Birmingham Wheels Roller Speed Club

As you know we held the 2006 Club AGM in January of this year. Going forward it will be our intention to hold the AGM in the November of the preceding racing season. To this end, then, I would like to welcome you all to the 2007 Birmingham Wheels Roller Speed Club AGM.

It has been without doubt a most interesting and eventful year for the club with highs and lows, but I am pleased to say that the highs far and away outstripped the lows.

As I noted at the last AGM we had witnessed the sad passing of our Club President and one of our country’s most accomplished skaters, Leon Goodchild. In his passing Leon bequeathed his entire estate to the Birmingham Wheels club which now that all the finalities have been administered amounts to just over £7,000. This sincere act of generosity will be used to develop the club at all levels but primarily at grass roots where we already have a wonderful array of talent and skill.

As well as this we also secured a further £8,160 by way of a lottery funded grant known as Awards For All. This has also helped us develop our club but moreover it has helped us bring skating as a sport into the public eye. It has done this by helping fund the Skatesmart programme that is rolled out to schools across the West Midlands by our very own Sharon Tongue and Vincent Henry. Together they have developed a pool of youngsters that enjoy whatever skating has to offer them at all levels, whether that be recreational, social or competitive.

Throughout the year the club held three events of it’s own as well as the track playing host to Ashbourne RSC’s own event and what can only be described as the most successful British Championships in almost 30 years. As a club we consistently have the highest number of entrants at domestic race meetings. Additionally, the total number of entrants at the Outdoor British Championships was the highest seen in nearly three decades and personally I feel that our club has played a major part in this success. The Birmingham Wheels facility that we are all so familiar with, I feel, has helped attract clubs from all over the country. Not only are we perhaps the most central of locations for speed skating in the UK, but the dedication of you, it’s members, skaters and parents alike, is there for all to see. When I take a step back and look around I am nothing but proud of what we have achieved and created and it is this, I believe, that makes people want to come and race here. I can’t thank you all enough for your efforts and long may they continue.

I think it is fair to say that we can also be considered the most successful club in the UK in 2007. Chris Stafford, Vincent Henry, Alexandra Geen and Simon Davis have all represented Great Britain this year internationally. Vincent and Alex have also gone on to achieve new British Records. Alex went one step further by being crowned the first ever ladies British Inline Cup Marathon Series winner and also voted Speedskater of the Year – the first ever lady to win this most prestigious trophy.

In the British Championships we were not outdone either. We took more gold medals than any other club, as well as some outstanding efforts by our youngsters. As well as medals for Hannah, Jennifer, Alex B. and Jordan we also saw massive improvements with Paige, Kirsty, Liam and Jared. We should also not forget young Matthew’s win and Mattie Glynn’s excellent bronze in Preston at the Marathon Championships and the fact that Alex B. was awarded the M&T Eason Award for showing the most promise.

As we move into a new season I can’t tell you just how excited I am at how things have progressed with the club in such a short space of time. On a personal note I have made some great new friends whose passion and desire for success I have nothing but admiration for and would again like to thank everybody for their help in 2007.

All that remains is for me to wish you all a wonderful Christmas should I not get the opportunity to do so, and here’s to a most successful and prosperous 2008!

John Fry

Birmingham Wheels RSC - Chairman

Report presented at the BWRSC AGM 

on November 18th 2007