Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Fall 2016 | 25 today is his birthday! His wife is currently treasurer for her county club, serves on the Governor’s Snowmobile Council and the Awards and Nomination Committee. She is also the Vanna White of the Annual Meeting awards ceremony. This President’s Award goes to Star and Pat Poulin. Business Partner Award This award goes to a local Rutland county business who has been very generous to the community in many different avenues. Along with their generosity, they were crucial to keeping a local club viable this past season. They provided a neutral meeting place and helped mediate negotiations while the reconfiguring of the club was occurring. They also worked together with the county director, club members and landowners during this difficult transition. I want to ask the guys from Central Vermont Motorcycles if you’re here to come up and receive the award for Business Partner of the Year. President’s Award #4 (Presented by Patty Companik) Many of the Windsor County Snowmobile Clubs know this person well. He has helped them in many ways, whether it be working on trails, attending events or giving private donations and general donations to support club events. He does have his primary club, The Chester Snowmobile Club, but he supports and attends as many neighboring club events as he can. He is a believer that we all should work together and that we all share the same goal of making our association and trail systems better. Now, not only does he support club events, but he and his wife host events too. His home is in a great location on the trail system, which is very convenient not only to him and his wife, but to everyone that knows him. He is not only a strong presence within the VAST community, but he believes in giving back to the community in general. The most recent event was the celebration of the Town of Chester’s 250th birthday. He was on the town planning committee for this event, helping wherever he could. He also was the lead in coordinating the Chester Snowmobile club offering BBQ lunch during the day’s activities, which was a great fundraiser and landowner thank you opportunity for the club. This person is one of the best communicators I know, which is something I believe has contributed to his so many successes in life. He sets a goal and will do whatever is needed to achieve it with integrity and honesty. He is a collaborator of resources and a very giving individual who I am so privileged to call my friend. To the guy “Who Gives A Chip,” the slogan on his company’s product, Lee Whiting! Trails Awards (Presented by Matt Tetreault) Groomer of the Year Before I give this award I just want to remind everyone that the Groomer of the Year award is now an award that the Awards Committee accepts nominations for. This year we received a wonderful nomination for this gentleman and there was no question in my mind or the committee’s mind that he was well-deserving of it. If you have snowmobiled at all in the northern part of the Green Mountain National Forest in the past decade, you likely know this gentleman and have seen him out on the trails grooming, cutting brush or riding with his wife, children and grandchildren. He truly is a family man and has made snowmobiling and grooming part of his family as well. His wife regularly accompanies him in the passenger seat on the late nights through the forest and if she cannot go, one of his grandchildren or one of the club’s eager volunteers will ride shotgun instead. This gentleman has been one of the club’s primary groomers for the last 26 years. He is very humble, yet is always the first to make it know how much he truly appreciates a volunteers help. He always has the club’s best interest in mind and considers anyone from the club as part of his family. It has been noted that his love for grooming may be a “sickness” and that the controls on the machine are like an extension of his mind and body. He has done a great job at this task for many years and will continue to do it because of his passion for grooming. We all appreciate his devotion and his wife’s willingness to go along with it! I’m going to ask he and his wife to come up and accept the award because behind every good man is a good woman. This year’s Groomer of the Year Award goes to Paul Racine of the Chittenden Dammers. Annual Meeting