President’s Message
Pike Creek Valley Runner, welcome to the New Year ! Mark your calendars for our Annual Meeting on March 6th from 6:30 to 9:00 at Pizza by Elizabeth’s. This was a big hit last year! This is a member benefit, so you should attend as this event is free to Members and $10 for guests (free if they join).
Yes, we give Club Awards at our Annual Meeting as well. You should nominate someone! See Awards below.
We held a PCVRC board meeting on Monday January 9th at Dirk Sweigart’s house. We finalized the holiday party, and welcomed two new board nominees, Wes Stafford (vice president) and Adam Shilling (secretary). The 2018 board nominees will be presented and voted upon at our Annual Meeting.
As the nominee for president, I am excited at the possibilities for our club. Running, social, community, racing, education, fitness – these are things that I find highly enjoyable. I’ve made many friends through PCVRC and I am looking forward to meeting more. And Joel’s not going anywhere, he is nominated to head up the DDC committee.
A person to join our board in a Public Relations/Newsletters role would be a welcome addition! Anyone interested? Contact me!
Happy running, be careful and stay warm!
Dirk
Social Activities
The PCVRC Annual Meeting is at Pizza By Elizabeth’s on Tuesday, March 6th from 6:30 to 9:00. We moved it slightly later for the people doing the track workouts – come as you are, we’re runners! Each member will receive two drink tickets to redeem. Food will be provided as well. We will have a short program to present the board and club awards for 2017.
Don’t forget, we always have our Boston Send-Off party the Wednesday before the marathon. Mark your calendars now, that’s April 11th.
Our weekly running meet-ups continue: Tuesdays at the Newark Reservoir at 6PM; Thursdays at 6PM at Delcastle Recreation; and Sundays 8AM at Panera on Main Street Newark. Now that the weather has begin to cool, please come on out and join us for a group run!
Awards
Please nominate a deserving someone for our annual Awards! Awards include Runner of the Year, Member of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Volunteer of the Year and then Outstanding Achievements. This is your chance to turn in your friends! Send all nominees to me at by Valentines’s Day.
USATF Update, Tom Steenkamer
PCVRC had 30 participants compete in the 2017 2017 Mid Atlantic USATF Grand Prix (road) series. We had runners in all 11 events and fielded a scoring team in 10 of them. There were 13 regional running clubs participating the Grand Prix series. PCVRC finished the 2017 season in 4th place in the highly competitive Grand Prix club challenge. Our 4th place finish earned the club $475!
The 2017 Off Road (trail) series consisted of 8 races held between February and November. The club had 28 members compete in the trail race series and had a scoring team in all 8 events. For the first time in club history PCVRC claimed 1st place in the Off Road club challenge! The club received $675 for our finish. A portion of this prize money goes back to support our MA-USATF racers. A priority for this year is getting updated racing team singlets.
Along with our club level accomplishments there are a number of team members who received USATF awards for their individual performances. The Grand Prix series recognizes the top 10 men and women age grade performances who have competed in a minimum of 6 events during the season. In 2017 the following club members were recognized for Top AG series performance – Greg Cauller, John Costello, Beth Howlett, and Dave Wiechecki. In addition the Grand Prix recognized the top 3 performers within 5 year age groups – Greg Cauller, Zach Chupa, Keith Crispin, Matt Cutrona, Mike Digennaro, Allison Emmons, Bill Farquhar, Erin Giampietro, Gerry Herman, Brenda Hodge, Beth Howlett, Lynn Knothe, Mike O’Brian, Betty Olmstead, and Dave Wiechecki. The off-road series also recognizes the top 3 performers in 10 year age groups – Greg Cauller, Bill Farquhar, Lynn Knothe, Tim Schuler, and Bill Steele.
We’d love to have more club members join us in 2018. The first road race of the year the Ambler 5 mile run held on Saturday, February 17th. The off road season kicks off in March with a brand new event, the Brandywine Red Clay 10k on Sunday, March 4th. We try to carpool to these events so please contact me in advance if you are interested. There’s only one requirement to participate for PCVRC – you members must also join the USATF. (Annual membership is $30.) There’s often a group post-race gathering for socializing and food. Please contact Tom if you have interest in participating this year.
Thanks and good running for the coming year.
Membership
The club currently stands at 144 family memberships with 250 club members.
Membership is only $25 and is good for your entire family. As a 501c(3), PCVRC membership is also tax deductible. Also, any member who races for PCVRC in 4 or more USATF races within a calendar year, and remains a member of USATF, will receive a complimentary PCVRC membership for the following calendar year. We will notify members in January if they are eligible for a free PCVRC membership.
New members who join on or after June 1 but before October 1 pay a reduced rate of $15 to cover their membership for the remainder of the current calendar year. All members who join or renew before October 1 are subject to our standard renewal policy. Anyone who joins on or after October 1st pays $25 that includes the remainder of the current calendar year plus the following calendar year. Membership Renewals will be accepted beginning at the December holiday party and are due by March 31.
To renew your dues online, go to: www.pcvrc.com/join.php.
Or you may send a $25 check or money order (payable to PCVRC) to: PCVRC, PO Box 3259, Wilmington, DE 19804
Treasurer’s Report
Lenora reports that the balances in our accounts are: $12,209 in PCVRC and $11,635 in the DDC account. We continue to maintain a balance equal to a year’s worth of expenses in both accounts.
Other News:
A group of PCVRC members is requested to marshal a section of the course (Bancroft and Kentmere) at the Delaware marathon again this year. It’s a good time and the club receives a donation from Corrigan Sports. Please contact Ray to volunteer.
DDC is scheduled for October 7th in Delaware City. We are always looking for organizing help. Contact Dirk or Joel to get involved. This is a cool activity and a big help to your club!
Race Results & Recognition
Please let us know what you’ve been up to!! For inclusion in the next newsletter, send your race results, PRs, and running related stories by replying to this message or by sending a separate email to: .
Current and all past News Bulletins are online: http://pcvrc.com/pcvrc-news-bulletins-2/
2018 Nominees – PCVRC Board
Officers:
Dirk Sweigart, President
Wes Stafford, VP
Adam Shilling, Secretary
Lenora Wagner, Treasurer
Other Voting Members:
Tom Steenkamer – USATF
Joel Schiller – DDC Race Director
Christina Xia – Membership
Ray Christensen – Emeritus
Open – Communications/Marketing
Sheri Sweigart – Social
Jerry Herman – At Large