TROPHY PRESENTATION AND DINNER DANCE

 

Welldone Cindy, you did a great job in organising this year's Club Dinner on 2nd November atDarleys on Boothferry Road. Not only did you organise it but also fulfilled very well the role of Master of Ceremonies. Our previous MC, Pete Ledaine was a hard act to follow.

 

A highlight of the evening were our guests Tanni Grey-Thompson O.B.E., husband Dr. Ian Thompson and Chris Leak, the journalist who has done much to publicise cycling with reports in the Hull Daily Mail. Dr. Ian Thompson, who serves as Coach to UK Wheelchair Athletics, is a former Hull Thursday member who suffered a bad accident whilst racing on Beverley bypass.

Star of the evening was, however, Tanni Grey-Thompson, of diminutive build but with enormous character who gave an interesting and very funny talk, (nothing so formal as a speech) from her wheelchair in the middle of the dance-floor. She included anecdotes and funny incidents from her athletics career, and commented on her ambitions to beat husband Ian in a distance race. Ian reckons he'll retire when she does beat him, but it's no mean ambition for Tanni has won numerous London marathon wheelchair events.

One hundred members and friends attended the Dinner and all enjoyed a good meal followed by entertainment from singer Caroline. More would have liked to have been there but were forced to go onto a waiting list as tickets were sold out more than a month before the Dinner.

 

Forty trophies were awarded, (a list of winners appears elsewhere in Scene). The most prolific winner being Neil Cleminshaw with thirteen trophies, He'll need a lot of silver polish to keep that lot clean. Before the Dinner Paul Kilvington had done a useful job of hooting each trophy individually for Club record purposes. Those prize-winners who were unable to attend the Dinner should be presented with their trophies at the Club's Christmas Feast.

 

Interesting supporting items were the display of photographs and summary write-ups on our young Club stars National junior champion Clare Spencer, prolific juvenile mountain-bike race winner Nathan Wilson, and juvenile time-trial champion Ryan Maclachlan.

 

There was a chance too to contribute to the David Rayner Fund and support young riders looking to make it on the Continent. Put a fiver in an envelope, write your name on the envelope, put it in the collection box, then hope. You could win a magnificent Pinarello bike. Mollie Trotter did last year. Definitely a good 'do'.