Ambassador Joy Olson with new QCTC member Sharon Minor
Gloria Bible
Funny how one thing leads to another. When Bonnie Arnold moved to a brand new unit in Quail Creek, she soon saw the need for a Unit Rep to help new neighbors get to know one another. Bonnie stepped in, became her unit’s representative, and soon realized the rewards of smoothing the path for newcomers with a warm welcome and helpful information.
Bonnie, an avid tennis player, thought the same kind of approach might help in welcoming new members to the Quail Creek Tennis Club (QCTC). The club’s president Rick Wade also saw the need for an official welcome to QCTC and proposed the concept of an Ambassador Program with the aim of seamless integration of new members into the club.
With this mission in mind, Bonnie crafted a comprehensive program, and before long, 12 club volunteers committed to serve as Ambassadors for a yearlong period. The program is structured so that Ambassadors are evenly paired: couples with couples and one-on-one same-sex pairs.
To ensure consistency and continuity, Bonnie developed a 10-point checklist to guide the Ambassadors. For example, one of the checklist items is orientation to the tennis courts, covering helpful topics such as turning lights on/off after dark, introduction to the equipment shed, and ball machine protocol. Since Wi-Fi is available courtside, newcomers are welcome to bring their PCs so they can go through the process of logging onto the QCTC website to sign up for weekly league play, and reserve a tennis court and the ball machine if desired. All this is included in the information packet new members receive, but the “computer-compromised” find it helpful to actually have someone walk them through the online steps. A final step is to get on the courts, hit a few balls, and play a game or two with their assigned Ambassador. Interestingly, if unexpectedly, the Ambassador Program has spurred a burgeoning interest in Social Membership. One of the final commitments of the Ambassadors is to host new members at the next social activity and introduce them to other QCTC members. Past social activities have included a potluck tailgate, chili cookoff, ladies’ holiday luncheon, pizza/Valentine’s Day party, and Cinco de Mayo fiesta.
Even nonplaying spouses/partners may enjoy QCTC social activities with a Social Membership for only $10 per calendar year. The QCTC Social Committee (Cindy Gong, Dinah Shumway, Sylvia Arnold, and Chris Moravchik) has raised the bar for fun events, with each social seemingly outdoing the previous one. So, even without holding a racket, Quail Creek Tennis Club members enjoy our fun (and yummy!) social events. Come let us “serve” you!