The History of Tri Preston
Formed in 1997 as Tri Preston S.C. by Alan Mears, Ronan Phelan and current Chairman Paul Sanderson. The first meetings were held at West View Leisure Centre in Preston with a membership of just 5 people in the first year.
Progress over the next couple of years was slow. At the end of 1999 we had built our membership up to 8 and were liaising between West View and Bamber Bridge Leisure Centres. One important aspect was that at the end of the season we had recruited 2 lady members. Basically at that stage the club had 8 members who raced within the sport and met informally as and when required.
It was in the year 2000 that the club really started to build both structurally and membership wise. Although we lost a couple of original members that year we gained 2 major assets in Peter Knott (a much respected committee member of both the North West and national Triathlon panels) and Ian Murphy (a former cyclist who was later to take on a most valuable coaching role). At the end of this season we found ourselves with 18 members all involved in either swim, bike or run. It was not essential to be involved in just Triathlon.
After agreeing to form a reputable committee we decided to change our name to TRI PRESTON and our meeting venue to Virgin Active at the Capitol Centre, Walton le Dale, with meetings on the last Sunday of every month.
It was over the next few years that the entirety of the club managed to prosper. Around this time we formed our present day committee which has always tried to keep the club on a sound base and financially secure. After several committee meetings we drew up a plan that required putting in place over the next few years. Some of the key issues were as follows.
* Building the current membership numbers up. * To try and expand the ladies section. * Have regular club cycle rides and other training sessions. * Hold in-house swim/coaching sessions. * Develop a club newsletter. * Have our own club kit/find club sponsorship. * Register the club with the B.T.A / R.T.T.C and any other sports body that would benefit us. * To let the club prosper by the membership becoming more socially involved and not dependent on the committee.
More recent stuff
From 2001 to 2003 the club has really taken off. All of the above targets have by far been exceeded with the year 2003 being our finest to date. We reached a membership head count of 35, of which 7 were female. Club rides grew from strength to strength, with up to 17 people turning out on A/B rides. Throughout the winter in-house swim/coaching sessions frequently took place at Brinscall Swimming Baths with club members Paul Sanderson and Andy Brooks, both qualified swim coaches, taking the sessions. The club committee welcomed three new vital attributes who helped form a newsletter, develop the Tri Preston Race Series and also organise social nights. Another important factor was reaching an agreement with Paul Hewitt Cycles involving a sponsorship deal. Throughout the last two years Imp Sports have been supplying and upgrading our club kit for both racing and leisure. Last year was a great year for racing. With the large number of members entering local events, we as a club became more familiar to the r acing circuit. We also had a lot of members benefiting from local time trials. The club is affiliated to both the B.T.A. and the R.T.T.C. But most importantly Tri Preston moved forward with its own membership, bonding relationships amongst themselves and without the need of the committee. With the committee making sure that all was structured behind the scenes the membership bonded together more.
At the end of 2003 Tri Preston received a Sports For All grant of £5000, a major benefit towards our future. We still meet on the last Sunday of every month, 6-7pm, but from February 2004 we have been meeting at South Ribble Tennis Centre in Bamber Bridge. With club coaches being trained through the B.T.A and with the support of our members (currently numbered at 55) we can only continue to move forward in 2004.
Thanks for everyones support
Alan Hemmings (Treasurer)
Please Note, from March 2007, the club will be meeting on the 3rd Sunday of every month at the new venue of South Ribble Tennis Centre, Cuerden Way, Bamber Bridge, Preston, Lancashire PR5 6BJ. Start time 7pm.