• From multiple perspectives •
[1½ MIN READ]
When someone new walks in the door, the first thing to do is easy: exchange names. The next step is to share group running goals. There are other steps here and there, but various ones of us volunteer them as the need arises (e.g., Growlers Group Run [this iCandybyWangC.com website and throughout]). In the case of one newbie, a few of us learned about their running story and gave them a sense of who would likely be pacing with them.
With the goal of getting out the door, there’s next the obligatory explanation of how we use a photo to track attendance. And then we have to explain why we check on the status of He Who Shall Not Be Pictured. Depending on his status, the picture either gets delayed until he arrives or I figure out where I’m going to paste him into the it. This time, a glance out the door made his status obvious. The attendance photo setting then itself became obvious.
(L-R: CtCloser, newbie Sammer, Jason, Shoshona, J’Adam, Stacey, Thaddeus, T’Adam, Edder)
Just like getting to know a person, there are certain details that are standard fare for getting acquainted. Depending upon the individuals involved, the breadth and depth of sharing deviates from there, sometimes following familiar scripts (The Overrun) and sometimes less familiar and even new ones.
With every first timer, our wish is the same, that we’ll find the right level of compatibility for them to want to come back again. No assumptions, because everyone is different. But there’s no doubt that what we hope is that someone will become regular enough for us to figure out and appreciate each other’s quir…, uhh, uniquenesses, down to when we can expect each other to show up and how to get everyone documented for participation.
–CtCloser (Calvinthe), “Negative split or positive splat” #dothedue
FINE PRINT ¶Likeness used with permission. ¶Text and photos (unless otherwise stated): Calvin Wang (Wäng), CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. ¶Cross-posted: (1) Facebook JRC Growlers Group Run (2026’01’21’W Run Message), (2) GGR email list, (3) Cerebruns by CtCloser. ¶This website posting: Cerebrun with added caption and enumeration.
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