OTOWA ANNUAL MEETING
HIGHLIGHTS

EMBRO, ON - April 4, 2004

      The annual meeting of council for the Ontario Tug-of-War Association was held today at the Town Hall in Embro, Ontario.  Attended by twenty-two members representing seven of the eight Ontario teams as well as the executive, the event got under way at 11:00 a.m. with introductory remarks from the president, Joe Vermunt from Dashwood who reminded the members of the World Championship tournament taking place in Rochester, Minnesota in September  and the opportunities to participate in the club classes held during the first two days of the event.  At the end of his presentation, Vermunt indicated that he would not be seeking a second term as president for OTOWA.

Election of Officers:
      The first matter of business on the agenda was the election of officers for the next four year period.  The results were as follows:

      A biographical profile of the new executive will be posted in a later edition of this magazine.

Schedule of Events:
      Malcolm Monteith, interim coordinator for the league, reported on the highlights of the 2003 season and referred members to Volume 2 Number 1 of the CATOWA COMMUNICATOR for all of the details of the tournaments from last year.  Monteith also explained that he had contacted all of the venues from recent years to solicit their participation in hosting competitive events for 2004 and that those venues confirming would be posted on the COMMUNICATOR as they are received.  He made particular mention of the Santo Onorio Day tournament being held at the Ciociaro Club in Windsor on July 11th.  Monteith went on to emphasise that this had been one of the major events in the 1980's and 90's and encouraged all teams to attend the tournament to help revive the sport in Windsor.

Financial Report:
      Joe Vermunt, reporting for Treasurer Julia Tieman who was unable to attend the meeting,  indicated a substantial surplus in the association account.  With no unusual financial requirements imminent, the members agreed to maintain the annual team dues at the 2003 level.  Advertisements on the equipment trailer are a source of revenue for the association.  There are currently spaces available and members were asked to solicit potential sponsors for their support.

Report From CATOWA:
      John Purdie from the Vitella Tug-of-War club in Windsor and outgoing International Representative for CATOWA made a presentation on behalf of the national organization.  Purdie discussed the upcoming world championships in Rochester, MN reminding the teams that "catchweight" is not usually a division offered at world events and that its inclusion provides a wonderful  opportunity for Ontario teams to participate in the club events next September.

Rules and Regulations:
      Each year, matters relating to the rules and regulations for OTOWA are brought to the table and discussed by members.  A summary of the changes accepted by this year's council are listed below:

1. At all OTOWA events, matches will be won by two pulls out of three.  
   1. A team winning a match by two (2) pulls to nil (0) will score three (3) points, the losing team scoring no (0) points.  
   2. A team winning a match by two (2) pulls to one (1) will score two (2) points, the losing teams scoring one (1) point.
2. At all sanctioned OTOWA events, the catchweight division shall be included whenever and wherever possible.
3. At all sanctioned OTOWA events, a team of officials shall consist of one judge and two side judges.
   (It was noted that in light of the shortage of accredited officials currently available, this would be difficult to enact.)
4. For the first year at new events and at small fairs, consideration be given to reducing the basic financial requirements established by OTOWA.
5. An OTOWA committee will be selected to develop a Code of Conduct to establish guidelines for behaviour at competitive events.
6. Where time and finances are available, Co-Ed competitions shall be included in the program at OTOWA events.

Annual Banquet and Awards Night:
      In-coming president, Malcolm Monteith expressed some concern about the focus in recent years at "The Ontario Tug-of-War Association Annual Banquet and Awards Night" and suggested that members reflect on the original significance of the event.  In 1986 Monteith and the late Marc Voisin established the program at the end of the competitive season to celebrate the successes of the season and to honour those members who had contributed significantly to the sport of tug-of-war in Ontario.  "Since 1989, the team from Nissouri has hosted the event at the Lion's Community Centre and has done a commendable job in promoting, preparing the dinner and setting up the hall," said Monteith.  He emphasised that although the dinner and dance are important aspects of the evening's program, we must not lose sight of the presentation of trophies and special awards which are the fundamental reason for the annual event.

Presentation of Trophies:
      A discussion took place around the matter of event trophies.  Traditionally, trophies that were donated by the event sponsors, have been presented to the winners and in most cases allowed to be taken by those teams back to their communities.  Because of recent issues around maintaining those trophies and returning them to the venue the following year, it was suggested that the association look into establishing a policy dealing with the matter.  It was suggested that perhaps the event organizers could present small keeper plaques or trophies, allowing them to keep the main trophies at the event site.  President-elect Monteith indicated that he would take the matter up with the event sponsors and come to some agreement satisfactory to all parties.

Coaches Certification Course:
      Jin Connolly, National Coach for CATOWA reminded coaches that in order to participate at the world championships in Rochester in September, they must have completed the Coaches Certification Course being offered at the Embro Community Centre on May 8th.  He asked those who had not yet signed up to do so right away in order that he be able to make the necessary preparations for the session.  He also indicated that he had spoken with Chief Referee Tom Kempel about having a component in the day's program dealing with TWIF rules.  Kempel who is presently recovering from knee surgery, agreed to have someone represent him at the May 8th session should he not be able to be present.

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Editor: M. L. Monteith
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Last modified: September 22, 2004