President's Corner

Warm weather is almost here, spring is well in bud and the best hiking weather of the year is at hand. Club Tread members are anxious to get out but took the time to tell us a lot about what you would like in the recent survey that George Welsh and Mike Motek conducted for us. The response was amazing, with almost half of our members sending their thoughts, and we thank you so much for your participation.

The demographics tell us a lot about Club Tread. Two thirds of those who completed the survey are women, almost eighty percent are in those perfect years between 50 and 70, and more that eighty percent live in Victoria, Oak Bay or the Peninsula. This tells us that we need to work on getting younger folk involved with the club and that we need to recruit in the Western Communities.

Less than a quarter have served on the executive, but sixty percent have lead club events. Ninety percent joined the club to enjoy the outdoors through hiking, and almost sixty percent also want to make new friends while getting fit. More than a third would like to see more car camping, hiking and backpacking events.

The risks of exploratory hikes and extreme sports didn’t appeal to two thirds of members, but that still leaves a solid third who are interested in taking some risks. We know that these activities may help attract younger members, so the executive will consider this territory further.

Close to half of members want more three and four-boot hikes and more than half would like more social events. More than half of members don’t think children should be included on our events, while less than half don’t want dogs! Three quarters prefer Sunday as their Club Tread day out and the vast majority want to start between nine and ten am. Half want four-hour events, while the rest are split between those who want three hour hikes and those who want hikes that are more than five hours long. Close to half our members would like mid-week events as well, and a surprising majority are happy to drive more than thirty kilometers to the trail head.

Most members indicated support for an increase in dues, while eighty percent of those who come to planning meetings want to hear speakers; and seventy percent think meetings are the right length of time. More than two thirds would like to see Club Tread offer outdoor training and two thirds want the club to be involved in social action on environmental issues. Two thirds feel the club should be more visible in the community. We are gratified that almost all of you feel that the club executive does a good job and would recommend Club Tread to your friends. We’re pleased by comments such as "Great people. Great events. Awesome volunteers" "I’ve been in the club for ten years and love everything about it especially the people I’ve met" and "I appreciate all the work the executive does to run the club – It’s a great club and the executive are wonderful!"

The executive is interested in all your suggestions, especially ones that called for more challenging hikes like the San Juan de Fuca series that have a higher percentage of young people participation. We also know you want to keep "the nice easy short hikes for older and/or less fit people with a coffee stop."

Not everyone was so positive, though, and we are mindful that some events such as weekend trips are fully booked before the schedule is sent out, that some feel the caliber and diversity of hikes has declined over the past years and that the club is becoming more sedentary as we age. One member complained about too much negative talk about pace, difficulty and leaders while another said that they had been dissuaded from a couple of events and they didn't think some people very friendly.

Everyone needs to understand that if someone is turned down by an event leader, the reason is safety. Either the leader wasn’t comfortable with too large a group, or someone turned up without boots or the individual wasn’t in good enough shape for the event. We’ve all been on hikes that had too many participants resulting in difficulties, and we’ve all been on hikes that were held up by a participant that either wasn’t up to the pace or difficulty of the hike. No one is ever refused because we don’t want or like you. I want to challenge those who feel that we are getting stale to do their part to combat this. The only events we host are those that our members are willing to lead, so if you want more, please give us more! I want to encourage each and every one of you to lead an event and to bring new, especially younger, members to Club Tread events.

Club Tread is the sum of its members and we can only do what members offer to do. I’d like to encourage you to do your share; by coming to meetings, by helping run the club, by bringing in new members and by putting events on our schedule. If everyone does their share, giving according to their abilities and taking according to their needs, Club Tread will continue to grow and give members brilliant, safe opportunities to enjoy the outdoors of Southern Vancouver Island, nearby mainland destinations and even further afield.