When the whistle blows, and it’s your time to take off, what goes through your mind? Are you ready for a lightning-fast sprint, or are you settling in for the long haul of a marathon?
In athletics, sprints are explosive bursts of speed over short distances—you start strong, and if you can, you finish even stronger. Marathons, on the other hand, are endurance tests, where athletes pace themselves over long distances, conserving energy for a strategic sprint to the finish in the final moments.
Dear Rotaractors, every race is about strategy—because in the end, it’s all about winning! While time and world records matter, the real goal is to outpace everyone and cross that finish line first. In Rotaract, however, we’re all winners when lives are transformed. It’s not about who does the most, but about who does it better.
Unfortunately, some of our Clubs seem to have adopted the marathon mindset, starting slow and hoping to sprint later. This approach is risky in Rotaract. We learn in Professional Leadership Development (PLD) that delivering on our mandate within a specific time is crucial. You can’t afford to marathon through your workplan.
I’ve seen that the Rotary Year is essentially six months of implementation and twelve months of planning. With a solid succession plan, our members start focusing on the incoming leadership by January. This means that at least 80% of our year’s goals should be achieved by December, leaving the remaining 20% to be ticked off in the new year.
At ROTS24, we committed to starting strong and finishing even stronger. In July 2024, we inducted 127 new Rotaractors across the District, boosting our numbers to 2,444. What an incredible sprint! How much of this success can your Club claim? Or did you miss out on the “Me too” moment?
Kudos to everyone for the successful #ItsTimeToJoinRotaract Campaign! Rotaract in Uganda trended for days, right from the start—what an amazing sprint we pulled off!
#ItsTimeToJoinRotaract Campaign – Kampala North
Did you catch the Membership Kimeza? Our District Membership Committee shared invaluable insights. Did you sprint to attend, or are you still marathon-ing as the month wraps up?
I know you’re thinking about the “slow-but-sure” mantra, but remember: in Rotaract, most sustainable achievements require early planning, execution, dedication, and timely evaluations. “A Champion is not made in the ring. They are seen in the ring. Sometimes, you have to plan for a whole year just to be recognized as a champion for three months.”
Some folks aren’t willing to do two years of training for a one-month opportunity—they’d rather do a one-month training for a two-year legacy. What a marathon mindset!
Still with me, or did you sprint straight to the photos?
Race through the internet to rotaractd9213.org to see how our District is sprinting ahead.
Simeo Ssebukulu, Rotaract Club of Kampala North Musical
DRR RID 9213, RY 2024/25
