White Oak

Tri Squad

Draft copy

1. INTRODUCTION:

1.1The Club shall be called White Oak Triathlon Squad (WOTS), hereafter referred to as 'the Club' and shall be affiliated to the British Triathlon Association (BTA).

The purpose of the Club is to provide Triathletes with ample opportunity to participate in the competitive aspects of Triathlon and to afford its members a meeting place for social activities.

2. Affiliation:

2.1The Club shall register annually with the BTA and shall affiliate to any other organisation as shall appear to the Committee to be desirable.

3. Colours:

The Club colours shall be yellow and black. Members are expected to race under the club name and in club kit as often as to be reasonably expected.

4. Events:

a) An annual adult and children's race will be organised and promoted by the Club in accordance with the Rules of the British Triathlon Association (BTA).

b) On events held under (a) of this rule the Club shall provide such awards as may be warranted by the nature of the event and the number of entrants.

c) All Club annual challenge trophies shall be presented at the Annual Prize giving and shall be held for a period of eleven months from the date of presentation. All other awards shall be presented as soon as possible after the events in question.

d) Every member shall receive annually advice of the Club awards and qualification criteria to be considered for such awards. As a general rule, age categories will be decided as per BTA rules i.e. age as at 31st December of the appropriate year. The Committee shall decide at each AGM the appropriate races for the Club challenge trophies.

e) All annual challenge trophies shall be insured by the Club.

f) Entrance fees and awards for all Club events shall be determined after consideration by the Committee who shall, as far as is practicable, ensure that each event is self-financing.

5. Bankers:

The Bankers of the Club shall be Barclays (Dartford), or any such bankers that the Committee shall from time to time decide. Two signatories from a possible 4 will be needed to draw on the Club account. Club signatories will be selected from appropriate Officers of the Committee.

6. Categories of Membership:

The Club shall consist of: -

a) Full members, who: -

·  May participate in all the activities of the Club and race under the White Oak Tri Squad name.

b) Visitor, who: -

· May participate in all the training activities of the Club for a maximum of 1 month. Then must upgrade to a full

7. Rules:

Upon election to the Club members shall be made aware of these Rules.

8. Annual Subscription:

a) Full member - will pay an annual membership fee (1st April - 31st May) and a training fees when ever training.

c) Visitor - will pay per occasion for a maximum of 1 month. Then must upgrade to a full member.

All subscriptions shall be due on the 1st of April in each year and only fully paid up members may take part in competitive events as members of the Club and be elligable for Club Awards.

Any member whose subscription is not paid by the 31st of May shall cease to be a member of the Club and all Club property in his/her possession shall be returned to the Secretary forthwith. No membership card shall be issued until the subscription has been paid.

9.Conduct of Members:

Members shall conduct themselves in such a way as to promote the good name of the Club. If any member shall be guilty of any conduct objectionable to any other members of the Club or prejudicial to the interests of the Club, that member shall be liable to expulsion by a resolution of the Committee. The decision of the Committee shall be final and conclusive.

10. General Committee:

The General Committee of WOTS will be made up of the following Officers:

a) The Honorary President:- usually an honorary position.

b) The Chair:- Who shall preside at all meetings of the Committee except when the President exercises her/his right to do so. The Chair is entitled to select from the Committee a Co-Chair to deputise as necessary.

c) The Secretary:- Who shall attend, in person or by deputy, all General meetings of the Club and all Committee Meetings and take minutes of all proceedings. Such minutes shall be entered in a book and presented for confirmation at the next meeting. The Secretary shall be responsible for the general administration of the Club's affairs.

d) The Treasurer:- Who shall receive/collect and bank all monies/subscriptions paid to the Club and payout all monies due from the Club. He/She shall keep the books and accounts of the Club and present a brief statement of accounts at all Committee Meetings. In addition the Treasurer shall present to the Annual General Meeting of the Club a full report of the income and expenditure of the Club. All cheques drawn on behalf of the Club shall be signed by the Treasurer and one of the two/three other nominated Committee Members. The Treasurer shall also invest the Club's monies in such a way as the Committee shall from time to time decide.

e) The Race Secretary:- Who shall insure a programme of competitive and non-competitive events throughout the year.

f) The Social Secretary:- Who shall ensure a programme of social functions throughout the year.

g) The Publicity Officer:- Who shall be responsible for the publicity of the Club and liaison with local Authorities and other local bodies.

h) The Coaching Officer:- Who shall have responsibility for implementing the Club Coaching Policy and general coaching matters within the Club

i) The Webmaster:- Who shall be responsible for the upkeep of the club website.

j) The Swim Rep:- Who shall be responsible for all issues of the swimming aspect of the Club

1. Liaison with the relevant authorities regarding the hire of swimming pools used for training and club events.
2. Liaisons with any swim coach as chosen by the committee taking due note of the opinion of the general body of members.
3. Organisation of the pool activities prior to and during Club events.

k) The Bike Rep: Who shall be responsible for all issues of the cycling aspect of the Club.

1. Liaison with the relevant authorities regarding the hire of equipment/fascilities used for training and club events.
2. Liaisons with any coach as chosen by the committee taking due note of the opinion of the general body of members.
3. Organisation of the bike activities prior to and during Club events.

l) The Run Rep: Who shall be responsible for all issues of the running aspect of the Club.

1. Liaison with the relevant authorities regarding the hire of equipment/fascilities used for training and club events.
2. Liaisons with any coach as chosen by the committee taking due note of the opinion of the general body of members.
3. Organisation of the run activities prior to and during Club events.

No one person may hold more than two positions on the General Committee at any time.

11. Competition Rules:

The Club Championship Rules, published by the Committee from time to time shall be deemed to be incorporated in the Rules and shall have the same force and effect as these rules.

12. Arbitration:

Any matter not provided for in these Rules and any dispute arising out of the Rules or in the interpretation of their operation shall be decided by the Committee after considering relevant representation from the party or parties concerned.

The decision of the Committee on any such matter shall be final and binding.

The Officers of the Committee shall make decisions on a one person, one vote system. In the event of a tie or dispute, the Club Chair will have the right to a final vote which will decide the matter.

13. General Meetings

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Club shall be held not later than the end of October 31st each year. 21 clear days written notice shall be given to Members by circulating a copy of the notice to every member at their home address and posting the notice on the Club notice board. Members must advise the Secretary in writing of any business to be included on the agenda of the AGM at least 14 days before a meeting. The Secretary shall circulate or give notice of the agenda for the meeting to Members not less than 7 days before the meeting.

The business of the AGM shall be to:

1. Confirm the Minutes of the previous AGM and any General Meetings held since the last AGM.

2. Receive the full report of the Club accounts for the year from the Treasurer.

3. Receive the annual reports from the Officers of the Club.

4. Elect the Officers of the Club.

5. Review Club subscription rates and agree them for the forthcoming year.

6. Transact such other business received in writing by the Secretary from Members 14 days prior to the meeting and included on the Agenda.

Special General Meetings may be convened by the General Committee or on receipt by the Secretary of a request in writing from not less than 5 Full members of the Club. At least 21 days notice of the Meeting shall be given.

Nomination of candidates for election of Officers shall be made in writing to the Secretary at least 14 days in advance of the AGM date. Nominations can only be made by Full Members and must be seconded by another Full Member.

At all AGMs the chair will be taken by the Club Chair, or in their absence the Co-Chair.

Decisions made at a General Meeting shall be by a simple majority of votes from those Full Members attending the Meeting. In the event of equal votes, the Chair shall be entitled to an additional casting vote.

A quorum for a General Meeting shall be 12 Full Members and 6 Officers of the Club, including the Chair or Co-Chair, the Secretary and Treasurer

Each Full Member of the Club shall be entitled to one vote at General Meetings.

14. Alterations to the Rules.

Any proposed alterations to the Club Rules may only be considered at an AGM or Special General Meeting, convened with the required notice of the proposal. Any alteration and amendment must be proposed by a Full Member of the Club and seconded by another Full Member. Such alterations shall be passed if supported by not less than two thirds of those Full Members present at the meeting, assuming that a quorum has been achieved.

15. Dissolution.

If at any General Meeting of the Club, a resolution be passed calling for the dissolution of the Club, the Secretary shall immediately convene a Special General Meeting of the club to b e held not less than one month thereafter to discuss and vote on the resolution.

If at that Special General Meeting the resolution is carried by at least two thirds of the Full Members present at the meeting, the General Committee shall thereupon or at any such date as shall be specified proceed to realise the assets of the Club and shall discharge all debts and liabilities of the Club.

After discharging all debts and liabilities of the Club, the remaining assets shall not be paid or distributed amongst the Full Members of the Club, but shall be given or transferred to some other voluntary organisation having objectives similar to those of the Club.

Signed ........................... Club Chair

Date ...........................

Signed ........................... Club Officer

Date ...........................

Signed ........................... Club Officer

Date ..........................

10 Important Triathlon Rules

You must behave in a manner which is safe, fair and demonstrates good sports conduct. Be careful, enjoy the race and don't give anyone a hard time.
You must have your torso covered on both the cycle and the run [males must wear a singlet, swimmers are acceptable for females] and you must have your race number pinned to your chest.
Your helmet must be fastended securely before your remove your bike from the rack and keep it done up until after you replace your bike on the rack. You will be stopped if you do not obey this rule.
No riding in the transition area. You must mount and dismount your bike in the marked zones.
You must keep to the left at all times, unless you are passing someone in front of you. You must obey the road rules - they still apply even though you are racing. You are sharing the road with other competitors and motorists.
Don't get too close to the person in front of you on the bike. This is called drafting and is not allowed in Novice Triathlon. You must ride single file to the left and stay four bike lengths behind the competitor in front of you.
If you want to overtake someone you have 15 seconds to do so and you must be gaining on the person in front at all times during that period. The correct way to pass is to stay on the left, ride up behind the person in front, when you are close enough, go around them [checking behind you first] and once you have passed them immediately move back to the left of the road.
You must overtake to the right and not on the inside or left of another competitor.
If you get passed, you must immediately drop back four bike lengths so you are out of the draft zone. You may not speed up once someone's wheel has gone past yours to catch up to them again. You must drop out of the draft zone first before you attempt to overtake them.
You may not receive outside assistance of any kind from anyone. The exception is on the swim leg. If you encounter difficulty raise your hand to grab the attention of a safety canoe. Or, talk to a race official.