PKC Newsletter No.6 of 2009
Dated14/10/09
With the last Newsletter being published over 3 months ago, I thought a new edition was overdue by now. Since the last newsletter there has been a lot happening so I hope I manage to include everything........
Beginners Courses '09
This year, due to the lack of Capital Sports Funding and Lotto grants, we found ourselves in a poor position regarding funding for our new clubhouse. This year we ran a total of 6 beginners courses, resulting in over 140 people learning to kayak with Phoenix Kayak Club. This was a great result for paddling in Cork and also for the club itself as we managed to hold onto some of these people afterwards. The other side of running these courses is that it provides some much needed funding for our new clubhouse which is now well under way. A big thank you must be extended to all the Instructors and Level 3 paddlers who assisted in the running of these courses. Without these people the courses could not be run.
Sea-Kayaking gets a new lease of life
With water levels all over the place this Summer, a number of members took the decision to invest in a Sea-kayak. This has been of great benefit to the club as the lads are now organising regular sea-kayaking outings (weekly at this stage). As a club, we are very lucky with our location, considering we have an amazing stretch of Flatwater, and also the option to play in the Weir and Sluice when we choose to. More importantly and anybody who has paddled our coastline will totally agree. We are blessed with some of the most amazing coastline in the country once we get a few miles outside of Cork, the options are endless. For anyone who has not experienced sea-paddling yet, I could not encourage you enough to try it out. Check out the forum and see what the lads are up to. P.S. Don't be afraid of them, while they sound really experienced and full of knowledge, its a big bluff. So, no excuses - make contact with the bluffers.
Beginners Courses : The initial plan this year was to run 7 Beginners Kayaking courses over the Summer, however due to the lack of Instructors it was agreed to scale this back to 5 courses.
These courses have been running since Tuesday the 21st of April and again have proved to be a huge success. To date we have completed 3 courses with a total of 78 Adults and Children learning to paddle with us. There is currently a course ongoing with 25 students which is only after its first week last week. I was a bit slow in e-mailing people who had completed the courses letting them know what the club has to offer once they finish their beginners course, but the first few hours of my duty seems to have sorted that with over 50 e-mails being sent out. There is one course left, which begins on the 4th of August and already this is filling up. This is great news on two fronts, the first being an increased revenue for the club to allow us to proceed with Phase 1 of the clubhouse which is due to start in September and the second being the fact that there will be another 25-30 people able to paddle competently in a few weeks.
A huge Thank You must go to all the Instructors who volunteer their time week after week for free. Without these people the course could not go ahead.
Forum Changes: There have been a number of changes to the Club Forum lately. The main reason for these changes is security for the members. It had become apparent that anyone could access the official outings section, therefore being in a position to target vehicles while members were out paddling. This Section has now been locked and Members are unable to view it unless access has been enabled by the Administrator. Most members are enabled, however some membership forms do not have a Username on them for the Forum, so until these members contact me with their username, they will be unable to access the 'Members Section' or the 'Official Club Outings Section'
If you are not Registered on the Forum, I would encourage you to register immediately as this is where most of the Communications go on.
Membership Rates: Membership rates were revised at a recent Committee meeting. As a result of this rates for the year are as follows:
- Senior Member €80
- Senior Member (Unemployed) €50 'New Rate'
- Associate Member €35
- Student/Junior Member €35
- Senior Member €50 (If you've completed a beginners course with Phoenix Kayak Club in 2009)
- Junior Member €25 (If you've completed a beginners course with Phoenix Kayak Club in 2009)
Membership is now OVERDUE for the 2009/2010 season. All members are asked to complete a Membership Form in full. Forms can be downloaded here Completed Membership forms and the necessary fee can be given to any committee member.
Social Scene: At the recent Club BBQ, a number of members have made the move to get the social side of kayaking up and running (yippee)
The first night out is planned for Saturday the 17th of October.
Venue: Counihans Bar, 3 Pembroke Street, Cork
Time: 21.00
Check out the Forum for more info (official outings)
Club BBQ & River Trip: This took place on September the 26th and was one of the biggest successes of the year with respect to paddlers on the water. We had a total of 51 paddlers on the water, ranging in age from 8 (Jack) to 70 (Evan). Due to water levels and time constraints we decided to get on at the park in Ballincollig and paddle down to the site. Great fun was had during the trip with a number of people practising there swimming technique. The BBQ was held at McCarthy's bar in the Tennis Village due to the fact that the building work had begun at the club site. This was attended by over 75 people and included a raffle. Thanks to Donal Clancy & Allanna Browne for the big prizes.
Liffey Descent: This years Liffey Descent was a big success for Phoenix with the club being well represented in a number of classes. For a good few members it was there first time taking part in the Liffey Descent and all agreed that they'd be back next year for more. A full race report is on the forum along with links to the pictures of Club members
CLUB AGM:
Venue: Commons Inn
Date: 20th of November
Time: 7:30pm
This years AGM should be really interesting considering, the first phase of the Clubhouse will be finished. The club has come along and leaps and bounds in the past few years and will continue to with the support of its members. There is music and finger food organised for after the AGM, so it is hoped that all members will stay around afterwards for a few drinks. Please feel free to bring Husbands / Wifes / Girlfriends / Boyfriends / etc...... as the more the merrier. While the AGM can only be attended by club members, i'm sure no-one will have a problem with waiting in the bar.
For more info on the AGM please check out the forum in the Members Section
If you wish to have something included in our next Newsletter please e-mail info@phoenixkayakclub.com
Yours in Paddling,
Dave