Midsummer

Midsummer looms, Wimbledon echoes to the sound of heavy forehands and powerful services, the strawberry plants are laden and England are struggling in the latest test series.  Here at the bowls club, we are getting ready for our second open day on Saturday 28th June.

It's going to be a busy week.  We had the WI on Thursday to add to our usual coaching session. This week we have county in on Wednesday, Scouts join the coaching on Thursday, the cricket club come and play on Friday and Saturday is an all day open club day to recruit new members.

So how is it going?  About as well as I expected but not as well as I hoped.   We have recruited new members but I wanted 20-25 and we have managed a little shy of the 20 so far. Of those, I'd say only 10 will make team bowlers. 

I wanted to win about half of our matches but we have lost all bar one so in the end, no better than previous seasons.  We have lost more closely but lost none the less.  We'll change that, soon.   I'm seeing good progress.  It's just a small number letting us down in more ways than one.

I wanted to have the vast majority of people motivated and pleased with the progress and we have made enormous progress given previous years - an average of 3 or less new members, two victories and little change vs this season, nearly 20 new members, a refurbished club with 4 trained coaches holding regular sessions and all the signs that we are going places.

Of course, that's not enough. The doubters and moaners want to know how we are affording it all, don't listen and don't want to know about the opportunities and although they are friendly enough to the new folks, they don't seem to register their existence - if you say a name of anyone who hasn't been there for years the answer is usually "I don't know him/her"   Why not come and join the coaching sessions, recruitment days, initiatives that we run?  That little core of older members don't want all that.....  Maybe they'd rather we went bankrupt and closed up than everything changed.  I can't wait to see what they say when they find they haven't been picked for games because the new folks have passed them by.  

The thing is, the new players are keen, see the purpose of coaching and have been introduced into the club in the right way.  Soon, we will have a new core,built around the new, younger committee with more people who want to help and want progress.

I feel sorry for those who just cannot see it in themselves to make a bit of effort to change and enjoy the new offerings.  I suppose they think themselves above needing coaching and think they have seen it all before.  Wrong on two counts. 

Little Gaddesden is going places.  We'll be more than just a friendly club, we'll be a club with a bit of verve and energy.  People are going to know our name.