BOC President’s Report

The BOC Board has undertaken two major initiatives to improve the quality of our programs. First, we obtained a $25,000 grant from the Brattleboro Outing Club Education Fund (BOCEF), which was used to purchase a new scull and oars for the Row-BOC program and a new snowmobile, groomer, skis, and snowshoes for the Cross-Country program, and to provide seed money for scholarships for kids who would like to participate in next summer’s youth tennis programs. As a new member of the BOCEF board, I would like to thank my fellow board members for their support and commitment: Phil Dunham, Phil Steckler, Dave Neumister, Dick Nelson (all past presidents of the BOC), John Mabie, and Susan Longsjo. I’ve made a commitment to grow the BOCEF endowment for future BOC capital needs; if you would like to help with fundraising, please contact me at capetwom@myfairpoint.net.

The board’s second initiative is to redesign our existing website. It will be more visually appealing and user friendly, and will include online registration, the BOC fall and spring newsletters, improved networking capabilities for committees and programs, and more. Dan Damkoehler and Dede Cummings spearheaded this project. They need more exciting and fun photos of our members playing tennis, rowing, kayaking, or cross country skiing, so please send any you might have by email to me.

Once the website is operational, hopefully early next year, we will need someone who is tech savvy to help with the site. If you’re interested, please contact me at capetwom@myfairpoint.net. We plan to give our members a sneak preview of the new website at the BOC annual meeting on Thursday, November 19 at 7pm, Marlboro Graduate Center, Room 2 West.

It was another successful summer for the tennis and Row-BOC programs. The fledgling Row-BOC membership has grown to over 40 people in just two years. I would personally like to thank board member Anne Latchis for her generous investment of time and energy to this program.

I’d also like to thank everyone who came out in mid October to help scrape, prime, and paint the Brattleboro County Club’s Pro Shop, aka The BOC Ski Hut, for the upcoming winter season. Over 22 volunteers showed up, and their help was greatly appreciated by the BCC, which is committed to supporting our Cross-Country program.

In closing, I’d like to thank all of our board members for their continued time, effort, and support:

Roni Byrne, Jake Dixon, Phil Dunham, Clark Johnson, Anne Latchis, Larry MacIntosh, Andrew MacFarland, and Jim Woodberry.