UP CO M I NG EV E N T S

May • 2016

G E N E R A L MEET I N G M I NU T E S By Benjamin Shultz Berks Nature Education Center, April 14th, 2016

Summary:

Motions

- Increase scholarship amount to $750 - Passed

Items tabled until next meeting

- Charity Committee's recommendation

Old Business items closed

- None

Guest Speaker:

This month's meeting was held at the education center for Berks Nature (formerly Berks Conservancy). Tami Shimp from Berks Nature gave an overview of the organization's mission and activities and answered sev-eral questions from the club. Their goals are to protect forest land and water supplies while also providing education and opportunities for people to connect with nature. Their biggest project right now is to ex-pand the education center to include office space for their staff, class rooms, and conference rooms. This will allow them to accommodate large groups such as school field trips and also generate revenue by renting the space.

Treasurer's Report:

Shaun Luther reported that we are in good shape. There is income pending from the Shiver race and recent application mailings. The taxes are ready to be submitted.

Race Director’s Report:

Shiver by the River - Sue Jackson reported that the overall number of runners was lower than other years, but the number of runners who registered for the series was up.

Mt Penn Mudfest - Erik Leeds reported that 75 runners registered so far. They will have male and female specific shirts. The city of Reading has fixed the potholes in the parking lot. There will be an additional $100 usage fee from Antietam next year that was waived this year. There will be a cleanup on April 17

th at 9am.

(continued on Page 2)

S A V E T H E D A T E

6/4/16 - Wine & Cheese Pagoda Party

6/26/16 - Run for the Ages Trail 10K

6/26/16 - Kickball game against BCBC

7/10/16 - Reading Fightin’ Phils game

8/7/16 - Grings Mill Run - 5K/10K

8/20/16 - Summer Picnic

5/8/16

Sunday

Bike Ride - Oaks to Conshohocken

1:30pm—Meet at Pawlings Rd park-

ing lot; ride to Conshohocken and

back; 26 miles total; road/trail bike

5/12/16

Thursday

General Membership Meeting

7:00pm, Beverly Hills Tavern

710 Old Fritztown Road

Sinking Spring

5/29/16

Sunday

Charlie Horse Trail 1/2 Marathon 9:00am—13.1 Mile Trail Run

Sleepy Hollow Athletic Club

482 Westley Rd, Mohnton, PA

Need Volunteers - Contact Brett!

G R O U P R U N S Start Time: 6:15pm Wednesday

May 4, 2016

Run: Church Rd Parking Lot - Blue Marsh Lake

Old Church Rd, just south of Route 183 on left

Eat: Blue Marsh Canteen

5035 Bernville Rd., Bernville ———————————————————————--------------------------------------------————————

May 11, 2016

Run: Rustic Park

Hay Creek Road, Birdsboro

Eat: Italian Delite

113 E. Main St., Birdsboro ———————————————————————--------------------------------------------———————— May 18, 2016

**Charity Run benefitting Mary’s Shelter**

Run: Nolde Forest (parking lot TBD)

Route 625, Cumru Township

Eat: Mimmo’s

290 Morgantown Road, Reading ——————————————————--------------------------------------------————————————— May 25, 2016

Run: Trout Run Sports Complex, Exeter

E Neversink Rd & W Neversink Rd

Eat: Nikki Salaneck Lawrence’s residence

3368 Main Street, Birdsboro (Gibraltar) ———————————————————————------------------------------------------------------------------ June 2, 2016

Run & Eat: Larry & Missy Drogo’s residence

1450 Schoffer’s Road, Birdsboro

MAY

MEETING

LOCATION:

BEVERLY

HILLS

TAVERN

We are a club devoted to physical fitness,

athletic competition, health and fellowship.

G E N E R A L M E E T I N G M I N U T E S , C O N T ’ D .

Charlie Horse Half Marathon - Brett Lynch reported that the number of registered runners is lower than last year. Run for the Ages 10k - Ted Andrus was not present. Grings Mill - Caroline Hill had nothing to report. Blues Cruise 50k - Stephan Weiss reported that the number of registered runners is ahead of last year. Junior High Cross Country Fall Invitational - Tom Chobot was not present. Oley Valley Country Classic - Lenny Burton had nothing to report. Kris Kringle 5 Miler - Polly Corvaia had nothing to report. Community Service:

Brett Lynch announced that the Horse Shoe Trail is hav-ing a cleanup on Sunday, April 17

th at 10am. This is the

same day as the Mudfest cleanup. Charity Committee:

Shaun Luther deferred discussion on the committee's recommendation until the next meeting.

Communications Committee:

Polly Corvaia reported that the committee met recently to discuss new ideas. More to come.

Race Director's Committee:

Lenny Burton reported that they purchased a new measuring wheel.

Membership:

Dave Gallen reported that membership numbers are relatively steady.

Scholarship Committee:

Beth Auman announced the names of the scholarship winners. She made a motion to increase the amount for each child from $500 to $750 for this year and go-ing forward. The motion passed. She also requested that funds be added to the budget next year for the committee to award additional money at their discre-tion.

Social Committee:

Caroline Hill announced that the committee is planning roller skating at Ozzy's Family Fun Center on April 24

th

and a bike ride from Oaks to Conshohocken on May 8th

at 1:30pm. Bill Buchanan announced that the picnic will be on Au-gust 20

th at 1pm. There will be a $10 entry fee except

for those participating in the beer and chili competi-tions. Dave Gallen announced that Shaun and Dave's Excel-lent Adventure will be on May 7

th.

Old Business:

None

New Business:

Brett Lynch reported that he will be representing the club on April 15

th on WEEU 830 AM radio during a seg-

ment on outdoor fitness clubs. Laura Mooney announced that Mike Yoder is looking for volunteers to help him at an aid station at the Worlds End Ultramarathon on May 21

st. Volunteers are

welcome to stay at the cabin while there and will get free entry into the Worlds End Half Marathon in the fall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHARLIE HORSE

TRAIL HALF

MARATHON

SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2016 - 9:00 AM

The Pagoda Pacers will once again be holding the Char-

lie Horse Trail Half-Marathon to benefit Berks County

Special Olympics. The race is on the Sunday of Memo-

rial Day Weekend, May 29, 2016. Please consider par-

ticipating in the race in any fashion (but hopefully pay-

ing runners). We have been having wonderful weather

the past couple of years and I guarantee another one

this year, or at least the bar will be open. Please visit

our facebook page to see what you have been miss-

ing.

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/CharlieHorseHalf/

Also register by online registration at

https://www.pretzelcitysports.com/onlineform1.php?id

=800.

The Charlie Horse is not your typical race. It is a point

to point race which will require you to get to the finish,

so NOT finishing is NOT an option. It is part trail, part

road, and part adventure; everything a masochist run-

ner needs.

We start at scenic Rustic Park in Birdsboro, PA with a

sprint through two creeks and meander through the

park for about 2 miles. From there we climb up to the

Horseshoe trail to start a beautiful 7 mile stretch

through woods and farms. The trail then pops out into

a housing development at mile 9. Say hi to the neigh-

bors as they cheer you on and spray you down. This is

the start of the road section. But like everything else

with this race, it has its own character. After climbing

up to the development, you get a break, a downhill sec-

tion. Wee. But everything that goes down must come

up. I think that’s the way it goes, at least for runners.

To translate, we start the uphill section of the road.

When you get to the top at mile 11, you’re at Charlie’s

house (home of the race founder) where the adventure

begins. It’s a mystery to us too: lagoons; waterfall;

campers; hikers; teenagers, maybe some chores. The

only certainty is rocks, mud, and fun. Finally finishes at

Sleepy Hollow A.C. where the pool, food, music, drinks,

and friends will be waiting. Hope to see you there.

LAW OFFICE OF BRIAN SEIDEL Your Serious Injury Attorney

BRIAN SEIDEL, ESQUIRE

Attorney at Law

359 Blimline Road

Mohnton, PA 19540

Phone: (484) 335-1218

Email: seidellaw@gmail.com

Protection for your most important assets

Business Insurance

• Property and Equipment

• Liablity Insurance

• Automobile and Truck Fleets

• Workers Compensation

• Professional Liability

• Group Medical, Disability, and Life

Personal Insurance

610-376-3959 • Fax 610-376-2610

1150 Berkshire Boulevard, Wyomissing

www.andersonbrokers.com

Run for the Ages Sunday, June 26 - 8:30am

Registration is open now either online through Pretzel City Sports or by mail-in ap-plication. Same great course in Nolde Forest, Age Graded start, and amenities as pre-vious years including a pair of Southwest Airlines tickets in the post race raffle. New for this year is a family division: You let us know who is in your family before the race, at least three members needed, and we'll have a separate award for the winner. Your family can include whomever you like: Mom, dad and the kids? Grandma? Even Crazy Uncle Joe or your girlfriend's daughter's boyfriend's parents who happen to be visiting from Germany! Or.... It can be your running "family" or work "family". We won't be

checking IDs or DNA testing. With our age graded start to make it fair, it will give someone in your family bragging rights for a year! Make plans to join us in Nolde on June 26th. See you there!

Want Pacers Gear?

Don’t forget - We’ve partnered with RUseeN

Reflective Apparel to bring you shirts, vests,

jackets, and more, in both men’s and women’s cuts.

These are all hi-visibility reflective garments that

keep you seen while you run, plus show your love and support for your local

running club.

Check out the options online at:

http://www.ruseen.com/custom-graphics/reading-pagoda-pacers.aspx

After 26 years of Shiver by the River, this may have been the

series with the mildest weather. We only ‘shivered’ during the

February race. December, January and March were close to

record highs but February came with warnings about being

outside with any exposed skin. Crazy weather! Despite the

mild weather, we only had a total of 1721 finishers in the four

races, but a record 384 runners completed the series.

Our fastest runners were:

5K Male Alex Watson 16:13 in March

5K Female – Samantha Snukis 18:24 in December

10K Male – Nick Sturm 34:40 in December

10K Female – Kristen Karwacki 38:53 in March

As always, THANK YOU to all the Pacers who participated ei-

ther by running, volunteering or both! We sincerely appreciate

all of our volunteers, whether you helped us at one race or

every race; especially those of you who were willing to do what-

ever was needed to make this series another success!

The awards ceremony was again held at the Temple Fire Com-

pany, on Madison Ave in Muhlenberg.

THANK YOU to the following for the donation of door prizes:

Alecia Bradley Pretzel City Sports

A Running Start Ain’t too Shabby

Trinity Salon Patti Page Jewelry

Van Scoy Junk to Jazz

Bella Jules Abbadoodles

Musso’s Restaurant (St Lawrence)

Road-ID

THANK YOU to our long time Shiver sponsors:

Shillington Family Chiropractic Center—David J Dolan D.C.

A Running Start - 705 Penn Ave, West Reading

Road-ID

Please patronize both our door prize contributors and our

sponsors. Please contact Sue Jackson at shiverdirec-

tor@pagodapacers.com if I missed any door prize donors.

If anyone has any comments, concerns, or questions concern-

ing the series, please feel to contact one of the race directors.

We do value your input and we do read the surveys, making

modifications when possible. In a subsequent issue of the

newsletter, we will address some of the comments and sug-

gestions.

Awards which were not picked up at the banquet are at A Run-

ning Start, 705 Penn Ave, West Reading.

Once again, thanks for all of the Pacer support, both runners

and volunteers!!!!!!!!! We hope to see all of you next year.

Sue, Steve & Kelsey

Rustic Rage Off-Road Duathlon and Relay

Sunday, May 22nd

9:00am Rustic Park, Birdsboro, PA

3 mile run, 10 mile mountain bike, 3

mile run

——————————————————

Berks Country Fest

Doggie Dash & Walk Sunday, June 12th, 9:00am

Birdsboro VFW, Birdsboro, PA —————————————————

Firecracker 5K Saturday, July 9th

5K at 9:15am,

3/4 mi. fun at 10am Governor Mifflin Middle

School, Shillington

——————————————————

Weekend Warrior Triathlon, 2– and 4– Person Relay

Saturday, July 30th

9:15am

Shillington Park

——————————————————

Shiver by the River

www.makebreak.com

610-775-4614

Volunteers Wanted...

To help at an aid station for the

World’s End Ultramarathon

in Sullivan County, scheduled for May 21, 2016.

More information about the race can be found at

http://worldsendultra.com/.

Mike Yoder is the aid station captain for a busy

aid station right at the location where the 50K

and 100K races diverge. Anyone who helps out

with the race is welcome to stay at Mike’s cabin

just outside of Worlds End State Park.

All volunteers will receive a free entry into the

World’s End Fall Classic, a half marathon sched-

uled for October.

For more details, contact Mike Yoder at 610-406-

3798 or by email at ratrunner45@gmail.com.

Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy

The Pacers recently became members of the Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy, the or-ganization that officially maintains the Horse-Shoe Trail. The Trail traverses 140 miles from where it meets the Appalachian Trail in Dauphin County to Valley Forge Historic National Park in Chester County.

The Pacers have long used part of the Horse-Shoe Trail where it weaves through southern Berks County near Plowville as part of their course for the annual Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon held eve-ry May. Many Pac-ers also frequently run sections of the trail in French Creek State Park, Middle Creek Wildlife Ref-uge, along the for-mer Buzzard mara-thon course, and in and around the Adamstown area. In addition, the Pacers have adopt-ed a roughly 5-mile section of the trail

in Southern Berks, and are responsible for its mainte-nance. Details on our trail maintenance can be found on the Pacers’ website under Group Runs -> Trail Maintenance. The Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy has an active Face-book group, for those who are interested in keeping up to date about trail conditions, hikes, HST history, and more. It can be found at www.facebook.com/groups/145985238836523/ or by searching for Horse-Shoe Trail.

The website for the Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy is located at http://hstrail.org/.

RA C E RE S U L TS Email Results to Race Results Coordinator Karen Rule at

raceresults@pagodapacers.com

Kutztown Fool's Run 10 Miler

20/169 Duane Renninger 1:12:30 1st M45-49

31 Elaine Cook 1:16:28 1st F45-49

33 Troy Seitzinger 1:16:41

106 Ellie Vanderbeck 1:37:58

133 Ruthie Vanderbeck 1:45:34

134 Sarah Schaeffer 1:45:35

138 Colleen Fitzpatrick 1:46:24

Kutztown Fool's Run 5K

4/157 Brock Kline 19:27 1st M35-39

100 Barbara Raifsnider 30:59 3rd F50-54

122 Helene Horn 33:42

Shillington Immanuel UCC Rise n Run 5k

1/105 Ben Hatt 17:52 1st Male

3 Steve Koch 19:15 1st M50-59

8 Duane Renninger 20:37 2nd M40-49

18 Karen Rule 23:08 1st Female

Hooligan's Hustle 5K

5/165 Steve Koch 19:34 1st M50-59

9 Steve Maguire 20:30 3rd M50-59

10 Duane Renninger 20:40 2nd M40-49

15 Tom Chobot 21:30 1st M60-69

17 Raine Fussner 21:41 1st F50-59

18 Jeff Fussner 21:54

31 Amanda Gross 24:22 1st F19-29

35 Ruthie Vanderbeck 24:42 2nd F30-39

38 Sarah Schaeffer 24:46

42 Mike Ranck 24:59 3rd M60-69

45 Donna Ornsoky 25:29 2nd F50-59

62 Ellie Vanderbeck 27:08 3rd F50-59

64 Janine Beidler 27:11

67 Mark Reedy 27:16

95 Colleen Fitzpatrick 29:18

99 Barbara Raifsnider 29:52

134 Helene Horn 34:53

I AM Able 5K

3 Brad Bansner 19:44 1st M40-49

93 Helene Horn 33:37 1st F50+

107 Ron Horn 36:10

Indian Rock 10K

Paul Makurath 1:00:10

Beau Biden Memorial 10K Trail Run

Paul Makurath 1:11:44

Caesar Rodney Half Marathon

Paul Makurath 2:22:50

Garden Spot Village Marathon

Rose Hagy 6:33:03 1st F65-69

Bull Run Run 50 Miler

9 Tim O'Donnell 7:45:20 1st in division

21 Andrew Heckman* 8:36:44

34 Kyle Gery 8:56:35

40 Beth Auman+ 9:03:43 2nd in division

46 Steve Maguire* 9:16:15

53 Donny Mengel* 9:36:25 2nd in division

58 Julie Lambi+ 9:42:07 2nd in division

61 Phil Lechner* 9:44:14

99 Steve Vida:) 10:30:11

102 Laura Mooney 10:34:46 2nd in division

106 Jill Roper 10:37:21

116 Garrett Place:) 10:45:43

117 Mike Yoder 10:45:44

129 Karen Rule 10:58:18

130 Joanne Van Horn+ 10:58:19 3rd in division

131 Liz Glass+ 10:58:20

137 Heather Nowicki 11:04:43

144 Brett Lynch:) 11:12:38

197 Brad Bansner 12:03:47

232 Duane Renninger:) 12:33:59

*winning male team/ also winners of oldest team

+winning female team

:) slowest team

Some of the Pacers who ran Bull Run Run relaxing post-race.

2016 Scholarship Winners Scholarship Committee: Sue Jackson, Beth Auman, Cathy

Unruh, Tom Chobot, Alecia Bradley, Cliff LePage

We had many impressive scholarship applications this year, with a total of 8 applications between the Cross Country Scholarship and the Pacer Member Scholarship.

Congratulations to the students below who were each chosen to receive a $750 Scholarship, which is an in-crease in the scholarship amount that is effective with this year’s awards and which will continue for future years. We wish all applicants the best in their future en-deavors.

Kyle Mooney received the Pacer Member Scholarship.

Kyle is the son of Laura Mooney, and is a senior at Devon

Preparatory School. Kyle has an excellent academic rec-

ord, and has been named an “A.P. Scholar with Distinc-

tion.” He is active with the school’s Mathletes team,

Christian Action Program, bowling team, and chess club.

He is also an active pianist, having competed in various

performing arts competitions. Following in his mom’s foot-

steps, Kyle has been a varsity cross country runner for the

last 3 years, serving as team captain during his senior

year. At this time, Kyle’s choice of college is undecided.

Brodie Skrocki received the Pacer Member Scholarship.

Brodie is the son of Steve and Cathy Skrocki, and is a sen-

ior at Wilson High School. Brodie is an avid runner, having

received County and Division accolades for his perfor-

mances in both cross country and spring track. Brodie is a

member of the National Honor Society, and has volun-

teered his time with several local organizations. Brodie is

still undecided at to where he plans to attend college.

Carl Fortna received the Pacer Cross-Country Scholar-

ship. Carl is a senior at Fleetwood Area High School

where he was a varsity cross country runner for 4 years,

earning many honors and accolades, and qualifying for

the PIAA State Championships. He also earned varsity

letters in both baseball and spring track, and played in-

door soccer. Carl is active in Academic Challenge, and

performs with the chorus and multiple school bands. He is

active with his church and has volunteered in the emer-

gency department at PSU St. Joseph Medical Center.

Carl plans to attend Sacred Heart University.

Jacob Conrad received the Pacer Cross-Country Scholar-

ship. Jacob is a senior at Hamburg Area High School, and

is active with the Military History Club, Chemistry Club,

and a student athlete leadership club. He only started

running cross country as a senior, but played an active

role in helping his school and the team rebuild their pro-

gram as a team captain. Jacob also ran track, played

basketball, and previously played football. He volun-

teered his time by helping younger students through vari-

ous camps and youth sports programs. Jacob plans to

attend Penn State University Berks Campus.

Pacers

Giving Back

in Berks

We want to highlight on a monthly basis the good

deeds that the club is doing, through the efforts of its

members, in our local community. Please share any content you

feel should be included by emailing editor@pagodapacers.com.

The club held a charity run in March to benefit Zoe’s House Animal Rescue, which is the only no-kill dog rescue in Berks County. Pacers brought food and sup-plies to help the rescue’s mission, as well as some cat foot that was donated to the Animal Rescue League.

Next Charity Run: May 18 - Mary’s Shelter

On Sunday, April 17, Pacers gathered to help clean up Egelman’s Park, in anticipation of the Mt. Penn Mudfest.

Pacers at the

Egelman’s Park

clean up (L to R):

Erik Leeds, Steve

Maguire, Libby

Crockart, Ken

Seale, Sue Jack-

son, Liz Glass,

Joanne Van Horn

(Karen Rule not

pictured).

Charity Committee Report by Shaun Luther

Some of you may have noticed from the newsletter meeting minutes that in January the club formed a Chari-ty Committee. As committee chairman, I was asked write up a little overview of why we formed, who we are, what we hope to accomplish, and how we approached our task. I suggested the formation of the committee to address the concern expressed by some members about our growing account balances. Thanks to the hard work of our race directors and all the members that volunteer at our events, the club accounts are finally in good shape. We are now in the position to try to expand our outreach in the community and as our by-laws demand, to “promote physical fitness and public wellness”. So it was suggested that we evaluate making a large targeted do-nation to put some of our funds to work in our communi-ty. That’s not to say that the club has not done anything for the community in the past. As you know, some of our races directly benefit various organizations in the area. To summarize:

Run for the Ages benefits The Friends of Nolde For-est

The Charlie Horse benefits Berks County Special Olympics

Blues Cruise 50K benefits Blue Marsh Lake

Jr High XC Fall Invitation benefits the county’s young runners

Oley Valley County Classic benefits the Oley Valley Youth League

Kris Kringle benefits The Berks County Cross Country Coaches Association

We also fund a shoe purchase program in association with A Running Start to buy running shoes for needy county children running XC or track. And finally, we also give out college scholarships to 4 high school seniors every year. Over the last 5 years we have raised and donated tens of thousand of dollars to these organizations and causes. Besides myself, the Charity Committee includes Beth Au-man, Larry Drogo, Phil Lechner, Karin Long, and Karen Rule. Over the course of several meetings we developed some working guidelines for the committee and some evaluation criteria to help clarify our decision process. Our guidelines are:

Donations will not be “baked-in” to our club budget. Meaning that the donation will be a one time gift. We will not tie the club to any sort of ongoing com-mitment to give.

In January, after the club’s year-end financials have been prepared and assuming the balances are in

good shape, the Committee will request the club’s permission to evaluate possible donations.

The Committee will maintain a list of possible recipi-ents year to year to save on research time and effort. The Committee will add and subtract to the list as required.

The Committee will do research and due diligence on the organizations to learn how they operate, by inter-viewing, collecting public information, and collecting tax filings.

Make a recommendation to the club for recipient and dollar amount.

Upon approval, contact recipient and arrange dona-tion to maximize publicity for the club.

Our decision criteria used to evaluate possible recipients is as follows:

The recipient must be a 501(c)3 organization. This is the tax code for a tax-exempt non-profit organiza-tion.

The charity must be local. Locally based and dedicat-ed to local issues. We want our donation to stay in the county.

The charity’s core purpose or mission statement must closely correspond to the Pagoda Pacer Mission Statement in some way.

The charity ideally must be a lean organization. We do not want a lot of our donation to go toward a large overhead. We do not want to give to an organ-ization that is only going to put a small percentage of our gift toward the stated purpose.

Preferably, the charity is not currently getting any funding from the club.

Assuming that the club’s interest and the recipients interests are closely aligned, that probably means that the club has an interest in the activities of the recipi-ent. So, preferably, the donation will give the club a voice at the table to make sure the club’s needs and concerns are heard.

During the Committee’s deliberations, 7 to 8 organiza-

tions were discussed, investigated and ranked. The Com-

mittee should be in a position to make a final recommen-

dation to the club for approval at the next monthly meet-

ing for a gift this year.

Pagoda Pacers Athletic Club

P.O. Box 4115

Reading, PA 19606

www.PAGODAPACERS.com

Meetings: 2nd Thursday of each month

Annual Dues: $15 Individual; $25 Household

2016 PPAC Officers

President …………………………….. Brett Lynch

president@pagodapacers.com

Vice President ……………………… Leonard Burton

Treasurer …………………………….. Shaun Luther

Secretary …………………………….. Ben Shultz

Race Results Coordinator …….. Karen Rule

raceresults@pagodapacers.com

Run/Charity Coordinator …….. Phil Lechner

Race Management ………………. Ron Horn

Membership Coordinator ……… Dave & Mike Gallen

Youth Coordinator ………………… Tom Chobot

Newsletter Editor ………………….. Beth Auman

editor@pagodapacers.com

Webmaster …………………..………. Ed Recker

webmaster@pagodapacers.com

The newsletter is published monthly. To submit an article for publication,

or inquire about advertising, email editor@pagodapacers.com. The

deadline for submission is the 15th of each month.

PRESORTED

STANDARD

US POSTAGE PAID

READING, PA

PERMIT #160