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Dear USA Taekwondo Members:
We are about to embark upon a new era of Board and management leadership at USA Taekwondo. You have already read about the resignation of our current CEO, Dave Askinas and the advent of long-awaited Board elections. These events will play a large role in shaping the future of USA Taekwondo.
The elections had been postponed from last December as the Board believed it necessary to ensure that the elections would be a fair, open and transparent process. There were questions and challenges presented from a number of candidates that revealed the process used in the past was flawed both from a statutory and bylaw perspective.
Upon advice of counsel we postponed the election process until we were sure that the process the Board instituted was free from prejudice and was fair to all. We believe we have that process in place and look forward to membership exercising their voting privileges to elect a forward-thinking board from among the many worthy candidates presented. Both the Board and Dave Askinas agreed that it would be appropriate for the new Board to have the opportunity to select their own CEO.
The Board and management have stood up and faced a number of challenges the past few years. The latest challenges include a challenging cash flow situation caused by slow payment or non-payment from USAT vendors. A small organization such as USAT was not well positioned to withstand the effects of a slow economy compounded by vendors’ lack of payment. We have implemented contingency plans to tide us over until we can build up sufficient cash reserves for the future. We are confident that these steps will help ensure the viability of USAT for many years to come.
Another challenge we faced was a series of audit related problems with the USOC. Our required reporting and accounting procedures were unfortunately not being followed with the kind of rigorous attention that was necessary. The USAT Board, particularly through its Audit Committee, discovered these problems in the 4th quarter of 2010 and met with the CEO to discuss solutions. A joint decision was made to dismiss the then CFO and a new CFO was brought in to remedy the issues. These audit issues were remedied but unfortunately the USOC audit focused on the period of 2010 prior to the replacement of the then CFO. We are again confident that the accounting systems now in place are rock solid and that our financial house is in order. It is important to note that there were never allegations of misappropriation of funds. This was a situation of inadequate reporting and inadequate controls and not that of theft. While we did not agree with some of the USOC Audit findings we believed the best approach was to implement all of their recommendations and so we did. USAT continues to receive outstanding financial support from the USOC. The misinformation circulated on the internet regarding a change in our NGB status is just that, misinformation from those individuals with private agendas. Funding received by USAT from the USOC during the most recent 4-year period exceeded amounts received in previous periods. In 2010 Taekwondo was placed in the category of sports expected to medal.
This category receives great consideration from the USOC when funding allocation decisions are made. We expect to perform at a high level at the London Olympics.
Despite these issues USA Taekwondo has many accomplishments over the past few years. The revitalization of the state associations has led to major increases in event participation and membership numbers. These increases exceed 20% and demonstrate that USAT is moving in the right direction. We are at approximately 14,500 individual members and that is our highest membership total since 2005. This is despite the worst economic downturn in the U.S. since the Great Depression.
The state organizations will play a larger role in program delivery in the coming years. Athlete, coaching and referee seminars will be professionally delivered at the state level starting in late 2011 into 2012. We see this as an important means to making quality programming available to a greater number of Taekwondo professionals.
We have achieved great success in major international competitions at the Junior and Senior Levels. From 2006-2010 we either maintained a top-5 or top-10 ranking in the world. Three Olympic medals were won in Beijing putting us in an elite class of nations. The many young senior athletes and junior champions coming through the ranks will begin to make their mark in 2012 and years to come.
The two premier events operated by USAT are experiencing substantial growth. The U.S. Open now regularly attracts the best athletes from around the globe. The number of participating coaches and athletes total between 2200-2600 in a given year. The combined Junior and Senior National Championships continue to grow with close to 4000 participants in a given year.
Under the leadership of Referee Chair John Seiber and his Assistants we have expanded the scope and quality of our referee training. This translates directly to better events for our members. National referees are graded annually and appointments are based upon those grades. Accountability is the byword.
We have expanded delivery of poomsae training for both competitors and referees. There are more and more seminars being offered around the country by top flight professionals in our sport. This will continue to advance the sport of poomsae in this country.
On the high level competition side we created the first National Team coaching structure in USTU and USAT history. We were of the firm belief that sustained competitive excellence could not be achieved unless we abandoned the concept of appointing coaches merely on an event-by-event basis. Our National Team coaches not only coach junior and senior teams at international events but they also write curriculum for our coaching courses, instruct in those coaching courses, and work USAT athlete camps to help further develop our future champions. A staff of 15 assistant National Team coaches assists in all of these efforts. We will look to expand that coaching staff by seeking new additions to that staff this fall.
These are just a few of the programs we have worked on during the tenure of this Board and that of Dave Askinas. We are proud of the foundation we have built together and look forward to the new Board and new CEO taking this organization to new levels of excellence. The new Board will conduct our national search for a new CEO. Dave Askinas will continue to work with the Board on a consulting basis so that the new CEO and Board can hit the ground running.
I cannot conclude this message without stating that one major challenge we face as an organization is a cultural shift in how we handle disagreement with Board and management actions. There continues to be a small minority of members who cannot seem to find a way to civilly disagree within the organizational structure. Some of this is an unfortunate consequence of the internet age we live in where the proliferation of misinformation and vitriol is the norm and civil debate becomes impossible. Keep in mind that the USA Taekwondo website is the only official source of information on USA Taekwondo. Any contradicting information found on other websites likely comes from a biased viewpoint of the publisher. The amount of time that management and the Board have had to spend on refuting false allegations is staggering. Quite frankly, the cost to this organization in time, money and emotional exhaustion cannot be measured. We will continue to struggle with attracting quality candidates to serve on Boards and Committees because of the culture of animosity that is encouraged by certain individuals.
The real answer is for people to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem. We have to learn to disagree without spreading venomous misinformation. We must create a culture of upstanding conduct and integrity. Quite simply, we must live up to the tenets of Taekwondo.
I want to close by thanking you for allowing me the opportunity to serve as a member of the Board of Directors. It has been an often difficult but ultimately rewarding experience helping this organization. I look forward to continued service in a different role in years to come as USAT keeps an athlete-centered theme going into the London Games and beyond.
Sincerely,
Kevin Padilla, Chair
USA Taekwondo
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