All
Well as it looks like Spring is here, our thoughts are turning to outdoor training, summer competitions and races, the new membership year and the club Annual General Meeting.
Annual General Meeting
So, first of all, can I confirm that the AGM will take place in the clubhouse on Tuesday April 29th at 8pm, in order for this to happen training will cease a little earlier than usual. This is your club and athletes and parents of juniors are welcome to attend -an Agenda will be published ASAP. During this meeting the three Club Officers (Chair, Treasurer, Secretary) have to be elected for the coming year, if anyone wishes to stand please let me know (theincumbents will continue if required).
Membership Renewal Deadline
The new membership year has now commenced and therefore all members renewal applications are due, please visit the club website www.banburyharriers.org and go to "about us" to download the renewal form. Please note that this must be completed in full and a hard copy/payment handed in to the registration desk on a training night -payment by cash or cheque only. All renewals must be completed by May 31st, after this time club membership will lapse and your England Athletics Competition Licence will not be renewed. In the event of hardship please advise me of your situation using this e-mail address, or speak (in confidence) to one of the Club Officers. Incomplete (or illegible) documents will not be processed.
Notices will be posted in the club, reminders made in Club Briefings and everyone who has an e-mail registered on their UKA profile will receive this note. The Club is therefore making every effort to communicate these renewal terms. For the avoidance of doubt, any member who has not renewed, or made us aware of a hardship claim, will have their membership cancelled on June 1st 2014.
Juniors Availability for Competitions
Banbury Harriers performs extremely well in most leagues, however, despite having made it clear that every athlete member must be willing to compete for the club, we've established that 60% of the Junior Members have not competed for us. As it was clearly stated on the 2013/14 application that this is a club requirement and repeated at all of the Inductions, I'd like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that it is a condition of membership that you are available for selection. Our Team Managers (along with the Coaches) are all volunteers and should not have to spend the bulk of their free time chasing athletes to fill team places. This may seem harsh but if football, rugby etc. is going to be prioritised each time there is a clash with an athletics event perhaps your renewal should be re considered. Finally on this subject, all members must compete in club colours, so please ensure that you have a club vest -new members will be paying a joining fee and supplied with a vest, if you don't have one, these are for sale at every training session.
Please make regular visits to the club website for updates, the race/competition calendar and for reports on past events, we'll soon be updating this so that it links to a new Facebook page allowing us 'force' info to you.
Volunteers
One of the great memories of the 2012 Olympics was the profile of 'The Volunteer', in addition an obvious legacy at our club was a massive increase in demand for junior places, however we're trying to manage the enlarged membership with the same core of volunteer Coaches and Helpers. We desperately need help from parents of Juniors to assist with Coaching, support the Team Managers, marshal at fundraising events (the Banbury 15 and 5), and help with registration on training nights in order that your children's training sessions are not delayed. The new membership renewal form asks you to indicate which area you are willing to help with -please help us. Banbury Harriers is not a commercial enterprise (or a Creche) and currently has a waiting list of 50 children desperate to join, so please help share the load.
Summary
I'm sorry for the tone of the above, but it all needs saying. Looking forward, we would like to be able to immediately welcome every new member enquiry as the overriding feel from most people attending the Inductions last year was that it was a pleasure to see so many kids (and Seniors) enjoying the training. We want to build on this, we need to have competition for team places, perhaps a club championships, social events, summer barbecues after home meetings etc. etc. I'd love to be reporting this kind of news and with a little effort from everyone it's all possible.
If you have any questions, suggestions, or offers of help, please let me know.
Regards
Mark Yates
Club Secretary E-Mail: BanburyHarriers@hotmail.co.uk
