Prospective, New, and Old Member Questions about SVTC
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1) When and where are club meetings?
2) Club communications: How do I get notices of SVTC workouts and social functions?
4) How much are membership fees?
5) I have never participated in a Triathlon. May I still join?
6) I just joined. How do I get started?
7) How is my membership money used?
8) What do I get for my membership?
9) I joined but never did anything with the club, or I incurred an injury. Can I get my money back?
10) I am a beginner and have no clue as to where to start. What do I do?
12) How do I gain access to the Member Area in the SVTC website?
13) How do I update my e-mail address?
14) How do I get a club membership card?
15) How do I get more involved in the club (or, it's hard to meet people in the club)?
When and where are club meetings?
SVTC meets at 7:30 the second Monday of each month at Sports Basement. Sports Basement is located just off Lawrence Expressway in Sunnyvale at 1177 Kern Ave. Exit right from Lawrence Expressway heading south just a mile or so from the 101 motorway. Check the SVTC calendar for the specific date and place. The December meeting is generally replaced by our Holiday Party and the January meeting by our Open House. If you are new please try to come to a meeting. These are a good place to meet people and ask questions. We usually have an interesting speaker and we have great raffle drawings.
Club communications: How do I get notices of SVTC workouts and social functions?
We have set up several Yahoo groups for club email communications. These can be set up to send you individual notice emails, or a daily digest email, or you can opt just to view messages at the Yahoo web site. The interactiveSVTC group is primarily for club members but if you are interested in joining the club or trying a groupr workout please send in a request to join the group and we will acknowledge that request.
1. interactiveSVTC
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/in
teractivesvtc/
is used for official group notifications such as meeting or
workout announcements. Sign
up for this group to receive e-mails important club notices. We rarely send e-mails
directly to your individual
e-mails. The membership list in this group is cleaned up annually. If you use the same
email address as your
have in the club membership roster you can avoid having your name deleted.
2. SVTC-Discussion
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/SV
TC-Discussion/
is a members only group where members can pose questions or comments. Sessions here
sometimes become quite
lively.
3. SVTC
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/SVTC/
is a club group open to both club members and non members. It currently does not
get much usage.
4. In addition the Events Calendar lists regular and special workouts, clinics, events,
meetings, etc. are also
listed on the calendar on our web site
www.svtriclub.org/Calendar.htm.
5. Web Forums http://www.svtriclub.org/forum/
You can visit these forums in the members area of the SVTC website. These are not used
very much at the present
and are in the process of being revamped to become more useful for various topics
including a classified sales
forum.
The most convenient way to join SVTC is to use the online web application at https://www.svtriclub.org/members/forms/signup.php. Click on the liability waiver, fill out the roster information, and when you submit that you have a choice of online payment with Paypal or printout of a mail in form if you prefer to pay by check. If you have any questions or problems with membership registration dash off an email to the membership officer and we will get things straightened out.
The current (2008) membership fee is $65.00 per year for adults, and a $35.00 per year for children and seniors. Memberships are based on the calendar year with renewals due in January. We offer a partial year membership starting in September for $35.00. We also offer starting in December, early signups and renewals for the upcoming year with a $5.00 discount.
I have never participated in a Triathlon. May I still join?
Absolutely! SVTC was established to support all levels of triathletes and runners in the Bay Area. At a local race you might see SVTC members on the podium, last to finish and everywhere in between. If you are a total novice please check out the NTTS (new to the sport) program. You do not see many egos in this sport.
I just joined. How do I get started?
Just show up at one of our workouts, meetings, or club races. Keep checking back on this web site and the club calendar for various activities and dates.
How is my membership money used?
The bulk of your dues pay for our coaches and use of track facilities at De Anza College. Some of the money is used for club social events and meetings and occasionally for guest speakers. We also maintain a club insurance policy with USAT. (This should not be your primary insurance but it could help in exceptional circumstances.) Along with paid coaches the club has workouts lead by club member volunteers. Those persons are not paid but are offered a free yearly membership for thier services. Board of Director members are not compensated. Board prepares the oncoming year's budget in the fall. If you are interested and can't find the budget posted on the SVTC website feel free to contact any member of the Board and we will be happy to get you that information.
What do I get for my membership?
There are many benefits to being a club member. SVTC has a varied
membership and it is quite likely you will
meet up with people who train at the same level, and who will share
experiences and help make yours more
rewarding.
SVTC offers a coached New to the Sport program. We have a coached weekly
track session, Thursday and Saturday
group bike rides, and open water swims. We are the only local tri club
with a triathlon oriented masters swimm
ing program. (This is at Fremont High School, and fees are extra.)
We put together several clinics each year including a Wildflower training
weekend at Lake San Antonio in
preparation for that race. There are a number of club social events; a summer
picnic, Ironman pizza party and
Christmas party. Once a month there is even a Friday evening social hour at
various local restuarants or bars.
The club maintains very good relationships with our sponsors who provide
both discounts for merchandise and
race entry fees as well as generous prizes for our club meeting raffles.
All in all there are a lot of inducements to train and have fun. As long as
you do anything at all with the
club it's well worth the modest membership fee.
I joined but never did anything with the club, or I incurred an injury. Can I get my money back?
Sorry, your membership is similar to signing up for a triathlon race. There are no refunds at the end of the year. We would go nuts trying to get money back from our coaches to pay you. But you can come to the Ironman Pary and eat $65 worth of pizza.
I am a beginner and have no clue as to where to start. What do I do?
When you join the SVTC, not only are you meeting great people, but also will get lots of help in getting started in the sport. Attend the New to the Sport Program. Whether you need help in swimming, biking, or running, we have something just for you. Show up at the workouts and other club events. We have all been where you are now. The Tuesday night track workout is especially geared for everyone and is a good place to meet other club members.
You can stay on top of club happenings several ways.
How do I gain access to the "Member Area" in the SVTC website?
Once your membership has been accepted, you will receive an e-mail message which will include your authentication information for accessing the "Member Area". If you do not recall your login information, you can retrieve using this Login Retrieval page.
How do I update my e-mail address?
When you change your e-mail address, there are two places you will need to update it for club communication to avoid interruption. The first is in your personal profile found within the "Member Area". The second is to update your subscription settings for both the 'interactivesvtc' and 'SVTC' Yahoo! Groups distribution lists.
How do I get a club membership card?
You can print out a membership card by going into the web site members area. It's not the greatest looking but it works for our sponsor discounts. Distributing laminated cards proved in the past to be a headache, and the fancy ones are expensive. Just trying to put club funds into more beneficial areas, but maybe some day we will come up with something.
How do I get more involved in the club?
We have many activities that need volunteer efforts. We support a number of local triathlon and running races by manning registration tables or aid stations. We produce an annual Silicon Valley Kid's Triathlon that requires several hundred volunteers. And help is always needed for SVTC social events. Volunteering and helping out is one of the best ways to meet people in the club. If you are interested in a Board of Directors position please talk to one of the board members. It's always good to get new people involved in these jobs and they can be rewarding as well.
The member only area pulldown menu is the center button at the top of each SVTC web page. That is where you update personal information, print out a membership card, update your race schedule, and obtain sponsor and race discount codes.
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