Welcome to SOAR (South Oakland Area Runners). Please ignore the leadership page. It is totally meaningless, because I created this running group with the intent that all members will have optimal input, and the opportunity to participate in future running events and activities. Starting a run club on Meetup.com isn’t exactly a groundbreaking (perhaps I should substitute the word-breaking. I’m probably risking a self-jinx) event at this point in time, so I will preface this introduction by saying that it is not my intent for this group to be a direct competitor. Such a decision would be a waste of my time, effort and money. I always figured that in order to justify such an endeavor, a concept or theme for a group should be unique and distinct from other clubs, while promoting similar activities and interests. I have been running for most of my life (with all the injuries that I’ve experienced, I should probably substitute the word-most), and it has long been my observation that runners share some of the same habits and tendencies as skiers. Runners and skiers both tend to be esoteric and extroverted, and Metro Detroit’s skiing community has always been able to leverage that fact. This is where SOAR comes in. My objective is to pattern the South Oakland Runners after the Metropolitan Detroit Ski Council, which acts as an umbrella organization for numerous Detroit area ski groups. To reiterate and expound, during my past travels, I discovered that running & ski outings share a tendency of engendering a jocular (pun intended) atmosphere. Participants are usually very laid-back and outgoing. Years ago when I skied with some of the Metropolitan Detroit’s ski groups (most notably the Ski-Wi Ski Club), I observed this similarity. However, there were some significant differences as well. Over the years, Metro Detroit’s ski clubs have been very cohesive in its organizational structure, and have always fostered a climate, in which fellow skiers could socialize, network and even travel with one another. As the old adage goes-“those who play together, stay together.” My concept goes much deeper than that! Most of us have either experienced or witnessed severe economic hardship in our area, and consequently, many people have been left with a sense of powerlessness. Well, one of my objectives is to provide an open forum, in which people can network and engage in both a business and social interchange. In other words, our club members will have the opportunity to “put their best foot forward” and establish a foothold (all Puns intended) within a chosen industry! Many people have simply run the gambit (another pun intended) with all of the customary job search methodologies (career fairs and numerous unanswered resumes), and I just figured that people convening with like-minded interests and hobbies should be able to expand their horizons. My vision here is to hold an outgoing symposium, in which fellow runners will be able to hobnob for that “perfect job”. In summary, SOAR will offer many of the same advantages that the Metropolitan Detroit Ski Council has in in place for its members, with some intriguing and unique exceptions. While the MDSC charges annual dues for its members, we will not require any financial obligations! However, monetary contributions will be humbly accepted and strongly encouraged. I’m introducing a new concept here. I realize that I may traversing all over the map (pun intended), but there is a purpose. Although dues will be voluntary, I am going to structure it to resemble a PPO (Participating Provider/preferred Provider Plan), in which our members will have the choice to pay into a fund that will accord its participants several perks and privileges. This is a rhetorically appropriate analogy, when you consider that this will ultimately be a health-related organization, and thus using a “group health plan” model is a fitting simile. These “perks & privileges” will be centered around group travel, especially marathons and trail runs. This is essentially how the MDSC operates. Their members are allotted discounts and special offers on upcoming trips and events. I intend on aggressively courting an ample amount of corporate and business sponsorship. Funds from sponsorship will serve a dual-purpose. Depending on the level of cash flow into our group’s treasury, a significant sponsorship base can substantially defray the costs of supporting the club site, and the overall travel/event expenditures of its participating members. Basically (if I can learn to be more concise, this might be an appropriate description), our sponsorship fund will match any contribution that a club member applies towards the group. That could potentially make a big difference on any running enthusiast’s activities calendar. In other words, you can consider this to be a form of a “frequent runner” discount plan. I could definitely use some help with launching this plan, so feel free to join our team. As the old adage goes-“the more, the merrier.” At the time of this anti-climactic ranting, it is the 2011-2012 Holiday Season, so that pun was definitely intended!