Midland Masters

MMAC XC Championships

MMAC XC Championships, Sunday, 20th January

Unfortunately we have had to make an decision to POSTPONE the above event. Owing to the weather conditions as well as the forecast and with the safety of our competitors uppermost in our minds we feel that this is the correct decision. We foresee problems with traveling to the venue; car-parking and first aid, so to be fair to all concerned we have postponed.

Initially we are looking at an alternative date of the 3rd February to run the event BUT this will be subject to confirmation because of the many factors involved. Again, watch this space.

It would be helpful if members would pass this information on to any known entrants and share on social media.

EAMA Inter-Area Indoor Challenge Match

Indoor Inter-Area Track & Field Challenge, Sunday 7th April 2013, Lee Valley Stadium, Enfield

The England Athletics Masters Association is holding an inaugural meeting between Masters Area Clubs and MMAC will, of course, wish to field the strongest team to cover all the events.

We have traditionally been very successful in the Outdoor challenge and, although at the time of publishing this item, we are not able to publish a definitive list of events it is obvious that we shall need sprinters, middle distance runners, throwers, jumpers and walkers.

If you would be willing to take part and interested in representing MMAC in a particular event we should be delighted to hear from you. As places are limited please provide up to date performance information so that we can choose the strongest possible squad.

Please send your information including your address, ‘phone number and email address to irenenn@aol.com or by post to:-
Indoor Challenge, Rainbow Cottage,15 Meadow Lane, Alvechurch, B48 &LH

Membership Subscription Reminder

Membership subscriptions are due for payment from the 1st January. If you haven’t renewed yet please go to the “Membership” Page; sub-page “Membership Renewals” for all the information.

EA Registration – MMAC Survey Results

The following is a report on the results of our survey carried out recently. It was not a scientific survey but I believe it conveys the views of most of our members.

Owing to the surprising announcement at the end of September by England Athletics about the increases in registration fees and a change in structure and the potential impact on MMAC, I quickly produced an online survey on our website seeking our member’s views. This survey ran for approximately 7 weeks and had a total of 147 participants.

The following questions were asked:-

1. Are you a member of a UKA Club? YES/NO
2. Are you a 1^st Claim Member to MMAC? YES/NO/YES track & field only
3. Are you happy to pay a registration fee to EA? YES/NO
4. Do you recognise the need to pay a registration fee? YES/NO/Please help us understand why you selected this answer
5. If you answered YES to question 4, what would the maximum amount be that you are prepared to pay? £7 to £10 /£10 to £15/ £15 to £20/ Other option
6. Do you agree to a two tier system? i.e. road runners pay less YES/NO
7. Are you satisfied with what you get from the registration scheme? YES/NO/Please help us understand why you selected this answer
8. What would you like to see EA provide out of this extra fee? To your Club/As an individual/Please help us understand why you selected this answer

The above questions were a ‘knee jerk’ reaction to the announcement and with hindsight would probably be either different or phrased differently. However, I felt it important to seek views immediately so that I could present the results at our November Committee meeting. Subsequently to the EA announcement, their own AGM was held where Clubs expressed strong views and as a result a series of Forums have been set up by EA.

Following are the results received to the questions giving both numbers and percentages.

Question 1 – Are you a member of a UKA Club?

136 answered YES (94%); 8 answered NO (6%) – there were 3 who skipped the question

Question 2 – Are you a 1^st Claim Member to MMAC

25 answered YES (17%); 113 answered YES (79%); 6 answered YES Track & Field Only (4%) – there were 3 who skipped the question.

Question 3 – Are you happy to pay a registration fee to EA?

97 answered YES (66%); 50 answered NO (34%) – No skips.

Question 4 – Do you recognise the need to pay a registration fee?

113 answered YES (77%); 34 answered NO (23%) – No skips and 108 comments.

Question 5 – If you answered YES to Question 4, what would the maximum amount be that you are prepared to pay?

52 answered £7 to £10 (44%); 19 answered £10 to £15 (16%); 16 answered £15 to £20 (14%)

31 answered ‘Other Option’ (26%) of which 68% wanted £5

Question 6 – Do you agree to a two tier system? i.e. road runners pay less.

144 answered NO (74%); 38 answered YES (26%) – there were 3 who skipped the question.

Question 7 – Are you satisfied with what you get from the registration scheme?

80 answered NO (56%); 64 answered YES (44%) – 3 skips and 104 comments.

Question 8 – What would you like to see EA provide out of this extra fee?

68 answered ‘To your Club’ (64%); 39 answered ‘As an individual’ (36%) – 40 skips and 113 comments.

General Observations

The overwhelming thing that stood out from the comments was the ignorance of members of either what EA is or does or where we as a Masters Club benefit. Even 1^st Claim status was not understood by all as a few ticked YES both for a UKA Club and MMAC, thus shifting the analysis slightly!

As we would expect, the majority of our members belong to a UKA Club (Q1) but the numbers claiming to be 1^st Claim members was too high at 17%, the actual figure being nearer 11% (Q2). The majority seem happy to pay a registration fee and do recognise the need (Q3 & Q4) however some did question what EA provides for the veteran/master athlete competing in only a few events per year. Others thought that a nominal fee was acceptable but not the large 4x increase. The majority 44% were prepared to pay between £7 and £10 (Q5) and as most members were against the two tier system (Q6) then an across the board registration fee of £10 seemed to be acceptable. It’s interesting that although members generally are happy for a registration scheme the majority are not satisfied with what they get from it (Q7), many not seeing any benefits particularly as veteran/master athletes. From the comments made this is mainly through a lack of understanding. Members wanted EA to provide more to the Clubs than individuals (Q8) but there was a range of comments from wanting more to be done for youngsters through to more for the older athletes.

Conclusions

More education for our members on what EA provides and why we have a registration scheme in the first place is required. I can reply to some of the concerns expressed on the survey to explain or allay their fears and misunderstandings.

This was not a scientific survey and only 22% (147) of the potential 652 members on email/internet actually took part. But it is a guide as to how our members feel. The bottom line is that most are happy to pay an increase up to double the current fees providing it is across the board i.e. road runners and track & field pay the same.

Tom Morris – 23rd November 2013

Perfect Christmas Present ….

Received in my Inbox this morning: –

Dear Secretary,

Re: Book titled My Brother Jeffrey’s Favourite Little Books featuring Who Ate All The Paella?  Stories from the World masters Athletics Champs 2005.

I’ve been down to my last 100 or so copies for a few years now, so have decided to try and safely dispose of them to the good homes of new Masters or those who missed out first time round.  The deal is £4.50 for one, £3.50 every other copy inc. p&p and for every copy sold I will re-imburse your association with £1 per copy for your help. Please note that any money is only going towards off-setting the original print costs (it wasn’t half as cheap then as now!)

All I need from prospective buyers is cheque payable to Kevin Archer, their contact details, any dedication they want in the book and confirmation of their association so you get re-imbursed.

My contact details are:-

Kevin Archer 3 Lower Saint Edmund Street Weymouth Dorset DT4 8AJ Tel: 01305 830096 evenings, 07453698759 day, email kevin_archer45@hotmail.com. That’s kevin (underscore) archer.

About the book.  An attempt at humour with the back drop of the World Masters Athletics Champs.  I got injured there so started writing stories about the characters and just added all the corny jokes that came to mind, but funnily enough not the one about the Chiropodist who only ever ate corn flakes for breakfast!  Characters from all the Associations appear in one guise or another, so your area is represented, including a true but funny piece on the birth and death of Antrim Harriers contributed by Terry Eakin.  The original press and peer reviews in the book are so good I could have written them myself!

So don’t miss out on possibly the best stocking filler since………(buy the book to reveal!)

Membership Subscription Reminder

We are now collecting 2013 Subscriptions and I would appreciate receiving  your renewals. Please see the “Membership” page, sub-pages “Existing or Lapsed Members”.

We are currently freezing the membership rates for 1st Claim Members awaiting any further developments with the England Athletics Registration increases.

London Marathon Club Entries

Latest News

The Virgin London Marathon Club Entries have now been applied for and all our member’s applications for a place are in. I have received 11 applications, which were all allocated a number as they were received. Our President had this list of numbers and has arranged to draw them out in a particular order. He did not know names. As soon as I know how many entries we get then I can announce the lucky participants, this should be within the next 7 – 10 days.

Tom Morris – Secretary

Related articles

• The spring marathon build-up (foot4ward.co.uk)
• 2012 Miles – Day 270 (London Marathon Confirmation) (thrivecardiff.org)

40th Anniversary Celebration

The programme has now been finalised although it will have to be remain flexible depending on the weather etc.

Full details can be seen on the dedicated page on this website, a quick link to it http://tinyurl.com/d3fat8x 

Please take a look and download the programme.

Become a Race Walk Judge or Coach

Midland Race Walking Association

Anyone interested in learning officiating or competing in race walking/ athletics, please check out the details below.

Thank you

Regards,
Catharine Telling – Midlands RWA

2012 midlands coaching day leaflet

coaching day advert

40th Anniversary Celebrations

40th Anniversary Celebrations, 30th September 2013

2.30pm – 9.00pm

Tamworth Stadium, Marlborough Way, Tamworth B77 2HF

Please note that the advanced booking closing date has now been extended for a further week until the 23rd September 2013. RESERVATION FORM

Fun for everyone, either take part or come along for a chat.

Please read the “Comments”