The club will open on Friday April 26!
I apologize that it’s taken so long for us to even give you a date. It turns out that the Hadeka red clay topping that we use on the court is in very short supply. But it finally arrived, and we’re almost there.
It may appear that the courts are ready before Friday. They are not. They need to be rolled enough times that the courts are firm and will not be dug up by players. Please be patient.
Dues and Guest Fees
To those who have paid their dues: Thank you! As for the rest of you…. Pay before you play! The website now makes it very easy to pay, both for your membership and for any outstanding guest fees. There will be a late fee for anyone who pays after May 31. Please, don’t procrastinate.
This year we will collect guest fees during the season. I will send out a reminder mid-season and another at the end of the season.
Caring For The Courts and Weather Closures
Remember to sweep the courts after you play. Coming off the indoor season, it’s easy to forget. Also remember to return the brooms and line-sweepers to their designated spots between the courts. A roll of blue tape will be in the defibrillator box hanging on the shed wall. If you find that one of the brooms/sweepers is broken or not working properly, please put a piece of tape on it and send me an email. Don’t remove it from the court unless it is well and truly broken.
Rain stinks. If we need to close the club due to weather, we will post a notice on the website home page (in the area marked Court Conditions), along with an estimate of when we hope to open. This is new, so bear with us if we need to work out some kinks. If the club is closed or courts are wet, please do not use them. One set of doubles on a wet court can damage it for weeks/months.
If water has collected in a depression and you want to spread it out to speed the drying process, do not use a broom. This just makes the depression deeper, making the problem worse the next time. We have purchased a large foam roller. It will be hanging by Court 1. Please use the roller to spread out the water, and return the roller to its storage spot. Do not leave the roller on the ground. It will ruin it. If this works well we will purchase another roller and hang it by Court 5.
Other News
Open House. We are planning an Open House event for Saturday May 19, 11am-3pm (immediately following Drop-In-Doubles). This will be a great kickoff to the season and will be open to both members and non-members. We will have refreshments and snacks and casual tennis. And karioke. (I’ve just been informed that we will not have karioke). Invite your tennis friends.
New Members. We have 8 new members so far this year. They are: Tom Driscoll, Dan Gardner, Heather Luke, Tony Nakhle, Alla Subach, Manny Veras, Misty Ward, and Kristen and Mike Cincotti and family. Please welcome them to the STC family.
Website. We will be posting news and weather closures on the home page, so check back frequently. On the Club Calendar (under Activities), you will find upcoming events. Within the next week or so we will open up the Members Only page (password = redclay2024). On that page you will find the Member Directory, Contact Information for each activity, a Suggestion Box, and an archive of newsletters. Eventually we will add a Meet Your Match function – we are evaluating various solutions. If you want to update any of your information on the Member Directory, please send me a note. You should only be listed in the directory if you opted in on your member application. If we made a mistake, please let me know.
We’ll see you on the courts!
Dan Smith
President