Apr 18

US Speedskating Announces Election of New Board Members

US Speedskating is pleased to announce the election of three new Directors as selected by the US Speedskating membership in the 2012 Spring Board of Directors election.

 

Dr. Tim Bostley and Steve Penland have been elected as US Speedskating Board Members for the category of Competing Athlete / Individual Member. Brian Wanek has been elected as the US Speedskating Board Member-elect for the category of Retired Elite Athlete.

 

A total 392 total ballots were submitted via US Mail, UPS, fax, email, and hand-delivery to our election proctor, Lisa Valiant, through the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation. The Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation donated their time, and staff resource with Valiant, to facilitate the election as a cost-saving measure for US Speedskating.  All ballots were personally entered, counted electronically, and manually verified by Valiant.

 

In the category of Retired Elite Athlete, three candidates were nominated with the purpose of selecting one Board Member. Of 56 total ballots submitted, 36 votes were cast for Brian Wanek , 12 votes were cast for John Coyle, and 7 votes were cast for Ian Baranski. One ballot was sent in on behalf of a deceased member casting no vote

 

In the category of Competing Athlete / Individual Member, four candidates were nominated with the purpose of selecting two Board Members. Of 336 total ballots collected, 593 total votes were cast, including 182 votes for Dr. Tim Bostley, 149 votes for Dan Fiorenza, 153 votes for Steve Penland, and 109 votes for Jerry Search.

 

"In both membership categories during this election, US Speedskating had well qualified individuals asking to be elected to the Board by each of their respective memberships,” said US Speedskating President Tom Frank. “As the election process has now concluded, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and welcome Brian, Tim and Steve as members of the US Speedskating Board of Directors.  I know each of you is looking forward to working with the rest of the Board to continue to help move US Speedskating forward in all its endeavors."

 

Along with two others, Dr. Tim Bostley founded the Rochester Speedskating Team in 1994, which has grown to be one of the largest clubs in the country. He serves on their board and occasionally gets to skate with the team.  Through his involvement with the Rochester Speedskating team, Bostley started to officiate as a referee almost 10 years ago. He has been a short track referee for many of the elite meets and was a referee at the last Olympic Team Selection. This past year he was elevated to an international referee and worked his first World Cup in SaltLake City in October. He has also serves as a member of the Short Track Committee, Short Track Selection Committee, and was very involved in writing the Short Track Regulations, as well as serving on the committee that wrote the Olympic Selection Protocol.

 

 

Bostley currently resides in Hilton, N.Y., which is outside Rochester, with his two daughters. Bostley was married to Olympian Cathy Turner for 13 years, and attended two Olympic Winter Games as the husband of a competing athlete. He is a practicing Veterinarian.

 

Currently a member of the Membership and Development Committee (MPDC), as well as the man behind the lens at many speedskating events, Steve Penland became involved with speed skating in 1998 when he and his son started skating with the Glen Ellyn Speed Skating Club in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Since then, he has turned to the coaching aspect of the sport and has worked his way to US Speedskating’s Level 3 coaching certification. Penland has coached for both the Franklin Park and Glen Ellyn clubs, and now runs the long track program for the Glen Ellyn Speed Skating Club at the Pettit National Ice Center. This season is his 36^th year of coaching young athletes.

 

 

Penland received his Bachelors degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and his Masters and Doctoral degrees from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois. He taught science for 19 years and was a media center director for another 15 years in two differentChicago area suburban high schools. During this time, he also coached a variety of high school sports.

 

 

Brian Wanek’s competitive experience in the sport includes membership on the 1988, 1992, and 1994 Olympic Teams (LT captain in 1994), and several World Teams, and over a decade on the National Team. His involvement with the U.S. Speedskating Board of Directors dates back to 1989, extending most recently through 2010, and includes several terms of service as a Director or Officer, including multiple terms as an athlete representative. Wanek’s past roles with the organization include terms as Secretary, chair of the Development Committee, and chair of the Long Track Committee. He also currently serves as a director of the USISA Charitable Fund.

 

Wanek is an attorney with the national law firm of Foley & Lardner LLP, and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Chicago Law School.