What an honor for me and my fellow officers , Rich Kanak and Rob Hoy, to be elected as your BCRR officers. The magnitude of the honor, and the responsibility was not lost on the elected officers. After the election we met with the outgoing officers Fred Gropper and Greg Holst who gave us an in-depth breakdown of the status of the club and clued us in on the inner workings of the club and what they felt needed to be done moving forward. The new administration all agreed how fortunate we were that Fred and Greg handed things over is such a great position to move forward and continue the good work of the past with an eye on even greater accomplishments moving forward.
Hang On to Your Hats!
The first two months have been a whirlwind of meetings and discussions with some quick decisions and some labored deliberations on how best to move the club forward. While we agreed the Road Runners Club was in great shape we all felt that we could do even more to have a greater and more positive influence on not only the running community but the community as a whole. The Customers Bank 5 Mile Run and the Winter series were are biggest action steps to address and there were many other issues that needed attention as well.
Tuesday Pizza Social
On October 21st a “Meet the new officers” Social was held at Tre Fratelli Restaurant in Newtown. The event was a big success. Free Pizza, beer soft drinks, and wine was provided to all who attended. With over 50 people in attendance it was our largest social in some time. We will be having socials around organized Club activites such as work outs or other meetings to encourage attendance.
Customers Bank Thanksgiving 5 Mile Run
Thus far we have over 43 volunteers for our Turkey day classic. Great job BCRR!!! Registration is on a record pace. With Jimmy’s Run in Doylestown canceled this year we can look forward to a record crowd. The board allocated 1,000 dollars to the race committee to use as as seed money. This money will be repaid to the club after the race proceeds are distributed. We are still looking for sponsors, runners and volunteers so get the word out.
Saturday December 5, Pancake Sign Up run
The club will be hosting an informal run departing from Advanced Sports Chiropractic’s Washington Crossing Office. The run will take place at 7:30 AM and will be run concurrently with the Saturday trail run at Washington Crossing Park. The run will be one hour along the canal path. After which there will be a Winter Series Pancake sign up party” “Yours truly” Will be flipping the pancakes. Bring your credit cards, check books or cash. Both Trail runners, Canal path traversers and anyone else interested in signing up in person for the series will be treated to home cooked pancakes. (gluten free will be available) Pancakes will be served at 9:00 AM
Winter Series
Our first duty was to appoint a Winter series director. Who better than multi time winter series champion Michael Gross? After Mike accepted the appointment we went right to work to help improve or circumstances with the good people at Tyler Park. BCRR and Tyler Park have been pretty much synonymous. The park is desperate for funds and thus far we have found the people who work at and who run the park to be a group of underpaid and dedicated individuals who although they think we are crazy for willingly subjecting ourselves to the perils of the winter series generally like us. They are however trying to appease everyone who uses the park…dog walkers, runners and bird watchers alike. This is no easy task.
Giving Back
The Board has decided to donate 1000 dollars to the Park for a badly needed chainsaw to clear the fallen trees in the park and an additional 5,000 dollars to the park to provide a second heated bathroom located along the creek near the start of the series races. Our Vice President, Rich Kanak has agreed to donate his time and expertise to help get the facility completed before the series begins. This Restroom will decrease the long bathroom lines by registration and make things more sanitary and comfortable for everyone. The board has also agreed to pledge 1500 dollars per year for the next 5 years to the park from the proceeds of the winter series. These funds go to a special account used by the Tyler Park rangers when government funding is lacking or absent for urgent park needs. All of the donated funds stay in Tyler Park.
Yummy Food
In addition to the already splendid after race menu we have decided to provide some healthier food choices after the race including gluten free foods and dairy alternatives for your coffee and hot chocolate.
Heating Up
The club will also purchase propane heaters to be placed at registration tables to keep our long suffering registration volunteers a little warmer during their long hours waiting for everyone to check in. We may be able to move these portable devices to the finish line as well.
No Chip Timing….
Well we checked it out but current technology is still too expensive for our winter series budget.
Winter Series Cost Increase…
Yes we raised the price. Quite honestly I lobbied for a much bigger price increase. I think the cost works out to be about three bucks a race. That is quite a bargain. BCRR will never turn down a member who can not afford to do the series due to financial hardship. Contact me personally if that is the case and a scholarship will be provided for you.
Series Banquet
This years Series after party will be held Saturday March 12 at the North Hampton Country Club. We are changing the theme to more of a series celebration. We are moving the series after party From a Sunday to a Saturday so we can really cut loose and enjoy the completion of another successful winter Series. I am pushing for an 80’s theme dance party. We of course still recognize all the series winners.
Communications Director Appointed
Maggie Kanak has graciously agreed to the appointment of Communications Director for the BCRR. The position was greatly needed. There are several chair positions to work under her that are available. Please contact Maggie at Justrun372@gmail.com for more information.
George School Track
Track workouts have been an amazing success. We draw a big crowd each week, the turn out has exceeded our wildest expectations. For the last two years thanks to our good friend; Steve Moyer and the generosity of the George School our club has had the good fortune to enjoy phenomenal facilities for our Tuesday work outs. We all agree what an amazing facility it is and the club is grateful for the privilege of working out there.
More Giving Back
To show our gratitude we will be donating 500 dollars to the school earmarked to the athletic teams. We are also setting up two scholarships; One male and one female in the amount of 500 dollars for a deserving student athlete each year on the cross country or track teams at the George School. This scholarship will benefit a worthy recipient who wishes to continue running on the college level and will go to offset education and living expenses. Although The George School is a private institution there are many students who attend schools with the grace of generous scholarships. For these kids a college education is a luxury for which without the help of others is nearly impossible to achieve. On behalf of the club as BCRR members we are proud to be able to help make this happen for these worthy students future BCRR members.
Thanks for the opportunity to serve you,
Johnny King-Marino
DrJohn@JKMhealth.com