Carmarthen Triathlon Club Update- 25th November 2019

The first committee meeting was held on Monday 18th December at Tanerdy Lodge. Several key decisions were discussed, and the committee has been very busy the last couple of weeks putting in the hard work to make the dream a reality. Below is an outline of some key areas so that you can see what has been done so far.

Committee- The committee has been finalised and is in place until the end of the season on the 31st October 2020. Anyone interested in a future role on the committee will be able to run for the 20/21 season, where appointments will be voted in.

Chairman- Si Smith

Secretary- Cath Wilkins

Treasurer- Steven Phillips

Welfare & Social Media- Mari Rowlands

Head Coach- Mike Jones

Kit Designer- Ian Darbyshire

Kit Manager- Leighton Rice

Social Representative- Ian Marks

Sponsorship- Kevin Bassett

Welsh Language Representative- Guto Morgans

Doping Officer- Richard Cheney

Membership- We are in the process of opening a bank account and once this is in place membership of the club will open. Membership will run from the 1st January 2020 to the 31st December 2020. The cost of club membership will be £15. There will be further options available to combine club membership with Welsh Triathlon membership at a discounted cost.

Mission/ Vision/ Values- These have now been finalised and are available for all to see. The key message is that this club is for the community and all abilities are welcome.

Welsh Triathlon Affiliation- This is ready to go and once we have funds in the bank will cost £150. This will give us £15m of liability insurance.

Ironman Affiliation- This has been accepted and finalised for the upcoming season. Anyone racing an Ironman event can now log in to their profile and select Carmarthen Triathlon Club.

Strava- The club Strava page has been in place for three weeks and members are putting in some impressive training on there. The leader board each week is very competitive, and a good challenge for members of the club is to be one of the top ten come midnight Sunday each week. For those newer to the sport, it’s a great way to see the more experienced members of the clubs training and what sessions they are doing. To access the club search ‘Carmarthen Triathlon Club’ on Starva click on the club’s badge.

Insurance- As a member of the club you will be insured for any injury you sustain through coach or club neglect. To conduct your own training, race or any normal sports related injury you are not covered. You can however be covered for this through membership to Welsh Triathlon. It would be worth all members looking at Welsh Triathlon core membership and deciding If you need this. As an affiliated club we can get discount for you on membership. If you choose not to be a Welsh Triathlon member you must be aware that any injury sustained that is not through neglect can not be claimed for. Furthermore, when racing, you will require to buy a one-day licence at around
£5 at your event. More info on costs will be made available once membership opens.

Coaching- Potential Coaches have been highlighted who have the experience to go directly to level 2, and some volunteers for level 1. Once in a position to fund these courses they will be loaded onto the relevant course. Once qualified then we will be able to start running club sessions fully covered under Welsh Triathlon policy. If you are conducting training through a cycling or running club be wary of the liability of the coach. If they are training, you as a triathlete not a cyclist or runner they require the correct insurance from Welsh Triathlon.

Sports Wales Grant- We have had a successful meeting with the Carmarthenshire County Council Sports Development Officer and they full support our application to Sports Wales for a £1500 community chest. This money will be used to fund coaches.

Club Kit- The kit for 2020 has now been finalised and is available on the Facebook group to view. The team is now making a pack of leisure ware for training, supporters and other uses. Once finalised costs and timelines will be published for all to see.

Sponsors- The sponsorship reps are working hard to secure us sponsors for 2020. They are trying to keep it to local business and companies to continue the community trend. Once deals are finalised, they will be named on the club social media pages. Currently there are four sponsors in talks.

Social Media- The current Facebook group will be closed by the 10th February 2020. Its purpose was to gather all of Carmarthen’s and the wider areas triathletes into one place. Once membership opened and members join the club, they will be added to a member only group. Those wishing not to join but to stay connected, and for family, friends and others interested there has been a Facebook page, twitter page and Instagram page set up which are accessible now.

S Smith

Chairman

Carmarthen Triathlon Club