Welcome to 2019
Regional racing has commenced for 2019 so I figured I’d better take the time to welcome everyone to 2019 at Bayside BMX Club and give you an idea of what the club and the year is looking like.
It’s going to be a big year
Firstly, I am honoured and humbled to been entrusted with the role of Club President for 2019. We have an exceptionally capable management committee all ready to make a difference. Combined they represent 100 years business leadership experience in finance, engineering, safety, mining, retail and hospitality. Combined there is also more than 100 years experience racing on two wheels across all cycling disciplines…..except cyclocross (sorry cyclocross, we just don’t understand you). We have a great group of new and experienced volunteers to help run our events this year . We have a heap of new equipment to support new families & make life better in the canteen. We also have a revamped club training & racing program, a new clubhouse to build, a community planting project (yep) and an opportunity to showcase our club to South East Queensland twice this year hosting regional racing events. Our shoot out round in early February is forecast to host 600+ entries in a single day of racing!
Who we are
A clever guy named Neil deGrasse Tyson once said “Knowing where you came from is no less important than knowing where you are going”. Many years ago a group of people shared a vision that a patch of bush off Wynnum Road would be a nice place to carve out a BMX track & create a sporting community.
A few decades later the track remains and a community of like minded people carry on this vision in the same little patch of bush off Wynnum Road. Our track is intended for grass roots BMX development and participation. We don’t have a massive start hill or track features that require a pilots license. We have no ambition to build a death defying start hill, X-Games sized jumps or host a World Championships when a perfectly extreme world class facility like Sleemans SX is a very short drive away. The track is designed to be beginner friendly but equally provide a challenge to the faster guys when hit at speed. Our track remains unfenced so everyone enjoys the facilities whenever it suits them. We know this means more maintenance for us but it also means more people in our community get to go out on bikes and be rad & we are ok with that.
Thanks
I’d like to thank our volunteers and families who have selflessly contributed to our club, not just now but in all of the years that got us to where we are today. Your contribution, however big or small, your tireless devotion of your time has helped keep alive the vision of a safe place for our children to have fun on their bikes. Most of our members may not realise but a considerable portion of our 2018 volunteer group did not have family still regularly racing BMX at the club while they were still turning up week in, week out. We appreciate all of your help to make 2018 a successful year.
Club Committee
Our first club committee meeting for 2019 is Wednesday January 16th. More info is in the event calendar. Over the year our committee will meet monthly to take care of the admin tasks that keeps us racing: governance, strategic, financial and operational management.
What’s the Committee all about?
Our committee focus is simple: keep our little club compliant, accountable, relevant, progressive & importantly support our members and the community in a safe and sustainable way. We are very grateful the Brisbane City Council allow us to lease our little patch & it is important we manage the facilities in a way that ensures we can keep doing it for many years to come. All are welcome to attend and contribute to club committee meetings or simply tag along and see how things work. If you can’t make it we keep minutes of all meetings that can be accessed on request.
New Ideas
If you’ve got new ideas to contribute the committee meeting is the audience you want. I like to think of a new idea or new business raised in a meeting as a seed to plant, nurture and grow. With this in mind if you have big opinions or ideas but lack the time and patience to see it through and watch your little seed grow I’d say the world of a not for profit volunteer sporting organisation will get you frustrated very quickly. The positive side of this is we are a very supportive, progressive bunch of people that just want to leave the world a better place. If your idea is important to you and helps make things better & you want to stick around and drive it we are happy to help. Don’t be the frustrated negative person…..be the person that helps make things happen 🙂
Events Calendar
We will lock down the club racing calendar for the year in our first committee meeting. The master calendar will be maintained on our website and status updates (cancellations due to weather etc) will remain via Facebook & Instagram so make sure you are following us. The calendar at a glance we propose to stick with the school term format: train each Tuesday, race 6 or more club races each term, leave some capacity to catch up for any rainy day cancellations & when school is on holidays….so are we 🙂
As our shootout round is only a week or so after school recommences it is likely we will open the track for gate practice on Tuesdays between now and January 28th. Keep an eye on our social media
New Members
If you are new to our club or are considering joining please feel free to approach any of us for information and guidance. We once all felt like you do right now, a bit shy, a bit overwhelmed with the learning curve and a little intimidated by some of the talent out there on the track. When my family first started we didn’t quite know where we fitted in. A few very nice people took the time out of their day to make us feel welcome with some small gestures of kindness that made us feel a part of something. I feel it is important that we all strive to offer the same. Saying hi can be all it takes.
New Clubhouse
The club has been saving hard for several years to fund a new clubhouse. Our shipping containers have served their purpose well but have reached the end of their serviceable life.
Grant Application
An opportunity to apply for a grant to fund the project arose last year & I guess we’ve been on hold awaiting the outcome. I’m disappointed to announce we missed out on the grant BUT it turns out we have some motivated and generous members out there who are still committed to make it happen.
Construction
We plan to start construction in April after the wet season with a view to have it completed for our open day in August 2019. Initially proposed as masonry block our revised budget will likely see the same sized facility built with a steel frame and brick veneer. Our original design incorporated considerable landscaping including a concrete path to the toilet block, terraced seating looking onto the first straight, rainwater tanks and some sweet, sweet air-conditioning. These nice to have items will be postponed for later down the line. Getting out of rusty, leaking shipping containers is our highest priority.
Feeling Generous?
If you’ve got access to trade services, building materials, machinery or you’ve simply got mad skills on the tools we’d love to hear from you. We recognise in-kind support from businesses and individuals with signage around the track, social media exposure, warm hugs and cold beer. If you prefer to contribute funds instead we have established a partnership with the Australian Sporting Foundation that allows individuals or businesses to make donations to the club over $2 tax deductible. It all helps. If you none of the above is for you how about organising some fundraising? Did you know we raise closer to $1000 each time we run a sausage sizzle outside Bunnings?
In Closing
If you’ve made it this far thanks for having a read. We’ve got a great community of members, racers and volunteers that will only get stronger as the year rolls on. Remember, transitioning to pedals or nailing balancing on the gate is as significant to one as winning a title is for another. Over 2019 let’s remember to celebrate everybody’s success, build a positive, supporting club culture & most importantly remember to have some fun.
Sean O’Connor, President – Bayside BMX Club.
