SUB SPACE CHATTER:
The Memorial Day Weekend 2014 Edition
By Adm. Bob Vosseller, Vice Regional Coordinator
As we reflect today on the occasion of remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for defending our great nation and take a break from our regular routine to enjoy the company of friends and family, I felt it might be a good time to release another edition of Sub Space Chatter.
We have a lot to report and with the summer having arrived, we’ve got a lot coming up to look forward to.
RC WAYNE AUGUSTSON TO START NEW TERM AS REGIONAL COORDINATOR
As you know Vice Admiral Wayne Augustson has been reconfirmed with a strong turnout of votes as our regional coordinator. (Hurray, I guess that means I still have the job as VRC despite all I did while he was away at Disney World a few weeks back).
Wayne and I thank the members of Region 7 who have shown your faith in us and the entire regional staff in leading the 7th Fleet during these last several terms. We’ve always sought to serve you to the best of our ability, informing you of all the important news of our parent organization, building morale and unity among this corner of Starfleet, constantly reviewing and updating regional policies and organizational practices and trying new things when it comes to joint chapter operations and regional activities.
Granted, we sometimes fall short of our aims but I feel we’ve brought a nice record of stability to R7 and we look forward to continuing that in the next two years. We officially start our new term in July. Normally, that would mean Shore Leave but as we know, Shore Leave has moved to August and we can’t wait for the next Shore Leave to bring so many of us together.
CREATION CON BRINGS SF CHAPTERS TOGETHER
In April, at least six chapters of R7 assembled for a highly enjoyable Creation Convention in Cherry Hill NJ. It provided a fun setting with guests like Kate Mulgrew, Terry Farrell, Tim Russ, Max Grodencheck, Aaron Eisenberg and Nichelle Nichols.
Some innovative ideas made the con more enjoyable and the guests proved entertaining. Well, most of them anyway. While autograph costs seemed astronomical many good times were had including a Saturday morning lunch at Friendly’s that few of us who attended will forget. Watch for all the details in a future CQ article that will cover all the lunacy.
TREK OLYMPICS RETURNS
Earlier this month, members of several chapters in Maryland and one from NY enjoyed another beautiful day spent eating and playing games during the 2014 Trek Olympics.
This year we had four chapters from the region participate. USS Pride of Baltimore CO Lt. General Gary M. Ensey Jr. reported that along with his chapter, the Richthofen the Matrix and the NY based chapter USS Serling enjoyed the day.
The results of the games are as follows:
He’s Dead Jim (egg toss)
First place – Pride of Baltimore
Second place – Serling
Third place – Matrix
Tribble Toss (bean bag toss)
First place – Matrix
Second place – Richthofen
Third place – Serling
Ahn’Voon Challenge
First place – Matrix
Second place – Serling
Third place – Richthofen
Save Odo
First place – Pride of Baltimore
Second place – Richthofen
Third place – Serling
Phaser Range
First place – Pride of Baltimore
Second place – Matrix
Third place – Serling
Data Face
First place – Matrix
Second place – Serling
Third place – Pride of Baltimore
Total:
Fourth Place: USS Richthofen
Third Place: USS Serling
Second Place: USS Pride of Baltimore
First Place: USS Matrix (with support from PoB members)
Gary thanked everyone who came out for the annual event. “We hope to see more of the region come down next year!”
PICNICS, BBQs and ANNIVERSARIES
Many chapters of R7 are planning summer picnics, BBQs. Some of them, such as the USS Avenger and USS Challenger note these occasions as part of our own anniversaries. The USS Avenger’s picnic will celebrate 29 years as a Starfleet chapter on the last weekend of June while the USS Challenger will note our 26th year of service on July 5th at a new location. See our respective Facebook page and R7 Facebook and the R7 website for details. The USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Justice are also among those planning picnics in the weeks to come.
These events are special occasions that bring many SFR7 members together each summer. They allow us to catch up with things both Fleet, fandom and real life related. I for one look forward to seeing many of you and I hope to travel beyond the Jersey Shore in the weeks and months to come.
SEE THAT LIGHTPOST UP AHEAD, YOU ARE ENTERING THE R7 CONFERENCE ZONE
In October, the USS Serling will host this year’s Region 7 Conference. It is a place where we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Starfleet, discuss how our chapters can better operate and learn from each other and how as a region we can improve ourselves. We also have plenty of fun and laughs and the conference is for those of ensign rank (or lower) to admirals.
R7 Command is very pleased that a chapter is running this year’s conference and that next year another team of SF R7 members will be running the show. As in years past, R7 Command has run summits (smaller conferences) and last year ran a full fledged conference. Now we’re getting back to how things have been done in the past and we commend those who have stepped up to take on this responsibility. To register see the R7 website, the R7 Facebook page and the USS Serling’s special R7 Conference Facebook page.a
ETERNAL CON COMING
The USS Britannic will be heading up a recruitment operation at Eternal Con in Long Island in the weeks to come. This marks the first year for such a full fledged effort and Wayne and his crew are looking forward to it.
Thanks for reading this latest bulletin. We look forward to announcing the R7 Award winners (yes we know they have already been named) but the awards will be presented at the Starfleet meeting at Shore Leave. We are also planning to run some panels at Shore Leave and we’re also planning to get together at the Silver Springs Mining Company for a 40th Starfleet Anniversary gathering.
I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend. See you soon.