Fellow Field Club Members,
First of all, best wishes for the new year to all our members. It is January so the paddle season is in full swing, pickleball is still being played despite the falling temperatures, and even though it may not feel like it yet, tennis and the pool will be up and running in just a few short months. I wanted to take this opportunity, on our newly renovated website, to highlight some of the goals of the Field Club Board for 2023. I think you will agree that we all owe a great deal to the original charter members who had the vision to found the club and, in many cases, build the original infrastructure with their bare hands. That spirit of volunteerism has been the DNA of the Field Club for the last 58 years and all events and activities are organized by member volunteers. Some members serve on the Board, others serve on the various committees and others simply step forward and willingly give up their time to organize events.
We have three main goals in 2023 and the importance of member involvement is behind two of those goals. Firstly, we will continue to work to increase the engagement and involvement of all members, but especially new members, in Field Club activities and committees. Simply put, please don’t hesitate to volunteer to organize or host an event. If you haven’t done so before, I think you will enjoy the experience. And secondly, to support that first goal, we will maintain consistent, timely and useful communication to members. The new website is a significant step towards that goal. We also want to ensure that our infrastructure is maintained and improved and our third goal is to work with a capital planning committee to continue to evaluate and prioritize the infrastructure needs of the Field Club.
The most important asset of the Field Club is the membership. We reached full membership during the pandemic as many families looked locally for summer activities. The great thing was that we had very little attrition when Covid became less prevalent which was a wonderful accolade for the Field Club; once families join, it becomes an important part of their lives and they remain members! We have maintained full membership throughout 2021 and 2022 and this has provided financial stability and the ability to invest in the continued improvement of our club.
We will miss the contributions of our outgoing Board members, Lauren Brady and Adam Steinberg. Lauren served for two years as membership liaison before becoming President last year, while Adam was responsible for marketing and communication. We thank both of them for their time and efforts. We welcome our new Board members Peggy Conley and Stephanie Foster. I also want to thank our returning Board members: Katie Wartman, Tom Libbos, Cameron Burke, Jenn Wilson, Lauren Life and Kevin Sheehy. Each board member has a specific responsibility and I do encourage members to reach out to them to share any ideas you may have to improve the operations of the Field Club:
Membership – Katie Wartman
Paddle & Pickle – Jenn Willson
Communications & Marketing – Peggy Conley
Tennis – Stephanie Foster
Social, Grounds and Gardens – Lauren Life
Pool and Snuggery – Cameron Burke
Treasurer – Kevin Sheehy
Clerk – Tom Libbos
The Field Club heads into this year with full membership, financial stability, and a stable governance structure that will ensure 2023 is another terrific year for all of our members. I look forward to seeing you at the Club!
Respectfully Submitted by Paul Nicholson