Elections 2018: Candidate Information

It’s APA election time: candidate information is below. All voting will be done online at ballotbin.com; information on how to do this has been emailed to all APA Senior full members. Voting will be open at www.ballotbin.com on Thursday, November 15th at 8 AM Central time and will close midnight December 15th Central time. If you have a family or couple membership and your spouse does not get an email from ballotbin, it means their email was not entered into the system or put on the paper form when you signed up. Please have them contact me and I can add them in during the 30 days given for voting. If you have trouble, please email Laura Humphreys at: katelyn.p.james@gmail.com PRESIDENT Katelyn James Over the past five years the APA has provided me with an incredible community, a community that I would like to grow and improve. If elected as President I intend to emphasize APA relations with local clubs, player development, recruiting, and fundraising. Most importantly I would like to uphold the standards of the sport of polocrosse while continuing to grow the APA’s presence amongst the greater horse industry. From my experience I know that the APA would benefit tremendously from a more streamlined process for sanctioning and reporting tournaments, increased use of modern technology for communication methods, and a national marketing strategy that would appeal to new members and national sponsorships. As an engineer by trade, I have had many years of experience managing projects, ensuring that both timelines and budgets are met while still accomplishing the end goal. Over the past several years, I have taken my professional experiences and used them for the benefit of my club and the APA board by focusing on communication, new player recruiting, fundraising, and my local club tournament. This sport and organization is truly something that I love and enjoy devoting myself to. Serving as President would be a privilege and honor. TREASURER Jen Kimbrough Jen Kimbrough is a college professor and enthusiastic polocrosse supporter. She holds a PhD in Educational Leadership and has led and served on various nonprofit boards since the early 1990’s. In addition, she has credentials in nonprofit management from Duke University, including courses in nonprofit accounting, law, ethics, and business management. Jen currently serves on several boards, including Carolina Polocrosse Club, Triad Pony Club, and Red Dog Farm Animal Rescue Network. She is interested in helping the APA grow and develop future players, nationwide. BOARD AT LARGE (you will pick two) Ryan Murphy Polocrosse has been a lifelong passion for me. It’s been entwined in my family’s fabric and some of my best memories come from my participation. For me, it was the growth of the sport that kept me interested and active in the APA. I started playing in 1989 in Pennsylvania at age 8. I was a pony club participant. My polocrosse club started from a rulebook, a few rackets and a highly supportive coach. Soon after, opportunities came to me and I was off to the other side of the country and then off to other countries. In college, I took my first seat on the APA Board as Vice President. With the tremendous opportunities given to me, I felt the responsibility to give back. I already had ten years of experience as a player and coach. As a positive encouraging leader for kids, I also became a sounding board for parents in their pursuit of happiness for their kids. That experience taught me a lot. Since the college years, I’ve participated on countless US teams, including three World Cups. I was the member of two large clubs. The first club set the framework for club growth that assisted me in taking their ideas to the second club. A core of extremely motivated and dedicated people grew that club. I was an A grader and a head coach. That club went on to a win a National A Grade buckle. I’ve participated on the APA Board in other capacities including Player Development Program Chair and Chief Umpire. I’m now located in New Hampshire, keen on growing the sport here. After a break of several years from the sport, I started to play again this year. I was so happy to see old faces and meet new ones. If elected to the APA Board at Large, I promise to combine my thirty years of experience and energy to focus on the growth of our sport. What could be more important? Growth in membership means the growth of dedicated and highly motivated people. It means more and more kids with opportunities to aim for something and work towards that goal. Along my journey, I’ve seen the ups and downs of membership. I’ve also seen what works and it’s so simple. I also pledge to be diplomatic and respectful to the other members of the board in working together for a greater cause. That greater cause is the opportunity for others to experience the benefits this sport of polocrosse provides. I’m not afraid to rock the boat if I believe the same old tactics aren’t working. I have years of coaching experience, so much that I’ve even written a book on the subject. I will also pour my energy into the coaching program and recognize the large number of great, capable coaches out there. I believe that the APA can use this tremendous asset and go beyond survival and thrive. I’d be honored to have your vote.     Charles Saussy     CENTRAL ZONE REPRESENTATIVE Stacy Upshaw I’m Stacy Upshaw and I am running for APA Central Zone Representative. I met Polocrosse in 2012 as I was trying to find the right job for my busy-minded homebred Connemara. Once I had recruited some friends, we started Grand Bay Polocrosse Club in that same year and ever since then have worked hard to build our sport in South Alabama and Mississippi. I would like to participate in APA management because I want to keep building our sport nationwide, with an increased emphasis on the family friendly vibe that makes it so exceptional. We need new people of all ages on the field in new locations! I have two teenagers that play, and the experiences we have had together have provided unique opportunities for all of us to grow as people and horsemen. Here in Grand Bay Alabama I have hosted multiple events, both sanctioned and informal, as well as providing hospitable layover stops for many traveling players and horses and thus I feel I have a good understanding of the polocrosse trenches. I have ridden, bred, trained and competed horses for 40 years, starting with Pony Club. I also began to photograph the sport in 2013 – you may not know me but I have likely seen several close-ups of you on my editing screen. Though my children will grow up sooner than I would like, I expect to remain somewhat of a kid myself as long as I am able to play the game! Thank you for your consideration, Stacy Upshaw   EASTERN ZONE REPRESENTATIVE Erin Barnes