Message from TA Executive & Players Committee Meeting
News from the Rock
To the Team America Players and Members,
Well,
we are back from Bermuda and no question about it, we were out before
we were in… There is a reason why the only way in or out of the rock
goes by the Swizzle Inn! The Canadians found out the hard way. Getting
Sizzled at the Swizzle and having to pay your dues at either the rookie
show or kangaroo court was just a mandatory function of the trip. Thank
God we made it through the Bermuda triangle!
I’d like to send
out a very special recognition to the wives and children who were in
attendance in Bermuda. Having family in Bermuda brought a positive
perspective of what Team America is all about and that message is
family – united together to bring victory on and off the field!
I
also thought it would be appropriate to have Tony Flay attach his
Captain’s message that reviews our play on the field. You will find it
below this message.
We will have a number of new changes for 2006. Most notably, Jeff Lombard’s resignation as Manager of Team America.
Jeff,
On
behalf of all of Team America we thank you for your 17 years of
dedication and we all realize that without your wife’s patience and
understanding it would have been a difficult task to accomplish. Having
to juggle your own schedule and also manage Team America would have
been so much more difficult without Dee Dee’s help. So thank her as
well, and may God bless you and your beautiful wife for having such a
wonderful attitude towards life and the game of Rugby. It will not be
forgotten! Thanks again, Jeff!
Here are the notes from our Annual Committee Meeting:
Our
annual Players/Executive Committee was held Tuesday November 8th at the
Elbow Beach Hotel. In attendance were Mika McLeod, Tim Kluempers, Scott
Bracken, Tony Flay and myself. It’s important to note that the
President only has a vote if the vote is deadlocked by the Players
Committee. George Sucher and Mark Williams did not travel to Bermuda
for personal reasons. The meeting opened with the discussion of Jeff
Lombard’s resignation and it was decided that we would start searching
for candidates for a new Team Manager. This new replacement will be
named by the end of December 2005. Second item, two members have been
voted off the Players Committee and one new member was voted in --Andre
Bachelet. The 2006 Players Committee will consist of Mika, Scott, Tim,
Tony and Andre Bachelet as the new captain to replace Mark Williams.
One additional Players Committee member will be named before the end of
2005.
As most of you know Hurricane Katrina devastated parts
of the south and most notably New Orleans. Gary Giepert, our Team
America Treasurer, lives in New Orleans and was tragically affected by
Katrina. He has tried to continue providing the support for TA – but
unfortunately will be unable to continue his duties and is resigning
his position as Treasurer of TA. Thanks Gary for all of your help in
2005. Our prayers are with you and your family!
The changes to the executive committee will be as follows:
Jeff Lombard as the new Vice President/ Secretary, Bo Buck as the new
Director of Marketing, and John Jelaco continuing as President and
taking over the Treasurer’s duties. Jeff’s duties will include managing
all venues and scheduling of events, while assisting Bo Buck on the
marketing end.
After these decisions were made the meeting was closed.
Team
America would also like to extend our appreciation to our friends and
sponsors who have made our existence possible. Without them, Team
America would not be able to assemble our best players to represent TA.
Our sponsors include Scott Carmilani at AWAC, Nexus Managers, Jeff
Lombard at International Athletic, Liz Casey, Vaughn Harris, Tom
Cheranack, Bob Erwin, Virtual Spectators, RW Smith, Unlimited DSM,
Investors Guaranty, A.W. Flay Tree Surgeon, Hancock Builders, Golden
Eagle Express, Inc. and All Valley Home & Health. Special
recognition goes to Terri Flay for her hard work in providing marketing
support.
Looking forward to 2006!
God Bless,
John Jelaco
President Team America
-------------------------------------
From Tony Flay, 2005 Captain/Bermuda
Mates,
It
was a pleasure being in Bermuda with you all this year, especially
playing. First time players did a great job. It’s always a tough
campaign but we progressed as the week went by and fought valiantly to
the bitter end. The French defeat, I overheard was the game of the
Tourney, 10 tries scored. Not too shabby! That’s all history now or a
blur, as we move forward in our daily lives.
On a whole, a
good foundation was laid with the new boys. Fitness was good, a good
positive feel and look for our new Team. In closing I would like to
thank Jeff Lombard and John Jelaco for their time and effort that they
put in this year to make this happen. Also it was really good to see so
many wives (with children) and girlfriends in Bermuda. That support is
fantastic and sincerely welcomed.
Let’s build on this year!
Hope to see you all next year. Get those surveys back to Bracken. It’s
important to get some feedback so we can improve on the program. And
remember the battle is always worth fighting for…
Have a great Thanksgiving and an even better Christmas holiday.
Godspeed,
AW
LOCATION: Elbow Beach Hotel
CONTACT: John Jelaco, tlay@comcast.net, PHONE: 909.282.7040
