Hi All,

Yeh! - January has finally come to an end. I hope you all manged to get out and enjoy a bit of the snow - a welcome break from the usual weather. 

It has been a long month and we have already been so very busy.  I’m so happy to have been re-elected as chairman and I’m so excited to be joined by a great committee again.  We will all do our best to take the club to the next level this year.  

Last year was a year to reflect on (see my committee report below) and we now have a year to look forward to.  We continue the planning and hope that we can get back to training as a club very soon.  In the meantime, please take the opportunity to join latest club competition.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 2021

Welcome to the North Dorset Triathlon Clubs 2021 Annual General meeting.  Last year, and the start of this one, has been like no other year that anyone of us has ever experienced. It has had a significant impact on what we have all previously described as normal life.  It is not an understatement to describe this global pandemic as a world altering event.  It has impacted on almost everybody’s life.  

I have been encouraged and motivated to see how the club has reacted to this challenge. I feel we have been able to make the most of the limited time we were able to train together, and we have made the best of the time that we have needed to train alone.  

The committee members have kept in touch through regular video calls and various messaging apps.   We have been reacting to the changing situations and planning on how to get back to activities.  We have also been updating some of the processes that happen behind the scenes to keep the club running.   Whenever possible we have tried to keep in touch with all members through social media, emails and Club Sparks. We will aim to do more this year to keep you all engaged and up to date.  

The adoption of the Club Sparks technology has been accelerated over the last 12 months. It provides a single club portal for key messages and information as well as access to the online club booking tool.  With its integrated payment mechanism all transactions are now automated and session availability is easy to view and book. The club’s team has done a great job to develop the process and set up all the backend services. 

There have been many highlights for me this year.  These include the opportunities that the long summer brought including lots of sea swimming and the chance to race. The club’s virtual activities have been great and the 5K competition was such a great motivator.

The commitment of the members and the committee have helped keep the club as active as possible, enabled it to evolve and has ensured its survival.  Thank you all for your continued membership and I look forward to getting back to training with you all as soon as we are allowed. 

Yours in Sport

Chris Petersen

Chairman – North Dorset Triathlon Club