VOTE VOTE VOTE -- Every Vote Counts!




It's election time for the NY Flyers! 

It's time to vote for the:

• 2015 Flyer Executive Board
• 2014 Flyer of the Year.  

The Flyer Election Committee (Ed A, Tran L, Bill S, Justine K, and Stephanie T) worked hard finding candidates to serve on the board in 2015. And now it's time for your vote to count.

The time has come where each Flyer chooses who will serve on the board. We must also decide who will win the Flyer of the Year award for 2014.

Now each of us has a job to do. We all must all get out and VOTE! It takes only a couple of minutes and can be done easily via the Flyers website. 

How does the Voting Process Work

Thanks to modern technology, our voting process is streamlined, efficient, and very secure. Each Flyer who has been a member of the club as of December 1st, 2014 was issued a VOTING CONTROL NUMBER. This is a simple 6 digit set of characters made up of numerals and letters. You simply enter your control number into the voting page and choose your candidates. Nothing could be simpler.

For the official start of the election, your voting control number was e-mailed to you. If you didn’t get or can't find the e-mail, you can locate your control number in your Flyer Member Profile on the Flyers Website. Or, you can e-mail anyone on the Election Committee and they will get you your unique control number.

This number is uniquely issued to you and you should keep this number secret. If you give out the number, then someone else will get your vote. Your control number can only be used once to cast a vote and cannot be used again. Please be aware that you cannot change your vote -- once cast, it is final.  You will have until January 20th, 2015 to vote before the polls close.

Everyone is highly encouraged to get out and cast a vote, even if you don’t know the people for whom you are voting. One voting option you have is “abstain.” This simply means that you don’t like the choices or cannot decide on who you like best. This is a vote in itself and it counts.

Flyer of the Year

In addition to voting for the Executive Board (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member at Large), you also can vote for the Flyer of the Year (example below). This is a very important vote. Every year, the Executive Board chooses 4 or 5 Flyers. These are Flyers who, for the past few years, have distinguished themselves by volunteering their efforts for the club in athletic, social and other activities. It is a very prestigious honor and only a handful of Flyers have ever won this award. It is a cherished award to win.

Also, this is the only award in the New York Flyers that is decided upon only by the members of the club. It is a very real validation of your hard work and the admiration you have earned from your fellow teammates. This award is presented at the Annual Flyer Awards Gala, which will be on Saturday, January 31st. So, you don’t want to miss this party.

But this award can only be won if members get out and vote so we want everyone to vote!

-Adapted from a 2011 Blog Post Written by Richard B.

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Get Out the Vote!




It's election time for the NY Flyers! 

It's time to vote for the:

• 2014 Flyer Executive Board
• 2013 Flyer of the Year.  

The Flyer Election Committee (Ed A, Janna G.E, Justine K, Debbie P and Stephanie T) worked hard finding candidates to serve on the board in 2014. And now it's time for your vote to count.

The time has come where each Flyer chooses who will serve on the board. We must also decide who will win the Flyer of the Year award for 2013.

Now each of us has a job to do. We all must all get out and VOTE! It takes only a couple of minutes and can be done easily via the Flyers website. 

How does the Voting Process Work

Thanks to modern technology, our voting process is streamlined, efficient, and very secure. Each Flyer who has been a member of the club as of December 1st, 2013 was issued a VOTING CONTROL NUMBER. This is a simple 6 digit set of characters made up of numerals and letters. You simply enter your control number into the voting page and choose your candidates. Nothing could be simpler.

For the official start of the election, which began on December 18th, your voting control number was e-mailed to you. If you didn’t get or can't find the e-mail, you can locate your control number in your Flyer Member Profile on the Flyers Website. Or, you can e-mail anyone on the Election Committee and they will get you your unique control number.

This number is uniquely issued to you and you should keep this number secret. If you give out the number, then someone else will get your vote. Your control number can only be used once to cast a vote and cannot be used again. Please be aware that you cannot change your vote -- once cast, it is final.  You will have until January 14th, 2014 to vote before the polls close.

Everyone is highly encouraged to get out and cast a vote, even if you don’t know the people for whom you are voting. One voting option you have is “abstain.” This simply means that you don’t like the choices or cannot decide on who you like best. This is a vote in itself and it counts.

Flyer of the Year

In addition to voting for the Executive Board (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member at Large), you also can vote for the Flyer of the Year (example below). This is a very important vote. Every year, the Executive Board chooses 4 or 5 Flyers. These are Flyers who, for the past few years, have distinguished themselves by volunteering their efforts for the club in athletic, social and other activities. It is a very prestigious honor and only a handful of Flyers have ever won this award. It is a cherished award to win.

Also, this is the only award in the New York Flyers that is decided upon only by the members of the club. It is a very real validation of your hard work and the admiration you have earned from your fellow teammates. This award is presented at the Annual Flyer Awards Gala, which will be on Saturday, February 8th. So, you don’t want to miss this party.

But this award can only be won if members get out and vote so we want everyone to vote!

-Adapted from a 2011 Blog Post Written by Richard B.

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New(-ish) Flyer Profile -- Colleen R



Colleen R

Hello, my name is…

Colleen, and I’m a new(-ish) Flyer. I’m an ecologist, and I live in the East Village.  I’ve actually been a member for about a year now, but I was a bandit on the downtown run for almost a year before I officially joined the club.  (I have something of a problem with commitment….)

When I first moved to New York three years ago, I was overwhelmed by the number of local running clubs.  How to choose among such a wide array?  Since most clubs are very Central Park-oriented, it was the downtown running group that originally drew me to the Flyers.  The Downtowners sucked me in and made me feel part of the club long before I officially joined. I’d like to take this opportunity to give a shout-out to David G, who is especially good at making newcomers feel welcome and included.  

I liked how social the Flyers seemed to be, especially compared to other groups I’ve run with in the past.  As much as I love running, I don’t want to hang out with people who can’t talk about anything else.  The Flyers are a diverse group that likes to have fun, which is more important to me than split times.

Those Who Can’t Throw or Catch, Run

My history with running stems from my complete ineptitude with any sport involving throwing, catching, or, even worse, making a ball connect with a stick.  I joined the cross country team in junior high because it seemed to be a sport in which hard work could get you almost as far as talent.  I was never a star runner in high school, but I liked the sort of kids who gravitated toward the cross country team (I guess I still do!)



Colleen Puppeteer

Like many people, I drifted away from running after I finished school. But in 1997, I became a professional puppeteer. Oddly enough, this turned out to be a very stressful job. I was on tour for nine months at a time, driving from town to town in a van with another puppeteer and working 60-80 hour weeks. I found that I desperately needed an escape from work, the van, and the endless stream of motels where we lived.  Running provided me with fresh air, relaxation, and much-needed time alone.  

By the time I finally gave up the road and went to work for the Delaware State Park system, I was addicted to running.  I ran my first road race in Delaware in 1999 and, with the support of my first running club, the Downstate Delaware Striders and Riders, I trained for the Jersey Shore Marathon in 2000. I had assumed that the marathon would be a one-time event, but after the race, I realized that I had qualified for Boston.

In the Footsteps of Legends

Boston is the quintessential marathon for me.  When I was a kid in Massachusetts, we got Patriots’ Day off from school, so my dad took me to watch the marathon.  He had grown up in Boston watching the marathon in the days of Johnny Kelley the Elder and Ellison "Tarzan" Brown.  To a poor kid during the Depression, the marathon was one of the most exciting events of the year: a world-class sporting event that anyone could see for free.  

Colleen with Dad

When I came along, my dad took me to cheer on the greats of the ‘80s, including Joan Benoit and Grete Waitz.  The runners were like mythical heroes to me, achieving a feat beyond the ability of mere mortals. When I learned that I could actually run in Boston, of course I had to do it. I spent the next winter training through the ice and slush in New Haven, where I had started forestry school, and since then I’ve been hooked on marathoning.  I have finished 15 marathons, including two extremes of Boston: the wet, windy, and cold Nor’easter in 2007, and the sweltering heat in 2012. Both times, the Boston fans were amazing, but in 2012 I also had the support of the giant Flyers family at Boston, which made the whole experience much more enjoyable.

Climb Every Mountain - Hiking in the Dolomites

Though Boston is my first love, it was actually the NYC Marathon that led me to move to New York.  In 2009, I was in a transition period.  I had a new job that I could do from anywhere in the U.S., and I needed to figure out where to live.  I had some friends in New York, and I was spending quite a bit of time in the city anyway, but it was my experience running the 2009 marathon that clinched my decision.  

Colleen R, Colleen Campbell, and Nick Jesdanun
NY Flyers Awards Gala 2012

The day before the marathon was Halloween, and I went to the Village Halloween Parade, which is both one of the best parties in the world and an amazing display of puppet artistry.  The next morning, I headed to Staten Island to begin what seemed like a run through all of the nations of the world.  I’d never seen such cultural diversity packed into such a small space, and everyone, from the Dominican families in Sunset Park and the Orthodox kids in Williamsburg to the Harlem gospel choir, was out supporting the runners.  I thought, “this is the town for me.”  And I haven’t been bored since.

-Colleen R

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New York Flyers Celebrate with Big Night of the Year

It’s the Flyer equivalent of the Recording Academy’s Grammys, the annual Flyer Awards Gala. This year marked the 20th year, with the club’s most accomplished runners in typical award ceremony format - shuttling themselves up to the podium to offer a brief thanks and to strike a pose for the camera. As a member of the audience and running community, I personally acclaim each winner. Not just for the number of miles they logged in 2009, or their ability to run fast.

I think John Quincy Adams puts it best: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

There are plenty of most memorables from the evening. To mention a few; moist chicken and pork, my boyfriend’s usual purchase of too many raffle tickets, my mom’s excitement of being at yet another one of her adult child’s festivities, my big brother in attendance and an open bar that put to test a cocktail lover’s will power the night before a long run (thanks to my running buddies, I succeeded.)

Turns out, my non-runner boyfriend (Keith J.)’s decision to take part in a game of chance paid off. He won a $125 gift certificate to a local running shop and a new running watch. He has yet to gift them to me or anyone else to my knowledge. Did anyone see him in Central Park running…sporting new gear?

A dance floor evocative of 80s dance movies like Footloose and Flashdance prompted me to stay well past midnight. The best part, I didn’t regret it the next morning.

Until the next big flyer night, I challenge myself to a BQ marathon this spring. I challenge my fellow Flyers to lots of short/fun runs, a few hill repeats up Cat Hill and one loop around the reservoir.

Gotta run. Have a good year. – Lisa S.

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and you thought it was just a junk-mail sign up list

Flyer Elaine H. didn't.  At the ING New York City Marathon Expo, she signed herself up at the BP Booth for the BP Feeling Younger Longer contest, where she starred in a 30 second video telling the world why she runs marathons.  Elaine was named one of 21 finalists and has won free gas for one year!  Now she is competing for gas for life - though she's requested that BP convert any award to a contribution to Harmony Hill, the cancer retreat she supports.  She now gets to star in a 2 minute video - and she promises to plug the NY Flyers!

Keep an eye on the Contest Website, and hopefully we'll see Elaine soon!

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