Hello Don Mills Members:

We are ready!

A heartfelt thanks to the many volunteers who got us up and ready for 2024. The club looks beautiful!

We had a Grounds crew for two days led by our venerable George Blasby: thank you to helpers MartyL, ScottH, PeterH, VamsiG, JohnnyC, MichaelL, LizaS, BillB, SamF, GabrielG, NigelM, KimberleydR, and anyone else I’ve missed – who helped put up all the wind screens, heavy divider curtains, moved the heavy benches, raked the premises of tons of debris and heavy wet leaves and twigs, blew the courts and pathways, put up and measured the tennis nets, …

Inside, the next day, special credit goes to a ladies crew – the Ladies B team under Karen Charyk – who for the second time in two years, washed and disinfected every dish and piece of cutlery in the kitchen, washed out the fridge, wiped down all the surfaces so we have an assuring, sparkling clean start.Thanks to helpers AnneJ, LisaW and MartaH who with camaraderie and efficiency, got the job done in 2.5 hours. AngelaK did the office cleaning alone: 10lbs of computer and balls fuzz, cobwebs, cables galore, computer screens, expired batteries and remote controls, and ensured coffee, tea, milk, and sustenance for all crew. Clubhouse director KathleenG continued on with her teenage son Jack to de-cobweb the clubhouse, clean clubhouse outside kitchen and office, sweeping, mopping, getting in supplies like TP and towel paper, garbage bags and bins.

NYTA’s Dave Duguay and crew exited in good time, we overlapped a bit; he was greatly impressed and even a bit jealous with our volunteer crews; we are a community club, proud of it, and this is how we make things happen, with great teamwork.

A heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers who came forward the past few weeks. Members, you may express your appreciation to any of them, anytime.

Our objective was to be partially ready for First Assessment Tryouts by April 20th, and then individual team tryouts which all took place this week successfully, Apr. 22-26, despite the chilly 2 degree mornings. Thank you and recognition to Leagues and Tournament Director Nigel McClean for leading the entire Tryouts schedule and process, and then to all the Captains and Co-captains under him, working in coordination to create the teams, run their tryouts, manage expectations and lead the teams. If you didn’t know, DMTC fields !12 teams ! – yes, 12 teams.

That is 24 captains and co-captains with whom Nigel and I have interactions with to ensure the healthiness of the process, that good league tennis is offered to our members to be enjoyed by all, no matter which stage of tennis development.

The club is open as of Sat. April 27th, and will operate as Public courts until May 1. No official bookings are required if you wish to play during these last four days of April. Please cooperate in a friendly manner for a few days, we have done this before, and courts can amicably be shared. Coaches are teaching already, so try to avoid Court 1 most of the day, and Court 6 between 4-7pm Mon/Wed. Some tryouts and team practices are taking place, without official bookings being visible, as teams start league matches within a week.

 

Court Reserve online booking

Online court bookings on Court Reserve will open on Sunday. April 28th after you get your CR email, allowing members to book from Wed. May 1 onwards.

This week, we also worked on uploading member data to Court Reserve securely, and you will receive your Welcome message from Court Reserve directly by this Sunday. Please follow the instructions given there. You can download the CR app onto your phones. If you belong to more than one tennis club using Court Reserve, be mindful of that, which might be creating your sign-on problem, so ensure you know which club you are signing on from. And just be patient until Sunday – we volunteers have day-time jobs – so we need Friday night rest, then will be organized for Sunday.

Club Opening Social will be next Sat May 4, 1-4pm. This weekend calls for rain. Please come out and try to pre-register for it in Court Reserve under Events if you can. It will give us a better idea as to numbers to expect. Our Board volunteers and helpers are working hard to prepare you a lovely welcome to the 2024 club season, so hope to see you there for a light Round Robin hit and a good late snack/lunch. Coach Rohan will feed refresher drills.

For those unfamiliar, DMTC offers six courts in a park setting, an air-conditioned clubhouse, WIFI, free balls during programs, lively Round Robin Socials, great Teams, and skilled Pros to take you to the next level.

We invite you to visit our website where you can learn about DMTC’s programs for 2024.

We are very excited about the coming season and look forward to seeing you on the courts!!

Don Mills Tennis Club Executive