Episode 319 - Alphabet Ears
2023-01-18
— open the full-size coverHostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake
Roving reportersAlison Fraser (King) Johan Duvenhage
Show notes
From the Facebook post
This week, while Olly was playing removalist, Mel decided to breakout and head north to Cowra (opens in a new tab) parkrun.
We have roving reports from Perry Hall (opens in a new tab) parkrun, UK, Living Colour (opens in a new tab) parkrun, Sth Africa and Osborn MetroPark (opens in a new tab) parkrun, USA plus Rachel is back with more Club Corner.
While all goes to plan at Dazza's, there is controversy in the Consolidated Club Report, with a shock frond result leading to a bit of a soapbox moment.
From the podcast feed
This week, while Olly was playing removalist, Mel decided to breakout and head north to Cowra (opens in a new tab) parkrun. We have roving reports from Perry Hall (opens in a new tab) parkrun, UK, Living Colour (opens in a new tab) parkrun, Sth Africa and Osbourn Metropark parkrun, USA plus Rachel is back with more Club Corner. While all goes to plan at Dazza’s, there is controversy in the Consolidated Club Report, with a shock frond result leading to a bit of a soapbox moment.
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Enhanced transcript
Speakers named, sound described and segments marked by the editing pass — not yet checked by a person.
Read the transcriptRoving reports
In this episode
Welcome starts at 0:23
Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country and Ollie Spake on Dharawal Country, Ollie podcasting from the front room with his mum staying after a weekend helping Hannah and James move house, so no parkrun for him. Mel camped at the showgrounds for Cowra parkrun on Wiradjuri Country, her NENDY, with a long history of the POW camp breakout, the World Peace Bell and the Japanese Garden, another post-injury PB on the hilly course, then raced home for her daughter's wedding-dress appointment and celebrated Eynesbury Heritage Trail juniors' second birthday with Janelle's cake. The Office Lady's challenge cards and stickers are in the post, with a few sticker sheets left.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 11:33
Three international roving reports back to back, set up by Ollie ("we're fortunate to have a few roving reports to take us around the globe") and closed by Mel thanking "Alison, Johan and Jeff". Alison Fraser reports from Perry Hall parkrun, Birmingham UK, interviewing Emma, the event's ED of seven years, on the course redesign from two muddy laps to three path-based laps and her top three courses (Somerdale Pavilion, Severn Bridge, Loch Leven). Johan Duvenhage reports from Living Colour parkrun near Darling, Western Cape, with the Malik family - two parents and ten children, over 3,000 parkruns between them, parkrunning since the inaugural Green Point event in July 2013. Jeff, the US correspondent, drives five hours to Huron, Ohio for the 25th edition of Osborn Metropark parkrun, interviewing Timekeeper Denise Parker and Event Director Martin with co-ED and Run Director Morgan.
Dazza's starts at 31:01
This week's Dazza's question: "Hey, Rachel, where's the best park faff this weekend?" Contributions read out from Jack Corkill (Puarenga parkrun, NZ - "the Smelly parkrun" - meeting Alison who was run directing), Barbara Luther (Rockhampton, celebrating sister Dot's 250th at 75), Sam Schroder (Picton parkrun with Luke, who tried barcode scanning for the first time), Sarah Jefferson (250 events at University of WA in the 250 regalia), Karen Hamilton (boss's vest and megaphone at Shellharbour with Darwin), Erica Liotta (Bargara, eight hours' driving and a flat tyre, arriving seven minutes late), Helen Rutter (Lordship Recreation Ground, London - 150th different event), Johan (Living Colour), Chris Gore (Shelley parkrun, WA) and an emailed entry from Sarah Langley (Shepparton's ninth birthday, then Aintree Juniors' second birthday).
the Obi Award — Sarah Langley starts at 41:43
Mel opens the envelope "coming hot off the heels of the Golden Globes" and awards this week's Obi to Sarah Langley, for her contribution at junior parkrun with Lynn Hewson and specifically for coming in by email rather than Facebook - "showing a different mode of transport to get to Dazza's this week... you don't have to be on Facebook to join us at Dazza's". She also receives the limited-time bonus prize, the Office Lady's classy challenge cards and stickers.
Club Corner starts at 43:08
Rachel returns for a second consecutive week, explaining the Alphabeteers club: collecting parkrun event names by the first letter of the English alphabet, with a parallel volunteer alphabeteer some people count simultaneously. Of 445 active Australian events in November 2022, C begins 49 names and M begins 44, while I and V are used only three times each, Z only once (Zillmere, Queensland) and X not at all. Queensland holds two of the three Vs and New South Wales two of the four Qs; no state or territory has the complete alphabet, so adventuring is required. Closes with the standing reminder that all non-milestone clubs are unofficial and unsupported by parkrun.
Emails starts at 45:16
Ollie reads the week's mail from Alison of the Channel 5 News crew in New Zealand: Colin Thorne turned 99 on Saturday and set a new NZ age grade record, finishing in 56:04 for 107.4% in the VM95-99 category; New Zealand also set a national record of 5,612 finishers, 256 more than the previous best on Christmas Eve, with three events breaking their attendance records and the four-week average time creeping from 31:11 to 31:21.
Consolidated Club Report starts at 46:28
For Saturday 14 January 2023: of 367 members, 303 took part at 168 locations. Adventurers at 19 UK events, two in South Africa and one each in the USA, Singapore, Japan and Germany; 37 events in "the greater state" (Victoria), 35 in "the second greatest state" New South Wales, 29 in Queensland, nine each in South Australia and Western Australia, eight each in the ACT and the North Island, six in Tasmania and two in the South Island. Mel later flags a full sweep of all eight ACT events.
the Frond — Shellharbour starts at 47:38
A contested result: the two largest fronds are disqualified for breaking the unwritten rule by attending launches, so Shellharbour "does a Bradbury" and takes the largest frond with six adventurers - a win Ollie cheerfully concedes is "by default", since Shellharbour is his home event. Mel then thanks the adventurers who knew about the Queensland and Victorian launches and deliberately stayed away, which opens an extended soapbox discussion between the two hosts on silent launches, parkrun Australia policy, whether appearance on the parkrun map or an advertised trial event makes a launch "fair game", and Mel's own admission that she resisted the culture change for a long time.
Launches and anniversaries starts at 49:05"Where is the cake?"
Two launches the previous weekend: Calembeen in Victoria, giving Ballarat a third event, and Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Blackbutt in Queensland. "So welcome to the parkrun family, gang." Earlier in the episode Mel covers her home junior event's second birthday - a cake made by volunteer Janelle complete with a puddle and a Jemima Puddle-Duck and all the Marshal positions marked, after they had no cake for the first birthday - and Shepparton's ninth birthday arrives via Sarah Langley's email.
Sign-off starts at 58:22
Ollie asked whether the ACT results had inspired Mel to head back north: instead she was heading west to Goolwa in South Australia with Zoe and Zoe's friend Alicia for a week, and would be tail walking at a junior event at Thorndon on the Sunday. Ollie was run directing at home at Shellharbour, getting the boss jacket but not Darwin, with nothing else planned beyond April. He said he would step off the soapbox, thanked Mel for another week and for sharing her adventures, thanked everyone, gave the Facebook and email contacts and said that was it for another week.