President’s Letter – Fall 2023

Greetings, Southampton Family!

What a terrific summer around our terrific recreational campus, right? If you’d have told me a few years ago how much satisfaction I’d get from just leaning over the sun deck railing overlooking the SRA pools and watching hundreds of adults and kids goof off, seemingly without a care in the world, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have believed you. Yet exactly that became one my favorite summertime pastimes – watching you have fun at Richmond’s best rec club (just before cannonballing down the slide to join you, of course.) And the word is definitely out across Richmond – with over 550 returning member “units” (families, couples and singles) plus 120 new member units, SRA is very nearly as full in 2023 as we’ve ever been and more folks are reaching out all the time to learn about how they can join the fun, too.

It’s been a lot of fun serving as president this year alongside a dedicated and dynamic group of fellow board members who are all crazy committed to the long-term health, vibrancy, and culture of this unique club of ours. You’ve heard it before, and it bears frequent repetition: SRA is a volunteer-led organization. That means it depends on individuals, couples and families showing up not just for the fun, but also for the periodic work of stewarding this amazing asset into the future. I often think about the hundreds of board members before us over the past 75 years and how each one of them linked arms to lead us to the place we are today. And now we’re all — including you! — setting future SRA generations up for untold hours of fun, day by day.

Just this past year we laid new patios, new Pickleball courts, new sidewalks, and new viewing terraces. We added small amenities like air-conditioned bathrooms, an outdoor ice dispenser, and freshly paved parking. And we brought back an old tradition of summer’s end parties on the lawn, started new holiday traditions, and — let’s not forget — our legion of amazing swimmers brought back the hardware from both Champs and the regular season! Again!

Even better, the fun doesn’t end just because the pool gates have been locked up for the next few months – ice skating season is just around the corner, and the cooler months are the perfect time to hit the courts and work on your tennis or pickleball game. There’s always fun to be had around Southampton – be sure to check the schedules on our website to see what’s coming up next!

The best news? Even better stuff awaits SRA! Pool improvements, tennis facility updates, ice rink renovations – it’s all on the drawing board and up for discussion as we set long range visions and goals. It’s a great era to be at Southampton, and a great time to sign on to help. We’d love to hear from you if you’d like to find a way to get more plugged in, serving on a committee of interest to you, sharing ideas on improvements you’d like to see, and helping Southampton continue to be the best rec club in Richmond. Email or call the office any time or reach out to any Board member and let us know how you’d like to get more involved; we’ve probably got the perfect opportunity for you.

Thank you for letting me serve this year and thanks to our amazing board and staff for making the magic happen across every corner of campus. I’ll see you at Southampton soon!

Shannon Harton

SRA President (on behalf of your SRA Board)