Purpose
Originally founded in 1969 as the Syracuse Track Club and renamed in 1972 as one of three original sport clubs of the Syracuse Chargers, Inc., the Syracuse Chargers Track Club, Inc. was independently incorporated in 1986 as an IRS Code 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.
According to the Club’s formal statement of purpose: “The Syracuse Chargers Track Club is dedicated to the development of all aspects of track & field, long distance running, and race walking in Central New York. This includes support for youth developmental programs and the encouragement of individuals of all age groups and abilities to participate in local, regional, and national and international track & field, distance running, and race walking events.”
Comprehensive service is a hallmark of the SCTC, which provides information, programs and events that:
- Serve the recreational, health-maintenance, and competitive needs of individuals in our community as those needs relate to track & field, long distance running, and race walking;
- Represent the Central New York community in the larger sphere of regional, national, and international activities involving track & field, long distance running, and race walking; and
- Promote and further the goals of the sports of track & field, long distance running, and race walking.
The SCTC is an all-volunteer organization. the Club relies on its membership to direct and staff all of its year-round programs and activities. These programs and activities further several goals:
EDUCATION
The Club publishes and distributes to its membership twelve monthly issues of the Chargers Newsletter; maintains an internet website (www.syracusechargers.org); established and maintains the Ed Stabler Syracuse Chargers Running Collection within the Syracuse University Library; and conducts and supports a variety of instructional seminars and clinics for a range of audiences.
COMMUNITY FITNESS
The Chargers conduct many races, meets, and organized training runs each year, the vast majority of which have no entry fee and are open to the general public. Other year-round programs that the Club conducts include the Charger Challenge (for non-competitive walkers and runners), the Chargers/Special Olympics Program (for developmentally disabled adults), and the weekly Chargers Track Practices inside Syracuse University’s Manley Field House December through March.
ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT
Through the cooperation of Syracuse University, the Syracuse Department of Parks, Recreation and Youth Programs, LeMoyne College, and Onondaga County Parks, the SCTC offers insured training opportunities in a variety of venues. The Club also offers a competitive teams program that supports Chargers athletes of all ages in USA Track & Field Championships competitions.
REPRESENTATION AND SERVICE TO THE SPORT
The SCTC is an active and well-respected member of both USA Track & Field and the Road Runners Club of America. Several SCTC members are participating committee members of each of these national organizations, and the Chargers responsibly represents CNY within those organizations. In addition, the Chargers routinely serve the national organizations as a local source of information and membership registration as well as a host and conducting organization for USATF regional and national championships.
For further information about the Syracuse Chargers Track Club, Inc., contact the club president at president@syracusechargers.org