News

Good evening, VCRA Members,

As you know, our proposed bill for licensure of court reporters in Virginia was heard before the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Courts of Justice Civil Subcommittee yesterday.  Unfortunately, it did not pass from committee in either body.  

There was strong opposition to the bill, and even though we have tried to reach out to those opposed to it in order to reach a compromise, even as late as yesterday afternoon, they have shown no desire to work with us on the bill or to have licensure in Virginia.

The board of the Virginia Court Reporters Association will be meeting to discuss how we want to move forward on this issue.  If you have any input you would like to give, please let us know.  We are here to serve our membership and address your concerns.

We appreciate everyone's help in contacting the members of the Senate and House committees.  Even though the bill will not be moving forward this session of the Virginia General Assembly, feel free to continue writing or speaking with your representatives and letting them know your feelings regarding this issue.

As the only established and credible court reporting association in Virginia, we will continue to fight for our profession as the irreplaceable guardians of the record.

VCRA Legislative Committee

This is my final newsletter message as President of VCRA, but that does not mean my duties have concluded. The next two months appear to be the busiest time ever and will be filled with activities on behalf of the Virginia Court Reporters Association.

The General Assembly went into session this month, and VCRA will continue to lobby for the creation of the Virginia Board for Court Reporters as an independent board to establish the qualification of applicants for licensure or registration in our state.

VCRA has a brand-new website, which may be found at VCRA.net, and this is where you will find updates on the progression of the bills through Virginia’s Senate and House of Delegates.

If you have not yet been to our website, take a moment to stop by. Our very own board member, Christopher Reho, undertook the task of redesigning our website and moving it to a different platform. The website has a members-only section. In addition, you may register for the convention, read the newsletter, edit your membership information and locate all things relevant to court reporting. I would like to extend a huge thank you to Christopher for undertaking this project.

Our convention in Lynchburg, Virginia, is scheduled for March 20 - 22, 2020. Mark Kislingbury will be our keynote presenter. We hope you will join us for a weekend of networking with your fellow reporters and learning new skills along the way. In addition to our inaugural speed contest, there will be a Friday evening social, where we invite you to Roar into the ‘20s by dressing up in your flapper dress or zoot suit. Bring your steno machine and laptop and be ready to learn new skills during our presentations on Saturday and Sunday.

As I reflect back over the past two years as VCRA President, there is one word that is ever present in my mind. The word is gratitude. The current board of directors has been one of the most active and dynamic boards I have ever had the privilege to work with, and I am so very fortunate to have been part of this team.

Our members are at the heart of everything VCRA does, and I thank you for allowing me the privilege to serve as your President. Our Immediate Past President, Carol Naughton, left behind some very big shoes to fill, and I would like to thank her for all the guidance and assistance she has provided to me during my time as president.

VCRA will be in very good hands with our incoming President, Donna Linton. Donna has worked tirelessly for VCRA during the past few years, and she is always one of the first people to volunteer and will jump in and do whatever needs to be done. She was president of VCRA during the years 2001 to 2002. Donna was featured recently in The Washington Post, and the article written about her may be found in this newsletter. Thank you, Donna, for sharing your wisdom, your willingness to always lend a hand, and positive attitude.

I would be remiss if I did not also give credit where it is due, and that would be to Rachel Cramer, Michele Eddy, Sindie Bragg, Cherrylynn Gerardo, Lori McCoin Jones, Grace Lengmueller, Christopher Reho, Kristina Tan and Zelma Lee. The committees these individuals have participated in and activities they have performed over my time as VCRA president have been phenomenal.

Liz Phillips, our Executive Director, works tirelessly in the background and does not seek accolades, but she deserves them. Liz provides continuity from one board to the next, has a wealth of knowledge of VCRA and is always willing to share with others.

As I shift towards the role of immediate past president, I thank you for your support, and I appreciate the trust you placed in me. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our membership.

I would encourage each of you to give back in some small way to the court reporting profession. Get involved. It is your future!

With warm regards,

Leslie Etheredge, RMR, CCR

President, Virginia Court Reporters Association

Do you know someone who is a true advocate for the court reporting profession, and you feel they would be a great asset to the Virginia Court Reporters Association? 

Or maybe you’d like to volunteer to serve!!

The VCRA Nominating Committee is looking for nominations to serve on the 2020-2021 Board of Directors.  Board service at the state level is one of the most rewarding opportunities for individual court reporters or captioners.  It’s a chance to connect with your colleagues, make new friends, and make a difference for all VCRA members!!

Our next Board will be working together to continue VCRA’s success in advocacy for all Virginia reporters, and we are looking for fresh, innovative ideas to help in our continued support of the profession!

Please submit your nominations to our executive director, Liz Phillips, by January 31, 2020, at vcraexecutivedirector@gmail.com. 

We look forward to hearing from you!!

Join us for the 2020 VCRA Convention on March 20th through 22nd at the beautiful Virginian Hotel in Lynchburg, Virginia.  It will be a three-day celebration of our profession!  Our keynote speaker is Mark Kislingbury, the Guinness World Record holder for "Fastest Court Reporter."  Register today!  You're not going to want to miss this!

Register now!  Early Bird pricing ends January 31!

Learn More and Register

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION DEADLINE IS FAST APPROACHING….

You still have time, but Virginia Court Reporters Association’s deadline to submit your application for the Carolyn M. O’Connor Education Scholarship Fund is fast approaching.   All applications must be received by January 10, 2020 to be eligible for consideration.  

If you are a student who is actively engaged in the study of court reporting, either enrolled in a traditional school setting or attending an online program, and you have completed  at least 1 semester of court reporting school, along with passing at least 1 test at a minimum of 160 words per minute, then YOU should apply!

Instructors, please encourage your students who qualify to apply!  The recipient(s) of the award (up to $1,000) will be notified by February 15, 2020, along with being invited as our guest to our 2020 Convention in Lynchburg, Virginia, where they will be recognized and receive their award, along with a 1-year membership to VCRA.

Please submit your application to Rachel Cramer at treasurer@vcra.net .

Questions?  Please feel free reach out via social media, email, or telephone!

Click Here to Learn More and Download the Application

The VCRA has launched a new website that provides greater ways to connect with our membership.  All members now have an account where they can update their directory information, register for events and change preferences.  Setting up your account is easy and should only take a few minutes. In order to set up your account, follow the steps below.

1.  Go to the following link: https://vcra.net/Sys/ResetPasswordRequest

2.  Input the email address you used to register your VCRA account, and copy the characters in the image on that page into the box marked “Code.”  Click “Submit.”

3.  You will then receive an email with a link to reset your password.  Click this link and enter your new password (Minimum of seven characters).

4. Once your password is set, use it and your email address to log into your VCRA account by clicking the “Log in” button in the top right corner of the website.

5.  You should now be logged in and see your name in the top right corner of the website.  To edit your profile, click your name and click “View profile.”  This page displays your current profile information and settings.  

6.  To update your profile, click “Edit profile.”

7.  From this page, you can update your profile information, which will also update your listing in the directory.  

8.  Next, click “Privacy.”  Here, you can control what is and is not visible to other people from the directory.  By default, certain items are set to “Anybody” and certain to “No Access.” Go through the list and decide which items you would like to share in the directory.  Be sure to click “Save” to save your changes.

Congratulations!  You’re done!  Your account is now set up.

Christopher D. Reho, RPR, CCR

After several months of work behind the scenes, the new website for the Virginia Court Reporters Association is now LIVE!  Besides a visual upgrade, the new website offers a range of new features for our members and visitors.  Current members will receive information about how to log into their accounts shortly.  

VCRA would like to congratulate our raffle winner, Becky Remsen, all the way from California! Thank you all for supporting the VCRA StrongBox!  With your help, the raffle was a resounding success, selling through all of our tickets.  Enjoy your wonderful prize, Becky!

VCRA is excited to announce our raffle for a Peloton bike and a year of unlimited class content! If you’re not familiar with the Peloton bike, it is the latest exercise craze. It is immersive indoor cycling where you can join live classes with realtime instructors directly in your home. You will also have 24-hour access to a library of cycling classes. There are classes ranging from 5 to 90 minutes with varying exercise levels and music genres. The Peloton exercise experience will keep you coming back for more! As an added bonus, if a court reporter wins the raffle, Mary Ann Payonk has donated free registration to her 2020 Empowerment Conference! What could be better than that?!

• The prize package is worth $2,713.
• The drawing will be held on 12/14/19 via Facebook Live.
• The cost per ticket is only $25.00, and we are limiting the tickets to 325.
• All proceeds are to benefit VCRA’s StrongBox Legislative Fund

If you would like to purchase a ticket (or two or three), contact one of the VCRA board members or send a message via our Facebook page or the email address below, and we’ll take care of you. Good luck!

 

To order tickets or inquire further, please contact vcraraffle@vcra.net

 

VCRA LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE RAFFLE RULES

Below are the official rules of the Peloton Bicycle raffle being held by VCRA:

1. The winning ticket will be blindly drawn at random in a method which gives all parties a fair chance.
2. Participants do not have to be present at the drawing to win.
3. Any tax implications from winning this raffle are solely the responsibility of the winner.
4. If the winner desires to upgrade from the Peloton Bicycle to the Peloton Treadmill, they may do so by paying the difference.
5. If the winner lives in AK, HI, PR, U.S. Virgin Islands, or at a ferry-only accessible location, Peloton may charge delivery fees, which will be the sole responsibility of the winner.
6. If the winner is a court reporter, their name will be submitted to Mary Ann Payonk for the 2020 Empowerment Conference, and the arrangements will be made directly with Mary Ann Payonk.
7. If at least 110 tickets are not sold, it is within the Board’s discretion to not hold the drawing and refund all monies.
8. VCRA Board members and their families are eligible to participate.

“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” I recently came across this quote by motivational speaker Les Brown. So why do we let our fears hold us back?

For more years than I would care to admit, I knew I should focus more of my time towards improving my writing skills. While I would write realtime for myself every day, until recently I would become very anxious when sharing my screen with attorneys. At present, I dedicate a portion of every day towards learning new brief forms and adding them to my dictionary. It is astonishing how many words I continue to add to my CAT dictionary, but there is great satisfaction in setting a goal and getting closer and closer to reaching it.

Perhaps your goal is to write at faster speeds with a higher translation rate? Our March 2020 convention keynote speaker will be Mark Kislingbury, who holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest court reporter by writing 360 words per minute with a 97.23 percent accuracy. Mark founded the Mark Kislingbury Academy of Court Reporting in Houston, Texas, in 2011; and, in addition to teaching, he also captions for a national political radio program. During his hands-on presentation, Mark will share his short-writing methods and speed-building techniques.

Have you ever considered entering a speed contest or realtime contest? VCRA will be holding our first-ever speed contest during the convention and will be offering two separate tests, one consisting of a 280 WPM Q&A selection and a 225 WPM realtime selection.

There is no better time than now to start planning your flapper dress or zoot suit from the Roaring ‘20s for our convention’s welcome reception extravaganza.

But before we get to March and our next convention, VCRA has scheduled several software training events and town halls. The town halls will focus on the highlights of the bill for licensure, which includes a provision for apprenticeship licensure, and we are inviting the audience to ask questions and share your views. The Virginia General Assembly will begin their next legislative session on January 8, 2020. Times and locations of these events may be found on our VCRA website and Facebook page.

Do you have an older steno machine sitting in your closet? Consider donating it to the VCRA loaner program. At present, there are two introduction to steno machine programs being offered, one by NCRA’s A to Z and one by Project Steno’s Basic Training. Over the past few months, numerous people have submitted applications to begin these programs, and there are waiting lists due to the shortage of available machines.

Our strength remains in our numbers. The membership of VCRA has continued to grow over the past several years, and membership has almost doubled over the past five years. As your Board of Directors, we continue to explore the best ways we may serve you, our members, and we thank you for your continued support.

VCRA offers programs such as mentorship and pro bono, and we encourage all members to become involved in your association. Don’t let you fears hold you back. The benefits of volunteering are enormous and very rewarding!

With warm regards,

Leslie Etheredge, RMR, CCR

President, Virginia Court Reporters Association