Annual Meeting Highlights

On March 5, the Finger Lakes Runners Club hosted its Annual Member Meeting at Joe’s Restaurant. The meeting is a gathering of FLRC members and their families, where the officers and board members openly discuss the club’s finances, past and upcoming events, and other club business. It is a time for members of the local running community to meet new, liked-minded people, and for the club to recognize members for their outstanding volunteer work.

This year’s special guest speaker was Amelia Habicht. A well known member of the Ithaca community, Amelia gave a presentation titled “Running 2020: Looking Back, Looking Forward.” She described her life as an endurance athlete prior to suffering a serious stroke at a young age. Amelia underscored the power of determination in helping her get back into endurance sports after her stroke, and highlighted how her condition has empowered her to achieve new goals and inspire others. The presentation was an abbreviated version of a TEDx talk Amelia gave at Ithaca College.

Following the guest presentation, several club officers discussed recent and upcoming FLRC events. Highlights include the successful Track Friday—a fundraiser for the Finger Lakes Trail Conference that we are making into an annual FLRC event,—the Mithical Miler race series and weekly training groups, the FLRC and High Noon cross country teams, and the 2017 Trail Circuit. Treasurer Mike Allinger then gave a brief report on the club’s financial state.

Next it was on to the awards. Gary McCheyne announced the Trail Series winners for the 2016 season. The Stonehead awards for the highest score across all ten races in the series went to Bill King and Audrey Balander. The Pebblehead title—for highest score compiled from a runner’s top three series races—was awarded to Fred Harle and Nora McIver-Sheridan. Nora had a perfect score of 300, meaning she won at least three series races. The Boulderhead crown is for the runner who completed the most miles in the series races, regardless of his/her finishing time or place. The 2016 Boulderheads were Ron Cunningham and Nancy Kleinrock. Special thanks to Karen Ingall for compiling the statistics and organizing these rankings year after year.

FLRC president Micki Sanders-Jauquet recognized the five new FLRC Life Members, as voted on by the Board of Directors earlier this year. Lifetime membership status is a way for the FLRC to acknowledge individuals who have volunteered their time, energy, and resources toward the club’s activities—and the local running community as a whole—over many years. The Lifetime Member Class of 2017 is comprised of Bruce Robel, Steve Shaum, Nancy Kleinrock, Sue Aigen, and Tom Hartshorne. Thank you all for your years of dedicated volunteer service! (Here is a brief bio of each new Lifetime Member.)

Every year, all club members are invited to vote on the FLRC Volunteer of the Year. The award recognizes an individual for going above and beyond the call of duty in a volunteer capacity at club events during a single calendar year. The 2016 award went to Katie Stettler—the former club treasurer who meticulously kept records of all of the club’s financial transactions and yearly budgets through a series of spreadsheets. Katie served as the club’s treasurer for several years before handing the reigns to Mike Allinger in January 2017. She also lent a hand at many of our races throughout 2016.

In the Desert Contest, Bruce Robel eked out a win with his brownie recipe. The brownies included real whipped cream, which likely put him over the edge as the top vote-getter.

We’d like to thank everyone who attended the meeting, as well as all who contributed to the delectable dessert table. As a reminder, all FLRC club members—not just board members—are welcome to attend our monthly board meetings, usually held on the second Wednesday of each month. If you are interested in voicing your opinions on club activities, or looking to serve as an officer, board member-at-large, or a race director, the meetings are the best way to learn how the club functions behind the scenes and see what opportunities are available.