“So happy just to see a smile underneath the sky of blue,
on this New Morning! “– Bob Dylan
I held off a bit before sending out the recap of the ’20-21 indoor season as we all are starting to transition from indoors to outdoors. Fresh air and sunshine!
May 27th was the official final date for the season and that very season marked our 50th Anniversary in business. By all accounts this was some year. I’m not going to review challenges, but rather I want to emphasize the positives. Our customers and staff really made this past year special and for every step backwards, we had two forward steps of remarkable acts of kindness, cooperation and support which was a game changer.
The Governor allowed us to reopen our doors July 7, 2020, and through late-May we had 41,000+ visits through our doors according to our Contact Tracing system (yes, the swipe tags served a purpose.) Of that grand total we reported 12 positive cases of COVID, a remarkable rate when you think of it. We put in place significant policies and procedures to keep the building COVID-free, but in the end, it was everyone’s cooperation which made those work. Thank you!
“PIVOT” was a term the staff used daily, and we made it our mission to make this work and keep people playing. Our staff gave 110% to support that. We revamped our entire Junior and Adult Clinic Program to flex, eliminated large gatherings/parties/tourneys, etc., and kept occupancy to a minimum. “Sanitization and fogging” became our nightly routine and even when the CDC said we can pull back a bit we kept it in place through the season. We lived up to what we said we’d do: be diligent and pro-active. In all, we made it through and together one backhand at a time!
Going forward everyone knows the club is closed for play this summer, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s all R &R. The day after we closed, Efrain started painting the lounge (we need some fun colors in here, I’m told), the plexiglass dividers mostly came down (we’re being cautiously optimistic) and Duke was out on the 35 ft. lift patching the court ceiling, wiping down the duct work and painting net posts. KJ and Mary Lou are revamping our systems procedures with a goal of “simplicity.” Tennis is a simple concept: 2 or 4 people on a court trying to hit a fuzzy yellow ball (sometimes red, orange & green) inside the designated lines. You meet new people, take a break from life’s challenges and you have a lot of fun! We sometimes make it too darn complicated, that’ll change come Sept. Our Jr. DAT Net Generation program returns late Sept. and get ready for Tendai to tell you why that’s a great thing! We’re still monitoring COVID and though good trends are happening locally, let’s keep an eye on it and we’ll report back as we get closer with all the details. We’re optimistic and hopeful!
I want to wish everyone a safe and healthy summer, but ask that you also remain diligent. Check our web site and social media for outdoor places to play, if you don’t have a spot and the courts where our tennis pros will be working are also listed. I encourage you to stay connected to them, they do a great job. Once again, thank you for your support this past year. It meant a lot and still does. Get ready, lots to look forward to in September at YTC! It’s a New Morning.
Stay healthy and hopeful,
Joe Curto
President
