WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

We hope you have been getting out and enjoying the club.

We want to take this chance to welcome back all of our returning members and do give a big Bayview hello to the abundance of new members that have joined. Welcome to the club (enter virtual fist pump).

It has been a mostly hot summer with little rain, perfect to play on our newly resurfaced courts. The club is looking beautiful and we hope to be able to return to normal conditions in 2021. We miss the socials, round robins, tournaments and competitive play as much as you do!

Still under COVID-19...

As we indicated when BVTC re-opened in June membership fees would be reduced to $50 for the season (normally $150). With this reduced fee we also indicated that there would be limited amenities. It also meant that we would NOT have dollars to employ attendants and provide the other benefits that the club normally offers. These include:

• No use of the clubhouse/washrooms
• No windscreens
• No night lighting
• No outdoor seating
• No social events
• No attendants

While we appreciate that many of these things are now allowed again, we accounted for these not being available this season and priced the membership, accordingly. Please respect the fact that we made the decision to offer a reduced fee this season given the lack of the above, and, that these elements will not be returning this season.

Furthermore, a reminder that Covid is still prevalent and resurgences are happening in many locations around the world, and not too far from home (BC). Just because we are allowed to do something under a new stage of reopening, does not mean that we should rush to do it. Putting people are risk when a potentially life threatening diseases continues to exist amongst us is just not smart.

We take the feedback of all our members to heart and remind you that “it is the responsibility of the community tennis club to provide and ensure all the guidelines and requirements for maintaining a safe facility are provided and adhered to and that physical distancing must be maintained at all times." Please do not let up in practicing safe distancing, limiting unnecessary time spent at the courts, and following all of the regulations that are in place.

An online booking system was initiated that would allow members to book in advance (no attendant) and also allow us to track member usage in the event a member contracts Covid.

For contact tracing purposes, it remains a mandate that we must track ALL the people that are on the court at a given time.

While the large majority of our members respect the guidelines and book fairly, we have noticed a number of people booking courts as singles and playing as doubles, or not booking at all and showing up to play at down times. While you may take pleasure in "beating the system" this is not fair to all of the remaining members and lacks the community spirit that makes Bayview one of the best clubs in the city.

From today forward, anyone caught breaking any of the following BVTC guidelines is subject to having their membership revoked or suspended:

1. If you are playing doubles, all 4 people playing must be registered to play on the booking system, on the same court, at the same time. No booking back to back singles and playing doubles to get more court time;

2. If you do not have a court booked, please DO NOT enter the courts and linger looking for a game, or show up to play when a court is empty to not lose a future booking. Everyone is allowed to have 2 hours of bookings at a given time and able to immediately rebook after a session is complete. If you are playing at any time, you need to be booked on that court. If you book a court for an hour, and no one has booked after you, we will allow you to continue playing until the next booking;

3. If you have a court booked and cannot make it, please cancel your booking. If you cannot make it to a court you have booked, please release the time slot and allow another member to book it; and

4. It is not acceptable to book a court under someone else's name and play during their time slot, even if they have allowed you to do so. This defeats the whole purpose of contact tracing and is just straight out dishonest.

Once again, members who choose to ignore the BVTC guidelines may be subject to have their membership suspended or revoked. If you notice someone breaking the rules, please feel free to write to Steven at vp@bvtc.ca. Your email will be kept confidential.

This club is about ensuring fair play, and giving all members an equal chance to play, not about figuring out ways to beat the system. Please be respectful of your fellow members and ensure everyone has the chance to get the most of their membership.

TENNIS LESSONS

Stay safe and of good health,
BVTC Board of Directors