A Message from the New President

Welcome to my first "President's Message." The term of Buzz Travers, CPA and JD, has come to an end, and the term of Brian Prast, FSA and Cheesehead, has begun. While the acronym FSA has multiple meanings, in this case, it stands for Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. Yes, I am an actuary. I am sure most of you are familiar with the term Cheesehead, but for those who are not, I am a HUGE fan of the Green Bay Packers and had visions of another trip to the Super Bowl this year. (Congratulations to you Patriots and Giants fans.) In addition to being a Packers fan, I am also a HUGE fan of the Field Club (FC). My wife Jean and I and our three kids have been members of the Club for over ten years. Our three years on the waiting list were well worth it. We have enjoyed all the activities the Club offers and have made so many FC friends. I am honored to be your President and will do whatever I can to keep our Club the best family pool, tennis, and platform tennis club around.

Hopefully, my presidency will run more smoothly than it started. As you know, our Annual Meeting, including the installation of our new Board officers, was postponed from November 4th to November 18th due to the Halloween snow storm and the associated power outage. I want to again thank Jim Girotti, our FC manager, and Denise Collins, our Social Committee liaison, for the outstanding job they did in rescheduling our meeting. Under these extraordinary circumstances, the party was a great success, enjoyed by about 80 members at the Twin Hills Country Club. Feedback was so positive on the new venue that the November 2012 Annual Meeting has already been scheduled at Twin Hills.

Like many of you, the Field Club sustained significant tree damage from the October storm. Fortunately, none of our buildings were damaged. I want to thank Jim Girotti for coordinating the major cleanup effort on our property. This is just another example of how valuable an asset Jim is for our Club.

By now, many of you have seen or played on the newest addition to our Club - our 5th paddle court. Like the other courts, it is seeing lots of action, both contract time and numerous mixers. Please see the schedule of remaining events on our website. Hopefully, many of you will be able to participate in a number of them. Also, please don't forget our junior paddle clinics on Tuesdays through the end of March. I have stopped by a number of times and the kids always look like they are having a great time. In addition to having fun, they also are learning the game through the excellent instruction of Rick Plaut. Please contact Rick with any questions.

Over the next couple months, your Board will be very busy planning for the FC spring and summer activities, continuing to assess the Club's short-term and long-term capital improvement needs, and exploring ways to enhance the FC experience. However, we can't do it without you. We welcome your thoughts on how we can improve the Club and encourage you to contact any of the Board members with suggestions. A listing of our current Board members appears on our website. We also encourage you to serve on any of our many committees. Our Club thrives through its volunteerism. Please consider volunteering if not already, and thank you to all our current volunteers.

Finally, I encourage you to take advantage of all the activities the Field Club has to offer. Keep an eye out for e-mail blasts announcing upcoming events and also monitor our website for social calendar and event updates. I look forward to seeing many of you on the paddle courts and at the Spring Fling scheduled for March 30th at Twin Hills. Rumor has it Denise has lined up the same great band from last year's Spring Fling. If that's the case, you may even see me out on the dance floor. Please don't let that keep you away.

Take care,