Club meeting Dec 12 South Chas Library

[Harry Netzer]

The December Club meeting will be Thursday, Dec 12 at the South Charleston Library.

It pains me to write this, but the topic we need to discuss at the meeting is the fate of the club. Elections for club officers will be held in January, and it looks doubtful that we will have many volunteers.

The club has been losing memberships for the past several years. In addition, there appear to be fewer club trips and less participation during club trips and events.

I will be stepping down from President in January, and I'd like to see someone step in to this role with energy and a vision to grow the club.

Please let me know if you plan on attending, if interest in the meeting is larger than expected, I may have to book another conference room.

[Chuck Brabec]

Nancy and I will be there. I assume that the meeting will start at 7 pm. We plan on having dinner before the meeting.

(I posted the meeting on the WVWA calendar)

[Harry Netzer]

Yes, meeting at 7. Los Agaves in S. Charleston.

[David Bell]

Ruth and I are planning on being there.

[Tony Daniel]

I'll be there.

[Tim Broughton]

I hope to make it. This issue has been on my mind that last several years, but I'm not sure I have any cure-all ideas to add.

[Wes Barthwick]

Linda and I will be there as well.
We'll bring the money from clothing sales.

[Woody Davis]

Thanks for taking a turn Prince Harry   or Dirty Harry.. whichever you prefer 

Hope things work out for the club. I have had a lot of fun with this.. You guys took me from the Greenbrier beginner clinic all the way to the Lower Gauley/NRG and I am very appreciative.. lots of adventures in between also



Fingers crossed

[Wes Barthwick]

Ditto Woody.

I first ran with commercial raft trips on the gorge in the early 80's. I admired the kayakers and for years, when looking at a river, I imagined myself on it in a kayak. In 2009, happenstance put me in a rec kayak on the Shavers Fork. It was then I decided I was going to do this. Google led me during my searches to WVWA. I have never looked back. It has shown me amazing places and amazing people. It showed me the goal of this old man to kayak the NRG. Because of the adventures WVWA has shown me, I feel a need to pay back to the club an some way. I, along with others took the took the ACA kayak instructor course as a way to pay a little back to the club. Linda and I feel bad that Splashes died under our watch. We felt good when someone else stepped up to do it but for some reason, it didn't work out. There was no reason ever given. So maybe there may be something else I can do to help keep this club alive. There have been people in the past that have had great ideas but they no longer seem to show much interest in the club. We need people like that to be more active. We have expert kayakers that are club members that once were very active that no longer are. We need them to go back to their roots and show others the skill they have learned. We need some way to bring flatwater kayakers into a new and exciting world of whitewater. This club need not die. We have so much talent and experience, I would hate to see that wasted. Who would take the Science Campers on the river for the 30 somethingth year. Who would teach the scads of people that have come to our beginners/intermediate clinics without being skinned alive? Do you remember how many people came to the 50th reunion?

I am willing to do my part, but I can't do it myself.

What are you willing to do to keep the club alive? It's future depends on you!

Bring your enthusiasm and and ideas. See you Dec. 12th

[Rob Parker]

Because I'm sadly losing access to WV friends and rivers, I shouldn't say much but why let that stop me. The club has been huge for my sons and me. I feel a strong connection.

A key question might be what should distinguish the club from various FB groups that also offer paddling opportunities: active outreach to attract new paddlers, training/roll clinics, social events to promote a sense of community (50th birthday, weekends at Cliff's place), conservation activities, outreach like Science Camper, large events (e.g., a planned Memorial Day weekend of pre-planned trips based out of a nearby campground), etc? Answering this question might promote symbiotic, mutually beneficial co-existence with the FB groups. Rather than being a "competitor" for trip planning, maybe FB becomes a way to promote club activities. Being unable to answer this question also says something.

As a person that can't reasonably get to Charleston for evening meetings, I've felt unable to participate in club operations. Maybe there would be better buy-in if electronic participation was possible. Tools for this are generally free.

Any club needs a stream of new people to replace those that move on. Once in WVWA, our club allows people to find or initiate trips in all ranges, and plenty of WVWA people are willing to help aspirers progress. In this sense the infrastructure of the club is solid, but the income of new people seems low.

To attract people, the online visibility of the club seems dated given the prevalence of FB and Meetup. Thinking old school, it's virtually no cost to make a few laminated, 11x17 or 8.5x11 posters. Are there message boards to put these in Ace Gear Shop, Waterstonia Climbing in Fville, the raft outfitter shops/campgrounds, and so on? This seems a simple project. One leader with some distribution help from volunteers can do a lot. For example, I can put such a flyer in the climbing gyms, recreation center, and outdoor shops in Blacksburg/Roanoke.

I didn't find the club in 2013 when searching online, and I was actively looking. Given the criticality of online search, should the name use "whitewater" instead of "wildwater"?

[Don Beyer]

Let me say that the West Virginia Wildwater Association has meant a great deal to me and my family for decades. The club was my 'go to' for nearly every one of my paddling trips.  The club helped me raise my boys and provided a lot of fun for Jo and I along the way.
It is very sad to witness what has become of the WVWA.  Times change and you need to adapt.  I don't know that there is still a place for the same types of paddling organizations with which I grew up.  I do think if they are to survive in some form, they have to fit with today's paddlers and their lifestyles.
I must say that I have attended many WVWA meetings and have seen a lot of new folks offer suggestions for improvements or new ideas.  To say that this situation has occurred because folks have not stepped up and followed through is inaccurate.  Too often new ideas have been discarded along the way by the 'veteran' club members. I have witnessed this myself.  And on one occasion, the person making the suggestion was interrupted and not permitted to finish speaking. (Jo vowed that that would be her last club meeting.  And I only attended one after that.) If that is how you encourage people to participate, it should come as no surprise that the WVWA has suffered. 

[David King]

We'll be there.

[Wes Barthwick]

I remember the meeting Don. I don't agree with what transpired. I can only fault myself for not speaking up.

Any organization has it's share of politics. WVWA is no exception. Unfortunately, it's necessary. I would like to relate a story that has nothing to do with paddling, it has more to do with the way I think.

Linda and I have been part of the Lincoln County Fairgrounds for about 8 years. It is one of three 501-c3's we work with. We have many meetings, often too many. The fairground is led by an authoritarian in the least, an autocrat at the worst. We have seen many many people come and go. The obvious reason is the President. It's his my way or the highway attitude. He has lied, cheated people and screwed them over, including me. I have not forgotten, but I have forgiven. Regardless of that fact, I am still there helping make things work. You probably wonder why I stay dispite good ideas being constantly shot down. I stay for one reason. The organization is bigger than the president or board members. I look past the BS and personalites. The fairground is all about the greater community, not any one person. I want something good for the people of Lincoln County, despite the jerk that calls most of the shots. While the events every year are for the most part the same old, same old, you know what? The people keep coming.

I relate this story because it is much like the club. Most everything is done by a small group of people. Things haven't changed much over the years I have been there. Politics asside, people in the club still want to paddle. Can or should things change? Sure. But people in the club must look past the politics at the bigger picture. We are all just water dogs that can't wait to be sitting in a boat on the water, at the top (or bottom) of a rapid!

While suggestions in the past were shot down, maybe they won't be in the future. Things CAN change. Are there problems with club workings? There have been. It took me quite some time to get admin abilities on the WVWA FB page. There were problems with the Paypal account access. Problems getting new club members access to the message board and changes to the board itself voted on that needed changed. Most of these have been fixed but it took a long time. Then there is my inability to figure out how FB followers can post pictures on the page. I fault myself for that by not reaching out to FB gurus.. I still don't know how to acomplish this, despite spending hours looking over settings, I feel that while we financially support both local and national organizations, we fall short in hands on local environmental issues. Logistics for the Bridge Day shuttle can be very confusing and the trip costly. Online sign up forms must be designed and uploaded for all of our events. Something way over my head. The job of setting all the gears in motion for the clinics and Science Camp are no easy task and need lots of help... are you willing? The rewards can be very personal. Certainly there are things each and every one of us can do to make the club more active and survive in todays climate of social media. But I do know, we can make changes to have the club survive and thrive. After all, it could make for the best $20 friends money can buy!

[Tom Connelly]

Unfortunately, Bridget and I are out of town and won’t be able to attend the upcoming meeting. Obviously we support the club and hope it can survive and thrive. I’ve been a member for 30 years and have seen it’s steady decline (membership) over the years. This is not an issue just with the WVWA among whitewater clubs or just with whitewater clubs. We are also members of the Kanawha Ski Club and see the same issue there and with other ski clubs we partner with. Other outdoor clubs (hiking and biking, etc) are facing the same.
Is the issue that we don’t know how to attract new members? That the younger generations aren’t “club joiners” and can’t be attracted? Something else? I understand that we may have alienated a few potential members, but I don’t believe that’s Been a big part of the issue. Whatever it is, the attrition rate (moves, changing interests, aging out) exceeds our attraction rate. Some “single activity” clubs are combining to form “Outdoor” or “Adventure” clubs. This May or May not help attract new members but helps keep a “critical mass” to keep a club alive.
I don’t have any great suggestions for improvements but simply hope some good folks care enough to step up to the board positions to keep the club functioning for as long as possible.

[Shawn Schartiger]

I am fairly new to the club, but have enjoyed it very much. I do not know the history, because I wasn't around for it. As a newer member, I certainly hope the club keeps going. Hopefully in 2020, I'll try the NRG and maybe the LG. The plan is to do that with WVWA experts. Living in Central Ohio, I travel to paddle, and I need to have some advance notice and prefer to get at least 2 paddles in with camping overnight somewhere. I am not fond of day tripping, and the travel logistics do not allow for quick, spontaneous trips.

One suggestion that I feel would be beneficial to newer members is a kind of "road map" or structured progression. I attended the beginner/intermediate clinic in May. After that, I was on my own to keep progressing. That is OK, but some structure and progression opportunities would be welcome also. For example, TVCC offers about 19 trips for students who participate in their Paddle School. I realize they might be a bigger club that has more resources, but this is just an example of the progression opportunites they offer. I actually have a copy of their 2018 progression trips in a PDF format, but I have no idea how to attach it to this forum. Feel free to message me if you'd like to see it. Here is a blurb from it though:

"Training Trips are continuing education for paddle school students. They differ from regular club trips in that, though no formal instruction takes place, the trips will have sufficient support boaters to assist in skills development. Feel free to ask questions or for help with something as that is why we are there. We encourage you to join in on regular club trips as well, and in some of the listed community service activities and the Rescue Rodeo (whitewater). The white water trips will primarily increase in intensity as the summer progresses, culminating in an Ocoee first-timers trip."

I hope WVWA continues to grow and thrive, and that the meeting tonight is productive.

[Woody Davis]

I will vouch for Shawn .. good dude .. ready for NRG or LG .. great example for WVWA club existence .. . You guys are losing faith because you have no rain and no trips 😂