Introducing a Randy Benz Award for the Flèche Pacifique
(Some material adapted from: "Process for Introducing a Club Award" (Fergusson & BC Randonneurs Executive Committee, 2005)
by John Oswald

Editor's note: This newsletter submission is about a proposal to introduce a new flèche award. John Oswald is managing the file on behalf of the 2018 BC Randonneurs executive committee. The feedback forms will go directly to John who will compile the results for the committee. [EF]

Executive Summary

In April of 2017 Bob Goodison shared the news that Randy Benz had passed away in our club's newsletter. In the months that followed, Randy's wife Jill proposed a Flèche Pacifique trophy for the team with the most vertical ascent. Both Bob and Jill knew that the Flèche was Randy's favourite club event and the executive was very receptive to the idea. The executive then created the following proposal for review by the general membership in accordance with BC Randonneurs policy for Introducing a new club award. Essentially, the proposed Randy Benz award would be presented to the successful Flèche (or Trace) team with the most vertical ascent in their route (as determined by Ride with GPS software). The award would be a plaque donated by Jill Benz. All BC Randonneurs club members are strongly encouraged to read the club executive's full proposal below and respond to the feedback form at the end of this article.

Initial Consideration by the Club Executive

1. Is the award relevant to the club and its activities?
Yes. This trophy would be awarded to the successful Fleche or Trace team with the most vertical ascent during the BC Randonneurs annual Flèche Pacifique event.

2. Would the award be a valuable addition to the club?
It is believed by the author that an award for the team with the most vertical ascent would give teams in both the Flèche and Trace events another goal to consider when planning their routes. This offers the possibility breathing new life into the event.
Additionally, unlike other Flèche Pacifique trophies with more complicated criteria, there would always be one team with the most vertical ascent so the trophy would always have a winner as long as at least one team completed a Flèche or a Trace route.

3. Is the proposed form of the award the best expression of the idea of the award?
BC Randonneurs' Interior Route Coordinator Bob Goodison—a longtime Fleche teammate of Randy Benz—initially proposed this award to the club executive on behalf of Jill Benz because the Flèche Pacifique was Randy's favourite event on the club calendar.

4. Is there a conflict of interest for the sponsor [i.e. will the sponsor be likely to receive the award]?
Unlikely. The award sponsor would plan his route according to his team's needs and in secret as per the rules of the event. Whether or not he could win the award would be determined by the success or failure of his team and the route choices of the competing teams in the event. In short, unless the award sponsor was organizing the Flèche and had access to other team's routes, there does not appear to be a conflict if he were to win the award in the future.

5. Are there particulars/details in the proposal that need to be expressed/defined more clearly before consulting the membership?
The initial proposal suggested the use of online mapping software to determine the total vertical ascent for each successful Flèche or Trace team's routes. The executive has since decided to use Ride with GPS to determine each team's total vertical ascent. Club members will have the chance to respond to this choice in the consultation (below).

Consultation
"If the committee likes the idea, the membership will be informed of the proposal. A neutral member (i.e. not the sponsor) will be designated to collect input from members. This designated member can then present the general membership's views to the committee. There should be an opportunity for members to address the committee themselves if they wish."
  - Randonneurs.bc.ca (2005)

The neutral member is the author [John Oswald] and he will share the results and any correspondence with the rest of the executive before any vote for approval of the proposed award.

Time Frame
With survey this month (April 2018) and a two week period to collect responses, then the executive could finalize the proposal at the May 2018 meeting. Whether or not there would be enough time to get the award in place for the 2018 Flèche Pacifique would depend on the form of the award (see below).

The Form of the Award
"An award proposal should include an idea for the form of the award. A call for award design might be part of the member consultation process. The form of the award shall be defined before the award is finalized and accepted."
-Randonneurs.bc.ca (2005)

Jill Benz has requested that the award be in the form of a plaque with spaces for the winning team members' names. She has committed to cover the cost of the plaque.

Process of Determining Recipients
Completed Flèche and Trace routes would be analyzed by the Fleche Pacifique organizer(s) using Ride with GPS. Teams that wish to compete for the trophy will need to submit their routes in Ride with GPS.

The Particulars
1. Award winners must complete their Flèche or Trace according to the club and ACP rules.
2. The team with most vertical ascent will be declared the winner of the award.
3. In the event of a tie, the team with a shorter route distance will be declared the winner. (For the purposes of this award a tie is considered +/- 50m.)

Feedback and Questions
Thank you for taking the time to learn about this proposal. Please follow the link below to provide your feedback on the award (whether it is positive or...”constructive”). The executive will have access to all responses and will endevour to communicate its final decision in a timely manner.

Randy Benz Flèche Pacifique Award Proposal Feedback Form

April 6, 2018