Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 1, 1992 TAG: 9202010155
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY and SCOTT BLANCHARD SPORTSWRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
FONDER NO LONGER VAS HEAD
Doug Fonder was ousted Friday as executive director of Virginia Amateur Sports, the Roanoke-based organization that operates the Commonwealth Games of Virginia.Board chairman Ken King announced in a news release that VAS will have an all-volunteer management team and will operate without a paid executive director.
The decision was made in Charlottesville at an annual meeting attended by nine of the group's 18 directors, including Fonder.
"I've never been in this situation before," said Fonder, who founded the organization 3 1/2 years ago. "I feel like a coach who had a winning record, but was let go because somebody was looking at the record backwards."
King, who did not return phone messages, said in the news release that the decision was made for budgetary reasons. David Snyder of Roanoke, re-elected as treasurer, refused to answer questions and said King was the only person who would speak for the board.
"If somebody wants to ask the question, `Was I fired? No, technically, I was not fired,' " Fonder said. "There wasn't one bad word said about me. But, I feel like I was."
Barb Jirka, the gymnastics coordinator for the Commonwealth Games, was working in the VAS office Friday around noon when a locksmith came to change the locks on the door of the suite in the Shenandoah Building in downtown Roanoke.
"Doug said he was going to be in Charlottesville and asked me if I'd come in and answer the phones," Jirka said. "A man from Meador and Co. came in and said he was here in change some locks. I told him no one had left instructions, and then he showed me a letter.
"It was on Virginia Amateur Sports letterhead and it wanted the office in the Shanandoah Building rekeyed between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Jan. 31. I was completely in shock. The letter said if there were any questions, to direct them to the undersigned or David Snyder of Brown, Edwards and Co.
"The letter was signed by Ken King, chairman of the board."
Fonder said his contract had expired and that was one of the items on the agenda for Friday's meeting. He said he had prepared a budget for the 1992 Commonwealth Games and had mailed it to the directors in the past 10 days.
King conducted the meeting and proposed his motion for an all-volunteer force, which was approved by the directors.
"I do not believe the Games can be run by an all-volunteer force," Fonder said. "The mistakes we've made, by and large, have come from not having enough people. We'll have more athletes in Roanoke than they're expecting for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, where they are hiring 134,000 people."
The statement, released by Virginia Amateur Sports, guaranteed "the continued success of the Commonwealth Games," scheduled for June 23-30 in the Roanoke Valley.
Before the first Games in 1990, Fonder and his staff raised more than $700,000 in private contributions, secured a three-year, $450,000 title sponsorship from CorEast Savings Bank and gained a key ally in Del. Richard Cranwell, D-Vinton, who helped VAS land $175,000 from the state government.
The Games lost much of CorEast's support when the bank was taken over by the federal government last February.
In his budget proposal for this year, Fonder estimated that he could raise $189,000. King's plan projects only $50,000 in outside contributions.
"My attitude is, if I didn't raise the money I said I could, then when it's over this year, they can do what they want," said Fonder, a swim coach and former sports consultant. "I could have thrown in the towel when CorEast pulled out, but I thought we pulled it off."
The first Games, called the Virginia CorEast State Games, attracted 4,465 athletes in 29 sports and enlisted 1,200 volunteers. The economic impact to the Roanoke Valley was estimated by VAS to be $2.6 million.
Last year's version, called the Commonwealth Games of Virginia, drew 5,676 athletes in 36 sports, enlisted 1,500 volunteers and was worth $4.5 million to the valley.
Fonder would not disagree when asked if there was a power struggle with King, a former head of the State Special Olympics who has been chairman of VAS since it was founded.
"I don't think our views on how the Games should be run were the same," Fonder said. "In order to have an economic impact, I feel you've got to have a lot of people."
The news release praised Fonder for "valuable service to the cause of amateur athletics in Virginia" and indicated he would remain a member of the all-volunteer board of directors.
That does not appear likely, Fonder said. "I'm shell-shocked. I'm 44, I've got one kid in college, I've got two other kids and my wife's a schoolteacher. I don't mind telling you I'm scared."
Sports columnist Jack Bogaczyk contributed information to this story.