Recent Email Updates
These updates were sent via a bulk message to the e-mail addresses USAW had on file for all LWC members. The contents are copied here in case anyone missed the message.
Important Updates
You are receiving this e-mail because you are a registered USAW member in the Wisconsin LWC.
Dear LWC Member,
As the dust settles from this year's Nationals, we've got plenty of updates to share. The first is an explanation of our communication plan. Wisconsin Weightlifting has the following online resources:
- Facebook page
- Web site
- News / Mailing List
Going forward, we intend on using the News / Mailing list to send regular updates such as event notifications, athlete recognition, and other news. We will only send correspondence to the entire LWC when it is required. This includes things like the LWC Annual Meeting notification. If you want to receive regular updates from the LWC you must register for the News / Mailing List. Follow this link to register now.
Looking forward to the future,
Josh Ireland & Daniel Swank
Membership Survey
Without knowing who we represent and knowing what your interests are it is impossible to grow our organization in the right directions. To to better understand our membership, we've put together a short survey. It is only ten questions and will only take a minute or two to complete. This is an easy opportunity for you to give feedback, so take advantage of it.
Proposed Annual Calendar
It is frustrating not knowing when your next competition is going to be. As an athlete it can takes months of planning to peak for a meet. Starting in 2015, we propose to install the following annual calendar, featuring three state-wide competitions:
Late March (Spring break) - State Championships
This meet serves as the official LWC championship where the individual and team state champions are determined. This should be a two-day meet, with an awards banquet and ceremony at the end.
Mid June - Summer Games
This meet is intended to be a fun and less-than-formal meet. The focus is Youth and Junior athletes. An enjoyable family destination (like the Dells or a state park) coupled with picnics, chalk, and bumper plates is the ideal weekend.
Mid October - Wisconsin Open
This meet is the precurser to the American Open national meet held in early December. It is intended to be an open meet for any Wisconsin weightlifter to enter, as well as a last-chance qualifier for the American Open.
These state meets will be hosted by LWC clubs and awarded based on a yet-to-be-determined bidding process (likely beginning with the 2016 meets). Local meets will continue to be sanctioned and publicized (and encouraged!) when a club or other organization desires to host one, but we ask that no meets are held within 10 days before or after one of the state-wide meets.
Call for Referees
There are currently only a handful of certified referees in the state of Wisconsin. If you've been to more than one meet in the past few years, you've probably seen the same faces officiating. Every one of us is grateful for the time and resources they have spent volunteering for our benefit and the benefit of the sport. As our membership grows and the number of meets being held increases, this becomes an undue burden on those individuals.
We must increase the number of referees in the state. Unlike a coaching certification, referee certifications are free as long as you are an active USAW member. To become a certified referee you must attend a clinic and pass a rules test. The bottleneck has been the availability of referee clinics. We are working to have some of these clinics held in Wisconsin and will provide updates as we progress. Please consider becoming a referee (you also get a great seat to view the lifting action!).
If you are interested in becoming a referee, please respond to this email and let us know. Also, if you happen to see one of our current referees, be sure to give them a big "Thank You".
Bylaw and Organizational Updates
Our current bylaws listed here have not been updated in over a decade. During the interim time, USA Weightlifting has undergone considerable restructuring which has changed the purpose and directive of the LWCs. Our bylaws have not been updated to reflect those changes, and in many cases reference policies no longer relevant to our current situation. Additionally, our current bylaws do not appear to contain a provision for amendment.
We are working on rewriting our bylaws to comply with the USAW LWC Guidelines that were issued earlier this year. As part of this process we are organizing Wisconsin Weightlifting into a proper corporate entity (none currently exists). This will ensure the LWC will continue to operate in everyone's best interest well into the future.
Before any changes are made, the new bylaws will be sent to the entire LWC for an extended comment period. After the comment period we will hold a formal vote on the new bylaws. This correspondence will be sent to the e-mail on file with USAW for every LWC member, or to the mailing address on file if required.
Logo Competition
Every organization needs a logo, and we are no different. We've decided to crowdsource our logo from our membership. We'll take all serious submissions and hold a vote to find the favorite.
The requirements:
- Represents Wisconsin
- Looks good in both color and black/white
- Scalable from 1 inch to a 10 foot banner
- Easy to reproduce on shirts, hats, and other merchandise
If you are interested in entering, reply to this e-mail and attach your submission by September 15th. We will accept any file format (even a scanned hand-drawn image).
The winner will be credited on our website and will receive a one-of-a-kind Wisconsin Weightlifting hoodie featuring their design.