In other words, drop-ins are no longer permitted at Oakridge. Members who wish to use our tennis, squash, pickleball or speed badminton courts must book their court ahead of time via this website.

Rationale

Why we require players to book courts online:

1. Our court booking system can only be accessed by members. Therefore requiring players to book online helps to ensure that only members are using our courts.

2. By booking courts online, it is clear who has which court booked when. This prevents conflicts and disagreements. It also ensures members that the court they want to use will be available when they arrive to play on it.

3. Court time is rationed equally amongst members. By requiring online booking, administrators can monitor the system and spot the few who might abuse it.

4. Online booking creates data that we may choose to study when the time comes to improve our systems and/or rules.

5. The data created by online booking helps us answer questions on grant applications about who is using our courts and when they are using them.

6. Requiring online booking saves us money because we do not have to hire a receptionist to keep an appointment book.

7. Online booking help us with scheduling staff and coordinating maintenance.

Casino volunteering is fun. It’s simple and very social. Basically, a bunch of friends get together and mess around with $200,000 in cash for an evening. And from that one evening the community association earns more than $70,000 which is later matched by the province and turned into $140,000.

Oakridge tennis players have shown strong support for Oakridge charity casinos by committing to get together and covering an entire shift themselves. The hockey people do the same thing. It’s fun, it’s social and it shows the board that tennis and hockey are prepared to help raise the money needed to expand and improve the facility.

2. Pay Your Fees.

When a few players neglect to pay their fees or try to skirt around the rules in order to save a few dollars, it hurts every squash player in our club. Believe it or not, every one of these instances gets back to the board. So man up, guys, and pay your fees. Show the board that squash players are the kind of people that they want to have around their facility.

3. Respect the Staff, Rules and Facility.

Every incidence of people disobeying staff, breaking rules or abusing the facility gets back to the board. When the guilty party is a hockey player, hockey looks bad. When it’s a lacrosse player, lacrosse looks bad. Once again, squash players can help themselves by showing our staff that squash players are good people to have around.

4. Make a Mess? Tell Somebody.

Every time somebody leaves a dirty diaper in the change room garbage can or a blood smear on the wall of the court or lets their kids run around and leave black marks all over the floor, it makes squash players look bad. But we look even worse when we don’t tell the staff about it. So please send an email or pick up the phone and let Sandy know when a mess needs to be cleaned up.

5. Say “Thank You”.

The Oakridge Community Centre is a community facility. Its mandate is to serve people of all ages. That’s why the Quick Fit is there. It might not be busy, but it serves senior ladies in a way that a squash court never will. So rather than complaining about the empty circuit gym or about the fact that the pre-school washrooms are reserved for children or about the fact that the water fountain has been turned off to prevent the spread of disease, try saying THANK YOU once in awhile.

Say thank you for spending $4,000 to repair the front wall of the squash court. Say thank you for spending $2,000 to repair the showers. Say thank you for putting the lockers back in the men’s change room. It doesn’t matter what you say thank you for, just take a minute to say it now and then.

REMEMEBER

Remember that Don Best, Dmitri Khitrov and I sit on the board representing racquet sports players at Oakridge. We have to answer for everything good and bad that squash and tennis players do. And it makes our job a heck of a lot easier when people are saying good things about squash and tennis players than when people are saying bad things.

Both players entered the final match undefeated with six wins against no loses. Midgley, the tournament’s number one seed, was favoured going in. But the wiley Pacanowski, seeded second, was able to ride his unorthodox squash style to victory in three straight games. He, therefore, finished the tournament undefeated at 9-0.

Earlier in the week, Chris Johnson defeated Tyson Friedley to finish the tournament with a 6-3 record and the B-side Championship. As with the A-side final, the lower seed going into the match came out with a 3-0 victory.

The champions will be presented with trophies at the windup ceremony on March 28 at the Oakridge Boston Pizza. Pacanowski’s name will be added to the Oakridge Squash Championship trophy that hangs in the board room at the Oakridge Community Centre. Pacanowski and Johnson will also be awarded with squash ball storage tubes as part of their winning prize packages.

Meanwhile, the names of all participants will be placed into a hat at the ceremony. One name will be drawn. That person will win a $100 gift certificate from Racquet Network. Food and beverages at the windup party will also be supplied by Racquet Network.

He likes to play frequently and is often looking for partners at the last minute. If you live or play in Oakridge or if you play at the Southland Leisure Centre and are looking for a C-level partner, you may want to look Dragan up in Racquet Network’s membership directory.

I have been playing with him for three years now. He is a reliable squash partner and a blast to play with. He’s also improving every year, which is an indication of his enthusiasm for the game.

Please look for his contact information in his player profile on racquetnetwork.com

Senger is a B-level racquetball player, a 4.0 level tennis player and a D-level squash player.

He is seeking a squash partner at his level who is available weekdays during the day. His preferred location is the Oakridge Community Centre, but he is also willing to play at the Southland Leisure Centre from time to time.

John does not have email access, but he can be contacted by telephone. You will find his number listed in his player profile.