News

Annual President Report – season 2017/18 – many highlights

Hi Piranhas,

The annual awards presentation yesterday was a great opportunity for us to see mates and reflect on a bumper season:

• winner of Division 2 and Country division, runner up in Junior division, at Tri NSW Club Champs on 24 Mar
• over 200 at our Interclub event on 11 Feb and 21 individual award winners for Interclub Series
• 2nd annual junior triathlon weekend on 04/05 Nov with 85+ juniors from around the state in attendance
• over 50 local juniors at junior training afternoon on 14 Oct (our 2nd event planned for 02 Dec was washed out)
• 21 Piranhas qualified for World Age Group Championships on the Gold Coast in Sep 18
• individual award winners listed below

And this was a local season that was a little disrupted: Cowra interclub washout on 03 Dec so we swapped out our event planned for 21 Jan so they could use the date, and cancel of event on 04 Mar. Not to mention a large qualifying season around Australia as Piranhas sought points for the Gold Coast.

Thank you to the committee: Cas Ingham, Kim Dale, Megan Goodwin, Phil Tudor and Mick Lockyer. As I said at the start of the season, you stand on the shoulders of giants with this group. Thank you to Mel Ashton-Garard who runs an Australian-leading junior program that includes local schools, HyPer training group and our club. Thank you to Steve Martin – a life member and previous President – who has earned a couple of thousand dollars for our new shed fund. And our great race day volunteers.

Our sponsors are awesome. Thanks Hotel Canobolas, Orange Clothing Company, Westlime (40T of sand at Goz), D’Aquino wines, Cowra Subaru, Pigot Miller Wilson, and our newest supporter, Orange Credit Union who have made a generous contribution to our shed fund. Plus our valued shirt sponsors for the club champs.

We are in good shape but with it comes eternal vigilance. We need to continue to reflect and get better to offer fun and safe events for all ages, shapes and abilities. I cancelled the event on 04 Mar as 5 days out I was concerned on our volunteer numbers. This is something we will organise better for next season. We must also continue to appeal to newbies to our sport, make them feel hugely welcome as they do their first event. And we can all do this to welcome new people to our club.

I will step down from the Committee at the AGM on 24 Jul after four years. Only one reason, our sport doesn’t align with the sport of my three kids. I don’t understand but they don’t like swim, bike, run, so I’ll be a cricket coach next season and v part time triathlete.

Note dates for your diary for season 18/19: AGM 24 Jul, Break the Ice 23 Sep, Hills of Orange 24-26 Nov, 3rd Annual Junior weekend 01/02 Dec, and much more to come!

Dave Hunter

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Season 2017/18 Award Winners:

Annual prize winners:

1. Family of the year: Searle family
2. Club Person: Matt Dean
3. Most Improved Male and Female:
Male: Dave Searle Female: Kate Thornton
4. Club performer – raced well and consistently through season: Julie Middleton
5. Age Group Winners – minimum four races, hence no prize winners in every age band
Females:
Jessie Dean (1st F U19)
Jess Richards (1st F30-39)
Estelle Dean (1st F40-49)
Julie Middleton (1st F50-59)
Sue Richards (1st F60-69)
Males:
Jack Bilton (1st M U19)
Dave Searle (1st M40-49)
Frank Ostini (1st M50-59)