2005 AANR Convention at Caliente Resort

[w/pyn]

I'm just curious how many members are planning to attend the AANR convention at Caliente Resort in Florida on Aug 6-14. It sounds like fun. Any idea of what the schedule of events for the convention is?

[w/pyn]

I'm just curious how many members are planning to attend the AANR convention at Caliente Resort in Florida on Aug 6-14. It sounds like fun. Any idea of what the schedule of events for the convention is?

[usuallylurk]

One of the problems about going to an AANR convention is that it's, to a great degree, AANR politics.

Meetings, meetings, meetings. They have social events at night - but even then, politics invade that as well. There are various events that take place - recreational events, volleyball and tennis tournaments -- but if you want to have FUN, I recommend the TNS gatherings.

In the future, now that the legislative body of AANR (general assembly) is being dumped, the AANR conventions may become purely fun events for the attendees, much as the TNS gatherings/festivals are today.

I went to one AANR convention - as a delegate - it wasn't fun.

[Trailscout]

Meetings may be boring, but at least you have a sayso in how the club is run. How else would the club officers know the wishes of the rank and file? Father knows best?

[David77]

If you are not a delegate, your opinion does not register in the final analysis, because only delegates can vote on issues. The business meetings I sometimes attended, were at best, mildly interesting, but since I was not a delegate, I did not attend most meetings but did what I would do if I were there at any other time. It was nice to meet people from Canada and from all over the USA. The dances at night were very nice.

[Cheri]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by David77:
If you are not a delegate, your opinion does not register in the final analysis, because only delegates can vote on issues. The business meetings I sometimes attended, were at best, mildly interesting, but since I was not a delegate, I did not attend most meetings but did what I would do if I were there at any other time. It was nice to meet people from Canada and from all over the USA. The dances at night were very nice. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Even those who are not delegates had a voice if they're AANR members. This was the last year for Delegates and a General Assembly as we have known it.
Regards, Cheri

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Cheri:

Even those who are not delegates had a voice if they're AANR members. This was the last year for Delegates and a General Assembly as we have known it.
Regards, Cheri </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

And the new changes still won't allow AANR to reflect it's members' views.

[Cheri]

The members will be able to even be Trustees,
and each member will be able to vote. What do you mean they won't be able to express their views>+?!!

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Cheri:
The members will be able to even be Trustees,
and each member will be able to vote. What do you mean they won't be able to express their views>+?!! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You know exactly what I mean. All of them won't be elected by the paying members. The clubs will be selecting some of them too. That means the members will still not be in control of AANR even though they are the ones paying for it.

Please, lets tell the whole story here instead of what you think looks good.

You know, I might as well spell it out now because I'm sure the AANRbots will be after me if I don't, and will probably be after me even if I do.

Ok, originally the people who were to represent the members at the AANR elections were supposed to be elected by the members, with an election at each club. IOW, the original intentions of AANR was to have people voting that reflected the desires of the members which makes sense since the members are the ones that foot the bills with membership money. The delegates would have represented us. When this started there were no direct members, we all belonged to a club somewhere.

What happened over time is that these elections didn't take place for various reasons, some totally innocent and some not. Sometimes it was the members' fault for not voting and sometimes the clubs wanted to have delegates in place that reflected their values and views and not that of the members. I personally got appointed as a delegate once this way. I was not elected.

I called Paradise once and asked them when their election was taking place and I talked to half a dozen people, including the "elected" delegate and none could tell me when these elections took place. This was far from an isolated case, it's the most common response. Oh, and that delegate just happened to work for the owner of Paradise so you know who's views she was representing don't you? http://clothesfreeforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

Anyway, Pat Brown wanted to change all that and came up with AANR Tomorrow which was a huge restructuring of AANR. It totally dumped the regional branches of AANR, cutting them off from their cut in the members' dues. It also gave the clubs the power to vote for delegates, which they already had anyway, it was just made "legal".

AANR Tomorrow was a washout, nobody liked it, so she came up with a second plan. It left the regionals in place and still gave the clubs half the vote for delegates, and it was put into place. The members still don't have control of AANR. Technically the members went from voting for all delegates to only voting in half. How many were truly elected by members before that? I don't know and if anyone does, it's being kept quiet, but it was almost certainly more than half and AANR had been doing absolutely nothing about it before this. It was ignored. This means in reality the clubs lost a little control but it also means that the members didn't gain all control back. We don't control AANR.

Oh, and BTW, Cheri knows all of this and has known it all along. It's annoying when people pretend they are clueless when you know they aren't. It's dishonest.

Just to clarify, Paradise is not an exception by appointing a delegate instead of holding an election, it was very common.

[David77]

I suppose that it was also common for non-landed club leaders or owners to appoint delegates without an election by the membership to vote for delegates to represent the members. I do not remember being asked by my non-landed club, nor getting a ballot in the mail, to elect a representative to act on our behalf.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by David77:
I suppose that it was also common for non-landed club leaders or owners to appoint delegates without an election by the membership to vote for delegates to represent the members. I do not remember being asked by my non-landed club, nor getting a ballot in the mail, to elect a representative to act on our behalf. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You've got it!

So the clubs run AANR while the members pay for it. With the changes, theoretically the clubs will only vote in half the delegates but there are holes in that too. And it still doesn't give AANR back to the members.

[Cheri]

Travelites, Inc., a nonlanded club, held annual delegate elections the first Sat. of each June from 1987 through 2005. Arizona Wildflowers in the Phoenix, AZ area did as well.

There are many landed clubs that did such as Serendipity in GA and Carolina Foothills in SC.

Cheri

[Walt Iliff]

Thanks for the input Cheri...White Tail Park has elected a delegate for the AANR East and the AANR National conventions every year since I've been a member. The problem often is not whether the delegate is representing the interest of the club (landed or unlanded) or the members, and contrary to SOME peoples' opinions, those interests are not necessarily mutually exclusive. The problem is that the question is who is planning to go to convention. This year we had a great turnout at the AANR East convention when compared to the past few years, but with 70+ clubs and thousands of AANR associate members, there were relatively few delegates at the convention.

Wart Iliff

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Cheri:
Travelites, Inc., a nonlanded club, held annual delegate elections the first Sat. of each June from 1987 through 2005. Arizona Wildflowers in the Phoenix, AZ area did as well.

There are many landed clubs that did such as Serendipity in GA and Carolina Foothills in SC.

Cheri </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I never said NOBODY had elections, just that they were a rarity. If that was working Pat wouldn't have been working on changing it would she?

[usuallylurk]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Walt Iliff:
Thanks for the input Cheri...White Tail Park has elected a delegate for the AANR East and the AANR National conventions every year since I've been a member. The problem often is not whether the delegate is representing the interest of the club (landed or unlanded) or the members, and contrary to SOME peoples' opinions, those interests are not necessarily mutually exclusive. The problem is that the question is who is planning to go to convention.

Wart Iliff </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I used to hold my AANR membership through the Sherwood Forest Club. SFC was created around 1961 when Cedar Waters' ownership and the ASA had a falling out. Cedar Waters has not affiliated with ANYONE in the last 44 years.

SFC sent a delegate once - in 1995. Me. They haven't sent one since, and from what I gather, hadn't sent one since the mid-1960s.

It was not a matter of politics, but it was a matter of finding someone who was willing to go.
I went to one and it was not a lot of fun. No one's willing to travel, and SFC is a club that runs on a shoestring.

And since the officers don't involve themselves with AANR issues, and stay neutral on things, they do not proxy their vote and decline any opportunities to do so.

And besides, the TNS gatherings and festivals are a lot more fun.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">SFC is a club that runs on a shoestring. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

By their choice of course. They turn away a lot of income.

[Gothmog]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Cyndiannaked:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">SFC is a club that runs on a shoestring. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
By their choice of course. They turn away a lot of income. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Catering to those who would sexualize nudism?

Yeah..they probably could bring in more income that way. Fortunately, most clubs have what are called class and good taste

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by BeachBare:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Cyndiannaked:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">SFC is a club that runs on a shoestring. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
By their choice of course. They turn away a lot of income. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Catering to those who would sexualize nudism?

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Nope, that's not what I was talking about at all. Do your homework next time.

What does that mean anyway? Define "sexualize nudism".

[usuallylurk]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Cyndiannaked:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">SFC is a club that runs on a shoestring. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

By their choice of course. They turn away a lot of income. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Perhaps they are. I don't know if they are. If you're referring to their singles policies, there may be some loss of revenue to other groups in the area.

So be it.

I don't know why anyone outside the club would care.

But the SFC is a small, non-landed club that holds four or five winter events and allows its members to obtain an AANR membership if they wish, because the landed club does not offer either winter events nor AANR membership.

It is operated for the benefit of its members, who like things the way they have them. And it's running in the black anyway. I've been a member for around 12 years and there has been little hassle in the club's operation. In fact, the president dismissed his "operating committee" because there is no need for it.

It's not in business to make money.

In fact, it's not really "in business" in the classic sense. It's a social club that has four or five winter events.

The only expenses are for two or three member mailings a year, soft drinks to be served at the events, and sundry items such as paper plates, utensils, ice for the coolers (of course, we don't need ice in New England in the winter....) A little bit of postage for communication to AANR HQ.

Stationery and brochures and newsletters are essentially free - they're all printed on a member's home laser printer.

When the club moved its "headquarters" to Maine, the private phone line, recorder, and post office box were dropped.

The site the club rents charges "per head" with a minimum and they've always met that. Food is "pot luck".

The four or five events are enough. The landed club that most of us go to has two off-season events, giving us six or seven.

There are two other active non-landed clubs in the area, so if Sherwood members don't have "their fix" of winter nude swims, they can ,and do go to those other groups, which operate in nearly the exact fashion.

There is also a clothing-optional sauna within reach of a lot of the members, and many take their winter vacations in Florida or some islands somewhere (Braco, Orient, Caliente, Cypress Cove, Key West...)

... so the money just isn't a factor for the Sherwood Forest Club.