This year the Annual Awards Banquet moved about 100 yards from the Interfaith Center in Oakland Mills to The Other Barn. According to Nominations and Selections Chairman Tom Lewis, the change was necessary “because they wouldn’t allow likker anymore in a religious center.” Actually, the upstairs meeting hall of Other Barn served as the site for the first two Strider Annual Banquets in 1980 and 1981. In addition to new digs, this year’s banquet offered new table cloths, dispensed with those flowers on the tables, and met on Sunday evening rather than Tuesday evening. The meeting actually conflicted with the NFC championship game between Green Bay and Philadelphia. (Philadelphia won in OT).
Strider faithful began gathering around 5:30 am. On their way in, Striders could renew their memberships with Bill Arbelaez, the new membership director. They could also drop off old running shoes and t-shirts for charity. For the pot-luck affair, members deposited main dishes on three large tables and desserts on two others. The group mingled for a while, and then around 6 pm, Lewis called all hands to the food. Everyone grabbed some and then chowed-down at 14 round tables.
Three quarters of an hour later, Mr. Lewis commenced a brief business meeting by calling on Treasurer Steve Zelenak to review the budget. Steve not being present, Tom lurched into motions to approve the slate for the 2004 Board of Directors. New and old board members stood to be recognized and the 2004 Board of Directors was universally approved by the group.
Outgoing President Mick Slonaker then took the podium for his last huzzahs. He thanked the Board of Directors for its support in his past three years as president. Then he summarized the essential elements of Strider success: our special races such as Clyde’s, the Metric Marathon, and the Grapevine, our Females in Training Program to train women runners, the Bagel Bin runs on Saturday mornings and the Weekly Series races on Sunday afternoons, our racing teams and training groups, our support of high school running and junior runners, our scholarship programs and donations to the community, and thank you, Stan Ber, for the wonderful support in the local press. “Patrick Clark and I attended a special luncheon given by Sports Illustrated, which was featuring Howard County sports. They cited only three organization in Howard County: the Columbia Association, the Soccer Association, and us. That’s something we can be proud of,” Mick said.
Mr. Slonaker then appealed to members to support the upcoming 10-Mile Challenge Race by either running or volunteering for the event, which has been held every winter for the past 25 years (with notable interruptions by snowstorms). He also noted that in 2004 the Striders will be affiliated solely with the Road Runners Club of America.
Last, Mick turned to the Strider’s annual donations to worthy causes. This year, the club made donations to the Brain Injury Association on behalf of Devon’s Walk, to the Howard County Police, to the running program at the Howard Community College, to the Maryland Special Olympics, and to the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in Utica, NY. Devon herself accepted one of the donations, but the other beneficiaries had no legatees present.
Next, Mike Fleg stepped to the podium and spoke briefly in behalf of the running program at the University of Maryland, where he is a member of the distance running teams. He decried a lack of contact between collegiate running and grassroots running organizations such as the Striders, and he hopes to initiate contacts between UM running and other clubs through informal meetings, contacts with younger runners, etc.. He encouraged Striders to support the MD home team. After all, UMD has other sports than football and basketball!
Members of the 2003 Board of Directors were also recognized and presented with athletic bags bearing the logo of the Howard County Striders. In addition, the following persons also received Strider bags: Charlie Brown (race director of Clyde’s 10k), John Worley (race director of the Metric Marathon), Dave and Judy Tripp (for finish line management, high school race management, and the wildly popular prediction runs), Jim Discuillo (race results guru and bridge officer), Nancy Burns (volunteer efforts and cheerleader), Terry “The Ox” Oxford (finish line crew chief), Miles “The Voice” Weigold (voice of the Howard County Striders), Alyssa George (for putting up with Dickie), Christine Hilliard (Alyssa’s sympathizer), Arleen Dinneen (race director of the Penguin Pace and matron of the Summer Fun Runs), Richard Bernstein (water bearer for the bagel runs and successor of Ken Dent as race director of the 10 Mile Challenge Race), Pat Huffman (volunteering, especially at packet pickup), and “Happy” Al Greuter (minding the hot-line).
The events of the banquet moved so swiftly and efficiently that Tom Lewis officially closed the proceedings at 8:01 pm, a new record. His work didn’t end there, however. He still had to load his Ford Explorer with all those donations.
-- by Jim Carbary |
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