JANUARY CLUB MEETING Minutes......

The first monthly SJAC meeting of 2004 was held on Wednesday evening Jan. 14th at our usual location, Franco's Place in Haddon Twp. A nice turnout of approximately thirty-five club members were present for the meeting.

New club president Brandon Hamilton opened the meeting with introductory remarks. As there were several new or "recently new" members present

everyone introduced themeselves. It was apparent from these introductory remarks that through our membership, SJAC possesses a wealth of running and racing experience, members with many years of running, several newer runners and at least one admitted "raceaholic".

Brandon suggested obtaining a speaker to discuss a running related topic for a future club meeting. Also, very preliminary discussions have been conducted on holding a party jointly with the Pineland Striders. Date, venue, etc. remain TBD. Stay tuned for more info. Any suggestions, especially for a venue, can be E Mailed to Brandon.

NEW MEMBERS

RINGO TO BE HONORED!

One of SJAC's newest members, Derick "Ringo" Adamson will be inducted into the NCAA Division III Hall of Fame on May 26th at Millikin University in Decatur, Ill, in conjunction with the D-III Outdoor Track Championships. Ringo was the 1980 D-III Steeplechase champ, running 9:01:37 and competed onn two Olympic teams for Jamacia. Other runners from Division III colleges being inducted with Ringo are Joan Benoit Samuelson and Edwin Moses.

Congratulations Ringo!

Joe Kopacz's treasurer's report indicated we have over $1,300 in the club treasury. The SJAC membership year runs from January to December so membership renewal is very active at present.. At press time, forty-two members are current with 2004 dues.

Joe is also coordinating a procurement of new SJAC uniforms. A signup sheet was circulated at the meeting, followed by a Jan. 17th E Mail to all members in the club E Mail directory. Responses should be sent to Joe @ capitolms3@comcast.net

New member Ringo Adamson winning the 1984 Philadelphia Independence Marathon

Immediate past pres. Bob Blessinger discussed the SJAC Haddon Heights 5K to be held in early September. SJAC will partner on this race with the Knights of Columbus council of St. Peter's church in Merchantville to benefit their schlorship fund. Expect to hear more from Bob on this by March.

Editor's note: Congratulations to Bob and his wife Ann on the birth of their son, Seamus Ciaran Blessinger. Seamus arrived Friday Jan. 16th at 5:33 PM and weighed in at 8 lbs 8ozs.

USATF Club Challenge for 2004

Coordinated by its Long Distance Running Committee, the Mid-Atlantic Association of USA Track & Field (MUSATF) will once again conduct a Club Challenge in conjunction with the Grand Prix series. Consisting of eleven races contested on ten dates, this series matches area running club teams in an age graded competition in distances ranging form 5K to the marathon.

Participating clubs must be Mid-Atlantic USATF member clubs and team members must also be individual members of MUSATF, with their club affiliation reflected in their membership.

Upcomming Races

Glassboro 10 Mile - Feb 22nd

Northeast Roadrunners 10K - Mar 7th

Caesar Rodney Half Marathon - Mar 14th

Bancroft 5K - Mar 20th

An age-graded score is computed for each team member, commonly referred to as a WAVA score and represented as a percentage (of the world record for that distance, age adjusted). An unlimited number of runners can compete for each club team. The five highest WAVA scores (provided at least one masters runner and both genders are represented) are counted as the team score for a club. The club recording the highest accumulated point total at the end of the eleven races wins.

Jim Flanagan at the Jan meeting proposing SJAC "march" in the 2004 Haddonfield 4th of July Parade