January 2014 – Better Than Ever
Felton Wright, GWTC President
As we start a New Year, I think it is important to take stock and review the previous year. I am happy to report that GWTC was able to make a number of positive changes. 2013 saw our club reach the mark of 2000 members for the first time, a number that has doubled from just 5 years ago. Thanks to Bobby York, we added a successful trail series. Many races saw record attendance. Running programs in the middle schools as well as the women’s correctional facility grew. The club, through the use of technology and passionate members’ skills, has enhanced membership experience. More local runners were chipped timed and received immediate results in 2013 than ever before. Thank you Peg and Bill! Andy Roberts and Mary Jean Yon moved the club towards electronic voting, and saved us money in the process. Race directors are now actively seeking out GWTC’s race director’s training to put on better quality races.
Vicky Verano deserves a hearty thank you for serving as the club’s equipment manager for the past 5 years. She has chosen to step down from this important role. Vicky has been instrumental in over-seeing all of the GWTC equipment and its rental. Thank you Vicky for doing such a great job!
With this growth come challenges. We have several openings for current and new club positions and race director spots. If you want to be more involved please let me know. If you have suggestions as to how the club can serve our members better, please let us know. Our board meets the second Wednesday of every month and the minutes of these meetings are posted on the website.
The GWTC Annual Awards ceremony and social will move into town this year to the Goodwood Museum on Saturday, January 18th. The social will start at 5:30 p.m. and the ceremony at 6:00 p.m. If you are new to GWTC, I urge you to come and experience the one night of the year where we recognize our grand prix winners as well as our annual club award recipients. If you were a 2013 Grand prix winner in either your age group or overall, you should come and receive your award.
Wishing you enjoyable runs and PR’s in 2014!
Run safe, run fast.