President’s Message – January/February 1993
Colors, Carols & Competition

Jade and berry have entered the record books as the shortest-lived club colors in history, enjoying a reign of less than one week. Seems every runner in the free world ordered that combination. The entire line sold out, and the slave laborers were massacred, before our order was received. That leaves us without colors, and the Shane’s with a brand new car (jade) that won’t match their outfits. 

Karen Lawrence presented a new set of options and colors at the January meeting. This led to spirited discussion of the suitability of various color combinations, the longevity of product lines, and what Real Men would or wouldn’t be caught dead in. In the end, everyone submitted suggestions in writing to Karen. Some of these she tossed on the fire; the remainder will be voted on at our February meeting. 

Thanks to all the brave souls who showed up for the Jingle Bell run to local nursing homes. This is an annual ritual wherein we inflict our notion of Christmas caroling on those too deaf to hear, and too incapacitated to flee. Some think the willingness of nursing homes to receive us annually, is graphic evidence of the decline of short-term memory in the elderly. I prefer to believe it shows generosity of spirit, and increased tolerance of human foible, that comes with longevity. 

Joe Koziol did a fine job organizing the run. Ray Murphy did yeoman service accompanying us on the keyboard, ably assisted by Wayne “Hot Licks” Buckley on guitar. Their efforts to cover our gaffes were as noble as they were fruitless. Karen Lawrence set the festive mood with her famous bell-bedecked Christmas running outfit. Among the featured vocalists were Karin “Jingle Bell Rock” Oleski, Rich “Where are we going to eat?” Busa, Lonny “What key is this in?” Townley, Tom ”What’s a key?” Abbott, and Sheila “How did I get into this?” Howland. Our thanks to all. 

Elsewhere in this chronicle is the listing of the 1993 NEAC Grand Prix Series. The club encourages members to form teams to enter these races. They provide an opportunity to meet runners from other clubs and to “show our colors” - should we ever get any. A club as large and robust as ours, ought to actively compete with other clubs. The NEAC races provide a ready opportunity to do so. 

While the money holds out, the club will pay for team entries. We have had some success in getting the masters and seniors competing. But we would like to see more women’s teams out there, particularly in view of all the talented women runners we now have in the club. No one should feel that he or she isn’t good enough for such competition. Jack O’Rourke is always available to provide thoughtful (“You run like a geriatric slug!”) analysis of your efforts, and to suggest (“Have a consultation with Dr. Kevorkian.”) areas for improvement. Meanwhile, get out there and have some fun! 

Art