News :: Club Activities
2008/ I have pleasure in presenting my annual report to the AGM. The 2008/09 Triathlon & Duathlon season has been another successful one for this club, the Taranaki Triathlon & Multisports Club. There are many areas by which a season could be measured, be it member numbers, total competitor numbers, the number and nature of our events, the support generated from sponsors, and the delivery of Triathlon and Duathlon as a product to name a few. I will cover a few of these area’s throughout this report. There were a total of 182 club members this past season, a reduction from the previous year but only by the slimmest of margins of 7. This reduction has continued a trend over the last few seasons, and I could speculate the reasons for this but that will not serve any useful purpose, nor do I see any significant explanation for this reduction. This reduction was surprising given the Beijing Olympics once again showcased Triathlon as a sport to the wider NZ audience. Not only did we have another kiwi winning an Olympic medal in Triathlon, we had a local club member in Shane Reed participating, and leading the entire men’s field out of the water to start the bike ride. I say this is surprising, because after the heroics of Carter and Docherty at the Athens Olympics of 2004, a surge in participants was noted for not only our club but also Triathlon in general throughout NZ. On top of that, the ITU World Cup (the premier brand of short course racing in the world) was on our doorstep and a NZ leg of that series was hosted at If numbers are to be the gauge of our club success, then it is pleasing to see that just over 50% of our overall club membership are women, a upward trend that has also been noticed in recent seasons. This surge in women membership is outstanding and shows that the women only events promoted and convened nationally are encouraging women everywhere to get involved and have a go at this sport. Events This past season, the club provided a total of six races at various venues in The events for the past season were as follows: This season opening Duathlon event was held on a Saturday afternoon to determine what level of support events would have at this time, and a total of 86 participants assembled for that race. This was a very encouraging start to the season. The second race of the series offered the first Triathlon of the season, and was based at the Inglewood Swimming Pool. Conditions on that day were relatively clear and calm, and participant numbers totalled 101. This signature Taranaki event is a favourite of mine because of the challenging terrain encountered, and the heartland rural location. I often say that anyone who completes this event will have the ability to complete any event of similar distance in NZ because they won’t encounter anything harder. I don’t say this to discourage participation, more as a challenge to everyone to have a go. Unfortunately mother nature had other ideas, and due to the extreme weather conditions the safe and sensible decision to abandon the race was made by the committee. A 5km and 10km run was facilitated allowing members to run off some frustration, and a total of 65 brave participants competed in these run events. Sunday 22 March 2008 Port Taranaki The final race of our season is the club Duathlon Championships. Being a race for the Championship trophy generally means the field is similar to previous events, but unfortunately on this occasion the participant numbers were down slightly to 59. Total competitor numbers at our six events throughout the season totalled 490! Our club committee was also recognised by TSSSA at their annual dinner, as volunteer supporter of TSSSA for the previous year. This past season has seen regular coverage of our events in the local newspaper, the Taranaki Daily News. This has been largely due to the efforts of Bev Ellice, who has assisted the committee by maintaining contact with Tony Bird at TNL, and ensuring a photographer has turned up to every one of our events for the season. On behalf of the committee, I would like to thank Bev for her efforts in this role, which helps us in so many ways beyond a photo in the paper, and helps to keep this sport in profile locally. The guest speaker for the evening was John Dean, former Olympic Cyclist and well known local cycling coach and identity. His talk was informative, witty, and enlightening. I for one enjoyed every minute of his presentation, and the challenge is now to think forward for who could be a suitable speaker for April of next year. I am often surprised that more of our members do not turn up to this event to share in some social interaction with club members, and celebrate not only the achievement of prize winners, but the success of our club and the season in general. I question if this is because I talk too much…. So will take that on board and hopefully we will see some increase in this area for our membership. As mentioned, our club has an emphasis on participation and enjoyment, striving to provide safe, enjoyable, affordable, and achievable events for participants of all abilities, regardless of gender or age. However I feel members achievements should also be recognised, and I acknowledge those club members who have gained selection to represent NZ at various international Triathlon and Duathlon events. These include: Anna Stevenson, Joy Baker, Tui Bray, Clare Rinckes, Claire White, Sarah Bryant, Aleisha Gilmer, Elaine Brent, Reeve Barnett, Daniel Hine, Edward Rawles, Aaron Wood, John Eagles, Shorty Clark, Clark Ellice, Tony Brownrigg, Brohn Torckler, and Jeff McGrath. Club Website The Club website has been a very successful tool for us, being an efficient and effective way of communicating to our members and the Triathlon public, whilst providing race details, entry forms, electronic event entry, and results to name but a few. We will continue to utilise this website in the coming season, and hope to increase content in the area’s around coaching, advice, and training. Special thanks to Mike Tapp and Jon Wallace for their commitment with this club assett, and their patience obtaining the appropriate and accurate information from the likes of me! Sponsors The club is fortunate and very grateful to have the support of a number of generous sponsors. Without these sponsors, it would not be possible for this club to operate in the manner we do, or provide our events at the very low prices they currently are. I would like to acknowledge those sponsors as follows: Taranaki Civil Construction Ltd, Carefirst Medical Centre, Kim Roberts Heartland Insurance and Investment, Powerco, Port Taranak Ltd, Clelands Construction Ltd, The Frontrunner, Amcal Westown Pharmacy, Cycle Inn, Egmont Seafoods. Committee I would like to acknowledge and thank the hard working, enthusiastic, voluntary club committee who have invested endless hours into the running of this club. I can assure you their time commitment is significant, and I am pleased I have not counted the actual hours for I fear it may be discouraging to others contemplating a move to join this committee. The committee members for the past season are: Eleanor Hamilton, Each member of the committee brings excellent skills and experience, and without them and their efforts this club just simply would not function. Nicky Spicer has recently and reluctantly resigned from the committee. I acknowledge Nicky’s input to the committee over the last 4 seasons, in particular her role as Treasurer. We also had many club members assist us with numerous tasks throughout the year, and the list is exhaustive. I fear leaving someone out so I have chosen not to try and name them, but they all know who they are. Many hands lighten the load, and enthusiastic people are always welcome, so thank you very much to each and every one of you for your support throughout the season. The Coming Season The 2009/10 season is fast approaching, and commences on I am confident that we will see many of our current members return for another season of events, and I encourage as many as possible to challenge their family, friends, and colleagues to get involved also. I would also like to see some of our former members come back to the club and participating in the events we offer. Club Spirit The challenge we face every season is to work towards a better club spirit, one where members are enthusiastic about having some sense of belonging and less of us being seen purely as “event organisers”. If you have any suggestions or comments about the club, the events, or the social aspects which need boosting, please do not hesitate to contact any member of the incoming committee to discuss. Jeff McGrath Club PresidentMembership
The better summer weather we all recall as being a feature of our landscape partially returned for the Club Championships event at Ngamotu. The temperatures were certainly down, but the sun shone brightly over 82 participants in our most prominent race of the calendar, an event that offers the longest races distance wise.
Taranaki Secondary Schools Sports Association
The Committee also assisted the TSSSA in convening and hosting the Taranaki Secondary Schools Triathlon at
This was a success from the committee’s point of view and will be continued for coming seasons when planning allows. The TSSSA Duathlon at Lepperton was postponed once due to weather, and when it was convened, numbers were down due to clashes with other codes and the almost “out of season” timing of the event.
Media Coverage
End of Season Prizegiving
Our Annual end of season prize giving was held at the Autolodge Hotel in April, and was attended by approximately 45 members/guests.
Members Achievements
RACEDAY ENTRIES WILL CLOSE 15 MINUTES BEFORE RACE TIME
A race day change this season will see race registration close when the the race briefing begins. This will be 15 minutes prior to the published race start time.
Unfortunately late arrivals hold up our race start times and they penalise competitors who arrive and register in time for the briefing and advertised start time. This has become a trend and it needs to end.
So, from the next event, race registration will close 15 minutes before the advertised start time and no late comers will be allowed to participate in the event. There are several reasons for this:
- We need to ensure all participants have registered and therefore completed an entry form, read the "race information", and signed the declaration;
- We need to ensure those who have entered by email have actually arrived and will participate;
- We need to know how many participants are competing, to ensure every one is accounted for from start to finish;
- We need to ensure all participants are present and listen to every aspect of the race briefing. This is a health and safety essential;
- We need to respect those members who have arrived in sufficient time to be ready to start our event on time;
- We have
So please arrive at the venue in sufficient time to register, assemble or prepare your equipment, warm up if desired and listen to a full race briefing.
Our club and events are friendly and fun and the last thing we want to do is alienate any members. As a committee we are always trying to improve our delivery of these events to you and this change really needs to be made.
If anyone wishes to discuss this, please feel free to contact me by telephone or email.
All the best for the season.
Jeff McGrath
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