Pres. Ed O'Rourke 2013 message to NEW

[THOMAS KNATT]

Folks,

 

I want to thank those of you that were able to join us for the NEW annual meeting this past Sunday. I also hope to see and hear from those of you who were unable to attend, real soon.

 

I am excited to become the new club president and hope to be as attentive and active with this responsibility as Tom Knatt has been. I will have to say however, I do not think I will have the staying power that Tom has had in this post. For those of you who have not done the math, Tom has been club president for 31 years or 50K as a measurement we can understand. I think I may be more likely to choose a shorter distance like 5K or 10K.

 

I want to thank Tom on behalf of the board for all his years of dedication, and the great memories he has helped created for many of us. It was Tom, too, who got me back into race walking after a 23 year hiatus. I want to thank him for doing that. My wife does not understand my passion for the sport, but is warming up to it all.  

 

In order to grow our club, and attract new athletes young and old to the sport, we need to develop a plan, and a calendar for plan implementation. I would like to work with all of you to develop some modest and achievable goals for promoting Race Walking on the Web, through social media, clothing, and handouts. I want to figure out a schedule for us to have clinics and group work outs in locations that are easy to get to for you all, and for those who may join us. And lastly, I want us to have fun helping the club members achieve the personal goals they have for 2014.

 

Thanks to everyone for putting their confidence in me to help guide the NEW this year.

 

Sincerely,

 

Ed O’Rourke