Tuesday's Musings and Upcoming HARRA Fall Series
Well, it seems like there might just be a slight temperature drop from the last two years for this coming Saturday's HARRA Cross Country Relay.
No, I'm not running it. I'm more than happy to sit this one out.
Could I have gotten myself on a team? Yes, if I wanted to bad enough, I certainly could have.
I'm looking forward to getting out and socializing with everyone and continue to work on material for future editions of Footprints. I saw the draft of the October version yesterday and I'm pleased with how it looks. Lee Sheffer with Inside Texas Running again is a layout God! I have a general idea of where I want things to go and how they'll look, but Lee does the magic.
I was extremely pleased with the content and the layout of September's edition although in reality we probably had a little too much content.
We've backed off of that by about 20% for October. But again, I hope that you all are pleased with the product.
As far as this Saturday goes, I'll help Erin Foley out in the HARRA tent processing all of the last-minute memberships and renewals so clubs can score team and club points in the Fall Series competition.
The following is my personal view and doesn't reflect the opinion of HARRA or anyone on the HARRA Board. It is mine and mine only.
Granted. This isn't a story that is fit for Footprints because 1.) it is quite controversial and 2.) you wouldn't be able to get anybody speak on record about it.
However, I think many rank and file members of some clubs would be alarmed to find out that their club's leadership actually pays the HARRA membership fees for certain faster runners so that they will just "show up and run" and score the all important team points to better compete in the Series -- without even an expectation that they even officially join the club itself.
You might call it "gaming the system".
Certainly you could join HARRA, pay your own fees and designate any club to score points for.
I have no idea if these clubs write a club check out for 'x' number of runners to HARRA. I personally don't care if they do, I really have no burning desire to find out and I'm not going to go poking around trying to find out. I have other things to worry about. But, of course, the way to circumvent this is to have the individual pay their HARRA fees and to reimburse them directly once provided with a receipt.
So if on Saturday, you see somebody running for your club that you've never ever seen before maybe the most interesting question would be, "When did you join?"
Have a great Tuesday!
No, I'm not running it. I'm more than happy to sit this one out.
Could I have gotten myself on a team? Yes, if I wanted to bad enough, I certainly could have.
I'm looking forward to getting out and socializing with everyone and continue to work on material for future editions of Footprints. I saw the draft of the October version yesterday and I'm pleased with how it looks. Lee Sheffer with Inside Texas Running again is a layout God! I have a general idea of where I want things to go and how they'll look, but Lee does the magic.
I was extremely pleased with the content and the layout of September's edition although in reality we probably had a little too much content.
We've backed off of that by about 20% for October. But again, I hope that you all are pleased with the product.
As far as this Saturday goes, I'll help Erin Foley out in the HARRA tent processing all of the last-minute memberships and renewals so clubs can score team and club points in the Fall Series competition.
The following is my personal view and doesn't reflect the opinion of HARRA or anyone on the HARRA Board. It is mine and mine only.
Granted. This isn't a story that is fit for Footprints because 1.) it is quite controversial and 2.) you wouldn't be able to get anybody speak on record about it.
However, I think many rank and file members of some clubs would be alarmed to find out that their club's leadership actually pays the HARRA membership fees for certain faster runners so that they will just "show up and run" and score the all important team points to better compete in the Series -- without even an expectation that they even officially join the club itself.
You might call it "gaming the system".
Certainly you could join HARRA, pay your own fees and designate any club to score points for.
I have no idea if these clubs write a club check out for 'x' number of runners to HARRA. I personally don't care if they do, I really have no burning desire to find out and I'm not going to go poking around trying to find out. I have other things to worry about. But, of course, the way to circumvent this is to have the individual pay their HARRA fees and to reimburse them directly once provided with a receipt.
So if on Saturday, you see somebody running for your club that you've never ever seen before maybe the most interesting question would be, "When did you join?"
Have a great Tuesday!
posted by WalkSports.com | 10:29 AM
8 Comments:
I don't know what I think of the situation that your present. I guess my first reaction is, "Who cares?" If that gets more people to joing HARRA, then fine and dandy. I guess it's possible that there are clubs out there that are so intent on winning points that they would spend money to recruit these faster runners. Heck, I may be a member of one of such clubs. I doubt it. But if it's the case, I'm a bit indifferent about the whole thing. I guess the only thing that would bother me is if my club's money was being sqandered in such a way. On the other hand, it's not really sqandered if the dues are going to support HARRA. Now, if a club were paying cash directly to runners to run on their team and joing HARRA, I'd have a big problem with that.
What do you think about the Striders paying the race fee for all it's members for this race, since it's the race of the quarter? Is there really any difference between that and the situation you bring up with the faster runners? I don't see any difference. Actually, I think it's kind of interesting and cool if you think about it. We pay our Strider's membership fee. Some of that money goes to the Toranados club in the form of relay race fee. Many, many club's members join HARRA. HARRA invests back into the community, buys AED packs for CPR support, etc. We get discounts, ITR, all kinds of cool perks for being HARRA members. It's like this money just keeps going back and forth between HARRA, members, clubs, then back to member, then between clubs, then back into the community. It's actually all ok with me.
Just thoughts. Not arguing. I do understand why you bring up the issue. It does make me go hmmmm....
If there's one thing I've learned since getting more involved in the running community around here, it's that running can be *just* as "political" as anything else.
I guess I just try to steer clear of it myself. :)
Vic,
Not a thing at all to argue about. :)
The Striders member benefit is a great thing (one I willingly forfeited when I helped to create HRB ... I didn't believe it was right for me to head one club and score points, albeit an occasional team point, for another) and it is one of the best in town - if one chooses to take advantage of it -along with the benefit provided by the Houston Masters Sports Association!
And supporting HARRA and running in the greater Houston area is a good thing too! I completely agree 100%.
It is the lack of disclosure I think that's the problem.
Many would say that they absolutely don't care as they are there to simply have fun. That makes up about 80% of us; however, I think that there would be some that would be upset to find out that some runners' HARRA fees are paid for, but not all.
When I covered private and parochial high schools, I found out something that wasn't made aware to the common individual and that was that TAPPS, the main private school body in the state, had a self-perpetuating Board. This meant that they only answered to themselves and they chose who came and went from the Board.
The stipulation in the By-Laws also made things very discouraging for member schools to attempt to change things (i.e. the Board still had the last word). The issue lacked openness.
Similar situation at hand.
Jon
Yes, you hit the nail on the head. Disclosure!
Sarah, I want to steer clear too.
WHATS THE BIG DEAL? IS THERE A RUNNING CLUB THAT YOU BELIEVE HAS AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE?
YOU SHOULD EXPOSE KNOWLEGDE OF ANY CORRUPT WRONG DOING. IF NOT, LET IT BE. LETS UNITE RATHER THAN TOSS AROUND VAGUE ACCUSATIONS.
POLICITAL MAY BE CONFUSED WITH PASSION. SEVERAL TAKE RUNNING VERY SERIOUS. MOST OTHERS DON'T. DOESN'T MAKE THE MATTER IMMORAL OR UNLAWFUL.
When you post your name here, I'll respond to your questions.
I’d be appalled to find out the Striders are paying HARRA memberships for people, just to run for the Striders during the Fall or Spring Series. If it’s a charitable motivation, I would want the needs-based documentation available to a committee appointed by the Strider board and voted on by the committee. But if you’re a fast runner of the average age of a Strider, you aren’t a needs-based individual. And, out of 560 members that are Striders, you’d think and hope there are enough fast people in the club that can pony up the $25 to join HARRA to take a shot at the Team trophy.
The Striders do award HARRA memberships to winners of various annual categories at the annual Christmas party, but the winners go across all abilities. Jon and I were a couple of the winners at the 2004 party. And we’re about as ‘across all abilities’ as you can get.
Further, reimbursing a race fee that is a club-wide benefit is much different than paying an individual HARRA membership. That’s apples and oranges.
I would hate to know any club is paying HARRA memberships to simply attempt to win the Fall or Spring Series.
I’d go so far as to recommend to the HARRA Board that if it happens, the offending club be either blackballed from the Series for 1 year or kicked out of HARRA altogether. With as many lawyers as all the clubs have as members, it wouldn’t get to the point of enforcement.
doug
hmmm...I've been asked to run with a club that i'm not a member of in a race that gains points for clubs, and to designate that i am a member of that club, just for that race. And it was known that i am a member and officer of another club, or two.
just saying...it happens
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