STARFLEET Region 7

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.

Forwarded from the R7 Yahoo Group:

Hello everyone,

Wayne has asked that I extend the Awards deadline until April 7. So please forward you entries by that time. Thanks!

Doris Hutley
Awards Director

Forwarded from the R7 Yahoo Group:

As we’re just under two months out from the 2014 Trek Olympics (and USS Richthofen 15th Anniversary celebration), I thought it was time to put out my annual infodump.

What: Trek Olympics 2014
Where: Patapsco State Park Hollofield Area, Site 301
When: Saturday, May 17th, 10:30AM until dusk

For those of you who are new to the Trek Olympics concept… it was started years ago by the (now decommissioned) USS Triton as a day of fun and frivolity. Teams from different regional ships would compete in goofy field games for fortune and glory. Or maybe pride and honor. Or really, just fun.

Several years ago, I thought it would be fun if my chapter and the USS Pride of Baltimore (risen out of the ashes of the old Triton) could revive the party. And we did, and it was fun!

We’re not sure what games we’ll be playing yet this year, but in general the games are things that most anyone can participate in, such as shooting nerf guns and egg tosses (two of our favorite games!)

So… with that in mind… we’d love to break our record of 6 chapters represented this year! Don’t worry if you don’t have enough people to form a team of three or four, there are usually plenty of extra folks around to help out.

Also, I’ll be coordinating the potluck picnic aspect of the games in another few weeks. If you’re traveling a distance, there are definitely options you can sign up for that aren’t gloppy food or require a cooler. We also happily accept money to help offset the costs of buying the meats/buns/grill stuff.

PLEASE DO RSVP, so we have an accurate headcount of how many burgers and dogs to purchase. Even if you’re just a maybe. We won’t need a firm headcount until the week of the event.

If you have special dietary needs, please consider bringing your own food. If that’s inconvenient, then let me know and we’ll work something out. I don’t mind buying a box of veggie burgers if need-be for someone driving down from Jersey.

If you have a food allergy that I’m unaware of, please let me know. I don’t want anyone digging into the crab dip (if I decide to make it) that has a shellfish allergy and thinks it’s regular chip dip!

Also, please remember that there is a FEE for entering the park, even though the event itself is free. It’s $3/person, out-of-state residents $5/person, and that’s set by the park service. That’s an all-day fee, so if you need to leave and return for whatever reason, just hold on to your receipt.

Now for the info bomb. If you’ve attended in years prior, you’ll probably know all this already and may just want to stop here.

– Trek Olympics is an alcohol-free event. We have to pay extra to the park to get a beer permit, and anyway, the day is for having fun and playing the games, not getting drunk. If you smuggle in beer and get caught by the rangers, I’ve never seen you before in my life.

– This is a family-friendly event. If we get enough kids, we’ll run some separate kid games. If not, there’s a playground nearby, ballfields, and we can always look into putting together a scavenger hunt or trivia contest for the kids. Please supervise your own children at all times, it’s a big park and it’s easy for someone to just wander off.

– Leashed dogs are welcome in the park. Please provide your own food/water/bowls/poo bags. There are sinks in the rest rooms with running water to fill bowls.

– There is a brick-and-mortar bathroom with flushing toilets and running water a very short walk from our site. There is also ample parking next to the site and access ramps to both the site and the restrooms for the disabled.

– Our pavilion holds 100 people and is massive. The event is rain or shine, unless we’re getting a hurricane. A weather call, if one needs to happen, will happen 24 hours or so before the event.

– Please dress for the weather. We do have electric hookups for fans. Bring your own folding chairs if you don’t like to sit at picnic tables.

– If you do bring anything electric that needs to be plugged in (fans, crockpots, etc), please bring a labeled extension cord. I’ll have a couple power strips.

– Some of our games are messy, so you may want to bring a change of clothes as well.

– Don’t forget your sunblock, bug spray, hats, and any medication you need to take during the day. If you have allergies that require you to carry an epipen, please let me know (and let me know what you’re allergic to) so I can pass that info along to my medical staff.

– If you’re driving in from out of town and need a hotel recommendation, please let me know. Hotels in the BWI airport region are within a comfortable driving distance from the park.

And I think that’s it. If you have any other questions/comments/concerns that I haven’t addressed, feel free to drop me an email at co@ussredbaron.org or trekkieturtle@gmail.com, as that’s really the best way to get ahold of me. Make sure you put “Trek Olympics” in the subject line so it’s easy for me to find.

Hoping to see many of you there!
Karen