Awards Night 2006Some things change while others stay the same. First up was some long overdue business to say thanks to Jim Scott, the previous chair of PRC. Somehow it has taken till now to officially recognise the sterling job he had done for the club.
Next up and a big thanks to Karen Young for helping accommodate us in the summer months at Moira Park. Graham - always enthusiastic to receive an award and kiss - stepped in for an absent Karen.
I was then given a present for overseeing the website. I have to report it was very tasty.
On to the club championship awards - in three age categories for men and women - for the women; Janis, Shelagh and Mary....
and for the men, Jim S, myself and Scott H
Douglas then said a few words before the presentation of the George Montgomery Memorial Trophy. This year it was presented to Bert, who has contributed greatly to the club over the last year. Since his serious accident he has not only shown great resolve in returning to health and running, he has also established and coaches the "middle group" on Wednesday nights. Coming along at just the right time, Bert found his niche and it is noticeable how many of his group are achieving personal bests at races.
New this year was the presentation of a "coaches award." Our three coaches were each asked to nominate a runner from their group who had distinguished themselves. Lynn chose John F, Bert chose Amanda and Gordon chose Jill.
Before the secret santas were distributed Tom was asked to pick 2 names from the hat to be the recipients of our club places at the London Marathon. First out the "hat" was Karen M who modestly declined. (Having heard about her tales of running the FLM, I was surprised her name was even in the hat.) Lynn was next out. Followed by Alan, who was delighted as it gives him yet another chance to get shingles, sorry, hit his marathon target. (I'm expecting a report any minute now about your success at the KB5 Alan.) However the best thing about this last item was that Tom was doing the picking. Obviously trying to emulate Bert, Tom built a scaffold, put a ladder on top then took a header off the lot a few weeks back. It will still be a time before Tom straps on the famous knee support and shows us how fast the new svelte Watson can go, but it was good to see him back on the premises. And hear tales of the consultant pointing out to the students that a 52 year old with a heart rate of 43 was impressive.
Many thanks to Douglas for handling the proceedings and to Karen for ensuring all ran smoothly and in the right order! And to whoever chose the wine.
A very pleased Bert with the George Montgomery Memorial Trophy.
This just in, an email arrived from Karen Young saying.......
It has been a while since I donned my trainers and attended the club. I apologise for my absence and stress that I have not been injured but have been otherwise occupied. At the end of September I became mum to a 14 week old black labrador puppy called Willow. Yes, sleepless nights followed, dog and owner got ill then to cap it all, central heating got installed at Moira Park. It has been quite stressful but things are much better now.
Thank you very much for the wine and biscuits on behalf of myself and the tenants. They are very much appreciated. Congratulations to all the recipients of the club trophies and many thanks to Gordon and Bert for all their support over the past year. I, like many others, was delighted to hear of Bert's special award. Bert is truly inspirational and has that special running X factor. Good to see that my now not so old running mate was at the presentations. Tom glad that you are now on the mend.
Many of you will remember Jack and Christine. Famous for being the club's unofficial mascots, Jack sadly passed away last week. Christine is spending time with her sister at present, but still "misses seeing her runners".
Finally I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a good running New Year. It was good also to learn of Alan "KB" Aitchison's recent success. It's a pity Hearts cannot follow our Al's example. See you all in 2007.
Karen Young
