Presidents Message – Jan 7, 2021
Dear Members,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
On behalf of my fellow Directors, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your support, patience and commitment to the NSWC.
A common saying around this time of year is “Out with the old and in with the new”, and while it often applies to worn hockey gloves, never has it been so meaningful to rid ourselves of the challenges of 2020 with hopes of a better and brighter 2021!
The past ten months have tested our patience, our perseverance, and our positivity; it has caused us to take greater care with our actions in light of the fact they affect others more profoundly than usual. We’re being told who we can see, where we can go, and what we can and cannot do. For Canadians who enjoy the world’s best freedoms, that’s a new thing.
As we read the news and see what’s been happening in other parts of the country and beyond, I am reminded how lucky we are to have even limited use of our facilities. To play singles tennis, socially distance on a treadmill or ‘not-watch’ our kids on the ice are luxuries when you consider the alternative.
And that is the purpose of my New Year’s message… to ask you, collectively as members of our club, for a new year’s resolution. And that resolution is very simple. It’s to please follow the rules.
So, what does that mean?
It means that while we are at the Club, we have a personal responsibility to follow every protocol, every policy and every recommendation that is being mandated for us, whether we agree with them or not. Whether we are being watched or not. To follow the rules.
- What are the rules?
- Each and every member must have signed up for an activity or sign-in for each visit to the club.
- Each member coming into the Club must give their name and their activity upon entrance, EVERYTIME, even if you know the front desk staff. Members cannot proceed past member services without ensuring they are checked in.
- Our spectating areas are closed.
- Our steam room and sauna are closed.
- We have restrictions on group sizes.
- We need to stay at least 2m apart from people that are not in our immediate household.
- You must wear a mask indoors unless playing tennis, on equipment at the gym or seated in the lounge.
- You must stay at one table in the lounge with no more than six people, and without visiting other tables.
These are not decisions made by the staff, or the Board. These rules and restrictions are mandated by the provincial health and sport authorities.
What can we do?
We can, luckily, still access the club. We can use the fitness centre, book lessons, play tennis, and enjoy food and beverage. Our kids can do all those things and play hockey too! We need to respect that the staff are there to remind us of these rules and understand that they come to work in these uncertain times and provide us a place to go.
So how big of an issue is this?
Other clubs have been closed down, businesses are getting fined, people are getting fined. Enforcement has been stepped up in the community at all levels. Enforcement has been stepped up in our club with the addition of a security guard. Not for crime of course, but for the protection of our members and staff from those few who do not ‘Follow the Rules’. Aside from our health being at risk, continued access to the club is also at risk.
The definition of a community is “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals”. As we move ahead in 2021, we don’t yet know if the light that we see is at the end is a short tunnel, or a long one. We do know that eventually life and our NSWC community will get back to normal. It will. Until then, please make this resolution with us. Let’s remain committed to the protocols necessary to keep our club open, so we can stay engaged, so we can stay active and doing (most of) the things we love.
Lastly, I will once again take this opportunity to thank Joanna and her staff for their exceptional efforts. So many changes, so many unknowns and so many demands that require flexibility, practicality and a passion for the best interests of the Club and our members.
Imagine, only 108 days until the Tiki deck opens.
Best wishes for a healthy and happy 2021!
James Cronk | Board President