Ahh Prairie Boy, there are "issues" in Canadian cylcing!!!!
The sport has NEVER been is such worse shape.
WHY?????
Because Bill Kinash is an idiot and he keeps hiring people to run the sport WHO HAVE ZERO CYCLING EXPERIENCE:
Kim Sebrango
Steve Lacelle
Lorraine Lafreniere.
NONE OF THEM knew anything about cycling and Kinash put them in charge. They all quit without accomplishing a damn thing. EXACTLY AS I SAID THEY WOULD!
Ridiculous.
FYI, The difference between the Evian Team and Symmetrics is that Evian had NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL sponsors and NATION-WIDE, MAINSTREAM recognition. Very few people outside the sport of cycling had any idea what Symmetrics was and what they were about. A couple Canadian Cyclist articles and a menton in VeloNews does not constitute mainstream recognition.
As for solutions and suggestions I offer them all the time.
Here :
Here is a short list of things that was posted many times.
Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2004 8:21 pm Post subject:
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What would I do about it? I have already outlined much of that elsewhere. I will do it again here.
1. I am ready and willing to handle the CCA's Marketing and Communications. I would have no problem working with Brett Stewart (current Interim Director General running to be the new Chief Operating Officer) and I do not think he would have a problem working with me. Having had to work under Hutsebaut is like having shared going to war together it brings people closer and creates a bond only those that were there can understand! They need only ask.
2. I would see to it that the CCA focused on domestic racing, all racing, and NOT send our best riders overseas to chase UCI points as was the case for the last ten years.
3. Short term that might mean a loss of Sport Canada funding so we would have to work to wean the CCA off the Sport Canada teat and find it corporate sponsors, in the same way Ski Canada, which used to get $5 million in sponsorship now gets $13 million. They get the same $1.2 million base from Sport Canada. The CCA now gets about $400,000 in sponsorship. How can skiing be 30 times more popular than cycling? I do not think it is more popular at all but even if it is, it surely is not 30 times more popular. The only difference is one person, Ski Canada has Ken Read (before Read they still had $4,000,000, more than the CCA). The CCA has left its Marketing Director job vacant for 21 months. How can you find sponsors if you refuse to even look? That is incompetence and negligence two stated reason for impeachment in the by-laws.
4. I would improve communications at the CCA and see to it that it trickled down to all those provincial associations who are not doing it properly. Quebec would be excluded since they regularly hold press conferences which are well attended and get good coverage.
4 a) simple thing, host a discussion forum on the CCA site to discuss future plans and get **** from people like you, instead of creating rumours and misinformation on sites like this.
5. I would work closer and more open channels to all the mainstream players in the media, picking the key reporters who like the sport and want to see it covered. This is not very difficult. There are only about a dozen key players to focus on across the country. I'm already on a first name basis with most of them.
I have spoken with the Sports Editor of The Leader Post in Regina, CCA President Bill Kinash's hometown. The Editor was not aware of Bill Kinash until I made mention of him. Twenty years of work with the Saskatchewan Cycling Association and his hometown doesn't have a clue who he is. How can you put that guy in charge of the sport nation-wide? The Editor there said "cycling is less than vibrant in SK". Sports Editors at most newspaper across the country already know who I am and respond to my calls and emails. Some have even come to post here, haven't they...
6. I would separate all Master National championships from Junior, Espoirs and Elite National Championship to focus on the young categories where development is needed if there is to be any future.
6. a) This should allow both championships to grow and make for better races for all categories. It creates another big sponsorship opportunity. It differentiates the groups and makes it easier to target the markets sponsors are looking for.
7. A well-sponsored national road series WITH NEW EVENTS would be a very high priority.
7 a) To know what well-sponsored was I would open up CCA financial statements and post them on-line, instead of keeping them a secret. The only reason to hide this information is because it is bad news and embarrassing. If the deals with Louis Garneau and Tim Hortons are poor we should know about it. It should not be hidden from us.
7 b) There should be at least one national road race in every province.
8. Cycling Tracks in downtown Montreal and Toronto would be very high priorities. Now that the CCA has this charitable foundation, I think I would use it to launch a dedicated fund aimed only at build a velodrome. I would consider the possibility of asking for a surcharge on each and every racing license in the country until there was enough money. There could be a cycling referendum on it. That’s what we did as students at McGill to build the new sports complex. For years while I attended McGill I paid into this a fund each semester like all other students to get the new field house built. I have never stepped into the place but I paid five bucks every course or every semester like everybody else until they had enough to launch the project. Some corporate donors matched the funding.
9. Sales of CCA promotional item across the country via Internet and better bike shops would be undertaken.
9 a) Create a list of "CCA-Approved Bike Shops" nation-wide to sell CCA promotional stuff and to let licensed riders get small discounts and know which shops are racing-friendly (ie they sponsor riders, teams, or events)
10. I would re-instate an Official National Criterium Championship for Juniors, Espoirs and Elite (men and women), another important marketing opportunity.
11. I would eliminate Master A and add more riders to the Elite field or find a way to incorporate them into Elite field. More riders, better show.
12 I would seek to bring back into the sport all those people with great experience and much knowledge that Pierre Hutsebaut and Brian Jolly have so ****** off that they have left or will have nothing to do with the sport. I’m thinking of guys like Mirek Mazur and others.
13. Present a full slate of qualified candidates for every position that will be open at the next CCA Annual General Meeting. Announce these candidates to the general public not just Provincial Presidents far in advance of the AGM. Have the candidates agree to work with one another on a platform that will have been presented openly and publicly and discussed beforehand with the cycling community on forums like this
13 a) Make the delegates who vote at the AGM public and accountable so their provincial constituents know what they done in their name.
That’s a good start.
The sport has NEVER been is such worse shape.
WHY?????
Because Bill Kinash is an idiot and he keeps hiring people to run the sport WHO HAVE ZERO CYCLING EXPERIENCE:
Kim Sebrango
Steve Lacelle
Lorraine Lafreniere.
NONE OF THEM knew anything about cycling and Kinash put them in charge. They all quit without accomplishing a damn thing. EXACTLY AS I SAID THEY WOULD!
Ridiculous.
FYI, The difference between the Evian Team and Symmetrics is that Evian had NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL sponsors and NATION-WIDE, MAINSTREAM recognition. Very few people outside the sport of cycling had any idea what Symmetrics was and what they were about. A couple Canadian Cyclist articles and a menton in VeloNews does not constitute mainstream recognition.
As for solutions and suggestions I offer them all the time.
Here :
Here is a short list of things that was posted many times.
Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2004 8:21 pm Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What would I do about it? I have already outlined much of that elsewhere. I will do it again here.
1. I am ready and willing to handle the CCA's Marketing and Communications. I would have no problem working with Brett Stewart (current Interim Director General running to be the new Chief Operating Officer) and I do not think he would have a problem working with me. Having had to work under Hutsebaut is like having shared going to war together it brings people closer and creates a bond only those that were there can understand! They need only ask.
2. I would see to it that the CCA focused on domestic racing, all racing, and NOT send our best riders overseas to chase UCI points as was the case for the last ten years.
3. Short term that might mean a loss of Sport Canada funding so we would have to work to wean the CCA off the Sport Canada teat and find it corporate sponsors, in the same way Ski Canada, which used to get $5 million in sponsorship now gets $13 million. They get the same $1.2 million base from Sport Canada. The CCA now gets about $400,000 in sponsorship. How can skiing be 30 times more popular than cycling? I do not think it is more popular at all but even if it is, it surely is not 30 times more popular. The only difference is one person, Ski Canada has Ken Read (before Read they still had $4,000,000, more than the CCA). The CCA has left its Marketing Director job vacant for 21 months. How can you find sponsors if you refuse to even look? That is incompetence and negligence two stated reason for impeachment in the by-laws.
4. I would improve communications at the CCA and see to it that it trickled down to all those provincial associations who are not doing it properly. Quebec would be excluded since they regularly hold press conferences which are well attended and get good coverage.
4 a) simple thing, host a discussion forum on the CCA site to discuss future plans and get **** from people like you, instead of creating rumours and misinformation on sites like this.
5. I would work closer and more open channels to all the mainstream players in the media, picking the key reporters who like the sport and want to see it covered. This is not very difficult. There are only about a dozen key players to focus on across the country. I'm already on a first name basis with most of them.
I have spoken with the Sports Editor of The Leader Post in Regina, CCA President Bill Kinash's hometown. The Editor was not aware of Bill Kinash until I made mention of him. Twenty years of work with the Saskatchewan Cycling Association and his hometown doesn't have a clue who he is. How can you put that guy in charge of the sport nation-wide? The Editor there said "cycling is less than vibrant in SK". Sports Editors at most newspaper across the country already know who I am and respond to my calls and emails. Some have even come to post here, haven't they...
6. I would separate all Master National championships from Junior, Espoirs and Elite National Championship to focus on the young categories where development is needed if there is to be any future.
6. a) This should allow both championships to grow and make for better races for all categories. It creates another big sponsorship opportunity. It differentiates the groups and makes it easier to target the markets sponsors are looking for.
7. A well-sponsored national road series WITH NEW EVENTS would be a very high priority.
7 a) To know what well-sponsored was I would open up CCA financial statements and post them on-line, instead of keeping them a secret. The only reason to hide this information is because it is bad news and embarrassing. If the deals with Louis Garneau and Tim Hortons are poor we should know about it. It should not be hidden from us.
7 b) There should be at least one national road race in every province.
8. Cycling Tracks in downtown Montreal and Toronto would be very high priorities. Now that the CCA has this charitable foundation, I think I would use it to launch a dedicated fund aimed only at build a velodrome. I would consider the possibility of asking for a surcharge on each and every racing license in the country until there was enough money. There could be a cycling referendum on it. That’s what we did as students at McGill to build the new sports complex. For years while I attended McGill I paid into this a fund each semester like all other students to get the new field house built. I have never stepped into the place but I paid five bucks every course or every semester like everybody else until they had enough to launch the project. Some corporate donors matched the funding.
9. Sales of CCA promotional item across the country via Internet and better bike shops would be undertaken.
9 a) Create a list of "CCA-Approved Bike Shops" nation-wide to sell CCA promotional stuff and to let licensed riders get small discounts and know which shops are racing-friendly (ie they sponsor riders, teams, or events)
10. I would re-instate an Official National Criterium Championship for Juniors, Espoirs and Elite (men and women), another important marketing opportunity.
11. I would eliminate Master A and add more riders to the Elite field or find a way to incorporate them into Elite field. More riders, better show.
12 I would seek to bring back into the sport all those people with great experience and much knowledge that Pierre Hutsebaut and Brian Jolly have so ****** off that they have left or will have nothing to do with the sport. I’m thinking of guys like Mirek Mazur and others.
13. Present a full slate of qualified candidates for every position that will be open at the next CCA Annual General Meeting. Announce these candidates to the general public not just Provincial Presidents far in advance of the AGM. Have the candidates agree to work with one another on a platform that will have been presented openly and publicly and discussed beforehand with the cycling community on forums like this
13 a) Make the delegates who vote at the AGM public and accountable so their provincial constituents know what they done in their name.
That’s a good start.
