The following positions are up for election this year: President, Treasurer, 2 Board At Large positions and 2 Zone Rep positions. If you live in those respective zones, you will vote for Central Zone Representative or Eastern Zone Representative.
Candidate information will also be posted on the APA website on December 1st on the home page and under APA General News and will be there for 30 days. (www.americanpolocrosse.org) You can view it there before you vote; and it will also be on ballotbin.com so you can see the text before you vote.
Candidate info will not be sent in the mail.
Voting will be done online. Voting will be open on ballotbin.com and will not be accepted after mid-night December 31st Central Zone time. If your passcode does not work, please email Laura Humphreys at: lhumphreys@americanpolocrosse.org
Here are your instructions:
You will get a separate email with your passcodes. In a web browser, go to the website http://www.ballotbin.com.
In the upper left corner is a box labeled “1. Voting Code:”. Enter the voting code exactly as it appears. For example, enter the string “37204,6Q0,Last_First_123456” (without the quotes) into the box.
Directly below that box is a link that says “Go Vote”. Click on the link and you will be taken to the ballot. Select your candidates and submit the ballot.
This is the Nationals question that will be on the ballot:
Should the APA Board of Directors institute a policy of having Nationals every other year?
Wayne Cooper would like to remind members that this has been discussed in the past and hopes voters will look at the E-News from Laura Humphreys on November 8th 2014 again that has the pros and cons of alternating Nationals. If you have not read this letter please read and consider.
If you would like a downloadable PDF of this entire post please click here.
Candidate information starts below.
PRESIDENT: You will vote for one
Rob Caldwell
PROFILE
The son of John R. (Jack) and Ann Caldwell of Fayetteville, Tennessee.
Married to Joanna, artist and mother to their twin boys, Charlie and Harry.
The family lives a country lifestyle on a historic farm in Coldwater, Tennessee.
Rob has been involved with horses for many years. Actively competes in team roping events all over the states, qualifying multiple times for the finals held in Oklahoma City.
Interested in sharing knowledge and a passion of equine sports with his twins and other children in the community, Rob was one of the founding sponsors of Cedar Knob Pony Club in Fayetteville, TN. He continues to be a strong supporter and active organizer in the club. CKPC is in it’s fifth year and currently has fifteen members.
Enjoys Fox hunting twice a week with his family and the Cedar Knob Hounds in Lynnville, Tennessee. Here his responsibility is First Whipper-In.
EXPERIENCE
President, Caldwell Chemical Coatings, Fayetteville, Tennessee.
Established over 50 years ago, Caldwell Coatings manufactures industrial coatings across the Southeastern U.S.
He has modestly grown the business over the last twenty years. Employs twenty.
Board member of the Volunteer State Horseman’s Foundation dba Iroquois Steeplechase, which has raised $10 million for Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
EDUCATION
Graduated from McCallie School, Chattanooga, Tennessee-1988
Graduated Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona-1992
OTHER
Member of:
USTRC, MFHA, AQHA, Friends of PennMary-Del, APA, USSA and faithfully serves on the vestry of St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, TN.
USPC Polocrosse Committee Member
2015 Assistant coach for APA U16
Wayne Cooper
I have had the honor of being the APA President for the past 3 years. I would like to ask for your continued support and confidence for the next two years.
I have played polocrosse for the past 18 years. During that time I have enjoyed playing polocrosse locally, nationally and internationally. For the past 9 years I have served on the APA Board, PDP committee and as a committee chair. In the past I have had the opportunity to accompany our Under 21 team to Ireland of which my son was a part of. My family and I hosted the in-bound Under 21 team at our house in years past. I was the President of the hosting club for the APA Nationals in 2005 at Happ’s Farm here in Washington State. This gives me a great deal of experience and appreciation to those of you who work so diligently to promote the sport of polocrosse.
For the past few years I have talked to and corresponded with many of you in the APA. You have presented many good ideas that have been brought to the Board. Many of your ideas have been implemented and have helped the APA move forward in a positive direction.
During my administration, the APA has enjoyed a soluble and balanced budget. The budget is set at the beginning of the year and tracked as a measure of how the APA is progressing. Adopting a Horse Management Policy, defined ratings, and working on our Umpire Program is to name a few successes we as an organization have enjoyed during my administration. I instituted online voting not only as a cost savings measure but to assure a fair voting process. The process requires the four Zone Representatives to validate the vote before the results are announced.
As the APA President, I take my responsibility to you very seriously. Placing the right people as chairs of our committees is paramount to a healthy organization. Our international relations with other polocrosse playing countries have resulted in more opportunity and invitations than we as an organization can accept. I think the APA E-News has been a resounding success. The E-News has enabled us to keep the APA members informed without committing considerable resources to printing and postage costs. Allowing us to inform the membership of events and changes in a timely manner will continue to serve the APA membership.
The office of the President is one of leadership, negotiation, compromise and finding solutions to move forward. As your President, I think one of my most important responsibilities is listening to your concerns and ideas. Then finding the solution that bests fits the organization as a whole.
In moving forward, I believe the APA is in need of national sponsors and a successful fundraising model. I would also like to find a way for national recognition. I believe it is paramount to grow the organization to find additional funding outside the APA membership. I would also like to see more adult international exchanges for the senior members. Those that have supported the APA over time should have the opportunity to enjoy the game at all levels. I think there has been great improvement in offering coaching and opportunity to all levels of play the past few years. I also think there is still much to do.
The APA has a great membership base and has always been a family friendly organization. If elected as your President, I will work to keep those family values. I understand the office of the President is here to serve the needs of the APA and represent the will of its membership.
Sincerely,
Wayne Cooper
Scott Rockafellow
I began playing polocrosse in Zambia in 2006 and was the President of the Leopards Hill Polo-crosse Club in 2009 and 2010. Prior to becoming President, I was Manager of the club bar from 2006-2008 and a member of the development team that built a new club from scratch (3 irrigated polocrosse fields, 4,000 square foot club house, ablution blocks, temporary stables, and a cricket field), when it needed to relocate in 2007. I also participated as a parent in the organization, hosting and chaperoning of an inbound U14 tour from South Africa, an inbound U16 tour from Zimbabwe and an outbound U16 tour to South Africa.
Since returning to the United States in 2011, I have been a member and played with the Sugarloaf Mountain Polocrosse Club. I am currently President of the club and have been extensively involved in the Youth Development Program as a parent.
Outside of polocrosse, I have served on several boards, am the CFO/COO of a software development company, Fine Point Technologies, and have an MBA from Harvard Business School.
TREASURER: You will vote for one
Arleen Strider
My name is Arleen Strider and I’m the current the Treasurer of APA. I’ve enjoyed working with the board for the last 2 years and would like to continue.
I am currently employed as the Finance Manager for Historic Sotterley, a non-profit organization in southern Maryland. I have been working there for the past 18 years. I served on the board of De La Brooke Foxhounds, our local foxhunt and was the treasurer for 6 years. I was also the Treasurer of Bay Area Polocrosse Club for 9 years. I have my Bachelor’s Degree in accounting.
I was introduced to polocrosse in 1999 when my son Ryan learned about the sport through Pony Club. He is still playing and is on the World Cup squad for 2015. My oldest son, Michael and his 2 daughters, Emma and Erin, also play polocrosse. Emma was on the U-16 team last year. I enjoy watching polocrosse and love the fact that it is a family sport. I especially enjoy the camaraderie at the tournaments.
I am honored to have been nominated and, if elected, I will accept the responsibility afforded the Treasurer and will continue to work with the Board to maintain good accounting principles.
BOARD AT LARGE: you will vote for two
Richard Balogh
My name is Richard Balogh, and I am running for the position of Board at Large. For the past 20 years I have lived in Boyds, Maryland with my wife Kathleen and our four children Emily, Nick, Peter, and Karl.
Over the last 10 years I have attended just about every tournament played on the East Coast, helping with goal tending, scoring, flipping burgers, snapping pictures, and often times grooming for one of my children. Through all the tournaments and rallies from Pony Club to APA, I have had the pleasure to witness some great play, fierce competition, exemplary sportsmanship, and the development of rich lifelong relationships among the APA family. These are a few examples of the many positive outcomes of the sport we all love. Like any sport Polocrosse also faces some challenges. I am a strong advocate for Polocrosse and what the sport means to the membership of the APA, and my exposure to the changes over the years has provided me with a balanced approach necessary for its enhancement and growth.
Professionally I have 30 years of experience working on both the not-for-profit and for profit sides of health care, where I have focused on the regional operations and development of long term care. My take away, the success of an organization lies with the empowerment of the base, and it’s the responsibility of leadership to enable open communication that is necessary for the implementation of new ideas.
Jarred Conley
My name is Jarred Conley and I have happily accepted the nomination for Board at Large. I am currently living in Santa Fe, NM and have been playing polocrosse since I was 17. I have a passion for horsemanship, camaraderie, and competition and bring that to my game.
My goal for polocrosse in the US is to grow and retain membership through an increase in popular knowledge and enthusiasm for our sport. Our losses in players and clubs over the years have hindered our ability to grow, and I feel it is important to standardize a method of growth and retention for clubs to follow.
I have a strong background in business and marketing and will bring that to the association to achieve these goals.
We have a long history of dedicated board members who have donated their invaluable time working on these continuing issues as well as other important parts of our organization. I would like to add my name to that list.
I hereby offer up my tenacious appetite for negotiation and goal oriented planning to bring our great organization to even higher levels.
Please vote for me!
Tim Doust
My name is Timothy Doust. I appreciate your consideration for the Board Member at Large for the American Polocrosse Association. I have played polocrosse since I was a fifteen year old youth in Brookfield, Australia with the Beaudesert club in Queensland. As a youth, I learned how to play with good sportsmanship, integrity, and always with a strong love of the game. My memories of the sport in Australia continue to inspire me to be the kind of player I admired as a youth, but more importantly I want to inspire the youth of the APA today to develop such sportsmanship when they become the leaders of tomorrow.
I am currently an active member of Peak Polocrosse in Colorado, enjoying the game with my two daughters. I have been active in hosting tournaments for the past 3 years with my teammates. I strongly believe that these tournaments are the foundation of keeping the youth involvement and learning good horsemanship, healthy competition, and most importantly enjoying the game that so many of us have come to love.
I feel strongly about being active on the Board because I want to become more involved in youth and player development. Watching my own daughters participate in many different equine sports has made me appreciate the need for consistent emphasis on good horsemanship. I want to be involved in promoting good horsemanship for the APA for the players of tomorrow. I thank you for your consideration.
Tim Doust
Robbie Noiles
I have been playing polocrosse since 1990. I last served on the board in the mid-90’s. I wanted to run for Board Member at Large because I felt it was time to once again give back to the sport.
My priorities are as follows:
– We need to improve communication between the board and the members.
– We need to make sure that members feel that they are getting value from belonging to the APA and board members are getting value out of serving.
– I have been disappointed over the last few years by the state of the APA’s online presence. We need to make it impeccable.
– It is unfortunate that there is no real incentive for clubs to sanction tournaments and we need to change that.
– The APA needs to boost its membership.
These are the things on which I would concentrate. Thank you for your consideration.
CENTRAL ZONE REPRESENTATIVE: only Central Zone Seniors vote on this
Stephanie Shuttles
EASTERN ZONE REPRESENTATIVE: only Eastern Zone Seniors vote on this
Michele Lahr
Hello! For those of you who don’t know me, my daughter Kate and I are members of the Carolina Polocrosse Club. I am currently secretary of CPC and was tournament organizer for 2014 Carolina Classic in May. I have been involved in several CPC tournaments in the past years and was in charge of sponsorships, fundraising and vendors for the 2013 APA Nationals in Pinehurst. Over the years I have also been 4H group leader, Vice President of our 4H District Horse council as well as a member of the North Carolina 4H Horse Council.
I had the privilege of helping out with the YDT Quadrangular this summer in Alabama where I got to know several of our young APA members who ARE the future of our sport. I want to be a part of making this great sport fun, fair and safe for everyone. We have such a unique sport that promotes a community and family among our members and I want to keep that alive. Talking with several visitors to our tournament they were all so impressed with the family friendly atmosphere that I hope to keep that going strong. I feel that this aspect is the key for the zone to grow membership. As the youth members grow we need to keep that family atmosphere which encourages the parents to play as well. Offering E Grade at all our tournaments is a key to getting new members out on the field having fun.
The Eastern Zone is well represented this year in all USA teams from U16,U21 to World Cup we need to keep that strength going and encouraging members to participate in these programs. It is key for us as zone members to support those who have achieved these accomplishments in any way we can. Which in return encourages more members’ to participate in the future and represent the EZ on a national and international level.
I look forward to any input and ideas from members to make our zone even greater! I would love to have a larger base of members to participate.
Thank you,
Michele Lahr
If you would like a downloadable PDF of this entire post please click here.
Rob Caldwell
PROFILE
The son of John R. (Jack) and Ann Caldwell of Fayetteville, Tennessee.
Married to Joanna, artist and mother to their twin boys, Charlie and Harry.
The family lives a country lifestyle on a historic farm in Coldwater, Tennessee.
Rob has been involved with horses for many years. Actively competes in team roping events all over the states, qualifying multiple times for the finals held in Oklahoma City.
Interested in sharing knowledge and a passion of equine sports with his twins and other children in the community, Rob was one of the founding sponsors of Cedar Knob Pony Club in Fayetteville, TN. He continues to be a strong supporter and active organizer in the club. CKPC is in it’s fifth year and currently has fifteen members.
Enjoys Fox hunting twice a week with his family and the Cedar Knob Hounds in Lynnville, Tennessee. Here his responsibility is First Whipper-In.
EXPERIENCE
President, Caldwell Chemical Coatings, Fayetteville, Tennessee.
Established over 50 years ago, Caldwell Coatings manufactures industrial coatings across the Southeastern U.S.
He has modestly grown the business over the last twenty years. Employs twenty.
Board member of the Volunteer State Horseman’s Foundation dba Iroquois Steeplechase, which has raised $10 million for Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
EDUCATION
Graduated from McCallie School, Chattanooga, Tennessee-1988
Graduated Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona-1992
OTHER
Member of:
USTRC, MFHA, AQHA, Friends of PennMary-Del, APA, USSA and faithfully serves on the vestry of St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, TN.
USPC Polocrosse Committee Member
2015 Assistant coach for APA U16
Wayne Cooper
I have had the honor of being the APA President for the past 3 years. I would like to ask for your continued support and confidence for the next two years.
I have played polocrosse for the past 18 years. During that time I have enjoyed playing polocrosse locally, nationally and internationally. For the past 9 years I have served on the APA Board, PDP committee and as a committee chair. In the past I have had the opportunity to accompany our Under 21 team to Ireland of which my son was a part of. My family and I hosted the in-bound Under 21 team at our house in years past. I was the President of the hosting club for the APA Nationals in 2005 at Happ’s Farm here in Washington State. This gives me a great deal of experience and appreciation to those of you who work so diligently to promote the sport of polocrosse.
For the past few years I have talked to and corresponded with many of you in the APA. You have presented many good ideas that have been brought to the Board. Many of your ideas have been implemented and have helped the APA move forward in a positive direction.
During my administration, the APA has enjoyed a soluble and balanced budget. The budget is set at the beginning of the year and tracked as a measure of how the APA is progressing. Adopting a Horse Management Policy, defined ratings, and working on our Umpire Program is to name a few successes we as an organization have enjoyed during my administration. I instituted online voting not only as a cost savings measure but to assure a fair voting process. The process requires the four Zone Representatives to validate the vote before the results are announced.
As the APA President, I take my responsibility to you very seriously. Placing the right people as chairs of our committees is paramount to a healthy organization. Our international relations with other polocrosse playing countries have resulted in more opportunity and invitations than we as an organization can accept. I think the APA E-News has been a resounding success. The E-News has enabled us to keep the APA members informed without committing considerable resources to printing and postage costs. Allowing us to inform the membership of events and changes in a timely manner will continue to serve the APA membership.
The office of the President is one of leadership, negotiation, compromise and finding solutions to move forward. As your President, I think one of my most important responsibilities is listening to your concerns and ideas. Then finding the solution that bests fits the organization as a whole.
In moving forward, I believe the APA is in need of national sponsors and a successful fundraising model. I would also like to find a way for national recognition. I believe it is paramount to grow the organization to find additional funding outside the APA membership. I would also like to see more adult international exchanges for the senior members. Those that have supported the APA over time should have the opportunity to enjoy the game at all levels. I think there has been great improvement in offering coaching and opportunity to all levels of play the past few years. I also think there is still much to do.
The APA has a great membership base and has always been a family friendly organization. If elected as your President, I will work to keep those family values. I understand the office of the President is here to serve the needs of the APA and represent the will of its membership.
Sincerely,
Wayne Cooper
Scott Rockafellow
I began playing polocrosse in Zambia in 2006 and was the President of the Leopards Hill Polo-crosse Club in 2009 and 2010. Prior to becoming President, I was Manager of the club bar from 2006-2008 and a member of the development team that built a new club from scratch (3 irrigated polocrosse fields, 4,000 square foot club house, ablution blocks, temporary stables, and a cricket field), when it needed to relocate in 2007. I also participated as a parent in the organization, hosting and chaperoning of an inbound U14 tour from South Africa, an inbound U16 tour from Zimbabwe and an outbound U16 tour to South Africa.
Since returning to the United States in 2011, I have been a member and played with the Sugarloaf Mountain Polocrosse Club. I am currently President of the club and have been extensively involved in the Youth Development Program as a parent.
Outside of polocrosse, I have served on several boards, am the CFO/COO of a software development company, Fine Point Technologies, and have an MBA from Harvard Business School.
TREASURER: You will vote for one
Arleen Strider
My name is Arleen Strider and I’m the current the Treasurer of APA. I’ve enjoyed working with the board for the last 2 years and would like to continue.
I am currently employed as the Finance Manager for Historic Sotterley, a non-profit organization in southern Maryland. I have been working there for the past 18 years. I served on the board of De La Brooke Foxhounds, our local foxhunt and was the treasurer for 6 years. I was also the Treasurer of Bay Area Polocrosse Club for 9 years. I have my Bachelor’s Degree in accounting.
I was introduced to polocrosse in 1999 when my son Ryan learned about the sport through Pony Club. He is still playing and is on the World Cup squad for 2015. My oldest son, Michael and his 2 daughters, Emma and Erin, also play polocrosse. Emma was on the U-16 team last year. I enjoy watching polocrosse and love the fact that it is a family sport. I especially enjoy the camaraderie at the tournaments.
I am honored to have been nominated and, if elected, I will accept the responsibility afforded the Treasurer and will continue to work with the Board to maintain good accounting principles.
BOARD AT LARGE: you will vote for two
Richard Balogh
My name is Richard Balogh, and I am running for the position of Board at Large. For the past 20 years I have lived in Boyds, Maryland with my wife Kathleen and our four children Emily, Nick, Peter, and Karl.
Over the last 10 years I have attended just about every tournament played on the East Coast, helping with goal tending, scoring, flipping burgers, snapping pictures, and often times grooming for one of my children. Through all the tournaments and rallies from Pony Club to APA, I have had the pleasure to witness some great play, fierce competition, exemplary sportsmanship, and the development of rich lifelong relationships among the APA family. These are a few examples of the many positive outcomes of the sport we all love. Like any sport Polocrosse also faces some challenges. I am a strong advocate for Polocrosse and what the sport means to the membership of the APA, and my exposure to the changes over the years has provided me with a balanced approach necessary for its enhancement and growth.
Professionally I have 30 years of experience working on both the not-for-profit and for profit sides of health care, where I have focused on the regional operations and development of long term care. My take away, the success of an organization lies with the empowerment of the base, and it’s the responsibility of leadership to enable open communication that is necessary for the implementation of new ideas.
Jarred Conley
My name is Jarred Conley and I have happily accepted the nomination for Board at Large. I am currently living in Santa Fe, NM and have been playing polocrosse since I was 17. I have a passion for horsemanship, camaraderie, and competition and bring that to my game.
My goal for polocrosse in the US is to grow and retain membership through an increase in popular knowledge and enthusiasm for our sport. Our losses in players and clubs over the years have hindered our ability to grow, and I feel it is important to standardize a method of growth and retention for clubs to follow.
I have a strong background in business and marketing and will bring that to the association to achieve these goals.
We have a long history of dedicated board members who have donated their invaluable time working on these continuing issues as well as other important parts of our organization. I would like to add my name to that list.
I hereby offer up my tenacious appetite for negotiation and goal oriented planning to bring our great organization to even higher levels.
Please vote for me!
Tim Doust
My name is Timothy Doust. I appreciate your consideration for the Board Member at Large for the American Polocrosse Association. I have played polocrosse since I was a fifteen year old youth in Brookfield, Australia with the Beaudesert club in Queensland. As a youth, I learned how to play with good sportsmanship, integrity, and always with a strong love of the game. My memories of the sport in Australia continue to inspire me to be the kind of player I admired as a youth, but more importantly I want to inspire the youth of the APA today to develop such sportsmanship when they become the leaders of tomorrow.
I am currently an active member of Peak Polocrosse in Colorado, enjoying the game with my two daughters. I have been active in hosting tournaments for the past 3 years with my teammates. I strongly believe that these tournaments are the foundation of keeping the youth involvement and learning good horsemanship, healthy competition, and most importantly enjoying the game that so many of us have come to love.
I feel strongly about being active on the Board because I want to become more involved in youth and player development. Watching my own daughters participate in many different equine sports has made me appreciate the need for consistent emphasis on good horsemanship. I want to be involved in promoting good horsemanship for the APA for the players of tomorrow. I thank you for your consideration.
Tim Doust
Robbie Noiles
I have been playing polocrosse since 1990. I last served on the board in the mid-90’s. I wanted to run for Board Member at Large because I felt it was time to once again give back to the sport.
My priorities are as follows:
– We need to improve communication between the board and the members.
– We need to make sure that members feel that they are getting value from belonging to the APA and board members are getting value out of serving.
– I have been disappointed over the last few years by the state of the APA’s online presence. We need to make it impeccable.
– It is unfortunate that there is no real incentive for clubs to sanction tournaments and we need to change that.
– The APA needs to boost its membership.
These are the things on which I would concentrate. Thank you for your consideration.
CENTRAL ZONE REPRESENTATIVE: only Central Zone Seniors vote on this
Stephanie Shuttles
EASTERN ZONE REPRESENTATIVE: only Eastern Zone Seniors vote on this
Michele Lahr
Hello! For those of you who don’t know me, my daughter Kate and I are members of the Carolina Polocrosse Club. I am currently secretary of CPC and was tournament organizer for 2014 Carolina Classic in May. I have been involved in several CPC tournaments in the past years and was in charge of sponsorships, fundraising and vendors for the 2013 APA Nationals in Pinehurst. Over the years I have also been 4H group leader, Vice President of our 4H District Horse council as well as a member of the North Carolina 4H Horse Council.
I had the privilege of helping out with the YDT Quadrangular this summer in Alabama where I got to know several of our young APA members who ARE the future of our sport. I want to be a part of making this great sport fun, fair and safe for everyone. We have such a unique sport that promotes a community and family among our members and I want to keep that alive. Talking with several visitors to our tournament they were all so impressed with the family friendly atmosphere that I hope to keep that going strong. I feel that this aspect is the key for the zone to grow membership. As the youth members grow we need to keep that family atmosphere which encourages the parents to play as well. Offering E Grade at all our tournaments is a key to getting new members out on the field having fun.
The Eastern Zone is well represented this year in all USA teams from U16,U21 to World Cup we need to keep that strength going and encouraging members to participate in these programs. It is key for us as zone members to support those who have achieved these accomplishments in any way we can. Which in return encourages more members’ to participate in the future and represent the EZ on a national and international level.
I look forward to any input and ideas from members to make our zone even greater! I would love to have a larger base of members to participate.
Thank you,
Michele Lahr
If you would like a downloadable PDF of this entire post please click here.