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ARA Office

ARA OFFICE Barbara May – Executive Assistant St. Albert, AB (780) 918-5332 albertaracquetball@shaw.ca

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June 12, 2009

 

Barbara May lied in her June 2nd email (emailing several individuals) which was the day after our meeting on June 1st: "I asked you to wait until our meeting before making any decisions. Unfortunately, you did not wait until our meeting and went ahead and posted the event on the R2 Website." 

The development of the lie centers on the 8th and 9th points:

1. When talking to Barb May by phone the week before our meeting and by email on May 25th, I told her I was pursuing the r2sports site and said we need to get it up and running as soon as possible because it is a brand new tournament which needs lots of lead time so players can plan for it. I asked her about how to get it set up (she did not know). Barb never said not to set it up or to hold off on it.

2. Then, I spoke to Marc (ARA Board member) and John (ARA Board member) who had no problem with it. After investigating, I told John there was no way to set it up ourselves. John said to contact Usher (Racquetball Canada President) directly because they must have changed their protocols. R2sports also got back to me and said they forwarded my request to Usher because it is a sanctioned tournament. Usher requested certain information from me then approved it and sent me the site and password for the go-ahead.

3. It was never in question with Barb in our phone conversation or subsequent emails that the tournament might not be held. She knew about the tournament months in advance as did other ARA board members, because we talked about it at the Alberta Closed in March.

4. There were not any so-called "decisions" (word choice in June 2nd email) that would lead to not using the r2sports website. Rather "things we need to discuss" (word choice in June 1st email) were simply details and don't necessitate delaying getting the R2 site up, otherwise it should have been clearly stated at the outset. Barb was aware the site was set up. We were discussing even before then which logo to use and never got a phone call or email to put it on hold or not run it. I was told, "you are running this event not us."

5. A few hours before our meeting I receive an email, "Please do not send an email blast until after we meet today. There are several things we need to discuss" to which I obliged. Don't send an "email blast," but she fails to mention don't set up the R2 Website!? The only thing put on hold was the email blast. Everything else was a go! She never personally conveyed to me in any way whatsoever not to run the R2 Website before or while she knew it was up and running.

6. In our meeting on Monday, June 1st, she never said to me she told me not to put the site up or there were some decisions we needed to make before doing so. In that meeting, she did say, she wished I didn't set it up without her, but that is not the same thing as saying in her June 2nd email, "I asked you to wait...you did not...and went ahead and posted the event on the R2 Website [anyway]" which is, obviously, blatant lying. "You are running this event not us," then don't complain how I am running it. I am running it the way we players enjoy playing racquetball and tournaments, and I know about this more than Barb would since she is not a player and never has been.

7. She promised in our meeting she would email blast everyone Tuesday from her list following the ARA meeting on Monday, June 8th. The mayhem started when I found out about her doubletalk and made it readily apparent to all. The Bible says be "not doubletongued" (1 Tim. 3.8). If Barbara May was my employee, I would have fired her for her unethicalness. She is not a Christian-she does not believe Jesus is God.

 

8. Barbara May changed her story and brought in her lie, misrepresenting herself and me, in her email a day AFTER our meeting (emailing several people): "I asked you to wait until our meeting before making any decisions. Unfortunately, you did not wait until our meeting and went ahead and posted the event on the R2 Website." It's unfortunate she feels she has to lie when she was negligent, since she forgot to tell me not to set the R2 Website up for the week prior to the ARA meeting if that's actually what she wanted.

 

9. B. May lied when she said "I ASKED YOU TO WAIT until our meeting before making any decisions." That's a bold faced lie by saying, she said she asked me to wait. I was never asked to wait on anything except an email blast. What I wanted to do for this tournament was already decided. I haven't changed anything to the basic design and approach, and our meeting did not change anything either.

 

10. I'm convinced that her dishonesty was for the purpose of retaliating, because I didn't like any of her ideas from our meeting. Nothing we discussed in our meeting changed any of my "decisions" for the details running the tournament or the R2 Website. I found that she contributed nothing to the discussion except suggest a bunch of ideas that would never amount to anything (e.g. single elimination knockout, charging $20 to watch, hold it in a small town, a refereeing competition, referee uniforms, players must wear proper attire, a skills competition, coaching competition, and so on). Privately, after the meeting I emailed Marc my concerns about Barb's misguided approach, obnoxious demeanor, impositions and intrusiveness. Racquetball is informal. It is possible Marc forwarded this email to Barb where I said I found her personal skills "annoying," showing an example, and mentioning other problems with her disconnect from racquetball. Later that day, I received her June 2nd email where she used the word "annoyed" as though mimicking out of spite. Her petty reason was she claims she received too many emails from me. There were not that many emails at all. She had sent me almost as many. I didn't find the meeting constructive or helpful at all. Marc wasn't thrilled about her ideas either as I recall in our meeting, for the portion of the meeting he was present for. So what would make her think all of a sudden, I can't run the tournament when she would just ruin the tournament with her plans and mess up the court times so we wouldn't be able to watch as many matches? She wanted to use 4 courts for a cost of $15/court, but I arranged with the Mayfield Athletic Club to get it done in 2 courts for only $10/court without her intrusions. Furthermore, Barb really doesn't get it that we like to play racquetball and not have to be out after one match if it were single-elimination. But for her it is not about the enjoyment of racquetball. And therein lies the problem with Barbara May. She wants to add on superficial fluff.

 

11. Her words seem more like words of someone lashing out. She is trying to sound important! But she loses all sense of working together with others effectively, continuing to press her ideas which are not the vision for this tournament. It was completely ignorant on her part to say in her June 2nd email, "I do not have confidence in your ability to effectively run a tournament" and "I do not appreciate the tone of your emails and am concerned about your lack of organization." Not only are these vague accusations which she does not have the courtesy to even try to support, where is this "tone" she is speaking of? But she is "becoming annoyed"? How is that doing her job and being a good assistant? Perhaps she should look for other work. Yet I am suppose to run everything by her!? She is intolerant and impossible to work with. In our meeting she conveyed no concerns for any disorganization or lack on my part. That would be the time to bring it up if it were true. Those are smearing words which you better be prepared to back up! I expressly told her I don't want all the frills that would raise the entry fee to $125 (gouging the 16 players $2,000), but she just doesn't listen and keeps repeating herself like a broken record when I told her already "I've decided" what I wanted which is essentially the same format in my opening email. $50 was decided and my budget was worked out. Barb comes across as an inconsiderate blowhard, wielding her axe in a very pompous, cavalier and denigrating tone. When she accuses of "tone," I couldn't help but think she was projecting her own condition, because it came out of left field. The email I sent to Marc, he must have forwarded it to Barb at which point she pulled out immoral gunslinging. I am not aware of anything more I could do to be more organized, nor does she apparently. Running a tournament is a very simple affair. It's not like building a nuclear power plant or what is involved in count cards at blackjack to make $830,000 in 4225 hours in a little over 2 years.

 

12. Obviously, she is just trying to cover for herself by being deceitful and probably did not anticipate how efficient I was, quickly getting the R2 Website with the new logo up and running. Her ego might have been surprised how I really couldn't use any of her ideas which were just vain. She doesn't understand what makes a racquetball tournament fun, though I do, for I have been playing tournaments a long time. If Barb didn't want me to set up the R2 Website without her, or put it on pause, then she should have said something at the start when she knew I was pursuing it or at some point along the way before making up her story. If I am running the tournament then this is my responsibility. And I was assured verbally and in person, the tournament was "effectively sanctioned."

 

13. Marc who arrived later at my meeting with Barb told me his son had registered for the tournament which I knew and Barb clearly overheard. He never said this was a problem nor did Barb (contradicting Barb May's later statement where she alleges to have told me previously not to set up the R2 Website). During our meeting, never once did Barb say anything to Marc about having told me to "wait" to set up the R2 Website. So to make the complaint by email to several people the following day is her contrived lie. When a person lies like that, there is no dealing with them. You know what the Bible say about Satan, "he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8.44) whom Barb emulates in this fashion.

 

14. Barb is lying in saying she indicated not to put up the "R2 Website." "The mouths of liars will be shut" (Ps. 63.11). "For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil" (Eccles. 12.14). "I tell that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt. 12.36-37).

 

15. What an odd comment for her to say, "Assuming that you would like to go ahead with this tournament...." I am not sure how she thinks this could be an assumption on her part, for how can one be any clearer with my intent and desire for this tournament to take place? There is such a thing as false humility. She should learn to be more conscientious and considerate, careful with her choice of words.

 

16. I asked Jamie Brayley if he needed me at the ARA meeting to defend what I have been saying in the emails, but there was no response. Whatever is going on behind the scenes of the ARA members, I wasn't allowed at the meeting. The ARA is defending her dishonesty and abusive tone. Now comes their very own Spanish Inquisition on June 22 to remove my ARA membership. You know what Jesus did in such situations when He was spat on. There is nothing He could say to such crude people even when they requested a comment from Him in some later tribunal after the decision was already made (i.e. after the ARA meeting then moving onto their meeting to remove my ARA membership). And He said to the disciples, Kick the dust under your feet as you leave a place where they don't hath an ear to hear. Our Lord further said, You will be treated by the world like I was treated, for the world does not love the One Who sent Me. It only loves its own in their cunning, worldly ways.

 

17. Barb's negligence and lying go unchecked, yet I am punished for speaking out against it! This is grossly unjust as I defend what I know to be true! Nothing is shown to the contrary. What I have produced here remains unchallenged. Whether or not (a) she knows of my email to Marc, that (b) I don't approve of the way she treats people, and (c) can't use any of her ideas, that is no excuse for lying and making up stories to try to discredit me to try to protect her job. She is suppose to be professional. Lying is not professional. I have received no apology from Barb or anyone on the ARA.

 

18. Why did I respond in the first place about her rudeness and misrepresentation, stopped my communication with her and corresponded instead with others including James Brayley? Because she lied, proved herein, which I experienced directly and am the brunt of. I would have nothing to respond to if she told the truth and nothing but the truth! Her lying misrepresents our discussions, but by speaking up for the truth, look what happens. Further injustice! If something appears to be rotten, it's probably rotten!

 

19. Incidentally, an email blast was not sent through r2sports across Canada until after the sanctioning was denied, to let everyone know of this arbitrary action by the ARA was total injustice. I apologized to Usher for doing this, using that option in the R2 program, and for any problems this may have caused, but I had nothing to lose at that point. I shouldn't have done this even if these were extenuating circumstances and I wanted to get the word out! I should have just emailed the Racquetball Canada board to ask if there was any recourse. Apparently, there is none anyway. Sometimes all you can do is get the word out, post your side of the story on the Internet and when people search for the term, Alberta Racquetball or Barbara May, this page comes up on the fist page of search engines.

 

20. The ARA can do whatever they want. If they want to remove an ARA member or in perpetuity, still have only one sanctioned tournament per year that's their choice. Nobody can stop them! However unethical their decision is! Barb made me chuckle when she said, "I agree that we are in the business of running tournaments." I hope one tournament a year is not too strenuous on her $50,000 salary and $20,000 expense account, and does not dig too deeply into the $100,000+ revenues for the ARA. What sport could be benefited by such non-activity? In the private sector, Barb May would have been fired by now, and there would be a review of Alberta Racquetball Association's operations and finances.

 

21. No matter what wrong is committed against me, I still forgive the other person. And though I hate sin, I am still by the Holy Spirit able to love my enemy. This is hard for the world to understand. How do I know the members of the ARA are not Christians?

 

Barb's personal skills are something not to be desired, and she seems to be overcompensating for something. That's not the way to talk to people the way she does. Her tone is lacking any ounce of humility and comes across as quite unfriendly in what is suppose to be an enjoyable atmosphere. This is not how to conduct business ethics. She leaves a bad taste in one's mouth, and her presence in racquetball settings makes one cringe.  Far removed from the sport, not a player herself, she lurks around with her all-seeing eye. If we have to have an all-seeing eye government employee watch our every move, I would rather it be someone who loves the sport of racquetball and does not get so annoyed promoting it! From everything I have seen, she is a net negative for racquetball and should be removed from her position.

 

What is the Alberta Racquetball Association doing really to promote racquetball? Only 2 players in the top 50 in Canada? And nobody in the top 25? When was Alberta ever sitting in a worse position? The coach of the Edmonton Oilers, Craig MacTavish, was fired for good reason. It's one thing to make a mistake and repent of wrong doing, apologize and provide restitution. It is a completely different problem when someone errs but refuses to repent, not apologize and make restitution, but keeps covering up the lie! Sin begets sin.

 

How would you like it if you were handling a project and some outsider came in and belittled the plan with pointless endeavors which you knew would not fly? That is what it is like dealing with Barb. I, also, don't feel she is competent to do her job because what she lacks is a desire to understand the essentials of racquetball and what makes it enjoyable, but instead she wants to change what already works by introducing fruitless activities. Racquetball, for example, does not need big entry fees or uniforms for refs. Ridiculous! What it does need is to introduce the sport to kids in elementary and junior high schools, something she fails to do.

 

I don't see myself having these problems if I went through Marc, Halko or any of the other Board members who at least have a history with racquetball to run something as simple as a tournament. When she thinks she can get away with lying to cover her own negligence or to usurp herself in some way, she will surely do it! Her innuendo's are not constructive. James Brayley did not supply the documents requested twice now to lodge a complaint of her conduct to the department of the government which pays her salary which he brought up as an option. I am being blocked at every turn. "The LORD spoke: 'Go, leave here....'" (Ex. 33.1); that is, no further dealings with the individuals of the ARA. "You are a stiff-necked people" (Ex. 33.5).

 

The Alberta Racquetball Association receives funding and grants from the Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation to support the operations and development of the sport of racquetball in the province. The Alberta Racquetball Association, like all other provincial sport and recreation organizations, is an independent body responsible to their own membership. As such, neither the Government of Alberta nor the Foundation are involved in the hiring of individuals, or in any of the other operational matters of any provincially supported sport and recreation association. For anyone who would like to dispute this matter or other goings-on of the ARA, consider approaching the Alberta Arbitration and Mediation Society for assistance.

 

A Christian would feel guilty if they lied like this, immediately repent, seek forgiveness and reconciliation for their wrong doing, but a non-Christian will keep lying to cover it up come hell or highwater. As the Bible says, "ye shall know them by their fruits."

 

Praise the Lord for this discernment! Amen.

 

Troy Brooks

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June 11, 2009

 

It's amazing how non-Christians, from that Canadian-wide email through R2 Sports have raised their voice like Ken Gibson speaking against Jesus Christ. If I have misrepresented anyone or anything in anyway I do apologize, but to the best of my knowledge, my conscience is clear. No vague innuendos please. Be specific and back up what you say with evidence. I don't accept how the ARA are such control freaks! A more conscientious, professional and mature response from James Brayley, instead of being evasive and covering up for Barb May, might go something personable like this:

 

Troy, thank you for your thorough responses and concerns. I will immediately look into the matter of the misconduct of Barbara May misrepresenting herself and you, why this would be an issue for you and makes things difficult. I can see where she may have overstepped her boundaries. I do look forward to sanctioning your tournament, as we definitely need some more sanctioned tournaments in our province.

 

I noticed a similarity to discrimination against card counters in blackjack. The card counter is a frustrating anomaly to the casinos like Jesus is to the world. Likewise, as a Christian, I frustrate the entirely non-Christian ARA board by speaking up against lying when others do not. And like casinos bar the card counter and take all kinds of discriminatory actions against us, so too does the ARA seek to remove my ARA membership and prevent sanctioning. It's interesting, they both use the same excuses and tactics with some vague explanation. But what was their real motivation? 1) The entire ARA Board are antichrists (if you are not for Him, you most certainly are against Him); 2) money seems to be an issue. I asked Barb about the ARA's $100,000+ revenues why players see so little of it? Asking about Barbara May's $50,000 salary plus $20,000 in expenses really set her off. 

 

For the Alberta Racquetball Association to unilaterally and arbitrarily without any substantive reason prevent the sanctioning of the Alberta Racquetball Top 16 Invitational and revoke my ARA membership is brutal. It reminds me of how the twelve tribes forced Aaron to make golden calf: "they gathered around Aaron and said to him, 'Come, make us a god...'" (Ex. 32.1) because of their impatience ("delayed coming down" v.1a) and unwillingness to clearly examine what was said to them (cf. Ex. 20-31) like in these emails with conscientious hearts and empathy. Instead they "revel" (v.6) for "I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people" (v.10); "I hear the sound of singing!" (v.18) Then judgment came. "The calf they made" (their idol) was eventually "burned up and ground to powder...scattered..." (v.20) in the water, and made for them to drink. "You yourself know that the people are intent on evil" (v.22). I don't expect non-Christians to understand this.

 

James Brayley (President) "let them [the ARA] get out of control," even himself ("had let them" v.25). But this is God's reply, "Whoever is for the Lord, come to me" (v.26), for "you have brought a great blessing on yourselves" (v.29) who stand up against unrighteousness, against "this people who have committed a great sin; they have made for themselves a god of gold" (v.31). But the Lord God says "on the day I settle accounts, I will hold them accountable for their sin" (v.34) and "the LORD inflicted a plague on the people for what they did with the calf [their idol]": "The denial of the ARA sanction means that your tournament will not be eligible for the sanctioning benefits such as insurance, advertising and court rental subsidy.... The ARA deems this matter closed." "The LORD spoke: 'Go, leave here....'" (Ex. 33.1)-no further dealings with the individuals of the ARA.

 

"Be careful not to make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land that you are going to enter; otherwise, they will become a snare among you. Instead, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars (of lying and defending lies), and chop down their Asherah poles. You are never to bow down to another god because the LORD, being jealous in nature, is a jealous God" (Ex. 34.13). Asherah is a Canaanite fertility goddess like the Roman Church's goddess, who was the mother of the god Baal which sacrificed humans in the fiery mouth of Molech. "Do not make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land, or else when they prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, they will invite you, and you will eat of their sacrifice" (v.15). Then the children would be negatively impacted (v.16). I had a choice to either kowtow to unrighteousness or stand up for what is right.

 

The ARA, starting with Barb May, has made every effort to divert attention off of themselves to not address valid concerns. This is intolerant and disrespectful. And it leads one to believe their inner motivation is sheer prejudice, discrimination and intolerance towards the Christian from an entirely non-Christian ARA Board. There has been a history of hostility towards Jesus Christ and Christians by some of these board members.

 

Have you noticed people in power quite often don't handle themselves very graciously when challenged? That's the nature of the flesh and is simply pride which begets a haughty spirit toppling on more abuse. Unfortunately, I am not aware of a higher court for an appeal process to a board to still be able to sanction this tournament with Racquetball Canada. Perhaps one should be set up! I have emailed all the board members of Racquetball Canada on June 12/09 to ask what can be done, but it appears there is no recourse.

 

The case has been made in as unbiased a fashion as I know how. Now you decide. What matters is the truth, for the truth shall set you free. 

Troy Brooks

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