Mica Anderson is the new president of the Huntsville Track Club, the first woman to lead the organization in its 52-year history.
Anderson, of Huntsville, ran uncontested Tuesday night at the Huntsville Jaycee Building. She was elected for a two-year term during the club’s business meeting. About 70 club members were in attendance and voted. The Huntsville Track Club has more than 1,500 members. Bylaws require in-person voting for executive board seats.
Anderson becomes the club’s ninth president. She has lived in Huntsville for more than eight years and previously served as Vice President of Programs.
“I am here … as a passionate member of our running community,” Anderson said. “Your ideas, your participation and your enthusiasm are what make HTC special. I am eager to continue serving you, and together, we can take our club to new heights. Thank you for your trust, and I look forward to the journey ahead.”
Outgoing president Eric Fritz served 12 years. Previous presidents were Tom Bolt (1972-79), Ray Roberts (1980), Norm Harris (1981-89), Lawrence Hillis (1990-93), Randall Roland (1994-95), Steve Rice (1996-97) and David Purinton (1998-2011).
Other club board members elected Tuesday night were:
Secretary: Lauren Stegen
Treasurer: Kris Strope
VP Communications: Drew Butler
VP Programs: Lindsey Shady
VP Equipment: Kyle Wagner
“I’m really excited about Mica and this new board,” Fritz said. “I think everyone on the board brings something new and exciting, and it’s good to have new ideas.”
MAIN PHOTO ABOVE: Huntsville Track Club Board members (left to right): Drew Butler, VP Communications; Kyle Wagner, VP Equipment; Mica Anderson, President; Lauren Stegen, Secretary; Kris Strope, Treasurer, Lindsey Shady, VP Programs; Dwayne DeBardelaben, RD of Rocket City Marathon
Anderson’s Goals
In her nominee speech prior to the vote Tuesday night, Anderson outlined several goals for her term and beyond:
“First and foremost, I am committed to putting on quality races that are affordable for all. Let’s continue to make our events accessible to everyone in our community.
“I would also like to focus on building HTC’s identity through outreach and branding. One thing we’ve been working towards lately is for HTC to have its own unique identity. I would like to continue to do so through community engagement and by strengthening our brand so that we are not just a club, but a recognizable presence in Huntsville.
Anderson said she would like to see a united local running community.
“A big dream of mine is to have a Huntsville running community where everyone feels welcome, regardless of their background or running level, or what group is hosting a certain race or group run,” she said. “Let’s unite our community and encourage participation without the fear of division. We are all part of the greater Huntsville running community and I envision us having one big running family.”
Finally, Anderson hopes to help foster a sense of community within the club to help increase member engagement.
“Your involvement is crucial. I want to hear your ideas, understand your interests, and tailor our programs to meet your needs,” she said. “Would you like to participate in HTC group runs? Course preview runs leading up to our races? More member events throughout the year so we can see one another outside of a running setting? Let us know. Tell us how you want to get involved, and what kind of events you’d like to see, and let’s create an HTC calendar filled with activities that resonate with you, our membership.
Other Notables
Other highlights from the business meeting committee reports:
— Butler, the new VP of Communication, said he would like to see the outdated club website rebuilt to be more user-friendly and vibrant. The last update was September 2016. Butler also plans to re-examine social media and other forms of outreach.
— Fritz, the outgoing president, said Huntsville Track Club race numbers (entries) are up slightly. And they are not necessarily up to the highest they were before covid, but they are close to it. I think before covid, In our biggest year we had just a little over 19,000 participants in races. This past year, we had a little over 18,000. So we’re down a little bit from there, but that was only one year (in that 4-year stretch).
— Harold Tinsley, one of the club’s founding members, has retired after 50 years as the HTC News editor. Tinsley and his wife, Louise, published the 5×7 newsletter six times a year with information about running, club news, results and more.
HTC Races
— Donna Palumbo stepped down in 2023 as race director for the Cotton Row Run on Memorial Day, but remains interim director. No one has stepped up to replace her. Palumbo said things are moving along well for this year’s event. “We’re not looking to change anything,” she said. Bill Penney Toyota still is the title sponsor.
— Dink Taylor, outgoing VP of Equipment, said the club bought some small finish line arches and banners with club branding. Taylor has completed the required city parade permits for 2024 club races, as is the one for the 2025 Mountain Mist 50K. Taylor plans to work harder to make Mountain Mist “a well-oiled machine, better than it is now.” The 30-year-old trail ultra was the first in the state and attracts more than 500 entrants from across the country each year.
— Dwayne DeBardelaben, co-race director with his wife, Dana, for the Rocket City Marathon Weekend, said this year’s RCM will be Dec. 14-15. The 2023 event had more than 3,100 registered and broke even financially with its $300,000 budget. He said the dynamic registration system “helped streamline things” quite well. DeBardelaben added that “it is our intention for this to be our final year” as race directors. He said they hope to work with other directors or whoever is interested in taking over to make the transition seamless.
