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Monthly newsletter March April Newsletter Duathlon update Duathlon update Tri club update May 2 Tri club update May 9 Tri Club Update May 15 About today s update
Latest news, June 13, 2010
There's a fair amount of news to get through, so if you're in a rush, wait until you've got some time and read in a relaxed frame of mind.
Alternatively, you can go to the club website, www.nelsontriclub.co.nz and read this on the Latest News page.
Mid-winter swim
Our top male swimmer for the past two seasons, Matt Hansen, has put out a call for people to join him in raising money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation by throwing themselves in the sea next Sunday (June 20). The ideal is if you roll along to Placemakers and get yourself a pair of disposable blue overalls (mention you're a swimmer and you'll get a discount) and then swim in those, but if you don’t manage that, just front up at Tahunanui Beach, 11am Sunday. You can get more information from the poster, click here.
If you're planning to do the swim, get some sponsors. There's a form you can print out to get pledges on, click here.
Mid-winter Multisport Triathlon
After the relentless pace of summer, the club has entered a quieter patch on the race front, but that doesn't mean the committee isn't working hard on other projects.
We've got one event coming up – the long-established Mid-winter Multisport Triathlon on July 11. This has been going on for a very long time. Prior to the club existing, in the 1980s, the late Les Vincent was instrumental in organising a race about this time of year which start with a le Mans-type run start in Snowden's Bush, Brightwater, out to the roadside. If you were quick, you got into a pack to cycle down the Hope Straight, through Appleby, Waimea West, then back through Brightwater and on up to the Lee Valley picnic area.
Next was a kayak down the Lee, past the junction with the Wairoa (which scuppered many unwary travellers) and on to the little dam at Max's Bush at the end of Haycock Rd. The final run went over the Aniseed Valley hill, fording the chilly waters of the Roding River at the bottom (the existing bridge wasn't there then), then on through to the Lee Valley, finishing back at the picnic area.
Of course this was nothing to do with the existing race, which started out more or less in its current location and came under the club's auspices some time in the late 80s. Nevertheless it's interesting to reflect back on close to 30 years of multisport activity in the region.
Today, Paul Thornton and Charlie Squance are out surveying the course for this year's race, which is largely unchanged from that of recent years. From Greenslade Park at Rabbit Island, the kayak takes an 8km spin around Bells Island and back. The duathlon starts with a 2km or 4km (short and long course) run around the estuary edge to the boat ramp, then back through the forest.
The bike circuit around the perimeter of the east end is reduced from 11km to 9km, as there's a move to give the birds at the far end a break so they don't fly off and frighten the planes coming and going at the airport. Accordingly, Corder Rd is used to get from the south edge of the island to the seafront at the north edge for the return to transition.
After one or two bike laps, there's a final 2km or 4km run to the finish for a barbecue and prizegiving. Entries are rolling in – you can add yours (and check out who's already entered) click here
If you'd like to put a nice poster on your wall or in your shop, office or workplace, here's a nice reminder with a stunning photo by Martin Bennett,
click here
Strategic plan
Last winter, under the leadership of Paul Thornton, the committee spent three long evenings working on a strategic plan. Where should we be going? How should we get there? How are we doing so far? How can we do better?
Our primary objective: To foster, develop and otherwise promote triathlon and multisport as a means of health, fun, fitness and competition.
We live in a small town which is nevertheless blessed with a great climate and some fantastic geography. That means that for a club run by volunteers we need to offer events with a broad appeal, so the many elite competitors in our ranks won't find them too easy, but the entry-level competitors won’t be intimidated. We're not running big-budget events, partly because that takes time our volunteers don't have and partly to keep the costs to competitors down.
Nobody minds paying big dollars for a special race, but if we want to offer a year-round programme of club events the price has to be within the comfort zone.
We also wanted people to have a sense of belonging – that if they came to our races they'd be welcomed, they'd have a good time and they'd feel a sense of achievement.
Accordingly, one of our goals was to increase our membership from its level a year ago of about 40. The starting goal was to reach 100 in the year beginning November 1. By lowering the subscription rate, offering family discounts and a reduction in entry fees, that plan has been a success. In less than eight months, our membership has reached 205.
Our 200th member represents just the sort of person we're trying to attract. John Wilson is a 52-year-old, whose participation so far has been in the walk section of the Shoe Clinic Mountainbike Duathlon Series for the past two years. We'll give a brief profile of John in the next few days.
Now a year has passed since our initial planning, we're starting to talk about how it's shaping up and what changes are needed, so they we maintain our direction and momentum. To keep things ticking over, we need to keep having recent events and that requires resources. Thanks to some healthy grants over the years, we're well off for equipment. With the drying up of money from charitable trusts, that won’t continue, so we need to ensure our other income source, entry fees, continues to be healthy. That doesn't mean putting up race entry fees, but it may mean pushing harder to keep numbers up at events, which in turn brings new challenges.
Our committee works hard, but most are also keen on competing. That's why you'll find them hard at work at 7.30am, setting up races which start at 10am – not the best preparation. It also means that when the hooter goes off we're often thin on the ground for marshals, timekeepers and barbecue cooks. If you'd like to join our team of helpers, please let us know. We'll put you into a club T-shirt or give another member of your family a free entry and you'll find you get a lot of satisfaction from being part of the team.
If you'd like to see how the race programme for the next year is shaping up, take a look on the events calendar on the website.
We're trying to communicate better through our website and from now on the newsletters will be displayed on the Latest News page (that's this page). Another new innovation is the Lost Property page. Check it out – we're going to start getting rid of unclaimed property soon. (If you'd like any unclaimed goods, let us know and we'll give them to you after they've been online for a month or two)
As well, our latest member, Bob Tri, has set up a Facebook page, where you can have your say or see what others are up to. Check out the
Facebook page
Speight's Coast to Coast
We had a great turnout when Robyn Judkins brought his Weatherbomb DVD through – in fact more people turned out here than at any other venue in the country, reflecting the strength of multisport in the region.
Entry forms for the 2011 race are now available. There's a stash at Shoe Clinic in Nelson, you can email peter@nelsontriclub.co.nz and I'll send you one. Alternatively, check out the race website
