Tickets are now on sale for our annual Crown Buffet on Tuesday 14th December.
Priced at just £5, the ticket includes entrance, hot food, and a quiz. Tickets are limited and are expected to sell out quickly so don’t delay!
Get yours from Alicia, Sam, Sara, or Chris on any club night.
We are thrilled that after a year off due to COVID our annual interclub cross country series is back, kicking off on 2nd January 2022 in Retford.
As is tradition this means carefully selecting captains for both the men’s and women’s teams. In addition, we are also having vice captains to help share the workload – with VCs taking captaincy the following year and new VCs being selected.
For 2022 our captains are Rachel Cadey and Kevin Rowles.
They will be supported by our vice captains Sara Hammett Ridsdale and Andy Hammett Ridsdale.
We are sure everyone will join us in wishing them the best of luck. They will be looking to sort out numbers by confirming which of our members intend to compete soon. You can read up about the rules here.
We will also be on the lookout for volunteers to marshall our own event on 30th January, so if you want to get involved but don’t fancy running through the freezing mud this is a great option! Speak to Les Crownshaw or Alicia Parkes to volunteer.
More updates will follow on our post-run venue (as the Leisure Centre will still be out of action) and updates to our route… stay tuned!
#teamkestrels
Welcome to our Autumn newsletter!
There’s lots going on at the Club, so we have put together a newsletter to update you about the work going on behind the scenes, our plans, and some information on club nights.
Committee
We are delighted to announce that we have new members joining the committee, with some of our newer runners and those who have become club regulars joining the ranks. The new committee consists of the following people:
| Chairman | Les Crownshaw |
| President | Mick Briggs |
| Secretary | Juliet Fidorra |
| Membership | Chris Brown |
| Treasurer | Steve Crownshaw |
| Social | Sara Hammett-Ridsdale |
| Races and Cross Country | Alicia Parkes |
| 3 Lakes leader | Rachel Cadey |
| Club Night leaders | Sam Wilson, Chris Brown, Alicia Parkes, Rachel Cadey |
| TBC | Lisa Raffo |
In addition, we also have a couple of non-committee members who are undertaking key roles:
Fiona Grayson – Merchandise
Jon White – Website
To make room for some new faces, a few of our hard-working committee members have decided to step aside for now. Paul Reaney, Ken Newton, Tracy Garfitt and Dave Higgins are having a well-earned break from committee duties and we thank them for their years of support and commitment to the club. They have done a brilliant job making #teamkestrels what it is today with an inclusive, welcoming and supportive ethos. The new committee members have big shoes to fill!
New Website
We are currently developing a new website which should give the club a more modern look, helping to attract new members and making it easier to navigate. There will be a few people who will be able to access and update the site so that information can be shared quickly and seamlessly. We will send out further updates as this develops.
Winter Runs
With the nights drawing in it’s time to move to our Winter club runs. Run routes are available on the current Killamarsh Kestrels website by going to “Run List” and selecting “Winter Runs”. There is also a run calendar showing which route will be run each club night.
For the winter runs it’s important that we wear high viz clothing as it will of course be dark and we have several roads to cross on most runs.
We are also going to formulate a back-marker rota. This is a really important role carried out by a pair of runners who will make sure everyone is back safely, carrying a phone for any issues. Back marking means you aim to be back to the club last so you know everyone made it round. Depending on your pace you can do this by leaving a bit later than the main group – it’s then a fun challenge to try and catch them!
With everyone taking a turn it should mean you only do this once every few months. If anyone does not wish to be part of the back-marker rota, please let one of the Club night leaders know.
Social events
We have a busy social calendar approaching, so far, we have in the diary:
Curry Night at the Vine – Nov 13th (contact Sara Hammett-Ridsdale)
Christmas Buffet at the Crown – 14th December (Tickets on sale soon)
The Christmas Cracker – 19th December
The Famous fancy dress Pub Run – 21st December (Includes Buffet)
Cross Country Series
The Cross-Country series is back for 2022! We will be kicking off as tradition dictates on the first Sunday of the year, this year falling on 2nd January. For anyone who has never taken part in this, it’s highly recommended and the camaraderie we have as a club is fantastic.
We will race against 4 other clubs (Handsworth, Retford, Worksop and Clowne) competing every other Sunday at each one of the ‘Home’ venues. We are aiming to have the usual bar and buffet afterwards, but of course this will depend on any government guidelines nearer the time and individual venue COVID restrictions.
Races are around 9 – 10k and are usually very wet and very muddy, but this just adds to the fun! There is a trophy for the winning club overall and additionally for the winning male and female teams. We also have a club presentation for stand out performers within our own group.
The scoring system has always been a bit contentious as historically there have been differences between how men and women score (10 men scoring vs 5 women scoring). At this year’s cross country meeting we have agreed to update the system so that the rules are the same regardless of gender.
This year, the top 7 men and top 7 women for each club will score points for their team. Within each group of 7 there must be a minimum of 3 veterans (over 35), meaning a maximum of 4 under 35’s. A maximum of two 2nd claim runners are allowed (more can run but they can’t score).
The rules are described in more detail on the website along with the results from previous years.
Communication
One of the difficulties we face is getting information across to all members. We have a WhatsApp group, our website, and a Facebook page. For now, and until the website is further developed, we will use the Facebook page as the main method of short-term communication for announcements and club run information. We will also try to add a news and update page to the current website to do the same. We have done some work on the Facebook page to make it less complicated so please keep an eye out there for information until we get more familiar with the website process.
Membership
We now have a good grasp of member status and UKA membership etc. Membership will run until March 2022, when you will receive an email asking you to renew.
We currently have 112 members made up as follows:
23 x Over 60’s
14 x 2nd Claim
37 x UKA members
58% Men, 42% Women
If you are unsure if you are a member or need more information, please contact Steve Crownshaw.
If you are reading this newsletter on the website and have not had it emailed then either you are not on the member list or we have an incorrect email address – either way, please get in touch.
….and Finally
Our aim is to move the club forward, enjoy our running and celebrate our achievements along the way. If you can think of any improvements, we can make or if you are doing (or have done) something you’d like to share please get in touch with any of the committee team or e-mail us at info@killamarshkestrels.co.uk.
Thanks
#teamkestrels
killamarshkestrels.co.uk 