It is hard to believe but the start of the 2005 Southern winter is only a matter of weeks away, with all the resorts now in final phases of preparation. Our athletes have had some time to rest after a hectic Northern winter, but it is now only 8 months until the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. The past month has seen the successful staging of the 2005 Ski & Snowboard Awards, plus the inaugural SSA Discipline conference. A full report is available on the website. The next few weeks represents a busy period for SSA with the new membership & registration system launch, the 11th Annual General Meeting in Sydney, and the continuation of the Constitutional Review process. This edition of the E-News touches on some of these issues.

11th Annual General Meeting of Ski & Snowboard Australia As you would no doubt be aware, the 11th AGM of Ski & Snowboard Australia is taking place next Monday 30th May in Sydney. The official notice of meeting and the annual financial report can all be found at the SSA website. For those members unable to attend in person it is important that you complete a proxy form to ensure you have your say at the AGM All information including proxy forms can be found here

Membership & Registration The new online membership & registration system is all set to go, and will no doubt be a far more efficient and accurate process going forward. The system will be officially launched next week, with revised membership prices requiring approval at the AGM prior to becoming available online. The new system will provide a “one stop shop” for all athletes needs including membership, discipline registration and FIS licensing all with the click of a button. You will be able to view your current status and update your own contact information should they change. All existing SSA members and registered competitors will receive a letter in the mail next week outlining the benefits of the new online system along with a username and password so that each individual can log on to the system to review and update their details. As with all new systems there are bound to be some teething problems, however we are committed to ensuring that future membership and registration will be as easy and user friendly as possible. In view of the postponement of SSA’s 2003/2004 annual general meeting to May 30th, 2005 the membership year has been extended to May 31st.

Alpine Skiing FIS Registration Extended to end June Due to the delay in the release of the online registration system, we have decided to extend the deadline for Alpine Skiing FIS registration to 30th June 2005. The deadline for FIS registration is traditionally the end of May. Further details will be made available in the letter sent to existing FIS registered athletes informing them of the new registration process.

Ski & Snowboard Australia Constitutional Review The Australian Sports Commission sponsored constitutional review of Ski & Snowboard Australia has moved into the second phase, with questionnaires received back from many sectors of the snow sports industry. It is important to reiterate that the process undertaken by SSA in partnership with the ASC is a review of the sports governance structure in terms of its members and to whom it is accountable. The steering committee have met on several occasions, and last week spent 5 hours considering the responses to the questionnaires and developing a strategy on how best to proceed towards a final recommendation in August. The process is designed to be as transparent and inclusive as possible. The meeting results and timetable are available on the SSA website (click here) and ongoing input and involvement from the entire snow sports community is welcomed. The process moves into a face to face interview stage with those that completed the questionnaires now invited to discuss their submission with the steering committee.

Public Liability Insurance There has been a great deal of discussion in recent weeks regarding an alternate public liability insurance product that has become available via the State Associations. SSA have now had an opportunity to review the alternative Liability facility put to existing SSA insured clubs/organisations this year. The Liability section of the alternate facility is underwritten by SLE, who had been the insurer for Ski & Snowboard Australia (SSA) up until 2003. However, SSA moved the policy to our current Sportscover facility in 2003 after a superior package was offered by them and SLE were unable to provide several critical components of our snowsport cover requirements. SLE has been offered the opportunity to provide terms to SSA each year and did so again this year. We believe the current Ski & Snowboard Australia Sportscover package deserves the continued support of the SSA and industry members for the following reasons:   The policy wordings have been modified to our requirements ie. Refined participant to participant wording to provide increased cover for volunteers and officials at club/association events Sportscover has demonstrated they can provide a complete solution to our industry requirements; The package provided includes Liability, Professional Indemnity, Directors & Officers and optional personal accident covers all through the one supplier They have been able to extend cover for overseas camps as required We only need to remember a few years back how volatile the insurance industry can be. By showing commitment to our snow sport industry insurer we can reduce our exposures to dramatic market moves both now and in the future - our strength is as a united industry group. We have asked clubs to consider this information when deciding where to renew your insurances this year. On the basis of this information the premiums as quoted either by invoice or as determined by the application form remain true. For further information on the SSA policy please go to: http://www.skiandsnowboard.org.au/public_liability_insurance.asp To the many clubs/organisations that have already renewed for 2005 we thank you for your ongoing support and we will endeavour to send certificates of currency ASAP.