November Newsletter

Hello all,

Welcome to new members joining this circulation list. After a summer of incredible sport, Autumn is well and truly here now.  That doesn't mean the fun should stop though, it's just a little colder and muddier.  So, lots of news of forthcoming races and new faces, but first, an important note about our annual fees for membership.

IMPORTANT: Changes to the Annual Subscriptions
Following some changes to the affiliation fees charged by England Athletics to the club we have had little choice but to revise the fee structure for members.
Notably:
- Seniors using the clubhouse, the fee has risen to £96/year or £8/month.
- Seniors just based at Mile End, the fee has risen to £40/year or £3.33/month   
- Full-Time Students or Unemployed members, the fee has risen to £40/year or £3.33/month
- Unchanged for OAPs or Second Claim athletes

If you pay by standing order, please update your monthly payment.  If you pay annually, your fees are now due. Standing orders/bank transfers: please make payments to HSBC account number 31384414, sort code 40-06-23. Account name is Victoria Park Harriers and Tower Hamlets AC.  Please include your full name as a reference so that we know who you are.

Welcome new board members
Following the AGM we have some new members on the board
- Victoria 'Tori' Poole takes on the role of Women's Director of Road & XC running,
- Claudia Abe-Minale takes on the role of Director of Youth Development
- David Wilkey becomes the Company Secretary to the club.
I hope you welcome these new board members on board and get a chance to say hello to them as they appear at the club in the coming months.  We hope to post more details and pictures on the website soon.

Forthcoming Cross Country League Races:
We've had a very good start to the season, with good turnouts and notable results in a lot of the races, especially in the Chingford League.  Don't forget to keep an eye on all of the results on the noticeboard and also the fixtures page . Specific sites:
- Chingford League results here:http://www.bob-orion.me.uk/4.html
- Metropolitan League results and information: http://metleague.co.uk/

Some future dates:
- Met League Race #2 - Stevenage - 10th November - PM
- London XC Champs - Parliament Hill - 17th November (this is a pre-entry race, entries now closed) - PM
- Ware Cup - Loughton - Saturday 24th November - 2:30PM
The Men's team retained this piece of silverware in 2011 with a very good turnout.  Unfortunately, the Women had to relinquish their cup last year.  So, let's aim for a really big turnout and win it back from local friends and rivals Eton Manor AC.  No need to pre-enter this race, just turn-up on the day - it's a short walk from Loughton tube on the Central Line and reasonable parking on site.  More details nearer the time on the noticeboard.

- Club 5 Mile XC - Woodford Golf Course - Provisionally Saturday 8th December - 10:30AM start
Race #3 in the club's Winter Championships, the annual trip to Woodford Golf Course, a pretty 2* 2.5 mile course.  It's free to enter, just turn up on the day. Club members and their guests may run. Always a great event, for runners and spectators alike. If anyone is able to assist with the following, please let me know:
- timekeeping (during)
- course marking (before and after)
- photography (before, during, after)
More details nearer the time on the noticeboard and Facebook.

Pre-Entry Races: Coming soon. Look out for a call for entries for  Middlesex County Championships (Jan 5th), South of England XC Championships (26th Jan), National XC (23rd Feb).  I'll be using a webform this year to make it a little easier to register your interest.

Christmas Party - Saturday 15th December
Put it in your diary folks.  Tickets are already available for the Christmas party - ON SALE NOW - from Rob P or Malachy or just in the bar, generally, on a Thursday night.  More details to follow on the website.

2013 - Officials Course - Provisionally March 9th/10th
Something the sport lacks sadly, is an ample supply of people prepared to get involved in an official capacity.  In order to remedy this plans are being prepared for an officials course, to be held at Mile End, for anyone interested in officiating at Track or Field events, Starting or Timekeeping.  It will be open to club members and others interested.  More details to follow, or contact Major Carr for further details.

That's it for now, time to get muddy.
Simeon
Men’s Road & XC Captain