Happy New Year to all Club Members!

The slogan for this year is COMMITMENT, COMMITMENT, COMMITMENT.

As the new Crew Manager, I would like to take this year as a build up year for the club. I am hoping that there is still enough enthusiasm and loyalty amongst our members to pull together as a team and rebuild this Dragon Boat Club to what it used to be. In order to achieve this, I will need help from all of you and not just the usual bods. It is going to be hard work and at times, disappointing, as we can't hope to be in the top flight of the Premier League without firstly, building a team with team spirit, enthusiasm, commitment and most importantly, high morale.

For the past few years' some of our main problems have been - attendance, both for training and events; communication between the committee and the crew; and one or two other points. DON'T STOP READING JUST YET!!

This is how we would like to run the club this year.

Training: The application form states that you must attend one training session a week, when the clocks go back, we will be running 3 training sessions and you must attend at least 2 sessions a week. All members must attend Thursday and Sunday sessions. This will be discussed at the mandatory Crew Meeting on Thursday 14^th January 1999 at 8.00pm sharp at Boveney Farm (the first building on the left hand side of Boveney Road) - Bring a Beer.

Let me just make it clear that what happened last year with training attendance and events will not be accepted this year. We will be prepared to ask none attendees to reconsider their commitment to the club. This way we can be sure of a team that wants to be a team.

Our aim this year is to attend the Surrey and Albert Docks events and possibly Cardiff, a weekend away to Holland and to enter, if up to standard, the European Championships. The calendar attached also includes the Eton Head and Great River Race. None of these events are overnight stays.

Mike Phelps, the Great Britain Coach, will be asked to coach 4 members of the club as soon as possible in order to establish our permanent stroke. We have been approached by a local sponsor who wishes to purchase a new boat for our club. We are in the process of ordering this from the manufacturers which should arrive within 10 weeks. This will be discussed further at the crew meeting.

Attached are some rules of the club, please read them.

Paul Oatway

1. All members must turn up 10 minutes prior to the stated training times.
2. All members must instil team spirit by travelling together in the minibuses unless family members ie. children are attending also.
3. All boat preparations prior to training will be done as a team and not left to individuals - drum, paddles etc.
4. Training will be essential if you want to get in the team. If you don't train you will NOT get in the boat, full team or not and you will be asked to reconsider your commitment to the club. Two training days a week is mandatory.
5. When attending events 2 weeks prior to that event, 3 training sessions a week (one being ergometer training on a Friday night) will be required.
6. New crew members are top priority to the club this season so all existing members must try to recruit and not just forget about the club until training days or leave it, as usual, to others. So come on one and all and muck in together.
7. Only under exceptional circumstances, will any exceptions be made to these rules and reasons made to either the Crew Manager or Crew Captain.

Team player - a person who works or plays well as a member of a team who are not solely concerned with his or her own glory.

Team spirit - willingness to act as a member of a group rather than as an individual.

Teamwork - the combined action of a team, group etc. especially when effective and efficient. To pull together for the sake of success.

REMEMBER THIS AND WE WILL SUCCEED