Ordinarily the “Volunteer Of the Year” award is given to a club member who goes above and beyond giving back to not only the club, but the community as well. Though every once in a while, there is more than one person who goes above and beyond and it’s just too close to pick one or the other. This is one of such years. Let’s take a moment to get to know 2023’s Volunteers of the Year: Robert Hill and Markus Frischholz!
Robert Hill barely needs an introduction as he’s made such a name for himself over the years. His club membership surpasses the official membership records the club possesses. Robert has graciously served on the board for 13 different terms which includes roles such as: President, Webmaster, and Flyer Editor. Since stepping down from the board roles, Robert has been a volunteer photographer for various TCTC Events since at least 2010. He goes through the effort of spending hours at the event taking pics (often in the North Carolina summer) processing said event photos, editing, selecting and sharing them on SmugMug. All this and he shares his pics for free to members and fans. Being in a sport that’s not the most photogenic, Robert has some real talent. It takes a master behind the lens to get the amazing shots he does for athletes where our best angles aren’t always present.
Markus Frischholz has been a member since 2011 and is building a name for himself behind the (video) camera through his works as well. He has become the official editor of TCTC finish line videos. By the way, did you know TCTC has a YouTube channel? Markus edits the raw footage taken at races and creates a master file and uploads it to the YouTube account. On top of that, if you’ve ever viewed the results page and seen a link for the video finish with your results, that’s all Markus’ doing as well. The video is linked from YouTube to the online results page of RunSignUp and adjusts the settings so that Every. Single. Finisher. Can watch themselves crossing the finish line without having to go on a wild goose chase through the video.
Both of these phenomenal gentlemen put in a lot of behind the scenes work which requires skill and a great deal of time. Be sure to give these 2023 volunteers strava style kudos for the great service they provide for the running community.