Award Nominations Requested -Portland Bicycling Club

Award Nominations Requested

This year will be forever remembered for what it lacked…opportunities to ride safely behind and beside your fellow club members, overwhelming your favorite local establishment while stopping for a hot drink, pastry, sandwich or bowl of soup, and getting out in the fresh air, and keeping those legs and lungs healthy. 2020 got off to a wet January start, but February and March were drier and warmer than average. Then came the lockdowns, that are changing the way we live on planet Earth. Lucky for all of us, cycling appears to be one of the safest activities remaining.

Given the shortened cycling season with canceled events (e.g., American Lung Association’s Reach the Beach, originally scheduled in May, rescheduled for August and October and finally cancelled; July’s Seattle to Portland (STP); September’s inaugural PBC Pedals & Pints; and almost every other event ride), cycling has been achieved through informal meetup groups, broadcast via social media or private email invitation. With this lack of data gathering, PBC mileage/participation-based awards such as “Ride Leader of the Year,” “Newt Acker Goodwill Ambassador,” “Comeback Award,” “Most Improved Rider,” and “Most Improved New…  ✎  Rider” will not be up for nominations for 2020.

Since there were no special events, “Volunteer of the Year” is not an applicable award this year. However, your club kept on running, even without your regular expected special events. The “bills are paid, and the club is solvent” takes on a more important meaning in these times.

This leaves two awards which our club can present to deserving club members: The most prestigious honor is the “Jim Mooney Member of the Year” (JMMOY), and the second highest honor is the “Valued Member of the Year” (VMOY).

  • Selection criteria for JMMOY will be relaxed in 2020 given the shortened year where riding 1000 or more miles, serving as a ride leader, and participating in a special event was either not practical or possible.
  • Criteria for VMOY remains “To be eligible a member must have contributed in an outstanding manner during 2020 but does not meet the qualifications for Jim Mooney Member of the Year.”

Written nominations for JMMOY and VMOY should be either mailed or emailed to me at: Corey Eng 11025 NW Ironwood Ln. Portland, OR 97229 or [email protected]. The deadline for submission is December 31, 2020.

A few remaining thoughts: 10,000 mileage plateau plaques will be available for all club members whose 2020 miles placed them into that next highest level. The presentation of awards is yet to be determined and will probably be via Zoom. Click here to see past award recipients: https://portlandbicyclingclub.com/pastawards/.

Corey Eng, Awards Committee Chair