Member Update – April 29, 2020

It was so great to see everyone last week at the Senior Men’s Banquet. Congratulations again to my teammates, the Capitals, for your amazing championship victory. I was as surprised as you were that I scored 5 unanswered goals in the third period for us to win 5-4. And for all you young guys playing Division 1, and those old guys who think you’re still contributing, it’s a shame your game was cancelled because of a lack of trash talking. A big thank you as well to the senior men’s committee… those pink tank tops the winners got will really come in handy this summer.   But it was still a great night wasn’t it?

Wasn’t it?

I mean… that happened yes?

Sorry but I really don’t know anymore. I am somewhat delirious; and I can’t really tell what is real and what is a fantasy. It’s been weeks since I’ve been outside my door. When I say I have watched Netflix, I mean I have literally watched ALL of Netflix. And yesterday I submitted an application to the government to pay my Skip-the-Dishes bill. By the way, what month is it?

Well actually… it’s not yet May! It’s only April 29^th.

And in all seriousness, and I know it seems like forever, but the reality is that the club has only been closed for 6 weeks. Is that 6 weeks too long? Yes, of course it is!  And, as you all know too well, the world has changed these past many weeks, and many of us in our NSWC community have been impacted by this crisis – both in a positive and negative way.  Yes, it has changed the way we greet each other, but it’s also changed the order of our priorities, and for some, it has definitely tipped the work / life balance scale back towards simpler times.  The question for our board has been, going forward, how will we live, work and play at the Club?

The one thing that hasn’t changed has been the strength and commitment of the Board, the staff and you the members to keep the NSWC alive and well.  We want to THANK everyone for supporting the Club by keeping your accounts up to date. Without the monthly membership dues, we would not be able to keep the Club from going into significant debt.  With your support, we have been able to keep a skeleton staff, and safely maintain our facility while minimizing losses. Thank you.

Regarding staff, we have been applying for the numerous subsidies and grants that are available for our non-profit society.  With that anticipated funding we have brought back a number of the staff team, including our sports directors, and they are all hard at work developing programs and getting the club looking shiny and clean. This includes dozens of painting projects, power washing, landscaping and necessary capital projects such as the HVAC installation in building B.  Like many other facilities who have chosen to close during the most critical part of this pandemic, we are using this time to improve.  When you’re back, please let us know what you think.

“And, when will that be?”

The Board and management are excited to announce that we plan to OPEN the club with limited services within the next few weeks (hopefully by the middle of May). We have been getting guidance from the various health authorities and provincial sports bodies, as well as looking at best practices within the club industry in North America for guidance.  With that input, we believe that we can safely open many of the amenities within our club albeit with certain restrictions reflecting the health protocols that we’ve all become so familiar with in our daily lives.

The management team, led by our extremely dedicated General Manager, are hard at work developing an operations plan that will guide us through the ‘how’ and ‘when’ each of our amenities can open.

We will announce the confirmed opening date to the membership very soon, along with an approved safety operations plan. Our exact opening date may be adjusted based on the guidance that we receive from these aforementioned authorities.  

So… shall we get ready to party on the TIKI deck next month?

Simply put… No!

The fact is that we really don’t know what guidelines the health authorities will put in place as they attempt to open up amenities such as gyms or restaurants. We really don’t know what the new world will look like with social distancing and small gathering requirements. As of today, we really don’t know what rules and enforcements the club will need to put in place to be compliant.

What we DO know however, is that the safety of our members and our staff is, and will continue to be, our number one priority. And it is very much in your hands to observe the requirements set for the Club in order for us all to remain healthy, enjoy our time at the Club and look to even greater utilization of the facilities.

We believe the NSWC can provide numerous health and wellness benefits to every one of our members, including exercise, comradery, a sense of comfort and for some, a second home.

We remain committed to providing this and much more for you and your family, and we look forward to seeing you all there!

Thank you again for your understanding, patience and support.  Mostly, thank you to each of you that have remained committed members of the North Shore Winter Club.  It’s the word ‘club’ that hopefully resonates within each of us, for a club is not an ice rink, a tennis court, a pool, or a place to drop off our kids.

A club is defined as “an organization of people with a common purpose or interest who meet regularly and share activities”. For me, the NSWC is where I get to do stuff I love to do, with people that I enjoy, in a place that makes me feel welcome.

Like you, I can’t wait to experience all that again very soon!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, or the Board, or Joanna at any time!

Stay Healthy!

Respectfully Submitted,

James Cronk | Board President