SurfWatch has been covering Second Life Surfing Association (SLSA) elections since it's beginning in 2008. All the candidates were given the same questionaire with the same deadline and allowed to respond. Following are candidate responses to SurfWatch questions received by the time of this posting, giving voters a closer look into their candidacy.*
Annie Panties (jadeeast)
Ranked 19th after 2018 Season 2 Chi Competition
WHY YOU ARE RUNNING
I have taken a break to work on my surfing skills but would like to get back into the mix of things so to speak. I think I can contribute to the Board and help continue moving in a smooth direction and keep SLSA visible to the SL community.
WHAT YOU SEE AS THE TOP ISSUES
I would like to see more involvement from the members as to decisions and ideas that they want to see in place. It's their organization and we try to implement what they would like to see and also readjust those items that are not favorable for members and the organization.
WHY SHOULD I BE ELECTED
I believe I have the patience and understanding to work with the other Board members and especially the members of SLSA. I promote ideas and compromising for the good of the group.
AFFILIATIONS
I belong to team Montego here in SLSA and also a board member of Emerald Golf Course and a jockey and breeder for the Champions Racetrack.
Kei Raven Fury (keiraven)
WHY YOU ARE RUNNING
I have taken a break to spend time away from the surf and working my SL life and to apply it as a director
WHAT YOU SEE AS THE TOP ISSUES
Top issue I have seen are directors that don't listen to the members of the group and bringing things to the group to vote onWHY SHOULD I BE ELECTED
I believe I have the patience and understanding to work with the other Board members and especially the members of SLSA. I promote ideas and compromising for the good of the group.
AFFILIATIONS
I belong to team Tai Chi Zen. I used to host at various clubs.
Petra Xaris
Ranked 12th after Season 2 2018 Chi Competition
WHY YOU ARE RUNNING
When I first found SLSA it was a year after my mom had died in real life. I was still feeling kind of lost and when I found surfing in SL I fell in love with it. I began to meet other surfers and members of SLSA and was welcomed into a community that I became a part of and grew to love. I had never been competitive before in anything RL or online. Suddenly, I was doing surfing competitions and it gave me something positive and fun to focus on. Then I had a chance to help out as a director, and I loved doing it. It helped me to grow as a person not only in SL but in my RL, too.
This time, it's a little bit different. I have a vision for SLSA that I did not have before. After I left last February, I began to see things differently. Being a regular member is a different experience and being on the outside again and talking to others in the community, I began to see things with a different viewpoint. I just thought if I went back this time, maybe I could bring some of that insight to the other directors and try to help work on changes to help make SLSA better than it was before.
WHAT YOU SEE AS THE TOP ISSUES
I think we have a few things we need to really focus on improving with SLSA. We need better communication in a couple of ways. First, we need to be making sure we send out SLSA group notices, post info on our forum, our blog, our Facebook, etc. first to our members about current schedules and events planned before they are posted on third-party websites. We owe our members that as well as the surfing community in general. Our members should be getting informed directly from us first through our own channels of communication we have set up. After, if others in the community want to post our info on their blogs, that is fine and we are thankful to those that do because it is helpful to SLSA.Secondly, we need to have more communication with our members before major changes are decided on and put in place for our event rules. When we're talking about things like scoring, rank points, the format of our comps, these things directly affect our competing surfers and those people should have a say in those changes before they are made and put in place. We include our active membership in decisions for changes to our constitution. Why are we not doing the same with our event rules? For our members to feel included, we need to be listening to what they want.
A few years ago we had director/team/member meetings. I think we need to bring these back on some sort of regular schedule. It would help immensely I think in making sure the directors are on the same page as our members. Also, we need to post in our forums more. The directors should post proposals for change before they are decided on so that our members have a chance to weigh in beforehand. We already have a proposals forum set up at our website. We just need to start using it.
I'm going, to be honest, I feel we are at a point in time that we have lost so many members that have been unhappy with how things are being run, some were hurt by things that happened, and people have left faster than we can gain new members and they do keep leaving. It's one of the big reasons our membership has dropped in recent years. If we don't try to improve things, this will continue to happen until SLSA as we know it will cease to exist. Do we really want to keep doing this and stay on this same path we have been on? We need to open our eyes and realize we need to make some crucial changes if we want to survive and thrive as an organization and have happy members instead of ones that are grumbling about things behind the scenes all the time. So let's get things improved and have an organization that is inclusive and fun for every single member, where everyone is welcome, everyone's feelings and thoughts are listened to and considered and where we all respect one another, treat each other with kindness, understanding, and compassion.
W
I have experience with being a director as many of you know and with that experience and my openness listening to members in our community, I feel I could help the other directors get changes implemented so that we can have a real chance at making some needed improvements.
AFFILIATIONS
I am a member of Team Tsunami.
Moira (venera74)
Ranked 3rd after Season 2 2018 Chi Competition
WHY YOU ARE RUNNING
WHAT YOU SEE AS THE TOP ISSUES
I think, that there is not a main problem, but a series of small problems, which can be solved with dedication and commitment, every community, every family, has its small problems that can be solved with time and desire to do, by all members.
WHY SHOULD I BE ELECTED
I would like to be elected, for the reasons, I explained by answering the first question, for my desire, and passion to serve our community.
AFFILIATIONS
I am just affiliated with Tsunami as captain.
Richie Marley
Ranked 5th after Season 2 2018 Chi Competition
WHY YOU ARE RUNNING
Because, first and foremost, I am a soul surfer. I love everything about it. It's a part of my life, both in RL and just as much so in SL. The SLSA has given me a place to belong amongst its wonderful amazing people. I would like to be a director, because I want to see the SLSA grow and keep moving forward as it's been doing for quite some time now. Our last comps have all been a great success and it would be my pleasure to help organize them and assist everyone involved to keep them so.
WHAT YOU SEE AS THE TOP ISSUES
I think the biggest issue at SLSA and the surf community in general is that our big surf family are not fully united. And while this fully union not happen, we won't able to solve, all together, some possible issues that might exist. We gotta be all together surfing the 'same wave', in the same direction, as one, that's how SLSA can be much bigger and much better than already is.
WHY SHOULD I BE ELECTED
Well I'm not the type of person that make propaganda or call for votes, I think the surf community have to vote on the person they think is the best choice for them and will do a good job for SL surf. All the other surfers running for the directors board are amazing persons so I'm sure any of us will do fine there :)
AFFILIATIONS
I'm part of Montego team.
Richie Marley
Ranked 5th after Season 2 2018 Chi Competition
WHY YOU ARE RUNNING
Because, first and foremost, I am a soul surfer. I love everything about it. It's a part of my life, both in RL and just as much so in SL. The SLSA has given me a place to belong amongst its wonderful amazing people. I would like to be a director, because I want to see the SLSA grow and keep moving forward as it's been doing for quite some time now. Our last comps have all been a great success and it would be my pleasure to help organize them and assist everyone involved to keep them so.
WHAT YOU SEE AS THE TOP ISSUES
I think the biggest issue at SLSA and the surf community in general is that our big surf family are not fully united. And while this fully union not happen, we won't able to solve, all together, some possible issues that might exist. We gotta be all together surfing the 'same wave', in the same direction, as one, that's how SLSA can be much bigger and much better than already is.
WHY SHOULD I BE ELECTED
Well I'm not the type of person that make propaganda or call for votes, I think the surf community have to vote on the person they think is the best choice for them and will do a good job for SL surf. All the other surfers running for the directors board are amazing persons so I'm sure any of us will do fine there :)
AFFILIATIONS
I'm part of Montego team.
*SurfWatch has provided this questionnaire to all of the December 1, 2018, candidates, and will post any responses we receive before the election. The SLSA forum posts to meet each candidate can be also be checked. Voting takes place on Saturday December 1, 2018 at Solace Dreams.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment