Ghost Notes
November 8, 2005

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and not far behind it is Christmas. And one short week beyond lies the new year. Where has the time gone? Another year is almost past. The stores have their Christmas shops going full blast. The kids are finalizing their wish lists. Seems to be happening earlier and earlier each year.

But we are approaching the time of the year where we all give thanks for the many blessings we have in our lives. For no matter what our individual problems or hardships may be, we don't have to look very far to find someone not as fortunate as ourselves. Our health, our families and our friends are the riches that we should most treasure. And what we should all realize is that we are all part of an extended family, a family of skaters, coaches and others involved in our sport. And although, like all families, we may have our differences, we all share the same love of our sport. And this love goes beyond the years. Some of us are very new to this sport while some have been around for many years. But we all share the same bond. And we all want skating to once again flourish as a major sport as it should.

The anxiety over the possible Regional mergers has settled with the announcement that the Regional structure will remain the same, atleast for this year. And YOU were responsible for saving it. It was the organized effort of those people in the Eastern and Northeastern Regions who let it be known that they would no longer be ignored. What will the new year bring?

We have it in our power to determine our own destiny. We can no longer blame someone else for the problems of Roller Skating. We can no longer point the finger at "the other guy" and look the other way when things go badly. We can no longer wait for someone else to take care of our business, our futures!

So, what do YOU think is the proper course of action at this point? We've given you our opinion on what needs to be done. We could not have made it more clear. There should be no doubt whatsoever where we stand.

Now I'd like to hear where you stand. I'd like you to tell me exactly how you feel about our sport. Where should we go from hear? What should we do to fix the problems we face in the future? Or perhaps you feel that everything is fine now and things will get better on their own?

Is there more that Skateghost.com can do?

What do you want from us at this point in time? We have ALWAYS aggressively sought out your opinions, suggestions and especially your criticisms. And I would like to hear them now.

Many of you told us here at Skateghost that you have been dissatisfied with the state of affairs in Roller Skating for many years. Others have written in and said that for the first time that you finally understand what has been going on behind the smoke and mirrors. But now the age of innocence is over. Now there can be no more excuses.

Many of you wrote in and asked how can we make the changes that we need to make. We gave you a plan in the "Proposal For Change" and asked you for your help and comments. Many of you wrote back and sent in wonderful suggestions. We listened to you and offered the clarifications that were published on the web site. For the first time in the history of this sport there was a published plan for the restructure of the controlling entity of this sport that was designed by the people most effected by its success.. YOU!

Finally, back on July 28th we posted the "Alternate Proposal" which outlined the steps that must be taken within each region to get the process moving. Its all there. Its clear, its concise, it provides FULL representation for every aspect of this sport including Speed, Artistic and Hockey. It gives you grass roots control of your own destiny.

There are questions contained in this plan that need to be asked and answered. Why haven't these questions been asked years ago? We are no longer afraid to ask them and now we want the answers and in detail, not just in summary reports and vague pie charts.

You will have to decide to stand up for yourself and your own future as a skater, a coach or a judge. Each of you has a stake in the future of Roller Skating in this country. We ask you operators out there to join with us. We can't survive without you. It was you who once built the most powerful skater producing machine in the history of roller sports around the world. We want to help you in any and every way we can to make club skating a dependable and profitable part of your business once again. If we work together, as partners, we can be a very formidable team.

Each of us has a choice that we now must make. We can't put it off any longer. As they say "Time and tide wait for no man..". If you chose to stand up and take responsibility for your own destiny then you CAN make a difference, WE can make a difference, together. Or you can sit back and wait while circumstances and other people make your decisions for you. You can dance to the music of the Titanic's band as the water rises up the deck. But make no mistake about it, it's a decision each of us can no longer ignore. We can't point the finger of blame on anyone else but that person staring back at us in the mirror each morning. Because if we do nothing now, if we just sit back and hope that someone else will do the hard work for us, then we have met the enemy and he is US!

Those who do nothing relinquish all right to complain about ANYTHING in the future. Because you have a chance now to make things right. And it's the last chance.

So, I'm asking all of you out there to write in and tell me what you think of the current state of our sport.

1.) Are we better off now then we were 5 years ago?

2.) Will we be better off 5 years from now under the present structure?

3.) Will you still be involved in our sport 2 years from now, 5 years from now? If not then why not?

What do YOU suggest that we do at this point?

What are YOU willing to do to save this sport?

I'm looking forward to hearing from each and every one of you. Please remember that we are all in this together.

The Ghost

 

Subject: Board of Directors composition

Hello, Ghost:

I read the "re-structure" of the Board ..... not bad. It gets everyone involved, which is good, and about time. Just two points:

As to the terms, well, that is something that will probably work itself out as time goes one, but let's get away from ..... no, make it impossible for anyone to be a LIFETIME member!

And speaking of lifetime members, what about Jim and Gary and their relationship to FIRS and CIPA and just being 're-elected" to another 4 years: 4 years of doing what?

Here I have to admit to ignorance as to their "jobs" ... "responsibility" .... "contribution" ..... and just what it is that they do? How have they helped the sport? What exactly is it that they do that no one else can be chosen for? Who selected them? Why them? Who had the voice in the selection process? And isn't it obvious that after 40+ years with the sport declining at an alarming rate, they have not made any significant change? How has the sport benefited from their being in THOSE positions? Perhaps you can enlighten me?

Regards,
Robert Campione

New York