January
Swiquet

Message from the Board of Trustees

Greetings Swim and Racquet Members,

Allow me to introduce the 2010 Board of Trustees;

• Bob Sharpe – President
• Jon Whybrew – Vice President
• Dave Ginn – Treasurer
• Julie Nini – Secretary
• Chris Hjelle – Aquatics Chairperson
• Tony Evans – Tennis Chairperson
• Tim Welsh – House & Grounds Chairperson
• Lori Hamlin – Social Chairperson
• Lisa Brown – Membership Chairperson
• Amy Winslow – At-Large

Last summer was a tremendous success for the Club on a number of fronts.  The jump in net new members puts us very close to full membership. Financially we were able to boost the Building Fund, which provides the resources to make improvements to S&R. Despite this success, the Club is not in a position to undertake major improvements in the near-term. It is imperative that the club remain focused on building (see early membership drive below) and sustaining membership in order to bolster our cash position and the Building Fund. Strong membership combined with retiring our pool loan in 2013, will provide added flexibility to consider enhanced club offerings.

One change you will notice this summer is the introduction of club management software. The Long Range Planning Committee, under the direction of Bill Hall, investigated the benefits of moving S&R into the 21st century. The need and payback for club management software was so compelling that the board approved its purchase and it is being implemented now. We are very excited about the power it gives the club to manage our business and offer services to the membership. Further, it will create immediate cost savings such that the entire investment (e.g. software, hardware, training and support) will pay back in 24 months. The dues statement recently received was generated on the new system. Other benefits include a streamlined ordering process at the snack bar.

We are also extremely excited that our aquatics program has named Barb Smith as our new swim coach. Barb has been a long time instructor for the UA Swim Club. She brings many years of experience to S&R and we are confident she can take an already successful program and improve it.

The Long Range Planning Committee (LRP) also initiated a membership survey conducted throughout last summer. There was an excellent response with over 300 members participating. Our thanks to everyone for taking the time and congratulations to Sue Loveland who won the $75 club credit. The survey results revealed clear preferences and plenty of good ideas. The larger and more expensive ideas will be researched further and you will likely receive a follow-up survey to provide further input. The ideas also include some that can be made high priority in the short term because they are relatively inexpensive.

The survey also asked for your opinion on how the facilities meet expectations. We are very pleased that the club received great responses in many areas. Over 85% rated the pool, tennis courts and pool deck as Excellent or Better Than Average; over 50% gave concession menu and area, landscaping and pro shop the same rating. The lowest ratings were for the clubhouse bathrooms, parking lot, pool locker rooms and tennis bathrooms. The latter areas will likely be the focus for the near term, high impact improvements. General repair and maintenance that had been postponed in the last few years will also get some more immediate attention.

Swim & Racquet is in good financial shape but we are wary of initiating costly improvements given the current economic environment. The club is largely a fixed cost enterprise--whether we are at full membership or not the cost to run the club is the same. We can only gauge the potential success of any given summer until we receive current members' dues and tally up the new members in late spring (basically opening day). It is imperative we reach full membership and sustain that level over time. If we can achieve this goal we can confidently initiate enhancements to the club. As you may have noticed, dues did not increase again this year. It has been 5 years since we last increased dues. Future dues increases, if necessary, will be predicated on the ability of the club to run at a break even operating level with full membership.

Lastly, what makes Swim & Racquet special are our members. ;I would like to encourage each of you to become involved in the many committees that will be formed in the next few months (more details to follow...). We can also take pride in our facilities--we offer some of the best tennis courts and pool in the community. I know the pool and tennis courts are closed up for the winter, but I wanted everyone to know that much work and planning is happening year-round to make Swim & Racquet "The Place to be."

Bob Sharpe

Early membership drive

Swim & Racquet announces the 2010 early membership drive. The club is nearly at full membership. Tell your friends and family about this exciting opportunity so they can take advantage of the following excellent incentives!

• Family membership initiation is only $900 instead of the usual $1500
• Couples membership initiation is only $600 instead of the usual $1000
• Senior membership initiation is only $495 instead of the usual $825
• Individual membership initiation is only $300 instead of the usual $500

Why join Swim and Racquet?

• Competition swimming pool with 13’ dive bay
• Fountain and safe children’s pool
• 10 clay and 5 hard tennis courts ( 8 lit at night)
• Many leagues available for all skill levels
• Professional lessons for all ages
• Professionally catered snack bar with healthy and tasty menu
• Social events for all ages
• Beautifully re-decorated clubhouse with full locker rooms
• Think of it as your own private community center!!

These incentives will be offered until we hit capacity.  If any openings remain we will run an advertisement in the local paper after spring break.

For information or an application, access www.swimandracquet.com or call 451-3762.

Social update

Happy New Year!

We had another successful Sweets with Santa event this year – 50 plus families attended the two sessions. We had doughnuts and hot chocolate, provided by fellow member Lou Sauter, and the kids decorated their doughnuts and put assorted toppings on their cocoa. The Gingerbread houses were fabulous and the crafts were enjoyed by all ages.

Thanks to Lisa Brown, Kate Norvell, and Kathy Masters for their assistance in setting up and running things. Thanks also to Shade Seffens, Wes Brown, Elizabeth Masters, and Max and Mackenzie Hamlin for helping with crafts. Finally thanks to Rob Cooper for all his help and Santa for taking time during his busy season to spend time with the kids.

We have many fun things planned for this year. Look for more information soon regarding Euchre night, the Easter Egg hunt, and a Cinco De Mayo party.

Cheers!
Lori