Need to Find New Gym Spaces Explained

First, on-line registration is now open for the coed, women’s and men’s leagues. I encourage everyone to take a moment to register early. (Thanks to those of you who have already done this).

Now, I’ll address the question that everyone wants to know: What is going on with the gyms? Who is moving and where are they going? There has been a lot of speculation and some discontent, so I’ll dispel and address these as best I can.

(UPDATE: see "Spring 2012 gym schedule" in column to left)

Please keep in mind the following things when evaluating the final decisions CJ and I made (or will make). We are volunteers and we do not have endless time and resources to expend on this. Every decision is made with the best information available and after careful consideration. We do what we believe is best for all OSC volleyball leagues, not one or two. We try to involve as many people as possible in these decisions, but sometimes circumstances (especially time) dictate that we cannot always get as much input as we’d like from all leagues. Not one of the choices we face will be ideal for everyone. Overall, we are trying to come up with a solution that will be least disruptive and most fair to all leagues without leading to a large price increase. Notably, we were able to avoid the price increase!

Some of the discontent is due to a misperception regarding the need for new gym space and moving. First, we did not lose the Westroads space due to poor behavior of the leagues that played there. One incident occurred the first week of this session after a policy change at the end of the spring session. It is unknown if it were due to any of the coed players, but it was addressed and no further incidents occurred. 

The Westroads facility primarily focuses on the elite junior club teams. The facility and club director felt this fall that there were going to be more teams come winter and he wouldn’t have the space for us. There was also a remodeling and reconfiguration problem that put the junior teams and adult teams all in the same area (previously two separate areas). 

In late November, we became aware that the junior demand was not as high as previously expected and we were able to retain the same number of courts. However, some were concerned about the juniors and their parents hearing “colorful language.” This does not mean our players sounded like sailors. But, it occurred and it was no worse than any other league I have ever officiated (all OSC leagues at some point). However, we were able to convince the director that a more recreational league with paid outside officials would be less risky. Another factor: We had rented a facility for the past couple of years (Beveridge) that was leased to another organization for January and February before we had a chance to renew our lease. 

Unfortunately, Santa did not hear my plea for a big facility where all OSC leagues can play, located within a mile of everyone’s home, with an endless supply of beer and rents for free. If I hit the Powerball lottery, I’ll build that facility myself. Until then, we have to live with what is available.

I know most players want a facility located west of 72^nd Street, but try as we did, we couldn’t find one available. The facility we did find (Creighton) is considerably more expensive with very nice courts and a lot of caveats to go with them. In the interest of keeping costs down for everyone (mind you we explored numerous options) and minimizing the inconvenience for all leagues, we found moving leagues around to be unavoidable. The big question is, of course, who’s playing at Creighton. The six weeks at Creighton will be spread to more than one league. The final schedule has not been made, but it will be two or three leagues, for two or three weeks at the most.  

With that, I will close by thanking everyone who attended the party at Sortinos. It was great seeing so many of you again.  Also, congratulations to the following teams for placing first or second in their respective leagues (team photos will be posted soon).

1^st AA: Mike Sena

2^nd AA: Andy Strand

1^st A: Heather Hefernan

2^nd A: Ken Curran

1^st B: Shelly Fulton

2^nd B: Joe Wolf

1^st B1: Joe Martinez

2^nd B1: Drew Thyden                      

1^st B2: Debra Carper

2^nd B2: Tyler Perkins

1^st BB: Jerome Watts             

2^nd BB: Dusty Kastens

Well, that’s all for now, so thanks again for a great season and putting up with some inconvenience in the coming session. We are working hard to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible and that it will be much better in the fall. Now get on the internet and register soon and we’ll see you at tryouts!