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REGISTRATION NIGHTS FOR NEW  MEMBERS
A reminder to all prospective new members who have been trying out sessions for the past couple of weeks that you now need to register with the club. We have arranged  registration nights for Tues. 24th Oct. from 5 – 7.30 pm and Wed. 25th Oct. from 6-7pm, where club volunteers will have forms available and fees can be paid. Cash or cheques only please, as the club does not have card facilities. Registrations will take place in the room behind the Sports Park Reception area. Please follow the signs and enter via the bottom door. Forms may also be downloaded from our website. Please note that Shoreline staff do not have club forms and cannot accept payments on our behalf.  After this date, we cannot admit unregistered athletes to the track.
A reminder also that it is the responsibility of parents to make sure children are collected on time after training sessions. Coaches are busy checking in the incoming groups and are unable to supervise collections as well. We have tried unsuccessfully to get a roster going to cover this, so if people are willing to help out please let us know.
Parents and brothers/sisters are not allowed inside the track during training sessions, but are welcome to watch from outside the fence. Please note that the Outdoor Gym Equipment is for age 14 up only and children should not be allowed to play on this! (Health & Safety)

CHECK-IN AND NEW ARRANGEMENTS FOR VERY WET NIGHTS
As pointed out in previous newsletters, greystones AC does not own the facilities at Shoreline Sports Park. Shoreline is a business that we rent the track from and while Shoreline staff are extremely helpful to us at all times, the reception area cannot be used as our clubhouse as there are many other customers besides ourselves. Athletes have been asked repeatedly  to only go into the building if they need to use the bathrooms, otherwise go straight to the track and check in. It is very unfair to the staff and to other customers if we block up the reception area or the area outside the entrance door.
We have made an arrangement with Shoreline that on very wet nights athletes will enter the building by the bottom door (follow signs) and check-in will be done in the bottom changing room. If athletes wish to keep clothes dry, gear bags can be left here during  the training session and collected afterwards. Toilets/showers are also available at this end of the building. Please note that both the building and the outdoor facilities are monitored by CCTV cameras and any athlete seen causing damage or breaking rules will be asked to leave the club……no second chances!
We will keep the ‘Little Athletics’ group indoors on wet nights, but we do not have indoor facilities big enough to facilitate the later groups (6-7pm & 7-8.30pm). As the weather can change so quickly, you should always bring a rain jacket to training, no matter what the weather is like when you are leaving home! It is essential that all athletes bring water to all sessions …… proper hydration is very important!

NB     CLUB COACHES
I know we have covered this issue before, but once again it has been brought to our notice that a number of athletes and parents are of the opinion that some of the club coaches are being paid to coach our athletes. The ‘Little Athletics’ programme is run in conjunction with Shoreline Sports Park and this is covered by Shoreline staff with Theresa co-ordinating it on behalf of GAC.  For all other sessions, ALL of our coaches/helpers, past & present, are volunteers, who give their time and expertise to the club freely and indeed cover their own travel and accommodation costs when attending competitions and other events on behalf of the club. Where staff members help out with coaching at these sessions, they do so as volunteers like everyone else and are not paid for their time. If still in uniform (which may be the cause of the confusion) it is only because they have come straight from work and have not had time to change.
Most of the money collected for Registration & Insurance is paid to Athletics Ireland for that purpose. The remainder, plus the €2 a week sub. is used to cover the cost of track hire, hall hire, athletes entry fees, equipment and other administration costs incurred when running a club. As many of you know, we have to hold fund-raising events to supplement this!

COMPETITION ON FRIDAY
ROUND 1 of the XC League will take place in Rathdrum Rugby Club this coming Friday 27th September. All athletes must be registered and must be entered in advance. The online entry form is still up on our website, but will be removed on Wed night when entries will close. This time races are for even ages U/ 8, 10, 12, 14., but all can take part  There will be a toddlers race U/6. There are a series of bad bends as you approach Rathdrum and the Rugby Club is on the right at the bridge just after these bends and just before the turn up into the town. Registration 6.30pm. Start  6.45pm.
No training for 6-7pm groups on Fri as the coaches ( and we hope all the athletes) will be in Rathdrum. Athletes in the later groups who are too old for these races will train as usual.

CLUB SHOP
The club shop will be open on Tues. 1st Oct. from 6-8pm. We have club singlets, shorts, t-shirts, rainjackets, hoodies etc. available. Athletes should have either a club singlet or T- shirt for competitions. All other items are optional. Bill Porter from Avondale Sports will also attend that night with a selection of runners, spikes and children’s leggings. Bill will also have his shop at the XC League on Fri in Rathdrum. If he doesn’t have what you want, he’ll  do his best to get it for you.

HELP NEEDED
We are delighted that a couple of people have come forward to help, but could still do with a few more to ease the pressure as a number of our coaches/helpers are no longer available to us, due to changes in their family/work circumstance. If you can spare an hour a week, every second week, or even once a month, and are prepared to lend a hand, as a coach or a helper, please call Theresa (0868635797) right away. Nobody will be thrown in over their heads and all help will be greatly appreciated. If you are unsure or have any questions about this, please call and ask …..….. the call is not a commitment! Remember the welfare of the children is paramount and your attendance as a helper provides the opportunity for safe participation of the athletes.       We are also looking for people who can help with the check-in. This only requires about 20 mins at the start of a training session, but is an enormous help to the smooth running of our sessions!