Welcome to Ipswich Triathlon Club for 2011

Thank you for joining Ipswich triathlon club for 2011.  Please keep this letter in a safe place in case you need to refer to it again, or look on the club website – www.ipswich-tri.org – for information.

If you are a first claim member, we will register you with UK:A's "England Athletics", who will send you a membership card but in alignment with their membership year.

Club benefits

Greshams – running, turbo & cycling

Our regular club night is Thursdays at Greshams on Tuddenham Road in Ipswich, which is used as a base for shorter training sessions - normally running but occasionally cycling or turbo. We own a small number of turbos for use at these sessions but which can also be borrowed.

Greshams sessions are normally informal, with the programme of activity organised by members. Arrive in time to get changed for a 7:00pm start - and stay on for wine, beer, food and a chat afterwards!

The committee members meet there as well, normally on the second Thursday of each month.

Swimming - training & coaching

Swim-training sessions are held on Saturday mornings using the 25m indoor pool at Ipswich High School, Woolverstone.  Swim sessions go from 8:00-10:00 during term time (you don’t need to swim the full two hours, but do try to attend at a logical time). The first 30 minutes on the 3^rd Saturday of each month is a “widths” session for juniors. During the summer the standard sessions start at 9:00. Our point of contact with the school is Simon Green.

Junior coaching is provided as part of an overall programme organised by development officer Isabel Smith. Senior coaching is aimed at age-groupers who are just starting out or are trying to improve their crawl technique during the “off” season. This is typically handled by Charlie Stannett.

During most of the summer holiday period senior members are able to use a private open water facility on Saturday mornings and also Tuesday evenings, but this is all on an own-risk, non-coached basis. Our point of contact with the locations' owners is Greg Allen.

A small session fee is charged to cover the hire of the facilities and, in the case of the pool sessions, a lifeguard - give your cash (£4) to Simon or Greg on the day.

Cycling - time-trials and ride-outs

We are linked to the Ipswich Cycling Association which means that members can compete in the ICA's summer series of mid-week evening time-trials. The club organises four of the series events for which, as ever, volunteers are needed. Our co-ordinator for this is Antony Birt.

Members also organise regular ride-outs, typically on Sunday mornings from either Ipswich or Woodbridge. For further details on these, contact Mary Skelcher or Michelle Constable.

Club kit

Club kit is sold to members at cost, with members also receiving discount vouchers on occasion. For example, if you have just joined for the first time, you should have received £10 of vouchers with this letter.  Our main kit monitor is John Wankowski; Isabel assists with juniors.

Club Championships & League

We have Club Championships with categories for juniors, seniors, veterans and supervets.

The junior championships will be based on participation in a series of local events including our own Junior Triathlon; the senior championships decided at a single local standard distance event. For 2011 this is the Cambridge triathlon on 14th August.

As well as the formal championships, we have an informal "ITCH League" for seniors, featuring a choice of eligible events from sprint to Ironman distance.

Miscellaneous activities

As well as the club activities listed above, individual members organise social and other events throughout the year. Examples in recent years have included “tri-yoga”, SFT professional swim analysis, spinning sessions and swiss-ball core-training sessions.

Club affiliation benefits

When you enter a bona fide UK triathlon, part of the entry fee buys a "day race licence" with some insurance provision. If you plan on racing a lot then it is probably worth while getting an annual licence from British Triathlon/Triathlon England. Further details, including current fees and insurance provision details, should be available at www.triathlonengland.org. Our club affiliation to British Triathlon/Triathlon England has meant that members have been able to get a discount if they choose to join.

Our affiliation to UK Athletics allows us to enter the Suffolk County winter cross-country league. First claim members, once registered, also receive the UK:A card/race licence which brings discounted entry to UK:A registered races and, for the time-being, a discount from Sweatshop.

Affiliation also means we’ve been able to apply for two or three places in the Virgin London Marathon, which the committee makes available to members who have been rejected in the normal ballot but who have also met various criteria such as having marshalled at club events.

Expectations - helping out at club open events

You must abide by the rules and constitution of the club. In particular, as part of your subscription, you must assist (or provide an assistant) for at least one of the club’s “open” events. Please understand that all profits are used to the benefit of the membership, including keeping our membership subs so low.

The Club is promoting three “open” events in 2011:

§          The Culford "sprint" triathlon was on 31^st July 2011. Comprising a 300m pool swim, 21km bike and 4km run, it’s held at the school in Culford, just north of Bury St Edmunds, and is very popular with people trying triathlon for the first time. The race director is Dave Copland.

§          Our Junior Triathlon, for 8-16 year olds, is planned for 28^th August 2011. The distances vary by age group. It is held at Framlingham College, 16 miles north east of Ipswich. The director is Matt Dye.

§          The Ipswich Duathlon (5km run, 23km cycle, 5km run) in held in the autumn at Alton Water, planned for 18^th September. The race director is Nik Bestow.

Volunteers are also needed to help with the time-trials.

Please note that although the British Gas Great East Swim is held in Alton Water - and quite a few members have competed - the triathlon club does not organise this event; nor do we have permission to swim in Alton Water.

Further information

The club’s website has an embedded twitter feed for short notices, and hosts an electronic newsletter - "ITCH" – published approximately nine times a year, with items such as members' race reports.
(If you use Twitter yourself, then follow @ipswichtri and also look for the club members list.)

 

§          Website                         www.ipswich-tri.org

§          Club twitter feed           www.twitter.com/ipswichtri

§          Members list tweets   www.twitter.com/ipswichtri/clubmembers

A growing number of members are also members of a “closed” group on Facebook – send a FB friend request to “Charlie Stannett” and ask me to add you to this group.

Committee members & other contacts for 2011

With best wishes for a good year’s racing season.

Charlie Stannett
Membership secretary & communications
charlie@ipswich-tri.org ¦ 01206-298888 ¦ Red Lion Cottage, East Bergholt, Suffolk, CO7 6TB