meetings is the FAM trips for each club's board members. These are trips for which selected board members from the various clubs are chosen to visit potential TSC trip destinations to learn about the sites and bring back information to their club and the Texas Ski Council. Presently, the TSC has proposed a requirement that people who go on FAM trips be expert or high intermediate level skiers. We have differing opinions on this subject even among our officers, and there are good reasons for both sides. It is certainly understandable that a skier with good ability can explore the whole mountain and bring back important information about the slopes. But again, if the reason for going on a FAM trip is to learn about all components of the resort-lodging, restaurants, entertainment, shopping, transportation, and the general attitude of service personnel-as well as the skiing facilities-the FAM participant needs more skills than skiing expertise. Particularly in a small club, some of the most dependable and supportive members who work to keep the club afloat and functioning may not be "hot doggers." But they can still do a good job of bringing information back to the club and the TSC. Granted, FAM participants do need to be able to make it down the mountain (with or without style and grace), and it would certainly be best if they can do intermediate slopes, but other considerations are also important. If we only send expert skiers on FAM trips, we are likely to pass over some that are good club members and supportive people who hold offices and promote the club.
According to the recent National Ski Council magazine article on reasons people say they join ski clubs, the friendships and ease of traveling with groups, savings on costs of trips, and extra non-skiing club activities are all ranked high by those polled by their clubs. As foremost promoters of skiing for Texans, we in the TSC need to pay attention to what our members are saying.
RESPONSE: I would like to thank Sandy and Club St. Bernard for submitting the preceding topics for discussion. The TSC Board of Directors is always interested in your viewpoints and discussion on issues that affect the well being of this Council and its member clubs.
The TSC race program has been a long-standing tradition that has undergone significant changes over the life of the program. As officers and delegates we have an obligation to review all aspects of this program to insure that it fulfills the needs and desires of our membership. The suggestions submitted on behalf of Club St. Bernard will be forwarded to the race committee for consideration. If you have your own thoughts or ideas, please submit them to your TSC representative. Your representative may summarize and coordinate these responses and submit them for consideration.
As for the FAM participants, I would like to clarify that the TSC does not require advanced or expert skiers to attend a FAM. When the TSC participates in one of these trips usually one council officer and three or four club members attend. These five participants have to make a determination for 17 clubs and all their members as to the quality of a specific resort's capabilities and proposed programs.
It is essential that all the participants be well versed in the requirements essential to fulfilling the needs and desires of the TSC and its participants. The skiing experience is primal. We need participants that can adequately judge the merits of a resort's capability to provide an excellent trip. They must have an adequate understanding of our bid process, lodging priorities, scheduling, transportation, deposit and cancellation policies, and a host of other considerations as well. Along with all these requests, when we ask for good, all-around intermediate skiers, it is in the best interest of the clubs and the council's programs.
Nothing new has come up recently except large parts of the ski country are experiencing early snows this year, especially in Canada. I hope this is a good sign for the rest of the year.
Vail Resorts has been on a buying spree and has picked up a number of year round resort properties in areas such as Key West Florida and San Juan Puerto Rico. This will help them even out their year round cash flow and make them a much stronger company.
We have recently mailed the TSC Marketing Survey to the resorts, tour operators and business partners. For those who are unfamiliar with the Marketing Survey we collect various financial and statistical pieces if information from each of our clubs which we collate and breakdown. The Marketing Survey is then sent to our ski industry partners to show the financial impact the Texas Ski Council has on the industry. We also send a sign-up sheet which is sent back to the TSC informing us who would like to bid on trips for the next year, who would be willing to run a FAM trip and if they are interested in attending the Bid Meeting. We will send a bid specification to each resort that informed us of their interest in bidding around the first of December. We also contact and make arrangements with the companies who expressed an interest in hosting a familiarization trip.
So far the TSC Learn to Ski/Snowboard Trip has attracted people from Dallas, Austin, Corpus Christi and Houston. Keep on spreading the word on this trip, Ed Cain is working hard to make this a fantastic experience for all. I want to thank those clubs that have run an advertisement in their newsletters on this trip. If our member clubs do not take advantage of this opportunity to find new members then it would never happen.
On the FAM trip front so far we are looking at possible trips to Chamonix, France and some other European destination for a week and Vail Colorado. We have also discussed visiting The Canyons in Utah or Big White/Red Mountain in Canada as well as Killington Vermont. I have met recently with representatives from Vail Resorts, The Canyons, Sportours and Colorado International to discuss future bids and FAM trip possibilities. As these trips materialize and firm up we will keep you informed as to the details.
