Tag: Meeting Minutes

General Meeting Minutes

Date: January 13, 2022

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Mohnton Fire Company

Treasury Report – Shaun Luther—Account balances discussed. Insurance was paid in December. The target amount to have in reserve in the club’s account is based on non-race (NR) expenditures accrued in the previous year. (Target account balance = previous year’s NR expenses x 3.) The club did not use the NR amount from 2020, since our expenses that year were so low, which would have made the required reserve number too low. However, due to our current spending and accounting practices, our NR expenses have not reached the level of pre-COVID years. Media expenses have been going down—media, social events, and Pacer swag, postage expenses were negative (retrieved our postage account money), and application expenses with Pretzel City Sports are down. According to Shaun, if the club uses the NR amount from 2019, our account is currently at 121% of target. But if the club uses last year’s NR expenditures, we are at 191% of target. He will discuss with the executive board how the target amount should be calculated.

He received a letter from IRS that he has to file the club’s taxes electronically, which is something he will have to look further into doing.

Races:

• Charlie Horse Half Marathon (Sunday, May 29, 2022) – Shaun Luther – registration is now live on UltraSignUp. The race is Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend. Brecknock Township still needs to approve the event. It will be the same course as last year—with a possible return of the Dirty Pony 5K.
• Run for the Ages 10K Trail Run (Sunday, June 26, 2022) – Donna Hey – Registration will go live very soon. She signed the USA Track & Field agreement, so the event will be listed on their calendar. Swag will probably be shirts this year. 
• Grings Mill 5K and 10K (Sunday, August 7, 2022) – Jason Karpinski. – Event is on Pretzel City Sports calendar. Registration will go live soon.
• Blues Cruise 50K (Sunday, October 2, 2022) – no report
• Oley Valley Country Classic (first weekend in November 2022) – Barry Goodhart – Changing the date to the first weekend in November. It will be at the Oley Valley Fair Grounds again.
• Kris Kringle 5 Miler (Saturday, December 31, 2022) – Polly Corvaia – For the 2021 race, just concluded, total runners number was approximately 600, Polly is doing the finishing up activities. Thanks to Mike Whalen who stepped up to do the on-site medical evaluations. Date of next year is SATURDAY, December 31 (New Year’s Eve day), due to the day that Christmas in 2022 is falling. Cross Country donation is approx. $2500, due to some on-line donations. 
• Shiver by the River 5K and 10K (Sunday, February 13, 2022, & Sunday, March 13, 2022) – Sue Jackson – January’s Shiver is this Sunday, delayed from last week. Need volunteers due to the date change.  Dieffenbach Chips and Home Light are this year’s sponsor. Help with the trailer is appreciated, but depending on the conditions, Sue can do things the old-fashioned way and load up items in her car. In March, she will be looking for door prizes for the on-site banquet, which as of now, is still scheduled. The directors will continue to limit the 10K time that the volunteers have to be on the course, meaning that runners need to be at a certain pace or continue the race on their own.
• Jr. High Cross Country Fall Invitational —  no report

Committee Reports

Social Committee:

• Christmas party – Dave ‘Swampy’ Feinauer – attendance down a little this year, which was expected. But otherwise had a good event.
• Checking into the WR Pickle Ball Association, which has courts at the West Reading Playground.
• Wilshire pool contacted Michelle Henry using the pool after 8 p.m. on evenings during the summer. Michelle is considering some Thursday evenings (not to conflict with monthly meetings or Thirsty Thursdays) to do a run or bike ride in the area, and then going to the pool – so, could be something a little different for a summer’s evening. Will look into the evolving details.
• Bad asked about Wallyball at Colonial Hills – he will organize for Friday, February 25^th, pending confirmation with Colonial Hills. Pizza, snacks, beer, cheap wine, etc. 
• Velodrome Park, Breinigsville – Mike Whalen will look into this for a Spring/Summer time event.

Communications Committee:

• Facebook – Jane Setley – has been doing the FB page management. Steve Vida will manage the weekly run FB updates. We will keep in mind the consistency between the web site, FB official page, and the FB public discussion page.

Community Service

• Weekly runs – Michelle Henry – The club has been posting a short run and a long run offering, which has been going well for safety reasons and general knowledge. Matt Brophy has been doing this. The run courses are improvised as needed. Matt and Steve Vida are switching off leading the short and longer distances.
• Trail Maintenance—Mike Whalen went through recently and it is clear. 

Charity & Scholarship Committee – Committee has room for one more person, and they have received one application so far.

Membership committee: Jason Karpinski is now the membership coordinator. They are putting a table out at Pacer race events. A QR code has been created that goes to the home page of the Pacers. In addition, they will have a table at “Guts and Glory”(?) – more details to follow. Then Fleet Feet in discussion about an “intro to trail running” event at Antietam Park – on the national trail day to have a Pacer group represent for trail running.

Old business: None

New business:

• March meeting – doing BP checks and “quickie” CPR training and AED training – one hour before the meeting, so at 6 p.m. Mike Whalen and Karin Long are hosting.
• At the May meeting, Stephen and Sandie Kincaid – Berks Trail Works – will talk about the work they do for that local organization. 
• Next month’s meeting (February 10) will be a Mimmo’s Restaurant.
• Race results – Karen Rule would like to possibly pass the race results updating along to someone else. She does not get a lot of input. Do we still want to have this feature in the newsletter?

General Meeting Minutes

Date: November 11, 2021

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Tino’s Restaurant, Wyomissing

Treasury Report – Shaun Luther—112% of target; some income from the upcoming races is coming in; and then some income from expenses of the ending races is going out. Members should expect to be seeing the membership renewal emails. FYI—if you aren’t getting the Pacer emails, you may have unsubscribed by some means. Contact Shaun to check about your status.

Races:

• Charlie Horse Half Marathon (date to be announced for 2022)—Shaun Luther—registration goes live on Sign Up on December 1. The course will be the same course as last year—i.e., no bus to the start at Rustic Park. Shaun is trying to change the date of the race due to the traffic conflict with the large annual event at Maple Grove.
• Run for the Ages 10K Trail Run—Donna Hey—June 26, 2022 (Sunday) at Nolde Forest. Nothing going on yet. Nolde is doing seeding this Saturday, and need volunteers (must be pre-registered).
• Grings Mill 5K and 10K (August 7, 2022)—Jason Karpinski—Ron Horn, of Pretzel City Sports, is booked for August 7, 2022.
• Blues Cruise 50K (First Sunday in October, every year)—no report
• Oley Valley Country Classic (completed for 2021)—Lenny Burton—profit was a little lower than expected. Will re-look at expenses. May go back to the original day in November. But might have a venue charge on a non-festival day. Motion made to make a $1000 donation to the Oley Valley Ambulance Association, seconded, and passed by the membership.
• Kris Kringle 5-Miler (Sunday, December 26, 2021)—Polly Corvaia—156 runners registered so far. Looking for 500. Day-of registration is offered. The start time has changed to 10 a.m. (previously has been 11 a.m.). An e-blast will be sent from Run SignUp. Volunteers between 7:30 and 8:00; registration opens at 8:30. Hoodies (550) are ordered, but not printed yet. Will tailor the printing to the number registered. Gnome design. All the permits are in. Advertising being done. Will be still at the 4H center. Pre-wrapped snack foods, and some fresh fruit. Must wear masks inside (per Penn State). Kim Lewis is doing the design of the hoodie. Fleet Feet web site has offered a banner advertisement. Polly described the volunteer process for the new people who were present at the meeting. The race is clockwise this year – i.e., major hill in the beginning.
• Shiver by the River 5K and 10K (First race is Sunday, December 12, 2021)—Sue Jackson—first race coming up; will have packaged food and soup, but no bagels. Depending on the weather, the registration may be in the pavilion or possibly inside. Masks may be required. Registration starts at 8:30—Volunteers needed, as always. Temple Fire Company is currently reserved for the after-party on March 13th. 115 currently registered. Will have day-of registration. Runners can still choose the 5K or 10K on race day. Both races start at the same time this year.
• Jr. High Cross Country Fall Invitational (completed for 2021)—Tom Chobot—described the event for the benefit of the new folks at the meeting. Senior high cross country event – 17 Pacer volunteers this year. Managed by Tom and Gwen Chobot, with support from the Pacers. Numbers of runners still a bit low, likely due to the Covid conditions. Phil Lechner’s junior high girls won the county championship, and Tom’s team won the senior high county event.

Committee Reports

Social Committee:

• Christmas Party—Michelle Henry—Friday, December 3, Grill Fire Company, 6 to 11 p.m., raffles, and DJ this year. (Still offering the membership renewal, raffle tickets, and can credit card payments accepted).

Communications Committee—Jane Setley—The Facebook “Pagoda Pacers Athletic Club” page and the Club’s Web page are the two official communication pages, and both have restricted access to post information. The “Pagoda Pacer Discussion Group” on FB  is considered unofficial communication, but it is  open to all who want to post something. John Durand is always looking for more help to add to this information

Community Service

• Weekly runs—Great turnout for new runner event. The group is getting back to gathering together at a food/beverage location after the run. Suggestion made that walkers post that they will be walking, in order to give some reassurance to people who might want to walk, but don’t know if there will be someone to walk with. Also, don’t hesitate to put up an inquiry or notice about a mile/hour time, to see if others will be doing the same.

Charity Committee

• Scholarship announcement will be announced in December newsletter, with the end an February application deadline. The scholarships are 2 for Berks County Senior High runners and 2 for children of Pacer members.

Old business: None

New business

• Next adaptive runner race—Mike Whalen—“Run for Riley” 5K on November 14, local third grader who is suffering from brain cancer. Next race will probably be the Shiver in December.
• Donna Hey worked an agreement with Deiffenbach’s to ‘potato chip’ every Pacer race. If we agree, we will advertise their logo in some way – maybe on the web site. They will also be offered 4 entries per race for the exchange. Donna will order the chips and deliver them to the race director. (Estimated 3,000 bags of chips to cover all the races). 
• Club elections – winners are president- Michelle Henry; board members are – reelected Karen Rule, Ellie Alderfer, & Beth Kohl, and new member – Steve Vida. 97 votes out of 360 members.
• Sincere thanks expressed to Steve McGuire and Mike Yoder who are ending their tenures as president and board member.

General Meeting Minutes

Date: October 14, 2021

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Tino’s Restaurant, Wyomissing

Treasury Report – Steve Maguire – Money in, money out, basically the same shape as last month. (Sean could not attend this month . . .)

Races:

• Charlie Horse Half Marathon (completed for 2021)—Steve Maguire—received a nice thank you card from the folks at Special Olympics for the club’s donation.
• Run for the Ages 10K Trail Run (completed for 2021)—Donna Hey—no race report. Nolde very appreciative of our support of their recent on-site meeting with the commissioner.
• Grings Mill 5K and 10K (completed for 2021)—no update
• Blues Cruise 50K (October 3, 2021)—Dan Govern—352 runners were registered, and 256 finished. Tiffany Pantoja sold about $1000 worth of swag. The race went well, and profit was good for this year, considering all the challenges. A 56 year old male was the overall winner. Already about 20 people signed up for the 2022 event (Sunday, Oct 2, 2022). Lenny Burton commented on all the out of state license plates he saw, as testimony to how popular and well-known this event is.
• Oley Valley Apple Country Classic (October 9, 2021)—Lenny Burton—150 people showed, which was not as good a turnout as hoped. Surveys were overwhelmingly positive, and the venue was very well received. The 5K finisher result was 18 minutes. A male was the 10-mile finisher at 1:03, and a female was the second finisher was at 1:04. Profits were ‘decent.’ Lenny is considering moving the date due to all the other activity that conflicted with this date. The event was #27 year for Barry. 
• Kris Kringle 5 Miler (Sunday, December 26, 2021)—Polly Corvaia—12/26, 10 a.m., at the Berks County Agricultural Center. There are 60 runners registered so far. She will likely cap the number of registrants at 500. The hoodie color will depend on availability of product (maybe a medium blue color). RUseeN is doing them. More information at next month’s meeting.
• Shiver by the River 5K and 10K (First event on Sunday, December 12, 2021)—Sue Jackson—hoping to return to a normal year. The event is expected to go back indoors at Jim Dietrich Park, Muhlenberg. Next month Sue will have more information.
• Jr. High Cross Country Fall Invitational—Tom Chobot—10/23 at Reading Fairgrounds. Starting at about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, 10/19, is the High School Championship at Kutztown University, 3:30 p.m. volunteer show.

Committee Reports

Social Committee:

• Christmas party, Friday, December 3, Grill Fire Company, being arranged.
• Bike ride potentially being arranged
• The wine and cheese party, arranged by Karin Long, was a big success. Thanks, Karin.

Communications Committee

• Facebook—excellent interaction and positive feedback on social media about Blues Cruise

Community Service

• Weekly runs—good turnout at Brentwood
• Scholarship committee – Beth Kohl will start publicizing. 4 total awards: $750 each—2 Pacer children designated; and 2 general Berks County cross country runners. Suggestions made to increase the amount, considering the current costs of everything associated with higher education.
• Fall shoreline clean up at Blue Marsh – On Saturday, 11/06, there is a clean-up day scheduled. The bridge was repaired and put back in place by Mike Yoder, Brandon Beane, and Steve Maguire.

Membership committee: The dues for 2022 will be reinstated. (Consider that for the Christmas Party.) The club is considering an option to add a membership sign-up to the on-line race sign ups. 

Old business

• Reading Hospital Road Run (Sunday, October 17)—Beth Kohl—the race will be the same course (basically) as last time.

New business

• Election voting will be on-line: 4 board member positions and 1 president role up for election (dates for voting will be the month of November after the newsletter goes out). Nominations taken by Matt Brophy now through the end of October. 
• Matt Brophy and Steve Vida will attempt the Oil Creek 100-mile Trail Run on October 16, 2021.
• Chris Kaag says there is club house available at the base of Mt Penn, the old East Ends Athletic Association place. (Club advised this was not a place we wanted to acquire.)

General Meeting Minutes

Date: September 9, 2021

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Victor Emmanuel II pavilion

Treasury Report – Shaun Luther—account is at 120% of target. Most expenses and income are from Blues Cruise. Proof of insurance for the trailer has been provided to Storage World, as requested.

Races:

• Charlie Horse Half Marathon (completed for 2021)—no report
• Run for the Ages 10K Trail Run (completed for 2021)—Donna Hey—She is the membership person now for Nolde. The new signs that the club helped purchase are up. No update for the race. 
• Grings Mill 5K and 10K (completed for 2021)—no report
• Blues Cruise 50K, Sunday, October 3, 2021—Dan Govern—Facebook post was created with a request for volunteers. Registrations have fallen off quite a bit after going very strong. The swag is in, except the shirt, but that is not a problem. Dan will host a bike ride at his house to have people help with the packing of swag. Nathan, the ranger at Blues Cruise, has a list of items that are needed and can be fixed. So the donations (previously discussed) should get used. Steve Maguire will put up a post regarding being on the lookout for trail conditions with comments back to the post.
• Oley Valley Apple Country Classic, 10-mile and 5K, Saturday, October 9, 2021—Lenny Burton and Barry Goodhart—40 runners registered so far. Need a lot of volunteers. Lenny is looking forward to the new location. He will send a Constant Contact message to encourage more sign ups. Registration that day is inside this year, along with a few vendors, such as RUseeN.
• Kris Kringle 5 Miler, Sunday, December 26, 2021—Lisa Domeshek—everything on track so far.
• Shiver by the River 5K and 10K, first event is December 12, 2021—Sue Jackson—The series is set for this season. Registration available on-line at the Pretzel City Sports web site, and papers applications will also be available. Will have similar wrapped food experience and bagged swag. Temple Fire Company is reserved for the banquet following the final race on March 13, 2022.
• Jr. High Cross Country Fall Invitational—no report

Committee Reports

Social Committee: 

• Wine and cheese—Karin Long—Lilly’s Vineyard, September 18, 6 to 9 p.m. The cost will be $5 for members and $10 per person for non-members. Some indoor seating, a deck, and might be good to bring your own chair.
• Bike ride—Dan Govern’s house for swag collection. Details to be announced

Communications Committee:

• Facebook—Jane looking for help for FB—Michelle Henry can assist.

Community Service:

• Weekly runs—Turnout at the quarry field in Wyomissing was good. Next WNR is at Nolde.
• Trail Maintenance—will be in touch with Mike Yoder in case anything needed prior to BC

Old business

• Reading Hospital run, October 17, 2021, benefits the Friends of Reading Hospital. Volunteers are always needed. Jane Setley is leading this effort to assist the race director, Beth Kohl

New business

• Tino’s Restaurant, where we have been having some of our monthly meetings, was sold. We lost our spot there for this evening’s meeting due to a previous booking, but the goal is to be back there for our meetings. 
• Membership fee for 2022—will reinstall the $20 annual fee.
• Elections – some board positions open and some officer positions. Open positions to be announced so that elections will take place at the November meeting.

General Meeting Minutes

Date: August 12, 2021

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Tino’s Restaurant, Wyomissing

Treasury Report – Shaun Luther—120% of target. A little less in the bank than last month due to Blues Cruise and Run for the Ages expenses, annual rent for the trailer at Storage World, and the donations to Berks Country cross country coaches from Kris Kringle, the Friends of Nolde, and the Special Olympics. 

Races:

• Charlie Horse Half Marathon, completed in May—Shaun Luther— At the meeting, the club had the presentation of the ‘big check’ for $1600 to the Special Olympics representatives. 
• Run for the Ages 10K Trail Run, completed in June—no report
• Grings Mill 5K and 10K, just completed—Jane Setley—237 registered and 41 day-of registrations. Total income was over $8700; a little less than half that will come back to the club. There is still an order of t-shirts to pay for. There was an issue of the ambulance not showing up (which also happened at Run for the Ages). Roger Stafford supplied the medals, and he was a good choice to replace Terry’s Trophies (now closed). RockHound Apparel (Robesonia) did the t-shirts. Next year’s date is Sunday, August 7, 2022. Jason Karpinski will be the new race director.
• Blues Cruise 50K, Sunday, October 3, 2021—Dan Govern—He has about $3000 of previous donations, Dan and Stephan Weiss, who will add money from his races, are talking to Nathan Freewall—they will organize some trail upgrades. Nathan will provide a supplier and organize a trail maintenance day. Dan is starting to spend money—medals and hats purchased. Waiting on shirts. Registrations, which we going very well, have slowed down – currently at 281 registrants, and the cap is 450. It was noted that many peoplewait to register until September. But the COVID variant could also be a deterrent to early registration. Asked for advice about how to approach this—Mike Whalen recommends that the club states, “We will follow CDC guidance and pursuant to local guidelines.” It was also recommended that the club publish a statement that “volunteers must be vaccinated or wear a mask.” Mike Gallen recommends a ‘bring your own water container’ to reduce the handling of the cups and transmission of the virus. As always, this race will require a ton of volunteers, which Dan is organizing a needs-statement.
• Oley Valley Apple Country Classic, 10-mile and 5K run, Saturday, October 9, 2021—Barry Goodhart—the races will be run in conjunction with the Apple Fest. The application is available on Facebook. They will need volunteers. Registration (and the bathrooms) will be indoors. Runners will receive a $5 coupon for food at the Apple Fest. The directors are still organizing the shirts. 
• Kris Kringle 5 Miler, Sunday, December 26, 2021—Lisa Domeshek—The directors are working on the hoodies, and one person is registered so far.
• Shiver by the River 5K and 10K, dates to be officially announced—Tiffany Pantoja—The directors are moving along with planning. They have the Temple fire company post event reserved, and they are looking for a new caterer due to retirement of previous one.
• Jr. High Cross Country Fall Invitational – no report

Committee Reports

Social Committee: Wine and Cheese Social—Karin Long—will happen in September, official date to be announced.

• Trip to the Veladrome: Mike Whalen will work on this for next year’s bike racing season

Communications Committee—no report

Community Service: Wednesday night runs—last night was bad weather, but still had a few runners.

Membership committee: no update

Old business

• “The grill that won’t go away”—Steve McGuire is using it on 8/25 for WNR at his house, then whoever wants it can have it.
• Race Mates – Mike Whalen—Christmas in July race was successful. Grings Mill race was successful, with many Pacers participating. Mike will talk to some of the athletes, and, if feasible, may give them the option to finish the final distance on their own. Running Man “5K” slow push on Saturday. 
• Steve states that the club will keep the meetings at Tino’s for the present.

New business

• Mike Whalen suggested contracting with one ambulance agency (such as Schuylkill Valley) to get a more consistent show rate of the ambulances at our races, rather than going to local companies in the race-event area.
• Reading Hospital Road Run: half marathon, 5-mile, and 1-mile events, will be on Oct 17, 2021, with same course as in 2019 (around the Reading Hospital area). Pacing groups by Fleet Feet will return. Pacers have volunteered in the past, and the request will be the same this year.

General Meeting Minutes

Date: July 8, 2021

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Tino’s Restaurant, Wyomissing

Treasury Report – Shaun Luther—we are 124% of target. Blues Cruise expenses are starting. The Charlie Horse race is cleared. Run for the Ages race is just about done. The scholarships are paid.

Races:

• Charlie Horse Half Marathon (completed for 2021)—Shaun Luther—The income received this year was about half the amount as usual. Shaun made a motion to contribute a $1600 donation to Special Olympics, which includes the $575 direct donations. The motion was seconded and approved. For next year’s event, the directors will decide between the typical point-to-point or the same course as this year. They are considering moving the race to an earlier weekend, due to the potential conflict with Maple Grove Raceway events and other running races on that weekend.
• Run for the Ages 10K Trail Run (completed for 2021) –Donna Hey—The race had 117 finishers, and has 3 registrations for next year so far. The race will make about $3000. The amount of donation to Nolde will be $1500 from the race. The motion was made, seconded, and approved. June 26, 2022 is reserved for the next race. Thank you especially to Charlie Crowell for taking on the parking challenge at Nolde, which has a lot of parking rules.
• Grings Mill 5K and 10K (Sunday, August 1)—Caroline Hill—109 entrants registered so far. The directors sent an email blast and opened same-day registration. They are doing chip-timing this year; individual snacks for the runners. They are setting up Saturday, 7/31, about 2 p.m., and volunteers are needed. The shirt is long-sleeve this year and has a new logo. The award this year are not as deep. There won’t be the 5-year increments, just 10-year increments to lessen the crowding with the award ceremony
• Blues Cruise 50K (Sunday, October 3)—Stephan Weiss—registration going strong, 246 runners. Expect to have largest BC event ever. Up to 450 runners, and may sell out by mid-September. The hats and gloves are ordered. The shirt is from RUseeN. The donation funds that have been reserved from previous years are planned for use to replace the bridge in the Pacer maintenance area. Funds will be combined with donations from Stephan’s Naked-series races to make a large donation. The plan is to get this bridge repaired by the race. Aid station news: Matt Brophy will work with the local Fleet Feet personnel who want to host a station.
• Oley Valley Country Classic (Saturday, October 9)—Lenny Burton— The race will be apple-themed this year (the fruit, not the tech company) to coincide with the Oley Apple Fest. Each entrant will receive a $5.00 food ticket for the Fest. Donations this year are going to Oley Ambulance. The start and finish will be at Oley Fairgrounds (note the change from previous years). Lenny and Barry will need a lot of volunteers.
• Kris Kringle 5 Miler (date for 2021 to be announced)—Polly Corvaia—The directors will start planning next month, same race as usual is planned. Gnomes will be back. Door prize suggestions are welcomed. John Thompson is postponing being a race director this year, due to his wife’s baby due date.
• Shiver by the River 5K and 10K—Sue Jackson – planning like pre-COVID times, the second Sunday of the months, to be officially announced soon.
• Jr. High Cross Country Fall Invitational—no update

Committee Reports

Social Committee:

• Wine and Cheese Party—Karin Long—Sept 18 or 25, depending on date confirmation, at Lily’s Vineyard on Skyline Drive. Has an outdoor and indoor venue.

Communications Committee: no report

Community Service:

• Weekly runs—first gathering post-run hosted event by Lenny Burton.
• Race Mate events—Dale Weiss—2 races with 5 adaptive athletes. Currently have 4 chariots owned by IAM Able. Running the races: Jingle in July 5K (7/24, Grings Mill), and the Bradley Mayer Memorial Running Man 5K on August 14 at the Wyo Quarry Soccer Field. The athletes really enjoy it. They try to have 2 guides per chariot—one to push and one to interact with the athlete. Interested Pacers who want to push the chariots should contact Mike Whalen (michaelwhalen102@gmail.com). Dale is working with IAM Able. They are opening this adaptive athlete opportunity up to the Berks County vicinity residents. Kris Jacoby is also involved in the organization of these events. The chariots are very maneuverable, and a safety orientation given prior to the race—the adaptive athletes and supporters start at the back of the race. IAM Able is getting new vests for the volunteers, and getting finishers medals for the athletes.
• Trail Maintenance

Charity Committee

• The scholarships were paid out.

Membership committee: no report

Old business – none

New business

• Jim Blandford was written up in Runner’s World magazine for running 1,000,000 feet of elevation.
• Got the Nerve Triathlon, Lewisberry, PA, on 9/18—volunteer opportunities to race with an adaptive athlete, and the other is to do a leg of a relay race. Grants available to support this on September 18.
• Mike Whalen suggested a trip to the Velodrome as a night out. 

General Meeting Minutes

Date: June 10, 2021

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Victor Emmanuel II pavilion

Treasury Report – Shaun Luther—we are 130% of target. Charlie Horse income is in, but not all expenses. Other races are reporting income, but not expenses yet. Berks County Coaches are owed money.

Races:

• Charlie Horse Half Marathon (completed for 2021)—Shaun Luther—113 finishers about half what it usually is, but the weather was horrible. Perhaps will make about $2000 income, not including the direct donations to Special Olympics. One lesson from this year: at the start, a reminder of the cut off time will given to the runners, so they will know to keep track (but it was in the race description this year). Polly did the results timing using RunSignUp, and she did a good job, saving some timing fees. And thanks to Charlie and his family for their generosity in making this year’s event successful, given all the challenges.
• Run for the Ages 10K Trail Run (Sunday, June 27)—Volunteers are needed. Ted Andrus has donated two Southwest airline tickets, so this prize will be available again this year. Same-day tickets will be available for $10 each. Must be present to win. No frills race this year. About 80+ registrants so far, still no day-of registration. Updates are sent out via Constant Contact and Pretzel City Sports (PCS). Currently Nolde requires that anyone not vaccinated to wear a mask.
• Grings Mill 5K and 10K & ½ mile kids run (Sunday, August 1, 2021)—Jane Setley—all on-line registration via PCS. Reducing the awards, but otherwise the same course that starts from the Berks Heritage Center.
• Blues Cruise 50K (Sunday, October 3)—Dan Govern—close to 200 are registered, guaranteed to sell out at the 450 cut off. Swag will be decreased—will be a shirt (from RUseeN), hat, and gloves. Food will include some vegan options at the aid stations. Dan will start some training runs at the end of June, to be announced, and he is asking for some leaders for the training runs. Regarding the use of previously donated funds, the Army Corps of Engineers contact is not responding to emails, but a bridge on the back side does need repair, so Dan will pursue that.
• Oley Valley Country Classic (Saturday, Oct 9)—no report
• Kris Kringle 5 Miler—no report
• Shiver by the River 5K and 10K—Sue Jackson—has started planning. Will be pretty much the same as it has been, the second Sundays of the month.

Committee Reports

Social Committee:

• Karin Long will assist with a Wine and Cheese – possibly aiming for a date in mid to late September. 

Communications Committee—Jane Setley—have anything to post, just reach out. Jane can do updates on the web page now or Ed Recker can do them as well. She is looking for new pictures for the scrolling feature.

Community Service

• Weekly runs—Steve McGuire—Constant Contact® emailing for new runners has been successful. Those runs will be kept closer to a central location to encourage better attendance.

Charity Committee—Scholarships were awarded and announced for this year.

• Race mates—next Pacer event for this activity is the Grings Mill race. Contact Mike Whalen if interested in being a Race Mate. 

Old business

• Next Thursday is the Zach Miller movie in Lancaster. If anyone goes to this, please provide feedback to Steve.
• The Worlds End Ultramarathon aid station sponsored by some of our Pacers came together, was well done, as usual, and received some excellent publicity. 
• Shaun and Dave’s Excellent Adventure was a success.

New business

• Jane Setley—“Wine, Women, and Shoes,” an Opportunity House fund raiser, usually at the DoubleTree Hotel, is this year at a hangar at the Reading Airport. She needs help with parking. 
• Inside the trailer is a grill with four burners which was purchased for use at a race, but is now taking up needed space—Dan Govern would like to get it out the trailer. Mike Whalen said he would store it at this house. It was decided that that if no one uses it for a year, then he can keep or dispose of it. 
• Christmas Party? Yes, please.—December 3—voted on and seconded. Swamp will start the arrangements. Ben Galen will get in touch with his father about the donations for the raffle.

General Meeting Minutes

Date: May 13, 2021

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Victor Emmanuel II pavilion

Treasury Report – Shaun Luther—we are at 122% of target. Income received from Blues Cruise and Charley Horse. No expenses at this time, but will be having some soon.

Races:

• Charlie Horse Half Marathon (Saturday, May 29^th)—Shaun Luther—registration is still under 100. Will likely reach 100 for the race at the end of the month. Expenses have been kept down, due to not knowing what the COVID restrictions situation would be. The course is now approved. There is a large race at Maple Grove that day. Dan Govern will be the aid station captain at miles 3 & 6, and there will be the third aid station at mile 9 by Bill Buchanan. Charlie needs help with the trail on his land (for people who don’t mind getting wet and dirty). 
• Run for the Ages 10K Trail Run (Sunday, June 27th)—Polly Corvaia—passing along information from Donna. The donated Southwest Airlines tickets were not used last year (due the race cancelation), and they expire in mid-June. Southwest will not allow these tickets to be extended for this year’s event. Donna wants to sell the tickets for $150 each. The money would go 50/50 to Nolde Friends and the Pacers. Some offers were made by members at the meeting, and they will contact Donna directly.
• Grings Mill 5K and 10K (Sunday, August 1^st)—Jane Setley—The directors confirmed the date of the race as August 1. Registrations will be on-line only, and in keeping with this year’s events, it is planned as a low-frills race without the usual entertainment. 
• Blues Cruise 50K (Sunday, October 3^rd)—Dan Govern—registration is up about 60% from 2019., so will likely sell out the registration cap of 450 by the summer. Dan is planning a back-to-normal event with all the aid stations, etc. There have been trail changes at Blue Marsh which may be incorporated into course changes. The running direction around Blue Marsh (clockwise vs. counter clockwise) will be the same as odd years in previous times. Dan will recheck the distances, since there has been some questions about it. Swag is being worked on with Amy from RUSeen (strongly considering a short sleeve shirt and a beanie cap). Regarding monetary donations from previous years, Dan would like to put this into trail-improvement projects. Steve Maguire added to let them know about any trail issues. Blue Marsh appreciates the help we give them.
• Oley Valley Country Classic (Saturday, Oct 9^th)—Lenny Burton—The Saturday, Oct 9 date will be in conjunction with the Oley Apple Festival. Runners will get a food certificate. Lenny says the course is kind of tough, and will start and end at the Festival. It goes on Main Street for a short distance and has some additional elevations.
• Kris Kringle 5 Miler—Polly—no report at this time
• Shiver by the River 5K and 10K—Sue Jackson—done for this year!! Still has a few invoices to pay, but they aren’t major. Sue expects a small profit for the club.
• Jr. High Cross Country Fall Invitational—no report

Committee Reports

Social Committee: The movie event at Googleworks went well. Lancaster RR club is showing something mid-June (running related).

Wine and Cheese—still monitoring for the Pagoda opening or having at another location.

Communications Committee—no report

Community Service

• Wednesday night runs—The post WNR events are open for hosting at people’s homes. If interested, get in touch with Phil Lechner. Matt Brophy is hosting a “practice-hosting” event at his home on Oak Lane in Reading. Phil will announce the line-up for the locations when he has that organized.

Charity Committee

• Scholarship committee—Beth Kohl announced the winners of the Pacer scholarships, each for $750. The committee will send letters to notify all applicants and put an announcement on social media. The committee may look for new members for the next year.

Membership committee: no report

Old business

• Mike Whalen, IM Able race mates—2 anonymous donations of chairs were made in the name of the Pagoda Pacers. The team just did the Birdsboro race, and the next event is Grings Mill. Two to three people per “chariot,” and the experience is very uplifting. How it’s decided what races to do: Dale Weiss talks to the race director and then runs the course to ensure suitability. Currently the race mates/chariot drivers don’t pay to run the race. But in the future, they will likely register no-fee, no-swag to be covered by insurance. The team is working on some introductory exposures to the adaptive athletes at a suitable WNR. IM Able is making finisher medals for the adaptive athletes.

New business

• Pacer retro t-shirts—Polly ordered some, and they can be used for volunteers, etc. Mike Whalen suggested having a few for the IM Able runners.
• Beth Kohl said there may be a Reading Hospital race on October 17, but that is still TBD.
• Worlds End, 1^st weekend in June—per Brandon Beene, Mike Yoder is not doing the aid station this year. There is some possibility if others are interested to organize some involvement.
• The Constant Contact email reminder was successful to get some new faces at the WNR. 
• Mike Whalen said the PA DOH has noted an aggressive tick season this year, so please take appropriate precautions.
• Dave and Shaun’s Excellent Adventure is coming up on May 22. Not a Pacer event, and doesn’t cost anything (except your self respect).

General Meeting Minutes

Date: April 8, 2021

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Virtual meeting via Zoom

Treasury Report – Shaun Luther—account is 119% of target. No large expenses the month. Income coming in from Blues Cruise and Charlie Horse races. Taxes are due 5/15, and they will be ready on time.

Races:

• Charlie Horse Half Marathon (May 29, 2021)—Shaun Luther—registration less than expected only about 30 people signed up so far. Shaun would like to have 100 people signed up. Prospective runners may still be cautious about signing up for a race. Aid stations are being developed. A training run will be announced: out and back from Sleepy Hallow, about 9 miles. Stephan Weiss will assist Shaun with ‘getting the word out there,’ by sending some advertising emails thru his network.
• Run for the Ages 10K Trail Run (Sunday, June 27, 2021)—Donna Hey—9 people registered so far. At the Friends of Nolde meeting, the group was more positive about holding the race. She got the paper applications to Ron Horn, and they will be put out this weekend at his races. Blair and Donna are likely to change the ending to expand the distance that people will have between each other, probably for this year going back up the long driveway. This would eliminate the scrambled hill climb which is fun, but tends to crowd runners and spectators together at the finish line.
• Grings Mill 5K and 10K—no report
• Blues Cruise 50K (October 3, 2021)—Dan Govern—about 100 people signed up so far, and still several weeks/months out. Asked Shaun for the total amount of the money that is set aside from the registration donations, so that money can be allocated to a project. Dan will be looking into the swag, which will be decreased from previous years. He will organize some training runs. April 17 is a clean-up day at the day use area, posting will follow.
• Oley Valley Country Classic—Lenny Burton—trying to coincide this race with the Apple Fest on Saturday, Oct 9, (a non-church day, so can likely use the main road for a time), start/finish at the fairgrounds. Considering strongly to have the finish going up the hill. He is meeting with the township to confirm the plan.
• Kris Kringle 5 Miler—no report, will start again in mid-summer.
• Shiver by the River 5K and 10K—Sue Jackson—last Shiver is Sunday. Steve will bring the trailer. Some adaptive-athletes are running assisted by Pacers. Mike Whalen is running with one of the athletes. Dale Weiss is running with the other runner. Dale spoke about this assistance to adaptive athletes at a pre-COVID meeting. This is the first race where the club members will be supporting this. Sue needs volunteers on the intersections. Show up at 9:30, and relinquish the intersection at 11:20

Committee Reports

Social Committee:

• Movie night at Goggleworks, April 17, showing “Chariots of Fire.”
• Mike Whalen asked if the Wine and Cheese Social could be done in the fall—doesn’t want to wait until the Spring of 2022.

Communications Committee

• Newsletter—Polly Corvaia asked if there was any feedback on stopping the hardcopy minutes. No one has really pinpointed whether this had an effect on membership.

Community Service

• Weekly runs—going well.
• Trail Maintenance—Mike Whalen did some of this at Blue Marsh. Thanks, Mike.

Charity Committee

• Scholarship committee—Ken Seale—Committee is meeting this month and winners will be announced by next month.

Membership committee: Steve Maguire—The annual fee for membership will be discussed in the fall for the 2022 year.

Old business

• Dale Weiss has been able to finally get his plan in motion to assist with adaptive athletes, with the first group running at the April Shiver by the River.
• Still trying to find a venue for an outdoor meeting—So far, Steve has not been able to find a suitable outdoor area with lighting.

New business

• Nolde Forest is doing a clean up of the area in preparation for an official visit on 5/18. Donna will select a day and post online.
• Ken Seale has accepted a position at customer service at Infiltrator Water Technologies in Connecticut (unfortunately, keeping the Seales at a distance). Congratulations, Ken, and all the best in your new job.

General Meeting Minutes

Date: March 11, 2021

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Virtual via Zoom

Treasury Report – Shaun Luther—114% of target. We have expenses now, comparatively, from last year. Donation checks were sent: $1400 for Nolde Forest, and $800 each to the Berks Cross Country Coaches, IM Able, and Schuylkill River Greenway, and have expenses for the Horseshoe Trail and Shiver by the River. The RRCA music license refund was still in contention—the issue was elevated to the president of the RRCA, Shaun resolved this, and a refund is pending.

Races:

• Charlie Horse Half Marathon (May 29, 2021)—Shaun Luther—A group ran the new course last week. It was a shade short in distance, at about 12.8 miles. Some adjustments can be made to add a little distance. The course has about 2100 feet of climbing, and the group liked the new course. A few administrative details were needed: Brecknock Township officials wanted insurance verification and a few release clauses on the sign up form, which were taken care of. The t-shirts are designed, and Shaun is working on the swag. Sleepy Hollow credited the deposit from last year to this year. Will put in a request for a work (volunteer) day on the course. And will do at least one training run, about 9 miles. Awards of the painted horseshoes will be for the top 3 male or female finishers. Then something lighter (as in, not the weight of a horseshoe) for the age-grouper awards. (Congratulations to Shaun on achieving the status of Pop-Pop.)
• Run for the Ages 10K Trail Run (June 27, 2021)—Donna Hey—She is opening registration for this race. Many thanks to Blair Hogg for volunteering to be co-director. Nolde is not officially open yet, but Donna has the ok to open registration for 100 people, plus a wait list, for a race at the end of June. Due to the iffy-ness of the race occurring, it will be a no-swag event for a cost of $25. Regarding awards, there will be fastest runner awards and limited age grouper awards, due to the low enrollment number. The Education Center will likely be closed, as the renovation hasn’t started yet. Probably she will not have any same-day registration. Donna and Blair are moving forward with plans, but Nolde is strict about re-opening. 
• Grings Mill 5K and 10K—Steve Maguire, from Jane Setley—have the weekend set, but Grings Mill is still hedging about confirming the accessibility.
• Blues Cruise 50K (Oct 3, 2021)—Steve Maguire, via Dan Govern—about 70 signed up so far.
• Oley Valley Country Classic—no report.
• Kris Kringle 5 Miler—Polly Corvaia—Coaches thanked the club for the donation. IM Able will do a ‘big check’ photo op. They will put our logo on their web page. Schuylkill River Greenways, March 27 is the clean-up day for their Reading area portion. Registration is required to volunteer. (If the registration is closed, please consider a monetary donation.)
• Shiver by the River 5K and 10K (April 11, 2021):  Sue Jackson—The directors were able to hold a live race on 2/28, finally. Another one this Sunday (3/14). Need someone to bring the trailer—Steve will handle. Needs volunteers, will have a unique prize at each race. (Sue let the club know that Terry’s Trophies, a business we have associated with for several years, will close at the end of April.)
• Jr. High Cross Country Fall Invitational: no report

Committee Reports

Social Committee:

• Movie night at the Goggleworks—Larry Sundberg—he wants to show “Chariots of Fire” from the available list of movies at Googleworks. Saturday, April 17, at 6:30 p.m. The cost will be $10 per person with a 6-person minimum to secure the theater. Larry will give away the movie DVD as a door prize. The club will reimburse Larry the cost of the DVD, and there will be some other door prizes. Maximum occupancy is 25 people in the theater. They have a concession stand, with beer and wine (which includes a PB&J sandwich to cover the food requirement). The event will be publicized on the Facebook page. It is not a general public event, so a Pacer should be present with guests.

Communications Committee—no report

Community Service

• Weekly runs—Attendance has been around 20 per evening. FYI—the parking area at the Fire Tower on Skyline Drive is locked. Matt will look into getting access to the area.

Charity Committee

• Scholarship committee—applications due at the end of March

Membership committee: No changes, will discuss again in the fall. An email will be sent to the inactive people. Occasionally, Shaun gets someone asking for membership, who will not disclose his/her age. Shaun must refund the membership fee if he is unable to the person to disclose this necessary piece of information (required for insurance purposes).

Old business: None

New business: Goal is to have an in-person group meeting in April.