As many of you have suspected or even heard, our Granite Curling Club is now closed for the balance of the season. Given the rapid movement of this global crisis, the Board has been working diligently behind the scenes, meeting and corresponding frequently over the past several weeks. With the increasing severity of this crisis in our overall community, it did not seem realistic that we could be back up and running in a reasonable time frame to make the rest of the season viable. Therefore, it is with regret and sadness that we have cancelled all activity for the rest of the season, including Spring League, Summer Spiel, and High School League.
The Board determined that the risks of remaining open far outweighed the benefits. Extra diligent precautionary measures by club members would not be able to stop the spread of COVID-19 within the club. Even if there was some way to secure the safety of our curlers, our staff, and our many volunteers, the financial impact of keeping the club open for April – June without having a realistic timeline for when we will be able to reopen would have been tremendous. With the help of the Board, the Finance Committee, and the Ice Crew, it was decided that the best course of action was to take the ice out immediately, conduct a comprehensive assessment of what the impact on GCC has been, and reopen strong in the fall.
An additional impact from COVID-19 is that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) is postponed to the very start of the 2020/21 season. The concern with having a virtual AGM was that engaging our 580+ members on the various agenda items would not have been possible. There's also the concern that some members couldn't connect due to technology restrictions. Finally, the financial picture that would have been presented at a May AGM would be incomplete as to the impact of COVID-19 on next season is so uncertain.
Rather than having an AGM in name only in May, the Board determined the most prudent approach would be to have in-person AGM in late August or early September. Doing so will permit us to determine GCC's priorities together as a club.
In the meantime, the Board will continue its work on various initiatives, such as prioritizing physical enhancements to the building, enhancing member communications, and improving GCC's culture and volunteerism efforts. You can expect additional details about all of this and more throughout the coming months.
Thank you for your continued understanding. So many of you have reached out to the Board to express your opinions, provide guidance, and provide reinforcement and approval of the difficult decisions we have been presented with. The curling community is strong, and these are stressful and trying times for everyone, so please be safe, and take care of yourself and your loved ones.
I’m sure I am not the only one who feels a giant empty void from having curling, which has such a massive impact on my social existence, suddenly taken away from all of us so abruptly. Please reach out to myself and the rest of the GCC Board at board@curlingseattle.org with your suggestions on how to make the Granite Curling Club even better in the 2020/21 Season. We'd love to hear them!
Phil Shryock
President, Granite Curling Club