27 March 2012
MEMBERSHIP MEETING – WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
This meeting came about as the result of Nick Gray being approached by some senior members of the Croquet Club and then volunteering to obtain and review information that could serve as a basis for a meeting with Croquet Club members. Nick read all of the e-mails that have been circulated and agreed that there were some significant topics that should be addressed. He then volunteered to develop a presentation for a membership meeting if the Croquet Club's leadership agreed - which they did. The Club's leadership also agreed that they would provide all necessary information to him for review. The Club President and Treasurer also agreed to attend the meeting to answer any questions that he may not be able to because of possible data he missed in garnering information for his presentation.
Ron Hendry, Prez
MISSION HILLS CROQUET CLUB
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
March 28, 2012 at 2:30 PM
Tennis Club- Courtside Café
AGENDA
13 March 2012
Mission Hills Croquet Club members…
March has arrived and as the structured croquet season winds down, I have been notified that some of our membership would like to see certain changes in our Club.
It seems there are some members who are unhappy with how our club operates and feel strongly some changes should be made . There has been an email sent to me and some of our members expressing concerns via Len Lyon. In the email, there is a list of changes demanded and a threat to send these demands to the MHCC by a March 15th deadline. In view of the short notice and possible irreparable damage to our Croquet Club I had a meeting with my Club Advisors for their comments. The level of the complainants desire for change rose to proposing a new croquet club which would be more to their liking. Without getting into the details of their demands it seems these members want to move our Club toward a more social type of croquet and away from the present format.
Our Croquet Club leadership team has tried to provide a fun & competitive environment to every level of membership. We realize our club has transformed over the years and we have various levels of interests within our organization. However, it appears there is a group of members who feel their fun, recreational level of play has not been supported. We have always thought of croquet as being a fun & recreational activity with some “serious” tournament play added. This year has definitely been our MOST active season, and there may have been some stress on our court resources by hosting all 3 National tournaments. The MH Croquet Club has been USCA Club of the Year three times and this lends prestige to the Mission Hills Country Club, who has ultimate control of our croquet lawns. This did mean more lawn usage than normal for tournaments and some inconvenience to some of our members.
We hereby offer to meet with those players who want certain stated changes and address those changes in a fashion which does not jeopardize the viability, heritage, and reasonable expectations of the preponderance of the Club Membership. The Mission Hills Croquet Club leadership team is willing to meet with all members or group of members to listen to your suggestions for making our club better. However, if members or groups of members are unwilling to work through difficulties within croquet and prefer to approach the MH Country Club management, that is certainly their right. We will say, though, this has the potential for doing harm to croquet at Mission Hills and could lead to diminished activity and facilities and increased Country Club bureaucracy for everyone.
I and the Croquet Club leadership do hope the individuals who are struggling with having a fun & happy experience will come forward and meet with us so we can develop a program for next season that will be fulfilling for everyone.
For the MH Croquet Club Leadership Team,
Your Prez,
Ron Hendry
30 November 2011
Mission Hills Croquet Club members….
LAWN AVAILABILITY UPDATE
Background
The 2011 USCA Golf Croquet Nationals were scheduled for Pinehurst, NC, in August. Only 12 folks signed up to play, so it was cancelled. In early September, we received a call asking us to host this event in Mission Hills so the event would not have to skip a year. We agreed because we wanted to support the USCA and their golf croquet program. Plus we knew how much our members loved golf croquet. The challenge was: when to schedule it? how to get it planned while we were traveling and Ben was playing in tournaments? Thus began the incredible chain of events.
It took many phone calls between everyone’s busy summer schedules and then we didn’t factor in or anticipate the OVERWHELMING response we would have for this event at Mission Hills. In fact, we are making history again with our 2nd record breaking attendance of 47 players!!
Bottom line
Thus the bottom line is….lawn #1 normally used for member play only will have to be drafted into service this Friday (Dec. 1st), Saturday (Dec. 2nd), and Sunday (Dec. 3rd) in order to get all the games in for both singles and doubles. Finals will be held on Monday, Dec. 5th and will overlap with practice day for the U.S. Open, which begins on December 6th. Ben will have more details on the actual final schedule as the days progress and “who’s playing whom” will be posted on the bulletin board by lawn #1/#2 under the canopy.
We apologize for this inconvenience to our members, but hey, you’ll have 3 top World Golf Croquet competitors right on your turf to watch … Mohammad Kamal, Sherif Abdelwahab, and our own Ben Rothman. Plus Ben is the current Championship plate holder in this event!!!!! Come see his trophy during the finals and watch the amazing skills and talents of these players. Admission is FREE and PRICELESS!
Ben Rothman, Mohammad Kamal, Sherif Abdelwahab
Golf Croquet World Championship Plate (held by Ben Rothman)
Your Prez, Ron
18 November 2011
Mission Hills Croquet Club Members,
The season has kicked off but without the fanfare of a great opening croquet party. With the USCA’s 35th American Rules Nationals tournament scheduled for early November and the Country Club opening party set for November 18th & 19th, there has just not been a window to allow for such activities. And then there is Thanksgiving, the USCA Golf Nationals, and the U.S. Open on the heels of the prior activities and then Christmas and New Years!!!! Man, where is the time going these days?? However, there will be an official Croquet Club Opening Party in January and all paid croquet club members will be invited, so hang in there.
As many of you already know, our Croquet Pro, Ben Rothman, has returned for his third season at Mission Hills and we are very excited about that. What you probably do not know is this is the third different deal Ben has had with the Country Club. Last year Ben was a Country Club employee and there were some employment restrictions that made this a less that desirable situation for him. This year Ben is NOT an employee of the Mission Hills Country Club, which means he does NOT receive a salary. What Ben has done is sign a license agreement with the Country Club for the croquet lawns. This means Ben receives all the income that is generated from croquet activities on the croquet lawns. These activities include: lessons, clinics, classes, one day tournaments, tournament director fees for the larger multi-day tournaments, and any other income generating activity Ben can dream up.
So, what is the bottom line? We as croquet club members can support him by:
Social interaction has always been and will always be a part of croquet, but at the end of the day this is a competitive croquet club. It was established that way by Pat Apple, Nancy Deupree, and their friends and it continues to be so today. So please support your club and Ben by entering tournaments, small and large, club or public. Ben holds 4 National titles and is a top-ranked player, so why not learn from the BEST.
Genie and I have been extremely busy with tournament preparation, follow up, and trying to get the information out for the upcoming Pat Apple, President's Cup, and Smackdown. We have not been able to be out and about socially and apologize for that. We hope to have all of this done shortly after Thanksgiving and look forward to visiting with everyone on the lawns or at the Country Club. Thanks for your membership in the 2010 USCA Croquet Club of the Year. We are off to a grand start of anotherwonderful season for the Mission Hills Croquet Club , “The Best in the West”.
Your Prez,
Ron HendryAugust 16, 2011
Hello Mission Hills Croquet Club members,
It’s time to send in your 2011/2012 annual dues for the Mission Hills Croquet Club. We are sending this out a little early to give everyone plenty of time to sign up. Deadline is November 1, 2011. Included with this letter are 2 items:
We are looking AGAIN to a very busy and fun-filled season which includes:
Our plans include the return of our “Croquet Pro” Ben Rothman. Ben will line up the clinics, ad-hoc events, and of course his specialized, personalized and group lessons. Ben has been busy this summer competing in all types of International tournaments, so let’s make use of his knowledge and many talents. Ben will run all the tournaments on the Mission Hills lawns this year, except for the U.S.Open.
This season we welcome Marylin (Estenson) Morford and Susan Stiff as our Club’s Social Chairs. They are already planning two large social events for us in which ALL paid members will be invited. This year our club tournaments will be limited to players and their paid guests. In this way, we can return to our former practice of hosting club tournament opening parties in a smaller environment.
Don’t forget to sign up for the USCA American Rules Nationals beginning November 6, 2010. The Entry Form can be found in Coming Events. Deadline is October 21, 2011; entry payable to USCA.
Our entire schedule was mailed last month. If you need another copy, see Schedule (2011-12) in the Club House. Thanks again to Leo Nikora for maintaining our web site so perfectly!! We are looking forward to ANOTHER action packed season for the Mission Hills Croquet Club….
The BEST in the West!!
USCA 2010 “Club of the Year”
Ron Hendry, President
9 July 2011
Croquet Club Members,
I met with our new Tennis and Athletics Manager, Dave Sivertson, today. He said due to the high demand for grass tennis courts from the tennis membership and lack of play of croquet on lawns 5,6,& 7, he is going to convert 5,6, & 7 to tennis for the remainder of July and August. Tennis lawns 1 & 2 will be changed to croquet for the same time period, giving croquet 5 lawns.
After overseeding in September and October, lawns 5,6, & 7 will return to croquet usage for the season and tennis lawns 1 & 2 will return to tennis.
Dave cited the inability of the Country Club to fulfill members request for grass tennis courts while croquet lawns were sitting idle due to lack of member usage. He stated he had to take into consideration all members overall satisfaction and appropriate usage of Country Club facilities.
If you have any questions or concerns, you can email Dave at Dave.Sivertson@ourclub.com .
Sincerely,
Ron Hendry
MH Croquet Club Prez
26 April 2011
All Mission Hills Croquet Club Members!!
An Emergency Message!!!!
Please Read Immediately!!!!
WE HAVE HAD A "FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE" WITHIN THE CLUB!!
The following are communications heard around the croquet lawns in recent days!!!
1. Wine and Wickets are cancelled for next season!! NOT TRUE!! Wine and wickets will be held as in the past few seasons as of now. If things change over the summer, we will adjust as needed.
2. Golf Croquet Tuesday has been cancelled for next season!! NOT TRUE!! Croquet on Tuesday afternoons will continue as in the past years.
3. Ronald "Trump" Hendry is firing people!! NOT TRUE!! Ron did ask Bill and Kathy to hold up on making plans for Wine and Wickets for next season because he is planning on having a social chair and co-chair to head all non-tournament related social activities. Wine and Wickets and Golf Croquet Tuesdays falls under this category. Ron will be working on the details over the summer and did not want plans to be made now that might have to be changed come November. Bill and Kathy have done a wonderful job running Wine and Wickets and Golf Croquet Tuesdays along with Jerry and Paul. We assume they will continue to do so next year if they so desire.
4. We heard that Mike Orgill is no longer our Treasurer. TRUE!! Ron just changed the club Treasurer from Mike Orgill to Bob Morford. Mike agreed to take on the Treasurer job at the end of last season because we could not find anyone who lived year round in the desert to take the job. This was not the best arrangement because of Mike not being here in the summer and sometimes gone during season. Mike also is President of the Sonoma Croquet Club and certainly did not need more work added to his plate. After discussion with several people, Bob Morford agreed to take the job. Mike was glad to give it up. Ron and the Club thank Mike for doing a great job and helping out during the transition.
5. The Mission Hills Country Club is taking over croquet!! NOT TRUE!! Ron has made comments that the Country Club might, at some time in the future, want to incorporate croquet as a third sport for this facility. This has been said to Ron in meetings with the Country Club management, but at this point, no activity is occurring that indicates they intend to do this soon.
6. Will Ben return as our Croquet Pro next season??? All indications and plans from Mission Hills top management say this is “TRUE”. Ben has become an integral and valuable part of growing our Mission Hills Croquet Club and we certainly couldn’t have the caliber of competitive tournaments and players attracted to Mission Hills without him. He is truly an asset in continuing to make our club the “USCA Club of the Year” and “The Best in the West”.
This covers most of the mis-information that has been circulating. However, if anyone has questions or concerns about our croquet club, the best way to get an answer is to talk to Ron. Call me, catch me on the lawns, or e-mail me. I’ll be happy to help clarify any issue one might have.
Ron’s phone: (760) 567-6236
Ron’s email: croquetca@gmail.com
Thanks,
Your Prez,
Ron23 February 2011
ANNOUNCING 2010 USCA AWARDS
Our Mission Hills Croquet Club has been selected as the United States Croquet Association’s (USCA) 2010 “Club of the Year”! Every year since 1980, the USCA has sought to identify and recognize those individuals whose leadership, spirit, drive and dedication to the advancement of the sport of croquet in America, could serve as a model which others might emulate.
Mission Hills Croquet has received previous “Club of the Year” awards in 2005 & 2007.
In addition, honors go to Mission Hills Croquet Club members:
Mike Orgill – Regional District President award
Eric Sawyer – Volunteer of the Year award
These awards will be presented on March 11, 2011, at the 2011 Club Teams Participants’ dinner in West Palm Beach, Florida. Eric and Caren Sawyer will be attending and receiving our award on behalf of the Croquet Club.
CONGRATULATIONS to all and thanks to everyone who contributes in making our Mission Hills Croquet Club “The BEST in the USA”!!!
Way to go!!
Ron Hendry, USCA Western Regional VP
2 February 2011
We have experienced some very disappointing behavior in the past week or so. During our recent Desert Classic Tournament, there was one lawn left open for non-tournament players to use. Several days in a row, these were used by non-tournament players and were left with the string, balls, and clips on the lawns. The tournament crew had to pick these up. There is enough work to be done in a tournament without having to pick up lawns that non-tournament players are using.
Another incident occurred on lawn 7. Some players came out, set the lawns up with strings and balls, played, and left everything out. Len Lyon came later to play and when he was leaving, he noticed nobody was on lawn 7 but all the equipment was out. Karen Comeau was there as well. Len asked Karen if she knew who was playing there. Karen said she had seen people earlier but did not recognize them since we have a lot of new members. Len and Karen picked up the equipment before they left. Thanks to Karen and Len!
This past Sunday at Wine & Wickets a number of club members came out. Everyone left and there were two lawns still with strings and balls out. Plus, the area was left with trash scattered around and on the tables. Thanks to Kathy & Bill for picking & cleaning up!
Everyone needs to understand that the Croquet Club is not run by the Country Club. It is a separate entity at this point in time and all the equipment belongs to the Croquet Club, not the Country Club. As well, the Country Club does not provide clean up service when the Croquet Club makes a mess, the Croquet Club members are supposed to clean up after themselves. I know we have Ben here, but part of his job is not picking up after club members. This should be done by members who take the equipment out or make the mess. It is EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY to take care of our equipment and clean up their mess.
The equipment owned by the Croquet Club is paid for out of member dues. A set of hoops cost about $700.00, a set of balls about $300.00, a set of flags about $60.00, and a string reel with motor, battery, and reel about $100.00. When the string reels are left out, the watering of the lawns ruins the motor. Bob Riddell provides his time free of charge to repair all this. The equipment is now becoming hard to replace and it is not fair to Bob to continue to have to repair because members do not take care of it.
BOTTOM LINE HERE IS IF YOU TAKE EQUIPMENT OUT, PICK IT UP AND PUT IT BACK WHERE YOU GOT IT.
IF YOU BRING FOOD OR DRINK ITEMS AND CONTAINERS OUT TO THE LAWNS, CLEAN IT UP!
Please help keep our lawns beautiful for everyone!
Thanks,
Your Prez,
Ron
3 January 2011
Croquet Balls for All Lawns
Many of our members may not realize that even though we have the same manufacturer for all our croquet balls, they are not all the exact same size. In fact, they vary significantly and this can make a difference when using a particular set. In order to try to assure a close tolerance within a set, Ben Rothman and I spent an afternoon sizing all the balls and placing them into sets. As a result, we need to keep the sets together and not mix set to set.
Please do NOT mix the balls in sets that are in the white tube type holders with the chain handles. These have all been sized and are within an acceptable tolerance for play. The sets that are in the open, wooden ball holders housed in the shed by lawns 1 through 4 could not be sized within an acceptable tolerance. While it is still good not to mix sets, if these get mixed from holder to holder it is not a big deal. I know on golf croquet day and sometimes wine and wickets, multiple sets are thrown out for the peg and hoop shoot. Please use the open wooden sets if this is done. DO NOT use the white tube sets in this manner.
Thanks for your help on this. It is a real pain to size these so we hope we can keep the matched sets together.
Your Prez,
Ron26 December 2010
Mission Hills Croquet Club Members,
Our croquet pro Ben Rothman has been hired this year by the Country Club. I do not know anything about his level of pay and do not want to know. I do know, however, that the Country Club's policy is to pay all their pros at a minimal level and the pros receive additional incentive pay by giving lessons, running clinics, and, in Ben's case, running tournaments. This policy by the Country Club is to encourage their pros to earn more by doing more.
When we have tournaments, Ben receives a part of the entry fees for running them. If we do not have entries, this affects his compensation in a significant way. My purpose for sending this is to encourage you all to sign up for the tournament play and to continue to play in the one day events, take lessons, and pay for entrance into his upcoming clinics. Ben is a great asset to the Country Club and croquet club so we hope he stays and will return next year.
Thanks for your support and have a Happy New Year!!!
Your Prez,
Ron
Mission Hills Croquet Club members,
As you all know by now, Genie and I are taking the presidency for the club from Jim and Phyllis Butts for this year. They have done a great job for the last 7 years and needed a break.
As a result of our replacing Jim and Phyllis, their advisory broad is also being replaced with the following new advisory board members:
Arthur Bagby
David Cartwright
Karen Comeau
Dick Engebretson
Bob Morford
Bob Riddell
Jim Butts as liaison to the USCA and WCF
Of course, as has been the practice in the past, we will continue to involve our emeritus members of Pat Apple, Dick Tucker, and now joining them as well, Jim Butts, in any significant decisions being made by the club leadership.
Another item we would like to communicate is the installation of a collection box on the front door of the croquet shed by lawns 1 through 4. In the past, Jim Bonacci lived across from lawns 5,6, and 7 and he had the collection box at his condo. With Jim moving away, we were left without one. Since we live a distance from the lawns and Mike Orgill rents seasonal and moves around, we thought a location near the lawns would best serve the members.
This collection box can be used in several ways. If you have an entry for a tournament, you can drop it in the box rather than mail it to Mike. If you have helped on an event and have expenses that the club should pay, you can drop these in the box rather than mail as well. The other usage is if you have any suggestions, comments, complaints, etc. that you think the club leadership should address, please complete the form that is inside the shed and drop in the box. This will be the avenue we use to address issues versus e-mails to us or the board members and to separate croquet club issues from country club issues.
We are looking forward to a busy and fun year and hope to see you all out on the lawns.
Ron and Genie Hendry