Spreading the Love

Hellooooo, Flyers and greetings from your 2011 Member at Large!  I want to take this opportunity to let you know what I have been up to so far this year, as well as to give you a head’s up about some of our exciting upcoming social events!

As many of you may already have heard, there has been some restructuring of club duties this year in order to “spread the love” and responsibilities around, so one or two folks don’t end up shouldering the entire burden.  As a result, I have been put in charge of the social events, and our Vice President Amanda R is in charge of the running events.  Naturally there is some overlap, as some of our events involve both running and socializing, and we will be working together for these types of events. 

Additionally, because I realized from the onset that there is no way I would be able to handle organizing all social events alone (and also to enable other creative and motivated folks a chance to get involved), I put together a Social Events Committee.  I was very fortunate to have a mix of both new and veteran Flyers step up and offer their assistance, including (in no particular order other than alphabetical by first name): Alan G, Bo K, Charlotte N, Claudia O, Deanna C, Elle G, Heather M, Jennifer B, Lara K, Louie R, Meghan C, Ping Y, Ray S, Sondra M, and Stephanie P.  These folks have been invaluable so far, and will enable us to put together some really fun events this year!

Our first social event this year was the Post-St. Patty's Day Hair of the Dog TGIFF on Friday, March 18th at Stout NYC and was well attended, despite happening the day after St. Patrick’s Day (there’s just no stopping some die-hard partying Flyers apparently!). 

Lara K and Julie W at the New Flyers Social

The first of two New Flyer Socials (our second one will be in the fall) took place on Thursday April 21st at the Parlour on the Upper West Side, and by all accounts was a rousing success.   We all got to know each other a little better thanks to a “Flyer Fun Facts” game as well as the numerous alcoholic beverages consumed throughout the evening! 

Other events I have had the pleasure of taking part in so far this year include the Central Park Clean-Up On March 5th, and the NYC Half-Marathon “Flyer Nation Hydration Station and Cheering Zone"  on March 20th.  Both of these events demonstrated perfectly how so many great folks put in a lot of volunteer time to help make our club not only the biggest but the best in NYC!  I also was on hand Saturday April 23rd for the first annual NYC Running Expo sponsored by Jack Rabbit Sports. Glen W, Amanda R and I handed out Flyer flyers and info on our soon-to-be launched and very exciting NYC Marathon Training Program!

Julie W at Central Park Clean-Up

Upcoming events within the next month include a visit to the Bronx on April 30th to participate in the WCS/Bronx Zoo Run for the Wild, followed by a tour of the Bronx Zoo and meal in the Bronx’s own very special Little Italy. Although the race has filled, you can still sign up for the zoo tour and meal.  On May 6th, we will be continuing the tradition of our aptly-named Seis de Mayo Mexican bar/restaurant crawl, this time on the Upper West Side. I’ve heard rumors of a games and prizes, including a bottle of tequila!

Also in May and immediately following the Brooklyn Half Marathon will be the Coney Island Adventure.  This is where fearless Flyers will tackle the Cyclone before dining on Famous Nathan’s hotdogs and downing cold ones at Beer Island (at least this is the recommended order of things but if you are truly fearless, I suppose you could try it in reverse!).  For details about these and other exciting upcoming events, see the events section of our website.

On a related note, if you have an idea for a Flyer event, suggested venue for the Holiday Party, or would like to get more involved by helping plan events, do not hesitate to contact me.   I look forward to a great year of both socializing and running with you all!

Julie W