From: “Ralph R. Swick”
To: All 2002 Groton Road Race Amateur Radio Volunteers
Sent: Monday, March 24, 2003 8:09 PM
Subject: Radio Volunteers needed for GRR 2003
The 2003 Groton Road Race date is approaching. This year’s race is scheduled for Sunday, April 27. The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club has once again been asked to coordinate logistics, health, and safety radio communications for this event.
You helped us last year and the road race committee remains greatly indebted to you for volunteering your time.
If you are available on April 27 for at least the afternoon, and are willing to help us this year please contact me at kd1sm@arrl.net or 978.582.7351 (between 7pm and 10pm).
I plan to have a pre-race briefing meeting on Saturday, April 19. At this meeting we will briefly discuss changes from prior years, make assignments, and hand out instruction packets and T-shirts. This pre-race meeting will be 0930 to 1030 at the Pepperell Community Center at the Pepperell Rotary (intersections of Routes 111 and 113). If you are not able to make this meeting on the 19th, please do not let that dissuade you from volunteering to help us on the 27th.
Thanks once again for helping to demonstrate why Amateur Radio is an important resource to our communities.
I attach below a more lengthy description that you might want to share with other Ham Radio operators to explain why this is an important event for us and to encourage them to consider helping.
73,
Ralph Swick KD1SM
Groton Road Race Depends on Amateur Radio
Since its start in 1990, the Groton Road Race has depended on Amateur Radio to provide logistics support and course safety communication. The Groton Road Race pulls in Police Officers from a wide area to manage traffic on the major roads over which the course runs. Hams provide the only radio communications that all these Officers from multiple towns have in common. This is a premier opportunity for Amateur Radio to “strut its stuff” — to demonstrate that we are professional in what we do and that we provide a service with skills that cannot be obtained anywhere else.
In addition to the health and safety communication during the actual race, Amateur Radio Operators assist the pre-race parking teams get a thousand vehicles safely into and out of the parking area and their occupants into shuttle busses to the race grounds. Radio Operators also shadow the Race Directors and their staff during course setup and provide the critical coordination link between the Race Director and the Groton Police Department to confirm road closings and permit the starting musket to be fired.
This year, the 12th Groton Road Race will be held on Sunday, April 27. There are four separate races scheduled during the day; a Tot’s Trot, a 2k Fun Run, a 5k road race, and a 10k road race. Approximately 40 Radio Operators are needed to fill the necessary roles during the day. This has always been a fun and rewarding experience for the radio volunteers. There is even one operator who runs the 5k race then grabs his HT to man a station along the 10k course. 2-Meter handhelds are sufficient for most of the locations, though a few stations with higher ERP (mobile magmount and higher power) will be needed.
If you are able to assist, please contact Ralph Swick KD1SM at kd1sm@arrl.net or telephone 978.582.7351 evenings. Some tasks will start as early as 0900 while the major 10k race requires operators to be on station at 1230. A pre-race-day briefing meeting is planned for Saturday, April 19 in Groton, location TBD. At the briefing meeting station assigments will be made and T-shirts and instruction packets will be distributed. If you are not able to attend the briefing meeting but have participated in the Groton Road Race or similar event before and are available on the 27th, please do still contact Ralph.
For further details about the race itself, go to http://www.grotonroadrace.com/