December
IURC Spotlight
2009 Year in Review
2009 has been a great year for the club and the members involved. In the club's second year, the attendance and number of members involved has doubled from that in 2008. In 2008, 41 different club members competed in 10 different races throughout the year. In 2009, 52 total club members competed in 24 total races during the entire year. Along with the numbers, the performances and times from members have been huge as well this year as well. 116 of the 177 times on the club's All Time Performance List came from 2009. The club has seen many new members, new successes, and big accomplishments and achievements this year. Here are some of the recaps from this year in the club.
Much of the success of the club is due to the work and commitment of the 2009 Executive Council. The 2009 council were Ben Scott (President), Tim Holt (Treasurer), Matthew McNeil (Communications), Madeline Haller (Event Planning), Brad Murrell (Membership Development), and Chelsea Sutton (Community Relations). The council has overseen much of the things the club has been involved in and done this year. Some of the things the council is responsible for this year includes the membership into club sports, our relationship with IU Athletics, the planning of and involvement in the Little Fifty running race, the relationship and involvement in NIRCA and their races, increase in recruitment and membership numbers in the Spring and Fall, many of the numerous social events the club has put on, the annual camping trip in August, and the constant development the club has made from the beginning of the year until now. President Ben Scott and VP of Event Planning Madeline Haller reflected a bit on the past year and their involvement with the council.
Q. What did you enjoy about being on the Executive Council?
A. Ben- I just enjoyed the whole
camaraderie of it between myself and the rest of the club and the council.
Madeline- it was enjoyable to be hands-on with something that
I love. The races, the get-togethers and the practices were all great times- and
I just had fun being involved.
Q. What do you think was the accomplishment the Exec Council achieved this year
A. Ben- I think our involvement and
work with the Little Fifty race was the biggest as it helped to get our name out
there in the university and be able to have an impact on the development of the
race itself in the years to come
Madeline- I think the biggest accomplishment that the exec
council achieved was making it through the year. (Since it was technically our
first year as an "IU club sport"). The 6 of us had a lot of responsibilty to
take on and a lot of learning to do. So I feel that it was good experience to
get through it together - and things will only improve from here.
Some of the notable events in the Spring semester that the club achieved included the opportunity to participate and race in the indoor and outdoor meets here at IU due to the development of the growing relationship between Athletics and the club. The partnership saw some stellar numbers for indoor season and great performances from many club members. The outdoor season would prove to be the same. The two big race were Little Fifty and Indy Mini. The club had record numbers at Little and played a pivotal role in development and organization of the 2009 race. In the Men's race, the club have 7 different teams competing which was the most amount of teams the club has ever had in the history of the little fifty race including 3 of those teams in the top 5 and 5 in the top 10. Indy Mini was also a successful race for many club members. 7 of the 8 club runners in the race finished in the top 500 overall out of over 30,000 people and 5 of the 8 achieved big PR's
The summer was quiet for the club
but the club kicked it back in full force in the Fall with huge success at Rec
Fest and the overall attendance at practices this Fall season. Including
the number of members increasing, the number of races and number of runners
competing in those races increased from the Fall 08 season. The club also
saw more involvement in NIRCA races from previous years going from averaging 2
NIRCA races each Fall to competing in 4 NIRCA races this year. The club
continued to be successful in NIRCA as the Men's team finished top 5 in three of
the four races including 3rd at Loyola and MC5 and another great 5th place
finish at Nationals. The Women's team also had great success as the number
of women competing in NIRCA races increased from 6 last Fall to 12 different
girls competing this year. The big race for the club was Nationals this
year. The top 5 8K's and five of the top 7 6K's on the ATPL were ran at
the fast EMU course including a 26:32 from Lionel Montenegro and 24:52 from
Jeanne Weller. The club also sent 28 people to the National race this
year, the most ever at any NIRCA race.
Some members from the club reflect on the past year and their success:
Q. What was your favorite race from the year and why?
A. Emily Weisbard- My favorite race
was the marathon because it was tons of fun and I did well!
Dustin Spanbauer- Nationals because the team worked together
to achieve a goal.
Q. What are some goals for next year?
A. Emily- By next year, I would like
to cut off another 5 minutes from my marathon time
Dustin- I want to do better at everything than I ever have
before, just life in general! :D
From the 800 to the Marathon; from Spring to Fall; from new members to veterans, the club continues to see much growth from members, performances, and achievements. As the year ends and 2010 begins, the club will continue all the success of the members, the races, the relationships with other groups, and the development from this year and push forward into 2010. With a new Exec council and the promise of more runners and races for 2010, the club will continue to hit the ground running and move forward one step at a time.