From your President

Hey Gators,

 

Welcome to April’s Gator Tales, which over the last several months has undergone a remarkable and unbelievable improvement. Our monthly publication has gone from an eight page newsletter to a fourteen page small magazine replete with photographs, stories, flyers of upcoming events and is far more reader engaging. This dramatic change is all due to the phenomenal dedication, untiring energy and hard hard work of Sharon Long. Thank you Sharon!

             April is election time for our club where you, the membership, determine the future of your club. This year we are faced with one very important decision and that is a By Law Amendment which would eliminate the free ski trips for the Board of Directors and reduce the board benefit to a Flat $500 trip discount for all board members with the exception of the President, Past President and Member at Large.  The President and Past President and Member at Large would receive absolutely no discount or benefit thus returning some $10,000 to the club. I might also add that all board benefits and discounts had been returned to the club by the current board other than $860. These additional funds have been and would be used for providing food at the monthly membership meetings, to reduce membership costs to attend Gator parties and to provide other membership benefits.

            Remember, Gator By Laws require that you to vote in person at the April 10, 2014 membership meeting at the North Palm Beach Country Club for the By Law Amendment. Thus we need a quorum to pass this modification. So plan on attending the meeting not only to vote but to enjoy the food, music dancing, which has transformed our monthly meetings to a monthly party.

 

So that’s why I say, it’s not just good to be a Gator, it’s GREAT TO BE A GATOR.

                                                                                                           

Warmest Regards,

Rich Wennet, President

Hey Gators,

 

Congratulations to the Gator Race Team and its Captain Rich Ruvido for beating big bad Tampa Ski Club with over 1,800 members, who won the race for the last 3 years and bringing home the “Florida Cup” at the Florida Ski Council Snowmass Trip. Everett Barber and Cheryl Barnes led 62 Gators, many of whom raced, on a trip filled with skiing, parties, dancing and a whole lot of excitement. Thank you Everett and Cheryl! Later in February Chris McArdle led an outstanding trip of some 54 Gators to Keystone which may have been short on frills but very long on fun. Thank you Chris! The Park City Trip of some 42 Gators under the august tutelage of Marie York and Kathy Salata had an absolute blast of more parties, more skiing and even more fun. Which rounds out the ski trips for the month of February. Thank you Marie and Kathy!

 

While the Gators may be a Ski Club, we also are a WHOLE LOT MORE!!! Our ski program encompasses 5 to 6 trips per year over a period of about 4 months. With something over 200 skiers involved. However our ski program is only part of the Gator annual activities. When we are not skiing Gators enjoy weekly happy hours, 1 to 2 bike rides a month, weekend trips to Disney World, The Daytona 500 races, River Ranch, Grant Seafood Festival, Golf Outings, Snorkel/Beach Events and much much more. Further, Gators love a party and golly gee do we have parties. There is The Membership Party and The Halloween Night Party and The Las Vegas Party and Luau Party and The Holiday Party and The Valentine’s Day Party and the Ski Extravaganza Party and The Lobster Feast and The Country Western Dance Party and The Blue Jean Night Out Party and The Monthly Membership Meeting Parties and a whole lot more parties that I just can’t remember.

 

Lastly, we can’t forget the amazing trips to The Grand Canyon or A Taste of Italy or The California Wine Tour. So we are not only a Ski Club we are a great deal more. There are plenty of events, parties, excursions and trips for both the skier and non-skier alike to have an absolute blast!! So if you like to have fun get involved, lead a trip, help with a party and enjoy your club. I would be remise if I did not single out the unbelievable work and effort that Betty Williams our Vice President for Socials has contributed over the year which includes opening her home to all Gators and providing food, entertainment, drinks and decorations at various parties at her own expense. She truly has gone above and beyond the call of duty.  At the just past Valentine’s Day Party she cooked all of the lasagna, prepared all of the salads, prepared all of the fruit and prepared all of the decorations. THANK YOU, THANK YOU BETTY.

 

So that’s why I say, it’s not just good to be a Gator, it’s GREAT TO BE A GATOR.

                                                                                                           

Warmest Regards,

Rich Wennet, President

 Hey, All You Gators!

 

            Welcome to February and besides being the time of year to ski down snow covered mountains and party at awesome mountain resorts, it is also the time we begin the election process for the Board of Directors and By-Law Amendments.

 

By-Law Amendment

 

            At the April 10, 2014 Membership Meeting you will have an opportunity to vote for a By-Law Amendment which will substantially reduce or in some cases eliminate the one “Free Trip” per year provided to the Club Officers and Directors by you, the Membership.

 

            Your Board of Directors has proposed an amendment which will terminate the “Free Trips”, currently valued at approximately $1,630.00 per person for the Executive Committee and $815.00 for appointed Directors, to a flat $500.00 trip discount per Board Member with the President, Past President and Member at Large to receive nothing.  By passing this Amendment the club will save approximately $10,000.00 per year to use for the benefit of the Membership.  Please go to the Gator website or the Gator Tales Newsletter to read the Amendment in full.

 

Board of Directors

 

At the February 13^th and March 13^th membership meetings at the North Palm Beach Country Club, we will have nominations for the Board of Directors with the actual Election taking place at the April 10^th Membership Meeting.  To be nominated to the Board of Directors, one must be a member in good standing and have been a Gator for the past two consecutive years.  For President, it is 3 consecutive years.  You also must be willing to work a minimum of 2-3 hours a week on Gator business, depending on the position.  Some current Board Members such as the Communications Director (website/webmaster), V.P. of Trips and Treasurer work much longer hours.  So if you have the time, the computer skills, the desire to work hard and take a leadership role in making the club better, now is your chance to act.

 

If you do not have the time or inclination to run for office, there are still plenty of opportunities to become a Trip Leader, Assistant Trip Leader or to take part in the Social Committee that plans and organizes all social events and parties (the Social Committee meets the second Monday of each month at Tall Tales Restaurant located inside of Gander Mountain – 6pm Happy Hour and 7pm Meeting) or lead a bike ride or just have fun at one of the many events.

 

Lastly be sure to come to the February 13^th Membership Meeting at the North Palm Beach Country Club for a Taco Party complete with music.

 

It’s Good to be a Gator!!!

 

Warmest regards,

 

Rich Wennet

January President’s Message

 

Happy New Year’s Gators!!

 

I would like to begin this New Year’s message on a personal note. Most Gators know that the bylaws provide each board member with a free ski trip worth an excess of $1600 which the rest of the members pay for. This means that we pay approximately $13,220 per year to the Board of Directors for their service. I wish to inform you that for the first time since this “benefit” was established the board has voluntarily chosen to decline all or part of this “benefit” and return over $9,100 to the membership. These funds have been used to pay for the annual Holiday Party, providing food at our monthly membership meetings, and for other Gator activities. I want to commend and thank the Board for their generosity. It may very well be that this Board will recommend a bylaw change to substantially reduce or eliminate this Board “benefit” and return the funds back to the members of the club. You may very well see this option on the ballot at the election meeting in April.

 

On to the news. Before I get to the New Year I would be remise if I did not spend a little time on the year that has just transpired; and what a fantastic year it was!!

 

Have you seen the December Gator Tales Newsletter, all 19 pages? (Courtesy of Sharon Long) If not please print a copy of it as I did. It is replete with photographs of all past events, detailed information of all future ski trips and activities, a list of our 32 new members since last month,  a guide for the use of our spectacular new website (Courtesy of Estela Basso) and a host of other neat material to keep you up to Gator Speed.

 

Did you miss the Holiday Party? If you did then you lost out on one heck of a party (Courtesy of Evie Houston, Connie Flow, and Betty Williams). Almost 1/3 of the entire membership of the club, 110 people, enjoyed cocktails, a sumptuous feast, and dancing into the wee hours to the music of an awesome DJ. I could go on and on about last year but that’s enough about the past.

 

Let’s talk about 2014 and what a stellar Gator year it will be. Our ski trips will be some of the best we have had in years. Our Happy Hours will be simply superb. Our special events will be the funnest. Our socials will be the most outstanding. And our members will be the happiest. If you really want to enjoy the club get involved and volunteer to be a trip leader or come to the social committee meeting on the 2^nd Monday (new date) of every month at 7pm at Gander Mountain. Get involved and get happy.

 

How about a 14 day trip to Italy including Naples, Rome, Florence, Venice, the wine country and so much more. The trip of a lifetime. Don’t miss this extravaganza and we need a trip leader to serve without compensation to reduce the cost of the trip so more Gators can afford it. Well that’s enough for now.

IT’S GOOD TO BE A GATOR.

 

                                                                                                           

Warmest Regards,

Rich Wennet, President

December President’s Message

Hey Gators,

 

It may be warm and toasty in the sunshine state but “thars snow in them there hills”, which is music to the ears of  27 fortunate Gators and trip leaders John and Gail Paglialungo, who will be leaving for Vail as you read this. Yes, they will be doing what Gators do best and that is having fun.

 

Talking about having fun, some 48 Gators (including yours truly) had an absolute blast at River Ranch. From two awesome parties with wine, beer, food and 500 yes I said 500 jello shots, to a hayride, to a barbeque dinner, to a real rodeo complete with bull riding (unbelievable to see a cowboy ride a 1500 lb bull and the dismount is a sight to behold), to line dancing, to Cowboy hats, all courtesy of the time, work and effort of trip leaders Sharon Long and Walter Marussich.

 

Special thanks go out to:

• 1)      Ben Smith for all the (leisure) bike rides and I understand the Abacoa and Okeeheelee rides were superb.
• 2)      Randy Czapkewicz for being the semi-official Gator Photographer.
• 3)      Ward Cotthaus for all you do.
• 4)      Allen Trefry for providing a warm welcome complete with kisses (Hersey’s) at all membership meetings.
• 5)      Allan and Peggy King for never missing a Happy Hour.

 

Congratulations are in order for Karl Taylor and Denise Fecht who were recently married and are now the fastest Husband and Wife on the Mountain.

 

News Flash!  I have just been informed that there are now 32 New Gators since October 1^st. They include Doctors, Nurses, Retired People (like me), Lawyers, a Dentist, a Fire Captain, and an International Playboy. Welcome one, welcome all to Party Central!

 

On a far more somber note our thoughts and prayers go out to Marie York on the passing of her nephew.

 

Lastly I look forward to seeing everyone at our Holiday Party on Wednesday, December 4th, 2013 at the North Palm Beach Country Club which will take the place of our regular meeting.

 

Let me wish everyone a Joyous Holiday Season and a Blessed New Year.

 

                                                                                                           

Warmest Regards,

Rich Wennet, President

Hey Gators! It’s November and it is that beautiful month when the weather starts to moderate and the heat is behind us. It is also the time when the snow starts falling out west and our thoughts turn to skiing, assuming you didn’t begin thinking about the mountains as soon as you returned home from your last trip. Well don’t miss out! Keystone is sold out. By the time you read this, Beaver Creek may be filled, but there still is Vail, Snowmass and Park City. The easiest way to sign up is to go on our website; however the funnest option is to attend The Big Hot Dog Dance Party at the November 14^th membership meeting. For those of you who haven’t attended a membership meeting in the last few m months, you are in for a surprise. Last month was a no cost Taco Dance Party the month before was a Pizza Party and this month will be dancing, drinking, awesome free raffle prizes, a ski swap shop, and hot dogs with chili, salsa or cheese. Further we have been averaging 80-90 Gators at these parties (meetings) so don’t sit home and watch reruns of Honey Boo Boo or Dumb & Dumber – come out and party like a Rock  (Star) Gator!

Talking about partying, I hope you didn’t miss Betty William’s spectacular Halloween Party. I left at 12:30 am and there were still people in the pool and hot tub. I also hope you have your tickets for the Lobster Fest, and the River Ranch (50 people) Weekend, and the Disney Trip, and the Daytona Speedway Weekend, and the Holiday Party, and the Bike Trips, and the Wine Tasting, and the Happy Hours and all the other fun events the club has to offer.

We joined the Gators to have lots of Happy Times with lots of Happy People so go on the web site and/or attend the meetings and sign up. Life is just too short to stay home and watch TV. Come on out and play! It’s great to be a Gator!

                                                                                                                                                                Warmest Regards,

                                                                                                                                                                 Rich Wennet
                                                                                                                                                           President

October 2013 – President’s Message

 

Hey Gators, Happy October! But before we leave September, let me tell you what a great month it has been!

            Let’s start with the absolutely fabulous Gator Snow Gala held at the awesome, glass enclosed, West Palm Beach Pavilion.  Delicious food was provided by Bradley’s, there were drinks and a whole lot of dancing.  Over 150 members and guests attended the Gala, which resulted in 16 new members. Yes, I said sixteen!! This spectacular event was planned, coordinated and executed by Sheri Agnew, V.P. of Skiing and her committee, who devoted countless hours of work to make it the resounding success it was.  Further, the gala was free to all attendees, compliments of Vail Resorts ($2000) and Sports America ($500), whose contributions were obtained by Sheri.

            If you didn’t attend the September Member Meeting, at the North Palm Beach County Club, then you missed a pizza party!  The board of directors has decided to change the format from Business Meetings to Parties, where you can still sign up for all ski trips and events, but with little talk and lots of fun.  This month will be a taco party with music! See you there!

            I am sure you have seen our awesome new web site courtesy of Estela Basso and Sharon Giannotti.  Let me give you a report on how well it is doing.  In August we has 15,048 page reviews, 1,854 visits and 743 unique visitors; some from as far away as France, Mexico, Argentina, Japan, Peru, Switzerland and Germany, with an average of 8 pages per visit and a visit duration of 6 minutes!! Unbelievable!!

            Let me apologize for the spate of negative, nasty, untrue and accusatory emails that many of you have been receiving. These derogatory messages come from a very small group of unhappy people who seem bent on hurting the club.  I intend to ask your board to take action so we can be the happy, fun loving club that we joined, without further acrimony and discord.

            This month is full of fun events and happy hours, all of which are contained in the following pages. So read on and don’t forget the lobster feast.

            See you there!

            It’s good to be a Gator!

            Warmest regards,

 

 

            Rich Wennet

            President

 

Hey kids, do you know what time it is?

You are really old if you remember the answer: “Its Howdy Doody Time”  from the hit children’s TV show circa 1948-1959.Well  seriously it is time for another great Gator month complete with a wide array of social activities, parties, happy hours and lots of fun! Let me give you a preview of what is in store for you in the coming months.

Let us begin with our own Sheri Agnew, VP of Ski Trips, Queen of the Mountains, Princes of the Slopes, and Creator of Our 2013 Snow Gala, to be held on Saturday, September 7 at the world famous West Palm Beach Pavilion complete with food, drinks and music. Don’t miss this great ski season kick-off party.

Next up is our Labor Day Golf weekend extravaganza at the beautiful Spring Lake Resort in Sebring outside of Orlando. This awesome trip should be returning shortly after this letter and the edition of Gator Tales is published. I hope you did not miss the fun.

Are you ready for another fantastic long weekend get-away? Well, how about golf, fishing, horseback riding, swamp buggy rides, hayrides, a rodeo, line dancing… If so then the Westgate River Ranch is your kind of place. And I am not quite through. We also have excursions planned to Disney World in Halloween and a trip to the Daytona 500. Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

I hope no one missed the Happy Hours at the Pampas Grille, or at Tall Tales in Gander Mountain or at swinging Rocco’s Tacos because if you did, you missed a whole lot of happy hours with your friends.

And last but certainly not least the snorkel trip at high tide under the Blue Heron Bridge, led by Poseidon himself aka Ben Smith, was simply spectacular.

So look at the All Events Calendar and/or inside the Gator Tales for all the trips and events so you don’t miss out on all the fun. It certainly is good to be a Gator!

Warmest Regards;

Rich Wennet

Hey Gators!

Welcome to August, which many Floridians consider the hottest month of the year, but you have never seen hot until you go online and take a gander at our new website.  It is smoking hot with a whole new design, new photos, new colors, new topics, new everything – and who are the two wizards of design, the two masters of the internet universe, the two ultimate commanders of the web world?  They are none other than our own brilliant, bold and beautiful Gatorettes, Estela Basso and Sharon Giannotti.  Congratulations on a stellar piece of work and a hearty well done on behalf of all Gators!!

Have you ever heard the saying, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”?  That is true for a name.  Many of you have responded to our online survey concerning a name change but many of you have not.  Please go online and tell us what you think.

One of the most important issues that the Club now faces is that although we have had accountants to guide us and filed IRS Form 990T, we have been notified that we failed to file the regular Form 990 for the years 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.  Accordingly, the IRS has revoked our not-for-profit status, which is not a good thing.  We have hired a CPA to have our not-for-profit status reinstated.  For any of you who are familiar with the IRS, you know this will not happen overnight.  It is most important to retain our not-for-profit status for the health of our Club. If it is not reinstated we may be obligated to charge sales taxes, obtain multiple business licenses and pay taxes.   For additional information and details, please see the report of our hard working Treasurer Walter Marussich in this issue. 

It is good to be a Gator!

 

Warmest Regards,

Rich Wennet, President

Hey, Gators! Happy 237th BirthDay!


Yes, on July 4th it will be 237 years since the founding of our country. In addition to the parades, picnics and fireworks we should all remember that freedom isn't free.

We did not become a country until a great revolutionary war was fought and won at great sacrifice by what many consider to be the first and foremost generation of Americans.

Well, June 1st started a new Gator year with a relatively new Board of Directors. I again wish to thank the outgoing Board for their service, and welcome the incoming Board.

It will be a great year!

You probably aren't thinking about snow and skiing in July. But if you are, why don't you check out the news from your new VP of Ski Trips, Sheri Agnew, to see where we will be going when it gets cold.

Some of those trips are going to be available for sale very shortly, so it wouldn't hurt to start thinking about them now.

I want to welcome Harry Patat, our new Membership Director; and yes, Harry was selected for his charm, grace, wit, and his dazzling personality.

I also want to welcome Estela Basso who is your new Communications Director and to thank her for accepting a thankless job. Sharon Giannotti will be assisting Estela in designing a new Website. Thank you Sharon!

Last but not least I wish to thank David Schue for all the time he has devoted in making our Friday Happy Hours the resounding success story they have become. Dave has resigned from this job to take a position with Donald Trump as his Social Secretary. Good luck with that!

David will be replaced (if that is possible) by Evie Houston, who will schedule the North end Happy Hours and Abbe Tessler who will handle the South end.

Lastly, I recently returned from the Gator trip of a lifetime traveling some 190 miles down the great Colorado river through the Grand Canyon with 15 other Gators led by the one and only Lin Lambert.

That is enough talky talk for now. See you next month. It is good to be a Gator!

Warmest regards;

Rich Wennet
President, Gator Snow Ski Club