Announcing the 2020 ITSA General Assembly

[ta0]

The 6th ITSA's annual virtual assembly will take place from Saturday December 19th until Sunday December 27th. Normally we wouldn't do it over Christmas, but as most people won't be traveling this year due to covid, we believe it won't be a problem.

If you are a full ITSA member you will be able make proposals, vote and even run for office. Membership will also be required to compete in the World Contest. Under your forum name it should say ITSA if your dues are paid for this year. If not, you still have time to renew/join and your membership will be valid for the rest of this year and all of next year (https://spintops.org/membership/). You will also get a embroidered patch.

I will create a specific board for the assembly on the forum that will be visible to current ITSA members so they can participate and vote (after the assembly is over it will be visible to any forum member logged in).

Last year there were elections for all the director positions which last two years. However, Jose has expressed that if there is a substitute he would step down due to an increase of responsibilities at work that have left him with little free time. Nominations can be made the first two days of the assembly. There might also be a vote to increase the number of directors from 4 to 5, as per the bylaws. We will discuss the ITSA budget, Worlds (specially the format for online contests), future activities to sponsor, and anything else related to the goals stated on the bylaws:

Quote

        The purpose of the International Top Spinners Association, referred as ITSA, is to promote the sport, game, art and hobby of playing with spinning tops, a universal toy.
        To accomplish this goal it will:
         A. Facilitate the interaction of enthusiasts from around the world, by organizing contests, workshops and events.
         B. Serve as a repository of the different traditions.
         C. Teach new generations of players.


The bylaws can be downloaded here: http://spintops.org/public-docs/ITSA_bylaws.pdf

I hope to "see" you all there!

[ta0]

The 2020 General Assembly has started. If your are an ITSA member and log into the forum you should be able to see the board just below this. Please, say Present! on the General Discussion thread.

If you are not a member, I encourage you to become one and help spread this beautiful toy.

[ta0]

A few hours left on the 2020 ITSA General Assembly!
Currently there is a vote to select a third Honor Member. There are two candidates: please, vote!
There is also a discussion and poll about the name of future online contests and titles. Please, contribute with your opinion.
If you are an ITSA member you need to login to the forum to see the meeting board just below this one.

[Jeremy McCreary]

I propose that we change this goal,

C. Teach new generations of players.

to read

C. Teach new generations of players and topmakers.

[ta0]

I propose that we change this goal,

C. Teach new generations of players.

to read

C. Teach new generations of players and topmakers.

I think top makers would make new types of tops so they don't really need to be taught but what they need is a community to share their creations.
Anyway, a change of the bylaws would require an official vote (with minimum quorum) from the members. There is not enough time left on the current assembly. By the way, as a junior ITSA member you could have proposed it, but not voted on it.

[Jeremy McCreary]

I think top makers would make new types of tops so they don't really need to be taught but what they need is a community to share their creations.

It's not just about sharing creations. For example, lots of tops on Etsy now -- many with beautiful/clever visual designs. But some of the makers clearly know little about the engineering -- especially WRT performance issues like spin time and wobble. And even traditional designs sometimes leave room for improvement.

Companies like Ferrari and Ducati seek to maximize both visual impact and performance. Success in that in a top of any kind maximizes play value.

Anyway, a change of the bylaws would require an official vote (with minimum quorum) from the members. There is not enough time left on the current assembly.

Can we put it on the agenda for next time?

As for junior status, if I somehow missed a call for dues, I'd like to remedy that ASAP.

[ta0]

I feel I have not done a very good job as treasurer reminding people about their dues. I'm using the tag under the avatar to indicate the status of memberships. If it says ITSA it means that you are a full member and your dues are current. If it says ITSA Jr., either you registered as such or you were a full member whose membership is not current.
You can renew your membership using Paypal by clicking on the Join button on this page: https://spintops.org/membership/
By the way, many memberships will expire January first.

[Jeremy McCreary]

@ta0: Paid just now. Thanks for making it so easy.

You do a huge amount of work for us and have a lot to keep track of on our behalf, so no apologies, please.

Unfortunately, I generally don't keep a close eye on the info around my avatar and have no idea what my personal dues deadline is. Had to read the bylaws again to figure out that I'd probably been demoted for lack of dues.

If I knew my dues deadline, I could set an annual reminder in my phone calendar.

[ta0]

Thanks a lot, Jeremy!

Memberships are for the year, except that if you pay after the world contest in August, it's also valid for the rest of that year in addition to all the following year.
So, unless you renewed after August of last year, your membership is due January 1st.

[Jeremy McCreary]

Thanks! Reminder set.

PS: The dues I just paid were for 2020 in arrears. Will pay 2021 dues on Jan 1 to avoid confusion.

[ta0]

The 2020 General Assembly is now closed.
Anybody logging into the forum can now read it.
Thanks to everybody who participated!