Jen Featheringill

Jen Featheringill

We are having our annual Velodrome Committee meeting this Saturday, Nov
17th. Most of the track folks know about it already, but any OBRA member
who is interested in track racing is welcome to attend.

We will be electing some new committee members, whose statements can be
read below. Also listed here is the agenda for the meeting.

Please join us with your ideas and enthusiasm for next season!

Agenda:

PVC charter 5:30-5:45

· Based on OBRA

· Remain under OBRA or establish our own 501c3/LLC

Season review by managing committee members 5:45 – 6:15

· Financial Report - Jen

· Report on Development Initiatives – Erin and Newman

· Marketing Strategies – Jon and Sample

· Facilities and Equipment – Jim and Jen

· Scheduling - Andrea

Proposals for next year 6:15 – 6:35

· Unified certification process with other tracks

· Roller event for junior funding, possibly funding a supported trip
to Jr Nats in LA

· New moto? Something that’s easier for more people to use. Needs to
be priced out.

· Switching the Tuesday and Wednesday programming

· Spectator night - combined event

· Expand marketing

AVC date change – Cascadia Cup 6:35 – 6:45

Discussion about use of training times 6:45 – 6:55

Candidates for committee 6:55 – 7:20

Eric Gneckow

Erin Goodall

William Santana

Open discussion 7:20-7:30

Managing committee brief meeting 7:30 – 8:00

Statements from prospective Committee members:

ERIC GNECKOW

To whom it may concern,

As an experienced communications, journalism and business consulting
professional with a passion for track cycling and public service, I write
to express my sincere and unyielding interest in supporting the future of
Alpenrose Velodrome as a member of the facility’s managing committee. My
experience as a reporter covering financial institutions, nonprofits,
government and more, as well as my work in business consulting and
corporate communications, has provided me a unique foundation of experience
I would hope to leverage in this role. I would consider it a great honor,
privilege and responsibility to help preserve and extend one of the
country’s – and the world’s – most important cycling assets.

Perhaps the attribute most relevant and coherent to the role be my own
reverence for the track and appreciation for the place it holds in my own
life as a third-season track racer. I readily cede to your discretion in
considering my role on the committee, and I offer some additional thoughts
below that may be helpful in making your decision. My interest in stepping
up my support of Alpenrose Velodrome endures regardless.

Alpenrose represents a unique advertising and co-branding opportunity that
is impossible to replicate, and I would hope that my journalistic and
business consulting experience provides some foundation to aggressively
pursue new revenue for the track in response to the committee’s expressed
goals. In my current role as content manager for Evanta, a Gartner company,
I am continually tasked with explaining the value proposition for sponsors
of our core product of educational executive conferences. I feel confident
I can articulate the value of sponsorship for Alpenrose Velodrome, and I am
excited and willing to pursue new opportunities for advertising at the
track. I would also be interested to research possible grant opportunities,
if available.

I have previously served in several journalistic and public relations
capacities that I believe could support the marketing and sales needs
expressed from the committee. As a communications and public relations
specialist for a $4 billion-asset, not-for-profit financial institution, I
was provided direct experience in strategic social media, mass email and
traditional print marketing that I would like to expand in support of
Alpenrose. If empowered to further the marketing efforts of Alpenrose, I
would propose to engage with other track cycling-related organizations in
the United States and Europe to share best practices in earning influence
on social media. In addition to social media, I would readily volunteer my
time where possible to gain influence for the track in other channels such
as press releases and in-person PR. I am a confident and efficient
copywriter, and I would readily apply those skills in support of the
organization.

I am eager to learn from others on the committee and better understand how
I can best support this important cornerstone of cycling in the Pacific
Northwest. I am prepared to humbly offer my time, my passion and my
personal investment in the vigorous pursuit of any initiative that would
help track cycling in Portland to flourish for another 50 years.

Knowing Alpenrose awaited me in moving to Portland two years ago was a
great joy, and while I consider myself a junior racer with much to learn,
the importance of this facility for cycling in the United States has always
been very clear.

Thank you for your consideration.

ERIN GOODALL

Portland Velodrome Committee,

My name is Erin Goodall and I am interested in becoming part of the
Portland Velodrome Committee. Alpenrose has always been my home track, but
I’ve travelled all over the country and raced numerous other tracks at
regional, national and UCI levels. In addition to my track racing
endeavors, I also travelled the country for two years racing Pro Road Tour
and USA Crits races.

Alpenrose kicked off my foray into high level racing by providing the
perfect balance of competition and community. I remember the first time I
took a track class as vividly as I recall winning my first AVC points race.
The support and structure provided by the racing community was relentless.

Upon my return to local racing in 2018, I noticed the dynamics at the track
were different. There wasn’t a high level of competition, but there was an
incredible grassroots movement to bolster junior and women’s racing as well
as a strong focus on inclusion of WTF and non-binary folks. I spent last
season mentoring and racing with the new racers and juniors and realized
that they were becoming hungry for the level of competition that I had when
I began racing at Alpenrose.

My goal in joining the committee will be to find creative ways to garnish
sponsorship and event support that will reinvigorate the high level of
racing that Alpenrose was once able to host, all while continuing to
nourish and grow a diverse and welcoming local racing scene. The two are
not mutually exclusive. I feel that my breadth of experience in marketing a
fully supported domestic road team along with my connections in the
regional bike community and global bike industry will be critical in
gaining assets that the track so desperately needs to grow ridership.

I appreciate your consideration, and I look forward to meeting with all of
you on November 17th.

Erin Goodall

WILLIAM SANTANA

My name is William Santana and I am looking to become a member of the
Portland Velodrome Committee for 2019. My interest in the committee is to
support and develop the quality of events as well as promote track cycling
as a vital component of the greater competitive cycling community.

I would like to support the velodromes various existing features and
also, look into adding new features such as permanent lighting, improved PA
equipment, video equipment, etc. By addressing features that would most
effectively benefit the velodromes usability and appeal, we would be able
to bring more attention to the discipline, not just in Portland, but also
in the NW region. These enhancements would fall in line with what other
velodromes in the nation have already accomplished.

My introduction to competitive cycling started in 2004 at Dick Lane
Velodrome in East Point, GA. I raced there continuously until I moved to
Portland in 2011. However, I have been riding bikes as long as I can
remember.

Using my skills and experiences as a cyclist as well an electronics
service/manufacturing technician, I believe that I would be a competent and
capable addition to the committee.

Jen Featheringill
OBRA Membership Director
Alpenrose Velodrome Director
jfeatheringill@obra.org
membership@obra.org