Dear Member,
I think this will be my last regular weekly email from the bridge of the Club at 750 University Avenue. The lifting of the Commonwealth’s emergency order restrictions, and the great reduction in the number of infections gives less urgency to my sending out a weekly update. I will reserve the right to still send a direct email, should there be breaking, urgent or otherwise important information to which we want the Club membership’s attention. I promise not to indulge myself in over-communicating as that will only diminish the importance of getting your attention to the information that matters for everyone.
COVID-19 Update
We again had no reported cases of COVID-19 at the Club this past week. We also continue to have no evidence of any transmissions of the virus at the Club. To repeat from emails of the last several weeks, if you are now fully vaccinated and would like to supply Cheri Rigby (cheri.rigby@scboston.org) with a copy of your vaccination card, it will exempt you from needing to show the Club a negative PCR test after having flown (in a plane).
I am also repeating the below information from last week’s email because it is important to understand where we are easing restrictions at the Club, and where we are not. Because we are easing some restrictions, it is now more important than ever to notify Cheri if you have been exposed to the virus or you or someone in your immediate circle has been infected. We need to closely monitor any changes in activity at the Club to ensure that the easing of restrictions is not precipitating any transmission of the virus at the Club.
As of May 29, 2021
- The current health questionnaire required for admission has been edited and reduced in length. Its completion is still a requirement for admission so that we can readily contact trace the membership should we have a COVID-related incident at the Club.
- Masks will be required inside the Club, at least through the end of the season on June 30, 2021. We are following the lead of U.S. Figure Skating in this regard.
- BEGINNING TOMORROW, skaters on the ice will no longer be required to wear a mask while skating. They must still wear a mask while off the ice though, even if their skates are still on.
- We recommend that skaters who have not been vaccinated still wear a mask at all times. But that is only our recommendation.
- Every skater has the option to wear a mask while on the ice. There will be no mask shaming at The Skating Club of Boston. I certainly plan to continue to wear a mask for the near future. It is a personal choice.
- Coaches are still required to wear their masks while on and off the ice.
- The Club has dropped the social distancing requirement. For reasons explained in last week’s email.
- Locker rooms will remain closed for now, and until we evaluate any effects from the easing of these restrictions.
- Masks are no longer required while outside the Club facility.
- Masks are STILL required for The Studio.
- Eating is now allowed throughout the building. Please continue to clean up after yourselves.
- The Micheli Center will determine their own guidelines for working out and treatment in The Micheli Center. It is likely to follow the Commonwealth’s hospital guidelines, and the Club readily supports that. But they will post their own policies. Please do not request exceptions to them.
- The Club continues to encourage everyone in the Club community to get vaccinated, while recognizing that it is a personal decision and that every family has their own circumstances to consider.
As always, please contact Cheri Rigby directly if you have any questions regarding COVID-19 or in understanding the Club’s safety protocols. She can be reached at cheri.rigby@scboston.org.
Weekly Planner
As the end to my regular weekly emails is now here, please remember that the Club’s weekly planner which comes out every Saturday morning is the most important resource for following Club events, schedule changes, opportunities for this and that, and more. We instituted the planner so that we could reduce the number of emails we send to the membership. We always have lots going on at the Club, and we don’t want to fill up everyone’s inboxes with Club emails. It makes much more sense to establish a single resource that is accurate and updated weekly for the convenience of the Club membership. But this plan only works if members choose to open the weekly planner email and give it a quick scan for information that is of relevance or interest. Please don’t rely upon individual emails to keep you notified. We may not keep sending them. But we will keep including all Club information in an organized fashion suitable for fast review in the weekly planner.
Annual Meeting
The Club’s annual meeting will be at 6:30 pm on Friday, June 11th. A formal notice with a link for the Zoom registration was sent earlier today. For those of you who are new to the Club, the annual meeting is akin to a state of the union address. The Club’s leadership will review the state of affairs with the Club, including its finances and the Club’s most recent audit. We will also talk about plans for the coming year, take questions, and of course, have the election for the Club’s Board of Directors. The election is uncontested this year, but there will still be the formality of the Club Secretary casting a vote on behalf of all the members. At this year’s meeting, there will also be an announcement of special recognition for members receiving gold pins and Honorary memberships.
Congratulations!
Finally, congratulations to Alex Shaughnessy-Ronzio, Michael Bramante, Bryna Oi and Ron Kravette for winning the PSA’s President’s Award of Excellence at the PSA’s EDI Awards Thursday evening. The award is certainly well deserved! These four coaches have been working independently and collaboratively to not only coach the Club’s dance teams, but to build the nascent dance program at the Club. We have a number of highly-promising teams now, and more to be developed. It’s incredibly rewarding to see these quietly diligent coaches get national recognition for their work here at the Club. As it should be!
Thank you, everyone! Please have a safe and fun holiday weekend.
Sincerely,
Doug Zeghibe
Executive Director
