The ordinary STSV delegates' meeting on 15 May in the Bahnhofbuffet Olten went quietly and according to plan. 10 of the 15 member clubs were present and combined over 80% of the possible voting power of the association.
Although not all of the projects envisaged for 2021 could be tackled and implemented in equal measure, the delegates present repeatedly acknowledged the commitment of the voluntary board under the leadership of President Walter Vogt, which he was pleased to note. All Annual reports and the annual accounts for 2021 were thanked with applause and the five-member board was then unanimously discharged.
At the regularly held President's Conferences, the opinion of the members could be collected several times during the year and their ideas and concerns could be addressed at an early stage. The STSV leadership team also always derived the new projects and budgets for 2022 from Vision 2030, which was developed together with the grassroots, the STSV mission statement, the guiding principles and the three pillars of athletes, member clubs and dance sport. This was the basis for the new strategic projects that were included in the 2022 annual programme.
In the discussion, the members were particularly interested in the new Support model for clubs that would like to host a Swiss championship. For 2022, two of the three organisers of Swiss championships have been decided. At 20 August The SM Standard will take place in Kirchberg/BE, on 10 December the SM Ten Dance will take place in Geneva/GE. For the SM Latin 2022 as well as all three Swiss Championships in 2023, the STSV is looking for interested organisers who would like to benefit from the aforementioned support package and work closely with the STSV.
The clubs unanimously welcome this federation support. However, many still have great respect for bringing together enough staff to carry out the event. "We will only make progress in the next few years if we stand together even more and help each other," Vogt is convinced. The trend in membership figures shows that the problem in 2022 will not be the active members, but the sharp decline in the number of passive members. Together with Swiss Olympic, the Executive Board wants to create opportunities to promote voluntary work.
The annual programme and the budget for 2022 were approved by the delegates without any dissenting votes. However, they also noted that the Board needs more volunteer supporters to help out. The six-member mediateam, which has been functioning for over a year, can become a kind of role model for other specialist teams that make a valuable contribution to the identity of the association. For example, Oliver Baumann is looking for interested persons for the area of competitive and mass sports who can cover certain projects. If this succeeds, strategic work can be carried out more quickly in this important department.
The Assembly of Delegates was characterised by transparent information, constructive discussions, a healthy spirit and a tangible will to move Swiss dance sport forward.
