President's Corner

Lynn Ashby
CTC Ex-President

President’s Corner
By Lynn Ashby

CTC Members:

So long! Auf Wiedersehen! Ciao! As I prepare to pass on the baton of leadership, it’s time for me to thank you all. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your president these past two years. And I want to personally thank all the members of the Cypress Tennis Club Board for tirelessly giving of themselves year after year. They are the backbone of the Club, and no president could do a good job without them.

But I leave with mixed emotions. It has been a great adventure, with lots of work, but with lots of laughs, lots of wonderful expressions of friendship—and an abundance of good tennis. I hope next year will hold more of the same fun and the same kinds of enjoyable experiences. But the Club now faces some serious problems. We are losing two important people from the Board: Robert Szebert, secretary; and Erwin, editor of the newsletter. In addition, several Club members who have worked hard for many years now want to cut back on their contribution of time and effort.

So, simply stated, this Club cannot function without the willingness of our members to add their ideas and to give some assistance in running things. This does not mean a long-term obligation of countless hours. An event such as a Fun Day or a Doo-Dah tournament needs a few people to bring it about: someone to arrange for food, someone to reserve the courts, someone to plan the day, etc. So, if each of our members will give just a few hours once in a while we can have a full schedule of events. It’s basic: the more who help, the less there is for each to do. Without such participation, the Club will have to eliminate many—or possibly most—of our programs.

In other years we have had similar problems, and at the last minute. someone has always come forward to fill a position or to take on responsibility. The thought that someone else will invariably do the job is
comforting, but it’s not realistic.   With my stepping down, the Club is in need of a president to organize and co-ordinate activities. The weight of that role is lightened immensely when others assist in planning and overseeing activities. Still, without a leader, any organization is in trouble.

However, the news is not all bad. Several key members of the Club have agreed to stay on:

Gary Hunt, vice president;

Sam Lan, treasurer;

Liz, membership;

and, Rafique, who, though moving from Cypress, will continue in the significant position of webmaster. Lisa Pierce has agreed to take on the job of ladder coordinator. So as you see, the Club does not need to fold; we can be as good as ever—with the help of everyone.

We have already scheduled several great events to take place over the next couple of months:

*June 12: a get-together for a picnic dinner at the first of the Cypress Concerts on the Green. Look for the CTC banner
*July 10: an inter-club meet with the Downey Club
*August 1: an intra-Club tournament at Lakewood Tennis Club

Finally, please plan to attend our Club meeting at 7:00 P.M., on Monday, June 14, at Abel’s house. The annual President’s Award will be given at that meeting. And, very importantly, we will discuss and make decisions regarding the future of the Club. See you there—and on the courts!