Nominate John Olson for development. I’m sure he’ll kick ass at this! 

I nominate John Olsen for development

I gladly accept nomination for Development! 

Moss! Oh Moss

I think @JohnOlsson has been an amazing membership director and should remain as the membership director. Unless he doesn’t want to do it anymore. If that’s the case, then I also nominate him for development.

I’d like to nominate Bobby Peras for Sponsorship and Matt Budofsky for Secretary. Both these guys would do a great job on the board!

I nominate @ThomasChen for Technology. He's been a huge help stepping in on short notice and will be a great (continued) addition to the board. 

Thank you @PatrickGrehan, I accept your nomination for Sponsorship Director. 

A little about Bobby Peras.

I joined the Kissena Cycling Club shortly after a new member group ride in August of 2017. I can remember this group ride like it was yesterday. It was my first time riding over the GWB and I didn't know what to expect. I was greeted by sharp looking cyclists with bright orange helmets and was so impressed by everyone that I knew I had to make a good first impression. I struggled to keep up with the group, especially on Alpine, but there were plenty of club members who were helpful enough to stick with me and a few other stragglers. I knew at the end of this ride that the Kissena Cycling Club was more than just a cycling club, it was a place that I could develop friendships. 

Since that first ride I have had the pleasure of riding and/or racing with many different club members. There is really something special about showing up to a group ride or race in a bright orange helmet that only us club members can understand. We all seem to follow a similar code of conduct that reflects on how we cycle around NYC and race locally. Rarely, do you ever hear another cyclist complain about a Kissena Cycling Club member.  

Being a member of the Kissena Cycling Club typically means that you are a bike racer or you like to do crazy things (like gravel grinders in April). It took me a while to finally muster up the courage to race, but once I did I was immediately hooked. I started racing track in the Spring of 2018 and upgraded to Cat 4 by the end of the Summer. I also raced in a couple road races which went terrible and jumped in on some cyclocross races. 2019 was supposed to be my year to dedicate myself to track, but shortly into the road season, I got hooked on seeing so many bright orange helmets, that I knew I wasn't going to race track much (sorry @AndrewJohnson). Mid-way through the season I hurt my back and was unable to complete my goal, which was to become part of the Cat 4 chain-gang. Instead, I decided to dedicate the year to other goals. In 2019 I raced in three triathlons, a half marathon, and will be doing my first marathon this weekend! As @PatrickGrehan says "Bobby does a bit of everything". My goal for 2020 is to continue to be the guy that does everything (I am doing a half ironman triathlon in July), but I also want to race more road and cyclocross and upgrade to Cat 4 in both disciplines. 

For those of you know haven't ridden or raced with me, you may not had the opportunity to see how friendly I can be. I often catch myself talking to everyone and anyone (I am actually worse when I run). Because I talk a lot and participate in multiple sports and disciplines, I should be exposed to a bunch of new sponsorship opportunities. This makes make me an ideal candidate for Sponsorship Director. 

If I am elected as the Sponsorship Director, I hope to continue to grow our existing sponsorship relationships that @ErikPfiffner and the rest of the Kissena Cycling Club board has developed as well as develop new ones. 

Thanks for reading my super long post.

Best,

Bobby Peras

Thanks @PatrickGrehan! I happily accept the nomination for secretary!

Just a bit of background on me and what I think I can bring to the board/club.

I joined KCC in late September of 2018. I had been on the fence about joining a club for a long time, and decided that I just needed pull the bandage off and give it a shot. I had seen Kissena rolling around in the park for a couple of years and they always seemed very composed, respectful and most importantly, super sharp, so i figured it was a good place to start. I showed up for my first group ride and all was going well until I got a flat (it was the first flat I had in many many moons). Embarrassed as I already was, my spare tube also wasn't inflating, which only made my embarrassment worse. However, all the guys there helped me out, lent me a spare tube, made me feel really welcome and I knew then that this was a team and group of people I wanted to be a part of (it also didn't hurt that it was a great early fall ride).

Since joining, I've started to train more seriously and raced for my first season. It had some highs and lows and we generally had good turn out in the Cat 5s. We spoke before races about trying different race strategies, pushing the pace, and animating races every chance we got. In between the races, however, the group rides and checking out what everyone is saying on the forum have been what I enjoy coming back to the most. I've always found that these are places where you can relax with teammates, joke around, challenge each other (whether it be physically on the bike or conceptually when discussing the nuances of cargo pockets on bib shorts) and get back to what bikes, in my opinion, should be about- having fun.

Central to all of this, whether it be racing, group riding or chatting, is communication. From my previous experience with large groups of competing ideas and personalities with my fraternity in college and journal in law school, I want to continue to contribute to the club and help make sure those lines of communication continue to operate smoothly and that all club members know what is happening, when it is happening and how they too can participate.

Cheers,
Matt Budofsky

I nominate @RichFreeman for sponsorship director. Rich has a working relationship with our main sponsor (Redbeard bikes) and is arguably loved by all.

I also nominate @Kevin Man for Public Relations, which also includes management of our social media presence. Kevin takes social media on bikes to a new level and spends a lot of time in Prospect Park (around the public)

I am nominating Rich Freeman for membership director. He must be a popular guy to get two nominations for two different positions in one day!

So @RichFreeman, which nomination will you accept?

Rich should do membership , hes already a ride leader for redbeard and i've seen him use his charm enticing folks to join

As much as I would enjoy the opportunity to re-create a Nippo Fantini or Androni Giocattoli–Sidermec tribute jersey whilst playing the role of a Brooklyn based Gianni Savio I would prefer to accept the nomination for Membership and with thanks turn down the nomination for Sponsorship.

A little about myself; I joined the club in July 2018 after starting racing (and realizing that I would enjoy this much more with other people) in the park. I very much enjoy being part of the club and the range of opportunities that it offers to try a number of different disciplines within cycling. As mentioned by Mark, I am a ride ambassador for Redbeard and have tried my best to steer people towards the club who have shown an interest in racing. 

I would love to continue doing this on a more formal basis and build on the great work that has already been done. I would not say that I envisage a significant revolution in how we recruit but rather that I would like to continue to evolve our recruitment approach in line with changes in how our society consumes information. 

And of course, if elected I also promise to nationalize healthcare, railways and utilities (paid for by an increase in corporation taxes).

I'd like to nominate Patrick Grehan for another term as VP. I think he brings a significant depth of knowledge and dedication to the continued success of the club.

Thanks Jim. I accept the nomination for VP. As a past president I feel a dedication to the club and helping it thrive and run smoothly. I’d like to see someone else take the helm of president as I don’t have the time this year to do the job properly, but I would be happy to support whomever wants that role from the position of VP. Happy to continue to run clothing orders and other behind the scenes work to help the club thrive. 

While I’m at it I’d like to nominate @jim_nelson for treasurer. While the finance part of his career in architecture would be an asset, his real strengths are his dedication to the club, clear thinking and follow through

Strongly second Patrick. He's the top quality motor oil that keeps the engine of this club running smoothly. 

Thanks Will for the nomination and I will be happy to accept and continue my role as the tech guy. 
A bit about me:
I joined the club early this year and probably is the youngest member of this club hhh. I haven't started racing just yet because of all kinds of travel last summer but I am eager to start racing from June 2020 and learn from you guys. Although I'm still in university, I have experience in coding (front-end) and digital design. For next year, I'm hoping to improve our current website with a new look while keeping up with my current duties. There are a lot of possibilities with tech and I can't wait to explore all the different options with you guys.

Thomas

Thanks Patrick - I accept the nomination for Treasurer. I've been a member for over a decade and continue to find it a vibrant and inspiring collection of bike nuts. Looking forward to some great new energy on the board and continuing the fun. As Patrick noted, I believe my career duties more than qualify me for the position and I'm dedicated to making sure this club continues to thrive. Cheers.

@Kevin Man
First PR step , change your profile pic , with you in team kit

It warms me right down to my frozen northern toes to see all the talent and energy going into the club.

@Mark Taylor

Redbeard (kit) is part of our sponsor
I do need a new selfie with the kit... 
First order of business "IF, and WHEN" Im the PR is to take a pic of all the Board members in their Kissena kit! 

Anyone running for Kissena presidency?

Strange silence...

Well then, I will run for president.

I nominate @DotanGreenvald for President. Even though I am dead to him, I think he’s a very active member and would be a great addition to the board.

There will be consequences if you don't vote... 

Thank you @RobertPeras . I accept the nomination for Kissena president.

I've been in Kissena Cycling Club (KCC) for only a year and I'm very proud to be a member. Much like @Matt Budofsky I've been riding on the usual NYC cycleways - the parks and over the GWB bridge - when I first encountered the Orange-White-Blue supersharp jerseys. These guys were fast, and they rode as a team. I admired it and I wanted a part in their game. I remember one of my first rides. I was dead tired after trying to keep up with the guys rolling down River Road, then Nyack, then back. On the last stretch, @JohnMalcolmson noticed I was struggling, took another rider with him and they both pulled me all the way back to the pack. This team spirit is why I practice this team sport.

Kissena is a great club with great talents. It has 57 years of history, it's dynamic, it's young, it has energy and it has room to grow. Those who ride with me know that I have many ideas on how the club can grow. It would be very ambitious to try to do them all. And I think that in time and with resources we can achieve most of them. However, if elected president, I would like to focus on a few and focused projects. And here are the three I think are the most pressing:

• Members ownership on Kissena. The club has many dedicated members who've been in the club for a few years, in some cases more. They feel at home, they have great memories and they make sure the club is running smoothly. But thanks to @john @JohnOlsson who brought many new members the club got bigger and many newbies ride with us. This new pool of people must feel that they own the club, that they make it their social circle, where they can get a lot from, as well as to contribute their own flavor to it. To increase members' ownership we must introduce new avenues for members to take part in designing the club's activities. One of which is the formation of committees, where any member would be expected to join and take part in. Here are some examples for possible committees: Road Race Committee - in charge of designing Kissena race schedule, team training plan, and race tactics; Membership Committee - headed by the membership director, this committee would develop new active strategies to bring and retain riders. Passive recruitment can get us only this far, if we want cat2 riders to join, we must think of a strategy; Kissena Training Camp Committee - clubs have training camps each year, why shouldn't Kissena do this? But that's not a one member job to execute. With the help of other members who will join this committee, we can make it happen. Ownership. That's the leading concept in this idea.
• Diversify the club. Quite simply, we are an upper-middle-class men's club. There's no shortage of women riders, and Kissena should actively work on inviting, including, and meeting their needs as athletes - may it be supercompetitive or entry-level. But the men-only club we are now must change, and we can bring this change.
• Increasing collaboration between the different club arms. Membership and development should run projects together. The same goes for Sponsorship and Public Relations (PR). Tech and PR. Membership and Sponsorship. Development and PR... This collaboration might already happen, but I would like to increase it to better utilize the resources we already have.

There will be more things on the agenda. But for now, as I see it, the major changes will come from these three points.

Before concluding I must mention, that I will be out of the country from the end of Feb to the end of May. So if you see it as a problem for this nomination, voice your opinion on that matter.

That's my ticket. Good luck to all those who are running for new positions. There's a lot of exciting people to vote for, and I'm sure the club will keep getting better with the new board of 2020.