PPTC Monthly Meeting Recap: March 2021
A group shot of our 12th Virtual Monthly Meeting
This Monday, the first of March, marked the 12th virtual edition of the monthly PPTC membership meeting. President Tom (he/him) acknowledged the milestone as he started the meeting.
“I certainly feel tied down by doing virtual meetings,” he began, “but I also feel hopeful.”
He noted that the Race Committee is planning every race with both virtual and in-person possibilities in mind, and, in addition to the joy of being together, he looks forward to the first live PPTC race, at which we’ll dedicate a bench and plaque to our late coach Michael Koplin.
We may still be a ways from that day, and Tom said as much, continuing with the marathon metaphor he has referenced in several virtual gatherings:
“I would say we’re in the 20th mile of the NYC marathon, but I used that last month so I can’t use that again,” he said. “We’re on our way up 5th Avenue, and on this last leg you need to visualize what this last leg will be like.”
Whether you’ve made it through the late stages of a marathon, suffered through the final mile of a 5K, or just needed to get home from a particularly crappy run, you know what kind of self-encouragement he’s talking about.
Instead of the usual next order of business—new member intros—we went right into announcements.
Announcements
Leanne (she/her) wrapped up 2021 awards season with a few reminders:
If you registered for awards night, you’re eligible for a PPTC neck gaiter, and they’re now available. You should have received an email with details.
If you won a raffle prize or you were a photo contest winner, you should have received an email confirming you’re a winner.
Finally we are sending out a survey to those who registered for awards night as always we love to hear your feedback. Please respond by Saturday, March 6th.
Adam (he/him) announced the end of his tenure as a team captain (he is continuing in his role as Vice President). “It has been an absolute gift,” he said. Allan Co (he/him) will take on Adam’s role, joining Leanne, Jimmy (he/him), and Lillian (she/her) as a team captain. “I’m super excited to see what he’s going to do to lead the club forward.”
Lillian gave a summary of the February 24th NYRR Club Council Meeting, which she and Leanne attended. Here are the highlights she shared:
There are a few races happening in the spring, but as a reminder, the NYC Half is virtual.
The Club Points race that usually happens during the summer has a lot of unsettled details. There will be further discussion about an in-person Club Points race at the May Club Council meeting. NYRR is considering a time trial format, the field size would depend on what the city allows, and it would likely not allow crowds of spectators.
NYRR is reviving club office hours (details to be shared), and it would be a good venue for us to talk to NYRR about their efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the running community.
Doug (he/him) recounted the success of the Cherry Tree 10 Miler. Not only was it historic by way of the virtual format, it was also the first time a relay team clocked the fastest time. Previously, an individual always posted the fastest overall time. Doug gave a special shout out to the top 3 women (Pam Ritchie (she/her), Jennifer Bostead (she/her), and Lindsay Turley(she/her)) and the top mixed-relay team (the Thursday Nighters made up of Paul Lane (he/him), Howard Abrams (he/him), and Maggie DesChamps(she/her)), all of whom are PPTC members.
Crystal (she/her) listed a series of social events to look forward to (you can find details in the PPTC SpeedRead):
Saturday night: Bake-along of Shalane Flanagan & Elyse Kopecky’s superhero muffins
March 8: International Women’s Day Run (more on that in a bit)
March 14: Social committee is working on a Pi Day run
Jana (she/her)gave more details on the Women’s Day run. PPTC is collaborating with local apparel company Bakline for Women’s Day T-shirts (“The Future Is Female Runners”) and today (Monday) is the last day to order in time for March 8. You can still order, but they’ll come later. $5 from every T-shirt purchased will be donated to Girls On The Run NYC. Volunteers put together two custom routes honoring Shirley Chisholm and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, so if you run, don your PPTC best and share a photo.
New Members
One new member Christina (she/her) said hello, saying she joined with a goal of getting back into running after cutting back during the pandemic. (I hear ya—it can be stressful with all those people out there.) Welcome!
Featured Speaker
Our featured speaker didn’t show (sad face), so Tom suggested we spend some time chatting in breakout rooms, to mimic the conversations we’d have around the tables at Da Nonna Rosa at the end of an in-person meeting.
“Someone order ravioli pizza.”
Ah, to debate the merits of ravioli pizza in person again. One day. Soon, we hope.
Jordan Islip with a Da Nonna Rosa Ravioli Pizza Zoom Background
PPTC is a diverse and supportive team. We want to celebrate the diversity of our club and membership. We welcome and encourage everyone to share their stories with us.
Text by: Christine DiGangi (she/her)
Screenshots by: Larry Sillen (he/him)
Edited by: Linda S. Chan (she/her)
Produced by: Linda S. Chan (she/her)