Kansas Disc Golf Association

As stated on our membership forms, and in the ADGC by-laws, 2010 membership expires at the end of March in 2011. So there are 6 months available in which players can renew or sign up without a lapse in their membership. To my knowledge, this is more time lapse than with any other club. Beginning with the membership drive in early October, there is also the Round Up, the Ice Bowl, and anything in between, where members can renew for just $10.

When there is an ace hit at league, we check to see if the player is a member. During October through March, both 2010 and 2011 members were current. Current members are eligible for 50% of the current ace pool. Non-members are eligible for 25% or $50, whichever is less. When I check to see if a player is a member, I check the membership list, the handicaps list, and the contact info list. In each of these 3 places, I have every year back to 2008 listed and whether or not each player was current for each of those years. I have never caught myself failing to record someones membership on any one of these sheets, but they are all there as a measure to be able to double and triple check myself. If a player had their name in just one place of three, I would give them the benefit of the doubt.

The membership drive was created specifically to get players to renew early so they would not have to worry about it all year. I take the memberships from this event and record them the same night. I double check the number of membership forms to the number listed on the handicaps sheet of my file, to the membership list of the file, to the contact info list on my file. 4 different checks for every single player. I also list them on a Wichita KDGA thread. So there are 5 checks.

The handicap list, and usually an updated membership list, is always available at league. It is our policy to always check the list when players ask about the status of their membership. It is not our policy to hound long time members who may or may not have forgotten to renew. I'd like to again point out that if a player forgets to renew at the membership drive, they still have 6 months of membership until March if they were a member the previous year. Also, membership lists are not posted online due to the request of one individual and an understand of such at an official board meeting.

In addition to the 150-200 hours I invest yearly in running league, I spend at least this amount of time running elections, board meetings, Ice Bowl tournament and preparation, preparation for the Doo Dah and Round Up tournaments, updating league schedules, disc inventory and disc orders, communicating with the city, parks department, public, and members, and espescially work on our club file. I keep track of course records, handicaps, league deposits, league attendance, ace fund, clinics and work hours, and with special attention to membership information.

All in all, I spend HUNDREDS OF HOURS each year on this, with the biggest portion of this spent on record keeping. I can't tell you how many late nights I've sacrificed to keep everything updated. My only reward for any of this is seeing players enjoy what the club brings to the disc golf scene in Wichita. So I take it VERY seriously when I am accused of stealing players ace money due to poor record keeping. It is everyones INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY to have myself or Mike Speer show you on paper whether or not you are a member. If you wish, you can call me or leave me a message and I can get back to you with an answer. I take no responsibility, and accept no blame, for those players who fail to renew their membership.

I've also heard that long time members should get paid ace money whether they are a current member or not. This simply isn't fair to those players who DO renew their membership. It's my opinion that the ace fund should be for members only, but we do provide the $50 provision for non-members. To date, I don't recollect that any player has used the $50 to renew their membership, which was part of the intention of this gesture. Our club has gone above and beyond in so many ways to make renewing easy, I don't know what else we can do.

I shouldn't have let this situation get me upset. Shows a lack of self-control on my part.

We discussed life-time membership at the last meeting. While such would detract from the yearly membership drive and such, we agreed it was possible. No formal motion was made to present such a plan, but here was the discussion. It would need to be like any life-time membership in that payment would be for an amount equivalent to 20 years. At the discounted renew rate, this would be $200. I don't think very many players would want to purchase this. Those who have been with the club for a long time might really dislike it because they feel theirs should be discounted for all the years they have been a member. If this sounds like something anyone would want to do, let me know, and we'll try to make it official.

Mike, I think the club should give Maass the ace money. He was under the impression he was current because you told him he was. Also he's bought discs from you and received the member's discount. There have been errors made by the club that misled Maass into believing he was current. The club should take responsibility, admit a mistake was made, and correct the situation. Otherwise it may be a long while before Maass participates in any club events.

It sounds like Maass is trying to shift the responsibility off himself. First, I did not tell him he was a member. I ALWAYS check my sheet when someone asks me if they are a member. Never do I recal ever breaking this rule. Maass said he attended the membership drive and he did not. So he did not remember that correctly either. As far as giving out discounts, I don't always check to make sure people are current. If people accept discounts and know they aren't current, they should give this money back to the club. I used to hassle people about not signing up, but I just don't do that any more. You yourself, Iqbal, did not sign up in 2007, though you played many many leagues that year. If you want to support the clubs efforts, receive better ace fund elegibility, voice opinion at board meeting, etc, become a current club member. If Ben really believes he is being cheated, I could understand him not wanting to play with the club anymore. But with all I've explained, I don't know how that can be the case. There are 5 places I record membership information. Collected Forms, Membership List, Handicap List, Member Information List, and the KDGA thread for those that attend the membership drive. I never wait to record this infomation, it is done immediately. And I always triple check myself to make sure I've recorded it in all places. It would not be fair to the other members to give out this money that he was not elegible to receive. Ben could still pay for his membership with the $50. Ben is a friend of mine and I HATE that I am stuck in this position. My duty is to be fair to all members and that is what I have to do.

I can try to do a few things that will help prevent this from happening again.

-Get permission from the board to repeal the decision not to post our membership list online. The only problem with this is that I would have to keep it updated or else make special note that the online list is not the official membership list.
-Make sure all the membership forms get dated. Keep a folder with all the active memberships in order of sign up.
-Make an effort to remind those regular league players who have not renewed that their membership has lapsed.
-Check the membership list every time someone buys a disc so the player isn't mislead about the status of their membership buy the price they pay for the disc.

What else can we do?

I am going to buy a receipt book. Anyone that signs up or renews, I am going to start given them a receipt. Then if someone says they are a member, I can ask to see their reciept. Plain and simple just like that show "Hard Core Pawn". That will also allow me to have a record of everyone that signs up. This will only work if both Mike's are doing it though. Let me know what you think of that.

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I'm only in it for the ACE FUND MONEY, BABY !!


p.s. - I signed up/paid at the membership drive...

I believe this is good until May o' 2012.

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Good until March 31st, 2012.

The receipt idea is a good one. We should re-create the membership form. Could do a dotted line so we can tear a receipt end off the bottom. Have to add the date to both sides. Add a signature for the receipt half so nobody can forge it. Very extreme measure, but then this club does deal with extreme people and extreme measures.

even have some type of cheep card stock printed out . wallet sized that has all the info on and when they buy a membership you fill in with pen the date bought and date they are due to re-up. make it look like a club membership card but some thing they wont lose. i like the recipt idea but i think people will loose them or they will just get destroyed in the wallet. When getting them printed out had a running number on them so each one can be accounted for. they are cheep to do and if you go to kincos they will give you a cd with your design on it and then all you do is bring that in to order more and its even cheeper the second time. I got my full color bussnes cards a box of 300 for less than 50 bucks . just do them like a bussness card.

That's also a good idea.

We had membership cards once in the past. We'd need someone to design it and then have them made. Hope it wouldn't be very expensive. They could have a blank for date paid, approval signature, expiration date (3/31/2013 for 2012 memberships), maybe even membership number.

Every member has a membership number. That's something else I have kept track of since it was started in 2001. It is dated the first year of your membership if you have never let it lapse. If you go a full year and do not renew, you get a new number dated the year you do renew.

The membership card is just one more thing for me to have to issue out at the membership drive tournament, which is always hectic. Maybe I could get some help next year? Sounds good. I'll just cook all the books and make members present their cards at all times to prove their membership... Just kidding.

i would be up for designing a ACDGC membership card. I can start working on it monday and bring what i draw up to league. would it have to be aproved by the board or just you mike?

If you want me to design one mike let me know

Not a member. May never be a member. But I do have a suggestion. All the things you are listing are extra work for someone. I would suggest using google.docs give the Mikes access to change the account and let other people see it. Look at the Salina club, pretty sure Phil is using google.

Simple to use and not much extra work. Log on, add a name, save.