Potomac Valley Voices
Editor: Dick Rankin
Vol. 3 No 3 MARCH, 1999
Evelyn Taylor - Dick Rankin| Link to other Issues of PVS Voices |
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Evelyn Taylor -- Dick Rankin
There are some events in the history of an organization that are BITTERSWEET and in the history of Potomac Valley Swimming this is one of those occasions.
Evelyn Taylor has been involved with PVS from the earliest days, certainly a long time before my entrance on the scene. She has been the PVS Administrative Assistant ever since I can remember. In fact, General Chairmen and members of the PVS Board of Directors have come and gone but Evelyn has always been the foundation upon which our organization has been based. And now, sadly, that is about to change! Evelyn and Ron have decided that the time has come to retire and actually leave the area. So I have regrettably accepted her resignation as our Administrative Assistant effective on April 30, 1999.
Evelyn noted in her letter of resignation that "as I look forward to the joys of retirement, it is also with a degree of sadness that I conclude my involvement with Potomac Valley Swimming." She went on to state, "I leave with a feeling that I have made a positive contribution in supporting, maintaining, and upholding the high standards for which Potomac Valley Swimming has been known." " Evelyn is the master of understatement! I like to think that my role is important but I know beyond any doubt that to the majority of people, near and far, that interact with PVS Evelyn Taylor is Potomac Valley. I can not even begin to express what she means to me and the rest of us that attempt to serve our very large membership and USA Swimming. Suffice it to say, that I depend upon her not only for all the hard work that she does in administering to all but also for her sage advice and counsel. Rarely do we make a decision in which Evelyn has not been consulted and more importantly listened to! She has a selfless dedication to our most important product - our athletes - and she goes to any length to assist them. Yes, hers is a paid position but that really means little in relation to the hours she spends just "being there" for all of us. In addition, she has held many volunteer positions both locally and nationally and has reached across the entire spectrum of swimming in her amazing career. Lastly, I doubt that any Administrative Assistant throughout USA Swimming is any better known or respected than Evelyn; there are few in our world of swimming that have not been touched by her love of our sport and our swimmers.
Evelyn, I wish you only the best in whatever comes next and I want you to know that I will miss you greatly. Potomac Valley will not be the same without you but we are so much better for you having passed this way.
Evelyn is embarrassed by any public praise and this is probably about as close as I can come to expressing my gratitude and affection for her in a public way. However, over the coming weeks and before Evelyn gets away, I strongly encourage each and every member of Potomac Valley to express privately in writing, person, email, or over the phone your appreciation to her for what she has meant to Potomac Valley Swimming.
Latest News from the PVS Web Page -- Dave Scibetta, Communications Committee
Your PVS homepage continues to look for new, timely, and responsive ways to meet your needs. We have continued to fine tune the "look" of the web page and hope that you are finding information that is most valuable to you as a parent, coach, or swimmer. Each of those three components represent a key in our planning for the kind of information that is included on the web page. As we enter the heart of the winter season, you will find results or links that will keep you up-to-date on the latest local PVS, high school, out-of-town USA Swimming competition with PVS swimmers, or national level competition. PVS swimmers have competed recently as far away as China in international meets and those results as well as all significant PVS headline information is available at www.pvswim.org.
The response to the web page continues to grow significantly. Each of the last 3 months have seen more, many more, visits than any month in the previous year since the homepage was started. An important element of its success is your input for new ideas. Please feel free to send a message to the webmaster address on the homepage as you see or think of issues that can help us in our efforts to continually improve. The timely posting of information and results is largely a joint effort between each meet manager, the PVS Admin Office, manned by Evelyn Taylor, and our two technical gurus, John Hirschmann and Chris Granger, each of whom perform yeoman efforts to bring you the latest info almost as it happens. Stay tuned!!
PVS Short Course Zone Team -- Shawn Fischer, Head Coach
As the head coach for your 1999 PVS Short Course Zone Team, I've been asked to write a few words of introduction. This is only my second year in PVS, though I have been familiar with Potomac Valley's strong reputation during my many years of coaching in Maryland. Last year I was fortunate to be part of the coaching staff with the zone team that came home with a fourth place finish. Given Potomac Valley's numerous strong clubs, and based on the results I've seen thus far, I think we're in for another strong showing.
As we enter the championship season, I hope that all competitors achieve best times and attain their goals. To all coaches, I hope that there are not only sufficient seconds dropped, points scored, and qualifiers named, but that you also experience some of those "breakthrough" swims that remind us what all this hard work is worth. And to parents, I hope that your children exhibit the growth, pride, and happiness that assure you that your commitment to the sport has been more an investment than a sacrifice.
And to those who intend to be on the Zone Team, let's get psyched!! For younger age-groupers, this may be your most exciting meet ever! It's one more chance to soar this season, and the competition and conditions should be prime. For the older age groupers and seniors, this meet is a door to the national level; every year someone breaks through...it could be you! The coaching staff we have this year is both experienced and spirited; we'll have a great time as well as great times! Keep in mind the Zone Team Practice on March 6; it will be a good chance for us to get to know one another. Once again, good luck and best times for your championships... I'll be looking forward to meeting you.
Editor's Note: The Short Course Zone Team will be holding the first ever (that I can recall) pre-Zone Meet Team Camp. It will be at Oak Marr Recreation Center between sessions of our Senior Championship Meet on Saturday, March 6. All of the 12 and Under team members will have been selected by then and notified of the camp and our older swimmers who are potential candidates for the team will be invited as well. This camp is one of the steps the LSC is taking to meet our objectives of creating an optimum team experience for our swimmers. Its purpose is to foster team unity and camaraderie. It is only 2 hours (but not mandatory) and will be an opportunity for the team to get better acquainted with each other and with the fine coaching staff that we have put together. There will be some water time, primarily to get the swimmers ready for what they can expect when they get to the meet itself; there might even be some fun things! We hope to do more of these in the coming years and begin the process sooner in the season but I am enthused with this first step and hope that the participants will be as well.
Job Offering - Administrative Assistant Dick Rankin
As noted above, we will miss Evelyn Taylor very much and it is absolutely imperative that we replace her so that there will be no gap in our administrative support. We are currently very well served administratively by 3 separate contracts, which provide the basic administrative support, registration support and distribution of printed material support. The latter 2 contracts expire on August 31, 1999 and our current Registrar, Mary Ann Henderson, has indicated that she, too, wants to retire at that time. As a result, PVS intends to take this opportunity to transition all our administrative functions into one contract, initially to replace Evelyn and then in September 1999 to assume the other functions as well. We are all very pleased with the service these contracts provide but we also see this as an opportunity to both achieve some economy of scale, cross train one or two persons in our multiple administrative functions, and ensure that these functions are covered throughout the year without any break in service due to illness, vacation, or other legitimate reasons for being absent. Each of the current administrative functions are currently accomplished from the contractors' residence and we do not envision a change to that arrangement in the foreseeable future but we will be asking each bidder to explain how they will accommodate this requirement for full time support.
Elsewhere on our web page or in this mailing, depending on the medium you receive this newsletter, you will find the formal offering for this paid Administrative Assistant position. We encourage each of you to review the position description and bidding requirements and seriously consider this opportunity. We are asking for proposals to be submitted to PVS by March 22 and it is our intent to have our next Administrative Assistant in place on April 12, which would allow for a sufficient overlap with Evelyn Taylor. We hope that the proposal process will be user friendly in that you may submit the few items of information either via letter or email. I will not attempt to fool any of you into thinking this is an easy job; it is a demanding job and there will be a learning curve but I know the rewards in addition to the money will be extraordinary. Try it; you'll like it!
Annual House of Delegates Meeting Editor
Yes, it is getting to be that time again when Potomac Valley will come together to review the past year and make plans for the 1999 - 2000 season. There will be some significant changes that will be decided at this year's House of Delegates (HOD) meeting, including the selection of the next General Chairman and Senior Swimming Vice Chairman, since neither Dick Rankin nor Steve Ercolano, respectively, can run for another term. Also, it will be an opportunity for the PVS membership to meet the next PVS Administrative Assistant. The Board also intends to provide revised policies and procedures, which it has been working on this season, as well as a revamped organizational structure, which improves on the current grouping of functional responsibilities. There are other positions, including Treasurer and members of the Board of Review that will be elected at the House; however, the incumbents are all eligible for re-election. If you are interested in serving in any of these capacities, please contact our Nominating Committee at (703) 455-5622. The House will also receive nominations for the Junior Coach and Swimmer Representatives to the Board. In recent memory our HOD meeting has always been on a Sunday in May; this year we will meet on Tuesday, May 18th at 7:30 PM at the Booz, Allen, and Hamilton office complex in Tysons Corner. Specific address and access instructions will be posted on the web and provided in future mailings at a later date. Each member club has a designated representative to the HOD but it is open to anyone.