President's Column - April 2024

First and foremost on my mind this month are the Springtime Races, which Jackie and I direct. All is well at this point due in some measure to a new Volunteer initiative of the club’s(more on that in a bit), but also due to the marketing efforts of Jon Brown and the members of Gulf Winds that always seem ready and willing to be there for club races. I always think it a bit of serendipity that I now find myself co-directing this race. As I have previously written, I ran the very first Springtime race in 1976 – a 4 mile race down at FSU’s intramural fields. It was moved downtown the next year. Discussions of late with some long time GWTC members reveal that many did not run the race when it was inarguably, run on it’s most difficult course(it was a 10K only back then). It started for years in front of the court house, down Monroe, down Call St. and followed the course through Myers Pk where it mostly goes now…with one exception. It finished where it started – back up Call St. and back up Monroe. That course was not for the feint of heart, but I had some of my best times on that tough course. I had a very specific formula for that course which involved first determining what you hoped to run and then converting to an average pace per mile. My calculous generally involved pushing yourself below average per mile pace for the first mile(taking advantage of the downhill), recovering for miles 2 and 3 at slower than average pace, and then if you could get to 4, on pace – you were within striking range(except for the 3/4 mile lung buster at the end). Good times! On the Volunteer front, the Club has a Volunteer Coordinator – Rebekah Mayfield. Rebekah is in the throes of calling organizations whose members may need volunteer hours, civic organizations and schools. If the organization is amenable to supplying volunteers, she records contact information and is populating a list on the GWTC website. Peg Griffin made it quite easy to find when you open the GWTC page. This information is for GWTC race directors only. By way of example, I made 1 email to an organization that Rebekah had listed and, in a flash, we had a response and 20 traffic volunteers for Springtime! You can also open this page and list yourself as willing to help at GWTC races and even check the type of work you wish to do. Obviously, if you list yourself in this location, you can always decline help at any given race. As indicated, this is a tool for GWTC race directors – Rebekah should not be called upon to find volunteers for a race. On behalf of the club, thank you for agreeing to fill this very needed role, Rebekah Mayfield! As a reminder, you must volunteer for the club in some capacity in order to qualify for grand prix awards – details are on website. I hear off and on from club members regarding various aspects of how GWTC is operated, both pro and con. For example, why are there so many club races, how did certain races become club races, why are there so many Board members, what happens if we can no longer find race directors, what happens to this club when folks my age are no longer around or unwilling to run for office, etc…A recent column of mine articulated some of this concern. I would like to convene a “Future of GWTC” town hall style gathering, hopefully in early May, or possibly this summer, and hope many of you will attend with open minds. I do not have many of these answers, but hope we can coalesce as a group to ensure the long term survival of this wonderful club! Stay tuned. We recently lost a longtime GWTC member – Tom McHaffie. His recent obituary provides a ringing endorsement of a great man and wonderfully fulfilling life. As I will be unable to attend his memorial service, I will reflect a bit here. I cannot say I knew Tom well, but once upon a time, I did go on a backpack trip with him and others. What I discovered was a helpful, thoughtful and funny individual! You find out a good bit about people you backpack with. Mostly because the primary activity is walking and talking…all day. Tom was always there to lend a hand, had really good insights into some of life’s troubling elements, cracked some good subtle jokes, and had a clear spiritual overlay to his essential philosophy. I came away from that trip with the full intention of doing another with Tom… alas, that did not happen. In recent years, one of Tom’s favorite things to do was hike the Miccousukee Greenway by himself, always seemingly deep in thought. We would always greet one another, maybe talk a bit, and he would be on his way. One of the last times I saw Tom was when he was hanging the banner at Turkey Trot, which he dutifully carried out yearly. This year, he needed a bit of help which I readily supplied. His direction to me was very specific as it had to be done precisely the way he had always done it. I did not know Tom well, but believe we connected in some ways on that backpack trip – his philosophy on life, knowledge of construction, electricity, entrepreneurship – all directed and precise(like hanging the banner) and comfortable and satisfied with the man he was. Tom will be missed by many.