Dear Boxing Ontario Voting Delegates,
Below are the nominee bio’s for the Boxing Ontario elections. Voting is now open and the deadline to vote is this Friday May 10th at 11:59PM. Please check your emails for link to cast your vote. Thank you!!
Nominated Individuals Bio’s
Position: VP of Competition
Rob Bender
Hi, I’m Rob Bender and I want to be your Vice President of Competition for Boxing Ontario. I have over 20 years of volunteer experience as a boxer, 1 star official, regional director, and interim Vice President of Competition. I have what it takes to bring Boxing Ontario through our Strategic Plan and facilitate our Long Term Athlete Development program. As your VP of Competition I assure you that I will work hard with our board to provide opportunities for athletes, coaches and officials. It’s the Pan Am Games in 2015 that I have my eye on.
Position: VP of Administration
Nicole Therrien
My Name is Nicole Therrien, and I am running for the position of VP Administration. I think that most of you know me, but if not. Please let me tell you why I would be the best candidate for this position. I have been in the sport of boxing, for approximately ten years. I bring with me an all around view of the sport of boxing, as I am not only a competitor, but a coach and an official. I also am currently the treasure of Boxing Ontario and have been in this position for approximately three years (I also have been in the accounting industry for approximately twelve years), and therefore am already aware of the finances of Boxing Ontario and can transition well into the new role, without any learning curve. I also would bring with me an open mind, and listen to the concerns of the membership, and bring them to board. I would also bring back board discussion to the membership in the form of a quarterly review (Especially in terms of funding and spending of funding). In reality, without you as the membership there is no organization as funding is based on membership numbers! Therefore for in my mind your voice should be heard and you should know what is going on with the organization you support and it will should you vote for me!
Position: VP of Administration
Deb Laba
I have been involved with Boxing Ontario for many years, both in an administrative capacity and front line.
Prior to my involvement with Boxing Ontario, I was involved with other sports organizations. I was active through fund-raising and a travel Team Manager as I supported my children through their athletic pursuits.
With a background in nursing, I have developed and maintained much needed and useful skills pertaining; attention to detail, accurate and effective documentation, report writing, high level of organizational capabilities and applications as well as liaison with different individuals of all walks of life, professions and commitments.
It is those skills that served me well as Membership Chairperson for the Royal Canadian Legion in St. Catharines for 3 years. During this tenure I served on the board and worked with other members to problem-solve and discover solutions for and with limited funding and resources, created and maintained records and accurate paperwork. I further developed my skills in areas of researching of potential candidates, presentation of findings/ info to the members of the board and Legion.
When I turned my interest towards Boxing, the skills that I had gained through nursing and as Chairperson were soon put to good use. I was put to work as hotdog seller at my first boxing show. I soon explored and became an official. I have been a registered official for 11 years. During this period, I have also served on two committees formed to address: the revision of the Constitution and for 3 years the AGM awards.
Until 2011, I had attended and worked every tournament and Provincial event in Ontario for ten years. Using my skills for documentation, attention to detail and my high level of knowledge of Boxing Ontario rules, policies, procedures I have been able to contribute to the increased level of success for the smooth operation and accountability at the tournaments.
I have been the Chief Official for the Niagara Region for the past 2 ½ years. This position has provided me with the opportunities to expand my knowledge and skills regarding dealing with others, through mediating and implementation of conflict resolution strategies as I oversee the officials of the region and assist with the coordination of the club shows within the rules of Boxing Ontario.
As Vice-president of Administration, I believe I would be an asset to Boxing Ontario, the Board and all the membership as we currently face the many challenges regarding funding/financing, the ongoing rule changes / implementations and the role boxing and Boxing Ontario plays within the sporting world and the Marketing Media legally and socially.
I have no club affiliation and I feel I would serve as an impartial member of the Executive.
Thank you for your time and consideration of me as a candidate for the position of Vice-president of Administration with Boxing Ontario.
Position: President
Ron Gallen
Current President Boxing Ontario held President position for two seperate terms 1990″s
Vice Pres Boxing Ontario
Chief Official Niagara region
Regional Director Niagara region
Member Boxing Ontario 30+ years
Running Niagara Falls Boxing Club 25years
Registered coach and official
Position: President
Mike Power
….respecting the past, while stepping into the future.
Did you know that it’s been 14 years since Boxing Ontario has had a president who was under 50 years old?
Did you know that it’s been 14 years since we’ve elected a president who had never served in that role before?
Do we want change or do we want to keep repeating ourselves? Albert Einstein defined insanity as “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Our sport has been, and will continue to go through drastic changes during this and the next Olympic cycle. We need someone who will stay on top of what is happening to our sport at the national & international level and lead our organization with those changes in mind.
I have been on the Boxing Ontario executive since 2010 when I was appointed as the Director at Large (discipline). Not long after I was appointed, we had received a request from the provincial government to change our organizational structure into a more streamlined organization. Our executive at the time agreed to make that change and a committee was struck to overhaul our organization. I was appointed to be chair of that committee.
Our team came up with a model which moved us from a geographically-based structure to the current skill-based board that we have today. This new structure was accepted almost unanimously by the board-of-directors of the day.
One of the most notable benefits to member clubs under our new structure is the ability to cast a vote during elections and constitutional changes. In the old system, clubs had no voice and no vote at the AGM. Presently the voting is done by member clubs, using a delegate voting structure.
Under the new structure I was elected to be the inaugural VP of Protocol for Boxing Ontario, which mandated me to handle disciplinary complaints and create policies. When performing the difficult task of dealing with a disciplinary issue, I always tried to end with a result that covered Boxing Ontario’s due diligence, while allowing the member to learn from the incident and have input to what the corrective action would be.
One of the policies I created during my time in that role was our sanctioning policy. Member clubs are now able to have more than one sanction in at a time, which allows for less-restrictive event planning. Another piece of this policy was allowing more than one club show in each region on the same calendar day. This has been a win-win for everyone….our clubs are having more shows, our officials are getting more experience, and most importantly, our athletes are getting more experience.
The last piece to that policy was the clause allowing our clubs to do dual-shows with other combat sports organizations. This is allowing us to have a better relationship with other combat sports and also showcase our sport to another fanbase. I am of the belief that our policies need to set reasonable limits which enable our members to be successful, instead of restricting our members for no good reason. Again, the more opportunities for our athletes, the better.
In early 2012 I saw an opportunity to guide our organization through a major change in our competitive season, so I ran for the position of VP Technical and was successful. This was a bit of a learning curve for me, and I believe that I will be a better president because of my time in that role. As chair of the technical committee, I am very proud of our achievements in the past year. I am thankful for the committee members for supporting my vision and providing valuable input to help guide our organization through these challenging times.
Here is a list of our most-notable achievements as we near the end of my first year as chair of the technical committee:
1. Seeding – we held a seeding tournament last fall, which allowed us to seed the draw at our provincial championships. Seeding happens at the national & international level, so our athletes are now getting a taste of it at the provincial level.
2. Field of Play – you will have noticed that we’ve established a Field of Play for our major tournaments. This mimics what our athletes can expect to see when they attend national/international tournaments.
3. Provincial Teams – we held our provincial championships early in the season so that our teams would be picked early, and given more opportunity to develop prior to the national championships. We are planning 4-5 training camps and at least one major tournament, as well as nationals. This is just the beginning.
4. Ranking criteria for nationals – we have created a transparent structure which will allow our athletes an opportunity to be ranked, based on their performance at qualifying tournaments.
5. Dual qualifiers for nationals – if an athlete is injured, or had a bad tournament, they have the opportunity to try again. They are also allowed to change weight classes, and depending on their success levels, their ranking can improve, which increases their chances of being invited to the national championships.
I have attended each Boxing Canada AGM (as an observer & on my own dime) since 2010 when I first became a member of the Boxing Ontario Executive.
I was the lone member of Boxing Ontario’s executive to participate in Boxing Canada’s “2020 Vision” Strategic Planning session in December of 2011.
I have represented Boxing Ontario at the Boxing Canada Semi-Annual Board of Director’s meeting for both 2011 & 2012.
I’m a people-person with a good working knowledge of the Boxing Ontario & Boxing Canada structure, policies, and programs. I work well with others and I have excellent communication skills, both oral & written.
I believe that our organization needs to be athlete-focused, and I will not be satisfied until every spot on our national team is occupied by a member Of Boxing Ontario.
Position: VP of Protocol
Shawn Floyd
Hi, I’m Shawn Floyd and I am running for Vice President of Protocol. This will be my first attempt to be part of the Board for Boxing Ontario.
I have been involved in boxing since 1992 as a competitor and coach. In 2003, I became an official and was Niagara Regional Official in 2004. I’ve progressed and successfully attained status as 1 Star AIBA official. In 2010, I became Chief Official for Boxing Ontario and was a member of the Technical Committee. I compiled reports necessary for complaints and required action to the current Vice President of Protocol and Discipline.
I was part of process during that period in which I wanted to see changes made, rules maintained along with maintaining the integrity of the sport boxing. I believed that the position of Chief Official that the integrity of the sport be maintained and enforced with the rules/regulations and Code of Conduct at all levels. However, I felt a sense of helplessness, that the conduct of those was not properly being addressed and in a timely manner.
In my professional career as a police officer for 28 years, it has been based on enforcement of rules, process of law and presentation for judicial decisions. The organizations for which I have been employed have been based on the following principles;
• Professionalism
• Respect
• Accountability
• Diversity
• Excellence
• Leadership
I take great pride representing the sport of boxing and the integrity it deserves. It is my intent to properly address issues of complaint in a timely manner. I will present respective decisions after a thorough review, keeping in mind the rules and process of Boxing Ontario By-laws.
I would like to have the opportunity to bring a voice to the board and present new ideas to inspire a growth through positive and respectful actions.
Boxing has gone through some serious changes in the last few years. One of the things as an official I’ve learned is the appearance of unbiasedness and fair play. We as one of the largest memberships in the country, and having the highest potential we as an organization must implement and maintain the highest standards that reflect on the goals and mandate at the National and International levels if we are to have that opportunity. I have the same mindset, I have the understanding, and quite simply….I
GET IT!
I am looking forward to part of a team that is instrumental in providing the proper tools, opportunities to our competitors, coaches and officials.
New changes, new faces and great attitudes are what is needed as I firmly believe that Boxing Ontario will be a true leader for competitive boxing in the country and the world.
Position: VP of Protocol
Armand Teodorscu
My name is Armand Teodorescu, I am a level 3 boxing coach working out of the Atlas Boxing Club and I have been involved in boxing all of my life. I have also been the Vice President of Protocol over the last year and I have had a chance to work with the current Board of Directors and see how Boxing Ontario proceedures function. During this time I have found several ways that I think Boxing Ontario can improve these proceedures and make communication and important information flow more easily down to the membership. I think that full disclosure of planning and finances is a must for our organization to move forward and evolve into the sport organization we all hope it can be, an organization we can all be proud of and work within to the greater benefit of all those involved. This is what I hope to work toward as your elected Vice President of Protocol.
