I just moved to a new town and am researching local running clubs. One of the clubs seems like it would be a good fit, but it has a registration process that seems a little odd.
First you go to the team's webpage and fill out a questionaire about your racing and workout habits (how many times you race per year, if you're interested in doing organized workouts, etc.), then if you're approved by the team management, you are sent a link to an online registration page. From there I'm assuming you can join the club.
I've never heard of applying (and possibly being rejected from!) a local running club. Most running clubs where I grew up were very accomodating and welcomed all who paid the dues. What is the purpose of such a strict application process for a local running team? Why exclude people? I can understand if the club is an elite training group like Hansons which has limited resources, but from the team's webpage they don't have many runners under 16 mins for 5k.
Here's a link:
http://www.fleetfeetsacramento.com/2008-nike-fleet-feet-racing-team-application