RT0810- CINCSF Report

Assembled Delegates,

ASR is a diverse and often exciting place where people from all over
the world can get together and share their love of writing in a Star
Trek environment. As an organization we have seen our share of highs
and lows but through it all, it has been the teamwork of the players
involved that has seen us through. Some players have set themselves
apart by taking on roles of leadership for this organization and with
it, have taken on the responsibilities that go with that leadership.
I could name names but we all know who these people are, the people
that make this place work and have given years of service to this
organization. I want to start my report by thanking these people for
the dedication and service, for making this organization what it is
today by putting so much of themselves into making this work. I'm
talking about more than just the members of the Flag Council; I'm
talking about you the command teams of the units as well. If it
wasn't for the hard work of the unit command teams, and the members
of the Flag Council, there would be no ASR. Without you, there would
be no stories, no frame work to guide the adventures, and no universe
to play them out in; which is why I want to thank all of you for
making ASR what it is today.

The last six months have been hard on ASR and I foresee more hard
times ahead. We have seen the closure of GREEN, the oldest fleet in
ASR so I have been told. The manner and reasoning for closing GREEN
is still painful to me as I took its closure personally but I take
pride in the fact that many of the units of GREEN continue on in
other fleets now. Getting through the closure has hard but we
survived and the stories are still coming.

The Flag Council has had to face other problems as well but we have
been able to continue with our mission, to provide the guidance this
organization needs to keep writing the stories. We are all human,
with human feelings and egos, which means that not only can we feel
harsh words we can also say them. As an organization, the biggest
hurdle that we have to deal with, even beyond problems with
recruiting, is the problem of communication. It is all too easy to
read something into an email or to make an assumption about what
someone else meant when reading a post. That is the problem with the
written word; we all take our past experiences and jade the meaning
of the author. In short, to effectively communicate, especially when
there is a problem or high emotions are involved, we all must
remember to give the benefit of the doubt when we can and to ask for
clarifications. Most of all, I ask that we all try to remember that
the other person is human, with human problems and a real life beyond
ASR. Everyone won't always get along but I hope we can all learn to
forgive one another and remember the real reason we are here, to have
fun and to write the incredible stories that are commonplace here.

Things are changing for this organization and we will need everyone's
help to keep this organization strong and to continue growing. The
next installment of the Star Trek movie franchise is set to be
released in May of 2009. It's my hope that this will help to stir up
a renewed interest in Star Trek and with it, a renewed interest in
ASR. We must all work for continued recruitment of new players so
that we can continue to grow and replace the retiring veterans who
need to take a break.

I also see another roadblock for ASR on the horizon that we must be
prepared to deal with. Star Trek Online is an online multiplayer
video game that is still in the building process. Currently I have
not seen a release date for the video game but if the success of
games like World of Warcraft is any indication, Star Trek Online
looks like it could pose a serious obstacle by offering what we can
not, the visual gaming experience.

In conclusion, I know this report has gone on long enough; I would
like to ask each of you to think long and hard about your involvement
in ASR and what you can do to help. The last six months has been
very painful for many of the Flag Council, through not only personal
loss but the every day problems of real life. I think I can speak
for several of us when I say that it isn't easy trying to balance the
real world with our duties in ASR and time is becoming much more of a
problem for several of us. Nothing is set in stone yet, but there is
a possibility of one or more positions on the Flag Council coming
open. Unless things in my life take an unexpected change, I know
that I will not be seeking a third term as CINCSF this coming April.
We may need to turn to you, the unit leaders, to step forward and
help out at the Flag Council level.

It is the players that make ASR strong and with your help and
strength, ASR will continue to be a strong and fun organization. An
organization where wonderful stories mix with friendship to make a
truly entertaining place to be and a place where people will still
want to come to write.

Thank you for your time, and most of all, your continued support.

Submitted,
Bruce Summa
CINCSF
Chair, October 2008 Roundtable