ARTC Spring Newsletter April 2022

Dear Members,

Welcome to our Spring Newsletter, keeping you up to date with current news and information at ARTC. We are looking forward to a full season of competition and social tennis without the restrictions of the past two years. If you have any queries or questions about any of the contributions please contact info@artc.org.uk.

2022/23 Subscriptions and Membership

The rates for the upcoming season (1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023) reflect a return to a normal season and were agreed at November’s AGM. They are: 

• Adults £60

• Family £135 - two parents/guardians and all children within the family unit up to the age of 18 and students in full time education up to the age of 21 as of 31 August 2022
• Juniors £15 - up to the age of 18 and students in full time education up to the age of 21 as of 31 August 2022
• Day membership £5

Please note:

1. Subscriptions are due no later than 30 April.
2. Match fees are £4 (£9 for home matches if we are able to provide teas)
3. The committee reserve the right to review rates during the year.

New members

The club always welcomes new members and if you would like to join simply complete our membership form at https://artc.org.uk/membership_form.html or if you prefer please contact Pauline Belt on 07981419760 to find out more information.

Adult Coaching

Coaching with professional coach, Rob Jones will begin on Monday 28 March 2022 at 5pm and 6pm, the times will move forward an hour when light allows. The 5pm group is called the Development Group and ideal for those who have returned to tennis after an absence or just starting out. The 6pm session is ideal for those members playing in the leagues. Pauline will send a WhatsApp message the week before as a reminder and to gauge interest. All new attendees are very welcome please text Pauline to be added to the group or find out more information on 07981419760. Cost is £7 per person.

Thursday Club Night

The Thursday club night will resume on Thursday 31 March at 6pm. Just turn up and join in. It’s a great way to consolidate and practice the tactics and tips taught by Rob on the Monday evening coaching.

Junior Coaching

For the first time we have been able to offer junior coaching on Monday afternoons during the second half of the Spring Term!  This has been organised by Matt Ward from "I Can Play Tennis" and delivered by professional coach, Damian Galloway.  Junior coaching will continue on Monday afternoons through the summer term:

4pm - 5pm: ages 4 - 7

5pm - 6pm: ages 8 - 11

Places are quite limited on these coaching sessions, so if you are interested please ensure that you book early via the app "I can play tennis".

Junior Club Nights

Junior Club nights are very much geared to enhance the range of skills encountered during the coaching sessions, whilst also enjoying lots of the fun games that we play. 

These will resume on Friday afternoons during the summer term, beginning Friday 29 April:

4pm - 5pm: ages 4 - 7 (parents are actively encouraged to join in!)

5pm - 6pm: ages 8 – 11. If there is sufficient interest we could also include a 11-16 year old session  between 6pm - 7pm.

Maintenance and Health and Safety

Following relaxation of Government guidelines on 24 February, the QR code posters have been removed as they are no longer necessary. Similarly, other signage has also been removed, but the social distancing posters remain to encourage continuing good practice & as a reminder that Covid has not completely 'gone away.'

The club will continue to monitor, review & follow any future LTA & Government guidelines to ensure and maintain members' safety.

You may already have seen the net winding handles and net measures have been reinstated. Please continue to use the hand sanitiser stations located on court 2 and the clubhouse, or your own gel or wipes, to protect yourselves and others.

The first aid kit has been returned to the clubhouse and is located in the bottom right- hand drawer, should it be needed.

Please let a member of the Committee know should you notice any damage on or around the courts, or believe anything to be unsafe, so appropriate action can be taken.

Team Selection

Geoff Bullock has sent out a Doodle to plan some pre-season training sessions for those members planning to play competitive tennis this year. There has been a good response so the Selection Committee (Pauline Belt, Chris Howat, Suzanne Webb and the 4th team captain tbd) will be able to use it to assess pairings and get a feel for availability in the first weeks of the season.

Selection always involves a lot of juggling between teams and the good response for the 3rd/4th teams means that a squad approach has been agreed. This will allow everyone to have the opportunity for competitive play and was successful for the 4th team last year. Here are the links to the league websites for information:

https://yorkmixedtennisleague.org/

http://www.yorktennisleague.co.uk/

http://yorkmenstennisleague.co.uk/

Mixed Teams Post- match refreshments

Now that we are returning to a regular season, we need to consider whether we are able to provide refreshments for home matches. We are currently exploring ideas for making this happen within budget but it may well not be feasible. We will let you know our final decision which has to be submitted to the league before the start of April. This will obviously have a knock- on effect with match fees and away match arrangements. More details to follow.

Ladies Saturday Social Tennis

After years of organising Ladies Saturday Social Tennis Julia Campbell has decided to pass the baton on to Vasilka Woods and Amanda McVey. The membership is indebted to Julia for all her enthusiasm and great organisational skills which has allowed year- round play for the ladies in the club. We hope she enjoys the freedom to enjoy her weekends without having to organise running orders and the WhatsApp group. So, if you are wanting more information about this session contact either Vasilka or Amanda through info@artc.org.uk. Here is their first message,

 Hello ladies, as most of you have already heard, Julia has expressed her wish to step down from the position of captain of the ladies 2nd team and also from her role of organising the ladies social tennis. Julia has been brilliant and filling her shoes will not be easy but Amanda and I are looking forward to taking on organising the ladies social tennis and we’ll give it a good go. You will still be receiving the usual messages for our social tennis which will continue to be on Saturday afternoons. With the weather warming up, we hope that there will be more of you taking part. 

Thank you and hope to see you all at the courts very soon! 

Balls in the Clubhouse

Used match balls are now available in the club house for club sessions and social tennis. If you use them please return after use and if wet/damp please use the rack on the counter to dry them rather than returning them to the tins.

We also recycle old balls to raise funds for the club. If you have finished with your balls please recycle them in the labelled pink bin.

REPLAY court maintenance

The courts will be out of action on 6 APRIL between 12.30pm and 4.30pm for cleaning.

Harlequin Tournament

This will take place on Sunday 3 April between 10.00 am- 2.00pm. A Doodle has been sent out and final details will be sent out to those signed up on Friday 1 April. Anyone wanting further information contact Geoff Bullock on info@artc.org.uk . Further tournament dates will be decided during the season.

Facebook

Is there anyone in the Club who would like to take on posting on ARTC facebook page? If so, contact info@artc.ork.uk . We would love to hear from you and it can be arranged to fit in with your own timescale.

Summary of Weekly Events