CRCA Board elections for the 2024 board are now open! All members should have an email from Election Buddy that will direct you to the voting system. We have no contested positions this year. Below are the candidate statements:
CRCA BOARD OF DIRECTORS CANDIDATE STATEMENTS
President
Emily Singleton (incumbent):
Hi! My name is Emily Singleton, and you're probably familiar with me from my emails, if not from the start line. I am the incumbent president and have served on the Board of Directors for the past 4 years in membership and communications roles as well. I have also been an active racing member on CRCA’s subteam Rockstar Games for the past 10(!!) years. I am nominating myself for CRCA President again to continue to advance the club through 2024!
My first year as CRCA President was another learning experience. I aimed to improve communication and transparency from the Board, and I hope that was felt by you as members. It's not easy to keep such a large and visible club going year after year, and I am so grateful for the rest of the leadership team for making it happen once again. We were able to increase sponsorship activation, expand paid-in-advance marshal coverage while keeping overall membership affordable, and add new, exciting competitions to the club series (sprint and W category 3 comps)! I also implemented a new series of race reports to communicate directly and regularly with membership, which seemed to be beneficial overall. I think the club functions better with multi-year terms from key Board positions, so I would love to stay on another year and put my experience to good use!
I am running for CRCA president because I have a passion for bike racing of all disciplines, and I sincerely care about growing this club that has given me so much -- including lifelong friends. Ultimately, this is a bike racing organization, and the goal is to provide our membership base with high quality racing and development experience, but we have a lot of work to do to truly grow the sport and make bike racing accessible and welcoming to all riders. As your president, I will use my years of racing and experience on the board to focus CRCA on improving operational functions, growing new members and bringing the best possible membership and race experience in the tri state area. I will also continue the work of previous presidents by lowering barriers to entry and working to unwind the racist and classist systems that are part of bike racing’s history and present. I would especially love to grow the WTF fields by creating a welcoming environment that encourages participation from developing racers.
Looking forward to next year!
Vice President of Rider Development
Tara Parsons (incumbent):
Dear CRCA Members,
I am honored to once again put forth my candidacy for the position of Vice President of Rider Development. With eight years of dedicated service in this role, I bring a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to fostering the growth and success of our racers.
Since joining the CRCA in 1997, my journey has been intertwined with the love of bike racing, becoming an elite level racer, and a desire to share that passion with others. As a CRCA coach since 2011, I've had the privilege of working alongside exceptional mentors, collectively contributing to the development of one of the finest club-level coaching programs in the cycling community. These coaches have been my inspiration, and I am eager to build upon their legacy.
In my capacity as a board member for eight years, coupled with my background as an educator and cyclist, I am intimately familiar with the responsibilities and intricacies of the VP of Rider Development role. I possess a thorough understanding of the administrative work with USACycling and a clear vision for enhancing our program to further elevate the success and safety of our racers.
Together, let us propel the CRCA towards new heights of excellence in rider development. I ask for your support and the privilege to continue this important work.
Tara Parsons (she/her)
Vice President of Racing
Charlie Stein (incumbent):
Hello! I am Charlie Stein, your current VP of Club Racing. I am running for VP of Club Racing again. As your VP of Club Racing I will continue to find ways to make racing in central park enjoyable, challenging and safe. It is my goal to deliver the CRCA membership the best race experience in the area.
Secretary
Josh Sakofsky (incumbent):
Hi! Back again for 2024, trying to help, how I can and when I can!
Treasurer
Mitchell Napolitano (incumbent):
I have served for 5 seasons as Treasurer for CRCA. Through my experience as Treasurer I have mastered the various tools used by my predecessors to manage the clubs finances, and expanded on the toolkit used for payments and billing. I was responsible for managing the clubs overall budget, handing out prize money, and paying the many contractors and vendors that help make races happen. Managing the accounting for reimbursements, USAC officials, Central Park Conservancy, marshalls, etc took up a large chunk of the operational time of the position. At the conclusion of each season, I spend time reconciling the books, filing taxes for the club, and drafting the next season's budget. I am seeking reelection to the CRCA Board of Directors in 2024 as Treasurer. I am looking forward to continuing to serve the cycling community of New York City and specifically our CRCA members. In 2024 I plan to focus on further digitizing CRCA’s financial accounting, continue creating sources of recurring revenue outside of membership/sponsors, and expand the CRCA's digital footprint for billing and payments.
Public Relations Director
Sarah Chubb-Sauvayre (incumbent):
I would like to be considered once again for the role of Club Director of Public Relations for the 2024 season.
In 2023 I joined the CRCA Board for the first time. I've been a CRCA racing member for many years, but I learned a lot about the club, especially how much it takes to keep all of the elements of a member-driven organization running smoothly.
With the help of my fellow board members, we brought in some great new sponsors for the 2023 season. We were able to offer podium prizes at open races and the club championships, and new sponsors generously underwrote registration for both beginners' clinics, a big help towards our goal to make the club as welcoming and inclusive as possible to new members. And the Thomson raffle prize of a deluxe free cycling trip brought some added excitement to the racing season, and to the end-of-season party.
I am hoping to bring in more sponsors, with more benefits for members, in 2024. Please let me know if you have any questions, and thank you for your consideration.
Membership Director
N/A: No nominees. Please reach out if you are interested!
Communications Director
Jennifer Poirier
Hello CRCA friends! I would like to self-nominate for the position of Communications Director for 2024. For those of you who don’t know me, I have been racing with CRCA since 2013 (most recently with Rockstar Games) and you may have also heard my GCN-worthy commentary over the past few years at Grant’s Tomb Criterium. I truly appreciate the sense of community and friendship that CRCA has given to me, and I would like the opportunity to give back to the organization by volunteering for this role. For qualifications, I am excited to offer my day job skills (which unfortunately is not bike racing) to improve our communication strategies in a way that is both professional and engaging. I believe that with clear and informative communication we can keep our members up-to-date and involved, which will lead to a better CRCA experience for all. I am excited about the possibility of making a positive impact on the club and I hope you will consider me. Thank you!
Marshal Director
Max Haight (incumbent):
This past year, I focused on providing clarity for all bike racing members. Next year, I would like to continue providing clarity for marshals, as well as uphold bike race safety. Bike race safety is the most important priority as Marshal director, followed by providing clarity and support.
As long as bike races have thrived in Central Park, so too have marshals. A marshal is a critical piece of infrastructure for a safe, clean, and competitive bike race. Marshals were not educated enough in the 2023 season. Last season, there were two separate bystander injuries. This is two too many. Park bystanders should never be in danger at bike races. As Marshal Director, I will call on the racers, volunteers, site staff, and leadership to educate Marshals more. Together, in 2024, we will strive for zero bystander injuries and as few as possible racing injuries. Thank you for your consideration.
Director of Open Racing
Alex Klafehn (incumbent):
Hey! I’m Alex; the current Director of Open Racing. Outside of CRCA, I'm a Race Director with NYCRUNS as well as being one half of the Event Director team for Croton Cross, which we just celebrated a successful (if not very muddy) sophomore year.
For the 2024 CRCA open racing season, my goals as the Director of Open Racing will be to create a race staff development program to better support our events; continue the tradition from past seasons of developing races to be more inclusive & supportive for underrepresented groups within the cycling scene; and continue to build up the quality of our events for our community.
Director of Teams
Sarah Sanborn:
Hi, I’m Sarah Sanborn! You may know me from such exploits as “I don’t want to climb today” and “Oh, let’s go get coffee instead.” I’m formerly a triathlete and ultrarunner, but please don’t hold that against me. I now race road, gravel and cx exclusively and only run for snacks. I’m nominating myself for Teams Director because I want to help expand cycling and racing access to all the teams across NYC. As an early member of Sugoi / NYCVelo, I’ve been part of the recent growth of cycling among the WTF community and would love to have the opportunity to give back to the fantastic CRCA community.
Director of Advocacy
Phillip Morel:
I have been within the New York City Cycling community for close to 4 years now including 3 within CRCA. I’ve always felt that as a full community together, we can drive change and impact the lives around us. From growing the sport within marginalized communities, to speaking up for us in local community board meetings, and to advocating for LTGBQ+ rights within all of cycling. I believe that advocacy works in multiple ways, and I intend to continue to carve out a space for all cyclists.
