President's Message - March 1st, 2019
It is hard to believe that March is upon on us and finally, the weather is starting to cooperate. Be sure to check out the Board Messages for complete information on our upcoming March in-house tournament which is shaping up to be the best and biggest.
I want to take this opportunity to talk about two upcoming significant events. One is rather mundane and the other extremely important to your safety.
When our club was founded, our bylaws required a 20% membership quorum. It was easy to get 20% when we were a club of 100 or so. Because of our current size, we would now need to have 140 members show up to meet that quorum requirement. Our bylaws have never been changed and we have not been able to achieve a quorum in several years.
So, how do we (our club) become street legal again? The first step is to amend our bylaws. Our bylaws committee and Board believe that 10% is now an appropriate number and consistent with other Club Charters here at Festival.
So, where do you come in? We need to pull out the stops and get everyone to a very short meeting to address this one simple (but important) change in our bylaws.
We believe the best opportunity to achieve this is to have a very brief business meeting the first day of our in-house tournament (March 18th at 10am). We will then quickly vote on this issue and let you get on with the exciting and popular Blind Draw event.
Even if you are not participating in the tournament, please come, vote and participate in one of our countries basic principles. I would argue that you owe it to your club to do so.
On to the next item. Thanks to member Wade Zimostrad’s efforts, there is new signage at our two venues with a more prominent display of their addresses in the event of an emergency requiring a 911 call. A big thank you to our HOA for being responsive to this need.
In addition to this, your Board has approved the purchase of Emergency Information badges that will be provided to each of you just before our business meeting on March 18th. You will be able to easily attach these to your gear bag. As such, Emergency address information will only be steps away from every court when they are in use. These holders are also large enough to hold personal health information, should you desire to do so. This suggestion was provided by club member Ramona Knipstein.
So, a big thank you to Wade and Ramona for their active participation in making our club more safe.
One last safety related thought. We recently had an issue that was not significant enough to call 911, but a member fell and needed assistance off the courts. Another member suggested that perhaps we keep a wheelchair and perhaps crutches in our storage areas for this type of event. Another good idea. If anyone might have a lead on where we might find these at little to no cost, just let any Board member know.
By now, most of you have probably heard that, due to personal reasons, I will be leaving Festival in the near future (after the In-House Tournament) and will not be able to fulfill my two years as President of your club. Fortunately, you are in good hands with this Board. They serve you with a passion and invest many hours in making our club one of the best.
I have traveled and played Pickleball in many, many venues across our country and had a view of club operations that few have had the opportunity to see. Your club; this club, is a step above all that I have seen and please don’t ever take it for granted.
It thrives because you care and you get involved. Don’t ever get complacent.
While I might not be here physically, I cherish my Pickleball family here at Festival and part of me will always be here.
Dave Pike,
Pickleball Club President
I want to take this opportunity to talk about two upcoming significant events. One is rather mundane and the other extremely important to your safety.
When our club was founded, our bylaws required a 20% membership quorum. It was easy to get 20% when we were a club of 100 or so. Because of our current size, we would now need to have 140 members show up to meet that quorum requirement. Our bylaws have never been changed and we have not been able to achieve a quorum in several years.
So, how do we (our club) become street legal again? The first step is to amend our bylaws. Our bylaws committee and Board believe that 10% is now an appropriate number and consistent with other Club Charters here at Festival.
So, where do you come in? We need to pull out the stops and get everyone to a very short meeting to address this one simple (but important) change in our bylaws.
We believe the best opportunity to achieve this is to have a very brief business meeting the first day of our in-house tournament (March 18th at 10am). We will then quickly vote on this issue and let you get on with the exciting and popular Blind Draw event.
Even if you are not participating in the tournament, please come, vote and participate in one of our countries basic principles. I would argue that you owe it to your club to do so.
On to the next item. Thanks to member Wade Zimostrad’s efforts, there is new signage at our two venues with a more prominent display of their addresses in the event of an emergency requiring a 911 call. A big thank you to our HOA for being responsive to this need.
In addition to this, your Board has approved the purchase of Emergency Information badges that will be provided to each of you just before our business meeting on March 18th. You will be able to easily attach these to your gear bag. As such, Emergency address information will only be steps away from every court when they are in use. These holders are also large enough to hold personal health information, should you desire to do so. This suggestion was provided by club member Ramona Knipstein.
So, a big thank you to Wade and Ramona for their active participation in making our club more safe.
One last safety related thought. We recently had an issue that was not significant enough to call 911, but a member fell and needed assistance off the courts. Another member suggested that perhaps we keep a wheelchair and perhaps crutches in our storage areas for this type of event. Another good idea. If anyone might have a lead on where we might find these at little to no cost, just let any Board member know.
By now, most of you have probably heard that, due to personal reasons, I will be leaving Festival in the near future (after the In-House Tournament) and will not be able to fulfill my two years as President of your club. Fortunately, you are in good hands with this Board. They serve you with a passion and invest many hours in making our club one of the best.
I have traveled and played Pickleball in many, many venues across our country and had a view of club operations that few have had the opportunity to see. Your club; this club, is a step above all that I have seen and please don’t ever take it for granted.
It thrives because you care and you get involved. Don’t ever get complacent.
While I might not be here physically, I cherish my Pickleball family here at Festival and part of me will always be here.
Dave Pike,
Pickleball Club President