President’s Letter – Winter 2022

It seems like we only recently swept the winter debris off the pool decks in anticipation of opening, so it’s hard to believe yet another summer season has already come to a close here at SRA.  Thank you to ALL of our volunteers, coaches, staff, members and guests for an amazing summer! We were delighted to kick off the summer season with free scoops from Gelati Celesti for you, our members, and to extend the season just a little longer at the end by keeping the pool open the weekend after Labor Day.

Despite our waiting list, our membership exceeded all expectations with 150 new families, couples and individuals joining this year (wow!). We were thrilled to have so many people enjoying the entire campus including our tennis courts, pools and beautiful grounds through the entire summer. And have you tried out the new pickle ball court? Let us know how you like it!

We also want to hear from you! Remember to use the handy QR codes on posters around campus to provide your feedback and requests – your input is valuable! Your SRA Board has also spent the past looking at the bigger picture as we kicked off a master planning process and hired consultants to help both with that long-term process and with effective communication with our membership and the community at large. In other words, we are thinking big these days about our future vision for SRA!

Congratulations to our mighty Swordfish, who had an undefeated season in the pool capped off by a big win at JRAC Championships!  The team welcomed over 300 swimmers with 100+ of those being new swimmers (wow again!). We owe a special thank you to Cathy Durrette and Jenn Walker for all of their hard work in leading the swim team this year – as the team has grown, that has definitely become a two-person job. Also, special thanks to Troy Morris for his tireless work as Pool Director, managing our contractor Douglas Aquatics and supporting our swim team, lap swim, clinics, lessons and all who enjoy our pools. And yes, that even included the canines who joyfully celebrated our first annual “Dog Days of Summer.”

Our valuable partnership with Trinity Episcopal School and their tennis program continues for yet another productive year. You’ll see their girls and guys hit the courts this fall and spring and be able cheer them on from the new upper court seating terraces. If you haven’t yet, take the time to check out the gleaming courts and seating – play a set, join a clinic, or simply enjoy some great tennis from the stands! Thanks to Alex Bolin for his continued leadership in the transition from Kourts to Playtonic to make booking courts easier for our members and guests and his work helping keep those valuable facilities in top condition for all of us.

I also want to extend heartfelt appreciation to Leigh Anne and Ken Ratliff and their energetic staff of SRA teens for their tireless efforts at The Swordfish Café. The snackbar had another busy summer offering delicious new smoothies and panini, burger nights and more!  We are all grateful for a well-operated, hopping snack bar with an amazing menu.

Fall has barely begun but Winter is coming, which means before you know it volunteers will be making ice! Yes, ice-skating season is right around the corner. We made some important off-season investments at the rink for your ongoing enjoyment after last year’s season, so keep an eye out for more details from Ice Director Dylan Greenbaum and start sharpening your blades for another great season.

What’s next up around campus, you might ask?  In the next few weeks and months, we’ll be rolling out our new SRA website, a new online membership system full of new interactive capabilities, a freshening of the pool bathrooms (by popular demand!), repairs to the sundeck and (finally) repairing the creek crossing over to the upper courts.  It’s an exciting time!  Reach out to the SRA Office if you would like to get more involved — as you know SRA is a volunteer-driven organization made great by the participation of members like you, so we will always say YES to your help cleaning out closets, facilities & grounds, gardening and more!

Finally, thank you to the entire SRA Board, countless volunteers, the staff at Douglas Aquatics, Stephanie Moore, Katharine Bullock and all who helped in the office this summer. We were so glad to show our appreciation to those hardworking volunteers with our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner and look forward to an even bigger celebration next year as we continue to celebrate the spirit of volunteerism at SRA.  It is truly what makes this community so unique, and we thank you for all you do!

Katie Hellebush
SRA President (on behalf of your SRA Board)