Welcome new members
Two members have expanded to family memberships: the Basils and Cohns. Please welcome the two new members we’ve gained as a result: Robert Basil and Bjorn Nordenflycht.
Save the date
We are planning a tentative club social for Thursday, June 1st so please save the date. More details will be coming.
New cellular booster
Thanks to Keith Perla, Jeff Murphy, Rob Montone and Bill Gipe, we have installed an antenna system that boosts the cellular signal in the court area so members can receive emergency phone calls. The only thing you will notice is a small black antenna on the white plastic table on court 2.
New furnace
While fully operational, we are still making tweaks with the new furnace related to the overnight setback function, thermostats, and better functionality for the summer mode.
Court Reservations
With the recent influx of new members, the scheduling of open court time has been at a premium. In one respect, this is a good problem in that the courts are getting a lot of use; on the other hand, many members have asked for some clarification of our court reservation rules and we refer members to the “Rules & Regulations” & “By-Laws” section on our web site.
Occasionally our answering service (827-7426) has recorded a wrong date or time resulting in courts that are double-booked. We work closely with the service to use these as training opportunities for their staff and this seems to be minimizing problems. Therefore, it’s important to bring any further scheduling issues to the attention of a Board Member so we can immediately notify our service. Please remember that court reservations are posted on our web site so you can double-check on-line to ensure your reservation was properly recorded.
The good news is the answering service is working on a new system that will be less prone to errors than Google Sheets and therefore less likely to result in input errors. Stay tuned!
The monthly reservations on-line also reflect the Master Reserved Schedule. The Board has received requests for additional regular weekly time slots but due to the high demand for open slots, we have voted to hold off on adding any further reserved slots. Instead, will be revisiting this issue for the Fall Season/Schedule after undertaking a comprehensive review of ongoing court time use.
Reserved weekly slots were created for use during “Peak Playing Hours” (Weekdays: 9am to Noon and 6 to 9pm; Weekends: 7:30am to Noon) and for members who have organized into regular groups/leagues of doubles players. As per the Rules/Regs/By-Laws, the purpose of this system has been to “facilitate the utilization of reserved court time.”
The Board welcomes membership input regarding suggestions/modifications as we address this issue moving forward. You can reply to this email or send an email to quakeraurora@gmail.com to contact the board at any time.
Ball Machine Use & Tennis Lessons
A few members have inquired as to QATC policy re: ball machine use & tennis lessons. This issue is covered under the club Rules/Regs: “During the peak playing hours, the use of ball machines and lessons are not allowed unless the other court is not in use or the second court agrees to machine use while they are playing.”
We suggest that when reserving a court for ball machine use and/or lessons during such peak times, you simply check with those on the adjacent court to confirm that the ball machine/lessons won’t present any problem. Assuming QATC members respect the wishes of their fellow club members, we anticipate that issues can continue to be kept to a minimum.
The board recently clarified that our club is not a “teaching facility” with designated tennis pros. Members are free to give lessons to other members as long as they follow our rules regarding court reservations, court use, and guests (fees and maximum visits allowed).
Also, when using the ball machine, please remember the following as a courtesy to your fellow members:
- Sweep up the fuzz with the dust mop or broom behind the curtain by the door.
- Pick up balls that get behind the curtains so members can more easily locate stray balls during regular play.
- Close the curtains between courts so balls don’t stray onto court two, especially when in use.
Reminders
- Please sign in! This will be critical as we analyze court usage and reserved time slots.
- The Guest Policy changed this year from $15/court to $10/guest, still with a maximum of five total visits/guest. Five times should give you ample opportunity to convince them to join!
- Board meetings are open to all members and the minutes are posted on the website. The next meeting is scheduled for April 17th at 6pm.
Quaker Aurora Tennis Club 