2011 Sera Cave Carnival

NSS Conventions, regional caving events, local caving events. Please spell out event initials for new members.

Moderator: Moderators

Re: 2011 Sera Cave Carnival

Postby Batgirl » Mar 2, 2011 10:33 pm

mgmills wrote: Lynn, I used the word "blame" because Jon used it in his post that I was responding to. I commented it was a strong word. . . . I am a member of B'ham Grotto and am 99% sure they were not told until the fall of 2010 that Smoky Mtn and all others on the had passed on the event.. . .

As an FYI Martha, that wasn't me who responded to you. That was Chrys.

I think having SERA at the same location every year is a great idea because not only does it help to streamline the planning process, but it would probably help to increase participation and attendance at future events. I have also heard it mentioned that perhaps it would be better if the SERA officers hosted the Carnival with participation by member grottos. In other words, the officers are tasked with the overall planning process and then assign specific tasks to member grottos. That way one grotto isn't overwhelmed with such a huge task. Just my .02 cents.
Batgirl
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 302
Joined: Apr 9, 2009 9:29 am
Name: Lynn Buffkin
NSS #: 60464
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Sewanee Mountain Grotto
  

Re: 2011 Sera Cave Carnival

Postby roger_haley » Mar 2, 2011 11:12 pm

Batgirl wrote:[

I think having SERA at the same location every year is a great idea because not only does it help to streamline the planning process, but it would probably help to increase participation and attendance at future events. I have also heard it mentioned that perhaps it would be better if the SERA officers hosted the Carnival with participation by member grottos. In other words, the officers are tasked with the overall planning process and then assign specific tasks to member grottos. That way one grotto isn't overwhelmed with such a huge task. Just my .02 cents.


Interesting idea?
Roger Haley
Huntsville, Alabama
roger_haley
Prolific Poster
 
Posts: 193
Joined: Apr 13, 2006 10:39 am
Location: Huntsville Alabama
NSS #: 29236FL
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Huntsville
  

Re: 2011 Sera Cave Carnival

Postby mgmills » Mar 3, 2011 8:49 am

Batgirl wrote:
mgmills wrote: Lynn, I used the word "blame" because Jon used it in his post that I was responding to. I commented it was a strong word. . . . I am a member of B'ham Grotto and am 99% sure they were not told until the fall of 2010 that Smoky Mtn and all others on the had passed on the event.. . .

As an FYI Martha, that wasn't me who responded to you. That was Chrys.

I think having SERA at the same location every year is a great idea because not only does it help to streamline the planning process, but it would probably help to increase participation and attendance at future events. I have also heard it mentioned that perhaps it would be better if the SERA officers hosted the Carnival with participation by member grottos. In other words, the officers are tasked with the overall planning process and then assign specific tasks to member grottos. That way one grotto isn't overwhelmed with such a huge task. Just my .02 cents.



Sorry Lynn, I got cavegirl and batgirl confused. :doh:

As to having the officers in charge every year, I disagree for reasons I stated in an earlier post on this thread. I know there are others who feel differently and that is OK too. We are all entitled to have our 2 cents worth.
Martha Mills
NSS 39864
User avatar
mgmills
Global Moderator
 
Posts: 1375
Joined: Sep 5, 2005 3:06 pm
Location: Sewanee TN
Name: Martha Mills
NSS #: 39864
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Dogwood City Grotto
  

Re: 2011 Sera Cave Carnival

Postby cavergirl » Mar 3, 2011 2:18 pm

Batgirl wrote:perhaps it would be better if the SERA officers hosted the Carnival with participation by member grottos. In other words, the officers are tasked with the overall planning process and then assign specific tasks to member grottos. That way one grotto isn't overwhelmed with such a huge task. Just my .02 cents.

sheez, it's hard enough now to get anyone to accept nomonation to be an officer. with that responsibility, almost no-one will want to serve. chairmen/vice chairs will be stuck with that 2 years running and the secy/treas for as long as he/she holds the office. Remember most of these folks have jobs/families too. And unlike a grotto in which the members live in the same locality, SERA officers can come from opposite ends of the region. most of that coordinating would have to be done by phone/internet. When Nashville hosted last we had monthly meetings for about a year of just our SERA commitee. (seperate from regular grotto meetings) These became even more frequent as the event got close. With the current system, any individual grotto only has to do it about every 8-10 years. By then there's new blood, and the veterens may have forgotten what a pain it was last time.
Another problem is SERA is sort of a non-existent entity -it is an informal group. Grottoes usually have some type of "non-profit organization" status and can therefore enter into a contractual agreement. I will bring this up in discussion at the WBM but I am not sure "SERA" can sign a contract, or get an insurance policy. and the insurance policies are a big deal and getting bigger. no one individual would want to -nor should they- take on that type of liability.
chrys
cavergirl
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 236
Joined: Feb 3, 2009 6:06 pm
Location: TN
Name: Chrys
NSS #: 45071
Primary Grotto Affiliation: nashville grotto
  

Re: 2011 Sera Cave Carnival

Postby Batgirl » Mar 3, 2011 3:17 pm

There are lots of issues that need to be resolved here and contractual agreements is definitely a big one. Aside from that, I believe that the NSS has the ability to add these types of events to their insurance rider. You will need to check into this. I realize that given the "loose" nature of SERA that my suggestion may not be doable, but its still worth seriously considering. Over the years, the carnival continues to dwindle in numbers and its getting harder and harder to get grottos to agree to host (for many reasons). So streamlining the process so that there is one entity managing the project and delegating specific tasks to area grottos relieves some of the burden and ensures there will always be a Carnival. I hate it that our 60th anniversary almost didn't happen. Smaller grottos just don't always have the time or manpower to get all the work done that it requires, so the burden usually falls to the larger grottos and even they have issues with getting full participation by their members. In my experience, Its always the same people that step up and get involved. This is still true for the cave-in. But over the years, we have been able to streamline the process so that its execution isn't as manic - having a single location also helps. As for the funding issue that Martha brought up in a previous post, I would suggest that any profits (if there are any) be maintained by SERA to pay for administrative costs, insurance or for distribution as grants to participating grottos. Perhaps the SERA organization would need to re-evaluate its set up to make this happen and perhaps that's not the way they want to go. That's up to them, but I am just throwing out an idea for consideration. We all have lives and families outside of caving, but cavers are our family too and we owe it to each other to ensure that we continue to have events like this so that we can all get together.

I will be at the SWBM and we can talk more then.
Batgirl
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 302
Joined: Apr 9, 2009 9:29 am
Name: Lynn Buffkin
NSS #: 60464
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Sewanee Mountain Grotto
  

Re: 2011 Sera Cave Carnival

Postby cavergirl » Mar 3, 2011 4:59 pm

Batgirl wrote: Aside from that, I believe that the NSS has the ability to add these types of events to their insurance rider. You will need to check into this.

Now the NSS does have this rider that grottoes can tap into because The Nashville grotto worked with the NSS to put this in place two years ago when we were dealing with this very issue for SERA. the NSS can agree to cover the grotto on their policy for up to a 1 mllion dollar policy. unfortunately, it still wasn't enough for us, as the site we were trying to get (a boy scout camp) wanted a 2 million dollar policy. That is why with only 4 months to find another site we had to end up having SERA at the TAG site.
cavergirl
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 236
Joined: Feb 3, 2009 6:06 pm
Location: TN
Name: Chrys
NSS #: 45071
Primary Grotto Affiliation: nashville grotto
  

Re: 2011 Sera Cave Carnival

Postby Batgirl » Mar 3, 2011 6:19 pm

If the NSS headquarters remains in Huntsville and is built on the proposed site, then I am betting we will have a permanent place for the Carnival without all the hassle of contracts and insurance..... :banana_yay: Wouldn't that be great?
Batgirl
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 302
Joined: Apr 9, 2009 9:29 am
Name: Lynn Buffkin
NSS #: 60464
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Sewanee Mountain Grotto
  

Re: 2011 Sera Cave Carnival

Postby mgmills » Mar 3, 2011 6:49 pm

cavergirl wrote:sheez, it's hard enough now to get anyone to accept nomonation to be an officer. with that responsibility, almost no-one will want to serve. chairmen/vice chairs will be stuck with that 2 years running and the secy/treas for as long as he/she holds the office. Remember most of these folks have jobs/families too. And unlike a grotto in which the members live in the same locality, SERA officers can come from opposite ends of the region. most of that coordinating would have to be done by phone/internet. When Nashville hosted last we had monthly meetings for about a year of just our SERA commitee. (seperate from regular grotto meetings) These became even more frequent as the event got close. With the current system, any individual grotto only has to do it about every 8-10 years. By then there's new blood, and the veterens may have forgotten what a pain it was last time.
Another problem is SERA is sort of a non-existent entity -it is an informal group. Grottoes usually have some type of "non-profit organization" status and can therefore enter into a contractual agreement. I will bring this up in discussion at the WBM but I am not sure "SERA" can sign a contract, or get an insurance policy. and the insurance policies are a big deal and getting bigger. no one individual would want to -nor should they- take on that type of liability.
chrys



Almost the exact points I made in my prior post. You just stated them differently
Martha Mills
NSS 39864
User avatar
mgmills
Global Moderator
 
Posts: 1375
Joined: Sep 5, 2005 3:06 pm
Location: Sewanee TN
Name: Martha Mills
NSS #: 39864
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Dogwood City Grotto
  

Re: 2011 Sera Cave Carnival

Postby roger_haley » Mar 6, 2011 2:25 pm

I see that SERA is on for June 9,10,11 & 12.
Roger Haley
Huntsville, Alabama
roger_haley
Prolific Poster
 
Posts: 193
Joined: Apr 13, 2006 10:39 am
Location: Huntsville Alabama
NSS #: 29236FL
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Huntsville
  

Re: 2011 Sera Cave Carnival

Postby mgmills » Mar 6, 2011 4:07 pm

roger_haley wrote:I see that SERA is on for June 9,10,11 & 12.


Yeah, in my backyard . . . literally! I saw the post on TAG Net this morning. It is as mentioned earlier in this thread going to be at Maureen Handler's property. The post didn't give any information about "registration" or anything like that. Just the dates and the fact it was a "back to basics" event.

Funny thing about it is even though it is so close to home I won't be attending. It is my weekend to work so I won't get to attend. Too close to my taking two weeks off to go to Conventinon in Colorado for me to try to wiggle out of working a scheduled weekend. I have to keep reminding myself that is this economy and job market I'm lucky to have a good job that I actually don't dread going to.
Martha Mills
NSS 39864
User avatar
mgmills
Global Moderator
 
Posts: 1375
Joined: Sep 5, 2005 3:06 pm
Location: Sewanee TN
Name: Martha Mills
NSS #: 39864
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Dogwood City Grotto
  

Re: 2011 Sera Cave Carnival

Postby self-deleted_user » Mar 7, 2011 3:56 pm

I HOPE TO BE THERE!!!
I marked the dates on my calendar :D
Self-deleted due to large troll population on the forum, and absence of moderation.
self-deleted_user
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 1408
Joined: Aug 6, 2010 8:33 pm
Location: Offline, in real life, with real cavers.
  

Re: 2011 Sera Cave Carnival

Postby CaverScott » Mar 8, 2011 8:51 am

Sungura wrote:I HOPE TO BE THERE!!!
I marked the dates on my calendar :D


You should also mark the Tag Fall Cave In on your calendar. (Columbus Day weekend)
User avatar
CaverScott
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 1132
Joined: Sep 6, 2005 7:38 am
Location: Birmingham, Alabama (TAG!)
NSS #: 19797L
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Birmingham CIG SCCi IKC
  

Re: 2011 Sera Cave Carnival

Postby self-deleted_user » Mar 8, 2011 9:55 am

CaverScott wrote:
Sungura wrote:I HOPE TO BE THERE!!!
I marked the dates on my calendar :D


You should also mark the Tag Fall Cave In on your calendar. (Columbus Day weekend)
That's been on my calendar for like, 2 months, already lol. I went last year and had a blast :) Actually, I might well be living in the Atlanta area by then anyway! :)
Self-deleted due to large troll population on the forum, and absence of moderation.
self-deleted_user
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 1408
Joined: Aug 6, 2010 8:33 pm
Location: Offline, in real life, with real cavers.
  

Re: 2011 Sera Cave Carnival

Postby cavergirl » Mar 10, 2011 9:53 pm

60th ANNUAL

SERA SUMMER CAVE CARNIVAL

"Simple SERA"

JUNE 9TH, 10TH, 11TH, and 12th 2011

CAVERS PARADISE CAMPGROUND

SEWANEE, TENNESSEE

Just like the earlier SERAs of old we will have a very basic camp-out. Plenty of field camping, real showers, vendors,

hot tub, sauna, a small lake, and maybe even a live band. All located in a

cozy campground nestled high atop Monteagle Mountain.
cavergirl
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 236
Joined: Feb 3, 2009 6:06 pm
Location: TN
Name: Chrys
NSS #: 45071
Primary Grotto Affiliation: nashville grotto
  

Re: 2011 Sera Cave Carnival

Postby Marduke » Mar 10, 2011 11:44 pm

What would be the chance of getting GPS coordinates for the campground? Please PM me if you don't want them posted publicly.
Warning: Don't use this forum! Only armchair cavers and trolls reside here.
Marduke
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 373
Joined: Jul 8, 2008 8:16 am
Location: An alternate, non-sucky forum
  

PreviousNext

Return to Caver Events

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users